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Instruction: Only change the things that need to be changed

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As a golf instructor for more than 20 years, I have gone through my own professional maturation when it comes to my instructional style and the way I have chosen to help my students.

Golf instruction is like any other occupation; it takes time and experience in order to become the very best. And no one has all the answers from day one. However, I will tell you that with the advent of 3D Motion Analysis and club and ball-flight launch monitors such as Trackman and FlightScope, the answers are becoming much easier to find. We all know that perfecting your communication takes time and experience, but the hardest thing I had to learn during the years was taking the correct route to success based on the goals of the student.

Every golfer has different goals when it comes to what they want out of the game, as well as different coordination capabilities and basic time constraints to deal with while trying to practice. It is up to the instructor to understand these issues in order to create a practice plan that will allow the student to improve as quickly as possible. It’s also the instructor’s job to get a student from point A to point B with as little aggravation as possible!

I want to share with you a lesson I had with a friend of mine the other day. During the interview process, Ed told me that he was an 11 handicap, always aimed a touch right and hit the ball low and left when he missed with his driver. He said that he hit the ball far enough for the tees he plays, but when there is trouble on the left he gets very uneasy. He also mentioned that he never practiced, but played three times per week and that was not going to change at his age. Finally, he said that if he could rid himself of the left shot he would be happy as a clam.

Photo 1

I took the time to put him on the Trackman to see what we had to work with, and here is what we saw:

  • His angle of attack wasn’t too far off, at almost 1-degree up at impact. It could have been a touch higher, but distance wasn’t that much of an issue in his world.
  • His swing path was almost 9 degrees from the inside. That indicates that a golfer’s driver could be too long or that his or her pivot could be faulty, etc.
  • His face-to-path ratio was a touch high (-4.2 degrees), but not too bad. Thankfully, his heel-impact tendency helped the ball stay a touch more right than would be expected for this face-to-path ratio.
  • His ball speed, spin rate, launch and dynamic loft all looked reasonable for a golfer of his level.

So what can we deduce from his goals and the data listed above?

  • His aim tended to be slightly right, which I confirmed through observation on the range.
  • His driver was fit for length. It was 43.5 inches, which fit him in a perfect manner based on his arm length, etc.
  • Ed tended to be a touch too far away from the ball at address.

Now as an instructor armed with this information, my data and my observations on video, how should I proceed? This is where experience comes in from the instructors’ side. I thought the easiest thing to do to help Ed was to fix his propensity to aim right. The farther left he aimed, I imagined, the better his path would be if everything else was constant. So I experimented with that first.

Ed tendency to be a bit “outstretched” at address was also a likely a cause for his in-to-out swing path, because it leads to an overly rounded swing. And that change was next. It’s my belief that it’s in a student’s best interest not to change too many things at first, particularly for a non-practicing golfer who has played at a high level his whole life. Ed basically had one issue, so there was no reason to reinvent the wheel for. However, I still had to test my hypothesis.

So I took the time to explain to Ed that his swing was moving too much in-to-out, and by aiming too far right he was tending to aid this process. So I wanted him to audit and monitor his aim with a few practice sticks and hit a few balls. I let him hit about 10 to 15 balls so that his body had a chance to figure out where it was, and watched him to make sure he was lined square to slightly left of the target line.

As he did that, this I was checking the Trackman and his numbers to make sure his path did indeed change to something that was less from the inside. If the ball flight was up to his standards and the numbers agreed, then we would have been done. However, if the path didn’t change enough, we’d move him a touch closer to the ball.

So after a few shots, the path was better, but it was still a touch too in-to-out for my liking, not to mention that his shots were still a touch off line. So I moved him up closer, which will cause a golf swing to become more vertical. I hoped that second change would cause the path to fix itself, but if it didn’t, we’d have to focus on more full-swing fixes.

Luckily, we didn’t have to. By lining him up a touch more square to open, as well as moving him closer to the ball, his numbers and subsequent ball flight was fixed to his liking.

Photo 2

As you can see from the data above, several things improved:

  • His attack angle went up slightly, from 0.8 degrees to 3.2 degrees, which is perfect. Sometimes when you fix the right thing, others follow.
  • His swing direction moved from 9.7 degrees in-to-out to a very manageable 4 degrees in-to-out.
  • Ed’s path was 0.3 degrees from in-to-out, while his face angle was dead down the line at 0, giving him a very tight face-to-path ratio.
  • The only negative we saw was that his spin rate that went up slightly, and he tended to have an impact point on the heel of his club that pushed the ball a touch too much to the right.

