‘The Captain of your ship!’
‘Give a man a fish and you feed him one day, teach a man to fish and you will feed him for a lifetime’ – Maimonides
Each golfer holds the potential to become a much more self-reliant player on a more consistent and long term basis. In order to master the art of becoming your own coach it helps significantly to gain a simplified understanding of your swing and game as a whole. With so much information readily available at our finger tips within the golfing world, it can at times become a little over whelming with regards to progressing our game forward. The guidance of a professional coach can be instrumental in this process, providing a simplified path aimed at preventing that continual search and frustrating loop of uncertainty and experimentation. When you combine a clear understanding of any areas you may be working on with a sound conceptual understanding of the golf swing and a trust in your own natural instincts, you are well on your way to being the captain of your own ship. If the seas become a little choppy every now and then, you know exactly what to do to steer your way through to calmer waters! This does not mean you won’t ever need or want professional assistance ever again beyond that point; it simply means you will feel a greater confidence, self reliance and in turn, a greater consistency and level of success without continually seeking out the latest ‘Money back guarantee golf fix!’ It is also key to stress the importance of a simplified understanding and not to be confused with over analysing or information overload. Ultimately, all good coaches worth their weight, whether it be in sport, business, creativity, education or life wants their student to become self sufficient, confident and to flourish in the long term. A coach is not there to act as a crutch; needed each and every single moment something goes wrong. This rarely provides long term satisfaction or results, and can at the very least become rather expensive! A coach is there to guide, inspire and support, acting as a tour guide to unearth the true potential that lies in every student. Find a coach you can trust, one who empowers you to become self reliant through a simplified understanding of your own game, one who enables you to gain a sound understanding of the fundamentals and one who understands your needs fully as an individual, expanding your strengths and working through any areas that may benefit from further development.