Technique or result: What’s more important to your golf?

By Rahul Banerji

When golfers like me get out on a course, it’s a battle to keep scores as far away from the dreaded century as possible. Cross over into three figures and it is a bad day. Upper 90s, not too bad. Lower 90s, happy. Into the 80s and bells ring in the distance, angels dance.

And as is so often the case with golfers at this level, it is an interesting battle between technique and outcome. In most cases, my playing partners have had some basic lessons either from a coach, club pro, or more often, a favoured caddy. In each case, there is at least a semblance of going by the book.

Once in a while though, you come across someone who has thrown away the coaching manual. No regard for stance, grip or swing. And yet returns a better card.

Important questions

Which leaves you thinking two things: 1) Did I waste a lot of money on lessons; and 2) Why did I bother to put so much stress on technique if this is the result?

Earlier in the week, I played the Jaypee Wishtown course as part of a four-ball, one of whom only joins in very rarely as he is part of several other groups. Let’s call him RG. Now RG has an interesting style, in that it has little to do with the copybook correctness that golfers insist on seeking.

He addresses the ball pretty much like everyone else. That’s where his dalliance with the text-book ends. The grip is open, two-handed. The backswing wobbles a little. And the actual execution of the shot is more dance than delivery.

RG hits the ball with his lead foot mostly in the air, his weight fully back and at contact, he is actually pivoting away from the ball. Haven’t seen many golfers I usually play with do that on such a regular basis.

Keeping it straight

Yet RG hits the ball straight. Of the four, he was in the rough the least. He didn’t lose a ball, while yours truly put three in the water at different points of the round.

On the green, RG’s putt is more jerk than tap and it feels the ball will roll past the flag, and yet slows just when needed. So going by what has been drilled in, it’s all wrong. And yet, there’s no arguing with final scores and he walked off with eight pars in the bag.

Now here’s the dilemma. Should one concentrate of getting things right as the coaching manual says and let the ball fly to parts unknown? Or should one throw technique out of the window and do a little shimmy while teeing off?

Eight pars. No arguing with that, really. Maybe a little fancy footwork and less attention to technical details will help script a better-looking card than normal.

Eight pars. Dance school, here I come!

Also read: Introducing Neo, my (occasional) golf agony uncle