Minimalist Golf Instruction
By Sam Adams
Minimalist Golf Instruction is a term I came up with the other day in a conversation trying to describe my philosophy on golf teaching.
What it means is giving the student the least amount of information necessary that will help them improve. It has to be simple and easy for the student to understand. In other words, only tell them what they absolutely need to know and nothing else.
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That’s why, after the first lesson where you get to know the student, it should take a half hour, much less an hour to help someone.
Here’s an example of minimalist golf instruction:
Want to play better instantly? Just start thinking about where you want the ball to end up instead of where you don’t want it to end up. Stop visualizing bad shots.
The brain controls the body, by using a combination of the conscious and subconscious. That is a scientifically proven fact. Your body responds to the last thought that goes through your mind and it does not respond to negatives. It responds positively to “hit this tee shot just right of the fairway bunker”. Visualizing that spot gives brain clear instruction and the best chance of accomplishing that goal.
It does not respond well to a negative statement like “don’t hit it in the water” or “don’t slice this one.” The brain doesn’t hear “don’t” so the ball is probably going to end up in a very bad place.
One of my students had a goal of hitting the ball over the water on a par 3. I watched her swing and she should have been able to do it. I took her out to that hole and had her address the ball. Then I asked her to tell me the image she had in her mind just before swinging. She replied, “I see the ripples on the water.”
I asked to pick out a spot on the other side of the pond where she would like for her ball to land. Then I asked her to hold that picture while she hit the shot. She never had trouble getting over the water again.
The most important thing to remember is that the conscious mind always defaults to negative unless you give it something positive to occupy it.
The next time you play, just try picking a well-defined target on every shot and really visualize it briefly and hold on to it. That includes your driver also. Just picking a general direction and bombing away won’t get it done.
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I enjoy helping people with their golf game and my main focus is on people with handicaps in the teens to beginners. It seems golf instruction today is focused on helping low handicappers get it to the next level and not nearly enough on the overwhelming majority. You will be hearing more about Minimalist Golf Instruction in the future.
Two books I highly recommend are:
“Golf is Not a Game of Perfect” by Dr. Bob Rotella
“The Elements of Scoring: A Master’s Guide to the Art of Scoring Your Best When You’re Not Playing Your Best” which is a group effort by Raymond Floyd (Author), Fred Couples (Author), Jaime Diaz (Contributor), Arnold Palmer (Forward)