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Internet Game Improvement?

© Bill Howard

Spring, when every over the hill athlete's fancy turns to golf. When you look outside, you see golf weather. It's not just the Sun Belt that's playing anymore. While those of us who live in sunny locales have a head start, the golf season is still young and there is plenty of time to play catch up. It's time to stop watching and start participating.

It's time to begin the annual battle to conquer your golf demons. Swing flaws, putting woes, short game mysteries, sand trap horrors, and blithering idiot strategy (my personal favorite) must all be confronted once again.

Over the next few weeks, I'll be taking a look at game improvement sites, instruction sections, instruction message boards, and the like. Before I begin the journey, I have to admit to several prejudices.

First and foremost, in my opinion, most golf teachers are entirely to busy trying to make things complicated. Teachers are so involved in trying to find a new angle or approach that the elegant simplicity of a truly great golf swing gets lost in the process. Good ball strikers execute a set of simple fundamentals. They do it the same way every time. They are capable of this because their minds are not cluttered by the swing theory du jour .

You may safely assume that I'm not a big fan of the golf swing miracle cures that are periodically thrown at the public. Golf instruction must be kept simple.

Radical prejudice number two: Improving a golf swing requires work. Any one who tells you that you've cured a flaw in one lesson or round of golf is insulting your intelligence. Golfers spend years ingraining problems. They do not disappear simply because you change your mind. Any meaningful change requires physical repetition to accompany the philosophical shift.

And finally, I'm not entirely sure how the Internet and improving one's golf swing fit together. Is it possible to find athletic help via your computer? We shall see.

I'll be starting my search with the links listed here at Suite101. Where it'll lead is anybody's guess. If you have any suggestions, I'd appreciate it if you would e-mail them. Anything that helped your game would be of interest. Similarly, any instructor who you think does a good job of communicating with the written word warrants investigation. Please let me hear from you. When you mail your suggestions, include a rough estimate of your handicap or level of play. Thanks in advance.

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