96. New players should measure their progress on a monthly / yearly basis. Not on a daily basis and definitely not on a shot by shot basis as many players sadly do

Today’s posting is targeted at the new player brimming with confidence and eager anticipation. You would expect from that opening that I am about to deflate the poor soul but I am not. I am simply trying to keep you focused with realistic expectations rather than heady ones. A coach should always keep things within a realistic framework

Golf can be very rewarding but soul destroying also and it is the latter that I am trying to protect you from. I am here to get you up and running as quickly as possible and avoid those confidence sapping experiences.

What I am about to tell you is the fast way to learn but it will sound strange and maybe unconvincing to start with. When I start new players off, I go to some length to stress that all I am doing at the early stage is coach you in how to swing a golf club. I can hear you saying, well that’s obvious! But I know from experience that even the total novice is looking for great shots straight away. I know I was when I started out. Expecting great shots in the early days is the fastest way to get onboard the carousel of quack theory*. A bad shot prompts analysis and where does the analysis come from, the beginner himself or maybe the fellow in the next practice bay who plays off 28 handicap and works as an accountant, or a builder; hardly qualified to tamper with something that means so much to you.

The early lessons can be boring and the more boring you keep them the better player you will become. By boring, I mean simply apply yourself to the disciplines you have been shown by someone Pga qualified and keep performing them until you can do them without thinking about it.

There will be plenty of time later to bring the behavior of the ball into the equation when you have the basics of a technique programmed into your muscle memory. New players should measure their progress on a monthly / yearly basis. Not on a daily basis and definitely not on a shot by shot basis as many players sadly do.

*The carousel of quack theory is a merry go round of desperate notions or quick fixit’s. Before you know it you arrive back at the 1st fixit, no better a player but frustrated and dejected. I have known people be on this merry go round of hell for 20 years plus.