Golf schools - What can we learn?

Last year I met a new golfer at a dinner party. We chatted briefly about golf and I mentioned to her that I was a teaching professional. Her response was "Oh I went to a golf school with my husband and after that experience I am never going to take a golf lesson again." I was shocked to hear this, so of course I asked some questions to figure out what had happened. Turns out she attended a very well respected golf school. She was excited to learn golf and get better. However, as the lesson progressed the teacher spent more time with her husband than her. She was frustrated and angry that this was happening. Instead of demanding the teachers' attention she quietly continued on and tried to gain something from the school. Upon arriving home she decided that she wouldn't ever attend another golf school.

This story can speak to both; a student taking lessons and a teacher teaching lessons.

STUDENT taking the lesson/golf school:
Ask yourself some questions when you start looking for golf instruction.
1.  Private or group lesson - which are you the most comfortable with
2.  Area of the country you want to learn in (northeast in the winter is not ideal)
3.  Do you want to learn in a week?  Or over a golf season?
4.  Goals you have for your game - short game, long game, playing, etc.  This can help narrow down the type of school or instructor to seek out.
5.  Reviews - check online and see what kind of reviews the golf school/teacher is getting
6.  Use word of mouth - mention what you are seeking out at your next gathering, many people have attended golf schools or taken lessons, they can share with you their experiences
7.  What credentials does the teacher have?  PGA/LPGA, years teaching, experience/knowledge, what certifications do they have?
8.  Go with a goal or two in mind, what do you want to improve or learn
9.  If the teacher isn't listening to you or giving you time, raise your hand and ask a question
10.  Try to go with a friend when booking a golf school or clinic - makes it easier to retain the info and have fun!

TEACHERS teaching:
Wow!  How many of us would like to have our students tell a story like the one above?  This was a powerful message to me, sometimes perception and reality can be one in the same.  Imagine leading a golf school and not realizing that you are spending time with one student in particular?  Many of us starting to teach aren't always aware of our actions and would move to the student demanding our attention, the student loudly asking questions over the group, and overlook the shy, quiet student at the clinic/golf school.
Here are some things I think are important when conducting clinics or golf schools:
1. Pay attention - being aware of your actions during your golf clinic or schools is a very needed trait.  We don't want to lose students because of something we could have prevented just by paying attention.
2.  Being able to move around and instruct during a clinic is key to being a successful teacher.  
3.  Make sure you don't overbook your school, the number of students that a teacher can handle is up for the teacher to decide.
4.  Get good at eye contact and memorizing names.
5.  Learn how to read your students, how do they learn, look for visual clues to find understanding or frustration
6.  Be aware of your surroundings and how they can affect your students learning environment.
7.  Positive reinforcement goes a long way!
8.   Have Fun teaching or fake it!  Students can see if you are excited about what you are sharing with them.

Hope this helps each of you looking to learn!

"getting better at getting better"

Winter workouts for golfers

How many of you have heard or said these phrases while playing golf?
"You are sliding"
"You are swaying"
"You are swinging over the top"
"I need more power"
"I want to hit it further"

Well, I've paired up with my dear friend and fitness expert Lance Gill to give you some exercises you can do at home or in the gym this winter season to help with upper and lower body separation in your golf swing. Upper and lower body separation is very important to be aware of and be able to actively do in your swing. Ever wonder why Rory McIlroy can hit the ball so far - #3 in Driving distance 310.4 average on tour? He has tremendous shoulder turn to hip turn, this difference can lead to more power in the swing, hips turn first and shoulders second on the downswing, creating "lag" and thus more power and more distance. By working on these exercises you can eliminate the sliding, swaying, or over the top move in your swing. Plus, getting stronger can also help with your centerness of contact in your swing, eliminating off center hits on your driver and irons.

Here are 2 exercises for your Upper Body
www.mytpi.com/exercises/#open_book_rib_cage
www.mytpi.com/exercises/#torso_turns_one_leg
Here are 2 exercised for your Lower Body
www.mytpi.com/exercises/#stork_turns_supported
www.mytpi.com/exercises/#side step ups

Please take some time to visit Lance's website for more information on golf fitness. He's an incredibly passionate and talented mind in his field.
www.lgperformance.com

"getting better at getting better"

Do our students know how to practice?

If they aren't practicing don't assume they are lazy, they may not know how to practice what you've taught them...

