Opinion & Analysis

In golf, perspective is more important than perfection

Published

14 years ago

Oct 5, 2012

Dennis de Jesus Jr.

By Dennis de Jesus Jr.

GolfWRX Contributor

I’m a mid-handicap golfer who would love to be a single-digit or even a scratch. It’s not so I can join the tour and compete for the big (but often times small) purses of a tournament, it’s more of a badge of honor and to brag to friends that you can hit a dimpled ball pretty consistently and manage a decent round every once in a while. Anyone who is a casual golfer knows of someone who is a pretty solid golfer. He or she is that person who you want to be paired with for a scramble tournament and would only play for skins if they gave you a handful of generous strokes. I wanted to be that person – a guy that can run with the low handicappers and be somewhat envied by the mid-to-high handicappers.

But the reality is that I don’t practice or play enough to warrant such unreasonable expectations and I don’t have the natural talent to hide the imperfections (and there are many) in my game. But that doesn’t mean I’m not trying. A year ago, I decided to take lessons for the first time in my eleven year golf “career” because I really wanted it to be my goal to be that low digit handicapper that I’ve always dreamed about. So I packed my bags and went down to Palm Springs for a week of one-on-one sessions with a PGA Master Professional – a wizard who would presumably magically transform my swing from a weekend hacker into the rhythmic balance of Adam Scott. Turns out that to be Adam Scott you have to be born with some sort of physical gift that allows you the flexibility and length that he possesses. So a week of drills and many practice rounds later, I still had not perfected the golf swing, but I managed to take home with me a better tool set than I came with and improvements that actually helped lower my handicap a few strokes.

But with that kind of investment in time and money comes expectations and for whatever reason, I thought I could translate all that knowledge and good habits immediately and better my game by at least 10 or 11 strokes in the next season. Realistically, I probably improved about four-to-five strokes, but it didn’t feel like that was enough. I began to over think my swing and brought too much of the mental aspect into it, which as many of you know, is the harbinger of disaster when it comes to your golf game. With too much of my brain affecting my swing, I experienced a case of the dreaded —- (four letter y-word) and really tanked my game to a point where it wasn’t as fun anymore. I resigned to playing Tiger Woods on my PS3 to bring my confidence back, which would be similar to wearing a bandana tightly around your head to cure a migraine.

So there I was, less than a year removed from the excellent instruction I received from a PGA Master Professional, yet frustrated at the realization of sitting in the valley part of a roller coaster ride that is my golf game. I had already seen the improvements and I revelled in the little things that helped me go from being happy to have a 60-foot putt for birdie to actually seeing an approach shot as flag hunting. I knew it was a cyclical thing and often times getting out of the rut is a mind over matter, but I didn’t know what kind of trigger would help me this time around.

Almost by chance, I came across an advertisement from the local chapter of the Special Olympics looking for volunteers. I had been looking for a new volunteering opportunity around the same time, so the opportunity to work with such a respected organization already had my interest, but when they highlighted their need for coaches specifically in their golf program, I knew this would be a perfect fit for me.

My first day on the job wasn’t easy. We were asked to evaluate the athletes in a way that would allow the organizers to divide the group up into the various skill levels. This was the first time I was around golfers who had disabilities that limited their physical movement while others faced mental challenges which affected their motor skills. Up to that point, I was so critical of my own swing and those of my regular playing partners that I couldn’t quite grasp the concept of how imperfect the swings of these special athletes were. That first day was designed to just observe and judge and it was a struggle to do so objectively considering all the things I have been taught and conditioned to look for while watching golf telecasts and reading golf instruction books. Breaking plane, arms misaligned, bad grip, poor foot position, little shoulder turn — all the things that an instructor would cringe at were right in front of me. But in this environment, we celebrate the occasional good golf shot and encourage them to stay positive no matter what. To be honest, I think I was tough in my assessments of each athlete but at least I was consistent. As expected, each athlete had their own flawed swing all to their own and there wasn’t going to be a cure all drill or adjustment that would fix all of them at the same time.

