PUSH THROUGH THE TOUGH TIMES

It is undeniably true that golf is a difficult game and it must be treated with the utmost respect. Accepting this truism means that one also must accept that there will be some tough times along the way. Even the legendary Ben Hogan had his share of difficult times. Knowing of his struggles might help to ease your pain. Hogan turned pro when he was eighteen and barely made a cheque until he was twenty-eight years old. That’s ten years of living just above the poverty line. But he kept on practicing. In fact he practiced harder than anyone had ever seen, with no rewards for such a long time. They say he used to hit over a thousand balls almost every day! He was the first person to treat the game as his job. His famous quotes always come to mind: “I just loved to practice;” “They used to laugh at me for practicing;” “I always outworked everybody;” “There isn’t enough daylight in any one day to practice all the shots required for golf;” “Every day of practice missed would take me one day longer to get good;” and “The more I practice the luckier I get.”

Nobody in golf to this day has ever experienced more difficulties than Ben Hogan. He could have quit many times over, but he didn’t. He also said, “Every day that I progressed was a joy to me and I recognized it every day. I don’t think I could have done what I’ve done if I hadn’t had the tough days to begin with.” Golf requires time for a golfer to become a good player. And always remember this: copy the ball striking and shot making fundamentals used by professionals and better players. These fundamentals are described in my book Smash and Carve Golf. Make it your goal to experience the art of ball striking and shot making soon and feel the pleasure, just like Hogan did.