Given that my brother ‘affectionately’ refers to me as the walking golf channel, it is obvious that I analyze my game constantly, along with my playing partners. During the winter months I try to add new shots into my game and also work on different swing thoughts to improve my score and better my golf experience. Recently, however, due to all the winter tweaking, I realized I had digressed quite extensively from my level of play ending last fall.
I’ve often heard that the golf swing starts from the ground up. In other words, starting with the feet and working upward with the knees, hips, torso, shoulders and arms, the rhythm of the golf swing must follow a particular flow and sequence. Last year I spent an excessive amount of time working on initiating the downswing with my left hip and that somehow triggered some really good shots. At the beginning of this year however, it has seemingly all gone awry and my pleasure levels while playing golf have greatly diminished, but not my motivation to keep playing the game.
So, while working on my wedge shots in the yard yesterday, and hitting some horrible shots from skulls to shanks, I realized my issue. While I was concentrating on all the different parts of the swing, I was not keeping them connected. The components were there, but they were moving independently of one another, not in the sequential flow and connectivity that is required for the intended outcome. After employing a tip I saw years ago by placing a golf towel or tee under the left arm pit, I was easily able to connect the torso, shoulders and arms together, which produced solid contact and shots on the correct trajectory and expected distance. Glory!!
As a minister of the gospel of Christ, I spend an inordinate amount of time counseling others in all manner of life situations. Many times, after digging into the problem, the necessary components are there, but the flow and connectivity of those components are missing.
In the Kingdom of Christ, the sequence and flow of spirit, soul and body must never be compromised. Whenever your life deviates from its expected trajectory and intended destination, survey each of these three elements of your life and evaluate how you are processing each of them. If you are prioritizing your soulish needs or worldly desires over the mandate to glorify Christ, well, need I say more? The following verse is key:
“Now may the God of peace (wholeness and fullness) Himself (only Yahweh can accomplish this through the finished work of Yahshua and the ongoing work of the Spirit) sanctify (progressive action of grace to purify and separate you from the old man to the new man – who you were from the beginning) you completely; and may your whole spirit, soul, and body be preserved blameless at the coming of our Lord Jesus Christ.” 1 Thessalonians 5:23
So in golf, when there are problems with your golf swing, work sequentially from the ground up and keep everything connected. In life, when things go awry, operate from the spirit down through the soul (mind, will and emotions) and body-keeping them connected by the ministry of the Holy Spirit.