Answers to the 6 Hottest Debates in Golf Teaching – GolfWRX

Social media such as Twitter provides a whole new channel for absorbing a wide range of golf information and also provides a convenient discussion space for teachers and golfers.

As an active Twitter user, I try to read as much as possible about the trends and ideas that teachers are touting on social media. Some deal with how to swing, others with swing positions that are better than others, and my favorite is the technology debate between old school and new school teachers.

This article covers some of the most debated topics on social media and my thoughts on these topics (which are over 140 characters long).

Fitness or not?

Back when he was winning majors and dominating golf, Tiger Woods was helping professional golfers understand the benefits of getting in better shape. The truth is, when an athlete of his caliber gets into peak physical shape, he will be hard to beat.

I majored in exercise science in college, and while I strongly believe in the merits of exercise, you can go too far. Concrete example: Tiger. As Chamblee has said time and time again, Tiger took his fitness to the Nth degree and ended up getting injured, thus shortening his career (or so it seems).

So what is the answer? Personally, I think golfers need to be in peak physical condition if they want to compete at the highest level. This includes ALL types of fitness work, including stretching, resistance training, and cardio. As with anything in life, if you focus too much on one area, you can get yourself into trouble. Ask Keith Clearwater or Tiger and you’ll hear injury stories. On the other hand, ask Rory, Gary Player or Camilo Villegas and you’ll hear success stories.

Listen to your body and make sure your routine is well-balanced and you will have fewer injury problems.

Do swing models work?

One of the biggest arguments between teachers in the golf industry is the concept of the swing pattern. Many people in the golf teaching world believe that their method is better than anything available today and will fight to the grave to prove that they are.

Homer Kelley, in The golf machine, discovered that there are over 446 quadrillion ways to swing the club (thanks to Top 100 teacher Ron Gring for the math), so in my mind, there are millions of ways to swing effectively. I try not to teach the same swing pattern to everyone, but I will say that there are a few stroke patterns that I teach more often than others. So I don’t teach just one swing model; I’m trying to teach a few so I can work around each player’s inefficiencies without getting stuck.

The flexibility offered by teaching multiple models is very useful; this allows a person’s natural movements to remain reasonably intact while they work on their game. And second, trying to “rebuild” a club golfer’s swing from scratch tends to be too laborious. Too often, they are forced to play “between two models” because of the big change. And there’s no guarantee that better scores will be on the other side.

Is technology dangerous?

One of the most dynamic topics is the debate between old school and new school teaching methods, with Trackman at the center of the debate. Some experts say Trackman is bad and ruins players because they play “swing golf”, not golf. I agree on one point. Other teachers (like me) will tell you that nothing has helped them more during lessons than Trackman.

But let’s discuss the difference.

After all, we are in the information age of golf instruction, as there has never been more information available about how the body, club and ball react during the swing. Although I will say that knowledge is power, I will also tell you that it carries an inherent danger; too much information can hinder a player’s development.

I don’t think technology is all bad, no matter what type you use. But I will say that the technology used during a lesson is only as good as the person using it. If I can’t protect my players from the information they don’t do it I need to know, so it’s not technology’s fault, it’s mine!

Trackman is not the problem; it’s HOW it’s used that is the problem. You can use technology and Trackman to teach “feels” or you can tie students in knots. It is entirely up to the teacher to use this amazing technology correctly.

Do you play “golf” or “golf swing”

As mentioned briefly above, have we, as a golfing community, become too focused on the “golf swing” and not “golf”?

I wholeheartedly believe yes!

But it’s not the players’ fault. With the advent of affordable technology, golfers can understand more than ever and many to want this information at your fingertips. It’s the era of instant gratification; Information on anything is accessible at the touch of a button. If Teacher A doesn’t give it to them, then Teacher B will. It is extremely difficult to get a student to slow down enough to learn old-fashioned golf with new school technology. So for a while we may just have to accept that people play the “golf swing” until the masses understand that this is NOT the way to get lower scores. The golf world is full of great ball strikers who can’t score. For what? Because they learned to play “golf swing” instead of golf.

Determine what is most important to you; a good swing or a good score. There’s no wrong answer, unless of course you’re trying to make a living from this game.

What is the best swing position?

On Twitter, I see discussions about this position or this position being better than the other because player “X” did it or player “Y” did it. Two of the most contested positions right now are locking the right knee at the top (instead of keeping it flexed) and tilting the left wrist in transition. And next week it will be something different.

Although I have explained my position on swing patterns above, comparing the positions that pros find themselves in and those that amateurs should place themselves in is not necessarily beneficial. Guys at the highest level of their game could have been great players and tournament winners with ANY swing you put them in. Take Tiger Woods for example. He won with many different swings. For what? Because he is a highly skilled golfer and athlete and he was able to understand and monitor those swings. Most club golfers simply cannot do this.

Just because someone takes a bunch of pictures off the internet and shows you that players X, Y, and Z are in a certain position doesn’t mean it’s the right position for YOU.

Who is the “best teacher” in golf today?

It’s simple, the best teacher for you is the one who helps you get the lowest scores. Period. It doesn’t matter if you use very little technology or a lot, the goal is to achieve lower scores and that’s all that matters.

Sometimes for Tour players, it takes a teacher like Butch Harmon who says, “Man, you hit like Tiger and Norman did in their prime.” » This can give them the confidence to go out and win. Or sometimes they need to listen to the science and psychology of a teacher like Sean Foley who says, “You’re swinging at your best and I have the data to prove it to you right here.” »

There are different teachers for different players. Find the one that best suits you and your game, and he can become the world’s best teacher for You.