Love this statement! I found this sentence on a educational website for classroom teachers and thought it could be applied to our profession. Think about that statement for a second. How many times do we get a student that comes back a week later and you chat with them and learn that they haven't practiced at all... Often times we decided that it's lack of time dedicated, effort, and/or even laziness on our students behalf. Well, what if it is our fault? What if we haven't explained the material or desired results in a way that our students will UNDERSTAND and KNOW the information? What if it IS our fault? So often I hear teachers complain about their students not getting better, not achieving goals they've set for the season, not able to comprehend why a student doesn't understand why the ball goes places off the clubface, etc. Is it our student's fault? I have taken many lessons from various teachers, good and not so great. I like to practice, I like to work on my game, but if I am going to put in the time, I HAVE to know how! Golf instruction has changed significantly in the last 10 years. Things I was told when I learned golf are incorrect now. Explanation's on what the club face and path do to the ball are clearer (at least to some) but we still see lack of practice from our students. So do our students know how to practice? Are you an instructor that can say your students want to practice? Are you willing to look into what you do now for them and find ways to motivate them? Are you providing information and drills that will ignite a passion for practicing? I have been working on my communication to my students so that they "know" how to practice.

Things I have done/suggestions to encourage practice:
- find out what way they are motivated (games, drills, goals, scores, stats, visual)
- create a way for them to practice using how they are motivated
- clearly show the drill to them and ask them to recreate for you or "teach" it to you
- give them a clear picture of the desired outcome
- make sure you know what they are trying to achieve
- compromise or explain how what you are asking them to change will get them to their desired goal
- make it fun!
- if I see them at the club working on their game, I stop by, check in and encourage
- I practice - interesting concept, but my students see me working they know I stand by what I share with them

"getting better at getting better"

Helping our students retain information

How many of you that teach often find yourself repeating the same lesson with your students? In my experience I have found it be very frustrating for me when I have the same beginner golfer come back each week and they have retained nothing I have shared with them. In my early years of teaching I used to think it was on my student to "want" to get better, to listen to me, to remember what I shared with them, and the way I shared it with them. I don't believe this anymore! I am the teacher, I have the information they are looking for and it is my responsibility as their instructor to share the information in a way they (a) retain the info (b) have awareness of the info
Retention -
the continued possession, use, or control of something.
the fact of keeping something in one's memory.
the action of absorbing and continuing to hold a substance.
Awareness -
knowledge or perception of a situation or a fact

In order for there to be retention and awareness you must be able to communicate the information in a way that they as a student have a understanding of WHY and HOW. Two very important words in any teaching/coaching position! Now there are so many ways to see how your students "learn" and the 3 most common are visual, kinesthetic, verbal. These 3 are the "easiest" ones to diagnosis quickly. You can dive deeper into how people learn just by spending some time googling words related to communication. I have started to get into learning about NLP learning (fascinating).
Ok, let's get back to retention. I have found one of the best ways for my students to retain information is for me to ask questions. Carefully ask your questions... I say this because there is a very fine line between asking your student questions about what they have learned and having your student feel "stupid" or "uninformed". I read body language and voice clues to pay attention to their level of frustration. If they start responding with "I don't know", "I have no clue" or if their answers begin to be questions instead of statements, I will tone down the questions and begin explaining the information in another way to try to help them gain awareness of what I am trying to teach them. I believe in order for them to accomplish their goals they must be able to understand the HOW and WHY of the shot(s). My most successful lessons have been ones where the student can explain the information to me and execute the shot correctly.

My tips on Retention/Awareness
- Ask the student "why do you think we do this?" example - Why do YOU think we play the driver further forward in our stance? Pay attention to the answer and try to guide them through the correct answer if not answered correctly....
- Ask your student to "teach" you the shot after the lesson is almost complete
- Send an email recap of the information
- Give them a note book and have them write the information down in their own words
- LISTEN to them and make sure you are connecting with them
- Be aware of their body language and the tone of their voice
- Give them easy to remember drills with an explanation of WHY/HOW it will improve their shot
- Show a level of care about their improvement

Set Up for Distance - Met Golfer 2014

Please check out my instructional tip I wrote for the Met Golfer - August 2014


http://www.metgolferdigital.com/i/371284/54

Do our students want us to be Instructors, Coaches, or Mentors? Or a wonderful combination of all three?

My three words that I find the most relatable to teaching golf to my students are - Instructing, Coaching, and Mentoring.

Instructing - to provide with knowledge, especially by a systematic method.

Coaching - a training or development process which an individual is supported while achieving a specific personal result or goal.

Mentoring - Personal developmental relationship in which a more experienced or more knowledgeable person helps to guide a less experienced person. However, the mentoring is more than just answering questions, it's an ongoing relationship of learning, dialogue, and challenges.

I have defined each above to show that there is a difference between each and how they are also similar to each other.

