I have been thinking a lot recently about the power of simplicity. “People want simplicity” says Cindy Davis, the president of Nike Golf. Yet to the majority of golfers the game is extremely complex; one can only imagine what it must be like from a non-golfers perspective looking in. There are shops literally filled with equipment that promise to help you to hit the ball longer and straighter than last years model. There are golf books, magazines and Internet sites, full of different ideas on how to fix your swing faults. Yet the stark reality is that the average UK handicap is still over one shot per hole and less than 4% of golfers have a category 1 handicap.

So where has it all gone wrong?

In my opinion we have moved too far from the power of simplicity. I believe that we have all made the game too complicated and we are far too concerned with “quick fixes”. Gone are the days where people worked on their game and ground out the practice to get better. Now we jump on YouTube and look for a fix to our problem only to be back online immediately when the practice wasn’t perfect.

At least this exercise is free; others look to equipment to solve all their problems. There is no question that the correct equipment can help your game but there is a correct way to go about it.

Custom club fitting

Having a custom club fitting ensures that what you buy is correct for you. A good club fitter will get you to hit some shots with your own club on a launch monitor and then work to find something that outperforms it. If they don’t let you hit your own club, then walk away immediately – they are after a sale rather than helping you to work towards long-term improvements. I run the fittings at Carus Green so should you have any questions on the fitting process then get in contact.

Coaching

You need to find a Coach who you trust, who will set out a road map for your game. One lesson won’t suffice, but a course of lessons with quality purposeful practice between is the only way to achieve long-term improvements.

Make sure that your Coach is able to clearly communicate with you, using video analysis such as the eAcademy is always beneficial. Be sure to leave each lesson with a clear understanding of what you need to work on.

Improvement is only possible from a sustained effort. If you were trying to lose weight and get fit reading some instructional articles online followed by one gym session won’t get the job done. You need to consistently exercise and follow the simple principle of consuming less calories than you burn off.

We need to apply the training principles of losing weight and getting fit to golf. A sustained approach with a simple principle to each practice session, as the quote goes “You don’t get what you want, you get what you work for”.