Articles

February 2005— South Carolina Amateur Golfer Magazine

Equipment technology doesn't lower scores,
but new teaching technology can.

"Golfers are not improving" according to the National Golf Foundation and Chuck Hogan, one of America 's top 100 golf instructors.  The American golfer's handicap has not dropped in twenty-five years.  Average scores should be going down given the advent of high-tech instruction and equipment, but they are not!  Chuck Hogan will tell you that "there is a clot in the blender of the instruction".  "Most problematic is the epidemic level of frustration and perceived inadequacy felt by golfers.  It is my experience that almost all of my experienced golfer students arrive at my doorstep frustrated.  They often tell me that if this, Natural Golf, does not work I'm quitting.

Most likely it's been that they have never been asked what it is that they want, more often they are told what they should want or should feel.  You know, there's an old axiom in the retail world, "the customer is always right", if they are right then they're happy.  If they are getting what they want they're happy and they'll come back.  So why not give the golfer what it is they want, not what an instructor wants.  It's simple,  just ask.

If golf instruction is available at a golf facility, it is most likely that, especially a beginner,  will get a golf swing lesson not a golf lesson.  What is most typical is a technique lesson of how to swing a club in one fashion or another.  The beginner, not knowing the difference between a golf swing lesson and a golf lesson believes the mechanical stuff is the correct thing occupy their mind when they play golf.  After all, a professional was paid for the information.  Chuck Hogan and I agree on this point entirely, he's written it in his books over and over.  Students are told to work on this, work on that, feel this or that.  Heck, golf is not work, we leave work early to go play golf.  Golf is a game, we play games and games should be fun. 

Traditions and paradigms in golf are deeply entrenched.  This monthy column, with Natural Golf as the paradigm, will be offered in a manner to help you gain some new insights in order to play better.  It is done by a highly trained and experienced instructor through a better, more efficient, simpler swinging motion.   We all learn things through what is called the Cycle of Competency, we imprint, habituate, internalize, then vary to accommodate their individualism.  Think about how and when you learned to tie your shoes.  When introduced to something new that one wants to become proficient at, the learning task should be offered in the way it is that everyone learns anything.  If you are interested in playing golf and having fun doing it contact Steve by e-mail at steve@carolinasmartswing.com  , log onto his website www.carolinasmartswing.com  , or give him a call @ 843.556.0217 ; 843.708.2837 (C). 

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