David Duval As Teacher

For me, David Duval's struggle to get back to being a top level tour player is fascinating. It looks very much like what we average golfers are constantly going through. You make a good shot, or birdie a hole, or even keep it together for most of a round, only to loose it again. If I can play 5 holes in a row well, why can't I just keep it up. How can I know how to hit a shot, only to forget it?

I know no network is going to cover David's struggles and if I was him I'd probably want it that way. But I'm dying to know what he's struggling with. Is it his driver, or his putter or perhaps he can't psyche himself up to stay in a competitive mindset. Maybe knowing what he's struggling with wouldn't help me so much, but if he does get it together, wouldn't you love to know how he did it? And speaking of that, what exactly did Tiger do recently to tame his driver. It wasn't long ago that it seemed every drive of his was way gone. He'd waste a shot a hole just trying to extracate himself. Recently he's belting the snot out of the ball and they're mostly in the short grass. I know he's been remaking his swing, but what exactly did he do with the driver besides getting a new one (and how important was that). What did the change feel like, when did he know he had it, and how does he hold on to it now?

What is a good golf swing composed of? Too many damn things for one. Read any instructional book and you'll come away with at least 100 key points to remember. Somebody needs to prioritize these things. There must be 10 things that are absolutely core, but which 10 are they. You can read chapters on the grip alone. Isn't there a definitive answer by now on what the 'right' grip really is?

Maybe there's too many human physical variations for there to be one 'right' grip for everyone. But if that's the case, why aren't there more ways to throw a football or hit a tennis ball? (Come to think of it, maybe there are if you were to look at it in very small detail).

And think about this one, maybe we will always continue to make golf as hard as it is. Could that be the soul of the game. Holes will get longer, greens faster, traps bigger or deeper as need be to keep the average golf score at 99.5. As soon as a course gets easier to play, doesn't the membership or ownership always start thinking about making changes. Isn't that what we want? Personally we want to get better, but do we get better if everyone else does at the same time.

Tomorrow we'll get a little more specific by looking at the physical and mental components of the game. I promise. Yes, I was buying myself some time today as I get ready to go right to the heart of things tomorrow.