Fairy Dust and Truth Serum

I have been in the golf business for over 40 years and it was late in my career when  I finally figured out something important. One of them is fairy dust and how it applies to golfers and the other is the truth about golf instruction.  I haven’t decided if nobody is aware of it or just chooses to ignore it.

Fairy Dust

Fairy dust is what I call natural talent or potential. I guess it could be described in a lot of different ways but I prefer to call it fairy dust because it doesn't apply only to golfers or just athletic ability.

 At birth everyone has fairy dust sprinkled on them in varying kinds and amounts. Sometimes it's in the form of athletic talent other times it may be in the form of musical talent or a great singing voice but certain individuals are just simply potentially more gifted than others.  They got more more fairy dust.

Truth

 The truth that nobody seems to be aware of is that we only get the fairy dust at birth. Nobody else has the ability to sprinkle it on us.  I think one reason golfers get so frustrated is they are often led to believe that with proper instruction or equipment there is no limit to how good they can become and this is a complete falsehood.  Saying that with proper teaching and enough lessons and practice any can become a scratch golfer is like saying with enough work and training everyone can be an accomplished musician, singer, or artist.

Unfortunately that just simply is not true.  When I was younger and played baseball and football I wanted to be able to run faster.  I learned that even with good athletic talent and hard work I could shave of a few tenths of a second off my speed but was never going to be able to run fast.  I didn’t get dusted with the speed potential at birth.

One of the things I did get was the power dust.  Even in little league I led the league in home runs and triples.  In golf I could hit the ball 300 yards as a teenager with balata golf balls and persimmon woods but even at that there were a few that got more of the dust than I did.  I don’t think you can learn it.  You are either born with it or you are not.  On average, most recreational golfers, according to Golf Digest, average somewhere around 195-205 yards with their drivers.

Research shows that most of them can improve by only around 11 percent .  That means 195 yards becomes 216 yards.  That is the amount of fairy dust they got at birth.  This unfortunate truth does not fit well in marketing of golf lessons and golf equipment but it is true nonetheless.  Any time averages are discussed there will be exceptions at both ends but the odds are against you.

The same is true with putting.  If you are a poor putter you can improve but only to a certain level.  If you don’t have the sprinkle of dust you will never be a great putter.

Have Fun

Golf is a wonderful game that can be played by all ages for a lifetime and anyone that has not tried is probably missing a wonderful experience.  The point here is to realize and accept your limitations but learn to have more fun doing it.

We hear all the time about lowering scores or hitting the ball better, etc. but how often do you hear anyone promising that you can have more fun.

For all but a very tiny percentage of people golf is just a hobby or a pastime like fishing or painting or many other things.  It is something you do for enjoyment.

Even if you can’t become a long hitter or a scratch player you can learn to have more fun while playing the game.

Think about what you enjoy the most in golf.  Surveys indicate hitting more good shots is more enjoyable for the average golfer but golf instruction seems to be fixated on shooting lower scores.

Which is more fun and gives you a bigger rush, shooting a lower score or hitting it stiff and making birdies and bragging to your buddies?  Since instruction seems to be fixed on scoring you are constantly being encouraged to hit to the middle of the green.  In a recent study it showed that golfers with handicaps in the 15 to 20 range only hit an average of slightly less than 4 greens a round.  If you are aiming at the middle of the green how many birdie putts will you have.  Unless you are a great putter the answer is none.

If you want to have more fun follow spots psychologist Dr. Bob Rotella’s advice.  Always pick a small, well defined target.  If you want to have more fun aim at the flag stick.  If you are successful you will have a short birdie putt.

Conclusion

We all have potential in some area and very few end up realizing their full potential .  I think that is the real point of golf instruction.  Helping people develop their potential and not building a perfect swing.  I also think we need to be honest with students and give them realistic expectations.

The talent we are born with is what we have.  Nobody can give us more later.

Once a player's knowledge level matches their talent level, more knowledge does not improve scoring or ball striking much.

Who Are Really the Best Teachers?

I was watching the golf tournament last weekend and kept seeing ads from Revolution Golf and the Golf Channel promoting how great their golf instructors are and it reminded me of a recent conversation I had.

In that discussion about golf instruction  it was pointed out to me that golf instruction is almost completely subjective.  All about marketing and taking peoples word for how good they are and how good their theories and methods are.

SUBJECTIVE EVIDENCE is evidence that you cannot evaluate -- you have to simply accept what the person says or reject it.

OBJECTIVE EVIDENCE is evidence you can examine and evaluate for yourself.

My friend, Judge Tinker, frequently talks about how few people are interested in taking golf lessons and how few golfers actually take them. I think there may be a correlation between that and SUBJECTIVE EVIDENCE.  Today's consumers tends to be very cynical so simply trying to market to them by saying trust me, I am better or trust me, I can help you isn't going to work with most people.

