Weekend Hacks Will Always be Hacks

Weekend hacks will always be hacks
Mark Heller, Eastern Valley Tribune (Mesa, AZ)

For a man who immerses himself in mysticism and Eastern philosophy, teacher/author James Ragonnet can be blunt. Ragonnet is an award-winning English professor at Springfield (Mass.) College and a former golf coach. He’s a pupil of Buddhism, Taoism, yoga, flop shots and bunker blasts, and he carries a 4-handicap.

Recently, he wrote a book, “Golf’s Three Noble Truths: The Fine Art of Playing Awake,” which dives into those Eastern-based mental and psychological approaches to life.

It’s Ragonnet’s contention that studying these principles and applying them to everyday life can be beneficial on the course.
But for 9,999 out of 10,000 weekend golfers, he said, the game they have now is the best they’ll ever have, no matter what they spend on equipment or range buckets.

According to the National Golf Foundation, the average 18-hole score of just under 100 has changed by fewer than three strokes in the last 20 years.

According to the USGA, Americans spent more than $24 billion dollars combined on golf equipment and greens fees in 2005, a figure which has likely increased given the technological advances of clubs in recent years.

Combine those two facts and you’ll see, Ragonnet said, that that $400 driver or $200 putter isn’t likely to turn you into Tiger, or even save you five strokes.

“We go blind to failure,” Ragonnet said. “(Golfers) are like slot-machine addicts who relish their modest successes, ignore the habitual losses, exhaust their cash supply and walk away frustrated and broke.”

Beating driving range balls into oblivion won’t work either, Ragonnet said. Poor teaching (or lack thereof) and poor practice habits are Ragonnet’s cited bugaboos.
Beyond a few basics, the rest lies in what’s between the ears, and whether those habits are negotiable.

Properly dissecting a specific problem with your golf game is key, and a sentiment shared by Valley golf pros, some of whom believe many golf teachers don’t adjust their philosophies to each specific pupil’s needs.

“If you set up objectives for people it’s unbelievable what people will work on because it’s in their mind,” said Kent Chase, who runs his own Golf Academy at The Raven at South Mountain in Phoenix. “All of a sudden, they gain a skill instead of hitting random shots which don’t matter.

“People play golf and rely on quick tips and then they like or don’t like it. They watch the Golf Channel and try that. Eventually there’s an ad on TV and they try that. Read a book and try that. They go through life trying this and that.”
Ragonnet agreed golfers can practice until they’re purple, spray balls all over creation and never really put in the work to understand the why and how.

But after years of two to four rounds per month, it’s those two shots out of 10 that keep the weekend hackers coming back, even though Ragonnet said his research concludes their score will never improve.

“Why bother?” he said. “What’s the point of playing?”
Perhaps it’s because of bragging rights.

“They can’t wait to tell you about that perfect shot, and that rush is an addiction, kind of like smoking a cigarette or drinking,” said Linda Vollstedt, the former Arizona State women’s coach. “It keeps you coming back and it’s the adrenaline rush. You feel good about it.”

Vollstedt won six national championships with the Sun Devils. Like Ragonnet, she’s a big proponent of mental focus, and compared Ragonnet’s theory to recruiting.

“I wanted to recruit kids who know how to win — the kid who was on the state championship basketball team, not necessarily the top kid on a team which never won,” she said. “Your body is prepared to win. It becomes part of who you are. You’re literally programming your body and mind for certain routines.”

Chase teaches many juniors, whom he said are far more willing to accept change. Mike LaBauve, the instructor at Kierland Golf Club in Scottsdale, teaches students who are mostly scratch golfers, or close.

Improvement is difficult, they concede. So, unless you’re willing to find proper, individualized instruction, devote practice time to implement your lessons and change your mental approach, they said, most golfers might as well let loose, laugh and save that $500.

“It’s like fishing, I enjoy it whether I catch anything or not,” LaBauve said. “I just enjoy going to the lake. If someone asks me to go, I don’t ask if they’re biting. It’s great if they do. But either way you had the scenery and outdoors, and that’s how most golfers are.”