Golf instruction is a broad, often argued topic. There are so many opinions, theories, facts, observations, thoughts, and ideas out there to learn. I have found trying to collect as much information as you possibly can on golf instruction is a very challenging and difficult task. (almost impossible, too) So I have begun to focus on what makes a teacher a teacher? Are we coaches? Are we instructors? Are we mentors? I'm sure that if you are reading this, you have probably decided which word or words describes you! I would like to think that I incorporate all three in ways that help my students enjoy the game more. In my earlier post I talked about communication, listening to your student will help you to figure out what your student needs.

Instructing -
There are some wonderful "methods" to teaching golf, and you will find some of your students respond much better to have a systemic way to learn golf. Learning and observing any method of teaching golf will help you to help this type of student to learn the game more effectively. I enjoy observing, reading and talking with instructors who use method teaching. They have a solid game plan with information that they believe is the best way to get their students better. One of my favorite methods I've learned about is Stack and Tilt.

Coaching -
I love the definition of coaching. I never actually thought it was a word that I would use as a teacher, but after reading the above, I am a coach too! I have many students that come to me for a specific part of their game. Some of them want to win the club championship, some want to beat their spouse in a (hopefully) friendly game, and some just want to be a better bunker player. Coaching is a great way to get these students to achieve their goals. I find checking in on them by email is a wonderful way to support them in achieving their goal(s). Students that come to me for this aspect of teaching, are often not looking to make a major change in their game or swing, but to accomplish a single, specific goal. They love encouragement and support from their teacher. One of my co-workers at Breakers Ocean, Kevin Compare, is a wonderful example of a coach.

Mentoring -
Again, another word after defined, did I realize is very much teaching word. I find many junior golfers and golfers trying to play for a living often fall into this category. They are looking for a developmental relationship from us as teachers, not just instruction or coaching, but a more well rounded approach. I love that it is defined as a "ongoing relationship of learning, dialogue, and challenges". I think this word is a very powerful one in our business. It is often used to describe relationships in the work place but not much (in my observation) in the teaching. We are mentors, as golf teachers, to our students that want to improve and work on their games long range. Showing a vested interest in these students games can result in a wonderful feeling of accomplishment and success.
My favorite teacher that uses this approach, in my opinion, is Sean Foley.

How to better connect with your students - COMMUNICATION

Recently I presented on this topic at our staff meeting for the John Webster Golf Academy. As a female golf professional, I am often asked if I change my instruction or communication when working with women. Originally, I thought maybe there are learning differences between men and women but after much research online and in my experience, I discovered that there really aren't many differences. The only clear difference I discovered is that men tend to learn better in a competitive environment and women enjoy building relationships. This is important to know as an instructor or coach because it can help you to tailor lesson to better communicate with your students. I try teach each lesson to help the student in front of me, not necessarily based on if they are male or female. What I have begun to discover as I progress as a teacher is COMMUNICATION is the most important aspect to being a great instructor and helping your students. The BEST communicator will be the MOST successful teacher/coach. You can have all the info on any of the many teaching topics/methods out there but if you can't communicate them to each student you see, you are going to struggle with helping your students. Most recently, the thought of "active listening" has been at the front of my instruction. I believe knowing, understanding and practicing this listening skill this will make you a better communicator. Let's start with the definition of active listening.
ACTIVE LISTENING - a communication technique that requires the teacher to provide feedback from what they hear from the student back to the student by way of re-stating what they (teacher) have heard in their own words, to confirm they (teacher) has heard and understands what the student is saying.
So as a teacher, when you ask your students why they are there taking a lesson, you can listen to them and repeat back to them the reasons they are there, to confirm you are understanding of what they have said and re-phrased it your own words. Often as teachers we may "listen to speak" instead of being active listeners. When I start a lesson, I ask a few questions to get what I find to be relevant information to help them and to build a relationship with them.
They are:
How long have you been playing golf?
Have you taken lessons before? How often?
What other sports have you played? (from childhood to present)
Do you have any injuiries or aliments?
What are your goals for your game? or Why are you here?
Then I ask them to hit a few shots with their favorite club. I ask for feedback when they are hitting so that I can better gauge their expectations as a player.
They are:
What shot do you like to see?
What shot do you hope to never see again?
Where do you tend to miss (right or left)
What club/shot do you love?
What club/shot scares you the most?
While I am evaluating them, I am listening to hear the words they use, such as I feel, I see, I hear, these words give me an idea of the what learning style they going to respond to best. These are styles are kinestic (feel), verbal (speak), and visual (see). Having this information is a must for me to successfully communicate to my student on what they may need to do to improve their game/swing.
More to come....