How do you help a golfer make swing changes without getting overly technical and clogging their mind? That was the challenge we set TaylorMade ambassador Nick Dougherty when we gave 18-handicapper Andy Edom some one-on-one time with the former tour pro at Wentworth. Check out the results in part three of our Game.Improved Series below…
Straight off the bat, Nick was able to identify some of the issues that plague Andy in his quest to improve. It’s something many golfers, professional and amateur, struggle with due to the inherent nature of the game.
“I can relate to Andy,” says Nick. “He’s an overthinker because he tries so hard. It’s an admirable quality but one that’s thwarted him because sometimes the more we get invested consciously, the more we get in our own way and I think Andy had a little bit of that going on.”
Specifically, Andy struggles with a two-way miss off the tee and had a preset move at address that threw his set-up out of whack and actually exacerbated this problem. As Dougherty explained, it was like he was ticking boxes in his mind before pulling the trigger. As a result, there was no flow to any part of Andy’s process, from the pre-shot routine through to impact.
(Image credit: Tom Miles)
“It’s the challenge of coaching to help someone get better without turning inwards with their thoughts. The last thing I need to do is give Andy 10 different things to go and think about. As much as I felt a thirst for information from him. He wants to know why, so this is why and this is what we’re going to do that’s really easy.
“I think that’s really important. I want to understand the inner workings of it, but at the same time, I want to use that information. The problem is, quite often, if we just have that information, how do we apply it to a movement that’s over so quickly?”
Discipline is key
The secret ingredient for anyone looking to make changes without getting bogged down in technical thoughts, Nick says, is discipline. And a massive part of that begins with accepting the journey to better golf isn’t always going to be one…
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