Commitment

I've recently been dabbling, if that's the right word, with 'staying down' and 'pausing', neither of which are really fundamental in the true sense of the word. In other words, there are plenty of good golfers who do neither of these things, just as there are plenty who do.

I've previously stated my fundamentals as not trying to hit too hard, staying balanced and playing off the front foot. All have merit in my view, depending on the level at which the golfer finds themselves. Better players can get away with hitting harder, even swaying, provided their timing is 'on'. Poorer players need to take account of all of these fundamentals, in my view.

There is one other fundamental that I'm starting to consider, partly in the context of the above mentioned dabbles and partly in relation to a previous post on deceleration. This element of golf can I think be called 'commitment to the shot'.

It sounds too obvious to say one needs commitment, but I find that the only shots I hit really well are when I concentrate on completing the shot with a full follow through, without steering, without any kind of manipulation of the shot, and without hurrying (or hesitating and decelerating) for that matter.

It's a difficult thing to define, but it is essentially about putting a good swing on a shot. Techniques will vary, but as many pro caddies say to their players: 'commit to the shot', and I'm starting to realise what they mean.

Over-committing or tensing up might be biggest danger here, which is why 'commitment' is a slightly difficult concept to explain or get right. I think it's a bit like concentrating (something and uncle suggested is the key to golf), so it's not as if it's a completely foreign idea. The main problem is getting the balance right - commitment versus trying too hard.

It has been said that 'trying fails', but I don't think that's the case with 'commitment' - at least that's my latest fundamental belief.