Stevens Selected to Captain Hickory Team
Teacher’s Corner: Power
“Pro” Files – Touring Professional Jessica Korda
Editorial – Now They’re Concerned with Distance…A Bit too Late at this Stage
The Power Of Three Squared
By Bert Jones USGTF Certified Golf Teaching Professional® Loomis, California
Everything that you do in your life will be decided by three words: need, want and desire. If you don’t believe me, take the test and think about its application to your golf game. Before testing, we must define the three words that will be used.
Let’s apply the concept to a golf game. I “need “to hit the ball straight and farther in order to score lower. I “want” new equipment that fits my swing so I can hit the ball straighter and farther. I “desire “to shoot even par. You can apply the three words in a multiple of applications to create a vision of what you are trying to accomplish. Clearly, if you don’t know where you are going, then any road will get you there. So it is vital that you take the time to think about what you want, need and desire. Be very clear about the answers so you don’t waste time, money and energy.
Now, let’s take the above concept and place it into a matrix using three additional words: planning, execution and capacity. Planning, execution and capacity are part of the continuum of time needed to accomplish the need, want and desire. Before we continue, let’s look at the definitions.
Building a matrix with need, want and desire using a vertical axis allows us to see a vision. Use of planning, execution and capacity on the horizontal axis allows us to understand what has to happen to implement the vision. Each square of the matrix can be interdependent or dependent based on the sophistication of your goals. Lastly, it is critical to understand the values of capacity in terms of physical energy, finances, knowledge, skill, ability and time to integrate your matrix.
I have often joked that the Law of Three –meaning it always takes three times longer to accomplish something than originally planned –should be a main element in your planning process.
The power of three squared can be a useful tool to help you succeed in golf! Feel – think – plan – do– evaluate – repeat. Turn your need, want and desire into “I did!”
Understanding The Motive
Occasionally we are all confronted with a deep-meaning question from someone that requires quite a bit of reflection. It could be a colleague, peer, student, or family member. As I have progressed through the years in my golf career, I get asked the following question more and more often: “How did you get where you are today in the golf business?”
A few years ago, when confronted with this question by a young aspiring golf professional, I was caught completely off guard, but the answer popped into my head unexpectedly. Before I reveal that epiphany, I must say after that day I began to notice a similar motive for almost every successful golf instructor I have come across the last half of my career.
Thinking back to the very early years of my golf career, I could come up with some very easy answers. For example, I was starving when I got my first golf job. Therefore, eating was a good motivator. I needed a car that didn’t break down every week. I wanted to impress a potential girlfriend, and being homeless doesn’t lend itself to good first impressions. Besides what young guy doesn’t have someone of interest they want to impress?
Don’t be misled. Not all instructors are motivated the same. I have met several instructors that have had different motivations. Some thought it was an easy alternative to selling insurance or working in sales, etc., etc. Others were motivated by the money; $80 an hour sounds like a good gig. Others were looking for the next young superstar they could groom into a tour player and then parlay that into big-ticket success.
Does the enjoyment of doing what you love trump the enjoyment you can receive out of the money you make? I am not wise enough to answer that one, but many will say doing what you love day in and day out is very important to truly being happy in life. Now let’s bring this back to golf and my answer. I responded to the question like this: “All I can remember trying to do was help someone receive greater joy and have more fun playing this game. If I could to add joy to their life, I was happy, and the rest took care of itself”.
Honestly, that was always my motivation. I somehow figured out that by having that one simple objective, everything else fell into place. I do not claim to be consciously aware of that all the time, but looking back, that is exactly what was in my mind somewhere. It guided me.
I made some money. I won awards. I received accolades from my peers. I received admiration from those that cared about me. All from that single motivation: bringing people joy by helping them play better golf. For me, that was through lessons and equipment. I look back now on what I have accomplished, modest by some standards and significant by others, and I have a very hard time believing I did all of that! I do realize it somehow just came from that single heartfelt desire. I do also remember often feeling desperate as to how I was going to help them play better. It could have been lying in bed dreaming up a new drill to fix their swing or not giving up until I found the right shaft they needed to improve their ball flight. Whatever it took.
