The Y Shape Blossoms

The learning ... 'flower'? A 'blossom'? Whatever you call it, this is the picture I have when I attempt to educate the student on the golf swing. As you can see, it begins with the Y Shape idea, coupled with the 3 'musts' of the swing. Hopefully, a learning experience will 'flower' from this seed.

The Y Shape is the main idea which should be explained immediately into the first golf lesson. This is also the idea the student will be coming back to as problems may (and probably will) arise in this struggle to understand and implement the golf swing.

Once we understand each other – that is, the Y Shape relates the club to the body, do not swing down the target line, etc. – then we can begin the learning process. The Y Shape does not have to be performed perfectly at this point, just envisioned fairly.

The Position by Position Swing is now the basis for feeling the correct moves. Regardless of what I'm working on with the student, be it Swing, Plane or Square, the Position by Position Swing is practiced as the Y Shape is very holistic, meaning that by going through the moves, even with a narrow thought – say Square, the student is simultaneously practicing other important moves. I always want to work on the WORST area of a student's swing.

Advancing further in each area: again, working on the WORST part of the student's swing, I add grip, turn, balance, set-up etc, whatever 'tool' is needed to improve the aspect of the swing that is needed. 

I consider Swing, Plane and Square to be the fundamentals of the swing. Grip, posture, alignment, ball position, turn, balance etc. to be merely 'tools' to accomplish our goal. These tools will be pulled out of the toolbox as needed. 

Going further, more detail. If the student crashes at any point we go back to the beginning, mainly the Position by Position Swing.

This may be where I start with better players. Better players may be more difficult to work with as they may have some weird ideas or may be confused in parts of the swing. Through the ball is the area of the swing that gives better players fits. OK, we chip and pitch then. For the instructor problems are easier to spot; for the student changes are easier to implement, feel.

Obviously we all need to practice the short game, this is a given. 

Exercises can be thrown in anywhere along the way.