SWS Golf Performance

Springfield, Missouri

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Maximize On Course Performance

The Missing Link

Have you ever wondered why you often play great shots on the driving range and practice area but can’t seem to take it to the golf course even after taking lessons? This is a common theme for many golfers who are missing the link to on-course performance. If you want to improve and maximize your performance on the golf course and not just at the driving range, it is important to find the source of your problems first by doing a skill assessment. It is necessary to test each skill and then provide an individualized practice plan that follows the four steps below.   At our Academy, we do an on-course assessment that we turned into a skills contest as well as a scoring zone assessment from 100 yards and in. Once we see the snapshot of the student’s entire game, we can create an effective program that maximizes results by following the four steps below. 

STEP ONE – Understanding Cause & Effect

This step determines which skill is costing you the most strokes, seek understanding what you are doing wrong, and identify what you need to do to fix it. Skill testing and tracking statistics is part of this step.  

STEP TWO – Supervised Practice & Coaching

The majority of golfers don’t know how to practice effectively because they have never been taught.  Finding a golf instructor or coach that offers skill testing and supervised practice is a great place to start.  

What Effective Practice Looks Like

Henry Brunton’s book, High Performance Golf, explains the types of practice routines that are effective for training and improving a skill especially in competition. It states that the “frequency, quality and intensity of practice plays a huge role in building the skills and confidence necessary to perform successfully under pressure”. 

Blocked Practice: Practice hitting the same club and shot to the same target over and over again. It is an effective way for building skills and establishing motor patterns as long as you establish a precise target and use alignment sticks to ensure you are aimed correctly and ingraining the pattern that you are trying to repeat.  This should not be the only way to practice. It is important to have a goal in mind or focus for this type of practice. Avoid the “rake and hit” approach of going through the motions when practicing. 

Random Practice: Practice hitting random shots using different clubs and targets frequently.  The “54 Shot Challenge” developed by Pia Nilsson and Kjell Enhager is a great example of random practice.  This challenge is where you take 54 shots, randomly changing clubs and targets after each shot.  This type of practice is performed by the top players in the world and research shows that athletes that train using random practice techniques are likely to outperform those who employ only traditional blocked practice over time. (Below is a chart from Trevor Ragan of Train Ugly. Retention of Random Practice was basically twice as high than retention from Blocked Practice in a 1994 study conducted on baseball players throwing accuracy)

 Transfer Training: This type of practice is where the player simulates actual playing conditions just like playing in a tournament.  This type of practice involves competitive games that involve pressure or imagining playing the actual golf course on the practice range or green going through the exact same routine, thoughts, and movements as if playing the actual shot you’re going to play on the course.

Creating a practice journal along with performance goals for each session is an effective way to track what works and the thoughts that take place when experiencing positive results. You can go back to your journal when you are struggling as a reminder of what thoughts and feelings that helped you perform at your best.       

Why Traditional Training Doesn’t Work

High Performance Golf gives a list of problems why traditional golf training that you see at the majority of driving ranges across the country is ineffective:  

  • It’s not deliberate practice.
  • Players are generally not mentally engaged (going through the motions thinking muscle memory will take place).
  • Players are not encouraged to learn to perform golf skills in context of how shots are actually played on the golf course (No transfer training).
  • Players depend too heavily on their instructors or coaches.
  • There is too little practice of the pre-shot routine.
  • Golf skills are taught and practiced under conditions very different than those during play.
  • Their practice doesn’t simulate the competitive pressures involved in play.
  • It promotes a false sense of confidence.
  • There is little focus on reacting to targets.  

STEP THREE – Transfer Training

Why is golf generally practiced on a different location than where the sport is actually played? This is why step three is so important for maximizing on-course performance. Transfer training is taking the same approach you would as if you are playing a competitive round of golf. Your process (pre-shot routine, thoughts, and how you play each shot) shouldn’t change from the driving range to the golf course. Transfer training that takes place at a driving range is effective as long as you are practicing from different lies that you will experience on the golf course and you are following the same process.  

STEP FOUR – Playing with the Skill

The final step involves playing with your weakest skill while keeping score on the course. This is the process of actually executing the type of shot that you have been practicing under playing conditions on the golf course. If you want to see if you have mastered steps two and three for that skill you are working on, try playing in a local tournament and see if your shot holds up under pressure. When your nerves come into play and there is pressure on the line, it will expose your weaknesses.  

If you do a skills assessment first to find out where you are weakest and then follow the four steps to maximizing on-course performance, you will shoot lower scores.  It is similar to performing TPI screens to find out where the body is lacking mobility, stability, flexibility, and balance before building an effective exercise program.  Otherwise, you are guessing and may never reach your potential and long term goals.

BOOK YOUR SESSION TODAY!

[email protected] / 417.597.2411

What Our Customers Say

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Bryan Hood 1 year ago
I got excited about my improvement after my 3rd lesson. I've waited to post a review until I finished all of the 10 lessons I committed to were complete. I've played quite a bit of golf during the 10 weeks of instruction. It's been rough, adapting to and executing my new swings. Yep, swings. I am very confident, now, with my putting, driving, woods, long irons and mostly wedges swings. My love for the sport has increased and I genuinely enjoy playing. I started about 5 years ago and had no foundation to work from. I took some basic lessons and now these more advanced and modern swing thoughts and practices. I can't thank Sean enough for spinning me up. I've really enjoyed our conversations as well. Fantastic people, fantastic facility.
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Jaime Singer 1 year ago
I have had a couple different golf coaches over my 8 years of playing. Sean is by far the best instructor I've had. He works within your limitations and really helped me understand my mechanics and how to get my body into sync. I've never hit the ball with more control than I do after just 1 lesson with him.
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Roaming Gnomes 2 year ago
Since working with Sean, my handicap has dropped by 5 and I have scored in the 70's several times, and we are not even finished with the first set of sessions. His approach is very effective, as it teaches your body how to move in order to achieve the desired outcome. His facility is set up to optimize your bodies performance, as well as your golf swing. This is the best approach to learning the golf swing ,and how to achieve that swing, that I have found. It is certainly the most effective, evident by my dropping handicap and much more consistent play. Looking forward to continuing the journey with Sean into single digit handicaps.Update : Handicap is now below 8 and scoring average is 79. Thanks again.
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Mike Bennitt 2 year ago
I met Sean about 2 months ago when he began building what has proven to be one of the finest golf training facilities I’ve ever experienced. The simulators are simply amazing as is the entire fitness and short game area. After joining as a 24/7 member, Sean began casually mentioning that he felt he could help me with some golf specific fitness that would help me shoot better scores. So I met with him a few times and began working diligently on the flexibility and strength exercises he recommended. The result, I’ve gained another 10-15 yards of distance and my last 3 scores were 76,75,76 after not breaking 80 for two months before!!! Every part of my game is improving. Couldn’t be happier with the choice to join and work with him. Sean is an awesome person and a great teacher. I highly recommend him and 24/7
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Adam 2 year ago
SWS golf performance is the nicest golf facility in southern Missouri for improving your game. The high end Uneekor technology that Sean has equipped the space with is the best available. The amount of club data to help improve and analyze your swing is game changing. The ability to improve your swing using data and video replay is a big reason why the game of golf is getting so much better so quickly. If you are looking to improve at golf using modern day technology, this is as good as it gets. Sean is an incredible teacher of the game of golf as well - I am very appreciative and lucky to have him as a coach.
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Nixa, MO 65714

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