What the Impossible Task of Trying to Master Our Swing Can Teach Us About Life
In my iOS albums, past my daily video clips (download 1SE!), past our family album dominated by our dog and my new nephew, is a shared album amongst friends where we record our swings and invite feedback from the gang. At one point, the album was rebranded from 'Shared Album' to 'Swingers' - because without a little levity in this sport we'd all go completely nuts. Nobody in the group is a PGA professional. Hell, I don't think any of us have ever taken a lesson. We might sometimes be pointing each other in the wrong direction, but the goal remains the same: improve the swing and improve at golf.
In my ten years as a caddie, I saw every swing under the sun. Some were beautiful, many more terrible. What always intrigued me was when a club member decided to overhaul their swing, to commit to getting worse in the hopes of getting better. The concept of changing your 'move' exists within other sports (successful: Jose Bautista; less so: Markelle Fultz) -- but nowhere else is it as impactful as in golf. Tiger Woods at the height of his powers, coming off the best run in the history of the sport, felt the need to re-tool because he wanted to be better. That's what those club members, what us in Swingers, and what pros (even Tiger) chase - better golf.
The experience of trying to master the golf swing has spilt over into other experiences in my life. I have an increased patience for trying out new things, and a better attitude while doing so. In the words of Jake the Dog, "Suckin' at something is the first step towards being sorta good at something". I've also become more open to the suggestions and ideas of others. The feedback and advice from my friends helps to remind me that I don't in fact know everything, and that I should stop and listen to what others have to say every once and awhile. Most impactful, however, is the life lesson I learned last March. If you catch one off the hosel at the range, delete the video immediately. Because should you accidentally upload that to the group, you'll never hear the end of it.
Jack Coaty