First
Aid
Is it Time to Go Back to
School?
It's a commitment to instruction and
practice without interference.
by
Dr. Gary Wiren,
PGA Master Instructor
In the 1920's, North Americans caught the Tom Thumb
miniature golf putting craze. If you lived in a town that didn't have
one of those diminutive layouts, it wasn't much of a town.
The recent spread of golf schools reminds me of
that movement. Though not as encompassing, nonetheless it's
impressive. You can't help but have noticed the ads describing "A
great opportunity to improve your game," by attending a 3-4-5-day
school, including overnight accommodations where you can "work on all
aspects of your game." Well, how about it? Is it something you ought
to consider? Is it worth the time and money?
The best thing about signing up for a school is
that you are making a commitment to spend a concentrated period of
time on learning. Commitment is important to whatever in life you are
trying to accomplish. Let's face it - even the golfer with good
intentions to take lessons and practice regularly during the season
often gets sidetracked, is too busy, and lets his or her golf slip.
The comment at the end of the season usually is, "I really planned to
work on my game this year but just didn't get around to it." At a
golf school you are locked into instruction and practice without
outside interference. There's no temptation to miss.
As a professional, one of the things I like about a
student learning in a school environment is that he gets personal
supervision, not only with his instruction, but also with his
practice. It's a luxury neither the student nor I can afford under
normal teaching conditions.
Golf schools are fairly complete in their
offerings. One gets a chance to work on the elements of the game
that are usually neglected: putting, chipping, pitching and bunker
play. In schools where I've been the director, we also included other
elements which we felt were important to playing well - psychology,
course management, equipment, physical training and nutrition.
I've taught over 250,000 golf professionals and
amateurs in schools and clinics, yet oddly enough the first golf
school in which I ever worked was not in North America at all but in
the mecca, Scotland. Somehow, the Scots found out before we did that
the game was more fun when learned in a group. The Nairn Golf Week in
Scotland near Inverness and the famous Loch Ness monster predated
school programs in this country by several years. That the weather
was terrible and the teaching facilities primitive by our standard
didn't keep the people from learning and having a grand time. They
had an absolute ball!
So include on your list of pluses for golf school
attendance "having a good time." In my way of thinking, that is
certainly the way it ought to be. Naturally, the aspiring golf school
student doesn't sign up for "fun and games" - he wants to get better.
That should be the number one objective of any school. It certainly
has always been in ours.
How about it - do you always get better? Some
professionals have told me that they have had pupils come back from a
school after having paid a lot of money and are worse golfers. Of
course that is possible, but in most cases that's temporary. It takes
time to affect change in the golf swing. New techniques may require a
few weeks of home practice to make recently acquired positions or
moves seem natural. The "worse for awhile, better later" syndrome is
not an absolute, however. I've seen pupils leave after a school
immediately better, sometimes by as many as 1 to 15 shots by Dr. Gary
Wirenif they were high handicappers. What is important is to be
patient with yourself and give the instruction an adequate chance to
take. What you should be shooting for is a better game for your
lifetime, not just for next week.
Yes, I do believe the golf school concept is good,
but there are a couple of notes of caution.
¥Be careful of the "method schools" where every
student is required to develop a swing within a rigid instructional
framework. PGA National's implementation of the leverage, arc and
width approach allows for individual difference in body types and
physical ability. Not everybody is alike, and not everybody can or
needs to swing alike.
¥Check out the credentials of the staff. Look for
experience. If there is a star name involved, will he or she be
working with you, or do they make a cameo appearance?
¥Buy the program, not the star. Some schools with a
star's name are excellent, even though he or she never appears;
others are poor even when the star is present.
On the plus side, and a very important
consideration, expect to make new friends, maybe even lifetime
friends, at a school. It may be fellow participants, the
professionals, or both - but I can tell you it will happen; and
that's part of the reward. My golf school staff had as its number one
maxim: "The person is always more important than the swing." That
caring attitude permeated the group and the week. And that is one
reason friendships develop. Try a golf school in 1997, and see if
some good things don't happen to you.
Gary Wiren is a PGA Master Instructor and a Ph.D.
He operates "Golf Around the World" in Lake Park, Florida. The
company conducts golf seminars, schools and personal visits, and
sells golf teaching aids, books and videotapes. Call 561-625-1928 or
800-824-4279 for information.
Garyw@floridagolfing.com
