Couples Golf: Enjoy It With Knowing This 1 Sentence

I have been very fortunate to be around a lot of couples golf in my time. No matter if it is the weekend 9 and dine also known as a cheat and eat, it never fails to be interesting.

This couples golf phenomenon trickles over onto the lesson tee as well.

You know how the “typical” story goes… Husband plays golf… Wants wife to play golf… Wife ends up on the practice tee with the lesson package her husband bought her for her birthday.

Now.. Buying the golf lesson package as a birthday or holiday gift is an entirely different post… but… I digress.

So when it comes to couples golf… Ladies, tell me if I am lying. Do not all husbands think they are an expert in golf instruction?

I have given literally thousands of golf lessons to women over the years and after getting to know them I usually start asking around about what type of help they may get once they leave my practice tee from their other half.

For many ladies that take golf instruction from me, I share a version of this discussion with them very early in our teacher-student relationship.

I tell them that they can forget everything that their husband has ever told them about golf instruction.

Amazingly, I can see the tension roll out of their shoulders right away and their posture changes to a much more relaxed state.

Let me give you a few of the “golf tips” or “golf lessons” you will hear from your husband during your couples golf experience and what to tell him to make him happy and let you practice and play golf!

First of all let me defend my brothers here that play couples golf. Keep in mind that most of them only want to help. Although at times it may seem like it, your spouse’s intention is not to be able to use the phrase “golf ruined my marriage.”

Couples Golf: Golf Tips From Your Husband

Keep Your Head Down

During your couples golf outing, your hubby or boyfriend will say things like “keep your head down.”

Between you and I, this is an antiquated way to look at the golf swing, and honestly is just ridiculous!

Golf is an athletic motion that requires your head to move in order to maximize results. Every time I hear an amateur say “keep your head down,”

I picture someone in a golf stance with a player with their chin on their chest and with no prayer of hitting a good golf shot.

This picture does not make me think that the golfer is very comfortable or ready to make an athletic motion.

Annika Sorenstam and David Duval have shown the golfing public for years that you can play great golf and do not need to “keep your head down” as both of these players had their head released towards the target at impact and became the #1 player on the LPGA Tour and PGA Tour, respectfully.

In short, keeping your head down will limit the amount of rotation that you will be able to create on the backswing as well as the forward swing.

This will more than likely lead to a loss of distance and possibly even injury, depending on how hard you are trying to swing the golf club.

Keep Your Left Arm Straight

While playing couples golf with your husband or partner, they will give give you golf tips like “keep your left arm straight.” Keep in mind, you already have your head down with your chin on your chest as you set up to the golf ball. AND… We are now adding a stiff straight left arm.

Wow! There is no way they look comfortable or athletic. Giving your hubby a little credit where credit is due, your husband is kinda right (but we will not tell him that haha). Let me tell you why.

The golf swing is no place for tension to reside. Typically, the way most players then try to achieve the goal is to use a lot tension to make it happen.

When you use tension in your shoulders, forearms, and wrists to make this happen, your muscles contract or shorten. This shortens the distance between your shoulder and the clubhead and in turn raises the bottom of your swing arc.

With a swing arc that is too high, you now must find a new path back down to the golf ball. Although your brain is a magnificent computer, It is not good enough to consistently make that correction.

Left Arm Extended vs, Straight

During the golf swing, your left arm should remain extended not straight. Many people think that this is a play on words however, it is two different things.

Take a swing and stop when your left arm is parallel to the ground on the backswing. Now… Put a “death grip” on the golf club. This is your husband’s “straight left arm” and not an extended left arm.

Now start over and again stop when your left arm is parallel to the ground and actually feel the weight of the club. Now you are extended and more importantly relaxed.

So as a couple, we have gotten to the point that the husband wants to be playing with his wife and he has offered a few suggestions. What happens if the golf tips just keep coming and never seem to stop?

Couples Golf: How To Handle Golf Advice From Your Husband

Believe it or not, over the years, I have dealt with this, personally. Many club members with good intentions have approached me to help me with my golf swing.

Of course, very few that offered advice were “good” players. I always took the attitude that in their mind they were only trying to help. I am sure some of them did it to feel better about themselves.

Your husband wants to give you all of this great golf tips, right? How can you make him happy but yet be able to not feel hassled the rest of the practice session or round of golf?

You can do this with one very simple sentence.

After he gives you unsolicited advice, simply reply “Thank you. That is exactly what I have been working on.”

It makes him feel important and typically ends or at least slows down his input. This simple sentence has worked for me numerous times and can work for you too!

Conclusion

Hopefully, these few words will allow both of you to enjoy more couples golf in the future.

Maybe… you can enjoy playing in some couples golf tournaments or other couples golf events together. I look forward to seeing you at a local nine and dine sooner than later.

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