Fred Shoemaker and effortless, extraordinary golf
I really don't know where to start. There is so much to say about Fred Shoemaker and his book 'Extraordinary Golf: the art of the possible' that it is difficult to do justice to it in a few words.
Suffice to say: read the book, or at least check out Fred on the web. His ideas may not appeal to everyone, but anyone who ignores his ideas is not serious about making real changes to their golf.
I believe there are lots of good golfers, including professionals, who could benefit from some of his thinking about how to play golf. His emphasis on balancing enjoyment, learning and performance in our golf makes so much sense.
Fred's pet topic is probably 'awareness', a crucial part of the learning process. He de-emphasises 'teaching' and emphasises 'learning', and self learning at that. He would not be popular in some teaching circles, and probably be branded a crank by some, but the average (and better) golfers should take note.
I have been using some of Fred's ideas, mainly those around balance, in my recent games. And, I cannot say enough about how much more I am enjoying the experience of being free of technical thoughts and some of the fears and negativity previously so prevalent in my game.
I am also enjoying the challenge of changing my focus from the ball to the target (the destination of the ball) - something that does not come all that easily - but which is definitely part of some more mainstream golf instruction, particularly the good instructors like Shawn Clement.
Trusting your swing is part of this challenge and not telling yourself stories about your limitations in various areas. It's all good stuff, much of which follows the thinking of Tim Gallwey - the 'Inner Game' guru of golf and tennis - and a mentor of Fred Shoemaker.
Having said it's too hard to do justice to Fred's ideas in a few words, that's actually quite appropriate. Fred advocates self awareness and self teaching. He does not believe in heavy instructional models, rules, dos and don'ts, and bemoans the 'culture of golf' that encourages this dead end path.
I am an extraordinary golf convert. I am resisting tips and technical thoughts. I am throwing my club, figuratively, at the target (not the ball) and trying to rely on my instincts and natural ability to groove my game. So far it is going well and relatively effort free. Let's see what happens.
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