Again, I would say that the clear majority of successful golf professionals share that motivation. I know it works. That could mean going the extra mile, giving more effort, spending more time, or being more patient.
How LegitCasinos Explains Online Casino Licensing Standards in Australia
Australia’s online gambling market occupies a peculiar legal position that confuses many players and observers alike. The country is home to one of the highest per-capita gambling expenditure rates in the world, yet its domestic licensing framework for online casino operators remains effectively non-existent under current federal law. The Interactive Gambling Act of 2001, significantly amended in 2017, prohibits Australian-licensed entities from offering real-money online casino games to Australian residents, which means that every player who logs into an online slot or table game from an Australian IP address is technically accessing a service licensed entirely outside the country’s borders. Understanding what those foreign licenses actually mean, how they differ from one another, and why they matter to player protection is not a simple task — and it has become an increasingly important area of consumer education as the offshore market has expanded dramatically over the past decade.
The Legal Framework Governing Online Casinos in Australia
The Interactive Gambling Act 2001 (IGA) is the primary piece of federal legislation that shapes the Australian online gambling environment. When it was first introduced, the law was primarily focused on preventing Australian-based companies from offering interactive gambling services to Australian residents. What it did not do — and still does not do — is make it a criminal offense for individual players to access offshore gambling sites. This distinction is crucial. The law targets the supply side, not the demand side, which is why millions of Australians continue to access offshore casino platforms without any legal consequence to themselves personally.
The 2017 amendments to the IGA introduced the Interactive Gambling Amendment Act, which strengthened enforcement mechanisms and established a formal complaints process administered by the Australian Communications and Media Authority (ACMA). Under this updated framework, ACMA was granted the power to investigate unlicensed offshore operators and to request that internet service providers block access to non-compliant sites. Between 2019 and 2023, ACMA blocked access to hundreds of offshore gambling websites, with the number of blocking notices increasing each year as the regulator refined its processes. However, the use of virtual private networks (VPNs) and mirror sites has substantially reduced the practical effectiveness of these measures, and the offshore market continues to operate at significant scale.
What the IGA framework does not address is any form of domestic licensing for online casino operators. Unlike the United Kingdom, which established the UK Gambling Commission in 2005 under the Gambling Act of that year, or Malta, which built the Malta Gaming Authority into a globally recognized regulatory body, Australia has never created a federal licensing regime for online casino services. State and territory governments retain authority over land-based gambling and some forms of online wagering — sports betting, for example, is licensed at the state level — but online casino games fall into a regulatory gap at the domestic level. This means Australian players have no domestic regulator to turn to when they experience disputes with an online casino operator.
The practical consequence of this legal architecture is that Australian players are entirely dependent on the quality of the foreign license held by whichever offshore operator they choose. A casino licensed by the Curaçao eGaming authority operates under a fundamentally different set of obligations than one licensed by the Malta Gaming Authority or the UK Gambling Commission. Understanding these differences is not a matter of academic interest — it directly affects whether a player has access to a dispute resolution mechanism, whether their deposited funds are held in segregated accounts, and whether the games they play have been independently audited for fairness.
How Licensing Jurisdictions Differ and Why It Matters
The global landscape of online gambling licensing jurisdictions ranges from highly rigorous regulatory environments to what critics describe as little more than revenue-generating registration schemes. At the more credible end of the spectrum sit the Malta Gaming Authority (MGA), the UK Gambling Commission (UKGC), and the Gibraltar Regulatory Authority. These bodies require operators to demonstrate financial solvency, submit to regular audits, implement responsible gambling tools, and maintain segregated player funds. The MGA, for instance, introduced its revised Gaming Act in 2018, which strengthened requirements around anti-money laundering compliance, player verification procedures, and technical standards for random number generators.
At the other end of the spectrum, jurisdictions like Curaçao have historically offered licenses with substantially lower barriers to entry and less rigorous ongoing oversight. A Curaçao master license, until recent reforms began in 2023, could be sub-licensed to operators in a structure that made accountability difficult to trace. When players experienced disputes with Curaçao-licensed operators, the practical avenues for redress were limited compared to what MGA or UKGC licensees were required to provide. Curaçao has acknowledged these shortcomings and introduced the National Ordinance on Offshore Games of Hazard (NOOGH) reforms, which are gradually replacing the old master license system with individual operator licenses subject to stricter compliance requirements — but the transition is ongoing and uneven.
