Many golfers say they play by 'feel' but they still need solid mechanics. (Courtesy photo)

Playing with feel means learning golf mechanics

By Chuck Evans,
Special Contributor

"But I'm a 'Feel' player!"

This is a phrase that always makes me smile. How can someone be a "feel" player without knowing what it is that they are trying to feel?

We learn feel from mechanics not vice versa. As a teacher it is impossible to teach someone feel but it is possible to help them understand the mechanics that will allow them to reproduce that mechanic into a feel.

You see there are two computers in golf.

1. The Brain
2. The Golf Ball

We must first program the brain to execute and send the necessary data to the golf ball via the hands. There is no such thing as "Muscle Memory" - muscles do not have brain cells! So all of the programming is done through the brain.

Players must have a vivid, clear picture of what they are trying to accomplish before it can be executed. This information is then sent to the hands to complete the motion.

Any shot you hit is perfectly executed based upon the information the golf ball received. If you top the ball, congratulations, you did everything absolutely correct to produce this result! If you want to change the outcome of the shot then program what you do want!

You see, the ball does not go into the water because it wants to - it goes in the water because it has to!

So basically we learn feel from mechanics not the other way around. If the player has a picture of trying to help the ball into the air then that's exactly what they will do. Change the picture then the motion and result will change.

February 28, 2007

Chuck Evans, G.S.E.D., a Golf Magazine Top 100 Teacher, is one of only 31 golf instructors worldwide designated to hold a doctorate in golf stroke engineering. He is executive director of instruction for the Medicus Golf Institute and has served as director of schools for the PGA Tour Golf Academy, and as director of instruction for the United States Golf Institute. He is also the author of "How To Build Your Golf Swing."