It's not about the equipment ...

Recently I got back into golfing (guess what - golf courses here are cheaper and better than those found in Melbourne!). My wife always say my hobbies rotate in a cycle... golf, badminton, cycling & photography - most of them are quite invested (aka expensive). Maybe I should take up running to save some money. Anyway, not to digress - an idea came to me ... I thought since I haven't got any new clubs for a long time & my drive is starting to deteriorate with some funky slices & hooks maybe it's time for me to retire my Ping G5 & get a new driver... something with a stiff flex to deal with the slices & hooks! Sounds like a great idea at first, so I decided to go to a local golf shop. That place was wonderful! The golf shop is located right next to a driving range, free practice balls are provided for any potential buyers who would like to give the clubs a couple of swings. After trying out 4 different drivers (including Ping G20, Callaway Diablo, TaylorMade R11 and TaylorMade Burner 2.0), I decided that I would buy the TM Burner 2.0, it was on sale (about 30% discount) and looks pretty sharp. Honestly, I thought it was a good buy! Why? Because I was driving very well with that driver - long, straight... inspiring! After buying the driver, I immediately got a large bucket of range balls & continued practicing.

Still feeling very enthusiastic with my buy, I head straight to a golf course the next day! The course was crowded as I got paired with two Koreans. They looked like fairly seasoned golfers. The first hole was a par 4, so I pulled out my newly acquired driver, lined up my shot towards the flag & fired a shot... ... ... it was a slice. Must be the nerve. Thankfully, the ball didn't land too far from the fairway & I was able to continue. The second hole was a par 4 as well, keeping the faith I took out the TM Burner 2.0 again. To make sure that I make the shot, I was doing the pre-shot drill a lot more consciously then before. "keep your knees shoulder length apart, slightly bend your knees, take a deep breathe and then breathe out, draw a straight line on the back swing ... etc" Then, I fired the shot... it went right again. This time it went into the opposite fairway. "Oh Vincent, what are you doing?" I murmured. "This is going to be a long day if I keep producing this type of shots."

Anyway to cut the long story short - the rest of the 16 holes were as bad if not worse then the first two. I left the golf course with a real sense of post-purchase dissonance. Why did I think that getting a new driver would help me play better? It doesn't make sense, it better shots are delivered through new clubs with supposedly more advanced "technology" then I should have played the game like a pro... after all, my equipment didn't seem too shabby! In contrast, those two Koreans that I played with, were using much older clubs ... I didn't even register the brands of the clubs they were playing with. Yet, they are playing at par on every other hole.

Lesson learnt... I am yet humbly reminded of the fact that it is not my equipment but the human behind those equipment that matters! It's not the clubs, it's the golfer. It's not the camera, it's the photographer. It's not the bicycle, it's the rider. It's not the badminton racquet, it's the player. Big Sigh!

Why would anyone think otherwise? Mostly because companies fuel this "make believe" nonsense. If you think a LEICA will make pictures like Cartier-Bresson, or a Nikon D800 will shoot pictures like Galen Rowell, you're more likely to buy that camera... I actually still feel very much about adding a Leica to my collection some days. Right now, I am happy with the 5D MkII.

So, what is the point of all these? I think I need to practice more & buy less. I think the equipment does help, but it only brings you 10% of the way... it's time to stop focusing on the 10% & pursue the remaining 90%. I need to hone my craft & not my equipment.