This
article was first printed in Golf Teaching Pro in the Spring 1995
edition when the magazine was known as American Golf Pro. This is
another in a series that looks back through the archives of our
member publication.
How many times during
the course of your golfing experiences have you been tempted to
throw a club? I’m sure there are not too many of you that answered
“never.” I’m not a doctor of psychology, but I do feel that after 25
years teaching golf, together with 40 years of playing this great
game, I understand human nature.
As a junior player, I
was determined to become the best player I could as quickly as
possible. This immature approach always carries with it a host of
potential emotional problems, as you might imagine.
As well-balanced
instructors, we must not forget for a minute how much of a role
emotions at any level can become prevalent in a student’s success or
failure. There is an old cliché that goes, “The faster you go, the
further behind you get!” I’m convinced the person who came up with
this little phrase must have been a golfer. Teach your students the
value of pacing themselves on the range, as well as on the golf
course. This will go a long way toward reinforcing the understanding
of the emotional and mechanical balance necessary when playing a
good game of golf.
As instructors, we
should always be thinking of the emotional aspect of our game. How
would you feel if, when taking a playing lesson, your golf
instructor kept losing his temper? Your students, especially
juniors, will watch you and attempt to emulate the image you project
on the course.
With this in mind,
always strive to keep your personal profile in a strictly
professional, organized, and, above all, emotionally controlled
manner. You will perform more effectively, and so will your
students.
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