Based on the assessments from the first day, each coach was assigned a handful of athletes that they would work with over the next two months on a weekly basis to develop a proper golf swing based on traditional instruction methods. Being a lefty, I was assigned the lefty athletes that were a mix of beginner (never swung a club) to intermediate (has played on a course a few times). Each week we worked on one component of the swing and then built upon that the following week, the intent being that by the end, the athletes are given the right tools and associated drills that would help them hit the ball more consistently and with more confidence. In essence, I would be teaching the golf swing from the ground up, starting from the basics all over again. In addition to teaching the sport to these eager athletes, this would be a nice refresher for myself because after a few years of being active in the sport, the basics can be quickly ignored in favor of bad habits and perhaps a reset was what I needed to get out of my rut.

It turns out the refresh of the golf swing mechanics was not what helped me. I thought that reviewing the basics of the “perfect” golf swing and teaching/learning it with these athletes would help me get over my own mental hurdle of the golf swing, as though repetition and teaching good habits out loud would trigger the proper swing thoughts even for myself. Nope — in fact it was witnessing the simple joy in the athletes when they occasionally hit the ball clean off the face and it would fly and go straight in the intended direction. Sure it might not have traveled an adequate distance for the club they had in their hand, but it was recognizing that it was a good golf shot versus a shank or a mishit. And a good golf shot was worth a high five.

My students also showed composure when they did mishit or miss the ball entirely. There was no swearing, no slamming the club to the ground, no club toss. They just reset, went through the prescribed pre shot routine and tried again. Not once did I hear any complaining from the athletes when I suggested an adjustment, even if the adjustment was physically impossible to achieve based on their disability. They still tried and allowed me to see how my suggestions would take or not, often times forcing me to make the adjustment.

Through it all, one thing remained constant – a good golf shot was welcomed and celebrated and a not so good one was quickly erased from memory until a solid shot was made again. This was all under the guise of athletes with less than perfect golf swings. Again, we can teach what an ideal setup is or what it means to be “on plane,” but the execution of it is usually less than ideal, even for an able bodied athlete.

Observing their composure and noting how to enjoy the simple success of a well hit golf shot helped me to appreciate the game as a whole again. I managed to take the intangible things I learned from working with these athletes onto the course and wouldn’t you know it, my game improved again. I began to see the game differently and instead of worrying about what I was doing wrong, I tuned my brain to believe in the shot I wanted to make and appreciating it more when it was well executed. I also learned to have a short memory with my bad shots and not dwell on them so much. I managed to stay relaxed throughout my round and just enjoy being out on the course regardless of how many circles/squares were on my card. And as an added benefit, my scores started to come down and I started to hover in the low-to-mid 80s, which is not bad for a hack like me. Obviously, there is still a lot of room for improvement and I’d like to be able to approach a round with breaking 80 in mind, but I think I’ve learned enough about perspective in the last few months that I won’t stress myself to get there.

Sometimes, it’s embracing imperfection that truly helps with one’s perspective. I didn’t need a sports psychologist or hours upon hours on the range to fix the mental block I created in my own mind. It was a simple matter of surrounding myself with the right mix of people with good attitudes and learning from them. I already received excellent professional instructions to fix the mechanics of my swing, but I overlooked the importance of the mental component of my game. It may seem strange that in addition to lessons, I learned how to play better golf by helping out disabled athletes who cannot physically or mentally build a perfect Ben Hogan-esque golf swing, but I can honestly say that what those athletes taught me about golf was more helpful than what Peter Kostis and the Swing Vision camera could ever do for me. I know I’m never going to be a pro golfer and I might even be hard pressed to be a scratch golfer, but I’m not going to resent the game because I’m unable to achieve those lofty goals. Instead, I’ll just enjoy my time on the course and high five my buddies every so often, even for a well-played double bogey.

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Opinion & Analysis

Brandel Chamblee PGA Championship Q&A: Rose’s huge McLaren risk, distracted LIV pros and why Aronimink suits the bombers

Published

1 day ago

May 12, 2026

Gianni Magliocco

PGA Championship week is here, and Brandel Chamblee did not hold back in our latest discussion ahead of the season’s second major.

In our 2026 PGA Championship Q&A, golf’s leading analyst made the case that PIF pulling LIV’s funding has left its players competing in a state of confusion, called Justin Rose’s mid-season equipment switch a huge risk at 45, and explained why Aronimink will be a bombers’ delight this week.