Ed proceeded to hit some more balls, testing this “fix” with a few different clubs. At that time, it was up to the student to let me know if we had indeed moved him into a more manageable position and one that he felt he could play from in all situations. But what did we do about the higher spin rate and slight heel impact, you might be asking? At that point, nothing. I know it’s tough to swallow, but sometimes saying less is better.

What did we learn from this lesson? Simpler is always better than a more complex “fix” for a player who does not practice. Based on what goals this player expressed to me — stop the left shot and everything else is OK — I helped him do exactly what he asked for.

Since we didn’t really fix anything mechanically during the lesson, I asked that he come back to see me in a few days that that we could double check his spin and impact point. If the numbers for the path and face stayed reasonable, and he wasn’t missing the ball left any longer, we could then we can move forward to improve the higher spin rate and impact point. In my opinion, those problems were being caused by an impact point that was too low on the face, and that the arms were running away from the body through impact, usually a byproduct from the old pivot.

Remember that golf instruction and technology is here for students in order to help them reach their goals easier and quicker than ever before. Take the time to ensure that you are not making things too complex on the lesson tee. Only change the things that need to be changed, and pick the ones that will make the MOST difference. You will find that your students will be much happier golfers because of it!

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Tom F. Stickney II, is a specialist in Biomechanics for Golf, Physiology, and 3d Motion Analysis. He has a degree in Exercise and Fitness and has been a Director of Instruction for almost 30 years at resorts and clubs such as- The Four Seasons Punta Mita, BIGHORN Golf Club, The Club at Cordillera, The Promontory Club, and the Sandestin Golf and Beach Resort. His past and present instructional awards include the following: Golf Magazine Top 100 Teacher, Golf Digest Top 50 International Instructor, Golf Tips Top 25 Instructor, Best in State (Florida, Colorado, and California,) Top 20 Teachers Under 40, Best Young Teachers and many more. Tom is a Trackman University Master/Partner, a distinction held by less than 25 people in the world. Tom is TPI Certified- Level 1, Golf Level 2, Level 2- Power, and Level 2- Fitness and believes that you cannot reach your maximum potential as a player with out some focus on your physiology. You can reach him at [email protected] and he welcomes any questions you may have.

6 Comments

6 Comments

  1. Sam Soonthorn

    Jan 8, 2014 at 6:34 am

    Hi Tom,
    I played golf for about 35yrs+. Just got a chance to hit on Trackman for the first time with my driver. The results are..attack angle 2.6 degrees, Club path 7.5 degrees, Face angle 1.3 degrees and Face to path -6.2. My situation similar to Ed.

    Would you agree if I set myself to an open stance and aim a little left, Will I overcome my hook shot?
    Do you have any other suggestions that I can try on Trackman next time?

    Sam

  2. Martin Fincham

    Nov 5, 2013 at 7:25 pm

    I had an instructor that changed my whole swing and it sucked. Then after years of not taking lessons I finally took some lessons from an experienced LPGA Pro. She took what I had and worked with that. She also made it easy for me to self analyze and correct my own creeping swing issues. Then every so often I have a tune up lesson with her and tighten things up. It was amazing to find someone that could teach that way rather than change everything. Great article BTW. 🙂

  3. jeff

    Nov 4, 2013 at 8:11 pm

    Excellent work.

  4. naflack

    Nov 4, 2013 at 3:54 pm

    its good to know there are teachers out there who are willing to teach to those of us like ed.
    i am self taught to a 3/4 and have always been hesitant to take a lesson.
    i dont practice other than a couple buckets in the spring and i have no interest in ever practicing, it’s hard enough to find time to play. i play 1 ball flight because i like the way it looks, i can control it and it makes the game simpler. i also have no interest in overhauling my swing because it isnt textbook to some standard.
    again, good to know there are guys out there who are open to players like me and ed. maybe 1 day i’ll even take a lesson…maybe 🙂

  5. yomomma

    Nov 4, 2013 at 1:04 pm

    The 9 ball flight laws will teach you everything you need to know about your swing. I feel swing analysis has gotten way out of hand for the average golfer. Who honestly needs to know what their face-to-path ratio is? I have done the PGA thing and received my class A and the one thing I learned about instruction was the really great teachers used simple terminology and made everything more simple instead of complicating the students thoughts. Just one mans opinion though.

