Three Keys to Skill Development

There is no shortage of information available if you are looking to make a change to your golf game. Whether it be social media, magazines, or The Golf Channel, every day, you are bombarded with information on ways to drive the ball longer, hit more consistent iron shots, and curve the ball less. As golfers, you are led to believe that if you just make a particular technical change, that change will transform your ball striking to levels you had previously only dreamed about. Unfortunately, this is not the full story.

Playing better golf on the golf course is about developing skills that are transferable to the wide variety of situations you will encounter in any given round of golf. To develop these skills, a player should work through the following 3 step process.

Technical – Yes, if you want to change your inconsistent ball contact, the disastrous curve with your tee shots, and produce predictable ball flights, then you are probably going to have to make a technical change. This change could be simple or even not require a change at all, rather just a better understanding of the concepts required to hit a quality shot. But with the myriad of information available, how can you know what is the correct technical change for you? You cannot see your own golf swing, and feels are rarely accurate, even for the most established of players. You need to gain an understanding of how you are producing the contact and ball flight you do and what needs to change to produce your desired outcome.

A lesson with one of the Royal Oaks Professionals would be the best idea, but however you gain this insight, please do not leave it to guesswork.

Skills – Once you understand and have implemented the technical change, the next step is to turn this into a skill you can use in a variety of situations. The ability to produce the new motion and ball flight with the same club off an artificial range tee does not mean you have learned a new skill. You are not trying to learn it so well that you can reproduce it; rather, you want to learn it so well that you reproduce it in any situation. This requires practice that looks more like what you will be asked to do on the course – change clubs and targets often, have clearly defined outcomes, keep score, and have consequences for those outcomes.

Strategy – You learned a new technical move in your golf swing. You have also worked on it in a variety of situations so that you can reproduce it on the golf course. The final step is to make sure your on-course strategies match the new ball flights and shot dispersions. Your old course management decisions will probably not match your new ball-striking skills. This is also the perfect opportunity to work through any lingering course management issues that, if altered, can save you several strokes per round.

It is rare that you meet players who are aware of and utilizing this process to improve their golf game, but it is the process I would suggest you use if you are serious about lowering your scores. You can walk this journey on your own, or the Royal Oaks professional staff are here to guide you. Feel free to reach out to one of the Teaching Professionals on staff, and we will be happy to discuss the best ways to help.