Technology and Golf Lessons

ALWAYS Analyst

I have been a data analyst for 20 years—and still am. While the title and position of each job may have varied, the goal is the same: Use skills to compile, cleanse, organize, and analyze data to generate actionable insights. Use data and information to identify opportunities, solve problems, and take action.

Golf Swing Analyst

So being a data-driven golf instructor comes naturally and I embrace it. I understand all the metrics and how they interact. When it comes to a swing change or goal for a specific player, I know the data we need to focus on to measure and prove progress. The same goes for video analysis of the golf swing. I understand how to analyze a student’s swing, identify and rank the opportunities for improvement, and make a plan to meet those changes.

Avoid Analysis Paralysis

I also know that golf is not a video game. Going too deep into data can make you miss the forest through the trees. Sometimes it’s important to ignore data because 1 or 2 swings is not a pattern. Also, making a science project of every single strike will not benefit your game. It might create doubt. You’re back searching for Bigfoot again. Also, analysts learn through experience that not everything you see in the data has significant meaning. Long story short, technology and data are wonderful and a must-have as far as I’m concerned. But you also must know when to unplug and play golf. As with everything in life balance is key.

Data Helps All Players Understand WHY a Result Occurs

There is another reason why I use a launch monitor on every shot during golf lessons. My students, through seeing and hearing the critical swing metrics themselves, improve at a faster rate. Because they see, feel, understand, and connect the metrics to their swing and game. They know WHY the ball does what it does after each swing. A great example is the metric Angle of Attack, which I teach to all beginner golfers. If you hand a club to a beginner, they may think you have to help the ball into the air by swinging up on it off the back foot. But after explaining what Angle of Attack measures, what proper impact position looks like (front foot with some shaft lean), and having students do the “two step” and “pinch” drills, students know forever why AOA is important. Having beginner golfers hit 80-yard pitches with half a backswing and no effort, while the launch monitor calls out “attack angle -4.2”, does a better job than just me explaining it. Instead, they experience Angle of Attack. The best part is I don’t have to say, “hit down on it” to make the ball go up. Which, as you know, is a loaded phrase. The same goes for the metrics club path, club face, and face-to-path. When players understand these metrics, and connect them to the results of their swings, it is no longer a mystery WHY a shot fades, slices, draws, or hooks. This knowledge allows the player to adjust on their own long after golf lessons with me because they know WHY each result occurred.

Technology is an invaluable tool for improving your game and we’ll use it during every golf lesson.