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“What is your teaching theory?” As the players we work with find greater levels of success, it’s a question we’re asked a lot. Everyone wants to know what we’re teaching our players and how they go about achieving their success. A long time ago, I was told that the good teachers had a method they taught well, and the great teachers had many methods they could teach to everyone. We’ve always based our teaching on logic and physics, and I like to think that if I base my teaching on indisputable facts, they will lead to a logical conclusion. I’ve never been big on placing labels on things. Since the question of our teaching theory has come up a lot recently, we began talking about how we would describe it. The word we kept coming up with was texture. Texture might seem like odd word to describe a teaching style. It felt appropriate in that we use it to describe the blending and piecing together all the elements that we feel it takes to play golf at a high level. Texture reflects the ability to blend your nutrition with your exercise routine and your mental health. It is then taking those pieces and blending them with your athletic ability, your rhythm and overall fundamentals of the golf swing. It’s the blending of all these elements that creates the texture of your golf game. In looking back over the past 25 years of watching golf swings, it’s amazing to think of all the talented players who never reached their peak because they were unable to blend the different aspects of their game together. The game is filled with players who become obsessed with their golf swing. We often refer to it as playing “golf swing” rather than playing golf. It’s when the focus shifts to the mechanics of the swing without any regard as to how the other factors and elements influence the end result. Playing “golf swing” can derail an amateur’s round in one swing. Have you ever been cruising around the golf course, made one funny swing, then placed all the focus on the mechanics of the swing? Start thinking about the position of the hands at impact or the location of the shaft at the top of the swing and rhythm and feel are lost in this hopeless search for the perfect motion. The reason any swing fails may be more than simple mechanics. Did the player get enough sleep? Was he hydrated on the golf course? Did he have enough food to sustain energy throughout the round? Did he arrive in time to prepare for the round? You have to look at all the elements and how they can affect performance. Great players play with a few fundamental keys. They play with preparation, routine, relaxation, confidence and belief. These fundamentals blend to build a sustainable rhythm for a round. Many players associate rhythm with swinging slow. Only the actual swing speed can be categorized as slow or fast. Rhythm refers to something else entirely and actually describes the ability to make the swing motion at an even pace or tempo. It comes down to this: If you’re faced with a 160-yard shot, you have to realize that your body is both a computer and a machine. You look at the shot and factor in all the outside elements and then get out of the way so your body and mind can execute what you know in order to move the ball toward the target. The average player has trouble getting out of his own way and can only execute the shot occasionally. He can’t align the pieces and build the texture to pull off the shot consistently. The great player can do it repeatedly because he’s conditioned himself to blend all the elements and let the shot come naturally. Take stock of all the elements of your game. Analyze your preparation, routine, relaxation and confidence and see how they blend together to build the texture of your game. Your mind is a computer that feels the texture and your body will know what to do with it. Jamie Mulligan is chief operating officer and a PGA professional at Long Beach’s Virginia Country Club. He has twice been recognized as Teacher of the Year by the Southern California PGA. |
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