Little White Balls

What the bloody hell is the difference?

Not much in some eyes, but for a few of us, the difference is vast and should be realised for you guys to play your best golf.

It is a relatively simple distinction. Lessons teach technique with very little to do with long-term improvement. They are if you will a stop-gap for a particular issue that the golfer may be having. Lessons have their place. For example, a second set of eyes for an elite player. Perhaps a self-taught player may want a piece of advice re technique but is content figuring out the game for themselves.

Coaching is an all-encompassing media. The coach will guide technique, mental aspects, course and game management, the recommendation of equipment and the wellbeing of the player. The coach has the long-term goals of the player as the focus. The coach is a facilitator of skills and knowledge and a medium for the best to be brought out in players. That’s why it’s so important to find a coach you connect with for your game.

If you want to improve and I mean really improve, you can’t get there by having haphazard lessons. You need to be having coaching with a dedicated plan of attack with checkpoints for evaluation and reassessment.

If you want to know where I fit into the scheme of things, I am a coach and want the best for my players. Filling a lesson book for the sake of a paycheck is not fulfilling. Seeing players succeed in what they want out of the game is fulfilling to me and hope that I can help more of you do it.

I developed this little explanation of what to look out for and where I think the sweet spot is for most players:

1. Low Trust/Low Performance
   1. Doesn’t care about your game. 
   2. Clips the ticket for a pay cheque
   3. Teaches the latest fad
2. High Performance/Low Trust
   1. Knows the game and how to teach it
   2. Not interested in your game
   3. Looking to exploit clients/members for as much money as they can extract
   4. Overcharges
3. Low Performance/High Trust
   1. Personable pro who has interest in your game
   2. Teaches the way they have always taught
   3. Not interested in personal development
4. High Performance/High Trust
   1. Develops own skills as well as players’
   2. Gets player results
   3. Is acutely aware of players’ games and how to improve them
   4. Goes above and beyond
   5. Tour Coach
   6. Expensive
5. Sweet Spot
   1. Develops own skills
   2. Gets club to elite am results
   3. Is approachable
   4. Goes above and beyond
   5. Not cheap but far from the most expensive

Derived from Simon Sinek’s diagram about Navy Seals.