The More Things Change,
The More They Remain The Same

Most golfers are constantly tinkering with their golf swings. While these golfers may actually be making small changes to their golf swings, these changes won't be permanent. It all has to do with motor memory.

Let me use an analogy to demonstrate. Take a soft elastic ball. If you press your finger into it, the ball deforms, and when you release, it slowly returns to its original shape. So each time you press and then lift your finger to press elsewhere, the indentation you just made disappears. Ultimately, the ball always returns to its original shape.

Let's assume that this ball has a special characteristic—if you put pressure on a spot for a month, it looses its elasticity where the pressure is applied—it will now retain its new shape. If you press repeatedly in different places for a month with each press, the ball will eventually transform to the shape you desire.

This imaginary ball is very much like your golf swing—don't work on something long enough and you'll loose it. Do work long enough, and your changes will become permanent (see my Muscle Memory page for details on this very important swing improvement concept).

Not practicing on something long enough is why there are so many golfers who practice a lot, but never improve. When was the last time you practiced one single thing for at least a month?

One very important conclusion that can be made from this point is that if you have an instructor who recommends lessons more frequently than once a month—a series of weekly lessons, for example—then you should change instructors because you're taking from someone who does not know how a golfer learns, which means they have little chance of making you a better golfer!

 

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Casey Eberting Golf Instruction

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