Golf’s Four Keys

The typical golfer focuses on technique and mechanics only, neglecting the importance of the mental, physical, and equipment areas. All four areas are essential, and they affect each other and the golfers’ ability to perform.

I believe that all golfers have a natural aptitude to swing a golf club functionally. Combined with a solid understanding of the four keys that will directly affect a golfer, a functional swing motion can be developed. Learning and performance will be compromised if this understanding is not fulfilled.

Any instructional program should be designed to evaluate and develop the golfer in all four areas. Physical strength and flexibility should be evaluated when establishing a swing model — mentally understanding the learning process and the importance of attention. Mechanically provide a simple understanding of the elements that create a good shot. The final component is a complete golf club evaluation, which should be performed on the current equipment to identify any inconsistency that will affect performance.

Here’s an example of how one area will affect all four areas. Controlling the ball flight is the end objective for all golfers. The mind and body will not perform naturally if the club does not generate the proper ball flight with a balanced motion. When this does not happen, the golfer will have to compensate for their balance and swing motion to get this desired ball flight, which will lead to confusion and frustration.