Golf is cruel

Golf is a tough sport to master - in fact, you never can. The golfing gods make sure you stay in the land of what could have been.

On that theme, I recently watched a pro golfer play a tournament round in which I don't believe he mishit a single shot from tee to green, not one! Of course, he putted like a drunk, so it was just another golfing tragedy.

But putting, the great leveller and sometimes redeemer, is not what I want to focus on. What was absolutely mesmerising was the beautiful full swing that pro displayed, and specifically his rhythm.

Every shot from driver to wedge had the same rhythm (or tempo if you like). At no stage, not once, even with the frustrations he was experiencing on the greens, did his rhythm change.

In golf there are many situations where your rhythm can be compromised: the impulse to gain a few yards off the tee; the desire to reach a green by adding a few yards to your approach shot; the in-between club scenario; the tricky shot over a bunker. There are surely many others.

It seems to me that good ball striking must be significantly improved by maintaining a consistent rhythm through each club and in each situation. An effective golf swing is after all heavily reliant on timing, which is basically the sequencing that golf teachers often reference.

The challenge then is to find and focus on maintaining one's optimum rhythm. We probably all have a default rhythm or tempo. It will vary from individual to individual. But in golf the length of the club, the shot required, etc. should not determine the rhythm. As they say, 'let the club do the work'.

Speaking of golfing cliches, some of which are actually home-truths that make sense, there is another one that I should mention: 'watch the ball'.

Lately, I've been aware of more consistent ball striking because I've been trying to watch the ball longer when hitting the ball. In reality, it's probably not the 'watching' so much as the 'not changing posture' that is helping. But if the watching is encouraging me to stay in posture, or staying down if you will, who am I to argue with the old cliche.

Finally, a mention of my achilles heel. I've come to the conclusion that I am actually a pretty good putter - or good enough. No grip, technique, concept is 'correct'. Putting I believe is in part imagination, part hand-eye co-ordination, and part luck. You could say that putting is another area of golf where the golfing gods are in charge. Sometimes the golfing gods are kind; often they are cruel.