Science and Golf Instruction

I am definitely old school but I have always been fascinated by advances in science and technology that have the possibility to help me as a person or as a golf professional.  That is why I got into computers before they had hard drives and video when they were battling between VHS and Betamax.  It is also why I started studying neuroscience as it applies to how people learn.

I know many will not agree with what I am about to say and I understand that.  It is only my opinion, but I am fairly intelligent and have very accurate logic and BS filters.  Because of that I have come to this conclusion.

My Conclusion

Science and technology seems to have hijacked golf instruction.  Because of things like Doppler radar, 3-D, Biomechanics, etc. we have turned golf instruction into numbers, minute positions and body parts.

As a friend of mine, Mike Rubino, who is an attorney and avid student of the game said, “The scientist and so called experts of today have invented a whole new golf lexicon and proclaim that without a complete understanding of their jargon you can't possibly teach or learn golf correctly.”

Sadly even the scientist and PhD’s don’t agree with each other.  The major benefit of all this seems to be in selling seminars and certifications so golf professionals can learn how to use the new jargon and terms that have been invented.

When I read about this and listen to the comments a term comes to mind that best describes it.  The definition follows:

“Mental Masturbation: Pleasurable but unproductive mental activity; at least in the short-term. Sometimes people use a tool, language, or technique because it has ideas that stimulate or entertain their mind. It might not be "better", but one likes it because of the stimulation or challenge it provides.”

Having been in the business for a long time now I have seen these “going to revolutionize golf instruction” come and go on a regular basis always to be replaced by the next “great breakthrough” that doesn’t materialize.

When I got into the business many years ago it was all about teaching people to PLAY golf.  Somewhere along the way technology transformed it into focusing only on the golf swing.  It is now all about numbers, positions, body parts and terminology.

The end result is that today only one golfer out of seventeen will even consider taking a lesson.

I know this will offend those that have spend a great deal of time and money on technology and getting certified but is this what we should consider progress?  You decide.

That is my view from the Golf Cave

The Golf Industry Has Shot Itself in the Foot

Recently I have been reading a research paper by a major university on the state of the golf industry and it seems that a lot of the challenges golf faces today are self-inflicted.

The Factors Contributing to Golf's Problems:

• The over building of golf courses during the boom years of the 1990’s.

• The building of longer, harder and more expensive golf courses.

• The slow play created by longer, harder, real estate development type golf courses.

• The building golf courses on speculation and not on socioeconomic demand.

• The building of golf courses that never had a viable business plan and are now environmentally, economically, and socially unsustainable.

In other words, even without a recession the golf industry would still be in trouble because of the paradigm change that occurred in the 1990’s.

What we have today is a situation where almost 90 percent of the golf courses are public access and roughly 30 percent are financially healthy, about 30 percent are slightly profitable or close to breaking even, and around 30 percent that are likely go out of business.

What we do know:

• We know there are about 4300 golf courses on the market for sale today. 

• We know there are currently about 1600 golf courses operating under bankruptcy protection.

• We know golf courses need to book about 64% of available tee-times to break even. 

• We know 60% of the golf courses are booking 44% of their available tee-times.

The Good News:

Help is on the way.  A book will be released in the near future that will offer a smorgasbord of proven techniques for operating profitably and turning money losers into money makers.  It will also cover golf instruction from a standpoint the will make it of interest to both teaching professionals and golfer alike.  I have only had glimpses at the data but it is extremely impressive.  I can only imagine the time, effort and money that have been poured into this project.

Should Golf Instructors Specialize?

I was having an interesting conversation with a friend about golf instruction and teachers and he brought up a really interesting point that got me to thinking, which is usually a dangerous thing.

He said, “Golf instruction is the only profession that doesn’t have specialist.”  Hmmm…….

Other Professions Do

Years ago if you had a medical problem you went the doctor and he was a general practitioner.  You went to him for almost everything initially.  Now days if we have a rash we go to a dermatologist, etc.  Back then if you needed an operation you went to a surgeon.  Now days if you need an operation you go to a surgeon that specializes in that part of the body like neurosurgeon or cardio vascular surgeon, etc.

If you need legal advice you go to an attorney that specializes in that field such as divorce, personal injury, labor law, etc.

There was a time when school teachers taught all the subjects.  Today they all have specialties such as math science, English, etc.

Golf instruction has apparently never evolved to that point.

Why Not Golf Instruction?

I know that most everyone claims to be able to teach all types of students, but that is like the teacher that teaches all subjects.  You are going to be much better at some than others.  I know a lot of teaching professionals and there is only a handful that I would trust enough to send students of all levels to.

I also know that most think by saying I teach everybody that they have a chance to reach more potential students, but it often ends in over promising and under delivering.

Something I have learned after 40 years of teaching at all levels is that children learn differently at different ages and they learn totally different than adults.  People that did not learn to play golf as a child need to be taught differently than people that did.  Teaching women is totally different than teaching men.  They learn completely differently.  Working with elite players is a vastly different experience than working with an average golfer.

I can break it down even farther by saying some are better at certain aspects of the game like hitting driver, or short game, or putting than they are at others.

I also learned over the years what my strong suits are and where I am weakest.  I am naturally better teaching the average golfer the full swing because that is what I enjoy the most with the short game a close second.  Can I help golfers in all aspects?  The answer is YES, but putting is my weakest area.

The Point

My point here is why not specializing?  Specialist in every profession get to charge more.  You also are setting yourself apart from the masses for marketing purposes.  Very few are doing it so you are going to get people’s attention if you do.

For the golfers out there, would you be interested in going to a specialist?

This week’s food for thought from the Golf Cave.  Tell your friends about The View From The Golf Cave.

It Is No Longer The Golden Age of Golf

I used the term “Golden Age of Golf” in a LinkedIn group and was asked to define it.  Here was my reply.

The “Golden Age” was made up of a multitude of factors that would need a book or two hour podcast to cover completely.  But since I was only asked about how things were at the local golf course, here goes.

It was back when club membership was a management perk in almost any business and 90% of the clubs were private.  The company picked up the tab and everybody wanted to be a decent golfer because it was important to business success.  Parents encouraged their children to take up golf because it was important to their future.

Businessmen went there to spend four hours on the course getting to know each other to see if they wanted to do business with each other.

Political leaders were frequently there to strengthen their support with voters.

The clubs were like Cheers – everybody knew your name and what you liked and didn’t like.  The employees and management cared about you and your family.  Personalized service was the driving factor instead of rounds and the bottom line.

The golf staff cared about your golf game and went out of their way to help you play better.  A successful teaching professional was one that the members enjoyed taking lessons from – not the guy that booked the most lessons.

Members took lessons and worked on their games and they club professional knew whether they were improving or not and had a personal interest in their progress.  He was also expected to play with the members frequently.

People went to the club to eat and to socialize with their friends and have great food and service – it wasn’t all about the profitability of the food service operation.

The local golf course was the social, political, and economic hub of many communities.

In other words, it was in the days before the IRS got involved and got the ball rolling down hill and before management companies.

When the IRS targeted golf and private clubs in particular it all began to change.  Once businesses could no longer write off club memberships as a business expense the world of golf began to change.  Of course the legal system striking down golf companies having green grass only policies and forcing them to sell to discounters didn’t help any.

During the “Golden Age” PGA members were held in high esteem and compensated accordingly.  It was not uncommon for the Head Professional to own the golf shop and the golf cart plus receive a retainer.

Today golf professionals are being paid less than I made as an assistant.

I am just glad that I was able to experience it.  I thought this worth sharing for all the young professionals that never got to experience it.