Golf And The Four Horses

In the "Shime" chapter of the Shobogenzo, Zen Master Dogen Zenj discusses the "four horses," which is a metaphor used by the Buddha in the Samyuta-Agama sutra. This metaphor of the four horses speaks about how we are when we practice the game of golf; four, one could say, classes of students.

The first horse, the superior class, is like a horse that runs fastest by merely feeling the whip's shadow. The second horse, the good class, runs fastest when the whip brushes its hair, the hair of its mane. The third horse, the poor class, runs fastest where the whip has actually touched its flesh. And the fourth, the lowest kind of horse, is the one who runs fastest only when the whip can be felt to the marrow of its bones.

At first glance we all want to be like the first horse in the superior class. These are the fast learners...the ones who seem to be a natural. Dogen Zenji says this may not be so desirable. A study of master golfers has shown that it is not the students with innate natural abilities who have achieved golf mastery. The golfers who have achieved mastery are mostly the students with average to below average natural abilities...the ones who have practiced their craft diligently. This is very interesting...why is this so?

The road to mastery for all students has many plateaus in skill levels interrupted by brief spikes in improvements. When the first class of student takes up golf they see an immediate spike in improvement in their skill level and are very motivated. When they reach that ultimate first plateau where they do not improve despite hard practice, most gifted students get discouraged.

Gifted students are used to seeing fast progress, so they may blame the instructor or something else just so they don't have to put in the hard work that is needed to attain mastery. Many superior students will then give up the game due to frustration.

Superior athletes who never make it big are seen in ALL sports. We all have heard countless stories about gifted athletes who never made it big because they weren't willing to put the time in needed to reach their innate potential.

The fourth class of student will see slow improvements, much time spent on plateaus in their skill level. If the fourth class of golf student stays with it and practices hard they will learn the golf to the marrow of their bones, like the fourth horse.

Before you can master ANY skill, you need to learn the skill to the marrow of your bones. To learn golf to the marrow of your bones you need to stay at each skill level for however long it takes. Most first class students never learn the skill to the marrow of their bones because it comes easy to them. The time spent on plateaus for students who learn fast are shorter than the ones who learn slower.

The paradox of the four horses parable is we must practice like the fourth class of horse to become like the first class of horse.

Hit 'em Long and Straight!

John Lynch

About The Author

John Lynch is owner MagicGolfSwingMove.blogspot.com and has published hundreds of quality golf Instruction articles to help Golfers of all levels Improve their Golf Swing Swings. To learn more on the "early backward wrist break" Click Here

Magic Golf Swing Move: Golf And The Four Horses

Magic Golf Swing Move: Golf And The Four Horses: In the "Shime" chapter of the Shobogenzo, Zen Master Dogen Zenj discusses the "four horses," which is a metaphor used ...

How to become a scratch golfer with the early backward wrist break

How to become a scratch golfer with the early backward wrist break

The game of golf used to be hard for me to enjoy. No matter what I did I couldn't get any better than a bogey golfer(18 handicap).

I watch the Golf Channel and read Golf Digest religiously - there was something missing in my golf swing and I could not put my finger on it.

I was your typical bogey golfer - if I started my round of golf on a good note I usually did pretty well and would shoot mid to high 80's. If the wheels on my golf swing began to wobble I would find myself tinkering with my golf swing on the golf course - a recipe for disaster!

My golf swing was not perfect however I got by. I had incorporated an early move in my back swing that allowed me to swing the club more to the inside and at the same time fan the club face open. I learned this move because if I timed my impact just right, I seemed to hit the golf ball farther. 

However this move in my golf swing was hit or miss - sometimes I smoked the golf ball down the middle of the fairway - and sometimes I snap hooked it into the woods.

So ended my 2006 golf season and still no progress - handicap 18 and holding steady.

The 2006-07 winter here in New England had been unusually cold, snowy, and LONG! - It was now spring and my golf swing still rusty from the long winter layoff.

Needless to say, I was anxious to start my 2007 golf season with high hopes of really making an impact on lowering my golf handicap from the 18 I had been sitting at for so long.

Then in early May 2007 my brother in law told me about this golf swing move he learned from an old dusty golf book that had done wonders for him - a move he said puts his golf swing on plane early in the swing.

What is this move you ask??

Read on...

The early backward wrist break!

As I began to practice the early backward wrist break my golf swing felt very weird. I thought "this can't be right". However I stayed with it and continued practicing this early backward wrist break.

I gradually began to notice the golf club felt much lighter as I swung...I also began to find it easier to drop the golf club into the "slot" during my downswing allowing me to really attack the golf ball from the inside.

Then I suddenly realized, "I've been yanking the golf club way too far to the inside at the start of my back swing, and now my golf swing is on plane!"

"This is why the golf club feels so much lighter; I am now swinging the golf club on plane!"

I noticed a more penetrating ball flight with my irons AND my woods...

The golf ball was now exploding of my club face! Also, I noticed the golf ball was sounding different coming off my club face - it sounded like - "click".

And this story gets even better...

Five days after learning the early backward wrist break I carded my first ever hole-in-one!

I quickly developed much more confidence in my golf swing - I now knew where the golf ball was going. This confidence transferred to my short game and I began to score on the golf course.

I was now thoroughly enjoying the game of golf!

I was no longer happy with pars; I now wanted birdies and eagles!

In three short months my handicap had already dropped to a 10 - that's 8 strokes!

My dream came true in May 2008 when my handicap dropped to 0 - scratch golf!!

All because of this one move early in my back swing!

I can truly say without a shadow of a doubt the early backward wrist break has totally transformed my golf game and I want to shout this out to the world!!

One year ago I was an 18 handicap, I am now a scratch golfer!!

Hit 'em Long and Straight!

John Lynch

To learn more about "The New Four Magic Moves To Winning Golf" and the early backward wrist break, John recommends you visit: TheNewFourMagicMovestoWinningGolf.com