INSTRUCTORS
Let us go to work and select a golf instructor!
An instructor needs to become aware, understand, and commit to a process that facilitates a student’s learning. A student’s self-awareness of how they best learn can certainly help the instructor optimize instructor-student time together. As a visual learner, awareness and contemplation have evolved to be the author’s superior learning modalities. As a result, a preference is for a good coach. Teachers tell you what they like to have you do: their system. Coaches will uncover what your desires are and help you get there.
Qualities to expect from a seasoned coach are a published teaching-coaching philosophy; a track record of support for a golfer’s goal accomplishment; a willingness to learn, understand, and work with how you learn best; walks the talk of 100% responsibility—life happens because of him-her and not to him-her; committed to integral health, wellness, and wellbeing; is common good, virtues and, values driven; models the way as a person, in relationships, institutionally, socially, culturally and by helping and caring about others; uses dialogue for interpretation; offers a frequency and price of lessons that works for you; and has a process and willingness to provide on-the-course lessons when you are ready. And remember that good coach-golfer chemistry is a must!
An on-the-course, playing lesson might include: 1) a chat with your coach to agree on the date, time, and course for the playing lesson; and 2) discussion and agreement with the coach about a specific shot cycle “game plan:”
Transition. Psychological adjustment from chaos to the golf course.
- Warm-up before playing to include mind, body, and emotions.
- What are the thoughts and emotions?
- Stop what you are doing. Breathe. Be.
- How are you feeling? One, two, three, four…and feel the experience.
- Where are the tight muscles?
- Feel length of arc and width of arc during a swing of the driver.
- Hit a couple iron shots and drives, make a few chips, finesse several pitches, hit a couple of sand shots, and sink a few putts.
- Make a few swings to activate timing, tempo, and rhythm. Stop, breathe, and feel the experience.
Preparation. Simply use a consistent pre-shot routine for clear focus and generation of spontaneous potential for peak performance sensations, including feeling confident, calm, fearless, free, fluid, energized, peaceful, and detached. Key: learn to unconditionally trust the subconscious to make the shot.
- Stop what you are doing. Breathe. Be.
- Feel the tempo, timing, and rhythm of the swing.
- Visualization guidance.
- What are your nervous behaviors?
- How do you relax tension?
- Discuss estimate of the situation for the current shot: target, ball, club, and environment.
- Discuss passionate intention and commitment to the shot. Why important? What are the benefits?
Action. Stop what you are doing. Breathe. Be. Trust the subconscious, become the shot, one with the environment, the club, the ball, and the target.
- Set-up: grip, aim-alignment, stance, posture, and ball position.
- Ritual: What is your ritual?
- How do you pull the trigger?
- What does “trust the subconscious to perform” feel like to you?
- Discuss differences between putting and chipping strokes, pitch shot finesse swing, and power swing.
Response! Fist pump heaven. Feel the excitement. A BIG YES!
- Store the positive.
- Learn from any shortcomings.
- Mentally book any practice needs.
- Stop what you are doing. Breathe. Be. Receive, perk, and be with the messages and learnings.
Recovery.
- Enjoy the walk to the next tee, simply be with the experience.
- Dialogue with coach.
- Start mental and emotional preparation for the next shot.
Review lesson results and feelings about the quality of the lesson.
Discuss and agree on next steps.
An instructor evaluation checklist may prove worthwhile: established rapport at the beginning of the lesson; took time to learn about the student’s goals and objectives; asked about physical disabilities and limitations; thorough observation and analysis of the student practicing and playing before discussing options; tailored feedback to student’s learning style and playing ability; clearly demonstrated suggested improvements; was patient and offered alternatives if the student failed to understand the first time; gave the student enough time to practice during the lesson; and provided a wrap-up of what was learned and discussed next steps. Simply having fun golfing!
