Too old for football (soccer).

by Christopher Main
(Brighton, England)

An extraordinary golfer

Hello Sandy, readers,

I recently reached 40 and decided to give up playing football (too many injuries). I decided to start playing golf instead but quite quickly changed my mind. I mean its just such a daft game is it not?

I agree with Churchill, the equipment is certainly ill designed for fulfilling the task of getting that little ball into a tiny hole. I was also finding it very hard to accept the fact that I couldn't hit the ball out of a wet paper bag.

On the range I watched young boys whack the ball effortlessly towards the boundaries and I would often walk away embarassed with my efforts.

I decided to go to one of those Golf professionals and see if he can help.

And what happened...

He helped me all right. Over the next eight weeks and about a dozen lessons later he helped me to lighten the weight of my wallet. He also managed to convince me that golf is a game that has to be methodically thought through and is not instinctive like football.

So with quite a sore back and a very bruised soul, I decided enough was enough.

Then a friend directed towards this website and I started to read about your methods.

"Swinging without thinking"

"Swinging reflexively"

"Use natural skills to improve your golf"

"Awareness and concentration skills"

But what caught my eye was the pages on learning motor skills with trial and error methods and performing without over analysing the results.

It's how we learn to walk, run, climb, throw or kick a ball, ride a bike, drive a car and all other motor skills.

So to cut a long story short, I adopted a few of the drills and found out that the game and the equipment were not so bad after all.

I have learned to chip using raking skills. I have learned to putt by using long learned bowling skills. But more 'extraordinarily' I have found powerful golf shots using throwing skills and not hitting skills.

I now love the game and am looking forward to the next challenge that it sends my way.

Thanks Sandy for putting this site together and helping me to find the true beauty of this game.

As you know I am now a member of your private page and am busy incorporating your private advice into my game.

Great stuff. Keep it up.

Your devout student,

Christopher Main