If you’re a GolfWRXer, there’s little chance you haven’t read at least a few instruction articles from Dennis Clark and Tom Stickney. They’re golf-instruction legends on GolfWRX, with a combined 57 years experience teaching the game and 8 million GolfWRX views… and counting.
The GolfWRX Editorial Team has the pleasure of working with Dennis and Tom almost every week as we assist them in crafting golf-instruction gold. This week, we thought we’d try a different format. We came up with the best questions we could think to ask them about golf instruction, and sent them the way of Clark, our resident PGA Master Professional, and Stickney, our very own Trackman Master. It made for an epic email chain, which became this incredible Q&A.
If you haven’t kept up on Clark and Stickney, do yourself a favor and browse through their Featured Writer Profiles to see what they’ve been writing about (here’s Dennis Clark‘s, here’s Tom Stickney‘s). Then make sure to read the Q&A below, in which Clark and Stickney help you navigate the maze the golf-instruction industry has become.
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WRX: OK Dennis and Tom, let’s start this Q&A off with a question that’s widely debated among our readers. Do swing mechanics matter, or is it all about consistency?
Tom Stickney: In my opinion, you cannot have long-term consistency without mechanical efficiency. You will always be limited by your mechanics, and it’s tough to work around poor mechanics at the higher-handicap level.
Dennis Clark: If by mechanics we are referring to the positions and motions that direct the golf club, of course they matter. But they are not immutable; they change from golfer to golfer. Consistent, solid impact stems from finding one’s own mechanics.
WRX: What comes first when you’re teaching a new golfer? Is it more important to help them score better or swing better in the beginning?
Tom Stickney: Personally, I first try to teach them to get the ball airborne each time in any way possible. After they can do this with some consistency, I then add one swing thought at a time. I try not to put any outcome goals on students at this phase so that golf remains fun at this point.
Dennis Clark: Well, when I’m working with a new golfer there is no such thing as “better” because there’s nothing that preceded it. I’m trying to teach them to swing period. I do that by first teaching a grip and a stance. There is nothing normal about holding a golf club or standing over a golf ball, so they have to get used to that. I agree with Tom that we have to get flight as early on as we can. If they continue to hit ground balls, they’re not going to stay with the game. Scoring does not even enter my mind with the new golfer.
WRX: When does scoring start to matter more than swing mechanics?
Tom Stickney: Anytime your score actually matters, but what you will find is that with poor mechanics you will have a miss that you are working to stop or you will not be able to hit certain types of shots. When this occurs, get around the golf course in the least amount of strokes possible. Then get to the practice facility and fix it.
Dennis Clark: I try to introduce scoring when my students can get their golf ball into the scoring zone, an area I consider 50 yards from the green, in the regulation number of strokes. If it is taking a player four or five shots to get to that area, scoring cannot be a concern… yet.
WRX: What technologies do you use in your teaching, and how often do you use them?
Dennis Clark: FlightScope, V1 Sports video and BodiTrak. I use FlightScope and BodiTrak often with skilled players, less often for higher handicaps and never for new players. Video for everyone, every lesson.
Tom Stickney: I use V1 Sports video and Trackman 4. Technology is in every one of my lessons, regardless of handicap level or age. It’s for my own benefit. I might not ever mention it or show the client the results unless it’s necessary, though. As the teacher, I feel I need all the information I can possibly get to make the best decision for my clients. I believe using technology is necessary for the teacher, so mistakes are kept to a minimum on my end.
WRX: What have you learned from technology, and how has it changed how you teach?
Tom Stickney: Technology has taught me how to better apply what I know from understanding the mechanics of the golf swing and how the body works while doing so. Secondly, it has helped modify any incorrect thoughts or ideas I had as I learned more about how the ball and club interact. Lastly, technology helps me to see instantly what’s going on, and from there I can use my experience, knowledge, and talent to make people better. It has accelerated my ability to help people improve and stops any arguments that might erupt between teacher and student, as all the information is right there.
