Bridging the gap between knowledge, learning and performance.

by John Furgurson

You know how many lousy players there are who have a wealth of knowledge about the golf swing? They’re out there, believe me. They read a lot, and they’re quick to give advice, but they can’t score worth a hoot.

On the other hand, there are many perennial contenders who know very little about the golf swing. You’ve probably been beaten by one of these guys… unorthodox swing, but he keeps the ball in the fairway, seldom makes a big number and always makes the big putts.

Andy Heinly says the difference is disciplined practice. The learning process is entirely dependant on practice. Without good practice, your knowledge won’t amount to a hill of beans. Conversely, without some knowledge, your practice won’t be constructive.

“The people who win on a regular basis, at any level, know how to practice without over-analyzing things, Henly said. “They have a reasonable amount of knowledge about the fundamentals but they don’t concern themselves with too many details. They’re able to just forget about the technicalities and focus on the skills they need to get the ball in the hole.”

That’s what it’s all about. Skill, not knowledge.

Knowing how to hit a flop shot is a far cry from having the skill to do it consistently. Somehow you have to translate your knowledge into a physical sensation. You have to develop the “feel” of hitting the shot by doing it over and over again with positive results. Learning to trust your training is probably the hardest part of the entire process.

So if you want to bridge the gap between knowledge, learning and performance, you’re going to have to commit to practice. And not just any kind of practice, lots and lots of focused skill-building with a good coach looking on. Otherwise, it’s all just hit and miss.

Tags: golf instruction, golf lessons, Golf swing, learning golf, lower scores, practice