Golf is the only sport in which there are more instructors than players. Although this claim cannot be verified, it is common to see high-handicap players coaching vivacious beginners on any practice range.
Despite the good intentions, the instruction frequently leads to frustration for both parties.
The golfer who signs up for lessons the night before a competition presents the biggest challenge for a pro instructor. The student bemoans the fact that despite diligently practicing every day for the past two weeks, he still cannot seem to fix a recurring slice. As a last resort, he books a lesson and pleads with the instructor: “Just tell me what I’m doing wrong“.
Even if the student experiences success during the lesson, there is a good chance that after the first inevitable bad shot in the tournament, he will revert to his old swing and continue the game by making up for the slice.
The student could claim to his friends that he went for a lesson but it only made things worse during the post-game autopsy.
Are you familiar with the aforementioned situation?
The underlying tenet of conventional golf instruction is the notion that in order to improve, a student must first comprehend his or her mistakes. The ability of the instructor to correct errors without trapping a learner in a never-ending cycle of fault-finding and error correction is essential to the success of professional instruction.
The likelihood that the issue will be resolved increases, in the student’s view, the less he dwells on errors.
The focus of instruction gradually changes with the student’s ability; the beginner learns what to do – the seasoned golfer, struggling to break ninety, is constantly focused on what not to do.
Which of the following statements is easier to understand: “feel like your left elbow is straight” or “don’t bend your left elbow”?
The next time you read a golf instruction article, see if you can re-word all the phrases containing the words “don’t” and “try” with positive directives. I believe that the prevalence of unfavorable instruction will surprise you if you pay attention.
There is a growing gap between knowledge and outcomes as a result of this pernicious pattern of mistake-focused attention. Have you ever questioned why you can hit accurate shots during practice but lose your swing while playing golf?
The once-weekly golfer may find that a change in focus is necessary to enable them to effectively apply their understanding of swing mechanics to produce favorable outcomes for themselves and their aspirant students.
Thanks for reading!