So you never know what sort of problems or situations you will run into when giving golf lessons. My philosophy is to treat everyone individually and tailor the lessons based on the physical limitations and goals of each student. I don't want to go into each lesson with a pre-determined way that they should swing, HOWEVER, I do have a framework in which I determine what is important. Here are a couple keys that I try and achieve with my students:
(1) Take out curve. If I have a student that has too much slice / hook, I want to match the face and swing shape so to take out much of the curve. Eliminating one side will be much easier when aiming and playing.
(2) Address Physical Limitations. My experience as a TPI GP3 professional tells me that most people don't want a prescription to training in the gym. However, if we can introduce simple, at-home exercises or stetches, this will help us achieve our swing improvements.
(3) Promote Short Game. There is no way around this one if you actually want to be a decent player. Anybody can "knock" it around the course, but getting the ball into the hole requires some skill.
(4) Teach people how to practice. I know too many people who don't know how to take the information from the lesson tee to the practice range / golf course. I make it a priority to teach people how learn / accept shot information. I teach people how to build their practice sessions which will match their ability and goals.
(5) Know when to shut up. Sometimes saying less or nothing at all is worth more.
Today, on the lesson tee:
* Student 1 needed to get more left in the swing. However, we found that his left hip is pretty tight. In addition to "getting left", we needed to introduce some simple exercises that he can do daily to achieve this feeling. This lesson was very productive as the student was a good player and understood what was needed for his improvement.
* Student 2 needed to continue to work on aiming and improving their routine. Student 2 is a high achiever in her business life, and there is too much judgement on each shot defining her worthiness as a golfer. We have introduced more confidence-building drills based on "process" rather than "outcome". She is doing great after one week and this really showed up today. I am proud.
* Student 3 hit the ball much better on the range today than she has been on the course. With her, it was more reflections and understanding, rather than hitting balls. We did focus on improving her bunker shots (an understanding of the design of the sandwedge, ball position and speed were all needed in this lesson). She, too, needs some credit for how she is practicing.
* Student 4 was one of those "know when to shut up" lessons. She "pured it" throughout the lesson, and so we worked on hitting different shots which she might be facing during an upcoming tournament. Another "process-focused" lesson, her swing thought is finding 80% tempo. When her tempo reaches higher than 80%, she loses her posture and becomes too steep with her swing plane. However, I did not need to tell her that. She knows what she needs to do and came away from the lesson with more confidence than when she came.
I am proud of my students for stepping up and taking lessons. I am also proud in how hard they work to get better. We promote a "growth mindset" on the lesson tee, which I believe is the true way to improvement.
Steven
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