Make One Small Change
Day 1 rereading “Harvey Penick's Little Red Book"
The Golf Book Club: Every day, we share a mental game lesson inspired by great golf books—stories and strategies to help you think better so you can play better.
“Go see Harvey Penick.”
Davis Love III did everything right—but he still couldn’t win.
His father was a former PGA champion, a friend of Sam Snead, Ben Hogan and Harvey Penick. When Davis was nine years old, he said, “Dad, I want to be a pro golfer.” By then, his father was one of the most respected teachers in the game, so Davis learned from the best.
He became a three-time All-American at the University of North Carolina. In 1986, he stepped up to the PGA and led the tour in driving distance. Sports Illustrated said, “His swing stands out like a windmill among a bunch of electric fans, wider and taller than anyone else’s.”
But he kept losing. He missed nine cuts in his rookie reason. He drove far down the middle, but only hit 11 greens each round. “That’s embarrassing,” he admitted.
He asked his father for help. They worked hard but couldn’t find the gremlin in his swing. Davis was stuck. His father said, “I can’t figure this out. Go see Harvey Penick.”
“One simple lesson…”
So Davis drove to the Austin Country Club. He arrived on a Monday morning. The driving range was closed. They had the place to themselves.
Davis said, “Harvey was eighty-one, and you could see the Texas wind and ten thousand lessons in his weathered face. But his eyes were young and so was his voice. He was sharp.”
Harvey watched Davis hit shots into the bright morning. He didn’t say a word. He just paid full attention to every fundamental: swing, footwork, grip.
Finally, Harvey’s gentle voice said, “Davis, I’d like you to take your left thumb and pinch it closer to your fingers. Just enough so that you can feel it.”
Davis waited a moment, but Harvey didn’t explain why. “So,” Davis said, “I made the small grip change. It felt new but not strange.”
Harvey watched Davis make a few more swings. Satisfied, he smiled and said, “Let’s go to lunch.” And that was it. The lesson was over.
A few months later, Davis won his first tournament. His hall-of-fame career had officially begun. He said, “In one simple lesson, Harvey fixed all my grip-related swing problems.”
There’s a Tanzanian proverb that says, “Little by little, a little becomes a lot.”
Harvey compared swing problems to a headache. He said, “When I ask you to take an aspirin, please don’t take the whole bottle.”
Whether working on your own or with a coach, don’t look at everything. That’s overwhelming. Focus on one small change. When that change is integrated, focus on the next.
Always keep this hope in your heart: you’re only one small change away from finding one more fairway, hitting one more green, sinking one more putt, and saving one more stroke.
And when you think about it, isn’t that what golf and life are really about?
That’s all for now. Until next time, keep imagining what’s possible.
GOLF PHOTO OF THE DAY
Golf-de-Chantilly, France (Hole #2)