Other jurisdictions that appear frequently in the Australian offshore market include Gibraltar, the Isle of Man, Kahnawake (Canada), Antigua and Barbuda, and more recently jurisdictions like Tobique in Canada and the Mohawk Territory. Each of these has its own regulatory standards, dispute resolution processes, and enforcement track records. The Isle of Man Gambling Supervision Commission, for example, has maintained a reputation for thorough vetting of operators and genuine enforcement action, while some smaller jurisdictions have faced criticism for issuing licenses without adequate ongoing oversight.
Resources like LegitCasinos.com have documented the distinctions between these licensing bodies in practical terms, providing Australian players with comparative analysis of what each license type actually guarantees in terms of player protection, complaint handling, and game fairness verification. This kind of comparative licensing information is particularly valuable in the Australian context, where the absence of domestic regulation means players must conduct their own due diligence on the credentials of offshore operators.
The specific requirements that distinguish a strong license from a weak one generally fall into several categories. First, financial requirements: premium regulators require operators to demonstrate sufficient capitalization to cover player liabilities and to hold player funds in accounts that are legally separated from operational funds. Second, technical standards: reputable regulators require that random number generators and game outcomes be certified by accredited independent testing laboratories such as eCOGRA, BMM Testlabs, or Gaming Laboratories International (GLI). Third, responsible gambling obligations: jurisdictions like Malta and Gibraltar require operators to implement deposit limits, self-exclusion tools, and links to problem gambling support services. Fourth, anti-money laundering compliance: operators must implement Know Your Customer (KYC) procedures and report suspicious transactions to relevant financial intelligence units.
Evaluating Operator Credentials: What Australian Players Should Examine
Because Australian players are navigating an entirely offshore market without domestic regulatory support, the process of evaluating an operator’s credentials requires more active engagement than simply checking whether a site has a license number in its footer. License numbers can be verified directly through the websites of the issuing regulatory bodies, and this verification step is more important than many players realize. A license number that does not appear in the regulator’s public database, or that belongs to a different entity than the one operating the site, is a significant warning sign.
The physical location of a casino’s servers and corporate structure also matters more than it might initially appear. An operator incorporated in one jurisdiction but licensed in another, with servers hosted in a third location, creates a complex web of accountability that can make dispute resolution extremely difficult. When a player in New South Wales has a complaint against an operator incorporated in Cyprus, licensed in Curaçao, and operating from servers in Malta, the question of which legal system applies and which regulator has jurisdiction is genuinely complicated. This complexity is one reason why analysts who study the Australian online gambling market consistently emphasize the importance of choosing operators licensed in jurisdictions with established, accessible dispute resolution processes.
Independent testing certifications are another layer of credential that deserves examination. A casino that displays an eCOGRA seal has had its random number generators and payout percentages independently audited by one of the industry’s most recognized testing bodies. eCOGRA, established in 2003 and headquartered in London, operates as an accredited testing facility and alternative dispute resolution entity. Its certification process involves both initial testing and ongoing monitoring of game outcomes. Similarly, BMM Testlabs, which has been operating since 1981 and holds accreditation in numerous jurisdictions including several Australian states for land-based gaming, provides technical certification that carries meaningful weight.
Responsible gambling tools represent another area where licensing quality becomes practically visible to players. Operators licensed by the MGA are required to offer players the ability to set deposit limits, session time limits, and loss limits, and to access self-exclusion both on the individual platform and through cross-operator exclusion registers where they exist. The MGA also maintains a player support fund mechanism that can provide compensation in cases where an operator becomes insolvent. None of these protections are guaranteed by lower-tier licenses, and their absence is not always obvious from a casino’s marketing materials or terms and conditions.
