On the Green

You have probably heard it said that every golfer has their own unique swing or signature; this is very true. There is a great deal that goes into the make-up of one individual's swing that creates the uniqueness. One characteristic that a good teaching professional tries to determine early in the lesson process is how a golfer needs to receive the instructional information.

This week I had three highly visual learners. These are people that walk fast, talk fast, and do almost everything quickly with little or no patience. They all have a tendency to address the ball fast, swing fast, and definitely have the need to see where the ball goes. It is my job as an instructor to present the information in a visual manner first; then work to develop the areas of tempo, balance and feel which are usually dormant in their body because the eyes are so dominant.

The difficult challenge for the instructor is to get these students to "take their time;"which is not in their nature. These students actually move so quickly to "GIT-R-DONE" as Larry the Cable Guy might say; that they don't take the time to realize or feel their positions. First and foremost let me acknowledge that it is not easy to learn something new; it does not happen quickly and that is exactly what these students want and expect.

For some time now, each of these students have been doing what they think is right; yet getting unsatisfactory results. As I watched each one hit a few balls I saw them quickly set up to the ball with inefficient fundamentals. Remember, it was Jack Nicklaus that said, "If any one of your fundamentals is off just a little bit, you have less than 50 percent chance of hitting the ball well." Wow, if you know that; then why would you not take the time to be sure they are right before you swing the club? This is unfortunately a natural phenomenon for these students not to take their time, making it difficult for them to make changes.

I explain to each student that anything you repeat routinely is a learned behavior and has no "feel" linked to it. It just feels natural, comfortable and good.  If it is wrong, it sends no message to your body that it is a problem; therefore the cause is silent. The compensation swing that you generate from that silent inefficient fundamental "shouts" at you when you do not get the result you wanted. After many rounds of golf, poor shots and lower than satisfactory scores even the highly visual golfer wants to make a change.

In order to create an improved swing we must trick the brain. The natural yet inefficient swing you currently make is a learned behavior; which will be a result of your current set up. In order for these students or anyone to get better results it is imperative to set up to the ball differently; a new routine and of course this time with correct fundamentals will keep the brain from pulling up the old swing. The new routine begins to send a message to the brain that after constant repetition creates a "new golf swing" in the brain for the student to retrieve that will get improved results.

This new routine will definitely send "feel" messages to the brain; that quite honestly may feel uncomfortable at first. It is during this new set up routine that it is very important for each visual learner to take the time to "feel" what is correct so that in the future they can "feel" right from wrong.

Joyce Wilcox is a teaching professional for Topsail Greens Golf Club and an LPGA Class A Member.