The Virtue of Being a Stupid Monkey (and How it can Help Your Golf Game)

[nevets88]

[iacas]

Originally Posted by cipher

I promise when I take my lessons from now on I will not ask "why" one time.

Asking why is fine. Understanding why is fine. It's good.

Considering the "why" (or worse, the "whys" of ten other unrelated things) when practicing and especially when playing is what you want to avoid.

But knowing the "why" is not forbidden. It's a good thing. You just have to be able to separate the "why" stuff out when it's not relevant to what you're actually trying to DO. Understanding is fine, but then you have to go to DO mode.

Oh gee, look… The "Improvement Loop" is Know, Understand, Do. But when you get to "Do" stage, DO. Don't think. DO.

Originally Posted by mvmac

Erik can disagree with me on this but knowing why is fine, what needs to be avoided is getting into the super intricate pieces of why. Or having "why" be the focus rather the "doing".

Bingo.

Originally Posted by JetFan1983

See? The only way to advance to the "golfer" on the right is to start out as a stupid monkey, and to always keep that part of your DNA in play.

If you try to start out as a golfer, you're more likely to be a guppy or a pigeon or something, and those never turn into golfers like in the above diagram. It's SCIENCE! :D

[cipher]

Asking why is fine. Understanding why is fine. It's good. Considering the "why" (or worse, the "whys" of ten other unrelated things) when practicing and especially when playing is what you want to avoid. But knowing the "why" is not forbidden. It's a good thing. You just have to be able to separate the "why" stuff out when it's not relevant to what you're actually trying to DO. Understanding is fine, but then you have to go to DO mode.

Makes sense to me.

[BugDude]

Great post!!!  I call it "paralysis by analysis."  When we are thinking about mechanics instead of playing golf and we get in our own way.  I'm a feel player, and when I get all technical it just doesn't work for me.  The bad part about being a feel player is if you show up to the course with the touch of a blacksmith that day, you're in for a long and difficult day.  Fortunately my short game makes up for a lot of technical swing flaws.

[BugDude]

Originally Posted by Stretch

I'll have you know that monkeys are capable of intense focus. Though I guess it's debatable whether he's thinking about one thing or two.

He deserves the "Lucky Monkey" award.

[iacas]

Originally Posted by BugDude

Great post!!!  I call it "paralysis by analysis."  When we are thinking about mechanics instead of playing golf and we get in our own way.  I'm a feel player, and when I get all technical it just doesn't work for me.  The bad part about being a feel player is if you show up to the course with the touch of a blacksmith that day, you're in for a long and difficult day.  Fortunately my short game makes up for a lot of technical swing flaws.

That reminds me - I need to do a post titled "Everyone is a Feel Player."

Because everyone is.

[BugDude]

I'm looking forward to reading it!!!

I played with a co-worker a couple weeks ago and he kept asking me, "How'd you do that?" after shots.  I kept saying, "I can't explain it.  I mainly just visualize the shot I want to hit."

[Stretch]

Originally Posted by iacas

That reminds me - I need to do a post titled "Everyone is a Feel Player."

[Hollister]

Priceless...

Could one please give Stretch some monkey award quick  @( 'o' )@

[Ernest Jones]

Stretch has an interesting array of photographs in his collection. Everything from vintage golf to monkey porn it seems. Interesting fella. :-P

[cipher]

Originally Posted by Ernest Jones

Stretch has an interesting array of photographs in his collection. Everything from vintage golf to monkey porn it seems.

Interesting fella.

Yeah I would have to agree with you on that one...interesting fella...

[Stretch]

Originally Posted by cipher

...interesting fella...

Am not.

[iacas]

Topic, please. :D

[boogielicious]

OK, back on topic.  Is it possible to be a "stupid" stupid monkey?  Sometimes I get so focused on working one key or item, that I don't notice I have drifted off the other keys.

This winter, I worked on keys 1, 2 & 3 primarily because I was indoors.  Worked out well.  Come spring, I really wanted to work on my accuracy, so keys 4 & 5 come into play.  My miss has been a push fade, especially with the driver.  I have been very focused on working on Key 5, but was still struggling.  Then, while reading a thread about body alignment and seeing James video on hitting a draw with the driver and body alignment, it dawned on me that I have completely forgotten about my shoulder and hip alignment at set up.

I went to the range yesterday, replicated what I was doing and sure enough, I was way off.  Then I went back to basics and just focused only on shoulder and hip alignment at set up, and everything straightened out.  I was even able to purposely draw or fade the driver just by set up thinking about nothing else.

I strive to be a stupid monkey, but because I am so frickin' analytical, I worry that I will forget the basics.  How do I get from Stupid ² monkey back to just stupid monkey?

[iacas]

Originally Posted by boogielicious

OK, back on topic.  Is it possible to be a "stupid" stupid monkey?  Sometimes I get so focused on working one key or item, that I don't notice I have drifted off the other keys.

Sure. You want to be a stupid monkey, but you don't want to be a mentally handicapped stupid monkey.

You still want to do your basic checks. Even a monkey will clean itself every day, make sure when it's swinging from limb to limb that it isn't forgetting to look where he's grabbing before letting go, etc. :)

[boogielicious]

I do bathe everyday, sometimes twice when I work out.

But do you go through those checks at set up every time or just when warming up?  I want to get to just focusing on target from behind the ball, then move up to the ball, line up and swing.  That is what I did yesterday at the range, but just added aligning the hips and shoulders.

[TJBam]

Another excellent read.

This is so true.  One of my normal playing partners is around a +4 and when he starts delving into swing mechanics and over-analyzing things, he plays poorly (poorly for him is 20 yrds off the tee on approach for par, instead of 8 yds off for birdie chance.. the bastard).

I find that when I try to go "half retard" (as opposed to "full retard) during a round I play brilliantly.  Maybe only focusing on one or two things, in addition to simply making contact.

Bobby Jones said it best.  "Most golfers think they are concentrating, when they're actually worrying."

[jshots]

I think way too much! I just want to be a scratch golfer, someone tell me what to do!

I want to be a stupid monkey