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A Tough Spring For Golf Instruction
In the case of Tiger, many still believe his insistence on continuing to rework his golf swing has led to his struggles on the tour. Some blame Hank Haney and some blame Sean Foley, his current coach. In either case, it is interesting listening to the anti-instruction segment proclaim he should have never messed with his swing. Apparently, those people ignore his success at rebuilding his swing with Butch Harmon shortly after joining the tour.
The case of Haney and Tiger deserves a more in-depth analysis than this space can devote to it in light of Haney’s new book. But, for golf instructors, it is difficult to hear another instructor blamed for the downfall of one of golf history’s most amazing players – some say the greatest ever. The golf teacher would say that is typical. Rarely does the credit go towards the teacher when a golfer is successful compared to the criticism if the player stumbles badly.
In this instance, there is no shortage of opinions, from the talking heads on Golf Channel to the 25-handicapper at the bar. Even Harmon himself has chimed in with his opinion. As golf instructors, we know what an incredible level of talent tour players reach. We should also know how even the slightest change in their personal life can affect their games. Golf is so much a mental game that any distractions for players at that level can mean disaster. The lucky among us have never been through a public and messy divorce and had to deal with the reality of being a divorced single parent. If it has a big effect on the average person, affecting their work and ability to focus, just imagine what effect it has on an elite athlete.
Mr. Watson’s first blow against the golf professional came at his infamous news conference early this year when he voiced his opinion about his fellow peers taking lessons and having teachers. One wonders if he had any clue about the damage he did to the golf teaching professional with his opinion about instruction. Taking it into context, he was talking about tour players. But, the sound bite heard around the world just included his slap at golf instruction.
Fast-forward to the Masters. In four days of coverage, I would be very curious to find out how many times the commentators referred to the fact that Bubba has never had a lesson; dozens, at least. Watson has had many opportunities to show his compassion for the game and for golf professionals by saying he was a very rare exception and that the average golfer should seek out a good instructor so as to help them get more enjoyment out of the game, thus increasing participation and growth. Many recent studies have shown that the number one reason for losing so many golfers the last 12 years has been simply that the game is too hard. The number two reason is slow play. This is easy. See reason number one.
Mr. Watson failed to see the bigger picture and failed to put the game ahead of his own success. Some might say that it isn’t his responsibility. I say that tour players making millions of dollars playing golf have a duty to help the game that has given them so much. Need an example? See Jack Nicklaus and Arnold Palmer.
There is no doubt that these two big stories have had an effect on golf lesson participation, but there is also no doubt it is a temporary effect. Still, the average golf instructor that makes his living helping others improve their skills and providing enjoyment must be wondering, what next? Does a new player look at these as examples of why they shouldn’t bother with lessons? From my experience, I have talked to some that have. That’s too bad for the game and its professional instructors.
Spinal Compression Angle
The primary spine angle is best seen from down the line; the secondary spine angle from the front or face on. Looking from down the line, if you have software capabilities with video that you have taken of the student, start a line from the farthest that their bottom sticks out, and extend it up the back, and let it continue until it’s above their head. We can call this line the lumbar tilt” Now, start a second line from where their back splits from that line and run it to the back of their head. Let’s call this line the thoracic tilt. Finally, you can run a line from the student’s chin up to their forehead. We can call that line the head tilt.
With most software, you can obtain an exact degree of tilt with each of those lines. Without getting too specific, I believe that a lumbar tilt of 55-65 degrees is optimal, but shallower or steeper can certainly be acceptable given the physical stature and range of motion of the student. Optimal thoracic tilt should be anywhere from parallel to the lumbar tilt to as much as 18-20 degrees shallower at the most. Let’s call the angle between lumbar tilt and thoracic tilt the spinal compression angle (SCA).
An ideal SCA would be as much as 18-20 degrees, but the smaller the angle the better. Ideally, head tilt would be about halfway between lumbar and thoracic tilt. An example of great posture could be lumbar tilt 60 degrees; thoracic tilt 48 degrees; and; head tilt 54 degrees. I am in no way suggesting that you have to make things that exact. This would just be a general example of very good posture.
If the student has a SCA of more than 35 degrees, they are, in effect, an accident waiting to happen. According to my studies, the average golfer has a SCA of 38 degrees, and that is why so many golfers have chronic back issues. By educating them to an acceptable SCA, you can have the assurance to know that you have helped them to be healthier and enjoy golf more, not only because they will feel better, but also because they will play better. The amount of golfers who have back problems that are preventable is staggering! Our students trust us, and we are responsible to inform them of the most important aspect of the golf swing: POSTURE!
Good golfing!
Where I Think Golf Is Off-Base
There is no question that the distance people are now hitting the golf ball has altered the way many of our early golf courses were intended to be played. Courses are now toughened up by narrowing fairways, adding forced carries, or growing rough that only people with blacksmith forearms can hack through. If a person can hit the ball 30 more yards, they should be rewarded for the effort. Instead, oftentimes the greens committee or tournament setup group decides to eliminate the bold play by adding some hazard to prevent even the thought of giving it a go.
Golf seems to be the only sport that reacts to innovation by eliminating the excitement that it was intended to create. When tennis got bigger and lighter rackets, creating more powerful serves, they did not make the court larger. During the steroid era when home runs were on the rise, they didn’t move the fences back farther. Golf should have taken notice.
Forcing a person to play a hole one way is boring, especially for tour golf. People want to see risk. It’s why Phil Mickelson is so popular, as was Arnold Palmer and Walter Hagen, and now Bubba Watson. Golf used to be all about risk and reward. If it becomes a game where there is no incentive to try anything different, then it risks its players becoming bored with the game without even knowing why.
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