3 Keys to Change

Most golfers have no problem visualizing a better version of themselves. Many know what their weaknesses are and what it takes to play better. Some of my clients knew their specific swing flaws before we began working together. The complex labor of changing the swing is that puzzling door few can seem to get through.

If you worked with me for any number of sessions, you might have recognized a pattern in how I incorporate changes to your golf swing. You might have also recognized that despite the sensible and necessary changes, the results do not always show consistently at the range. Rest assured; they will come.

This delay is normal. Rarely does a student ace an exam after learning a new subject a day or two after its introduction. However, you can accelerate your progress using three tactics I use in instruction.

These tactics are not exhaustive. They must be applied methodically. They are not swing mechanics. They are the means of applying changes. Most clients walk out with a clear idea of the technique, but the application is often forgotten. Whether the results are coming along or you’re struggling to see the changes, consider adding these tactics to your practice.

First, slow it down. A swing change cannot be done instantly without exceptional coordination. Even professionals need to be patient. It’s not like changing the way you sit. Some changes to the swing are easier than others. For example, any static portion of the swing, like grip or posture, is fairly easy to change. It’s a position, once you set it up differently — it’s done. It requires no proactivity or coordination, only remembering to do it again. 

A dynamic change requires continual proactivity because it moves over the course of time. It begins and ends at certain points and often needs to reach a specific position. The swing is a pattern of motor functions. A movement done frequently over any course of time has conditioned the musculature and neural pathways. So, when we introduce a new pattern of motor functions, it competes with unconditioned musculature and old neural pathways. This is why new movements feel weird or uncomfortable and are relatively difficult to execute. A developed musculature isn’t just about strength, but control.

Physiotherapist and Author Dr. Kelly Starrett pondered how to change movement patterns and came up with the following:

“First, I introduced the movement principles. Then I applied them to basic, scalable, full range movements…If an athlete demonstrated competency with those basic movements, I would start to challenge the stability of his position by adding load and metabolic demand…The final step was to challenge the athlete’s motor control and test his mobility under stress. I did so by adding speed…”

Notice the speed came last. Dr. Starrett introduced and cemented the movement pattern first. No weight, no speed. The equivalent for us is performing the new swing mechanics slowly without a golf ball. The next level is challenging the stability. For us that’s hitting a ball with a greater range of motion and different clubs — but still without speed. Once the mechanics prove stable and consistent, speed may be gradually added. 

Learning a new skill slowly is a universal law in teaching. When a kid learns to play catch, his dad doesn’t come out pumping fastballs. Mathematical formulas will be done slowly at first so students can remember the steps and apply them correctly. A musician learning a new song will rehearse deliberately before delivering a performance. The neural network is a forest of trails, and we need to create a new one. The only way to create that new path in the forest, over all its vegetation, is quality repetition. A golfer must slowly repeat the mechanics. Go too fast and it might be lost.

Dr. Starrett affirms this: “I realized that by systematically progressing movements — from basic to more advanced — I could not only rehab an injured athlete, but also build efficient movement patterns in both novices and elites.”

Both novices and elites! This is for everyone. Regardless of skill level or limitations, the new mechanics must be done slowly! As the body and mind develop in coordinating the new move, it will become more capable of adding speed. One characteristic I love about the military is their rationality. They don’t care what’s hard or uncomfortable, they want what is right and efficient. No section of the military epitomizes this more than the Navy Seals. A consistent adage in their training is “Slow is smooth and smooth is fast.” In developing trained warriors, they ingrain routines and mechanics slowly and consistently till it becomes subconscious nature. But what does it look like on a golf range as opposed to a shooting range?

Consensus among psychologists is that it takes about two months to build a new habit. It is not 21 days, that is a myth and widely rejected. Within those two months it takes 300-500 repetitions to build a correct movement. Now that is building a correct movement from scratch. If you are trying to break a bad habit AND build up a correct one it takes 10 times that. Yes, 3000 - 5000 reps. 

