The previous articles I have written have focused first on the golf ball and what actually happens when you hit the ball and secondly on helping you to begin to understand how you can set-up in the best position possible to create your perfect swing.

Tony Westwood

This article is about YOU taking responsibility for your golf, whether it is good or bad and looking at what you can do to increase your enjoyment of this great game.

One thing is always guaranteed, you were holding the club when you hit the ball. You were responsible for that shot. What you do next is YOUR choice. If it was a good shot, congratulate yourself and walk down the fairway, your head held high and a smile on your face. If it was a bad shot you can still walk down the fairway with your head held high and smiling or do you do something else?

Is there disappointment, frustration or anger growing inside of you? Do you try to "fix" what was wrong? The real challenge is, understanding what actually happened without getting emotional about it. I ask my clients to take a step back and watch the shot as if they were the Director in a film, watching the actor play the part.

The Director is only observing what is happening, just as I do when I am coaching. As the golfer playing the game if you can watch the shot from a neutral position, watch the flight and shape of the shot, every shot until the ball stops moving, you begin to increase how much you learn from every shot.

The first step is to take RESPONSIBILITY for what you did, accept it, and move on to the next shot. If it was a good shot please congratulate yourself. If it was a bad shot, do nothing, watch it and that is all. The only information you need is which part of the ball you hit, the shape of the shot and where the ball finished.

For every shot you hit you should have a specific target of where you want the ball to finish. Once you have decided on the target, focus on which part of the ball you need to hit to send the ball in the direction you want the ball to travel. The challenge now is to make a swing that will achieve that goal of sending the ball to your desired target.

After you have hit the ball, you can decide how close you were to achieving what you wanted. Making the target as small as possible will help you to be more exact and it is much better to finish close to a small target than to finish close to a bigger target. If you can imagine when driving your car, you have a clear intention to drive to exactly where you want to drive, a target, not just to finish close to your destination.

When you are playing the game focusing on your target and choosing the part of the ball you need to hit to send the ball in that direction will help you to notice what is happening, where the ball finishes relative to your chosen target. Do you miss more shots to the left or the right of the target? Is this consistent with all your clubs? Do you always hit the same shot on certain holes, either good or bad? All of this information will help you when you practice and when you visit your coach.

Just as you are responsible for your golf shots, your coach is responsible for helping you understand exactly what you need to do to enjoy and improve your golf. Just as you should have a plan for each golf shot, you should have a plan of what you want to do to improve, if you want to improve that is.

DO YOU WANT TO IMPROVE?

Or are you happy with what you are doing?

This article as all about you taking responsibility, if you want to improve you have to take the responsibility and plan how you intend to improve. If you are not happy then you must make a decision to either be happy or find a way to improve. Golf is a game and you do enjoy games more when you can play them better, what do you think?

Golf Tips Lessons

Your chosen coach should help you understand what is happening now and then help you understand what you need to do to change. It should be easy to understand and you should see results quickly, although creating lasting change can take a little more time.

Imagine learning to ride a bicycle. First you need training wheels to help you balance and then the wheels are removed and you need the help of a parent to hold the bicycle to help you balance. Then once you can balance you ride the bicycle cautiously, slowly, occasionally falling off. Then eventually you can ride the bicycle perfectly well, you still fall off, this happens rarely though now you have "learnt" the skill.

If your coach is helping you in the best way possible, you will be see the quality of your good shots improving, you may still hit the bad shots, just like you sometimes wobble and fall off your bicycle. In time though you learn what you need to do and only occasionally do you hit the bad shots.

Here at the Clube Nacional de Golfe Academia you have the opportunity to explore your golf using the latest coaching tools available to help you understand what you need to do. Some of the tools will work better for some golfers and some for others; it is your coach´s skill that will help you understand what will work best and when.

Hitting a golf ball is a skill and we believe everyone has this skill and it is our role to help you develop that skill. Some clients learn quickly and others not so quickly, we focus on making sure that we are as responsible for your learning as long as you are prepared to take responsibility for your golf. The photographs that accompany this article show some of the coaching equipment we use to help you learn your "perfect swing".

You will see the Explanar Swing machines, they work just like the training wheels on the bicycle, helping you to stay balanced and not fall off. We have both the Junior and Professional models. We use the Flightscope Kudu radar system. This helps both the coach and the client to understand the links between their golf swing and what happened to the ball. It also gives essential information which will help decide if the clubs you are using really do suit you.

You will also see the photos of the practice drills we use to help you to develop the skills that will allow you to be more confident about what happens on the golf course. So that every shot you hit becomes an opportunity to learn something new about your golf and is a step forward in your learning.

WHAT ARE YOUR PLANS FOR GOLF IN 2010?

Do you plan to work at your game this year? Lower your handicap? Or just enjoy your golf more? Or continue what you did in 2009? Whatever you decide make sure you commit to it and stick to that target. If you want to improve how do you plan to do it? How much practice time? How often will you have coaching sessions?

If your aim is to lower your handicap, by how many shots do you plan to lower it? What is your target handicap at the end of 2010? And how do you plan to do it?

If enjoyment is your target, please enjoy every shot, every time you play whether it is good or bad.

There are many questions to be asked and answers to be found. One thing is clear; it is easier to find answers with the help of a coach who understands you and your golf. Finding the right coach will help you to learn what you need to do. A coach needs to understand what you want to gain from the learning process, what your goals are and how to help you achieve them.

To improve your golf it is not just about having a better swing, it is also important to know how to process the information of what happens when you play, how you deal with what happens both good and bad and to enjoy what you do. If you do not enjoy it, why do it!

Good luck to you and your golf in 2010 from Tony Westwood at Clube Nacional de Golfe.