Keep it simple. If there was ever a Golden Rule of golf, this would get my vote. Whether you have never picked up a club or you shoot par every day, you will improve faster and enjoy the game more when you keep it simple.

It is very easy to get lost in the complexities of the golf swing and the thought processes involved in playing the game of golf. People who fall prey to this will more often than not catch the dreaded disease, Paralysis from Analysis. If you have ever stood over a golf shot and spent more time thinking about swing cues than about the target and the tempo necessary to execute the shot, then you have been stricken by Paralysis from Analysis.

What is the cure for this crippling disease? Let me see if I can draw a picture for you using an analogy from an activity we all do every day. If you are driving home on the freeway during rush hour traffic what do you think would happen if you focused all your awareness on the movements necessary to work the accelerator, brakes, clutch and shifter of your car? Even if you work all those parts of your driving skills perfectly, at some point you are going to crash into somebody or something. In order to be successful you have to focus on the result you want. When driving you want to get home safely, so you watch the road and try to stay with the flow of traffic. Golf is no different. Watch the ball and try to make the tempo of your swing flow smoothly. You trust your muscle memory to take care of the complex physical tasks of driving why not do the same with golf? If you have executed successful shots in the past using your present golf swing it can work in the present, if you focus correctly.

Obviously there are other factors involved in a successful golf shot in addition to proper focus and I will try to cover as many as possible in future columns. But, keeping your focus simple and precise for each shot on the course will increase your golfing pleasure and decrease your scores. If you are going to do a complex swing analysis, do it under the watchful eye of a qualified instructor. I encourage you to work on your swing as much as you have time and energy for but, do the break down of your swing on the range so you don't have one on the course.

Keep It Simple and have fun! See you next time.