– PHILOSOPHICAL APPROACH TO UNDERSTANDING FACTORS MORES SIMPLY IN PLAYING BETTER GOLF –
It goes without saying that no two golfers – indeed, no two people – learn the same way. And when it comes to golf, that is no exception. Although most golfers on the PGA Tour appear to swing the same way, undoubtedly for every golfer there is a different feel for how the swing and approach to the game are perceived. In other words, what Scottie Scheffler feels isn’t the same thing that Rory McIlroy feels, or Xander Schauffele, etc.
As golf teachers, the best approach is to communicate in a manner so that students understand the factors necessary to play better golf. While it is traditionally thought that each individual has a preferred learning style, the fact is that all instruction eventually needs to be translated into feel for every player. The two main approaches are technically-oriented and feel-oriented. The technically-oriented approach focuses on positions in the golf swing while feel-oriented instruction may involve drills and descriptions of feel. The latter is tricky because as noted earlier, no two people will feel the same thing in the exact same manner, but it can be helpful to describe what a player needs to be attempting to feel in order to effect the change.
Nick Faldo was often criticized for being to “mechanical,” but that perfectly suited his mindset, whereas Phil Mickelson eschewed this approach, focusing more on feel. Since both won six major championships, both approaches are valid in understanding what it takes to play the best golf possible.
