Dear golfer,

Sometimes you may need to have a golf lesson to improve an aspect of your golf game (swing). But you should only do this after;

• You have found your natural golf swing and played at least three rounds automatically. I would prefer that you gave it months rather than weeks.
• There is a recurring shot that is not improving. One or two bad shots doesn’t count. This is golf and you’ll always get poor shots from time to time. No matter how good your golf swing, you’ll always get shots you don’t like – so make sure you’re not making change for the sake of it.
• You are certain that the poor shot is costing you shots. If you play with a bit of a slice it is quite possible to factor it into your game plan and still score well. If you hit three horrible slice balls out of play but duff three chips in the same round I’d work on the chipping first!

When you do decide to make a change be sure to find a golf teacher (professional) that understands the learning process. This is more important than if they have a detailed understanding of golf swing mechanics.

Then all you need to do is;

• Work on one thing at a time. You can’t fix your grip, back swing, power and hit good shots all at once. This is a mistake that most golfers make when they try to improve their golf swing. So pick one thing and focus on that – resist the urge to fix everything.
• Always ensure you automate those changes. This is when you practice like you play.
• Practice in short sharp sessions. No need to spend hours working on your golf swing. It gets boring and you’ll be likely to get distracted.

I have found the above routine works well. It is critical that you understand the automatic principle – this process helps overcome many swing faults and allows you to be the best that you can be. It’s also much more fun than spending hours making swing changes. Automate first – make changes second.

Good golfing,

Cameron Strachan

Dear golfer,

I’ve spent much of my adult life studying, researching and playing golf. Since my first golf lesson I’ve been fascinated with coaching and finding better ways of improving. I even got involved in a scientific study of the golf swing. I translated the data into a usable golf swing model called BioSwing.

Despite having a good understanding of the mechanics of the game, I still believe that golf mechanics and much of traditional instruction is not the best method for improvement. At the very least you should develop your natural swing first and worry about the mechanics second.

I like to call this natural swing flow. I first heard this term phrased by Joyce Brown. Joyce was a successful netball player and coach – playing for Australia and then later coaching the national team to many world titles. I heard her speak at a golf learning conference in Melbourne in 1998 and her speech definitely separated her from the other speakers.

On a day when we got bombarded with golf technique from pillar to post, Brown’s presentation was a breath of fresh air. She differentiated herself by encouraging the coaches in the room to teach less technique and theory and encourage golfers to find their natural and free flowing swing.

I describe a flowing swing as one with an absence of fear and manual control. Many psychologists have termed the phrase “let go”. Letting go is playing with flow. You are not concerned with the how, but rather, simply being in the moment and letting your natural swing and style shine through.

Spending time with Kendal McWade in Scotland taught me more about flow. Kendal was once a traditional golf coach but turned his back on the establishment when he realised that the technical approach had not helped his game. In what was a breakthrough for him, he learned that teaching others this same approach didn’t work either – that it had its limitations and there were better ways of coaching.

McWade encourages golfers to be more instinctive and natural. He gives his pupils certain objectives to achieve. For example he might ask, “how would you throw that club towards that target?”. You then need to figure out how to do it your way. This approach ties in with natural learning, doesn’t disrupt the learning process and allows you to keep flowing. Kendal is a genius in that he understands the correct technique, and allows others to learn that technique without telling them directly. He lets the correct swing sneak up and you – you improve without really trying. It’s fun and full of surprises!

Compare that approach to a more traditional one. Just yesterday I was warming up before I played and a father was instructing his young son on the basics of the game. It wasn’t long before the young boy had about ten things to remember. The rules consisted of the grip, stance, backswing, downswing, and follow through. The poor kid was a mess – any natural swing he once had was removed and replaced by over thinking and control.

I would do things differently. A more objective based lesson would go as follows;

“OK son, I want you to hold the club in a way that feels comfortable to you. There is no wrong way, just choose a grip that feels good and allows you to move the club quickly. Good. Now I want you to swing that club back and through. Imagine you want to throw that club down the fairway – how would you swing then? Remember, you can’t do anything wrong here. This is your swing, so everything you do is correct. Once that feels comfortable you can hit some balls. Start with a short club and have some fun with it. If you want to explore other options try hitting the 5 iron. Later we can have a go at the driver. If you get stuck go back to the short club and find that throwing swing. I’ll keep an eye on you from over there…have fun”.

This approach, in my opinion, works nearly every time. The golfer is allowed to explore their own swing. They are encouraged to discover what works for them and they actually learn. Forcing a golfer to take a certain grip from the start sets them up to fail. Providing too much instruction on the swing kills any chance of success and usually results in little learning taking place. This is where frustration can set in. From this point the frustrated golfer is given more instruction, only making matters worse.

The objective based lesson allows you to find your free flowing game. Sure, the golfer might adopt a strong grip or funny stance. But does it matter? I don’t think so. Strange technique that works is art. It’s much better than the alternative. Strive to find your own flow, allow yourself to learn over time and forget about trying to jam everything in at once.

