Your Rat Brain

Among the most important questions for you to ask in golf (as well as in life) is: "What do I believe that is false?" For you to be able play to the highest level of golf your genetics allow you, this question must be at the forefront of your thoughts.

Concepts form the basis of your actions, therefore if your concepts are wrong, then the corollary is that your actions will be wrong. If you were thought that the Grip, Aim, Setup and Posture were the fundamentals of golf, then you would have just doomed your golf potential to luck (read my previous article, Golf's Secret Society).

You must constantly question your own belief system as it relates to the golf swing. This entails you to question what sources of information are saying, why they are saying what they are saying and whether they are accurate as verified against a scientific source.

Cognitive laziness will lead one to accept what is generally taught in golf as the undisputed truth. This continuous deception of oneself is further exacerbated by the seemingly endless 'secrets' that golf gurus peddle to no one's gain but their own.

Never allow your rat brain to fool you to where you believe your ineptitude in golf is due to your physical limitations or lack of practice. More often than not, its your lack of proper information.

Golf is saturated with sensationalism, showmanship, fraud and worst of all, sheer ignorance. Learn to see past these things and be aware of anything that seems too good to be true - like being able to increase your drives by 20 to 50 yards by practicing said move with a bucket of balls. If it sounds too good to be true, it probably is.