Golf Learning Styles - Do you Know Yours?

Golf Learning Styles: If you’re serious about getting the most out of yourself, your game, and any lessons you take, it’s imperative you understand and meet the needs of your innate golf learning style.

What do I mean by learning styles? You have your own way of learning that is decidedly different than mine. I understand this and I'm skilled at tapping your individual style so that you can learn in a way that supports you. Not my teaching style.

Does this make sense? The problem rests within the “one size fits all” approach that many golf instructors and mental game coaches use. They are attempting to have their students/clients conform to their teaching style.

This leads to all kinds of needless issues for you in your skill development. Have you noticed this is what the traditional education system does as well? It’s called rote learning. Their position is: “We spoon feed you the pabulum WE know is right for you. And it is YOUR responsibility to figure out how to swallow it!”

I am as serious as a heart attack with this. Yet as you know if you’ve read my blog or frequented my website, I don’t simply raise a pile of questions and leave you hanging. You’ll have practical tools to make the changes you need.

Technical & Natural Learning Styles

There are two fundamental approaches to learning. Technical and Natural. These terms aren’t carved in stone so don’t get attached to the labels. It’s the learning we’re after. The technical learner prefers to use the left brain approach. Enjoys the “how” questions and all the nuances of learning.

They do best with specific things to think about along the way and to put in their game. This, without question, is the predominant approach of the modern golf world. Training aids, articles, magazines and 1000’s of technical “tips” for your game.

The Natural approach is more right brained, creative. These people prefer to get a “sense” of what they’re learning. Without being encumbered by any technical details. These people would destroy their chances of playing well if they went to David Leadbetter.

In fact many players who have worked with him have suffered immensely. Seve Ballesteros and Michelle Wie come to mind...I have no beef with Leadbetter, don’t get me wrong. It’s that certain learning styles will learn better if they’re matched with the appropriate “teaching style.”

You must take the time to ask yourself which approach truly resonates with you. Don’t allow yourself to buy into the golf establishment that incessantly promotes the technical side of learning. It is killing the games of half the golfing public.

Know Your Style and Follow It!

Neither approach is inherently better than the other. Yet one is far worse than the other to you if you’re on the wrong path! Each has their benefit to certain people, and the natural learner can certainly benefit from some technical teaching. Yet not at the expense of their need for simple pictures and kinesthetic experience of what they are learning.

And the technical players perform at a far higher level when they learn to “let go” of their conscious mind with all its details on the swing and simply “play” golf. Not “think” golf swing.

I am not overstating this. If Lee Trevino attempted to follow Ben Hogan and try to use the techniques he promotes Lee would have had a career as a caddy, not the sensational player he was.

So please do yourself a life changing favor and determine which approach suits you the best and follow this. There are golf instructors out there who understand and appreciate this. Make the instruction match your style, not the other way around.

In terms of mental game coaching I teach both ways. Every golf lesson you have will have more power to you. Your ability to integrate what you’re learning will increase.

You‘ll make your instructor look like a genius. But it’s all because you took the time to find a teacher who can instruct the way you need to learn, not how they want to teach. Know your golf learning style.

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