In the course of my twenty-year tenure on the LPGA Tour, my approach to the game was always simple and basic. My theories about the game and the actual mechanics of the golf swing are consistent with that philosophy. Life is complicated enough - we certainly don’t need to over analyze a sport, which is synonymous with relaxation.
The essential fundamental which I tend to stress are those that can be addressed prior to the actual golf swing - the setup. This includes alignment, posture, grip and ball position. Once the swing is set in motion there is very little time for thinking. In fact, scientists have told me that we can accommodate less than two full thoughts in the course of the swing. Clear communication is imperative. The greatest challenge to the majority of golfers is learning how to create fluid rhythm in the golf swing from a fixed position. Unlike other sports, we are not engaged in motion as we prepare to strike an object. It is imperative that our initial set up allows our body to move with total freedom. I advocate a soft pressure on the grip with the arms suspended freely from the shoulders. You must create motion in order to generate proper movement and velocity.
The game of golf is to be enjoyed. Those of us who play the game should feel so fortunate to have the opportunity to constantly challenge ourselves in the wonderful environment that golf courses offer. Our attitude directly affects the way we play - the more positive we approach the game the better we play. Each shot is an adventure using all of our creative resources. I am an advocate of visualization, picturing the shot you would like to hit and then allowing your body to feel that swing. My golf swing vocabulary consists of words like tempo, balance, rhythm, passive, freedom and motion. Under difficult pressure situations, which is a relative term, I will always focus on a single swing thought coupled with a sense of tempo. Keep it simple.
I am excited to be a member of the GolfSpan.com team and I know that we have the desire and the knowledge to enlighten your world of golf. I would like to close with a poem, which was the constant source of inspiration for me during all of my LPGA victories.
“If you think you are beaten,
You are
If you think you dare not,
You don’t
But think you can’t,
It’s almost a cinch you won’t
If you think you’ll lose,
You’re lost
For in this world we find,
Success begins with a fellow’s will
It’s all in the state of mind,
Life’s battles don’t always go
To the stronger or fleeter man,
But sooner or later the man who wins,
Is the one who thinks he can”
