What's Up, Doc?
by Dr. Rick Jensen
What does your golf training program and a visit to your
doctor's office have in common? The answer is hopefully, that "both
include a thorough examination before any type of treatment is
recommended." Unfortunately, many golfers do not expect the same
level of diagnostics from their golf instructors as they do from
their physicians. A quick and dirty video analysis, a swing thought
or two, and a bucket of balls and a player will fill their
prescription without question. Imagine if you received this level of
service from your doctor upon reporting that you were experiencing
chest pains and fear that you may be having a heart attack. Rather
than running diagnostic tests, the doctor assumes that you are
having a heart attack and proceeds with open heart surgery. Can you
say, "Malpractice?" In the medical profession, treatment without
assessment equals lawsuit.
Is there such a thing as malpractice in the golf profession? By
definition, malpractice is considered "neglect by one engaged in a
profession in caring for a client." Would it be considered
malpractice if your golf instructor began fixing things without first
asking the most basic assessment questions: "What is the true cause
of your poor performance?" Certainly, golf instructors are not
intentionally mis-diagnosing the source of a player's unnecessary
strokes. More likely, an instructor is simply responding to the
request of a customer when a player asks a pro to take a look at his
or her swing. "Customer service" or "malpractice" - it's a difficult
call. Should a golf pro respond to a player's request to "fix my
slice" without conducting any type of assessment to identify whether
another part of their game is the primary cause of their poor scores?
I guess the real question to be considered is, "What is the
role of the golf instructor?" Diagnostician, swing guru, customer
service representative? In my interactions with golf instructors
throughout the country, their assumed role varies greatly. Some pros,
particularly those in private clubs, feel it is their job to meet the
demands of the customer. If a member requests a full-swing lesson,
the pro fulfills the request even if he or she knows the player ought
to be working on putting. Many teachers of top touring pros expect
that the player will come to them with data that points out what is
wrong in their game, and then, these instructors simply treat the
presenting problem. Fortunately, touring pros are provided with
tournament round analysis data by their respective tours, and they
use this data to accurately identify problems in their game.
At the Performance Enhancement Center, players come to us for
one reason - to lower their scores.
Therefore, we believe it is our responsibility to identify the true
source of unnecessary strokes in a player's game. We do not assume
that a player's unnecessary strokes are due to the slice that the
player hits off of the tee. Poor putting, inaccurate pitching, faulty
thinking, or bad course management could be the greater contributor
to the player's poor scores, and therefore, need more attention. We
firmly believe that a player's "improvement program" should be based
on fact, not guesswork. Therefore, we take the time to thoroughly
evaluate a player's performance in four key skill areas: technical,
mental, strategic, and fitness.
For example, in evaluating a player's performance in the
technical skills area, we run players through a series of tests which
include driving, iron play, pitching, chipping, bunker play, and
putting. The results of these technical skills tests are then
compared to a player's expected level of performance, and a summary
is provided to the player and the instructor. This data can then be
used to make informed decisions about what technical skills to focus
on during training, and furthermore, serves as a baseline measure by
which future testing can determine whether a player's training is
effective.
If the assessment of a player's technical skills indicates that
his or her golf "swing" is the culprit of poor scores, then the
treatment plan may include golf swing instruction. However, if their
golf swing appears to be serving them quite well relative to their
handicap, pitching or putting instruction may be in order.
Golf professionals are excellent diagnosticians, when it comes
to the "game" of golf, not just the golf "swing." As players, we
should not set limits on our improvement by directing our pros to
only look at our golf swings. As professionals, they know best, and
they will serve us right - we only need to ask.
Dr. Rick Jensen is President of the Performance Enhancement
Center of Boca Raton and the Director of Sport Psychology at the
Academy of Golf, PGA National Resort and Spa. He works extensively
with touring pros on the PGA, LPGA, Nike and Golden Bear Tours, and
is a frequent lecturer at golf clubs nationwide. He can be reached at
561-852-3603.
