Save the shiny new toys for putting under the Christmas Tree

In an effort to achieve maximum improvement in the least amount of time, many golfers are working harder, not smarter. They are looking for the holy grail of golf advice, thinking they are going to circumvent the system and achieve golf greatness in record time. What do they get? Frustrated.

Take my student Kevin for example. Kevin is a beginner golfer looking to improve, so he decided to take some lessons. After an in-depth swing analysis, we talked about a realistic approach to improving not just his swing, but his overall game. I gave him one element to work on that week, which was simply his setup. We improved his aim, stance and grip and were off to a good start.

At our next lesson, Kevin came in hot with a collection of training aids to help his overall setup. One device looked like it had been used in a sacrificial ceremony during the Middle Ages, while another contraption that was meant for his shoulders was wrapped around his ankles. He looked like he was on an involuntary 5150 hold.

He was frustrated. I was frustrated. The gopher watching this from the next stall was frustrated.

I instructed him to return every last gizmo to his car. I then had him set up to the ball while I arranged his shoulders, tweaked his grip back to where it was last week and fixed his aim. He immediately closed his eyes, took a deep exhale and whispered, “Yeah. That’s the stuff.” (I swear it wasn’t as creepy as it sounds.) We honed that setup and proceeded to work on his initial takeaway. He had a solid foundation for a correct swing path, with plans to build on that the following week.

The next time I saw Kevin, he enthusiastically told me that he had binge-watched every takeaway video he could find, including videos by amateurs and weekend warriors. I think the video he followed the closest was actually a blooper reel.

I’m not sure how something he had so right last week could be so wrong today. I had him delete all videos, including browser history, and promise to watch only the video from our lesson. He promised.

However, the following week he downloaded three different golf apps and presented me with a printout that looked more like a NASA launch sequence. The problem with golf apps and stats is that they simply tell you that you are consistently making the same mistakes, but offer no assistance on how to fix those mistakes.

Golf apps are great if used in the right place and at the right time, after you have made certain swing changes and implemented them with substantial practice. We agreed to focus solely on his swing changes, not tracking results or where the ball went. Simply: did he or did he not make the one swing change we are working on right now? I was starting to see improvement, and felt some hope.

Until our next lesson, when Kevin showed up with a funky new hitch. Oh joy. I asked him what he had going on there, and he was so excited to tell me about an “instructor-in-training” who had come up to him on the driving range the previous week to toss some wise nuggets of golf wisdom his way. At that point I asked if he was married, because I was sensing severe commitment issues.

“The next time I saw Kevin, he enthusiastically told me that he had binge-watched every takeaway video he could find, including videos by amateurs and weekend warriors. I think the video he followed the closest was actually a blooper reel.”

We scrapped the rest of the full swing lesson and I took him to the putting green. We worked on his putting stroke, which was actually pretty decent. While we played a few putting games, I explained to him the importance of committing to the work in front of him instead of searching for a quick fix or secret potion.

He seemed to get it, but I still asked that he not speak to anyone about his golf swing, take advice from strangers or try out any new devices (no matter how shiny they were). If we were going to do this, it was going to be without outside distractions.

I sounded like a cross between a jealous girlfriend and a strict parent. But you can’t improve if you let outside noise in.

So, stay committed to what you know is working. Remain patient and trust you are on the right path. Improvement will come. It might not be as quickly as you would like, but it will come. That is the cruel reality of this great game … and one of the reasons it has us coming back again and again.