Before I mislead you, I’m not talking about four-ball competitions, scrambles, or anything similar.  Golf is a game of solitude.  When it comes time to hit the ball, there’s no one there to help.

“So exactly what are you talking about”, I can hear you asking.

Have you ever played team sports?  Football (either kind)?  Baseball?  Hockey?  Basketball?  Rugby, lacrosse, or volleyball?  Let’s forget for a moment that those sports require teams simply to play the games.  Let’s instead turn to what team dynamics mean for an individual and then we’ll get back to golf.

I played team sports through childhood and on through my 20’s.  One thing that I always liked about it was the camaraderie.  I was an individual, but I was never alone.  There was always someone else there to help me achieve my best or to take up some slack when I was in a slump.  I always did my best because I never wanted to let the team down.

One of the drawbacks to solitude is struggling to be 100% self-reliant.  There’s no one to lean on.  A team atmosphere changes that.

On a golf course, we’re completely alone. Again, I’m not talking about those occasions where we’re in some kind of team competition, so let’s leave those aside.

I discovered this summer that I was able to get back some of that team dynamic that I was missing with one simple thing:  I started scheduling regular lessons.

It makes sense if you think about it.  In our imaginations, we have the image of PGA Tour players living and dying on their own, week in and week out, in solitude.  It looks that way on television, but they have bigger teams than most of us could dream of.  Caddies, swing coaches, trainers, mental gurus, business managers.  Sure, they’re the ones that hit the shots.  But, don’t think for a second that it’s not a team effort when the club isn’t in motion.  Take a walk to the practice tee at a major to see for yourself.

Obviously, there are differences in the size of a player’s team.  Some have never had any swing coaching.  Some don’t work out much or at all.  Some don’t really look to caddies for shot advice.  In general, though, these things are quite common at that level.

My theory is that it’s not just about learning the best technique.  It’s also about having someone to lean on.  Mentally, that’s a big advantage in a sport that seems to demand solitude by placing so much pressure on the individual.

I’ve been asked many times why I didn’t stick with the one plane swing concept, or why I don’t adopt the Stack and Tilt swing.  Believe me, I’ve thought long and hard about it.  In the end, it came down to not being able to find a local pro to coach me on those concepts.

When I went back to taking regular lessons, I didn’t know how it would turn out.  To my surprise, I immediately started to feel a sense of team.  Sure, my pro doesn’t see it that way.  He gives lessons to a bunch of people every week.  It doesn’t matter, though, because I do see it as a team effort.

When I tried to go it alone, it was difficult.  I studied hard, always increasing my knowledge of the golf swing.  I’m always going to do that.  I also worked hard.  I practiced and practiced and practiced.  The problem came when things didn’t improve as they should have.

It’s not that I wouldn’t have eventually figured out my swing issues.  I would have dug it out of the dirt, as Ben Hogan liked to say.  The real problem was the shattered confidence that came from not being sure what was going wrong and not being sure if I was wasting my time changing some swing position.  Self-doubt crept in and started to keep me from progressing.

So I did the only thing that made sense.  I added someone to my team.

Forget the fact that he immediately helped me find problems and start to fix them.  Don’t think for a second that it happened over night, either.  It’s been a long process.  It’s truly amazing, the mental boost I get from knowing that no matter how bad I struggle, I’m going in for a lesson every two weeks and we’re going to get to the bottom of the problem, whatever it may be.

If you find yourself struggling and frustrated to the point of quitting, then do yourself a favor and add someone to your team.  Get a series of lessons.  Get some sessions with a personal trainer if you’re struggling in that department.  You might even do well to team up with a friend and hit the driving range together once a week.  Go with someone that can look at your swing as you try to diagnose and fix problems.

Some people prefer the solitude and don’t want help.  I can understand that.  That’s the allure of golf for some people.  They like the pressure to be squarely on their shoulders and don’t want help bearing the burden.  They like to figure it all out from themselves.  They lose themselves in practice for hours at a time. And obviously, many players aren’t looking to improve, so this concept isn’t really relevant to them.  I get that, also.

Personally, I respond better with someone in my corner.

No one can help you when it’s time to make a stroke.  But if you’re like me and like the support, then try and do something to turn golf into a team game.  It may give you the boost you’re looking for to get through frustrating times.

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