05 Nov It takes years to get things right

These past few weeks I’ve been trying to swing like Ben Hogan. I can hear a few of you saying that it might be a little late — and I agree. If I had been able to understand his ‘Five Fundamentals’ (as I do now) when I started practising seriously as a young boy, my playing career, and bank account, might have been better!

That’s one of the problems of this game we all love. It takes years of trial and error to even begin to understand the movements we should be trying to do. And when your brain finally comprehends one or two swing secrets — alas, your body is too old to carry out its instructions consistently.

I must admit trying to pass on the swing knowledge I’ve gained throughout my years in golf, especially to juniors, is very satisfying. I wish someone had passed on, in detail, tips to me when I practised alone all those years ago. I have said this before — but beware of the golf teacher who consistently smiles and talks nonstop — as one old, legendary PGA teaching pro once whispered to me over a beer with a wink “empty vessels make the most noise’.

Out of Bounds: Here’s some more important points to ponder after hitting a bad shot: If you take an Oriental person and spin him around several times, does he become disoriented?– If people from Poland are called Poles, why aren’t people from Holland called Holes?–If a pig loses its voice, is it disgruntled?