Dennis Clark: It’s been a big help in the diagnosis part of the lesson for sure. Impact is much more clearly defined. The D-Plane, true path, centered contact, swing plane, are all quantified and illustrated scientifically. Guesswork is reduced to a minimum. What’s more, not only are certain impact factors more clearly defined, in some cases technology has dispelled certain misconceptions under which many labored in the pre-tech era. Having taught in both eras, I can say unequivocally, this time is better!
Technology has had little to no effect on my approach to teaching golf, though. While I believe my communication and correctional skills have improved, it has more to do with experience than technology. After I know all the data, I have to do something with it. Here, I’m leaving the science and headed into the art of golf instruction. Despite the all the revelations on the screen, I still have to use my eyes and my gut to teach golf. If I can’t sense where the student is at every moment, all the technology in the world is not going to help me. Working with different learning styles and personalities, using many ways of saying the same thing … I’m the same guy, I just know more.
WRX: How much variance is acceptable in golf-instruction technology? What we’re asking is, does an instructor need to have the most accurate technology, or can budget tools work, too? What about teachers who don’t have access to modern technology?
Tom Stickney: Anything is better than nothing. In regards to teachers who don’t use technology, there is no excuse not to have video or a basic launch monitor. These things have been made affordable through iPhone and iPad technology for under $5, and a basic launch monitor will run under $500. If you want to be the best, you have to take the steps to be the best if you are beginning in the business in today’s day and age. I worked extra hours, never took days off, taught free clinics, and gave my services away as cheaply as possible to afford the chance to teach golf for a living. Once I had a following, I took out loans in order to re-invest in my business and influence my success in this business. You are either serious about your teaching career or you are not. Every top teacher I know in the business today did the same thing.
Dennis Clark: Ditto. I agree with Tom 100 percent.
WRX: Does an aspiring golf instructor need to go to PGM school nowadays?
Tom Stickney: Not having your PGA Affiliation can hamper your ability to get hired at many golf courses.
Dennis Clark: If teaching is an aspiring golf professional’s passion, he/she needs to build a resume by getting their PGA affiliation and seeking the advice and guidance of an experienced instructor. You learn teaching from teachers.
WRX: What lesson or tip drives you crazy to hear it on the range or from another instructor?
Dennis Clark: Slow your swing down. Keep your head down. Take your pick!
Tom Stickney: Any lesson given by someone other than a teaching professional. Ninety-nine percent of the time the people teaching other people on the range are only seeing the results of previous swing flaws, not the cause of the flaw itself. You might think you know what you are doing, but most of the time your tips are harmful.
Dennis Clark: I’ll add to that. It takes a trained and experienced teaching professional to understand the dynamics of the swing. Others are simply passing on tips that they’ve heard or read, and hoping that they get lucky. Every lesson is different.
WRX: You both have been writing for GolfWRX for several years, published many stories and responded to many more comments. What’s the best piece of advice you can offer our readers to improve their golf games?
Tom Stickney: Have fun! Golf is a game, not a death march. Enjoy the process: read all you can on the internet, visit YouTube, google the top teachers, seek out the best teachers in your area. The information is out there for you to improve; it’s up to you to find it. Lastly, I sincerely thank each and every person who has taken the time to read what I have written on GolfWRX and responded positively or negatively. It is a true honor and blessing to have an outlet to reach out to the masses. I am very lucky.
Dennis Clark: Find a teacher you trust and with whom you’re comfortable. Ask questions. Understand why you’re being asked to do something, and don’t ever lose sight of the big picture when working toward a goal. Getting bogged down in details is a recipe for disaster. Never fix that which is not broken, and when you read or hear a “tip,” be certain it applies to your problem.
I have been uncommonly lucky to have forged a career in the game I love. Writing for GolfWRX has been a most pleasant chapter in that career. The satisfaction of hearing from a reader that something I suggested has helped them improve is truly gratifying. And if, through that progress, some are enjoying the game more, well, what a nice thought that is, too.
WRX: Thanks guys. Now back to teaching!