The Last Swing

 

   The past several weeks have flown by. I cannot believe that we have already reached the end of the term and my final learning project post. It has been a journey, but one that I will always hold close to heart. I got the opportunity to re-fall in love with golf again. Yes, I said it, I love golf!!! Never in my life would I have thought that I would catch those words leaving my mouth but here we are. I took this project on because golf is a sport that takes extreme mental capabilities. It is a way to connect with others and a sport that I could spend time doing with the ones I love most. Choosing golf for my learning project was the best choice I could have made for myself so here is a little recap of why…

 

Start of the Term	End of the Term
I played with only one club	I use all 10 clubs in my bag
I had no technique	I know the beginner technique for each club I have.
I never played a full round of golf	I have played several full rounds of golf.
I never kept a score	I have a handicap
Did not enjoy playing in front of people	I play with family and friends every week.
I took golf very serious	I look forward to golfing all the time now.

 

 Week 1- Swing to Success

 

I shared how golf has always been a love/hate relationship for me and how I wanted to start developing the skills needed to play golf.

I learned all of my tips this week from youtube.

I recognized that I did not know much of the technique needed to hit any of my clubs correctly, and made a plan on targeting each club each week.

I focused on skills for chipping in week 1.

I learned that  firstly, I need to focus on my weight. My weight should always be on my front foot.

Secondly,  my arms should be slightly at an angle when I am holding the club. 

Lastly, your ball should never be in between your feet. It should be lined up with your front or back foot depending on the shot.

 

 

Week 2- Chipping 101

 

• This week’s club of choice was my pitching wedge. I was learning how to specifically hit shots on downhill or uphill slopes.
• My online learning resource for this week was from facebook. I ended up watching another instructional video from youtube as well.
• Your stance is very important before hitting any shot, especially while you are  chipping. Having the proper stance can make or break your shot
• While chipping your spine angles should be perpendicular to the slope
• Weight is also very important. The weight of your body should feel as though it is in your front leg or and foot. 
• You can move your back foot a step back so that it is out of the way of your club for some shots.
• The key words to think about are spine, weight, front foot, back foot.

 

Week 3- 

 

• I played my first real round of golf EVER! Without even cheating.
• I learned what a handicap was and why you should have one.
• I used a new learning platform this week called 18Birdies
• I learned how to use the app and connect with friends to keep up with all of their games of golf.
• 18Birdies is a great app to use while playing a round of golf. It allows you to enter your entire golf bag into the app and gives you tips along the way, almost like your own personal caddie. 
• Week 3 was all about putting. I used an online article as my other learning source for this week.

 

While putting it is important to keep a light grip on the club. 

 

Eye and head position is another huge concept to think about when you are putting. I learned to feel as though your eyes are right over the ball.

 

Reading the green is most definitely the most important tip to remember as you are trying to improve your putting. This was something I was famous for not going, but look at me now. 

 

Always practice distance control. It is not something that you just become great at overnight.  

 

Week 4- Tee Time for Beginners

 

This week was all about the Driver, everyone’s favorite club

 

Having a strong base is very important. This means having a proper stance.

 

Your ball should be lined up with your front heel or front toe. This took me a little getting used to but a tip that works well for me everytime now.

 

Remember to not only swing your arms but rotate and use your hips and arms.

 

Try not to hit down on your ball, instead make it feel as though you are trying to lift  the ball off of the tee.

 

Week 5- From Divots to Decent: Getting Comfortable With the Iron

 

For week 5 I learned all about my 7 and 9 Iron shots. 

 

For the first time I played with some friends instead of just my family. My biggest fear for the longest time was getting paired up with people. 

 

I ended up playing my first ever scramble, which was very fun.

 

I went to the driving range three different times this week and fell a little short of my goal of 4 times.

 

My online learning source for week 5 was a youtube short. It is pretty much just a condensed youtube video just like something you would see on tik tok or instagram.

 

I learned that there really is an emphasis on staring every shot with a good stance. Shoulder width apart, with a slight bend in your knees. 

 

Hinging your body down from your hips  from there is very important so that you avoid a hunched back.

 

Your weight should be in your back foot when hitting this shot.

 

Week 6: New Goals, New Swings

 

Week 6 which was the end of my club series was when I focused on my 7 wood.

 

I talked about how it is my second favorite club in my bag.

 

This week’s learning source was Tiktok. Tiktok has a wide range of short easy to follow videos for golf. Lots of different tips to try out which I enjoyed.

 

Having your grip slightly down on the club is helpful so that you have more control of the club during your swing. 

 

It is important to feel as though you are brushing the grass with your club head and not hitting down. I tend to hit down and get divots way too often so this has really helped me.

 

Week 7- The Last Swing

 

Today I successfully completed my learning project and my goal of developing beginner level technique to help me get back into the swing of golf. Along the way I ran into a few challenges and moments where I felt as though I had to rise up and push through, but I ended up finding a new love for the sport and a hobby that I can add to my lost. I am forever grateful that I have had this opportunity and will continue to keep playing golf as much as I can.

 

3 Final Takeaways:

 

1. Golf is a sport that anyone can learn to play of any given ability.
2. It is challenging yet rewarding at the same time
3. Skills develop over time, so be forgiving of yourself and keep showing up.

 

Final Thoughts:

I believe that golf should be a game that everyone tries at least a few times in their life. My advice for anyone new who is just starting out would be to lean into the uncomfortable. Eventually, even if it does not seem like it at the moment you will look back and see how much you have improved. Learn from your mistakes and keep getting back up everytime. Take this from somebody who really did not like golf 7 weeks ago.