by Jim Bessey

Created on: October 11, 2008

Golf is not a sport for the faint of heart. Nor is it a pastime for the weak of wallet, or for the uncoordinated. There's a very good reason why golf is a four-letter word. Still, playing golf is a great opportunity to revel in the great outdoors, see some incredible scenery, and socialize with friends and business associates.

I took up golf relatively late in life; I was 31 the first time I held a seven-iron. A coworker invited me. At the time I had no idea how much I had to learn. My friend was a marginal, though enthusiastic golfer. He also liked to consume fermented beverages continuously while golfing. When you add together his lack of talent and propensity for drinking, you can understand my slow initial progress at mastering the game.

The fact that I'm not a natural athlete didn't help much, either.

There are over one million guides to better golfing available in print, online, and on video. (I just made that up - I'm sure there are far more than a million.) Each time a golfer seeks help from one of these sources, or from a golfing buddy, he or she compounds the errors already established with new ones. "Head down," "bend your knees," "close down the clubface," "modify the geometry of your initial stance based upon the club selection while visualizing the shot, based on the terrain." Yeah, right.

The best golfers don't need any direction. It just comes naturally. Unfortunately, nothing about golf comes naturally to me. (Well, driving the golf cart is fun and easy, but that doesn't really count.) Why then, you may ask, do PGA Tour professionals have coaches? To help them cast off all other helpful advice they have accidentally absorbed, of course.

I did all the right things.

I played consistently, every week for three full summer seasons. "Regular practice will improve your performance." Actually, it simply reinforces your existing bad habits.

I joined a league with friends. We played every Thursday evening for about 12 weeks each summer. "Social encouragement will relax you and improve your approach to the game." I was voted "most potential for improvement" in the year-end banquet.

I took lessons. Yup, I paid for someone to give me valuable golf advice and coaching. This is highly recommended for novice players who show little initial improvement. The idea is to unlearn the bad things you're doing, and start fresh. "An objective instructor can properly assess your swing, and help you make necessary changes." I learned that I'm not a good student.

I signed up

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