In the past golf professionals were held in much higher esteem than they seem to be today so what worked in the past may not work as well today especially with younger people.

With verifiable data would golfers tend to trust you more?

Is it possible that more people would be prone to take lessons if there was OBJECTIVE EVIDENCE to prove how good someone and their methods are?  With today's technology it seems to be very doable. It be a simple matter of using technology to establish a baseline for each student. Prior to the first lesson simply chart club head speed, smash factor, center line variance, carry distance etc. After 4 lessons do the readings again and compare them to the baseline readings. That would give objective evidence of how much a teacher can actually improve his or her students in 4 lessons. No debate, no simply proclaiming that you help everybody, it would just recording the facts.

I know that those people that are successful today are not interested in seeing anything change and I don't blame them.   It is like the old saying, “If it ain't broke don't fix it,” but for the younger teachers coming up and trying to get themselves established and build a clientele I would think that they would embrace the idea of objective evidence. I think it might have a very positive effect on the golfing public if someone can say here is the evidence that, x percent of the time my students improve by X percentage with only 1,2,3,4 lessons etc.

Can you imagine a Top 100 List based on OBJECTIVE EVIDENCE?  Might be interesting.

Has Golf Instruction Evolved in the Best Direction?

Here is a little food for thought for all the golfers out there and I know before I write this that a lot of my fellow professionals are probably not going to agree with this but that’s fine.  We are all entitled to our opinions and this just happens to be mine and it is my blog.

Over the years I have learned a great deal about the golf swing, how people learn it, and about helping people strike a golf ball effectively.  The one thing that I have found is that the more I learned the clearer and more simple it has all become.

Recently I have been involved in many conversations and debates on how a golf club should best be swung.  Invariably, sooner or later, it evolves into a discussion of positions and frequently includes pictures, videos, graphs, etc. in order to prove a point.

The Modern Premise

Golf instruction has evolved over the years and especially since the introduction of high speed photography.  With the most recent developments in technology it has accelerated.  We now even have scientist in disagreement.  The prevailing theory is that if we can break the swing of successful players down into small enough increments we can discover why they strike the ball so well and pass that information on.

My Conclusion

My conclusion, after years of research and personal experience as both a teacher and a player, is that great ball strikers didn’t become great ball strikers because of working on positions.  Those positions evolved as a result of  improving ball striking.

I think most can agree that Ben Hogan and Moe Norman could control ball flight as well or better than anyone.  In their pursuit of ball flight do you really think either of them said to them self “If I just work on achieving this position my ball flight will improve?”  I personally don’t think so, however, I do think that it is far more likely they would hit a shot and say “What does the club need to at impact to achieve the ball flight or shot that I want?”

That is how they ended up with two totally different swings that could both control the ball.

Bobby Jones summed it up very well in this statement:

"Apart from the intention to deliver the blow in a proper way, there is nothing more important to the golf swing than that it should have the qualities of smoothness and rhythm, and I can conceive of no reason why it should not possess both these qualities so long as it is not interfered with by the conscious effort to pass by rote through a series of prescribed positions."

My final conclusion is that we need to return to teaching ball striking and how to use the tool (club) and not concentrate so much on positions.  I have a pretty strong hunch that great teachers have always understood this with all levels of players.

Technology

I am not asking anyone to abandon technology.  There is some very good technology out there that is particularly useful in certain situations and can be used to reinforce what the student sees and feels.  All I am recommending is that we go back to teaching from a student centered impact backwards and stop teaching from an instructor centered club/body positions forward.


That is it from the cave for now.

Technology vs Range Balls

As an assistant one of my positions was working for one of the first Master Professionals that had been an assistant at Augusta National.  He told me an interesting story about Ben Hogan.

Starting in 1942 rubber was rationed so it became difficult to find quality golf balls.  Hogan handed him his practice bag and asked him to watch over it.  He said that in some cases his practice balls were better than what he played with.  He added that practicing with anything other than quality golf balls was a waste of time.  At his level that statement is true, for a beginner not so much.

Technology

That started me thinking about range balls which are very inconsistent and therefore the accuracy of any data obtained while hitting them is questionable.  I understand that with a launch monitor the club data such as AOA, path, club face, etc. would still be accurate but not the ball data.

When launch monitors are used for club fitting are quality balls also being used?

I understand that in a closed environment, like a hitting bay, the quality of the ball can be easily controlled but a green grass driving range is a different story.

All major brands of golf balls have different models and each model has different spin rates, trajectory, and ball speed.  The variance in range balls is much greater than that, even with new range balls.  It gets even worse as they get some age on them.

