Article #44
Teacher: Bobby Steiner
To meet this week's teacher, or to purchase a copy of MUNIE ~ The Jitterbug Collection, go to www.bobbysteiner.com
Title: "The Indian on the Hill" (Excerpt from MUNIE ~ The Jitterbug Collection)
Walking to the first tee, Jitterbug assured me, "We're just playing golf. Don't feel like you're under the microscope."
Nevertheless, I felt nervous. This was to be our first-ever round together.
Also on the tee that morning were a young boy and his father. The boy's father suggested that Jitterbug and I go on ahead of them.
"Why don't we all play together?" Jitterbug said. "That way we can round out a foursome."
The boy's father replied, "Thanks, but we don't want to hold you up. This is Sammy's eighth birthday and his first day on a real golf course."
Jitterbug smiled at Sammy who was obviously anxious to play. "We're in no hurry. Tee it up, Birthday Boy."
Sammy teed his ball up and took a long, out-of-balance swing with his cut-down driver. The ball barely got airborne, bouncing along the ground before getting caught up in the tall grass just short of the fairway. Little Sammy spun out, almost toppling over at his finish.
"Ah, man!" he bemoaned. "I knew I'd mess up!"
Sammy's father teed off next. He hit a good drive, fairly long and down the right center of the fairway.
Jitterbug motioned for me to go next. I felt like a big bundle of nerves as my weak fade came to rest in the long grass bordering the trees down the right side.
I turned and watched in great anticipation as Jitterbug put his tee in the ground. His beautifully efficient rhythm became evident as he glided through a rehearsal swing.
I considered pinching myself, wondering how I came to be playing with the course record holder. Ten under par sixty-two on four different occasions! It seemed unimaginable that someone could actually shoot a score like that.
It became easier to believe, however, when he squared up to hit his ball. He drew the club back effortlessly and finished his swing full and balanced. The ball sailed obediently down the center of the fairway, returning to earth like a rock skipping across a pond. Jitterbug slowly bent over to pick up his tee.
At this, we all threw our clubs over our shoulders to make the walk down the first fairway. Before we stepped off the teeing ground, Jitterbug pointed to a nearby wooded mountainside. "Hey Sammy, you see that big hill over there?"
"Yes, sir," Sammy replied.
"There's an old Indian who lives up there. He's looking down here watching us right now."
"Really?" the young boy lamented. "Well, I hope he didn't see my shot."
"What? You want him to think you're a good player?"
"There's no way he'll think I'm good," Sammy said as he stopped beside his ball in the long grass.
Jitterbug looked around as if to make sure nobody was listening. "You know, you can trick that old Indian. He's too far away to see where your ball goes, so as long as you keep your balance after you swing, he'll think you hit a good shot no matter where your ball goes." Jitterbug demonstrated what he meant.
Sammy stepped up to his ball with the iron Jitterbug had selected from the young boy's bag. He took a practice swing, finishing full and balanced just like Jitterbug had shown him.
Seemingly poised to play his shot, he stole a quick peek at the hill, perhaps hoping to catch a glimpse of the old Indian.
Young Sammy took a mighty cut, but rolled his topped iron shot some fifty yards down the fairway. Unshaken, the boy held his finish with a grace and balance that could rival even Jitterbug.
He coolly returned his club to his bag and without looking up asked Jitterbug, "Do you think the old Indian saw that shot?"
Jitterbug assured him, "Oh, I bet he did. And he probably thinks you knocked it in the hole."
For the remainder of the round, Sammy steadily improved, faithfully holding his finish on every shot until he made his final putt.
When I questioned him later, Jitterbug said, "You know, Bobby, nothing works without a steady finish. I don't care whether it's a putt, a drive, or something in between. Learning to come to a complete finish is an absolute to solid shot making. In fact, a balanced finish is the only thing that every great player has in common. Not having a balanced finish is the only thing all bad players have in common. It's the least talked about, most important feature of all great players' swings."