Teaching the game of golf is certainly an interesting paradox.
There was a teacher in Fresno where attended university who was very popular and well known. He was not TGM and I would classify him as one the “smoke and mirror” guys. Nonetheless, a really interesting and nice man. I used to practice over at his range on occasion and he loved to ask me questions about this very unorthodox method I was using and having success with.
He was an elder who came across as the “old man of life’s wisdom’s”
I remember him telling me as if it was yesterday,
“John, if you ever end up teaching this game, remember one thing, a golf lesson only takes 5 minutes, and you’ll spend the other 25 minutes so your student will think their getting their moneys worth”.
What he was saying is that you can only tell a person one swing thought per week, and that’s all their brain can really handle.
Then he went on to say,
“John, if you want to make a good living as a teacher, the student will always come back to you if they are hitting the ball better at the end of the lesson than they were at the beginning of the lesson”.
“The great thing about teaching is, they’ll be hitting it better by just warming up through the bucket!”
He had people lined up all day long… he really knew how to make a living as a teacher. Very complimentary, “your doing just great!”
He’d teach things like, “Just try to feel a little more relaxed or just stay with the shot a bit longer”.
The real kicker was when he told me “you just can’t tell them the truth if you want them coming back, and if you mess them up at all, there going to spend their money somewhere else!”
I remember fearing he was speaking a horrific human truth!
Maybe people really don’t want the truth! or can’t handle the truth!
Kinda like “The Matrix”, take the blue pill and see the truth or take the red pill and stay in this reality bubble…
We know that if people put in the time, and dedication, and apply TGM their game will improve dramatically, but how do you spot the golfer looking for the quick fix? and how do you deal with that?
Do you ever just band aid them?