For the full report from Golf Digest CLICK HERE.

I know that some launch monitors have an algorithm that is supposed to compensate for range balls but that would only work if range balls were consistent which they aren’t.

Conclusion

The bottom line is that you can get a rough idea of solid contact, curvature and trajectory with range balls but that is about it.  If you are using a launch monitor to obtain accurate ball information or club fitting it would seem that it needs to be in conjunction with quality golf balls.

For the average golfer trying to obtain accurate yardage information on how far each club goes range balls are not going to get the job done.

The easiest way to accurately check your yardages is with a GPS device or a range finder on a relatively flat area of the golf course using the balls you normally play with.

One Professionals View On Teaching And Learning

One of my pet peeves is that older instructors that do not spend many thousands of dollars on technology because in their situation they don’t feel they have a need for it are considered by younger instructors that have invested small fortunes in the latest technology, seminars, and certifications to be dinosaurs and in some way less competent.  Nothing could be farther from the truth.

I am not anti-technology and have invested in it throughout my career WHEN I considered it useful to me.  I think that in certain circumstances technology can be a very useful tool.  For some reason it seems that if you are not a big advocate of the latest technology you are automatically labeled anti-technology which is not true for many teachers.

Medical Analogy

The one analogy that pops up over and over is the use of the medical profession which is generally ridiculous.  Just because I don’t own a Trackman or attend seminars on bio-kinetics it is often implied or stated that I can’t see the usefulness of an MRI scanner which is absurd and borders on stupid.

An MRI is an extremely useful piece of technology WHEN it is needed.  I think a launch monitor is an extremely useful piece of technology WHEN it is needed.  I do know that I do not want my local physician that I go to raising his rates so he can own an MRI machine.  I simply do not need an MRI scan when I go in for a checkup or a sore throat.  Nor do I need to own a very expensive piece of technology to help the vast majority of the students I work with.

If my doctor recommends an MRI for some reason I will be going to a facility that has one and I will be paying a premium for the visit.  I think something similar could work for golf instruction.

The Objective

The objective is to be able to help golfers improve as simply and quickly as possible.  If this can be done with little or no technology the teacher is very good at what he does.  If another chooses to depend heavily on technology and is able to help his students quickly then he is also very good at what he does.

The idea that traditional knowledge and teaching is out dated is sadly misguided.  It is like the “old” and “new” ball flight laws.  Saying the old ball flight rules are wrong and the new ball flight rules are right is ridiculous.  The laws of physics haven’t changed.  Actually neither is really accurate because there are too many variables that neither takes into account.

The fact is the old ones are very effective at explaining ball flight to the average golfer.  They are simple and easy to understand.  The new laws are much less simple.

In my forty years of teaching golf I have seen a lot of revolutionary ideas and technology come and go only to be replaced by something newer and “better.”

With that being said, from my perspective, time and resources are much better spent on studying and understanding how people learn and develop complex motor skills and learning how to communicate the acquired knowledge to the student in the best and most efficient way possible.

Human Nature

I do understand human nature well enough to know that if someone has invested a great deal of time in money in technology or anything else they simply have to justify that to themselves and are unable to consider any other possibility.

Technology has nothing to do with whether someone can teach or not.  You can have the latest equipment and a wall full of certifications and without good communications skills it is all meaningless.  If you don’t understand the science of how people learn you are working under a handicap.  It doesn’t mean that you cannot teach, it simply means it will probably take your students longer to make progress and your failure rate is likely to be higher.  I do have to admit that over the years I have met great instructors that instinctively understood how students learn and were born communicators but it is rare.

Conclusion

In conclusion, for me, it simply boils down to what a person finds useful.  For me what I find useful is knowledge of the rapidly advancing science of learning and the art of communications.   It does not make me superior in any way any more than technology or bio-mechanics makes anyone else superior in any way.

The Key to Golf Instruction is Effective Communication

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.

Hitting a Golf Ball Is Like a Bullseye.

Golf Instruction: Golf Is Like a Bullseye

So much of golf instruction today is focused on the “good player” or low handicap golfer which is fine but these players are in or near the center circle of the bullseye.  The vast majority of what you are told that is essential or critical only applies to these players - not the vast majority in the outer circles.

If you just want to break 100 you don’t have to have the perfect address position, perfect alignment,or the perfect grip.  Your margin of error on those things is huge.  You are just trying to avoid double bogeys and higher.  You accomplish that by learning to play smarter and focusing on scoring instead of ball striking.  Learn to miss it the same way every time.

Par for the person just trying to shoot in the 90’s is bogey on every hole.  Stop trying to carry bunkers and water in order to reach the green in regulation.  Add one more stroke to par on every hole and start feeling more positive about your game.  Spend most of your time playing and working on putting, chipping and pitching.

