Having an on Course lesson

Due to time constraints from the pupil and the coach, it isn't always possible to spend any time on the golf course. This is an invaluable experience for the pupil and coach alike. Just in the last few days i have coached some new pupils that have had many lessons, all of them based on a driving range. Having asked a few more questions, I found that the majority of their lessons had taken place on a mat rather than grass.

They both had issues with their game that had not been fixed, even with the lessons they had previously. Within the lesson both pupils felt they hit the ball better and had understood the swing changes that the coach wanted. As soon as they went on the course the old swing complaints came back. This happened time and time again and no matter how much they tried to change, the problem was still happening on the course.

So luckily for my new pupils we were able to immediately go onto the course, taking the video camera with me to take very valuable footage, to show the pupils when we got back from the course. When we got in from the course what we saw on the video shocked the pupils hugely.

Both pupils were fine on the range standing on a mat, but given the open space of the course, were aiming their bodies (feet,hips,shoulders) nowhere near the target. This meant that their swings would have to make an adjustment to hit the ball toward the target. I asked the pupils if they had ever had a lesson on aiming, or had been given any tips on how to aim properly. They both said no, and that the aiming issues they both had never been picked up on the driving range. Which isn't surprising as the squareness of the range mat and the fixed targets make it easy to aim correctly.

Great Body Alignment

After explaining the ball to target line (imaginary line from the ball to the target) and the parallel lines of the feet, hips and shoulders, I coached them to pick an intermediate point. This is a spot about 1 yard in front of the ball that is between the ball and the target. You must be standing behind the ball to pick the spot, not after you have taken your address position. Then you must place your feet,hips and shoulders parallel to the ball/ intermediate line.

We then went back to the golf course how well the changes would be executed on the course.