I have found that there are two qualities that I think are essential to becoming a good PGA Teaching Pro; Creativity and Imagination. Creativity and imagination can also be a bit of a double-edged sword. They will from time to time raise questions.
The potential problem with having an imagination in teaching (such as teaching a new golf swing theory) is that it is often confused by some with other disciplines or principals. Thus, the dilemna is creating something new but -- at the same time -- consistent with tried and true principles.
A recent example of this is the book written by Jim Hardy, "The Plane Truth", which is about his one-plane/two-plane theory.
If a new player picked up his book, they would find it very informative and fresh with a new concept. Those who have been around the game for any time, would realize that this is a theory that has been around for a long time. In fact, Ben Hogan was perhaps the first to discuss this round or flat swing plane with the club laid off. Hardy's description is very imaginative in a newer description. I mean no critical remark to Mr. Hardy for writing his book; in fact, he should be lauded in how creative he got with his approach. He has also shed more light onto a subject that has been around a long time -- and truthfully -- described it better than the Hogan himself.
We as teaching pros have a set of principles that we teach with. Call them guide lines, if you will. I have found that most of the principles that I have used in the past fall short. I'm not saying that they are wrong or that you can't do it that way. I'm just saying that there are another set of principles. A new set that have been over looked and I share these principals with you in my book. These principals are what I base my book, The 7 Myths of Golf, upon.
But what if your instructor were to only use the creative side to teach with; the right side of the brain where we are all more open to our genius, the God talent that is unbounded to us, and not the left, where all the debris has built up? This is one of the questions that I have asked myself from time to time. After all, isn't the right side or the creative side where we play our best golf from?
This way of teaching has snowballed into how I approach my students. I realize that I have to sketch out the situation for them, it's like they are stuck in some black hole and they need me to pull them out. I find that the knowing of the here-and-now is a real help to reaching toward these new levels of finer golf, and recognizing how structuring the situation differently will help the changes occur.
It's interesting how the average golfer deals with failure next to the Tour pros; I will always hear the amateur talk in terms of embarrassment. The Tour pro faces the failure as if it is a necessary element for any good occur. The better player almost welcomes it. If you don't welcome it you will only limit yourself. I use the 7mythsofgolf.com to dismiss the bad information; I then use video to show my students the good stuff. Then it is up to the contract that I make with them. This is important, I am their trusted coach, and my students crave discipline. It is up to me to give them the plan to achieve goals by work-out programs, diets, journal-writing, and keeping statistics of their progression. I also try to provide tons of drills and management of time for the short game, the long game, the play time and the visualization of what happens when you reach your goals in golf.
You see making a practice swing is different than hittting a ball and it's different hitting on the practice tee compared to the first tee and it's different on the first tee with people all around you and that's different from the Tournament first tee and that's different from the Tournament first tee when you have the first round lead and that's different from the first tee in the final round when you have the lead and it's different from the final round lead standing on the 18th hole and all you need is a "four" to win the club championship and that's different from the state am and that is different from the state open and I think you get the point. You can never prepare yourself enough, so you had better start with a swing that can work for you under any kind of pressure and that is the swing that I teach. I teach a swing that you can find the ball with one that won't scare you to death when you have to pull the handle back. Come to the and get pulled out of your black hole.
Bill Bondaruk is a PGA Class A member. After traveling the mini tours, Bondaruk taught for a few world-renowned golf schools, including John Jacobs, Jim McLean and Scott Sackett's Resort Golf. He was Director of Instruction at Arizona National and swing instructor for the University of Arizona men's and women's golf teams. He has worked with a list of tour professionals as well as collegiate stars.