If you want to move into the next ring things change a little.  If you want to be consistently in the 80’s you have to have the ability to reach some of the greens in regulation.  This means you can’t spray the ball as much and you may have to add a little distance.  Experiment with slowing the swing down until you can get solid contact on more shots.  Solid shots go much farther.  You can hit add distance while you improve accuracy.  It’s not about how far you can hit the ball, but how far you can hit it and have some idea where it’s going to end up.

You are going to have to develop a short game so you can start getting the ball up and down in two when you miss the green.

There is no need to spend hours on the range working on tips and buying DVD’s with non-existent secrets.  Just work on your consistency.  If you tend to slice the ball that is fine, just work on slicing it the same amount every time so you can figure out where to aim your shot.

You will also find that you can get more benefit from playing nine holes and working on you consistency is much better than spending an hour or so on the range.

Learn to enjoy golf more by not constantly trying to perfect your swing or technique and working instead one improving your score.  I use to love getting pro-am partners with 18+ handicaps.  I could coach them around the course and finish in the money.

Golf Instruction: A Shrink’s View of Golf Teaching

I think this is worth sharing from a student's standpoint of finding a good instructor and an instructor's standpoint of being educational.

Posted on December 17, 2014
Psychotherapy
(Reprinted from PGA MAGAZINE, 3/1/08)

A lot has been written by golf professionals about what amateurs need to do to improve, but we read little from amateurs about what PGA professionals need to do to become better instructors. As a psychotherapist, I’ve always been interested in how people change. So, when I’ve gone to see a golf instructor – and I’ve seen many – I pay close attention to what works and what doesn’t. And, it’s no surprise that, just as therapy varies widely in its effectiveness, so too does golf instruction. Much of it is bad; occasionally it’s good.

The problem with ineffective golf instruction, as with ineffective therapy, is that the recipient often blames himself or herself for a failure to improve. In each situation, the client needs help – sometimes desperately – and is willing to put him or herself into the care of a professional. Because of this dependency, a great deal of authority is conferred on the professional. The person seeking help is eager for approval and is usually not in a position to accurately judge his or her helper. Poor outcomes usually lead to demoralization and self – blame.

Since I’ve spent a fair amount of time as both a helper and a person seeking help, I’ve reached some conclusions about what makes the learning process work, conclusions that I think might be of value to both teaching professionals and the average golfer. But before I spell out what makes a good golf teacher, I want to add a caveat: most of my difficulties as a golfer have nothing to do with my instruction. I’ve had enough good instructors to know how to improve. But, like most amateurs, I don’t practice or play nearly enough. As a result, I’m a 16 handicap player with an eight handicap swing!

In my view, good golf teachers share with good therapists the following traits:

1) They listen to what the client/student wants from the session.

Too often, instructors want to teach what they know without first finding out what the student is really there for. The best teachers try to figure out if the student primarily wants a quick fix, an adjustment that will help him or her have a more enjoyable round that day, or a plan to reconstruct his or her swing over the long haul. There’s nothing wrong with going to a PGA professional to get a “tip” that temporarily corrects a swing flaw, even if that tip is really only a compensatory adjustment for a deeper problem. A good teacher will tailor the instruction to the agenda of the student.

For example, I was once was about to leave for a special golf outing, and was fighting a frustrating slice. I went to a teacher and explained the situation. He told me to significantly close my stance, almost as if I was setting up to hit a big hook. This tip enabled me to play several rounds on my trip from the fairway rather than the woods. In that instance, the teacher understood that I wasn’t going to work with him over time to correct my more fundamental problems.

Too often, a student seeks help for one particular thing, not intending to sign up for a major overhaul, and is told that the problem ultimately derives from several fundamental problems at the core of his or her swing, problems that can only be addressed by a series of lessons over time. Like therapists, golf teachers can be correct but not helpful.

2) They learn to speak the client’s language

Some students are left-brain thinkers who respond best when the teacher explains his or her suggestions intellectually, offering the student the theory guiding instruction. Other students learn best through visual demonstrations, either computer – aided, or modeled by the instructor. And still other students need to primarily feel the changes in their own bodies. While everyone hopes to eventually combine these three modalities, it is essential that the instructor quickly adapt his or her teaching style and drills to the idiosyncratic learning styles of the student.

A friend and I once took lessons from the same golf instructor. He was great with my friend because he gave a lot of technical instruction – which satisfied my friend’s thirst for mechanical details – but the identical instruction was frustrating to me because I work best when I have a clear visual image of the “correct” way to do something. For example, I would have gotten more benefit from watching my instructor illustrate the correct move, or by watching a professional on a tape or computer, then from being told about it. It seems obvious that people learn in different ways but too often golf instructors present their instruction in a “one size fits all” manner.

