Sport

Perfecting the running order

October 29 - November 4, 2008
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GulfWeekly Editor Stan Szecowka and his wife Kathryn have signed up for a six-week beginners' course because they want to play together ... Lesson Five (ironing out the flaws)

WEEK Five. We are full of confidence. We understand the clubs, we even know how to hold them, swing them, tease them and treat them.

We know how to stand, move our bodies and strike those balls.

So why don't they go where you want them to? Perhaps I'm being a little unfair on my meagre golfing talents because about one in 20 swings delivers the ball just right - straight down the middle, lovely.

The other 19 tend to wobble a couple of inches away or fly off and smash into the fence of the Bahrain Golf Club driving range somewhere to the right.

The only way to master the tips from our top tutor Chris is to practice and this is one sport you cannot leave to chance.

And it's so frustrating because if you put all the ingredients together the feeling of success is overwhelming.

At the moment, my play lacks consistency and the good lady wife, Kathryn seems to have mastered the way to pull off a couple of consecutive good shots. And, it's making me mad!

The biggest challenge is putting all our new found wealth of knowledge together and remembering the running order.

There is no point in providing the perfect swing if your feet are in the wrong place and your head is popping up and down. Or, it might be your grip and follow through that let you down. One mistake and your whole world goes wonky.

How did golf get its name? Surely frustration would have been much more apt.

But perhaps the golf course is the ideal place to vent that frustration ... after next week's final lesson on how to handle the woods, of course.

After putting, pitching and iron(ing) surely the next step will be a doddle.







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