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Casey Eberting Golf Schools and Golf Instruction
In Texas Hill Country between San Antonio and Austin, Texas
(40 minutes north of San Antonio International Airport)

Band-aid Golf Instruction

If you've taken golf lessons, you've probably experienced band-aid golf instruction. It's called band-aid instruction because the symptom is treated, not the problem, and obviously this type of golf instruction is not likely to significantly improve your golf game.

Before I go any further, please keep in mind that this page (and my entire web site) is geared toward the golfer who wants serious improvement, not the casual golfer. I'm being critical of band-aid instruction from that perspective. For the average golfer, band-aid instruction is the only form of instruction that they should consider because they don't practice enough to make fundamental swing changes. Also, most tour players tend to rely on band-aid instruction because they have to perform as well as possible from week to week.

Here are two very common band-aid remedies with which most golfers are probably familiar. 1) A slicer is told that the slice is caused by an open clubface at impact and that they need to close the face by rolling the arms over or by closing the clubface in some other manner. 2) A golfer who comes over-the-top has a divot that points to the left of the target so the golfer is told to either swing inside-to-out or to drop the club almost straight down as they begin the forward swing. These remedies are clear and simple, but they are also fundamentally incorrect. Because they make sense, in an overly simplistic way, golfers will happily buy into them.

A band-aid golf instructor can be identified by the fact that they focus on immediate results—they try to get their students to hit the ball better during the golf lesson. Not surprisingly, immediate results are what almost all golfers want as well (not knowing this isn't in their best interest, which I'll get to in a minute). Because most golfers crave immediate results, it should be no surprise that they seek instructors with the same goal, which is why band-aid golf instructors often have a long list of customers and little reason to improve their knowledge of the golf swing. To be fair to the band-aid instructor, all they are doing is following a fundamental law of business that says if you want to be successful, give the customer what they want (even if what they want isn't right).

So what's wrong with immediate results? Let me answer that question with another question. When was the last time you tried to learn something that was very difficult and found that you immediately did it well? Do you think you could do a flip on a balance beam and land safely on your feet with only a few hours of practice? The golf swing is much more exacting, but it may not seem like it because the consequences of a mistake aren't as severe—you don't risk breaking your back if you don't do it well!

The results of band-aid golf instruction are usually short lived, but there are times when it is appropriate. If you need a quick fix for an upcoming weekend tournament or you need something to get you over a rough patch, then go with the band-aid instruction. It's also an appropriate approach for the golfer who doesn't have much motivation to improve—i.e., the golfer who doesn't intend to practice much or who only plays a few times a month. However, for the golfer who is motivated to become a much better golfer, they should consider focusing on golf swing fundamentals and take a long term approach to improving their game.

In stark contrast to the band-aid instructor, a golf instructor who teaches fundamentals will not be concerned with immediate results. Instead, their focus will be on developing a student's understanding of a correct golf swing. The student needs to realize that applying fundamentals to their swing takes time, practice, and determination—you will more than likely get worse before getting better. The reason is simple, the body looses coordination as it tries to do things it hasn't done before—things that are different from what it wants to do.

In a way, it's as if a little war is going on when you try to improve your swing. The mind tells the body to do something new, but the body rebels and tries to do what it knows, or what is comfortable. Most golfers quickly surrender to their body's desire to avoid change because they weren't aware that the fight was going to be so protracted, or that there was even going to be a fight in the first place.

No, improving one's golf swing is not quick, and it's not painless. If you know this going in, you will have a much better chance of succeeding. You don't have to kill yourself with hard work (although the more you work, the better you can become), you just have to be smart by being aware of what is coming. Basically, you need to know that it is going to be a long, slow adventure and you will need to posses the fortitude to be able to continue to practice even when you're hitting the ball badly, and take my word for this, you will go through periods when you do hit the ball badly!

Golf is a challenge and that's its allure. Everyone is searching for a way to improve, but most golfers are searching in the wrong places! If you really want to get better, forget the quick fix and take the long term approach of improving your golf swing fundamentals.

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