By Bruce Munch
Head Golf Professional, White River Golf Club, Rochester, Vermont

One of the reasons that a study of the game of golf is so interesting is the fact that golf, like all sports is full of paradoxes. With a better understanding of these seeming untruths, we can acquire a better appreciation of how this great game is played. Today we will try to explore some of the confusing aspects of the game of golf. With better understanding of these concepts you will find that you can produce a better result and enjoy the game more.

One of the most striking paradoxes about the game of golf is the fact that golf is meant to be recreation not frustration. There is a reason for this and it goes directly to a lack of understanding of this great game.

Sounds weird? It is however, true. In basketball, the ball goes in, you score, if it doesn’t go in, no points. Play tennis and you either get the point or lose the point. In soccer and hockey, it has to go in the goal to count. True, in golf we must ultimately get the ball in the cup but it is the only sport where the number of strokes it takes accounts for the score. Does the number of passes in hockey affect the value of the score? No. Does the number of volleys affect the value of the point in tennis? No. Does the number of dribbles give the field goal a different value in basketball? No. Golf is a game that rates "HOW" you achieve the ultimate goal, more than the goal itself. In golf, the person who misses by the least wins!

There are also other paradoxes relating to the mechanics of the golf swing and an understanding of these will increase your enjoyment of the game. One of the most misunderstood concepts in golf is the fact that we must hit down on the ball, to make it go up. Golf clubs are designed to trap the ball between the face of the club and the ground. When properly executed, the grooves of the club grab the cover of the ball and cause the ball to spin backwards. This backspin makes the ball fly up in the air. If we hit up on the ball in an attempt to make it fly, we impart forward spin which causes the ball to dive to the ground. This is why a proper swing will result in a divot of grass after impact. If your divots are occurring before the ball, you are not shifting your weight properly during the swing.

Have you ever played golf with a right-handed player who slices the ball? Ever notice that they aim left to compensate for the left to right ball flight? Well, in doing so they are actually making the slice more pronounced. When a tour player wants to work the ball from left to right, they aim their body left of the target, while leaving the face of the club pointing at the target, which allows them to come across the ball and impart the clockwise spin that makes the ball move from left to right.

Conversely, as a right handed player, if you want the ball to move right to left (a draw) you should close your stance while leaving the face of the club pointing at the target. This will impart counter clockwise spin that will make the ball move from right to left.

Have you ever noticed that the harder you swing the shorter and more offline the ball goes? This paradox results from the fact that an intentional effort to swing harder usually results in tense muscles. Tense muscles do not move quickly and effortlessly. They move in a jerky slow manner that results in less clubhead speed at impact. The legendary Mo Norman once said, "For proper club head speed, the arms should have the consistency of "cooked spaghetti". I once asked Mo what he did to hit the ball farther. He said, "When I want to hit it farther, I relax my hands and arms even more". Less arm tension = greater clubhead speed.

When John Daly was hitting it long and winning tournaments, many people tried to emulate his extremely long backswing. This was especially true of junior golfers, who at that age were flexible enough to produce that swing. Today we are seeing young touring pros going in the opposite direction. The backswing is getting shorter and allowing for a shorter, more powerful forward swing. A shorter, more controlled backswing allows golfers to put the club in the proper position more consistently. Poor position at the top of the backswing makes a powerful consistent forward swing, almost impossible. Shorten it up and hit it farther.

Another paradox in golf deals with the target. We all feel the need to look up at the target during the swing, to see how we have done. This leads to inconsistent shot making because we tend to hit what we are looking at. There is an old saying in golf. "If you want to see a bad shot, look up at it". This is very true so we must curb our desire to peek. There are a few ways to help stop this tendency.

1) As part of the pre-shot routine for every shot, we should stand behind the ball and site to the target. We should than pick a spot about 3 to 5 feet ahead of the ball which is on this line. Now concentrate on allowing the club to follow through to the intermediate target and in doing so you will be aimed at the ultimate target.

2) In the full swing, remember that the golf swing is executed shoulder to shoulder. That means, don’t come up to look at the shot until your trailing shoulder hits your chin on the forward swing.