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Golf is a solitary game, that's why I think it's one of the hardest to coach.  Unlike any other sport I can think of, golf is a test of self.  So a golf coach has to be part technician and part psychologist.

I was reminded of that when I opened last month's Golf Digest.  There was an article about Eddie Merins, the Club Pro Emeritus at Bel Aire CC and former UCLA golf coach.

The article is a wide ranging discussion with a man who has been a part of the game for over 50 years.  He has played with or coached nearly every great player in that period.  It's obvious from the interview he knows the game as well as anyone.  But what struck me was the way he communicated the message.  Every golfer knows not to swing up on the ball.  But as Merins says, it's the most common swing flaw in the game.  Do you think you'd be more likely to cure that problem if your pro gave you a drill or if he told you this:

Now, have you ever stood on the tee waiting your turn to play, and you swipe at a cigarette butt, broken tee or something else just lying there? You have to swing level to hit it, right? Well, that's how you want to hit your driver. Try to knock the tee over with your swing. Just knock it out of the ground. This is how you hit the ball solidly and find the distance and accuracy you've been looking for.

I love the lack of pretention in the remedy.  He sees a problem then explains the solution in a simple manner.  The message is that you are already doing the right things, just in the wrong context.  Here is the correct context.  Makes all the difference in the world.

Merins was the golf coach at UCLA at the same time some guy named Wooden was running the basketball team.  He tells a revealing story about both Wooden and the PGA.

I'll tell you why we're losing the Ryder Cup. Years ago John Wooden came by and gave my UCLA golf team a lecture. He spoke for an hour and 20 minutes, and not once did he mention the word "winning." All he talked about was preparation….  The U.S. team is obsessed with winning, about getting the Cup back. It's all the players talk about. Somehow they're focusing on the end result instead of what they need to do to win. It's distracting and adds to the pressure. Tom Lehman talked with Coach Wooden, but the team never realized that winning is a reward, not a goal.

Winning is a reward, not a goal.  I think I've found a new credo.