Did you take a lesson in golf? You noticed immediate results, or did frustration set in and you reverted to old methods of trial-and-error?
In my thirty-three year teaching experience, there is a common pattern I see that works for most of the once-weekly golfers. This pattern will help you unlock your potential.
Stage one: Novice golfers start with a fresh slate. He/she goes to practice several times with friends, and has some success simply by making contact with golf ball.
Stage 2: Students make contact with their club most of the times, but are curious about why they don’t seem to be able to reach the same lengths. Friends are often good-hearted and offer advice that can lead to mixed results. The student should seek professional help at this point.
Stage Three: It all depends on what the instructor likes teaching. This stage could either propel the student to success or send him/her into an interminable cycle of corrections and fault-finding.
How important is it to the student’s progression?
Instructors have the option to correct or emphasize mistakes, and reinforce the most effective aspects of student swing.
Do I mean to suggest that you overlook critical errors in your technique? Not at all.
In order to help a student improve their game, they don’t need to know all of the technical pitfalls in their swing. Instructors are responsible for providing a simple key that the student can use to reduce and possibly eliminate the error.
Focusing on a suggestion or idea (what to do), rather than worrying about what to avoid (what to not do) is a way to improve your performance.
The theory is too simplified for those skeptics who understand the details of perfect mechanics. It is difficult to correct swing flaws without knowing the contributing factors.
Consider these questions.
Are you able to read the combustion cycle in your car to be able drive it? No. It is as simple as turning the key, and the ignition will start.
To flip the switch to turn on the lights, do you have to know how electricity works? How is the golf swing any different?
No matter your skill level or ability, the biggest mental trick to improving golf is to not obsess over possible swing faults. Instead, focus on the positive feelings associated with the best shots.
While it is admirable to want to learn, you must also be capable of letting go for just 1.5 seconds to hit the ball.