Today…
- Listening to…The Daily Stoic – James Clear
- What to Read… Atomic Habits by James Clear & Golf is not a Game of Perfect by Dr Bob Rotella
- Today’s Goodness…How Does Golf Coaching Work?
- To do practice list
- Vid… Sir Ken Robinson
- Where to play…Alexandra Golf Club
- Meme
- News…Swing Profile
What have I been listening to?
What to read…
Today’s Goodness – How Does Golf Coaching Work?
It has often been theorised that lessons will make you worse before you get better. It’s probably also true that some pros have been seen as vicious vultures trying to pick apart your swing to create some magic move beyond the realms of human understanding.
Golf coaching is as much as what you put into the session as the coach does.
Let’s look at it from the coaches point of view. Golf coaching at its essence is to make improvements to the golfer so that they may reach their goals. Making the coaching difficult or scary won’t help the golfer succeed. We as golf coaches, need to make the process fit the golfer and maximise the time together. I have been reading the book Atomic Habits by James Clear. Not everything in there is applicable but I came across this little diagram which fits my coaching philosophy quite well:
Let me explain…
- Make it Obvious – choose the issue that is at the root of the problem. It’s usually the most obvious. An example might be a golfer who is losing shots straight right and has a weak grip. The most obvious is to strengthen the grip.
- Make it Attractive – the attractive thing about a small change is hitting better shots. As a coach we have to be sure, though, that this will produce better shots.
- Make it Easy – Let’s not overcomplicate things. We can use simple language and examples and drills to make the point and help the golfer.
- Make it Satisfying – Actually hitting the better shot makes it satisfying. The trick to all of this is simplicity. Once we have that we can start the cycle again.
The frustrating this is – golf’s cycle never ends! The diagram above is as much about interpersonal skills as it is about technical skills. Building a rapport with your players and knowing how they tick is essential for the improvement phase. Pick your coach wisely.
While I’m on that, it’s not for me to hand out technical tips for the golf swing just randomly on the interwebs. My coaching and the golf coaching of Little White Balls is that technical advice is tailored to the player. Sure, giving some insights on how to play the game or when to chip vs pitch it is ok but I think it would be a little irresponsible to cast a net on the mechanics of the swings and hope some catch on. That, is just my feeling on it. Other coaches may disagree and that’s cool. Some have had remarkable success getting their names out there doing that and have the skills to back it up. It just doesn’t fit with me.
To do practice list…
Decide that you are a better golfer. Become that belief.
Spend half an hour this week finding out how far each club goes on average. Not the longest or the shortest – the average.
Spend a third of your practice time going through the exact routine you would on the course.
Subscribe 🙂
Cool Vid
Where to play – Alexandra Golf Club
Meme
News
I have signed up to be a coach on the Swing Profile App. For those who can’t get to me in person, you can send your swing for analysis and coaching via the app. I chose this platform because it’s a New Zealand company 🙂
ALSO… I have set up a booking calendar on the the “contact and Book” page so you can schedule appointments directly for one-on-one coaching sessions. https://littlewhiteballs.co.nz/contact/
I’m based at…
Leave a Reply