Article #14
Featured Teacher: Mr. Vaughn
To meet this week's teacher, or to purchase a copy of MUNIE ~ The Jitterbug Collection, go to www.bobbysteiner.com
Imagine going to your doctor and saying, "Yeah, I'm feeling awfully poorly, Doc. My guess is that I have cancer. Why don't you go ahead and prescribe me some cancer medicine, schedule me a little chemotherapy, and I'll be out of your way."
Of course, you can say that all you want, but your doctor ain't gonna give you nothin' until he's run some tests so he can be sure he's giving you the right kinda treatment.
If only the relationship between the golfer and the golf instructor worked the same way.
Too often, the golfers says, "Yeah, pro, my goal is to get my handicap down from 22 to 12, and an extra 15 to 20 yards is all I need to do it. What'd ya say we get started?"
The pro, happy to have the business, says, "All right, let''s take a look at that swing."
Now, if the student's goal is to pick up 20 extra yards, then he or she should just fess up to it. But, if the golfer wants a lower score, then there really needs to be some tests run to find out if the stumbling block between one's current and desired ability truly is distance related.
What do I suggest? Well, before you get a lesson-- or, for Heaven's sake, a series of lessons-- chart your personal statistics for five rounds by keeping track of the following five areas:
1) Fairways hit off the tee (if you don't hit at least 70% of 'em, then more distance is the last thing you need)
2) Number of greens hit in regulation
3) Number of putts per green hit in regulation
4) Number of times you get up-and-in from within 15 yards of the green (this might be the most important statistic)
5) Number of balls hit out of play (each one is like adding two more strokes to your score)
Give this information to your pro, so she can make a well informed, educated assessment as to how the two of you should spend your time together, and can, therefore…
Blah, blah, blah, I might as well be talking to myself. Just do it however you want to. After all, the average handicap ain't changed in the last forty years, so who am I to think it'll change in the next forty?
Peace,
Mr. Vaughn