32. Remember that a Top player does not have just one swing but as many different swings as shots he can visualise

Have you ever wondered why a golf ball has dimples? The dimples make the ball aerodynamic which means that the ball will have flight capability; something that a smooth surface cannot give. Playing with a golf ball that has a smooth surface would result in the ball ducking and weaving with unpredictable flight. A golf ball with a smooth surface would bring all golfers more or less down to the same level. It would eliminate the gap between the accomplished player and the struggling high handicap player and in this fact lies the explanation as to why some players can play well whilst most struggle. In essence, a better player is better because they control the spin they put on the ball so a ball with a smooth surface would take away the advantage gained. Notice I use the word "gained" because everyone is able to some degree in achieving this control.

Many players at club level mistakenly think that all this talk of fancy spin is only for the better player, wrong! It is why a player is better. Good players move the ball left to right and right to left not to impress but because it is the easiest way to play. They would hardly make the game more difficult than it is.

You must not bury your head in the sand on this issue because the fact of the matter is that you are going to put spin on the ball whether you like it or not, so it is better that you learn to make it the spin you want. Most erratic players attract wayward shots because they are attempting to hit straight down the line all the way to the target. The ball may set off on line but the further it travels, the more off line it gets. Compare this to the better player. His ball is hit off the line either to the right or left but the spin he puts on it brings it back onto the line in the latter stages of its flight.

So how do we put this spin on a ball and control it? Most people already know how to do it but because they are more often than not tied up in theory, their train of thought is blinkered to the natural golfer that resides in them. Most people at some time or other have played a racquet sport and the question I will ask you is this, "What does it feel like to hit a fore hand top spin shot from the baseline of a tennis court?" A strange, but very relevant question and I would imagine many of you are instinctively shaping up and going through the motions even as you remember, especially if you are stood up. If you are sat down, get up now and see if you can make the action .Now ask yourself what it would feel like to hit a slice spin forehand shot, again, the thought usually produces a physical response as you go through the motions.

Now I have to ask you, "Who taught you to do this?" Apart from a very small few who have had tennis coaching, the answer is always "No one", they just did it. Why did they just do it? Because they instinctively understood the spin behavior of the tennis ball and how to impart this spin through their hand action and racquet. The moving tennis ball prompts a natural instinctive response making what is a far more complex action than a golf swing, easier to perform. The stationary ball makes golf the difficult game it is because it suppresses the natural talent we all have. The dynamics of controlling a still ball however are still the same and we have to apply ourselves to this aim. As you visualize the actions associated with tennis, mentally put a golf club in your hand and instead of shaping up the racquet as you motion, replace it with the clubface. I can assure you that what you feel as top spin with a racquet will be a draw shot with the golf club and the slice spin tennis shot will become a fade at golf. This is the seed from where better golf shots come because it leads eventually to you replacing the "hit and hope" scenario with no ball control to a situation where you decide upon the shape of shot you want and let the relevant feeling instinctively produce it. Remember that a Top player does not have just one swing but as many different swings as shots he can visualize