Ditch the Golfspeak

Golfers are wary of taking golf lessons for a few reasons. Among them is the morbid fear that the teacher will change everything about their existing swing and make them worse instead of better! The instructor will cover 30 things in 30 minutes and ask them to execute several motions completely alien to their body and leave them in a state of utter confusion! And if you take a lesson in which this approach is used, you would be justified in your wariness. My approach is pretty much the antithesis of this method. I have come to learn that if I cannot put all I know on the head of a pin and offer it to you in a simple, easy-to-follow manner, it is generally of no value whatsoever. I'm not there to tell you what I know or show you what I can do, I'm there to help what you do.

The first thing I look for is how little can be done here to help the person in front of me. What is the least I can say and do to have him/her hit the golf ball a little better? The fewer things I say to achieve the desired result, the more my student is likely to retain and the sooner they may be able to hit better shots. What is the desired result? Well, if you are one of my students or a regular reader of my writings and videos, you already know the answer to that: Better Impact! That's it, that's all there is. For all of us and every golfer ever. There are a million ways to do it, but if you think about it, what else is there? Is that the object of the game? Is that not why you took a lesson in the first place? I hope so because if it's not, you're wasting your time and money.

"Method" teachers may help some but hurt others. The one-size-fits-all approach went out or should have gone out, with penny candy. My job is to diagnose your swing flaw and help you correct it, whatever that may be. Often, as I'm observing a student hit the first five or six shots, I already know what needs to be changed. My work begins when I start the explanation and corrections. Rest assured, the words I use and the suggested improvements will be as simple as I can make them. There are two reasons for this: you are not likely to comprehend any intricate "golfspeak" and even if you could, it would be too much to introduce into your swing motion all at once.

Every discipline has a certain vocabulary unique to it. Golf is no different. Phrases like "over the top," "under the plane," "across the line," "laid off" and on and on. But, if you are a new player or an occasional one, what do those words mean to you? NOTHING! So I have to find a much simpler, more universal vernacular. In my experience, this approach has been most effective. I do nothing that is not necessary and never, ever change an entire swing!