Check out the full Q&A below.

Gianni: With the PIF confirming that they’re pulling funding from LIV at the end of the season, what impact do you expect that to have on the LIV players competing at the PGA Championship?

Brandel: I would imagine that they have all been thrown into a state of confusion, and will be distracted, not knowing where they are going to play next year and not knowing exactly their road back to either the DP World Tour or the PGA Tour. Or in Rahm’s case, being tied to a sinking ship for the next few years, likely playing for pennies on the dollar in events that no one cares about or watches.

I doubt this would put him in the best frame of mind to compete at his highest level. Keeping in mind, however, that majors are the only time that LIV disciples get to play in events that matter, so never disregard the motivation they have to prove to the world they are still relevant.

Gianni: Justin Rose switched to McLaren Golf equipment mid-season while playing some of the best golf of his career. What do you make of the change?

Brandel: I don’t really know what to make of Rose switching equipment. It seems a huge risk on his part, even though it is likely, in my opinion, that the clubs he’s playing are similar, if not the exact grinds, to what he was playing previously, with a McLaren stamp on them.

Having said that, at best, it is a distraction when he seemed to be as dialed in with his game as any 45-year-old could be and trending in the majors to perhaps do something that would definitely put him in the Hall of Fame. At worst, given the possibility that these clubs aren’t just duplicates of his old set stamped with McLaren on them, he’s made an equipment change that would take time, and 45-year-old athletes don’t have the time to do such things.

Gianni: Aronimink has only hosted a handful of professional events since it hosted the 1962 PGA Championship. What kind of test does it present, and does a course with less recent major championship history tend to level the playing field?

Brandel: Even though Aronimink has only hosted a handful of meaningful professional events, it has been fairly discerning in who can win there. When Keegan Bradley won the BMW Championship on the Donald Ross masterpiece in 2018, he was the 2nd best iron player on tour coming into that week. When Nick Watney won the AT&T at Aronimink in 2011, he was 2nd in strokes gained total coming into the week.

In 2020, Aronimink hosted the KPMG Championship, and Sei Young Kim won. On the LPGA that year, she was first in greens in regulation, putts per green in regulation, and scoring average on the way to being the LPGA player of the year. And then there is the 1962 PGA Championship won by Gary Player, who eventually became just one of a few players to win the career grand slam on the way to winning 9 majors. It is a formidable test, and if it’s not softened by rain, it will bring out the best in the upper echelons of the game.

Gianni: Is there a specific hole at Aronimink that you think will do the most to decide the winner?

Brandel: The hardest hole at Aronimink in each of the three tour events that have been played there since 2010 has been the long par-3 8th hole, with the par-4 10th being the second hardest, so most of the carnage will happen around the turn, but with the par-5 16th offering opportunities for bold plays and the tough closing holes at 17 and 18, the finish is likely to be frenetic.

Gianni: The PGA Championship has always sat in the shadow of the other majors. What does the ideal PGA Championship look like in your eyes, and what would it take for it to carve out its own identity?

Brandel: The PGA Championship, to whatever degree it suffers from the comparison to the other three majors, is still counted just as much when adding them up at the end of one’s career. Almost 1/3 of Nicklaus’ major wins were the five PGA Championships he won. Walter Hagen won 11 majors, five of which were PGA Championships.

Tiger Woods twice in his career won back-to-back PGA Championships, and those four majors count just as much as the other 11 he won. The PGA may not have the prestige of the other three, but it carries the same weight. Having said that, I preferred the identity that it had as the last major of the year.

Gianni: You nailed your Masters picks. Rory won, Scottie finished solo second, and Morikawa surged to a tie for seventh. Who are your top 3 picks for the PGA Championship and why?

Brandel: I am not a huge fan of majors played on golf courses that have been shorn of most of the trees, although I understand some of the agronomic reasons for doing so and of course the ease with which it allows members to play after errant drives. However, at the highest level, it all but eliminates any strategy off the tee and turns professional golf into an even bigger slugfest. That means that it will likely be a bomber’s delight this week, but fortunately, Scottie Scheffler is long enough to play that game and straight enough to play it better than anyone else.