LegitCasinos has also highlighted the importance of examining a casino’s terms and conditions with specific attention to bonus wagering requirements, withdrawal limits, and the conditions under which an operator can void winnings. These contractual terms are governed by the law of the licensing jurisdiction, which means that a player disputing a voided withdrawal from a Curaçao-licensed operator has fundamentally different legal options than one disputing the same issue with an MGA-licensed operator. The MGA’s Player Support function, for example, can intervene in disputes and compel operators to provide documentation and explanations in ways that have no equivalent in many other licensing jurisdictions.
Recent Regulatory Developments and Their Implications for Australian Players
The Australian regulatory landscape has not been entirely static. In 2023, the federal government commissioned the Review of the National Consumer Protection Framework for Online Wagering in Australia, which examined the effectiveness of existing consumer protections across online gambling categories. While the review’s primary focus was on sports wagering rather than offshore casino play, its findings acknowledged the broader problem of Australian consumers accessing offshore casino services without domestic regulatory protection. The review recommended strengthening responsible gambling requirements for domestically licensed wagering operators and improving information sharing between state and territory regulators, though it stopped short of recommending the creation of a domestic online casino licensing regime.
Internationally, the period between 2021 and 2024 saw significant regulatory reform in several jurisdictions that are relevant to the Australian offshore market. The Netherlands launched its Remote Gambling Act in October 2021, creating a new domestic licensing framework administered by the Kansspelautoriteit (KSA) and requiring operators to implement an extensive responsible gambling system called CRUKS — a national exclusion register that applies across all licensed operators. Germany introduced its new Interstate Treaty on Gambling (Glücksspielneuregulierungsstaatsvertrag) in 2021, creating federal online casino licenses for the first time in that country’s history. These developments reflect a broader global trend toward more structured domestic licensing frameworks, which makes Australia’s continued reliance on an offshore market operating under foreign licenses increasingly anomalous by international standards.
Curaçao’s ongoing licensing reforms, mentioned earlier, are particularly significant for Australian players because Curaçao-licensed operators represent a substantial portion of the offshore casino market accessible from Australia. The new framework, which began its transition period in 2023, requires all operators to obtain individual licenses rather than sub-licenses under a master holder, to meet stricter financial requirements, and to implement more robust responsible gambling measures. Whether these reforms will be effectively enforced remains a subject of industry debate, but they represent a meaningful shift from the previous system and may gradually improve the baseline standards of Curaçao-licensed operators over the coming years.
The ACMA’s blocking regime has also continued to evolve. By mid-2024, ACMA had issued blocking notices for well over 1,000 gambling websites and associated domains, with the agency developing increasingly sophisticated methods for identifying non-compliant operators and their mirror sites. The agency has also published guidance for Australian consumers about the risks of accessing unlicensed offshore gambling sites, emphasizing that players using such sites have no recourse through Australian consumer protection law if disputes arise. This guidance does not prevent Australians from accessing offshore casinos, but it does represent an effort to ensure that players understand the consumer protection implications of their choices.
Payment processing has emerged as another dimension of the regulatory landscape that affects Australian players’ practical experience with offshore casinos. Following the IGA amendments, several major Australian banks implemented policies to decline transactions identified as gambling-related payments to offshore operators. This has pushed players toward alternative payment methods including e-wallets like Skrill and Neteller, cryptocurrency transactions, and prepaid cards. The shift toward cryptocurrency payments in particular has introduced new complexities around player protection, since crypto transactions are typically irreversible and not subject to the chargeback mechanisms that provide some protection in credit card transactions. Operators that accept cryptocurrency without offering equivalent responsible gambling tools or dispute resolution mechanisms represent a particular area of concern for consumer advocates working in the Australian gambling space.
Understanding online casino licensing in Australia ultimately requires accepting a fundamental paradox: the country’s legal framework creates a situation where players are simultaneously protected from domestic operators (who cannot legally offer casino games) and left without domestic regulatory protection when they access the offshore operators who fill the resulting market gap. The quality of the foreign license held by an offshore operator is therefore not a technical detail of interest only to regulatory specialists — it is the primary determinant of whether an Australian player has meaningful consumer protections, access to fair dispute resolution, and confidence that the games they are playing have been independently verified. As the offshore market continues to grow and as both Australian and international regulators develop more sophisticated approaches to online gambling oversight, the ability to critically evaluate licensing credentials has become a practical necessity for anyone engaging with online casino platforms from within Australia.
