Notes from the Summit - 1

Over the next few articles, I will be conveying information learned from attending the PGA Teaching & Coaching Summit in Orlando, Florida earlier this year. There were many of the great’s among the top teachers on hand… enjoy the seminar highlights!

Notes from Dave Stockton Sr & Rob Stockton, PGA Teaching & Coaching Summit Presentation -Tour Players and Top Golf Instructors       http://www.stocktongolf.com/

A wonderful presentation on what Dave Stockton’s golf schools work with in putting.

• Learning goes through 4 stages: Unconscious Incompetence, Conscious Incompetence, Conscious Competence and Unconscious Competence.  While all golfers would like to dwell in unconscious competence, most amateurs live between Conscious Incompetence and Conscious Competence when working on a skill because of lack of practice, repetitions and time spent on really learning a drill. 
• Abandon the words Try and Hit and replace them with Feel and Roll.
• Move physical thoughts and emotions into the background when putting. We can’t micromanage every thought and move. Just like trying to micromanage signing our names, it becomes easier when letting it sign on its own – it has a better flow.  Move the focus from the ball to the target (like throwing darts or shooting basketballs)
• Spend more time on pace versus reading the line once over the putt.
• Reduce the busy mind at tough distances. Build confidence versus high expectation.
• Left-Hand Drill for RH golfer: Putt with target-hand only. 
• Yips come from expectations. Lead hand alone chips and putts. Most yips are in the dominant hand.

At what point do you really know how to do this?  It does not have to be perfect. It’s not a deadly disease. If you miss, you miss. It does  not have to look a certain way. It just needs to go in. Work on speed and feel in your routine, not thinking.