3) They accurately assess what the client is able to take in.

Like changing someone’s self – defeating thinking in therapy, changing muscle memory in someone’s golf swing is difficult and has to be done with great patience and reasonable expectations. When making his first major swing change in 1998, Tiger Woods reportedly hit 1100 balls per day, most of them under the corrective guidance of a skilled coach. When amateurs like me take a lesson, we might hit a bucket or two of balls and then take a swing change to the course, only to become frustrated when the results are inconsistent. Golf instructors often give their amateur students too much information, too many ideas, too many corrections, instead of making one clear change at the time.

Recently, I was taking a lesson from a terrific teacher who was working with my tendency to pull the ball. He suggested that I experiment with feeling that my body was moving from “low to high” in the downswing and follow through in order to keep myself more behind the ball. It felt strange, but I worked on this the entire hour. He said very little about anything else. He told me not to worry about hitting the ball thin or even if I found myself hitting fades. I gradually began to get this feeling more ingrained and stopped pulling the ball.

In the stall next to us, however, was another instructor working with a high-handicap student. The instructor was talking incessantly. He was telling the person all about the golf swing, about swing planes, weight shifts, and balance. The student was clearly overwhelmed. Golf instructors need to learn that sometimes “less is more.”

4) They provide a clear and explicit “treatment” plan.

Whether they’re driving a car, doing therapy, or trying to change their golf swing people like to know where they’re going. Golf instruction often fails when it is presented in a scattergun fashion, with no systematic game plan. Further, too often the golf coach doesn’t remember what the student was working on in the previous session and reinvents the wheel each time. Let’s face it – there is always something wrong with my golf swing. At any given time a teacher could look at my swing and point out several problems. However, a good teacher has a plan, an intuitive and logical strategy for helping me improve over time.

I used to see a teacher who knew a lot about the golf swing but each time I saw him, it was clear that he had no memory of what we’d worked on two weeks before. He would look at my swing and whatever occurred to him first was what we would work on. It was always something important, but I rarely had a sense that we were building a swing, that there was a method to this madness. Students feel comforted and inspired when they know where they’re going and when they feel that their instructor has a plan for getting there.

As in psychotherapy, the primary mistake the golf teachers make is putting their own theories ahead of figuring out what the student or client needs. I know from both ends of the relationship that there is a natural inclination in helpers to feel insecure about their expertise and authority. In response to this, the process becomes subtly focused on demonstrating what the teacher knows rather than what the student needs. From the point of view of the student, it’s easy when they are suffering – whether in life or on the links – and put themselves into the care of a professional. Invariably, they blame themselves if they don’t make progress. Unfortunately, often the problem lies with the professional. Sometimes the professional needs their help in getting on track.

Here are some ways to become a better teacher:

1) Ask your students to try to tell you how he or she learns. Coax them to be as explicit as possible. For example, have them tell you if they prefer technical details or simply a few images. Such minimal information will inform you how best to work with that particular student.

2)   If you sense the student is not finding a lesson helpful, acknowledge that fact in a way that includes your own possible culpability and ask if he or she would like you to try to combat the problem from a different angle because this one isn’t working.

3)   Tell them they may or may not get better right away after one or two lessons, but that they should know whether or not there is a good fit between the two of you. If not, don’t hesitate to recommend another instructor who might be a better fit.

4) Ask them to tell you what they like about your style and what is most effective in getting through to them. This also provides reinforcement about how they learn best.

5) Remind them that they can’t blame the instruction if they don’t practice or play much and are not getting better!

There are a lot of good golf instructors out there, and I’ve seen my share of them. They are worth their weight in gold. Ultimately it’s the student’s responsibility to take control of his or her learning. And it’s the teacher’s job to figure out how best to make that happen.

If You are Considering Taking Golf Lessons.....

Finding a Good Instructor/Coach

The major reason it is difficult to find good golf instruction today is that instructors/coaches are not ranked by results.  The PGA, Golf Digest, no one does this.  What we need is an “Angie’s List” for golf professionals.  This may be why only 2 out of 17 golfers take lessons.  I’m sure it is at least a factor.

At this point word-of-mouth is all we have.  If you are thinking of taking lessons, you need to do some research before you pay your hard earned money to someone.  The good ones will have no problem with this.  If they are offended by your questions then move on.  You would be wasting your money with them anyway.

Here are a few points to consider before signing up with someone:

• If they try to sell you a package up front there is a problem.  If they haven’t spent any time with someone how can they possibly have any idea how many lessons you will need.  Packages are not bad unless you are being asked to sign up for one initially.

