Why aren't we taught to play golf?

Recently, one of my clients joined a programme that I run and part of that is having a 9 hole assessment round. The idea is that we play and as we go around the course I makes notes of my clients strengths and weaknesses, once the round is completed we sit and have a coffee to chat through my findings and then formulate a schedule to start working on things. 

The chap I was assessing is really into his golf and a joy to spend time with, as we got to the 3rd he found himself in the trees, the lie was awkward with an overhanging brach in front of him, the ground is very soft at this time of year making a running shot very difficult, so I asked him how he was going to approach it!! 

He said without hesitation, I'm going to hit my wedge and hope it goes through the branches and with a bit of luck it might land on the green, ( I wish I had got my camera with me so you could see the difficulty of the shot he was about to play). So I asked him, before you try that shot is there another option? Nope, was his prompt reply, not if I want to go for the pin. 

Ok, what about playing a shot away from the pin I said, there is a gap in the trees if you aim in that direction, play your 6 iron to keep the ball low and your almost guaranteed to finish on the green, why don't you try that shot instead? How come I didn't think of that! came his reply.

 He then went on to say something that really got me thinking. 

"Why are Golfers Not Taught To Play Golf?" 

What a great question, why aren't golfers taught to play golf? Golfers are taught to swing a golf club that's a given, but how many of you reading this were taken on to the golf course by a professional and shown how to play golf? I'm going to have a wild guess and say 1% of you, now I don't mind being told I'm wrong but I bet I'm not far off. 

We have all learnt to play golf by trial and error and by watching others, but how do you know exactly what you should be doing unless you've had some professional help, could this be one of the reasons why it can take such a long time to improve? 

We played 2 further holes and once again he found himself in a testing situation, this time before he selected a club he said what do you think I should do here? We both stood behind the ball and I asked him to see if he could work out two options!! Well if I was playing normally I'd hit my rescue club and see what happened, but now you've made me think and perhaps that wouldn't be the right approach, so what other shot could you play I asked? I suppose I could hit an 8 iron and get it back in play but that would leave me a longer 3rd shot to the green, that's very true, but which is the less risky shot to play? Well the 8 iron is.

As a Positive Impact Coach I don't like telling people what to do as it doesn't give a person an awareness, so what I asked him to do was to play 2 golf balls, one the way he saw the shot and one using the 8 iron, we are going to complete the hole with both balls and see which one produces the best score. 

This is how it went, with his rescue club he swung and topped the ball sending it about 10 yards, he then had another go with the same club and struck it beautiful, so good in fact that it sailed through the fairway and finished in the thick rough on the other side, he then used his sand iron and got it back onto the fairway, form there he chipped it short of the green , chipped on and just missed his put giving him an 8 with that ball. 

With the second ball and using his 8 iron he played the hole like this, an OK connection hit the ball about 100 yards but critically back on the fairway, he then hit a 6 iron just left of the green but not in any trouble, a relatively simple chip onto the green gave him a chance of a 1 putt, he made a super attempt at holing the putt but it just slipped by, giving him a 6 on the hole. 

So you might say I proved a point but there was something much more powerful that carried on to the next tee, I asked him if he had taken an 8 on the last hole how would be be feeling right now? well I'd be angry; he said, and probably try and smash this tee shot to make up for it, and if you'd made a clever 6, how would that make you feel? I'd be feeling alright, yes calmer and I'd certainly not be trying to smash hell out of this ball. 

We finished the round and sat in the clubhouse for our post round assessment, he had a big smile on his face and said to me, you've showed me something very different today, you taught me that's there's an art to playing golf and that's something I'd never appreciated up until now. 

From my perspective I'd helped him appreciate that there is always another way to approach a shot, hitting a high risk and reward shot often doesn't come off and the outcome on that hole and maybe the rest of your round can be devastating, playing the right shot at the right time is smart golf in my opinion, but how do you know what's right or wrong if you've never been shown? 

If this had made you think about the shots you try, and made you question your decision making why don't you book a playing lesson with a professional,  see if there is a better way you could be playing and don't be afraid to ask lots of questions as you go around, rules are very important and if a situation comes up find out what your options are. I have a simple Philosiphy in life " if I have tooth ache I go to a dentist" I don't ask a friend to help me , seek out professional help and I think you'll agree with me it's the best money you'll ever spend on your golf. 

As always if I can be of any help leave a comment. 

Happy Golfing 

Julian Mellor 

PGA Professional 

Positive Impact Golf Coach 

Julianmellorpga@icloud.com

07595 157452 

To be poor at Golf you need to do things poorly

To be POOR at golf you need to do things POORLY 

To be GOOD at golf you need to be doing things GOOD

But to be OUTSTANDING at Golf you need to do things OUTSTANDINGLY

These may sound obvious but I'd like to explain them in a little more detail

I've had the privilege of playing golf since I was 8 years old, at 11 I wanted to become a professional golfer , at 16 I left home to follow my dream and now I don't get to play golf for a living but I do have the pleasure of coaching it Professionally . 

Along with the way I've met some amazing people, I've been coached by one of the best teachers in the world, I've played some fantastic courses and played some very nice rounds of golf, but have I ever reached my full potential at golf ? I would say Not. 

You see what sets the best in the world apart is the ability to be consistently consistent. In the past I've worked very hard on my swing but ignored the mental side , I've then worked on that part but forgetting that I needed to train my body , and so the cycle goes on. 

To become outstanding at Golf you need to consistently work on MIND, BODY & TECHNIQUE, your work ethic has to be second to non and the self drive required to perform at the highest level has to come from within. 

