Swinging into Something New Part II
According to Arnold Palmer, the sport of golf is deceptively simple and endlessly complicated (Kerr-Dineen, 2017).
After spending time this week working on my golf swing, I would have to say I agree with his statement. The concept of golf does seem pretty straightforward. You swing a club, hit the ball, and hope it goes in the hole with fewest strokes as possible. After spending quality time with different media sources, and putting into practice my new tips and tricks, I learned golf is not as simple as I thought it would be.
One of the biggest hurdles I was trying to overcome was to break my softball swing habits. I had spent over 20 years playing softball, and it had definitely been challenging to learn a new type of swing. There was one YouTube video, however, that helped me change my ways. The Golf Swing Made Simple video was created by PGA professionals, Andy Proudman and Piers Ward, and it simplified the golf swing for beginners. Instead of focusing on a full swing, they suggested starting with a half swing (
Proudman & Ward, 2013). By doing this, I was able to get a feel for what the motion needed to be when I struck the golf ball.
I practiced the half swing several times as I mimicked the professionals in the YouTube video. I definitely was tempted to ask for guidance from my golf-obsessed neighbors, but staying true to the nature of my task, I continued my search for more help from different media sources. The help forum, The Sand Trap, allowed me to connect with other novice golfers and share valuable advice. I will continue to use help forums, as well as social media, YouTube, and affinity spaces to perfect my golf swing.
Take a look below at my golf swing journey, thus far!
The after: Correct half swing 1
Kerr-Dineen, L. (2017, March 15). Forteen inspiring Arnold Palmer quotes. USA Today.
Naglik, M. (2020, J
une 14). Half swing 1. [Video] YouTube.
Naglik, M. (2020,
June 14). Half swing 2. [Video] YouTube.
Naglik, M. (2020,
June 14). Incorrect swing. [Video] YouTube.
Proudman, A., & Ward, P. (2013, October 2). Golf swing made simple [Video]. YouTube.