Rhythm,Timing and Tempo
During the past U.S. Open on the Fox Television broadcast, Curtis Strange remarked that a lot of emphasis was placed on swing positions and movements, but little was placed on rhythm and tempo.
Strange had a point. It seems instruction these days has become so technical, so mechanical, that the artistic part of the swing has been lost in the maze of science.
Sam Snead once said that he imagined waltz music inside his head in order to get his rhythm right. If we told our students today to imagine this, we would probably get blank stares in this age of hip-hop and rap music. There are ways to get some rhythm, timing and tempo going in our students’ swings, but first we must define what each is in the scheme of the golf swing.
Rhythm is the combining of the different parts of the swing into the correct speeds. For example, if someone has a very slow backswing followed by a very fast downswing, the correct rhythm of the swing has been lost. The different parts of the swing should have some coherent relationship to each other in terms of the speed of movement.
Timing is the execution of the swing movements in the proper sequence. One of the biggest timing errors occurs when the arms and hands start the downswing before the lower body does. In the broadest sense, the upper body winds up the lower body on the backswing and the lower body unwinds the upper body on the downswing.
Getting this sequence wrong introduces a timing mistake that makes consistency difficult to achieve.
Tempo is the overall speed of the swing. We see faster tempos in the swings of Zach Johnson and Michelle Wie, and slower tempos occur in the swings of Ernie Els and Woody Austin.
A misconception that is thankfully dying out is that a golfer can never swing too slowly on the backswing. The problem with a slow backswing is that it requires a somewhat slow forward swing to have proper rhythm, and slow forward swings cost us distance. This might be okay for pitch shots and putts, but for full shots, some speed is required. In the case of Els, we mentioned he has a slower tempo, but it’s not slow. The size of his arc, due to his stature as a big man, allows him to swing a touch slower than a smaller golfer.
Another problem with a backswing that is too slow is that it lends itself to some instability in the movement of the club itself. Think of a gyroscope, or turning wheels on a bicycle. The faster they go, the more stability they have. It’s also a misconception that amateur golfers swing back slower than pros. Numerous studies confirm that professional golfers take less time to complete their backswings than do the average amateur. In this day and age of the long ball, golfers better be generating some clubhead speed if they want to be able to compete.
We defined rhythm for golf, but what constitutes proper rhythm? John Novosel, in his book Tour Tempo, states that professional golfers swing with a 3-to-1 time ratio when it comes to the backswing and downswing (to impact). He has found that the closer a golfer comes to this ratio, no matter the overall tempo, the better the golfer is likely to play.
As mentioned earlier, transition represents the biggest challenge in terms of timing. One of the best drills to teach the proper timing of the transition is the step drill. From a normal setup position, the golfer places his forward foot (left foot for a right-handed golfer) against his back foot and then begins the swing. As the club is reaching the completion of its backswing journey, the golfer steps with his forward foot back into a normal position, representing the correct timing of the lower body movement. Done correctly, the arms and hands will remain somewhat passive until just before reaching the hips, at which point the momentum allows the golfer to activate the hands and arms through impact with great force. Ben Hogan wrote that at this stage of the swing he wished he had three right hands to apply the power.
The great Snead used waltz music to hone his rhythm and tempo, and some modern-day golfers also listen to music on the range to achieve the same purpose. Another tool that can be used effectively is a metronome, which can easily be found online and used with a smartphone.
Golfers who are swinging well should take great care to note the rhythm, timing and tempo of their present swing and commit it to memory. Often it is not swing positions that go awry when our games go off; it is one of these three aspects that are frequently given short shrift by both teachers and students alike. Give your students a lesson in proper rhythm, timing and tempo, and the sound of their solidly-struck shots is sure to be music to their ears.
Rhythm …combining of the different parts of the swing into the correct speeds. Timing…the execution of the swing movements in the proper sequence. Tempo…the overall speed of the swing.
