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Introduction
Introduction
The 19th century philosopher, Friedrich Nietzsche said, ‘the secret to great golf is swinging aggressively; joyful golf is dominant golf – it’s not a dull Apollonian state of so-called good golf. It’s full of the burning fire of enthusiasm, energetic, Dionysian, filled to overflowing with the terrific urge to swing hard and hit far – such is the golf of a person who risks mediocrity for the sake of mastery on the links. *
That is not the philosophy of no-duff golf.
Instead, the philosophy underlying no-duff golf is best summarized by the character, Harry Callahan (AKA Dirty Harry), in the 1973 movie, Magnum Force: “A man’s got to know his limitations”.
Definition
Definition
No-duff golf is defined as: consistently not duffing, topping, shanking, slicing, or hooking the ball; but instead, merely hitting a relatively solid, straight shot with a trajectory that is relatively respectable for the chosen club.
Rationale
Rationale
The 8-point rationale of a no duff golfer is:
Golf is a hard game to master.
I need to golf a lot to become a good golfer.
I don’t have the time or interest to golf a lot.
Consequently, I can’t become a good golfer.
However, I occasionally golf for social or professional reasons.
During those occasions, I would like to not be an embarrassing golfer.
Embarrassing golf is regularly duffing, topping, shanking, slicing or hooking the ball.
Instead, I would be satisfied with simply hitting a relatively straight shot with a relatively appropriate trajectory.
Strategy
Strategy
A strategy for mastering no-duff golf is simplifying and stabilizing your golf swing in ways that maximize the accuracy of your swing in order to increase the likelihood that the club head’s sweet spot will solidly connect with the golf ball.
This strategy prioritizes golf swing accuracy, and correspondingly, de-prioritizes swing power and speed.
That trade-off is not natural for our lizard brains, so it takes mental discipline to master no-dulf golf - perhaps more than athletic prowess.
Caveat
Caveat
Unfortunately, pursuing no-duff golf is not a good pathway for pursuing great golf. They are two different vectors - just as becoming a good baseball bunter doesn’t make you a good baseball slugger. This is yet another reason why no-duff golf is tough for ambitious people to pursue.
Tips
Tips
I have not mastered no-duff golf. However, here are tips that I find conducive to no-duff golf.
1. Eyes on the Back of the Ball
A fundamental tip for all ball sports is, keep your eyes on the ball. This is applicable to batting a baseball, forehanding a tennis ball, and catching a football, as well as hitting a golf ball. No-Duff Golf requires a precision connection between the club head and ball. Therefore, don't just look at the center of the ball; instead, focus on the back of the ball - which is the location where your club will make contact with the ball. (My friend and impressive golfer, Chuck F, gave me this insight in 2019.) To help me keep my eyes on the back of the ball during my swing, I adjust the ball so that its label (e.g. "Titleist") is positioned where I expect my club will strike, and then I focus my eyes on the label.
2. Relatively Wide Stance
In order to maximize the accuracy of my swing, I don’t have a big wind-up or follow-through, nor do I transfer my weight. So to maintain my balance, I set my feet slightly wider apart than my shoulder width. Also, I follow the best practice of positioning the ball in line with my front foot when I tee-up the ball, and positioning the ball in the middle of my stance for other typical shots on the fairway.
3. Lock Knees and Stick-out Butt
In order to prevent lifting-up on my swing and consequently topping the golf ball, I practically lock my knees. Moreover, I stick-out my butt (or bend at the hips) to better angle my upper body for the swing. (My friend and impressive golfer, Steve F, gave me this insight in 2014.)
4. Lock Wrists, Elbow, Hips and Shoulders
In order to maximize accuracy of my swing, I minimize my swing variability by doing the following when lining-up to the ball: (a) lock my wrists and elbows straight, as well as (2) vertically level my shoulders and horizontally square my shoulders (such that they are perpendicular to a line between the ball and me). This position is how I start my swing, and this is the position that I try to be in when my club connects with the ball.
5. Straight Arm, Half Wind-Up & Follow-Through
In order to maximize the accuracy of my swing, I don’t do a full (professional) golf wind-up or follow-through. Instead, I wind-up only as far as I can while keeping my left elbow (in my right-handed golf swing) locked in a straight position, and that results in bringing the golf club back to only about my shoulder height. I also keep my wrist and hips rigid through my entire swing.
6. Moderate Club Speed
In order to maximize the accuracy of my swing, I don’t swing my club at full speed. Instead, I have a moderate swing speed. You don’t need to swing the club fast, in order to hit a golf ball non-embarrassingly (for an amateur). Nonetheless, this is one of the hardest tips for me to maintain because: (a) I often play with experienced golfers who swing relatively fast, (b) I can’t always suppress the ambition in me that wants to hit the ball far, and (c) our lizard brains want to hit the ball hard.
7. Practice Swing
I take practice swings that are real swings, not half-hearted swings. This enables me to focus on all the tips - especially a modest swing speed. (This is one of the many insights that my dad taught me.)
8. Shoulders Back, Deep Breath & Smile
Before my shot, I establish good posture (with my shoulders down and back), take a deep belly-breath, and crack a small smile. I don’t know if this helps me master no-duff golf, but it helps me enjoy the game. Furthermore, research indicates that: establishing good posture can improve your performance, taking a deep belly-breath can relax you, and smiling can make you happy.
Paradox
Paradox
One of the many challenges to mastering no-duff golf is that if you have even an ounce of ambition, then as you approach no-duff mastery, you become more confident in your golf game, and accordingly, you try to seamlessly transition from non-embarrassing golf to competent golf. This confidence and ambition leads you to try a more professional swing by, for example, broadening your wind-up and follow-through, shifting your weight, rotating your wrist, and/or increasing your swing speed. However, without practice (see non-duff rationale and caveat) those ambitious changes typically result in duffing, topping, shanking, slicing or hooking the ball.
That’s the paradox of trying to master no-duff golf.
Feedback and Acknowledgements
Feedback and Acknowledgements
I have not mastered no-duff golf, so I welcome feedback.
To the extent that I consistently hit non-embarrassing golf shots, I attribute that to the patience and guidance from the following golfers: Steve F, Chuck F, Seth, Chris H, Rick M, Coops, Bart, and most significantly, Bill C.
* Nietzsche actually said, “The secret to a joyful life is to live dangerously. A joyful life is an active life – it is not a dull state of so-called happiness. Full of the burning fire of enthusiasm, anarchic, revolutionary, energetic, daemonic, Dionysian, filled to overflowing with the terrific urge to create – such is the life of a man who risks safety and happiness for the sake of growth and happiness”.
About & Contact
About & Contact
Mike Alvarez Cohen created No-Duff-Golf.com for fun, and to continue to learn about internet technology via first-hand experience.
You can contact me at mike.alco at gmail.
Check-out my other websites: Da-CoMo-VaTra.com, Spousing.org, and SingularityRanch.com.
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Mike Alvarez Cohen
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