The Artful Golfer

Approaching the age of 50, I finally found the opportunity to take up the game of golf.

I improved quickly, lowering my handicap from 16 to 4 in just 2 years. I broke 80 for the first time after a couple dozen rounds and shot under par only one year after increasing my frequency of play to more than once a week.

I accomplished this without taking lessons or focusing on technology or technique. Instead, I approached the game creatively, learning to improve my inner game and discover my natural swing. I've continued to improve, reaching a low index of 1.4 and a low round of 68.

Although I didn’t take formal lessons, many golfers helped me along the way. I've included links below to introduce those who helped or inspired me to play this game more artfully, hoping they inspire others as well.

Fred Shoemaker • extraordinarygolf.com

Six months after picking up the game, I met a local yoga instructor who is a friend of Fred Shoemaker. He recommended that I read Fred's book, Extraordinary Golf. I did. The very next day I shot a round of 76! His book transformed how I approached the game and who I am on the course. He taught me how to become aware of my swing, to be free of fear and swing freely, and to remain open to the possibility that this shot and this round could be extraordinary. I often drift back to my old self, but a quick re-read always gets me back on track. I later had the privilege of playing golf with Fred at Bandon Dunes. He's as extraordinary a person as he is a golfer.

Steve Cohen • shivas.org

While reading Golf in the Kingdom by Michael Murphy, a novel in which the game is revealed by Shivas Irons as a doorway to the mysteries of life and a path to self-discovery, I discovered the Shivas Irons Society. I learned that an upcoming event was scheduled nearby and signed up. I found myself paired with the society's founder, Steve Cohen. Steve started the society in 1992 in response to the tremendous popularity of the novel. I've since attended additional SIS events to meet others drawn to golf for its opportunities for community, discovery and transformation and who share a love of the game and a respect for golf's deeper dimensions.

Kris Barkway • magicgolflesson.com

I recently learned about Kris Barkway on facebook, and downloaded and read a free chapter of his book, The Magician's Way. Although I haven't yet read the entire book, I found that Kris's first chapter, "The Magic Golf Lesson," in which you learn The First Law Of Success, describes perfectly how I've approached the game of golf. Hitting a golf ball is just like throwing a ball. It's not about your swing or throw technique, it's about your connection to the target. He shares, "when you become one with your end result your natural ability will pull everything together to create that result."

Colin Cromack • targetorientedgolf.com

Another instructor who teaches golfers to focus on the target is Colin Cromack at Target Oriented Golf. Colin shares, "when you learn how to attend to your targets as you swing and putt, you have no choice but to stop attending to your technique and your golf potential manifests itself. You must learn how to shift your conscious mind away from control of your actions and onto the skills of arousal control and targeting, then you let your intuition control the swing just like you do when you perform anything else in your life successfully. When you stop trying to control your actions, you will reveal what your swing really looks and feels like."