The major championships give us very few surprises anymore, going back to the beginning of 2012, so the last 57 majors played, the average world rank of the winners has been better than 15th in the world. So look at the highest ranked and longest drivers who are on form coming into the PGA Championship who also have great short games as the surrounds at Aronimink are very challenging. That’s Scottie Scheffler by a mile and then McIlroy and Cameron Young with a far bigger nod towards DeChambeau than I gave him at the Masters.

Club Junkie

A putter that I love and hate – Club Junkie Podcast

Published

5 days ago

May 8, 2026

Brian Knudson

In this episode of the Club Junkie Podcast, we dive into one of the most interesting flatstick releases of the year with a full review of the new TaylorMade SYSTM 2 putters. After spending time on the greens, I break down what makes this design stand out, where it performs, and why it has me completely torn between loving it and fighting it. If you are into feel, alignment, and consistency, this is one you will want to hear about.

We also take a look at some of the putters in play on the PGA Tour last week. From familiar favorites to a few surprising setups, there is always something to learn from what the best players in the world are rolling with under pressure.

To wrap things up, I walk through the process of building a set of JP Golf Prime irons paired with Baddazz Gold Series shafts. From component selection to performance goals, this is a deep dive into what goes into creating a unique custom set and why this combo has been so intriguing.

Opinion & Analysis

From 14 handicap to pro: 4 things I’d tell golfers at 50

Published

6 days ago

May 7, 2026

Jaacob Bowden, PGA

This year my 50th birthday. Gosh, where has the time gone?

As a teenager in rural Missouri, some of my junior high and high school years felt interminable. Graduation seemed light years away. But the older I get, the faster life seems to fly by.

I’m also increasingly aware of my mortality. My dad died recently. Earlier this year, a friend and fellow PGA of America professional and I were texting about our next catch-up. The next message I received was news of his unexpected passing at 48. Shortly after, a woman I dated in college succumbed to cancer at 51.

Certainly, one can share perspective at any age. Seniors help freshmen, veterans guide rookies. But reaching this milestone feels like as good a time as any to do one of those “what would I tell my younger self?” articles.

I’ve had a uniquely varied career in golf. I started as a 27-year-old, average-length-hitting, 14-handicap computer engineer and somehow managed to turn pro before running out of money, constantly bootstrapping my way forward. I’ve won qualifiers and set venue records in the World Long Drive Championships, finished fifth at the Speedgolf World Championships, coached all skill levels as a PGA of America professional, built industry-leading swing speed training programs for Swing Man Golf, helped advance the single-length iron market with Sterling Irons®, caddied on the PGA TOUR and PGA TOUR Champions, and played about 300 courses across 32 countries.

It’s been a ride, and I’ve gone both deep and wide.

So while I can consult and advise from a lot of angles, let me keep it to a few things I’d tell the average golfer who wants to improve.

1. Think About What You Want

Everyone has their own reason for picking up a golf club.

Oddly, as a professional athlete, I’m not internally driven by competition. That can be challenging, as the industry currently prioritizes and incentivizes competition over the love of the game.

For me, I love walking and being outdoors. Nature helps balance my energy. I prefer courses that are integrated into the natural beauty of their surroundings. I’m comfortable practicing alone. I’m a deep thinker, and I genuinely enjoy investigating the game, using data and intuition to unearth unique, often innovative insights. I’m fortunate to be strong and athletic, so I appreciate the chance to engage with my abilities. Traveling feels adventurous. I could go on.

You don’t have to overthink it like I do. For you, it might be as simple as hitting balls to escape work, hanging out with friends, and playing loosely with the rules and the score.

The point is to give yourself permission to play for your own reasons, and let that be enough.

But if improvement is your goal, thinking about your destination—and when you want to get there—is important, because it dictates the steps you need to take. When I set out to go from a 14-handicap to the PGA TOUR as quickly as possible, the steps I needed were very different from those of a working golfer trying to break 90 in six months. That’s also different from someone who just wants a few peaceful hours outside each week, away from work or family.

None of these goals are better than the others, but each requires a different plan that you can work backward from.

2. There Are Lots of Things That Can Work

One of the challenges of golf is that, although there are rules for playing, there aren’t clear, industry-wide standards for how to best play the game. There’s a lot of gray area.

