The Art and Skill of Golf Instruction

Article by Herb Rubenstein, PGA and Rick Ellefson, PGA

Introduction

Golf instruction is not only designed to improve how you play golf, but also to improve how much you enjoy playing golf. This combination of goals is at the heart and soul of the art and skill of golf instruction. If you are a golfer, reading this article will not make you a better player. If you are a golf instructor, it may help make you a better instructor. But, if you want to improve your golf game, and improve the enjoyment you derive from golf, we bet this article is for you.

Today, everything in golf is technical. Swing plane, ball trajectory, club, shaft, and grip models, grip, stance, balance. Yet, despite advances in technology that have been astronomical in the past 20 years, golf scores have remained at the professional, and we suspect, at the amateur level, flat. Today, with faster, more undulating greens, tighter fairways, more dastardly bunkers, higher rough and allusions built into every golf course by tricky designers, touch, strategy, taking the right risks and avoiding the wrong ones, and always maintaining the right attitude and right emotions on the course, are all more important than ever.

What is more important than all these key traits to improve is the simple process of learning the game? This article focus on how the game should be taught to help you learn the game more quickly and more enjoyable.

ire classes of problems an organization can face. This article includes ten examples of what a typical leader would do in a situation and compares that to

The Skill of Golf Instruction

There are actually five skills essential to golf instruction.

First, the instructor must know all the key technical aspects of the game. Each instructor need not know every part of the game since an eye doctor, who is also a great golf instructor, might be a great putting instructor and not know how to help a person hit their driver straighter and longer.

Second, the instructor must know how to diagnose deficiencies in a student’s golf swing.

Third, and this is critical, the instructor must know which deficiency is most important to point out first so that correcting this deficiency will lead to making it easier for the student to correct other, lower priority deficiencies.

Fourth, the instructor must know how to communicate to the student in a way that the student can understand the nature and extent of the deficiency, see and experience the improvement the instructor is seeking for the student to achieve, and actually make the change the instructor is seeking.

Fifth, the instructor must know how to help the golfer learn to practice, set appropriate goals, and how to measure progress in learning golf even more precise that the actual score they shoot early in their learning the game.

The Art of Golf Instruction

Similarly, there are five key elements to the art of golf instruction.

First, the instructor must understand the golf student, including the student’s goals, ability to absorb information, ability and speed to change body movements, level of commitment to improving, speed at which the student wants to improve, and ability to keep his or her attitude positive during the challenging learning process.

Second, the instructor must understand when the student is getting overloaded with instruction. Too many instructors give students too many instructions preventing the student from ever getting one movement down right before attempting another.

Third, the instructor must understand the anatomy of a student’s body, knowing what physical limitations, weaknesses or positive physical attributes that will inevitably impact the golfer’s swing and must be taken into consideration at every moment in advising a golfer as to what moves to make.

Fourth, the instructor must understand how to encourage and acknowledge students so that they are inspired to practice on their own between lessons.

Fifth, the instructor must be a leader, guiding students to a better understanding of the game and a better understanding of how to build on their strengths and improve on their weaknesses in a consistent manner.

Conclusion

Golf is a game. The purpose of golf is fun, recreation, camaraderie, and experiencing the beauty of the landscape, the flight of the ball, the sound of a putt going in, and feeling good. Golf instruction is not simply about helping golfers reduce their handicap or play well enough to please a future spouse or father-in-law or avoid embarrassment at the company or church golf outing.

Golf instruction, with the right instructor, is designed to make the game more enjoyable. Sure, longer drives, fewer three-putts, and great sand shorts, can all help. But the instructor is also golf’s gateway and ambassador. Everyone interested in the game of golf should take at least four to six lessons per year focusing of different aspects of the game, or for the advanced player, what is not working.

Most importantly, a golf instructor is your partner. Find a good golf partner/instructor, take four to six lessons per year at a minimum, and you will enjoy the game more than you ever had before.