Positive Body Language: Five Tips to Attract and Retain New Clients
The first week of school is an important week for all high school coaches. For me, it’s not only the first opportunity to meet the students I’ll teach all year, but it’s also the beginning of the golf season, with new players and parents showing up at the golf course. How first meetings go are vital to laying a foundation for a positive relationship between you (the teacher) and your players. Using positive body language can be a vital component in that foundation.
Columbia University did a recent study where participants were placed in a variety of situations where positive body language techniques were used, but the participants discussed negative and depressing topics. They also created scenarios where participants used negative body language techniques but discussed uplifting topics. Overwhelmingly, students gave favorable impressions of their colleagues based on their positive body language rather than the discussion that took place. The study suggests that people are more often influenced by how they feel about you than by what you’re saying.
Positive body language can have a tremendous impact as a golf coach. Here are some tips to help you develop positive body language:
Always look like you’re listening to your client The key to active listening of your clients is to engage with what your client is saying. Body language is a major component of listening. Leaning forward, nodding, tilting your head, and keeping your feet pointed in the direction of the person speaking are excellent non-verbal ways to show you’re engaged and paying attention. Don’t look at the ground when your client is talking. Active listening also involves repeating back or paraphrasing what your client has said. This is an excellent way to demonstrate that you are genuinely paying attention.
Shake hands before every lesson Touch is the most powerful non-verbal clue. Physical touch even for a fraction of a second can create a powerful human bond. It’s an instinctual capability that all humans are born with. It’s for these reasons that a proper handshake is so important. A firm, friendly handshake that conveys a sense of friendship and warmth helps make a person feel closer to us. It also makes a person far more likely to remember your name and you theirs.
Cultivate a genuine, friendly smile Smiling not only influences how we feel in a situation, it signals that we are approachable. Additionally, most people have a keen sense of when a person is faking a smile. It’s important to convey a sense of happiness when meeting or greeting someone.
Uncross your arms and legs On the flip side, using defensive postures can immediately make someone feel off-put. Defensive body language can impact how your client responds to you. Crossing your arms and legs sends a subtle message to whomever you are speaking with that you’re upset or not enjoying the interaction. Be mindful of it.
Put away the device Cellphones are easily becoming one of the biggest problems in human interaction. Certainly as a teacher, it’s a daily struggle to keep my students focused on me and not their devices. They may help keep us in contact with each other, but when face to face, there is no greater barrier to a positive interaction than one person (or both!) checking their cellphones. As the coach, you need to set an example by putting it away and keeping it away.
Evolution Of Golf Teaching
Swing The Clubhead by Ernest Jones, 1952
Better Golf in Five Minutes by J. Victor East, 1956
The Golf Swing of the Future by Mindy Blake, 1972
ERNEST JONES
Ernest Jones was a British golf pro who came to America, where he became a famous teaching pro. In working with Babe Zaharias, he told her, “I watched you. The day you can stop experimenting is the day you will be a great golfer, maybe the greatest of all.” And it was true. This comment is the basis of his teachings.
Jones taught the golf swing as a pendulum, a simple pendulum. Jones lost his right leg during the war and played off his left leg. Four months after his amputation he scored a 38 on the front, and despite fatigue, a 45 on the back nine for an 83…remarkable.
His theory was that the swing was everything and that golf was overwhelmed with paralysis by analysis. His basic feeling for the swing was to clip his jackknife to a handkerchief and then swing it like a golf club. He taught the golf swing and not body positions. To Jones, it was all in the swing being directed by the hands.
His theories are still taught by some.
J. VICTOR EAST
J. Victor East made his fame in Australia as a golf teacher and golf club designer. In 1922, he came to the United States, where he continued his fame.
To East, the swing consisted of one inch behind the ball and one inch in front of the ball. It did not matter what the backswing or the follow-through did, providing the clubface scraped the ball to the target within the one inch in front and back of the ball. Get the impact position correct. Impact determined the flight of the ball. The backswing and follow-through were secondary to impact. His practice method was simply swinging a golf club back and forth, scraping the grass to the target with a very short backswing and follow-through to acquire the position for the feeling of impact.
