A Key to Why Some Golf Instructors Are Successful

Why Some Golf Instructors Are Successful

I have been researching the topic of why some golf instructors are successful and why others struggle for some time now.  I have also been trying to figure why the great instructors of the past and present were so much better than others that knew as much about the golf swing as they did and had great results before the age of technology.

Many of you may already be aware of this and I have suspected it for a long time.  I just never took the time to research it and I can’t find where anyone has talked or written about it.

Before I go any farther, I need to give my definition of “successful.”  By successful I mean truly helping people to improve their games over time.  I do not mean having a full appointment book only because you have great marketing skills and can constantly bring in new students.  I also don’t mean people that have a great success rate on the lesson tee and two days later their student is no better or maybe even worse than before.  Almost any teacher should be able to do that.

I have also spent a lot of time on learning more about how people actually learn complex motor skills and reading a lot of Michael Hebron’s posts about the role of the brain in the learning process.  I have also paid particular attention to the posts and comments of golf professionals whose opinions I really respect.

I have read countless comments by teachers that say they are successful therefore their methods or theories are the way it should be done.  My strong sense and appreciation for logic tells me immediately that this is not necessarily true.

The one common denominator I have found is a trait that all good/great teachers past and present share is highly developed communication skills.  They are natural communicators.  What they are teaching is not nearly as important as how they are teaching it.

That really registered on me when I read a line in Michael Hebron's opening statement to a conference he where was speaking; “Throughout this conference keep in mind that information does not produce good learning any more than paint produces good art.” Buying more brushes and paint are not going to make you a better artist.

No matter how much knowledge you have or how many certifications you have attained, if you cannot communicate well you are going to have limited success.

Here are a few keys I have picked up:

• Build the relationship first – always!

• Have empathy for your students – here is a link on the importance of empathy in learning

• Know what you are talking about – this is about depth of knowledge not breadth.  As Einstein said, “If you can’t explain it simply, you don’t know the subject well enough.”

• Listen more than you speak – great communicators listen more than they speak.

• Focus on understanding what the other person is saying - focus your mind on listening and understanding.

• Open your mind to new ideas – never stop learning.

• Never tell them more than the absolutely need to know - talking a lot just to cover all the points is counterproductive.

• They never talk down to their student for any reason – it is one the most damaging things a teacher can do.  This is entirely different than speaking with security and confidence.

If I could give a young teacher any advice today it would be to focus on learning to be a good communicator and learn how people actually learn early in your career.

I know that a lot of people out there will say I’m wrong or don’t know what I’m talking about or I am just "old school", but I hope some of you are open minded enough to take some of it to heart.