• If they do split screen video comparing your swing to some tour player and proceed to point out how many things are wrong in your swing you need to ask for your money back.  This is what is generally referred to as “Let me show you how many ways your swing sucks” school of instruction.

• The real red flag is do they teach a method?  Every instructor should have a method of teaching but should never teach a method.  It’s like saying “One size fits all”.  No method fits everyone.  People and golf swings are individual.

• They spend a lot of time talking about how much they know and how good a player they are.

• They don’t spend any time asking about your goals, medical problems, and swing thoughts.

Here is some things you can expect from a good instructor/coach:

• Introduction. Students are often intimidated by teaching professionals, so he or she will try setting the student at ease and developing a rapport prior to the session. This leads to more effective communication between the teacher and the student.

• They will want background information. This information includes: Previous golf and sports history; previous injury history; ask about physical limitations; occupation; previous instruction history; goals for golf.

• They will want specific golf information. This includes: examination of the golfer's equipment; ball flight characteristics; determining how far the golfer hits each club; strengths and weaknesses in the various aspects of golf; practice habits; motivation for playing golf (i.e., competition vs. hobby vs. spouse activity, etc.); motivation for taking golf lessons.

• A good instructor will form a personal relationship with you and be personally interested in your success.

• There is even a trend now among the good one ones to offer monthly and yearly rates for unlimited help since people learn more effectively in frequent, short sessions.

The real art of instruction is figuring out what is integral to each players swing and knowing that you should not try to change that.  You have to work around it and help them become the best they can be with the fundamental swing they have.  If you know someone who does this, please let me know.  I want to promote them to everyone.  I already have my list of teachers.

There is good news though.  There is a growing number of instructors out there that will help you simplify what you need to do and will help you maximize your swing and ability – not remake your swing in their image of what they think it should like.  It’s just difficult to find them because they don’t get much publicity.

Word of Caution

One word of caution – if you try to go it alone, keep this in mind that it is going to be incredibly difficult .  If you google golf instruction, golf tips, how to fix a slice, etc. you will get a huge selection.  One reason for this is that these people are in it for the money and not to primarily concerned with helping golfers.  You are bombarded by emails and infomercials telling you that if you buy this DVD or training aid, this book, etc. your game will dramatically improve and each one is telling you a different secret.  They have tour players and ex-tour players swearing its some type of breakthrough.  I hate to tell you, but virtually all of them are all scams.  Nobody has the secret because there is no secret.  They are simply trying to make money off you regardless of what they tell you in their video.  Anyone that appears on the first page of google results has an ulterior motive or they wouldn’t go to that much trouble to get that highly ranked.

If you have questions or would like to get in touch with me just leave a comment.

Golf Instruction Has Become Too Complex

In the battle of simplicity vs. complexity, simplicity wins, every time. We gravitate toward products and services that eliminate complexity from our lives, and we rail against the things that complicate matters and make us feel stupid.

Back in the days of the three-martini lunch, golf instruction was simple and appealing. Back then 90% of the clubs were private and as a country club member you had a pro at your disposal. He’d work with you on the driving range, play with you, coach you to get better, and monitor your progress.

It was a personalized, one-on-one experience.

No two lessons were the same. He worked with the swing you had, and helped you build the skills you needed to score well on the golf course. Accountability was built in… You’d practice because you knew the pro was keeping an eye on your progress.

But those days are gone.

Today, less than 5% of all golfers have a relationship with a golf pro. Surveys have shown that the number of golfers that think lessons could help them is around 15 out of 20.  The interesting thing is that only about 2 out every 17 are taking lessons.  Maybe we should think about why that is…

Is it because most lessons are totally intimidating, especially for women. Is it because most instructors make them way too complex!  The most common response from golfers is that either they didn’t get better or their buddies that took lessons didn’t get better.

It is a rare instructor who sends the student off with fewer than five or six “things to work on.”  According to Phil Mickelson, even the tour gurus are often guilty of over-instruction. “Can’t you just give me one thing to work on?”

Often it’s a checklist of a dozen mechanical issues that the average guy can’t possibly grasp, much less incorporate into his game. The more technical the lesson is, the worse it gets.

Group lessons are often ineffective because a statement made in the group will be interpreted differently by each member of the group.  Most golf schools are especially ineffective because the student is taught by several different instructors, each giving them different things to work on.  Common complaints include: “I came back worse than when I started.” “It was just way too technical.” “He didn’t give me anything positive, it was all about what I was doing wrong.”

Much of today’s technology only seems to help the most analytical, I want to know it all type learners; Maybe one half of one percent of the golfing population. And yet, instructors routinely use it to analyze every position and point out every flaw.

More often than not, it’s just confusing and demoralizing for the student.

