The Game That Defies Instinct

Of all games, golf may present the greatest enigma— a riddle with no apparent solution. “Deceptively simple and endlessly complicated,” as Arnold Palmer is credited with saying.

That paradox is a large part of its appeal…and just as clearly, the source of the weekend golfer’s frustration.

In most sports, doing what comes naturally produces the best results. Fast, strong athletes rely on instinct and physical ability to perform. Golf, however, is different— perhaps even the opposite.

Consider other target-oriented games:

• In baseball, the pitcher faces the catcher.
• In basketball, the shooter faces the hoop.
• In bowling, the player faces the pins.

The motion and the intention are aligned.

Golf breaks that pattern.

In golf, we do not face the target. A right-handed player sets up perpendicular to it— effectively facing 90 degrees to the right. From the outset, the target feels left. Then we turn our shoulders in the backswing, further disorienting our sense of direction. What initially felt left…now feels impossibly so.

What, then, is the natural response? Swing left. From the top of the swing, the instinct is to “correct” this misalignment by opening the torso and swinging toward where the target seems to be. And this is where the trouble begins.

That move produces the familiar faults:

• Over the top
• Outside-in
• Across the line

In other words… the slice is already in motion. The ball, of course, obliges. It curves to the right because the clubface is open relative to the path. And what does that confirm in the player’s mind? “I need to swing more left.” And just like that… the pattern is set.

Now consider a second fundamental challenge: getting the ball airborne.

The ball rests on the ground, and the objective is to make it fly. Logic suggests we should help it up—swing upward, lean back, add lift.

But golf resists logic.

The physics of impact demand the opposite. To send the ball up, the club must strike down. The descending blow compresses the ball and creates the lift. Another example of how golf defies natural instinct at every turn.

So what is the answer?

After 40 years of teaching this game—and now retired from it— I can say this without any personal stake: Proper guidance is essential.

Find someone who truly understands the motion and commit to their instruction. Because left on your own, your instincts—perfectly reliable in other sports— will lead you astray in this one. And once those instincts take hold…they tend to stay for a lifetime.