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Take time to relax and enjoy golf while on the course.
Take time to relax and enjoy golf while on the course.
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Usually, my columns are positive and upbeat, but this month I want to be more candid to help make you better.

Years ago, one of the people I least respect in the business (not a professional golfer) told me he was going to become a student of the game. It made me laugh because I knew the guy’s background and the way he went about things. As suspected, he didn’t become a student of the game and the attempts he made to do so made his golf game worse. That’s something to think about for everybody.

I also have a player I’ve worked with since he was a youngster. We got to raise him organically, and he excelled and won at every level, even on tour. Some years ago he became too much of a technician and it sent him backward. He was always worried about how perfectly he swung, how perfectly everything moved in his game and, unfortunately, he no longer took advantage of his athleticism and lost his feeling of comfort on the range and course.

From coaching tour players, I know that when they win an event they’re not talking about the technical aspects of their swing. Instead they talk about what their golf felt like that week. It’s certainly up to the teacher to blend technique and rhythm, but you should never compromise athleticism and feel.

I also know a professional who has an abundant lesson book. I think he’s really good at delivering the method he teaches. But the method has changed five times, and I haven’t seen him turn out any great players.

The idea of coaching is to turn out the best product we can. After doing this for a long time I know that to be great at this you need to understand the physics of the game, how the art of golf is played and to understand this is an athletic endeavor. If you look at today’s players, they’re more fit and athletic than ever.

If you’re teaching, be careful not to compromise athleticism for swing techniques. Golf should feel like any other sport. When you do it well, it happens naturally and is repeatable without having to paint by the numbers or fill in the dots.

When I was a young guy, I loved music. When I learned how to play music, they tried to make me learn through a numbers system, and I couldn’t do it. But when I listened to music I could hear the music a lot better. Golf is not dissimilar.

The sensations of golf come from what you see and feel and, more importantly, the quality of your shot and your ability to repeat the quality of the shot whether it’s with a driver, iron or a putter. Figure that out and you’ll be on your way to more enjoyment and lower scores.