Even on nights when things don't go well, you are changing the flow of the next six months

"The flow of the next six months changes today"

You don't have to try to change everything at once.
A single shot you take with a club today can gradually change the next six months.

A night at the driving range, under the white light of fluorescent lamps

The white light of the fluorescent lamps quietly illuminates the mat in the hitting bay.
The dry sound of hitting the ball echoes with slight pauses in between.

The man in the next bay is hitting his irons calmly again today.
One ball from the basket. Then another.
It is already dark outside the window, and I can only vaguely see my own silhouette reflected in the glass.

Tonight, too, my shots are pulling slightly to the left.

"Huh, left again."

I mutter to myself.
At the moment of impact, a slight sense of discomfort remains in my palms.

They were flying beautifully yesterday, but for some reason, nothing is clicking today.
Don't you have nights like that?

A story about a night I felt anxious because of shots curving to the left

Actually, I went through a period like that a while ago.

No matter how many dozens of balls I hit, they all pulled to the left in the same way.
I understood it in my head.
But my body wouldn't move the way I wanted it to.

That gap slowly wears down your spirit.

"What isn't clicking?"

Thinking that, I place the next ball.

As an instructor, when I am in front of my students, I tell them,
"It's okay. Don't try to force a fix just with your hands; let's keep going and smooth it out."

But when it comes to myself, it's a different story.

Sometimes, I am the one who is most anxious.
"Maybe I can fix it if I just adjust my hands a little."
That feeling sometimes secretly creeps in.

Golf is difficult in that way, isn't it?

Even when you know better, you get anxious.
When you get anxious, you make unnecessary movements.
And then, the same mistakes happen again.

To you who feel like you might not be getting any better

It has been several months since you started, yet you aren't hitting the ball as you'd like.
You could do it at the driving range, but it's completely different when you get out on the course.
I'm sure there are many of you who feel that way.

The other day, a female student in her 40s who attends my lessons said this to me.

"Tanaka-san, I've been doing this for half a year, but I keep hitting the ground before the ball on my approach shots."

The frustration behind those words really came through.

It is precisely because you have been at it for half a year that you notice what you can't do.
It is because you understand more than before that your mistakes become clearly visible.

I answered like this.

"You are definitely changing. Next, let's create a small successful experience on the course."

At the driving range, her fat shots had decreased significantly.
However, when she gets on the course, her desire to 'get it close' becomes stronger, and her swing arc becomes a little too big.
And then, she loosens up a bit at the end.

So, what was needed wasn't something more difficult.

First, succeed in a small way on the course.
For example, instead of trying to get it close to the pin, focus on 'getting it to a spot where you can putt next.'
Just by creating one such success, the flow in your heart will change.

"The flow of your half-year changes today"

What I mean by these words is not about a dramatic change.

For half a year, you have kept holding the club.
You have thought about how to hit.
You have also felt frustration during your rounds.

Even so, you came to the driving range again.
You held the club again.

That accumulation, even if it's hard to see, remains firmly within your body.

It's okay if you don't hit it perfectly today.
It's okay if the ball doesn't go as you imagined.

"I came here again today"
Just by that alone, the flow of your golf might have changed a little.

One thing I want you to try starting today

There is nothing difficult about it.

At the end of your practice,
remember "the one shot that felt best today"
before you head home.

It's not about the distance, the ball flight, or the score.

The sensation that remains in your hands.
The feeling of your body moving smoothly.
The moment you thought, "Ah, this is it."

Take just that one thing home with you.

I feel that the better players are the ones who gradually increase their drawer of those sensations.
Rather than 100 perfect shots, one shot that stays in your heart and body can sometimes make your next practice easier.

From the next shot, a new golf begins again

June has arrived.
There are six months left in this year.

"I wish I had started sooner."
You don't need to think that way.

The golf you play from today might be your new beginning.

It's okay if there are nights when you can't hit the ball as you'd like.
It's okay if there are days when you pull it to the left, or days when you duff your approach shots.

To you, who gripped the club again today under the white lights of the driving range.

That one shot is properly changing the flow.

From the next shot, a new golf begins again.

For you,
is there a moment when you felt, "I'm glad I kept at it for half a year"?
Please let me know in the comments.