Being a good golf instructor can be more than just teaching students how to play golf, it can be creating a legacy by helping them achieve their goals. Being able to teach the basics, how to play different holes in different conditions, how to stroke a hole-in-one, and more advanced technical instruction are all part of the course.
Being able to teach in the middle range of skill sets is what sets golf Instructors apart from other sports instructors. Many times, new teachers look at the very advanced players as being gods that they can sit on top of the mountain with. This is not wrong but it does not account for everyone’s ability level.
Advanced players need help learning how to help less experienced players learn how to play better. Starting with basic skills and working your way down is the best way to start this type of instruction.
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Get the right grip
A good grip on a golf club can make or break your game. A loose, ungripped hand will more likely allow the club to drift and slip away, giving your opponent more time to hit their shot and potentially put you in a tough position.
A tight grip will place more pressure on the club to stay aligned with your hand and prevent it from slipping out of the socket. A tight grip also requires more force to maintain during downswing, which can be tricky if you are trying to play slightly softer shots than others due to this.
Get into a good grip by sliding your palm toward the top of the club and then up toward the top of the other hand. This will bring added pressure on the wrist and back of the hand, both of which must hold onto the club during impact. Once done, rotate your hands so that you are holding them parallel to each other.
Find your balance
You’re not going to get rich teaching golf, but you can find your balance. You can make a good living off of being an instructor, which is great if you want money!
The key is finding your balance between being too hard and too easy. You want to make your students feel comfortable and get the hang of the instruction, but you don’t want to drag out the process.
So, what level should you have students at before they graduate? The answer is: nothing! Each student is unique and has their own level of comfort and skill, so there is no right or wrong answer here.
Just have them take one or two lessons at the beginner level and let them learn how to be independent in taking lessons from an instructor at home! Once they are capable of taking lessons on their own, go back down to the amateur level and allow them to earn their first few rounds of golf.
Create a consistent swing path
When you start learning to golf, your first job is to learn how to start your swing. You must have the correct angle and speed of your start and stop phases of the swing.
You can’t make a change in the swing and expect it to improve or change direction or placement. It needs to be consistent throughout.
You must have the correct rotation rate for your torso and head to place yourself in the right position on the golf course. Rotating your body too quickly will not place you in a good position to hit a golf shot.
Many new players rotate their wrists on their swings too quickly, placing more pressure on a nearby wrist nerve. This can lead to wrist pain ornaments such as14-degree points.
Work on your tempo
Golf is all about tempo. You need to be able to move fast without moving too slowly. If you are moving at a slower pace, you are wasting energy and time taking your feet off the ground, in front of the ball, and movements up and down the golf course.
You want your actions on the golf club and in response to that action to be quick and efficient. If you take your time with an inefficient swing, you will be taking more time with each shot.
An efficient swing should look like this: pick a position for the club, then push off the toe of the foot, then rotate the wrist as you bring the club back. This should take about a half second!
You can work on your tempo on several levels. First, you can use software that tracks your actions in response to shots.
Learn how to read putts and greens
If you’re a beginner to golf, you should learn how to read the greens and the putts. This will help you know what areas of the green are good putts and how far they must travel before reaching the bottom.
Reading the green can include doing either by laying a marker on each section or using a well-known grass pattern. When putting, knowing how far the ball must travel before it reaches the bottom of the green can help determine when to take your putt off of restlessness.
Both learning how to read greens and reading putts are useful ways to learn how to play golf. Reading the greens can give you valuable information about where they are strong and weak, as well as finding their sweet spots. Putting is probably more relevant for playing with others, as you can only really know that one is putting on a good shot with someone else spotting those soft spots and helping them out on the course.
Practice putting techniques
Putting is one of the more complex golf technologies. You can learn putting from a basic to an advanced level, but you must practice it! The more you putt, the better you will get.
You can practice at any time of the year, even when it is not winter weather. You can go out after dark and putt!
Summer is the best time to learn putting because there are more lights around and easier shots. Some leagues only require you to hit two kinds of shots: soft and hard.
The hardest shot you can take is a deep putter. You have to be able to get a soft-medium strike on that one! If you cannot hit any easy or soft shots, then now is the time to start working on your skills!
Weekend get-ups are perfect for learning new putting techniques as well as practicing old ones.
Try new techniques by watching golf instructors online
A few weeks ago, I attended a tournament where there were two new biomechanics tips being taught. The first is the new way of doing things in the classroom and on the course. The second is in the hands-on portion of the class and in the lessons players are sent out into the field to practice these tips.
The second tip is non-monotonous tasks are a way of teaching people, so when a student does good work, they get something nice.
These two tips are designed to make you feel like you are making a difference and that you are trying your best. They are also designed to make students feel like they are being rewarded for hard work but not necessarily expected to do well.
Watch how the pros do it
While many players adopt a very aggressive stance at the start of the round, there is a reason for this. It helps them prepare for the next shot and recovers from their poor shot performance.
A relaxed stance at first, then a slight shift to the left or right, then taking a deep breath before shooting each hole- All of this is done to learn how to do it better.
Being in control while playing golf is an art that only some are able to master. The best players in the world have years of practice under their belts and take pride in how they play the game.
Watching how they play gives you some insight into what you should do yourself but don’t overdo it as well. Some players prefer being able to just relax and play like them and that is beautiful!
We recommend starting out with small lessons with an experienced player so you get some help learning how to play golf with only one or two mistakes.