I’m willing to make a bet with you. If you dug out a few golf magazines from a couple of years ago and compared them to a selection of this month’s publications on the shelves, you’d find instructional pieces regurgitating the same suggestions on how to improve your swing.
Now, I’ll immediately concede that it must be difficult for publishers and editors. For starters, there are a limited number of shots on which you can effectively provide instruction when illustrating a point with a pen and a few photographs.  It’s also true that the fundamentals of the golf swing don’t change much, even if the audience itself, not to mention the equipment, does.

My frustration, however, lies in the fact that most instructional pieces suggest a pretty fundamental overhaul of your technique, something that (to me at least) seems pretty inadvisable given that the instructor hasn’t seen you hit a single shot.  Not to mention the fact that there’s no “one size fits all” approach to the golf swing, as the array of swinging styles at the very top of the game serves to prove.  It’s not the instructor’s fault, of course.  Asked to write an instructional article, you’d assume that they’re given a remit and are only following the magazine’s protocol on this style of article. But, my question is, why don’t instructional pieces in magazines provide ideas on how to improve without a major transformation of technique?   If that’s what’s needed, you won’t find the answer in a magazine and are much better off seeking professional advice from a PGA Pro on a one-to-one basis.

My argument is that, while I realise instructional tips and articles are key to a magazine’s appeal and take up a significant number of column inches, I think the content of these pieces should be something that all standards of golfer can emulate and benefit from.  It’s pointless telling your high-handicapper how to hit a ‘controlled fade’, as, and I am sure the high-handicapper would be the first to concede, the reason they play off a high- handicap is because ‘control’ in lacking in most shots.  And, as noted above, everybody has a unique golf swing, so passing on a generic method to hit a fade is probably only going to help one or two lucky people.

You won’t convince me that the average golfer can read the “How to Hit a Controlled Fade” feature, and subsequently go straight to the course with a Montgomerie like natural five yard cut. That’s not to say that the advice isn’t correct, but for my money it’s an unrealistic expectation.  Personally, I think the golfer could be much better served with a different approach.  I also think there is a gap to fill.

Pretty much everyone I know hits the ball brilliantly when in the middle of a lesson (a worthy testament to the merits of PGA Professional advice), only to find that this magic touch has deserted them the moment they next take the clubs out. That next game on the course, or that next session on the driving range, seems to be the blight of many a golfing life. Surely this is an area where the instructional pieces in magazines can help. Why not focus on those tips, games, drills, and thoughts that hone the skill and will aid the transformation from ‘best player on the range’ to ‘best player on the course’ much more effectively? Use these articles to bridge the gap.

Surely this serves to benefit the club professionals as well.  Instead of leading golfers to believe they can get a lesson from a generic article, why not encourage them to support their local pro, and then use the instructional space to show them how to practice with applicable games, drills, and tips? And, it might actually help us all do what these sections are attempting to do… improve!

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