Good golfing,

Cameron Strachan

Did anyone watch Craig Parry win the Australian Open golf yesterday? I did and thought the golf and coverage were excellent. I honestly thought that Craig Parry had retired but when he popped up on Friday with a course record 64, I knew that “Popeye” was back and going to give the tournament a real shake.

I played yesterday morning, and after the game we all put forward our thoughts on who was going to win. Robert Allenby was the favourite, with Nick O’Hern receiving plenty of support. My money was with Parry who I think is the perfect golfer – a golfer that knows how to handle the pressure and knows how to win.

When others faltered, if only slightly, Parry was able to get the job done by avoiding serious mistakes and making some crucial putts at the right time. By the time he reached the 18th he had one hand on the Stonehaven Cup. His safe par was good enough to get the job done.

His par on 17 summed up his day. Playing into the strengthening wind, the hole does not suit his left to right shot shape. His drive finished in a fairway bunker, he then played a conservative recovery with a wedge. I believe many would have tried a more agressive shot – but not Parry, he would take his chances with a wedge and putter. And this is exactly what he did.

Special mention must be made of Won Joon Lee, Brandt Snedeker and Nick O’hern. Lee shot an incredible score of 66. He had a makable put on the last for 65 which would have made things more interesting. He looks like being a super star of the future.

Snedeker finished one behind and could be considered unlucky. He called a penalty on himself at 14, although this didn’t seem to halt his charge in the slightest. I hope more of these US players can come to our shore. They seem to offer plenty to the Australian public. They are great players that have personality, flair and obviously play the game in the right spirit. Jason Gore proved this last week too.

And then there’s poor O’hern. Just when it seemed he had the tournament for the taking he bogeyed 16 and 17. He was playing well at the time but those little stumbles proved to be the difference. He played an awesome shot into the last but the putt that may have gotten him into the playoff slid by. I hope O’hern doesn’t change his approach. I believe he has to keep doing what he is doing. He’s obviously a terrific player that quite possibly needs a little luck at the right time.

The day belonged to Parry. His large frame, unique swing and years of experience outshone his younger and fitter opponents. It showed everyone that golf swing is only part of the equation and that even the modern fitness craze that has swept golf is not everything. Parry should serve as a role model for all normal golfers. Being small and overweight should not be a disadvantage. Skill, courage and the ability to play your own game is more important.

While others would have spent last night ruing missed chances, Parry would have been enjoying himself (like a normal Aussie bloke) with an inner pride that can only come when one knows how to shine in the arena of battle. Well done Craig Parry, you are a real golfing Champion!

Dear Golfer,

Golfers have been struggling with improvement for over 100 years. There has been so much written about golf improvement that it would be impossible to read it all. Being an avid reader and golf fan, I’ve worked my way through many articles, books, websites and videos in the hope to understanding golf and golf learning better.

I believe there is a problem with modern coaching. There’s too much emphasis on technique and swing and not enough training, learning or understanding on teaching golfers to play.

Too many golfers worry and concern themselves with swing technique when they play. This just doesn’t work. We perform very few skills on a daily basis with concern or worry about how to do them…golf is a different story. This one element is the reason a vast majority of golfers struggle and find golf difficult.

When you learn to play golf with the same mindset and approach as say driving a car, you open up the possibilities for stellar play and peak performance. Although many golfers understand this – they don’t fully grasp the concept. This is unfortunate.

There is no comparison to actually experiencing this mindset and way of play compared to reading it in a book. If you want to play better golf you need to get out there and put the automatic principle into action. Reading about it and understanding it internally is not enough. You have to own it and physically do it.

This one step is where most golfers let themselves down. They get lazy or simply forget about what they are doing. They wander around aimlessly for their entire golf life. Sure, they shoot some good scores from time to time – but they NEVER experience consistent and reliable golf scores.

After coming full circle myself (I have tried every technique and gimmick available), I would never give what I have now for some airy fairy instructional tip or swing theory. I truly own my golf swing and for the most part can play at a consistent level. This is despite not practicing and working on improving my golf skills.

The road to golf improvement is fraught with danger. There are so many theories and concepts available that it can be hard to know where to start. Worse still, most golf advice focuses on technique alone – preferring the quick fix approach over reliable and solid instructions. This is what makes learning a better game so difficult. Golfers simply don’t know that there is an easier and more effective approach to finding a consistent golf game.

If you have tried everything to improve your golf but still can’t seem to climb out of the golfing doldrums then you should put your trust in your own innate talent and ability. This is Mother Nature’s way – it works time after time and gives you more than just a better golf game. You’ll experience consistency, mastery and total euphoria! If you can ride a bike, drive a car and throw a ball you posses all the talent necessary to become a better golfer.

But… you have to actually get out there and experience it! Reading alone will not provide enough clues and inspiration for success.

Good luck and good golfing,

Cameron Strachan