MINDY BLAKE
Mindy Blake was born and raised in New Zealand. He was an exceptional athlete as a golfer, gymnast and pole vaulter. He was also an engineer with a strong background in physics.
Blake states:
Old swing. The body rotated as much as the shoulders, a complete body turn rotating around the right leg. Strong hip turn about 70° while the shoulders rotated about 76° as measured by the leading arm, usually the left arm, forming the angle with the line of flight.
Modern swing. Restricted hip turn resisting the full shoulder turn.
More modern swing. Hip turn 45° while the angle of the leading arm with the target line about 46° inside the target line. This brought in the trend of the more compact golf swing.
The more recent modern swings. The hips are restricted to about 10° and the club is swung back almost in line with the flight to the target, where the leading arm is about 14° inside the target line.
We must remember not everyone played exactly to these standards, but it is evident as to the trend towards the modern swing of less hip, shoulder and body rotation.
Mindy Blake was way ahead of his time in teaching the restricted hip turn and less rotation of the body.
Years ago, the above teachers exemplified teaching by feel in a very simplified style.
They were successful. It is amazing what they accomplished when we look at the equipment they were using in comparison to the modern game.
These early methods were attacked when the high-speed camera became available to study the golf swing. The hips, the wrists, the shoulders, the feet, the knees, the head, etc., now became the focus on how to teach golf. Teaching now stressed body positions. Achieving these body positions would make the clubface scrape the grass under the ball to the target with the face square to the target. This was the beginning of more paralysis by analysis and too much thinking.
Now the teaching changed from feel of the swing to body positions. Teachers began teaching body positions in the hope that if you achieved these body positions, the ball will go straight to the target.
Then came the launch monitors and other ball-tracking devices. These devices give immediate shot data: ball flight, ball speed, launch angle, backspin, club speed, sidespin and side angle, carry distance, offline and total distance. Butch Harmon, considered one of the top golf teachers today, has said he does not use these devices as the ball flight tells him all he needs to know.
Is this detailed analysis needed? Golfers on the senior tour did not have these devices. They learned by watching the ball flight. If an error happened, they experimented and learned to correct it.
Youngsters learn in a similar fashion called self-discovery. They try, and if it does not work, they try again, experiment, and soon they get the feel of what works for them. Some people say the younger golfers are better than the older golfers, but this is debatable.
The older golfers never had the equipment the younger golfers have today. The older golfers worked the ball more so than the golfers today. Many believe the older golfers were more talented. It is unfortunate there is no way we can prove this because the game the old seniors played was different than what the younger players play today. Improved equipment, improved golf course maintenance, improved greens, etc., have greatly enhanced the younger players.
“Swing your swing. Not some idea of the swing, not a swing on TV or swing you wish you had” is the famous quote from Arnold Palmer, who had a swing considered not to be taught (Golf Digest, July 2017, article by Joel Beall regarding Palmer’s often-played commercial). Lee Trevino and Moe Norman, considered along with Ben Hogan the best ball strikers in golf, never took lessons. Calvin Peete made his fame on the pro tour with an arm injury that forced an unconventional swing. Bubba Watson and J.B. Holmes, also famous tour pros with many wins, were also self-taught. Watson claims that all you need to know is just prior to impact and just after impact. This is a J. Victor East teaching philosophy.
Research by the American Psychological Association has shown that “self-discovery” is perhaps the most effective way of learning (Golf Digest , July 2017, Beall). Self-discovery is the natural way to mold your swing to your mental and physical capabilities.
Isn’t it amazing how these high-tech devices tell us what we can see if we hit a golf ball? Their value has been determined by the proven fact that the average handicap of golfers has not changed for the better over the years. Are we in information overload?
Modern technology has made the golf swing too technical and confusing, as well as grooming the student to conform to a molded pattern of robotic maneuvers. Individuality is being lost in some teaching. How many young golfers have had detrimental effects in trying to swing perfectly like Tiger Woods?
Good teachers take the student’s individual characteristics and refine that to a level required. Good teachers have to take the complex and simplify it for the students.
Good teachers do not try to impress their students with their knowledge and ability. Good teachers impress their students with the simplicity of the golf swing.