What really divides the best golfers from the weekend hackers? Perhaps much is attributable to innate talent. However, it seems the best golfers simply play the game a different way between their ears — and that doesn’t mean they’re using a better combination of swing thoughts, says Jim Waldron, founder of Balance Point Golf School.

We talked to Waldron about his efforts to help golfers master this maddening game. In short, Waldron sees better players occupying a different mental space on course, one unmarred by swing thoughts and efforts to control various aspects of the golf swing.

Jim Waldron, founder of Balance Point Golf School.

“I listened to this great interview the other day with Neil Young about how he creates music…how it’s about getting out of your own way,” Waldron says, equating writing a guitar riff with perfectly struck 7-iron.

Waldron grew up caddying outside of Chicago and has been in the golf business ever since. He is well-versed in The Golfing Machine, Mac O’Grady’s work and biomechanics, and he teaches primarily in California, Hawaii and Oregon.

We spoke with him to learn more about his development as a golfer and instructor.

“At the same time I took up golf, I took up karate from one of the top martial artists in the world,” Waldron says. The crossover influence of the martial arts training on his fledgling golf game helped him learn a quality, repeatable swing quickly. Waldron learned the importance of slow-motion mirror training thanks in part to his karate work.

What’s wrong with teaching and how it got that way

Waldron discussed the unique evolution of golf and the way he believes it has created a “dysfunctional culture for learning.”

“Golf evolved in a way that teachers were not respected by their wealthy students,” he says. “Because there was such a power and wealth imbalance…hiring these guys from Scotland with third- and fourth-grade educations to come over to teach them to golf. They weren’t even allowed in the clubhouse. You can’t say, ‘Hey, Mr. Rockefeller, your swing sucks!’ So the incentive is to lie to the student, give false positive feedback, which we still do today.”  

As Waldron says, ”The bulk of golf instruction, both written and oral, is about learning mechanics to the level of conscious mind, execution, and understanding only.” In other words, Waldron sees too much emphasis on swing theory and not enough on practice.

Waldron also sees the necessity of self-promotion for teachers in the present industry climate as potentially destructive.

“I think the game is in a crisis right now…the people we’re gaining, we’re losing a lot of those beginners. There’s huge competition among teaching pros, which tends to lead to less-than-accurate information. It’s gotten to the point that whoever has the coolest-sounding teaching approach gets the most eyeballs on social media…I’m not a fan of that.”

“I try to base my teaching on what works, not necessarily on what’s marketable,” Waldron says.

So, what does Waldron think works?

While the approach at Balance Point is notable for the emphasis on on-course performance, Waldron notes that he spends 90 percent of his time teaching people better mechanics, doing mirror work and range work.

However, regarding the other 10 percent of his teaching efforts, Waldron says, “I always start with mental focus training…at least if they’re a 10 [handicap] or higher. It takes time in the student’s mind to prepare the ground for actual training.”

Ultimately, the goal is to “transmit ideas to the subconscious mind.” Most golfers know consciously what they want to be doing. The trick, according to Waldron, is to get the body to cooperate. Slow-motion practice in front of a mirror and semi-mastery of swing aspects are the preliminaries to good on-course play.  

Waldron’s view on swing thoughts

An element of Waldron’s teaching that is perhaps unique, is his approach to swing thoughts. “If you tell people it’s OK to use swing thoughts on the range, but don’t use them on the golf course, that’s crazy…My philosophy is you don’t use swing thoughts ever,” he says.

Waldron distinguishes between “swing thoughts” and “swing feels.” “If you talk to really good players… when they say swing thought…it’s very seldom a thought; it’s almost always a feel,” he says.

The three sensory channels

In order to convey the difference between the two, Waldron imparts the distinction between the three sensory channels the brain can operate in. And while the exercise may seem excessive, it’s an important foundational understanding for playing better golf, in Waldron’s mind.   

Here’s Waldron’s exercise in full for distinguishing between the sensory channels.

Channel 1: “Put one hand on your shoulder. Rotate your head and look at it. Now when you’re looking with your eyes, we call “external visual channel.” Rotate your head back to center and close your eyes and picture your hand on your shoulder, that’s what we call “internal visual channel.”

Channel 2: “And when you hear an internal voice, that’s the auditory channel. And then you say out loud, “I am touching my shoulder.” That’s your external auditory channel.”

Channel 3: “The third channel is feel. So if you squeeze your hand on your shoulder and kind of pulse, and you get to the point where you’re only feeling the sensation and you’re not seeing the picture anymore, and you’re not talking about your hand on your shoulder. That’s the kinesthetic or “feel” channel.”

“We either see an internal image of something, or we talk to ourselves,” Waldron says. “Ninety-nine percent of people during the golf swing are seeing internal visual images of what they want their body or club to do. When you talk to really good players, they tend not to do that type of thinking during their swings.”   

Swing feels > Swing thoughts

So when Waldron talks about “swing feels,” that’s what he means. From this initial understanding a student then seeks to repeat the sensations and movements initially worked on in slow motion on the golf course.

Students ought to seek to “learn a new piece of the swing, then forget about it so that it can become automatic,” Waldron says. “It’s the way every other sport is taught. But in golf it sounds weird.”

The failure to do so, and the reliance on swing thoughts and efforts to control aspects of the train will create, at a minimum, a detrimental flinch, and at worst, a yip.

Of course, there’s much more to Waldron’s thinking about the golf swing and on-course performance. To learn more, visit balancepointgolf.com, and see what GolfWRX Members are saying about Balance Point Golf School in our forum.