Practice makes perfect? It sure doesn't seem that way.
If you look at results on the PGA tour over many years, you will find a phenomenon that makes you question the old adage that, "Practice makes perfect." Of course, this is hyperbole - there is no such thing as "perfect" in golf, but in golf, practice doesn't even seem to make you better.
How many PGA tour golfers actually improve over time? ZERO. Every year we see a few young golfers who go like a house on fire for a couple years, then they fade off into the wilderness, basically never to be heard from again. The list of names of players who were going to be the "next Jack Nicklaus," or "Arnie," or whoever, is almost endless. Sergio Garcia, Mike Weir, Dustin Johnson, Camillo Villegas, Anthony Kim, Adam Scott...Is Rory McIlroy going to be the next one to fade into obscurity?
These guys are on top of the world at age, say, 25, and then they gradually fade and eventually are struggling just to make the cuts. And they have full time coaches and trainers, incredible technological resources, and the best clubs and balls in the world. They practice twelve months a year, many hours a day, and NEVER GET ANY BETTER. They change their swing from time to time, their game deteriorates for a bit, then eventually they get back to where they were (mid-pack) before they made the change.
You have the very occasional player who has a flurry of wins later in their career (Vijay Singh, Freddy Perry, Jim Furyk), but usually this is due to some oddball thing that gives them a lift. Freddy Perry started using an old putter he got from his grandmother or something.
The best golfers are able to play at a fairly high level for a long time. The names Ernie Els, Fred Couples and Phil Mickelson come to mind. Maybe they win tournaments in three different decades.
But most PGA golfers NEVER improve throughout their careers, despite getting better equipment, better coaching, more technological assistance, and the benefit of improved training techniques. In fact, I would bet that they gradually decline, starting at age 25 - and it has nothing to do with aging.
Consider putting by itself. If you could improve your putting by practice and experience, the best putters in the world would be on the Seniors Tour. But they are no better than anyone else (judging by putts per round). Do you ever forget how to read a green? Can you ever get better at reading greens? Apparently not.
If you are an average "duffer," you can certainly improve by getting a good professional instructor, getting the best equipment, and practicing to build consistency. But once you reach "your level," that's about it. If the best golfers in the world can't improve with the intensive and extensive resources they put into improvement, how can a common duffer who devotes 4-5 hours a week to the game expect to get any better?
In fact, the ability to repeat a swing consistently, time after time, is a very rare talent that most people will never achieve. Just like some people can play the piano or type while holding a conversation, some people can hit golf balls straight and true all day long.
But that certainly isn't me.
If you look at results on the PGA tour over many years, you will find a phenomenon that makes you question the old adage that, "Practice makes perfect." Of course, this is hyperbole - there is no such thing as "perfect" in golf, but in golf, practice doesn't even seem to make you better.
How many PGA tour golfers actually improve over time? ZERO. Every year we see a few young golfers who go like a house on fire for a couple years, then they fade off into the wilderness, basically never to be heard from again. The list of names of players who were going to be the "next Jack Nicklaus," or "Arnie," or whoever, is almost endless. Sergio Garcia, Mike Weir, Dustin Johnson, Camillo Villegas, Anthony Kim, Adam Scott...Is Rory McIlroy going to be the next one to fade into obscurity?
These guys are on top of the world at age, say, 25, and then they gradually fade and eventually are struggling just to make the cuts. And they have full time coaches and trainers, incredible technological resources, and the best clubs and balls in the world. They practice twelve months a year, many hours a day, and NEVER GET ANY BETTER. They change their swing from time to time, their game deteriorates for a bit, then eventually they get back to where they were (mid-pack) before they made the change.
You have the very occasional player who has a flurry of wins later in their career (Vijay Singh, Freddy Perry, Jim Furyk), but usually this is due to some oddball thing that gives them a lift. Freddy Perry started using an old putter he got from his grandmother or something.
The best golfers are able to play at a fairly high level for a long time. The names Ernie Els, Fred Couples and Phil Mickelson come to mind. Maybe they win tournaments in three different decades.
But most PGA golfers NEVER improve throughout their careers, despite getting better equipment, better coaching, more technological assistance, and the benefit of improved training techniques. In fact, I would bet that they gradually decline, starting at age 25 - and it has nothing to do with aging.
Consider putting by itself. If you could improve your putting by practice and experience, the best putters in the world would be on the Seniors Tour. But they are no better than anyone else (judging by putts per round). Do you ever forget how to read a green? Can you ever get better at reading greens? Apparently not.
If you are an average "duffer," you can certainly improve by getting a good professional instructor, getting the best equipment, and practicing to build consistency. But once you reach "your level," that's about it. If the best golfers in the world can't improve with the intensive and extensive resources they put into improvement, how can a common duffer who devotes 4-5 hours a week to the game expect to get any better?
In fact, the ability to repeat a swing consistently, time after time, is a very rare talent that most people will never achieve. Just like some people can play the piano or type while holding a conversation, some people can hit golf balls straight and true all day long.
But that certainly isn't me.
