Q:Be.Do.

The initial success I achieved on the golf course with Gallwey’s inner game techniques have me all fired up to get out and play more. I’m probably not going to be able to get in a round of any kind before next week, but I did manage to set aside an hour to hit the range at the Presidio after a meeting two days ago.

I dutifully bought my large bucket of balls and found an open mat that didn’t have too offensive of a tee angle. If you’ve never been to the Presidio driving range you’ll have a hard time understanding just why a simple driving range can evoke such hatred. The Presidio is my least favorite driving range because of the odd angles of the tees and the high cost of range balls. But when it is on the way home from a meeting, it is hard to argue against.

My goal for the practice session was to focus on feeling the swing, and start trying to let go of attachment to outcome. No easy task, that latter part, because it is the great catch 22 of golf: in order to hit good shots I have to focus on the swing, and not care where the shots end up. Using Gallwey’s “da-da-da-da” method on full swings, and a variation of “back-hit-stop” for shorter pitches/chips, I was able to start really feeling the swing.

On almost every hit I could identify where the clubhead was through the swing, and when I couldn’t feel the clubhead is almost always where I tensed up and focused on outcome instead of swing. I discovered that I was able to isolate breakdowns in my swing without getting irate at the poor results. At one point I was having a hard time with my 8-iron, and was consistently hitting poor shots.

Focusing solely on the feel of the club through the swing, I was able to identify tension in my wrists that was keeping the clubface open through impact causing fades and poor contact. Simply by recognizing what the tension in my wrists felt like, and then experimenting with different degrees of tension I was able to start hitting cleaner, straighter shots.

In fact, I hit about 75 or 80 clean shots out of 100 – a marked improvement for me. I’m getting to the point where I can hit different shots on command: fade, straight, or draw, with most clubs in my bag. I “played” a few holes at the range, experimenting with different tee shots, and having the most fun I’ve ever had at the range.

The next day my wrists and forearms were sore, as was my left leg/knee. Apparently removing tension in my swing is getting me to swing with a freedom I never have before, a freedom that is pushing muscles beyond the limits they are accustomed to with golf. I’m trying not to focus on the outcome, but I can’t wait to get out and shoot another 18-holes. Soon.