You might hear a top coach or trainer insist that a certain move is the best way to swing or train. Then you dig a bit deeper and, much to your confusion and frustration, another respected coach or trainer says something completely different. I don’t think anyone is trying to confuse you—at least I hope not. It’s just where the industry is right now.

You have to be careful with advice from tournament pros, too. They might be great at scoring, but they’re also human and sometimes just as susceptible as amateurs to believing things that don’t really move the needle. Tour players might describe what they feel, but that’s not always what they’re actually doing when assessed with technology.

I recently ran a test on my YouTube channel (which connects to my GolfWRX article “How to use your hands in the golf swing for power and accuracy”), and, interestingly, two of the most commonly taught hand actions produced the worst results in the test.

Coaches can certainly help. If you find someone you connect with to help navigate, that’s great. But there are many ways to get the ball in the hole. In the current landscape, you may need to seek multiple opinions, think critically, and use your own intuition to discern what seems true and whose advice resonates with you.

I’d recommend seeking someone who is open-minded and always learning, because things constantly change. Absolutes like “correct” or “proper” should raise a red flag. AI can be useful, but it tends to confidently repeat popular advice, so proceed with caution.

3. Get Custom Fit

If you’re serious about becoming a better player, getting custom fit is hugely important. There’s no sense fighting your equipment if you don’t have to. Most better players get fit these days and, if they don’t, they’re usually skilled enough to work around clubs that aren’t ideal.

If you plan to play for a long time, it’s worth spending a little more upfront to get something that truly fits you and your game, rather than continually buying and discarding equipment.

Equipment rules haven’t really changed significantly since the early 2000s. To stay in business, manufacturers keep pushing those limits. If you pull a bunch of clubs and balls off the rack and test them, you’ll find differences. I’ve tested two new drivers and seen a 30-yard total distance gap. Usually, the issue isn’t bad equipment; it’s that the combination of components simply isn’t the best fit.

It’s like wearing a new pair of floppy clown shoes. Sure, they’re shoes—but you won’t sprint your best in them compared to track shoes that fit perfectly.

Be wary of what’s called custom fitting, too. Sometimes the term is used as a marketing strategy rather than an actual fitting. In some retail settings, fitters may be incentivized to steer you toward higher-priced components. That doesn’t automatically mean it’s not the best fit, but you should be aware of potential biases.

I learned a version of this lesson outside of golf. Years ago, I bought a tennis racquet at a big box store from a seemingly knowledgeable employee who thought it would suit me best. The racquet gave me tennis elbow, and I spent months recovering with rest and acupuncture. The next season, I invested more time and money to find what actually fit me, and I walked away with something amazing that I still play with years later.

So if you’re going to get fit, be smart about it.

Find someone you believe has deep knowledge—possibly with certifications, but not necessarily. Make sure there’s a wide inventory across many brands. Check recent reviews for the individual fitter if possible. Make sure you trust that the fitter has your best interests at heart. If they’re wearing a hat or shirt with a specific brand’s logo, proceed with caution. Unless you specifically want a certain brand or look, be wary of upsells, especially if two options perform nearly the same.

Also, while golf is called a sport of integrity, there’s a thread of manipulation in the industry. I once drafted an equipment article for an industry magazine, structured just like one of their previous popular stories, with matching word count and great photos. The assistant editor loved it; it was useful to readers and required little work on his part. But the editor-in-chief nixed the story. When I asked why, I was told it was because I wasn’t an advertiser. It turned out the article I’d modeled mine after was a paid ad cleverly disguised as editorial content.

I really dislike games, clickbait, and fear-based manipulation. I hope this changes, but golfers deserve to know it exists.

4. Distance and Strategy Matter

There’s a real relationship between how far you hit the ball and your scoring average, even at the PGA TOUR level.

I experienced this early in my pro career. I started as a power hitter, swinging in the high 120s and breaking 200 mph ball speed with a stock driver.

Back then, some instructors advised swinging at 80%, so I tried slowing down for more accuracy. That worked fine on shorter, tighter courses. But on longer setups, I was coming into greens with too much club, and par 5s stopped being