Opinion & Analysis

Why chasing quick fixes keeps you from getting better (and what to do about it)

Published

10 years ago

Apr 2, 2016

I’m sure you’ve done this yourself or had a buddy do it. You head to the range on the weekend determined to fix your swing during a range session with an extra large bucket of balls. And it starts out pretty rough.

The ball flight is inconsistent. Your typical miss won’t go away. Then about halfway through the session you “find it.” Most of the shots you’re hitting are perfect, and contact is solid. Actually, PGA Master Professional Dennis Clark just wrote about this phenomenon for GolfWRX, and his explanation of it was perfect.

“If golfers hit enough balls, they can start to time their compensations perfectly.”

You compensate well on the range, but when the next match or game with your buddies rolls around it’s gone. The only consistencies are poor shots and double bogeys.

There’s a good reason this keeps happening. The research shows that this kind of repetitive practice (same shot, same club, same lie) will lead to better short-term performance, but it doesn’t mean what you’ve learned will transfer to the golf course in a day or two.

Embracing the quick fix doesn’t help you get better and build skills that consistently transfer to the golf course. In fact, practice that leads to rapid improvement in performance doesn’t support retained long-term learning. We explored this topic with researcher Dr Robert Bjork and coach Adam Young here.

But it’s not your fault. The golf industry has ingrained the concept of the quick fix. A new driver that’s promising 10 yards more distance? It’s the same game as the YouTube video that promises to fix your slice in 5 minutes.

Think of it this way. If you wanted to learn Spanish, you wouldn’t expect to practice once a week, see a tutor twice a month, and attempt to have a conversation in Spanish on Saturday morning and be fluent in a year. It takes consistent coaching and an environment that facilitates growth. In fact, practice that leads to rapid improvement in performance doesn’t support retained long-term learning.

The Alternative

The concept of long-term group coaching has been catching on in golf. Instead of seeing an instructor in a 1-on-1 setting for 30-60 minutes once or twice a month, why not make a plan and commit to 3-6 months or even 12 months of coaching? Doing that, you and your coach can build a game plan and get the proper practice and coaching you need. There’s even the possibility of getting out on the golf course and getting some course strategy lessons.

This type of coaching is highly effective, and yet more affordable than the traditional model of 1-on-1 instruction. Instead of just standing there hitting balls and getting some info every once in awhile, you’ll be working on all aspects of your game that you might not otherwise.

Will Robins

Will Robins is a coach in Sacramento who has embraced long-term group coaching (groups of 6 getting together once a week for 90 minutes over 12 weeks) because of the difference in results he’s seen in students.

I asked him about the difference when he switched from 1-on-1 instruction to group coaching, and his response is below.

Robins: Prior to the coaching model, people came to me with their problems and wanted quick fixes. I wasn’t happy with the model and they weren’t getting better as quickly as they should. So I sat down with a group of 16 guys and explained that I had enough of that model and told them they needed to learn how to play the game and score better instead of always trying to figure out how to hit their driver. So we set up a plan and they came out to practice and play with me.

willrobins

I helped them with all aspects of their games and got them the skills and information they needed to actually shoot lower scores. For one, it freed me up so I became a coach and no longer the teacher who was the source of knowledge. I could work with the players on what I knew they needed to work on… because I was their coach.

Another hidden aspect of working with a group of students is the competitiveness of the team and getting used to the pressure of people watching. The big thing with long-term coaching is you put your game on the line and it forces the coach to step up and really get the results. The coach has to be committed.

The Results

According to Robins, the 16 golfers dropped an average of 11 shots on their average round over the first 12 weeks of group coaching.

Since that time, he has coached thousands of students in the group-coaching model, and has seen its power. In fact, he’s worked with dozens of coaches to help their use the same model in their coaching (if you’re a coach find out more about this here). It’s a true win-win situation, he says, as group coaching is not only more fun for the student (and the coach), but more affordable than the traditional 1-on-1 model.

Who’s tried long-term group coaching before? Let me know in the comments section.

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Cordie Walker

Cordie has spent the last four years working with golf instructors, helping inform thousands on business and teaching best practices (if you're a coach or instructor check out http://golfinthelifeof.com/). Through that he's realized that it's time for the way golf is taught to be changed. When looking at research and talking with coaches and academics, he's launched the Golf Science Golf Science Lab , a website and audio documentary-style podcast focused on documenting what's really going on in learning and playing better golf.