In an issue of Golf Digest, Jim Flick, one of the top five teachers of all time, wrote an article that sums up the problem with modern golf instruction:

“A lot of today’s teachers are enamored with what works for the tour pros, and they give the same information to their higher-handicap students… In general, trying to swing like most of today’s tour pros will make the average golfer – say a 5 handicap or higher, – only worse.”

Rather than working with the student’s natural swing, today’s teachers tell everyone to emulate or copy whatever tour player swing is in favor at the time..

They bottom line is that if the golf industry is going to turn things around, the methods of instruction HAVE to change.  We’ve got to make it less complex, enjoyable and fun.  The focus needs to be on the most effective ways people actually learn.  For instance people tend to respond much more favorably to train instead of practice.  We practice law and medicine, but we should train to improve our golf.  Training involves trying and learning from your successes or failures.  Training also involves coaching instead of teaching.

That is my take on things from The Golf Cave for today.  You can see more of my thoughts on Facebook at https://www.facebook.com/samadams46 or Twitter at https://twitter.com/SamAdam5346

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. 

My Favorite Golf Quotes

Here is a collection of my favorite golf quotes that I hope you enjoy.  There are so many of these that I have divided them into three categories: Humor, Life, and Instruction.  Hopefully you will pick up something that is useful to you in one of the three categories.  The instruction is particularly informative.

Humorous Golf Quotes

"The golf swing is like sex. You can't be thinking about the mechanics of the act while you are performing it." Dave Hill

"Golf is a fascinating game. It has taken me nearly 40 years to discover that I can't play it." Ted Ray

"My swing is so bad; I look like a caveman killing his lunch." Lee Trevino

"They call it golf because all the other four letter words were taken." Ray Floyd

"Don't play too much golf. Two rounds a day are plenty." Harry Vardon

"Golf's three ugliest words: Still your shot." Dave Marr

"If a lot of people gripped a knife and fork the way they do a golf club, they'd starve to death." Sam Snead

"If I had cleared the trees and drove the green, it would have been a great shot." Sam Snead

Golf quotes that also apply to life

"One of the most fascinating things about golf is how it reflects the cycle of life. No matter what you shoot - the next day you have to go back to the first tee and begin all over again and make yourself into something." Peter Jacobsen

"The older you get, the stronger the wind gets; and it's always in your face." Jack Nicklaus

"Success in golf depends less on strength of body more on strength of mind and character." Arnold Palmer

"Golf is the closest game to the game we call life. You get bad breaks from good shots; you get good breaks from bad shots - but you have to play the ball where it lies." Bobby Jones

"A kid grows up a lot faster on the golf course. Golf teaches you how to behave." Jack Nicklaus

"I never learned anything from a match that I won." Bobby Jones

"As you walk down the fairway of life you must smell the roses, for you only get to play one round." Ben Hogan

"Concentration comes out of a combination of confidence and hunger." Arnold Palmer

"A bad attitude is worse than a bad swing." Payne Stewart

"Of all of the hazards, fear is the worst." Sam Snead

Golf Instruction Quotes

"Competitive golf is played mainly on a five-and-a-half-inch course... the space between your ears." Bobby Jones

"I get as much fun as the next man from whaling the ball as hard as I can and catching it squarely on the button. But from sad experience I learned not to try this in a round that meant anything." Bobby Jones

"This is a game of misses. The guy who misses the best is going to win." Ben Hogan

"Nobody asked how you looked, just what you shot." Sam Snead

"If there is one thing I have learned during my years as a professional, it is that the only thing constant about golf is its inconstancy." Jack Nicklaus

"The mind messes up more shots than the body." Tommy Bolt

"Be decisive. A wrong decision is generally less disastrous than indecision." Bernhard Langer

"Forget the last shot. It takes so long to accept that you can't always replicate your swing. The only thing you can control is your attitude toward the next shot." Mark McCumber

"Golf is a difficult game, but it's a little easier if you trust your instincts. It's too hard a game to try and play like someone else." Nancy Lopez

"You can talk about strategy all you want, but what really matters is resiliency." Hale Irwin

"You swing your best when you have the fewest things to think about." Bobby Jones

"Golf is not a game of great shots.  It's a game of accurate misses." Gene Littler

"Most fine putters are putters subconsciously.  Putting is a phychology, not a system." Mickey Wright

"The Ultimate Judge of your swing is the flight of the ball." Ben Hogan

"Play every shot so that your next one will be the easiest one you can give yourself." Billy Casper

"If you can't hit driver, don't." Greg Norman

"Golf is a game of finding what works, losing it, and finding it again." Ken Venturi

"Many shots are spoiled at the last instant by efforts to add a few more yards." Bobby Jones

