The only way to really learn, improve and enjoy golf is out on the course, The traditional flat surfaced practice ground is a good starting point to get a grip of the swing or improve the fundamentals, but it doesn't fully prepare the golfer for the 'real life' conditions on the course.
The majority of good golfers have had the advantage of playing since childhood, experiencing multiple rounds, in which they've naturally learnt to deal with the many varied and
awkward lies the golf course demands. These golfers have typically played first before concentrating on the technique of the swing. Unfortunately, this natural path to playing good golf is a luxury that those who take up the game in their adult life rarely experience. In fact, current teaching practices mean that adult learners are almost always forced to do the opposite, spending the majority of their time attempting to develop 'the perfect swing' and very little time on the course learning and playing the game.
I don't want to dismiss learning about the swing, but it shouldn't take too long and certainly shouldn't become the sole purpose of tuition. A swing is just a swing and however much time is spent on trying to perfect one, it means nothing if it can't be applied in practice. This is why as a professional, I strongly encourage new golfers out onto the course in the early stages of learning even if their swings are not yet experienced or established. At its most fundamental, playing on the course gives a taste of the real game, the thrill of staring down a fairway to the flag beyond, the heroics of getting a ball out of
the Bunker , the subtlety of landing the ball on the green rather than in the rough beyond and the euphoria of hearing the plop of the ball in the hole. - these are all just as much a part of the game as the swing, and quite frankly, is what brings the game to life! So experiencing this early on is likely to feed a golfers enthusiasm to learn and develop and to help them fully grasp the
point of the swing they are developing- it's not always to go straight with a 7 iron, but to negotiate dog legs, to miss the rough, to get over the hill or make a birdie!
After a week of boffins working around the clock to produce the European Tour’s alternative to Ben Crane’s hat and goggles, big boss George O’Grady says he’s “not so sure” if the Joel Sjolholm experiment is working.
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