When I first started playing golf, I was the type of guy to take 10 shots just to get to the green on a par 4. I dribbled the golf ball to the hole with embarrassment at every shot. To be honest, my swing was so bad I looked like a caveman killing his lunch.Today, I can get to the green in 2 shots, and make a 1 putt on a par 4. I launch the ball with the sweet, savory sound of the spin cutting through the air. All of this was made possible by David Roesch.
Freshman year of high school, I barely made the golf team. I struggled with the game and thought about quitting. But then I decided to get golf lessons from David. I remember the first day I met the golf professional, I was nervous. What if he doesn’t even want to help me, or what if I can’t get better? These questions ricocheted in my mind as I walked over to him. All of them, though, were set aside by a friendly, and energetic hello from David.
“Hi! My name is David Roesch, are you Aaron Reckinger?” I mustered up a shy, “Yes.”
“Great, why don’t we get started!” he replied. I stepped into the hitting bay and he told me to take swings while he recorded them for analyzing. I took my first swing and I remember the terrible feeling of it shanking off the golf club. I looked up and saw the ball bounce on the ground with no air time.
Great, now I look like a complete idiot, I thought. Then, I got called back to where David was recording and he said, “Take a look at the screen here. I am going to compare your swing to your favorite golfer’s swing. Who is that?” Tiger Woods was my favorite golfer at the time so I used his name. Right as I said it, Tiger Woods was on the screen set right beside me. As David thoroughly explained to me the complications in my swing, it overwhelmed me. Every single swing habit I had was wrong!
I felt like it was not worth it, and that maybe I should just stick to the books. I’m not an athlete, I can’t swing like that. David said to me “Look, golf is like a love affair. If you don’t take it seriously, it’s no fun; if you do take it seriously, it can break your heart. Just work on the basics before you go to the advanced stuff.”
I did exactly that as well, but it was not easy. I had to change my golf swing. It was like changing from a 100m dash athlete, to a 50 mile marathoner. I felt uncomfortable, embarrassed, and stressed every time I changed something. However, I was encouraged by David every time I felt awkward.
I did swing training while standing on balance pads, and I would fall off. I would look back at David after falling and say, “People are laughing at me right now.” He replied with words I now use every single day:“It doesn’t matter what other people think because if you ignore them and keep practicing, you will become better than them. The reason why PGA tour players do so well is because they focus on themselves and nobody else. Competitive golf is played mainly on a five and a half-inch course: the space between your ears.”
I now play for a varsity D1 high school golf team. If it weren’t for David’s inspiring words, I would have focused too much on others rather than myself. I am also heading off to play golf at a D3 college, so all I can say is -- thank you, David.