Where do ideas come from? Are they rooted in truth? Fact? What we know about golf and the golf swing now is enormous. There is a massive pool of knowledge in the golf world. The question this blog post has is – Just because we know more does it need to be more complex?
I have compiled a list of quotes from various brilliant minds and applied them to the golf swing and golf itself. This forms the basis for my coaching (my responses in italics):
“Technical skill is mastery of complexity, while creativity is mastery of simplicity.” ~ Christopher Zeeman
While the swing might be an endlessly complicated beast with infinite shots to hit, creating the shots on the golf course must be as simple as possible.
“The aspects of a thing that are most important to us are hidden to us because of their simplicity and familiarity.” ~ Ludwig Wittgenstein
What seems far too obvious may, in fact, be the right thing to do in the swing.
“If you don’t stick to simplicity, you’ll die a horrible death.” ~ Shaquille O’Neal
Simplify the process. Otherwise, you’ll be overcome with detail and clutter.
“Anything simple always interests me.” ~ David Hockney
The simplest things often are aesthetically pleasing.
“When a thought is too weak to be expressed simply, it should be rejected.” ~ Luc de Clapiers
If we don’t know the subject matter well enough to spit it out quickly and simply – we don’t understand it.
“The meaning of life is just to be alive. It is so plain and so obvious and so simple. And yet, everybody rushes around in a great panic as if it were necessary to achieve something beyond themselves.” ~ Alan Watts
Boil the swing and playing the game down to what it is. Hitting a ball at a target.
“Simplicity is indeed often the sign of truth and a criterion of beauty.” ~ Mahlon Hoagland
Think about the great swings. They all look simple and smooth.
“Our life is frittered away by detail… simplify, simplify.” ~ Henry David Thoreau
See the act for what it is.
“Truth is ever to be found in the simplicity, and not in the multiplicity and confusion of things.” ~ Isaac Newton
The simplest answer is probably the right one.
“Nature is pleased with simplicity. And nature is no dummy.” ~ Isaac Newton
A natural swing will be a simple one. Think George Knudson, Moe Norman and Steve Elkington.
“That’s been one of my mantras – focus and simplicity. Simple can be harder than complex: You have to work hard to get your thinking clean to make it simple. But it’s worth it in the end because once you get there, you can move mountains.” ~ Steve Jobs
Practice thinking clearly and evaluating what’s in front of you. Simplify and watch your scores plummet.
“Simplicity is the ultimate sophistication.” ~ Leonardo da Vinci
Adam Scott, Sam Snead, Steve Elkington, George Knudson, Mark Brown etc
“Simplicity is the key to brilliance.” ~ Bruce Lee
You ever have those days where it’s just easy? That’s when the brain is just looking and firing. Nothing extra.
“Life is really simple, but we insist on making it complicated.” ~ Confucius
The swing is simple. We insist on making it complicated.
“Simplicity means the achievement of maximum effect with minimum means.” ~ Koichi Kawana
Effortless Power.
“It’s not the daily increase but daily decrease. Hack away at the unessential.” ~ Bruce Lee
Rather than adding to your swing, take away from it to remove the shit.
“Nothing is true, but that which is simple.” ~ Johann Wolfgang von Goethe
See Occam’s Razor – other things being equal, simpler explanations are generally better than more complex ones.
“Simplicity is the final achievement.” ~ Frederic Chopin
Perversely, simplicity can be hard to get
“Knowledge is a process of piling up facts; wisdom lies in their simplification.” ~ Martin Luther King, Jr.
The great coach will take on all the facts and turn them into wisdom to be passed on to the player the way the player needs it.
“The greatest ideas are the simplest.” ~ William Golding
Think John Jacobs, Butch Harmon, Manuel de la Torre
“Out of clutter, find simplicity.” ~ Albert Einstein
Out of all the bollocks spouted off around the golf world – find the simplest bollocks.
“True elegance becomes the more so as it approaches simplicity.” ~ Henry Ward Beecher
The most elegant swings appear to be simpler.
Some of the great minds advocated for simplicity and so should we. The swing isn’t a complicated thing at the core. A stick and ball and a target.
What do you guys think?
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