At first glance, that comes across as insurmountable. On the contrary, it’s closer to pedestrian. We can do it in less than two months and in less than several thousand reps. If you evaluate your average range session, you will see around 100 range balls. Tack on 2-3 practice swings per ball and you're looking at 300-400 reps. With ten trips to the range, you’ve reached the right amount! This study was purely about quantity though. What happens when you practice repetition with undivided focus? Or better yet, with divided movements? Do you get a better return on investment thus not having to put in more reps? According to educational and medical studies, the answer is yes.

What I mean by divided movements is isolation, the second key to change. Not removing yourself from people (that could help your practice sessions too) but removing the other movement from the picture so you can single out the movement that needs help. 

The technique of isolation can be used with a few of the previous examples. A student who is struggling with a long math problem might be doing most of it correctly yet ends up with the wrong answer. Rather than do the whole problem over and over again, it would be more helpful to cover that single step the student struggles with. If guitarists have trouble with a key change in a song, they can work on that single part of playing rather than rehearsing the whole performance. Physical therapists and trainers use this same technique. Both professionals will target specific qualities of movement such as range of motion or strength. 

This is not to say you abandon the other movements, but rather treat the one that’s dragging the rest down. This tactic is a form of spaced repetition called the Leitner System. It’s a widely accepted and proven method of retaining knowledge and new skills. Rather than repeat a task in its entirety, you isolate and repeat the necessary function more frequently. You can occasionally mix in a whole task (ex. golf swing) but repeat a specific function more often (ex. hip rotation).

This video is a visual example, I’m isolating a movement called adduction. Maybe the rest of my downswing is correct, but if I don’t adduct my arm, I could hit a bad shot. By isolating this, I can concentrate my attention on the integrity and feel of the movement. Is this correct? If so, what does it feel like? This approach establishes the correct movement and introduces the correct feel. Traditional golf methods do the opposite. It affirms movement through a comfortable feel — but what is comfortable is not always correct. 

Isolation removes the mixed signals from other movements that tend to draw your attention away from the necessary change. It also accelerates retention by frequently drilling the under-leveraged movement you need to make. This makes for higher quality reps without needing thousands of them. 

The third key is exaggeration. Even traditional golf promulgators are aware of the disparity between feel versus real. As I stated earlier, when movement changes the musculature and neural network will often notice it and fight back. Even a little adjustment can make it cranky. Our brain is wired to compensate and will try to do so with changes in movement. Even diligent attempts at correct mechanics may only create marginal change. While I do clarify the correct technique, I will frequently tell clients to overdo the correct movement. Basically, I want them to make the mistake on the opposite end of the spectrum. 

For example, if a player is dealing with a slice due to a lack of supination in the lead arm, I will ask them to supinate normally. If the slice persists and they are trying, I’ll ask them to overdo it and hit a hook. Close that club face! Frequently, in an attempt to do the extreme, they will end up doing the correct technique. If they do end up hooking it, that’s great news too! It means they are capable of big changes. 

Exaggeration is also helpful when changes don’t feel so different. Smaller adjustments to the swing are tricky because of the near identical feel. For example, a player needs to decrease their lead arm pronation on the backswing swing. The club face ends up open and negatively affects contact and direction. The player notes the correct initiation of the backswing does not feel any different from the old one. To know they are indeed doing the new movement, I’ll have them exaggerate it. Don’t pronate! Keep the club face closed! Sure enough, they are able to make the change quickly because they feel a difference between the old and new. Golfers must recall that feel is relative. Things will often seem extreme or non-existent in relation to what the body is familiar with.

Hal Sutton had an accomplished PGA Tour career with 14 wins, including a PGA Championship. At a glance, it might seem odd that he is most remembered for his win at The Players Championship — until you see he fought off Tiger for the title. He’s one of the few players to beat Tiger in his prime on a grand stage. Beyond the victories Hal was regarded as one of the best ball-strikers in the game. Recently, Hal made a comment regarding his ever-reliable swing and practice habits:

“Reflecting back on my career, if I hit a million balls in practice, I wish I would’ve hit half as many balls and taken twice as many practice swings without a ball. The ball owns you because you need a result and in a practice swing your mind is open to change!!!”

Hal sees the merit to the methods of slow, isolated, and exaggerated repetitions — often without a ball. An enhancement to all of these is to do them without a golf ball. But will you employ these methods? Do you want to make an effective change? Here are three keys to walk through that door.