I'm not writing this as a ego boost but as a professional who wants to share some of my observations, I often watch players , the simple mistakes that are made could be sorted out in no time , others may take longer. Some people strive to get better and some aren't that bothered, some mask their disappointment at a bad shot and others show their anger by way of shouting or throwing their equipment, but the one thing they all have in common is that they are playing Golf. 

So here are some suggestions that poor golfers tend to do.

. Really bad set up to the ball

. poor golf swing

. Bad temper

. Poor equipment

. Lack of care

. Play very occasionally 

Good players tend to. 

. Have good fundamental set up

. Swing the club consistently

. Pay attention to detail

. Practise 

. Positive mind set

. Self belief 

. Play fairly regular 

. Tend to be calm under pressure

. Love the game

. Pretty good equipment

Outstanding golfers 

. Great understanding of what it take to become really good

. Incredible work ethic

. Work with professional coaches ( Mind ,Body & Technique)

. Disciplined diet

. Disciplined drinking habits

. Have the best equipment 

. Obsessive 

. Inquisitive 

. Self belief 

. Inner Drive

. Laser Mind

. Constant thrive to improve

I'm sure you could easily add other suggestions to each of the above lists but I think you'd agree that there is a Hugh difference between poor and outstanding. 

It's not difficult to make a step change but it all starts in your mind, if you really want to get better at anything and you make your mind up to do it, your half way there. 

If this sparks a bit interest and changes your thought pattern , it makes you get out of your chair and start making changes then I've achieved my objective. 

Remember NOW is the best time to change NOT tomorrow. 

Enjoy your golf , enjoy your life and if I can help in anyway feel free to contact me 

Julian Mellor PGA Professional 

Positive Impact Golf Coach

Stoneleigh Deer Park Golf Club

07595 157 452

Julianmellorpga@icloud.com

Head down, arm straight, left foot still , eyes on the ball.

Hello, my name is Julian Mellor PGA Professional , Positive Impact Golf Coach based at Stoneleigh Deer Park Golf Club in Coventry.

A Question I frequently as my clients is , if I were a complete beginner and it just so happens that my set up seems ok what pieces of advice would you give me? 

I get a few varied replays but these 4 remain constant.

• Keep your head down.

• Keep your left arm straight on your backswing.

• Keep your left foot on the floor in the takeaway.

• Keep your eye on the ball as you hit it. 

So my questions to you are, do they serve you well? are they good pieces of advice?  Do they improve your Golf?  

I'm pretty certain you will answer yes to these questions so I'd like you explore something different  with me!!

Set up to your shot as normal,  and hit the ball with your eyes closed!! Repeat a few times and see what happens.

Next I'd like you to hit a few shots allowing your LEFT ARM to soften in the backswing. 

I'd then like you to hit a few shots allowing your LEFT HEEL to lift in the back swing, 

Which will look something like this.

And the finally I would like you to hit a few shots looking away from the ball prior to impact like so 

All of these exercises should be done with LITTLE to NO EFFORT, all I'm asking you to do is see what happens to your shots.

Now you may think I'm crazy asking you to do this but there is a serious point to it. You see modern teaching is all about Mechanics and Techniques, Measuring devices have become the norm and so to have teaching aids, just like these 

But do they really allow you to swing naturally?

 At POSITIVE IMPACT GOLF we use this saying.

“The current science-based understanding that we humans don't learn well when Teachers over – complicate their subject, we help identify and get rid of debilitating techniques that are not apt for you and your body.

P= P-I( PERFORMANCE = POTENTIAL – INTERFERENCE)”

The golf swing is a flowing movement and not a series of positions pieced together, to be successful you need these 6 big things 

 Turning

 Weight shift

 Coordination 

 Rhythm 

 Balance 

 Souplesse 

With these in mind I'm going to ask a few more questions.

• Can  you turn freely if your head and left foot are static?

• Can your weight shift  from one foot to the other?

• If one part of your body is moving and another still would this appear to be coordinated?

• Would your swing have rhythm or wood it look wooden?

• Would you be swinging in balance or would you be swinging to stay in balance?

• And finally would you swing with Souplesse?

If you were to describe a really nice golf swing in a few words I would imagine you'd use ones like  easy, effortless, flowing, simple, rhythmical etc etc, and if you were to describe a bad swing you'd maybe use words like , tight, full of effort, too fast, uncoordinated, tense etc etc am I right? 

With this in mind, why is it OK to take away somebody's natural swing and replace it with mechanics, something that feels totally unnatural, Creating positions within a golf swing leads to tension, tension leads to effort and effort results in bad golf swings.

I've been a PGA Professional for almost 30 years , I strived to be a tour professional but never made the grade, I was taught by one of the most successful coaches in the world and constantly worked on my swing believing that positioning my swing was the only way to get better and be consistent. 

Since becoming a POSITIVE IMPACT GOLF COACH and working closely with Brian Sparks the founder, I've realised how debilitating my old philosophy was. I now hit the ball further, straighter and with little effort, I absolutely love playing the game, it's fun and I'm no longer shattered by the end of each round. 

Can I urge you to try swinging freely , reduce tension, reduce effort and Stop believing all you read, allow your natural swing to shine and leave your technical swing in the garage with all the clubs that you no longer use. 

Discover your best swing by letting go.

If you have any questions please contact me and I'll be more than happy to chat through things with you. 

HAPPY GOLFING 

Julian Mellor

PGA Professional 

Positive Impact Golf Coach 

www.julianmellorgolfschool.co.uk

07595 157452

Julianmellorpga@icloud.com

http://julianmellorpga.blogspot.co.uk