The Key to Golf Instruction is Effective Communication
By Sam Adams
I have been studying golf instructors and instruction for many years and along the way I have learned a few things. I have found that all successful golf instructors have one critical skill in common. For the purposes of this discussion we will define successful as the ability to help students achieve their goals and improve.
The critical skill that all effective teachers have is the ability to communicate with their students. Having had the opportunity to spend time with great instructors, such as the legendary Harvey Penick, it is obvious that they were all gifted communicators. They understand that communicating with their students involves more than just words. People also communicate through body language and with their eyes. When I am working with a student he or she may say they understand something, but I can tell with their body language or from a look in their eyes that they don’t really understand what I am trying to teach them.
Teachers in other professions understand that learning is dependent on communications. A math teacher can have a PhD, but be unable to effectively communicate their knowledge to a student. Likewise, a golf an instructor can have a long list of certifications, but not be able to communicate that knowledge well enough to help their students improve. No matter how much technical expertise an individual has he or she will not be an effective teacher until they are able to communicate it in a manner that is simple and easy for the student to understand.
Communications is a two-way street and a good instructor wants and needs feedback from the student to be able to provide them with the maximum benefit from the lesson. A student should never be embarrassed if they do not understand what the instructor is trying to teach. The instructor is being paid to make sure that you understand what to do and why. Students should not hesitate to ask why if you don’t understand the reason they are being asked to do something because they will never fully learn something until they understand the what and the why.
My fellow instructors and I have talked about our journey on the road to learning how to teach and how we probably should be glad we couldn’t be sued for malpractice early in our careers. The turning point for an instructor comes when they learn to shut up and actively listen. Our lessons today are mostly asking questions, listening to the answers, and helping the student with figuring things out for themselves. The best way for someone to actually learn and retain something is letting the student figure things out with the assistance of a good instructor who can guide them.
