6. What you think the top players and top coaches mean and what they are truly trying to communicate are quite often miles apart

Top level golf and golf instruction is as confusing to the average golfer as the Chinese language is. What you think the top players and top coaches mean and what they are truly trying to communicate are quite often miles apart. The true message, with all its subtlety, is hidden within a language all of its own. It requires time and patience for it to be revealed or translated.

It has been my belief for quite some time that the top players and top coaches do not necessarily make the best instructors for the masses as they are too wrapped up in swing theory and concepts at an elevated level; I apologize if it sounds condescending but it is not unlike a University Professor of maths trying to teach his theorems to first grade pupils.

Enter the PGA Teaching Pro in the role as a middle man. Myself, and thousands of coaching pros like me, are the bridge between top level players and club level. Using our own golfing experience and knowledge, we can see where the best players are coming from whilst identifying with the club players situation. A good coach acts as the translator of the language that is "advanced swing theory," filters out what is realistic and relevant and then communicates it in a form that is more understandable thereby making it more applicable to the masses. That is our job.

Bypassing the middle man and going it alone will eventually, if not sooner, lead to a lot of confusion and frustration. It is not a place you want to be.