For deeper insights , listen to the The Golf Intervention Podcast on Apple , Spotify and most major podcasting apps . Thank you for reading and feel free to reach out to us with any questions you have !
Rob Failes , PGA is the Player Development Leader at Boar ’ s Head Resort in Charlottesville . He holds a Bachelor ’ s of Science degree from Clemson University ’ s PGA Golf Management Program and is a certified PGA Professional Instructor . Golf Digest has named Rob as one of the state ’ s top instructors ( No . 4 ) and one of the top instructors under 40 in America .
Eric Layton , PGA is the Director of Golf Instruction at The Country Club of Virginia . He ’ s a Golf Digest “ Top Teacher ” in the State of Virginia and a PGA award-winning coach .
A goal of context-driven coaching is to remove the constraints of improvement .
sinking the putt ( converting ). Understanding when and where you should be trying to lag , as opposed to convert , is key ( shot and skill dependent ), and understanding your performance benchmarks for proximity and conversion allows for more engaging and relevant practice design .
Shot Develop pre- and post-Shot processes to improve distance and direction intentions and predictions . Shot processes — unlike score , skill and swing — are completely within our control . Developing shot processes requires little to no cost , often resulting in long-term improvements to score , and even “ back-door ” improvements to skill and swing . Pre-shot processes consist of creating an intended distance and direction , predicting how the lie , slope and wind will influence the ball , and adjusting the intentions accordingly before selecting a club or shot , aligning and swinging .
Skill Develop adaptability through improved awareness of the club and how it interacts with the ball . This is the category we have the least control over , yet the one that directly controls shot outcomes . There are three main skills :
• Impact Spot : Where on the club face the ball contacts
• Face-to-Path : The orientation of the face relative to the direction the club head is moving at impact
• Club Head Speed : Speed measured in miles per hour Differences of one inch in impact spot , three degrees in face-to-path , or one mph of club head speed can create massive differences in shot outcomes . Because the differences are so small , golfers often don ’ t perceive them accurately , such as believing the ball hit the heel when it actually hit the toe , or aren ’ t aware of differences at all . This leads players to believe shot issues are always swing issues . Understanding how to assess and train the skills in a way that enhances the clarity of feedback and awareness of the club is key .
Swing Develop a more adaptable and predictable Swing . This category is easiest to observe , most convenient to blame , the furthest removed from shot outcomes and comes at the highest cost to modify . Don ’ t hear what we ’ re not saying — the swing is incredibly important and influential . The swing can create strong biases within the skills and can certainly make the skills more variable than desired , which would both be great reasons to explore swing improvements . However , we often observe golfers chasing a sense of certainty in the shot outcomes in their swing mechanics , which is a futile and counterproductive exercise that often leads to frustration . We believe the swing should allow the golfer to be skillful . Again , skill awareness and training can help reveal if the golfer ’ s swing is functional for them or not and can be a great way to test if swing improvements are having the desired outcomes .
REMOVE THE CONSTRAINTS OF IMPROVEMENT 1 . Fixed Mindsets : The belief that competence is innate , unchangeable and representative of what we are . Example : “ I ’ m just a bad putter .”
2 . Wasted Attention : Focus placed on irrelevant tasks during performance . Example : Worrying about how others might perceive you as a player based on past or future outcomes of a shot or round .
3 . False Conventions : Long-held ideas that are not true and hinder performance . Example : The idea that the club travels in a straight line toward the ball .
We hope these ideas get you thinking more critically about your improvement , inspire you to seek coaching to help navigate the options available and ultimately , shift daily / weekly behaviors in the desired direction . vsga . org N OVEMBER / D ECEMBER 2024 | V IRGINIA G OLFER
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