Finally, A Support Group For Duffers

The truth is, I'm a hack. Always have been. Oh sure, I'm able to find my way around the course most times without embarrassing myself, and every once in a while I might even pull one of those where-the-heck-did-that-come-from rounds out of nowhere, the type that makes it all seem so damn simple you wander why you can't do the same thing every time. But if I'm going to do this, we might as well get at least that one point straight right from the beginning: I am most assuredly, 100%, garden-variety hack. In fact, I'm not only a hack -- I'm the worst type of hack, the type with delusions of grandeur. I always believe, some might say foolishly, that I'm just one small adjustment away from playing the type of golf I know I'm capable of every time I hit the links. Every round, it's "If only I could've controlled my slice a little better on a few of those holes," or it's "If I hadn't three putted so many greens" or "shanked too many drives"or "duffed a couple of those chips..." One of these days, I swear, I'm gonna put them all together. The point is, I'm always trying. I refuse to give up. And that's what puts me in such perfect position to do what I'm about to do. You see, this is the first installment of a blog in which I'm going to try just about every type of golf instruction ever suggested -- from swing tips and mental advice to training aids and fitness exercises -- and journal my quest to become a better golfer. If it claims to help my game, I'm willing to give anything a shot. I'll review books like those from Harvey Penick, Bob Rotella and Ben Hogan. I'll offer the skinny on instructional videos like A.J. Bonar's The Truth About Golf, Butch Harmon's Ultimate Golf, and David Leadbetter's From Beginner to Winner. I'll test out just about every training aid on the market -- from strangely hinged practice clubs and laser-lined putting systems to grip adjustors and plane levelers. I'll even give some of those Internet programs a try -- you know, the ones promising to shave ten strokes off your handicap or give you your money back. As we go along, I'll let you know what works for me and which ones I feel are just a bunch of crap. Along the way, I hope to bust a few myths, discover some new secrets, and once and for all get rid of the inconsistencies that prevent me from cracking 80. I highly encourage you to try these methods along with me and let me know what you find meaningful or helpful. While I recognize that every golfer is different and that what works for one might have absolutely no effect on another, I hope that together we can reach some kind of consensus on identifying the most effective golf instruction tools, tips and strategies available on the market. Eventually, if all goes according to plan, this blog will turn into a web site called DuffersAnonymous.com. It'll be a community-based site in which struggling golfers everywhere will be able to find practical, real-world advice from other golfers in the same boat. Consider it a support group for duffers. Like AA for drinkers or Weight Watchers for dieters, the DuffersAnonymous community will look after each other in our individual journeys to locate our inner Tigers. Aside from offering unbiased, user-submitted product reviews with information to help you fix what ails your swing, DuffersAnonymous.com will also keep your handicap so you can track your progress as we go along. Then we'll have the DuffersAnonymous Challenge, where the duffer with the most improved score over a period of time will win some kind of lame, token prize -- probably a DuffersAnonymous tee-shirt or paper weight or something equally self-serving. But don't let me get too far ahead of myself. For now, we'll start the whole thing out as a blog. Nothing more, nothing less. Okay, maybe it'll exist as a newsletter too (which you can sign up for by clicking here: http://groups.google.com/group/duffersanonymous) and if that's the case then we might as well toss up a message board as well (which, again, you can sign up for by clicking here: http://groups.google.com/group/duffersanonymous). But for now, think of it a simple blog, a blog about a simple game and one simple man's quest to get better at it. If you'd like to join me on my quest, you're more than welcome to. I have a feeling I'm going to need the support.