Final NLP

Swinging Into Something New 

Yesterday, I went putt-putt golfing while on vacation, in South Carolina. It was my family’s first venture outside of our house since the Covid-19 pandemic began. My son had his heart set on playing miniature golf, while I concentrated on sanitizing the clubs and golf balls. As we made it through the course, I came across a sign in front of hole 12 that said “We are all faced with a series of great opportunities, brilliantly disguised as impossible situations” (Swindoll, 2014). As I read the Charles Swindoll quote with my golf club in hand, I experienced a powerful “aha” moment related to recent life events. 

Charles Swindoll quote at the putt-putt course

It was not the Covid 19 pandemic, but instead, the quote connected to my networked learning project. In my CEP 810 class, I was asked to explore something I have always wanted to learn how to do using only online resources such as affinity spaces, social media, YouTube, and help forums. I was not allowed to elicit the help of a friend or family member. I decided to learn how to swing a golf club, hoping this would be the beginning of a new hobby.

After a few short hours of researching and practicing my golf club swing, I realized that golf is really quite complicated. My NLP soon became one of those impossible situations which Charles Swindoll was talking about (Swindoll, 2014). I had many hurdles to overcome, including breaking my softball swing habits, finding the right space to practice while in South Carolina, using the wrong size golf club, and curating the right resources to find videos and websites that were simple to follow.  Even the how-to videos titled “easy” were still challenging for me.

As I struggled with these obstacles, I eventually found solutions and kept on trucking. I discovered two resourceful YouTube channels that presented the golf swing basics in simple terms: Me and My Golf and Golf with Aimee. I watched these videos multiple times, while mimicking the professionals’ swings. I definitely was tempted to ask for guidance from my golf-obsessed neighbors during my practices, but staying true to the nature of my task, I continued only using the approved sources. 

With the instruction from YouTube videos, along with online articles from Golfweek.com and the Sand Trap help forum, I continued focusing on the golf swing mechanics. PGA professionals, Andy Proudman and Piers Ward, showed me how to complete a half swing. By doing this, I was able to get a feel for what the motion needed to be when I struck the golf ball before attempting a full swing (Proudman & Ward, 2013). Golf professional, Aimee Cho, demonstrated drills, such as swinging the body with a food bowl, to help train the correct elbow angles and hand positions (Cho, 2018). 

After all the preparing and practicing, I was ready to focus my attention on the full swing. I decided to tackle this challenge in four segments: the set up, body rotation, grip, and swing. In the set up, I learned to put my feet shoulder-width apart, bend with my torso deeper than my knees, while keeping my back straight and putting weight on the balls of my feet. For the body rotation, I focused on keeping my head down and eyes on the ball the entire time. I practiced maintaining a still spine when rotating my body from right and left (Cho, 2017). 

Next, I worked on the interlocking grip by lifting my left index finger, right pinky finger and interlacing them, while making a V shape with my right index finger and thumb (Cho, 2017). Finally, I combined all the learned golf swing elements and was ready to swing.  The full golf swing is a circle from back swing to follow-through (Root, n.d.). My goal was to keep my left arm straight, bring the golf club over my head, parallel to the ground, swing the club, and follow through. 

Check out the video below to view my golf swing journey.

The NLP assignment was not easy. I was faced with challenges, but at the end of my golf swing journey, I found valuable sources to guide me throughout the process. It definitely would have been helpful to have had a coach alongside me, critiquing my methods and techniques. Using only permitted online sources, however, I was able to learn a worthwhile lesson that hit home when I saw the quote at the putt-putt course. The NLP showed me that difficult situations are opportunities for something great to happen. I plan to continue learning through networked sources, as well as, working on my golf swing and game. 

Resources: 

Cho, A. [Golf with Aimee]. (2017, January 3). Beginner series 001: Set up [Video]. YouTube.https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=br9Ss-VEtso

Cho, A. [Golf with Aimee]. (2018, March 14). Beginner series 006: Full swing [Video]. YouTube. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=PP50sFsgx20

Naglik, M. (2020, June 21). Final NLP.  [Video] YouTube. https://www.youtube.com/watch? v=RxQdIRoBX00

Naglik, M. (2020). Miniature golf quote [Photograph]. 

Root, G. (n.d.). Six steps of the golf swing. Golf Week. https://golftips.golfweek.com/six-steps-golf-swing-1731.html

Proudman, A., & Ward, P. (2013, October 2). Golf swing made simple [Video]. YouTube. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=sXtekwuT8R0

Root, G. (n.d.). Six steps of the golf swing. Golf Week. https://golftips.golfweek.com/six- steps-golf-swing-1731.html

Swindoll, C. (2014). Charles Swindoll quotes. Good Reads.  https://www.goodreads.com/author/quotes/5139.Charles_R_Swindoll