"No good player ever swings as hard as he can.  Power is a matter of timing , not overpowering the ball." Arnold Palmer

"When you're playing poorly, you start thinking too much. That's when you confuse yourself." Greg Norman

"Golf is deceptively simple and endlessly complicated; it satisfies the soul and frustrates the intellect. It is at the same time rewarding and maddening - and it is without a doubt the greatest game mankind has ever invented."  Arnold Palmer

I just have to add a few final quotes from great teachers

“Golf tips are like aspirin. One may do you good, but if you swallow the whole bottle you will be lucky to survive. “ Harvey Penick

“A pretty girl will always have the toughest time learning to play golf, because every man wants to give her lessons.”  Harvey Penick

“Looking up is the biggest alibi ever invented to explain a terrible shot. By the time you look up, you've already made the mistake.” Harvey Penick

“I compare the pressure of a golf shot with making an extra point in basketball. The player starts from a full stop, and that rim doesn't move.” Harvey Penick

Last but not least is one of my all-time favorites:

“Golf is like a love affair. If you don't take it seriously, it's no fun; if you do take it seriously, it breaks your heart.”  Arthur Daley

A Different Take On Short Game Alignment

I keep seeing articles about your setup on short shots and chip shots, but for some reason, no one mentions that alignment and setup for each shot is slightly different.  The length of the shot and how high or low you want the ball to fly is determined by your setup and alignment.

Align the Shoulders

While ball position and lower body alignment may vary, the one constant is shoulder alignment.  Your shoulders should always be parallel to your target line on any shot whether you are hitting a driver or a putter.  NOT pointed at the target, but parallel to it.

The Lower Body

The lower body – meaning the feet, legs, and hips - will be open or pointing left of the target in order to get yourself out of your own way.  The club needs to travel down the target line as long as possible and a square stance makes it much more difficult to accomplish that. 

Do NOT Shift Your Weight

The single most important factor in developing a good short game is that you absolutely must learn to contact the ground in the same spot in your swing every time.  To accomplish this you simply need to stabilize your weight.  The low point in your swing arc is where ever your weight (or center of gravity) is.  If you shift your weight the bottom of your arc moves constantly with your weight.  The odds of winning the lottery are better than the odds of getting your weight in the same spot every time if it is shifting.

One point that needs to be made at this time is watching and reading about how tour players do it is a waste of time unless you are already that good.  Tour players have extraordinary hand-eye coordination, touch, and feel so they can do things in their swing that would be problematic for the average golfer.

It is easier to just place the weight on the left side or left foot and keep it there throughout the swing. 

 Keep the Club Head Low

Keep the club low to the ground as long as possible on the back swing and the follow through.  Never make any attempt to lift the club or cock the wrists unless hitting out of deep grass.  Keep the hands quiet.  Over active hands will result in fat and thin or skulled shots.

Another very important factor is to be able to have your hands in the same position at impact that you did at address.  The club head must never pass the hands until well after impact.  The chipping or pitching swing is made primarily with the arms and shoulders – not the hands.

How long the shot is determines how wide or narrow the stance and how open your body is.  For a chip shot your right foot is very close to your left foot and your lower body is very open.

For a pitch shot it is less pronounced.  The hands will generally be more forward on a chip, but the height of the ball flight will be determined by the loft of the club and the forward lean of the shaft.

Grip Down On The Club

One final point that needs to be addressed is gripping down or “choking up” on the club.  The shorter the shot the more you choke up.  It is perfectly fine to grip all the way down to the bottom of the grip.  This enable you to be firmer and more aggressive because the shorter you make the club the shorter distance you will hit the ball.

Hubert Green who had 19 PGA Tour wins including 2 majors used to choke the sand wedge all the way down onto the steel and open the face so he could be firm and aggressive. 

Never let the golf club slow down prior to impact.  Taking it back too far and slowing down prior to impact will cause the club head to pass the hands with the absolute certainty of a bad shot.

Practice with slightly different alignments until you find what is most comfortable for you.  I suggest practicing extensively with a sand wedge which is about 56 degrees.  By adjusting the shaft lean forward and backward and opening and closing the face you can learn to hit a variety of shots.  I am not a fan of using the lob wedge to chip or pitch with.  I agree with Barney Adams, the founder of Adams Golf, when his club designer told him they were going to design a 60 degree lob wedge he told them to stamp a skull and cross bone on it. 

As you go from a full swing to a less than full swing to a chip the right foot gets closer and closer to the left and the hips open more and more.  Shoulders stay parallel to the line.

Once you have learned to develop a solid short game simply start taking a bigger and faster swing and gradually square your body alignment and you will have an excellent full swing as demonstrated by the video below.