It’s relatively simple.
Structured, deliberate and consistent practice.
I have heard over the past 20 years every excuse under the sun why people don’t have coaching sessions. “It’ll make me worse.” “The pro doesn’t know what he’s talking about.” “I don’t want to change anything.”
Blah, blah.
Most pros I have met know exactly what they’re talking about. The number 1 reason players don’t improve is NOT PRACTICING.
Easily said, but beating balls until your hands bleed isn’t the answer. You must have a specific thing you are working on. You must have a structure to your practice and you must commit. Anything short of that and coaching for change in technique is a waste of time and money.
It’s an interesting scenario, the coaching model. Some pros love to have longer sessions with their players. Two hours; three hours; maybe longer. In my view, unless this is a data gathering exercise, long sessions are just monitored practice. There is a place for monitored practice and I think that should be a part of any coach’s toolbox. Changes in technique needn’t take a long time.
Often times a pro can spot some faults and the root cause of these faults relatively quickly. They can come up with a solution and have you feel out that solution in short order. This is why I’m a fan of shorter sessions for technique.
I really like the idea of getting out on the course with players to see how their games are. We can accurately put a plan in place for actual improvement when we know a player’s game. If you want to fix a slice before the club champs tomorrow – that’s not improvement.
Practice. It’s not endless range balls. It’s working to an objective and making sure that is done properly.
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