11 Comments

Jason Helman

Apr 5, 2016 at 6:52 pm

I have been saying this for years. The word lesson and quick have been removed from all marketing. I’m experimenting with a 21 day fix this year but for all intense in purposes I’m not really a big fan of “fix” merely spinning it off the show much like I did with a Biggest Loser contest which was very successful a couple of years ago.

I’m going to have to disagree. It’s more important that the student be committed and held to some accountability in the long term coaching programs. The coach has already committed into the program by planning the process or pathway to success. If there is a fail, it comes when the student does not measure up and stay on task. The coach can only motivate so far.

Group coaching can work. Never had any success with it from the male perspective and it’s very dependent on your club members and personalities.

Reply Report comment
Big Slice

Apr 4, 2016 at 5:01 pm

As with other commenters, I would also like more information on where to find these coaches and sessions. Sounds like it could be a good option. My whole issue with private lessons is about finding the right instructor. You could waste a lot of money trying to find the right instructor, the one who works well for your game. I wish there was a better repository of reviews for instructors to make a better decision. There aren’t many out there, leaving you to go by either word of mouth, or trial and error (which could be expensive).

Reply Report comment
- Cordie Walker
  
  Apr 6, 2016 at 9:23 am
  
  Definitely feel the pain! Where are you located?
  Might be able to refer you to someone who runs a group coaching program like this.
  
  Reply Report comment
  - Big Slice
    
    Apr 6, 2016 at 12:50 pm
    
    That would be great. I’m in the suburbs around Philadelphia. Thanks!
    
    Reply Report comment
Cornfused...

Apr 4, 2016 at 3:15 pm

This article was like a teaser for an actual article on group coaching. I don’t have anywhere near enough information to know what it is or why it would be better.

Reply Report comment
- Cordie Walker
  
  Apr 6, 2016 at 9:24 am
  
  Maybe this warrants a follow up article! What info would you like to see covered?
  
  Reply Report comment
Hawk

Apr 4, 2016 at 2:44 pm

Ok I’m confused. You say: “In fact, practice that leads to rapid improvement in performance doesn’t support retained long-term learning.”

And follow it up with: “According to Robins, the 16 golfers dropped an average of 11 shots on their average round over the first 12 weeks of group coaching.”

To me that is counter intuitive to your point. How can I expect 16 golfers who dropped an average of 11 shots be able to retain that long-term based on what you said earlier? Am I missing something?

For me personally, I never see improvement at the range, I don’t see how anyone does. I always see the improvement after the fact on the course. Maybe I’m practicing differently? When I hit the range I use the same theory: one club, one lie, one target. I repetitively try to hit my target. However; my goal isn’t in ball flight. When I practice I practice one distinct flaw in my swing and I only practice that correct form for that one flaw. Then as if it were ingrained, it changes almost permanently, and the new form carries over to the course. Maybe that is the difference, I don’t practice hitting balls, I practice a more perfect swing.

Reply Report comment
- Cordie Walker
  
  Apr 6, 2016 at 9:26 am
  
  Over the 12 weeks they did on course assessments, on course playing lessons, and focused on the entire game not just swing.
  
  I would say most golfers expect to improve after a swing lesson or two. Getting together once a week for 12 weeks and really practicing in a great learning environment (not just hitting balls on the range) can see some serious improvements and retained skills.
  
  Having a “coach” also means you have someone telling you what to work on. They set up the training session depending on what they see in your game when they watch you play on the golf course.
  
  Reply Report comment
Shaun

Apr 4, 2016 at 1:04 pm

Mike, I am only guessing here but I assume the benefit would come from the repetition. Meaning not everyone can afford to see a $60+ coach twice a week for the time it would take to improve. it sounds like you either pay less or pay more but get more time with a coach in terms of frequency. That is the hardest part, imho, getting far away from your last lesson without seeing a coach.

Reply Report comment
Howard

Apr 4, 2016 at 11:36 am

Ditto the first comment. I’m intrigued but have no idea how it works. How about a description of the process when you’ve got 16 people all working on different aspects of the game? Where’s the “coach” if all 16 are on the course at the same time? Are the students seen together or in smaller groups on different days? How are the students charged?

Reply Report comment
Mike

Apr 3, 2016 at 9:27 pm

Well this is a nice article. So it exposes the
Benefits of group coaching…..hmmm. So it is better than 1 on 1? How can that be? If I can’t learn by direct teaching, I will learn more efficiently by group teaching? Call me a non- believer, skeptic, whatever. Really trying to understandn it, but a non-starter for me.

Reply Report comment

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Opinion & Analysis

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