    • tom stickney

      Nov 4, 2013 at 5:05 pm

      Sadly the 9 ball flight laws are flawed…we now understand that the ball begins in the direction of the face and curves away from the path provided centered impact NOT the other way around as the old laws told us. You might want to check out some the new stuff; I’m sure you’ll find it interesting for your clients. All the best sir.

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Instruction

Clement: Stop ripping off your swing with this drill!

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Not the dreaded headcover under the armpit drill! As if your body is defective and can’t function by itself! Have you seen how incredible the human machine is with all the incredible feats of agility all kinds of athletes are accomplishing? You think your body is so defective (the good Lord is laughing his head off at you) that it needs a headcover tucked under the armpit so you can swing like T-Rex?

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How a towel can fix your golf swing

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This is a classic drill that has been used for decades. However, the world of marketed training aids has grown so much during that time that this simple practice has been virtually forgotten. Because why teach people how to play golf using everyday items when you can create and sell a product that reinforces the same thing? Nevertheless, I am here to give you helpful advice without running to the nearest Edwin Watts or adding something to your Amazon cart.

For the “scoring clubs,” having a solid connection between the arms and body during the swing, especially through impact, is paramount to creating long-lasting consistency. And keeping that connection throughout the swing helps rotate the shoulders more to generate more power to help you hit it farther. So, how does this drill work, and what will your game benefit from it? Well, let’s get into it.

Setup

You can use this for basic chip shots up to complete swings. I use this with every club in my bag, up to a 9 or 8-iron. It’s natural to create incrementally more separation between the arms and body as you progress up the set. So doing this with a high iron or a wood is not recommended.

While you set up to hit a ball, simply tuck the towel underneath both armpits. The length of the towel will determine how tight it will be across your chest but don’t make it so loose that it gets in the way of your vision. After both sides are tucked, make some focused swings, keeping both arms firmly connected to the body during the backswing and follow through. (Note: It’s normal to lose connection on your lead arm during your finishing pose.) When you’re ready, put a ball in the way of those swings and get to work.

Get a Better Shoulder Turn

Many of us struggle to have proper shoulder rotation in our golf swing, especially during long layoffs. Making a swing that is all arms and no shoulders is a surefire way to have less control with wedges and less distance with full swings. Notice how I can get in a similar-looking position in both 60° wedge photos. However, one is weak and uncontrollable, while the other is strong and connected. One allows me to use my larger muscles to create my swing, and one doesn’t. The follow-through is another critical point where having a good connection, as well as solid shoulder rotation, is a must. This drill is great for those who tend to have a “chicken wing” form in their lead arm, which happens when it becomes separated from the body through impact.

In full swings, getting your shoulders to rotate in your golf swing is a great way to reinforce proper weight distribution. If your swing is all arms, it’s much harder to get your weight to naturally shift to the inside part of your trail foot in the backswing. Sure, you could make the mistake of “sliding” to get weight on your back foot, but that doesn’t fix the issue. You must turn into your trial leg to generate power. Additionally, look at the difference in separation between my hands and my head in the 8-iron examples. The green picture has more separation and has my hands lower. This will help me lessen my angle of attack and make it easier to hit the inside part of the golf ball, rather than the over-the-top move that the other picture produces.

Stay Better Connected in the Backswing

When you don’t keep everything in your upper body working as one, getting to a good spot at the top of your swing is very hard to do. It would take impeccable timing along with great hand-eye coordination to hit quality shots with any sort of regularity if the arms are working separately from the body.

Notice in the red pictures of both my 60-degree wedge and 8-iron how high my hands are and the fact you can clearly see my shoulder through the gap in my arms. That has happened because the right arm, just above my elbow, has become totally disconnected from my body. That separation causes me to lift my hands as well as lose some of the extension in my left arm. This has been corrected in the green pictures by using this drill to reinforce that connection. It will also make you focus on keeping the lead arm close to your body as well. Because the moment either one loses that relationship, the towel falls.

Conclusion

I have been diligent this year in finding a few drills that target some of the issues that plague my golf game; either by simply forgetting fundamental things or by coming to terms with the faults that have bitten me my whole career. I have found that having a few drills to fall back on to reinforce certain feelings helps me find my game a little easier, and the “towel drill” is most definitely one of them.

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Instruction

Clement: Why your practice swing never sucks

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You hear that one all the time; I wish I could put my practice swing on the ball! We explain the huge importance of what to focus on to allow the ball to be perfectly in the way of your practice swing. Enjoy!

 

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