The Next Level

Over the years I have worked very hard to improve my golf in all areas. I went from a shallow swinger to someone who can hit the back of the ball. A person who couldn't get it in the air, to someone who can pitch a high softie. From someone who had the yips to someone who feels like they are going to make everythig. Anyone who plays golf knows the elements in golf ebb and flow. You hit it well, and you don't putt great. The next day you putt great, but don't hit it that great. That's golf.

There has been an element within my golf game that has been a constant, however, and although at times it has been better than others, it comes back to the same issue: My impact position.

For a brief run down of what happens is that the club typically comes too much from the inside, the hips come toward the ball, the arms raise and come above the plane and consistently hitting the back of the ball becomes a bit of a challenge. It has gotten a lot better in recent years with my work with Steve, however, it really doesn't make sense why it is so difficult to change that move. I know what is happening and where it is happening, but WHY does it continue to happen.

I started reflecting on my swing and golf game from year to year, and have deduced that no matter how strong or flexible I have been, it comes down to the same thing, that impact position. Why? There has to be a reason for it and a few weeks back, I the reason why came from an unlikely source, former NHL player Adam Oates.

Adam was one of the best passers in the game, and it was often stated that he was a better passer than The Great One. He had a 19 year career and the reason for this would be his dedication and discipline to physical fitness. Now, Adam a true golf fanatic, will always do what he can to make up for lost time with his golf game. He started talking to me about the fact that we all have patterns in our movements, created over our lifetime. The way we stand affects the way we move which affects how or why we have tightness in certain areas. He was talking about the Feldenkrais method.

For example, my hips and hamstrings have always been tight. No matter how much I have tried to loosen them, they always go back to their original tight selves. Why? My shoulders, on the other hand, are loose as can be. Why? Because of deeply ingrained patterns in my movements.

Yesterday was the beginning of a change coming to those patterns. I had an assessment with Daniella who went over my entire body from how I stand to the way I walk. For example, I have developed a bunion on my right foot. I always thought it came from a set of insoles that were given to me a few years back that smashed my feet into my shoes in an effort to create better alignment in my body. Although the insoles my have sped up the growth of that bunion, it was likely bound to happen sooner or later, based solely on my weight distribution when I walk and stand.

The majority of my weight gets held on the inside of my right foot and on my first two toes so if you think about it, no wonder that right toe is going to start moving inwards hence forcing the joint out--hence the bunion.

In the end, I learned a lot about why I have trouble getting to my left hip (which would help me stay level through the ball and keep my arms on plane through impact) and how we are going to fix it. Daniella takes this data and formulates a program specifically designed to address your personal needs.

I have had many workout plans in the past and some have been better than others, but I feel very enthusiastic about getting a program that will pinpoint and address my needs 100%. I am looking forward to seeing the progress over the next few months. More than anything, i am looking forward to finally reaching a level that I knew I had, but always seemed to have trouble attaining.