At the age of 8, my son Quinten has finally chosen a sport, with prior activities limited to PlayStation and the computer. This is very exciting – the downside is he could have picked golf, which would have been virtually free, but instead chose ice hockey, arguably the most expensive sport.

Watching him learn to skate – he’s only been on skates four times – has been an interesting experience, as he is learning a new motor skill. But what has been just as interesting is I have been skating with him. Skating for me is not a new activity, since I grew up with golf and ice hockey, my brother going to college for hockey and me for golf. And considering that I haven’t been on skates in probably 20 years, I can still get around okay. But my challenge has been that I can skate fairly well forwards, in a counter-clockwise direction, and backwards in a clockwise direction. So as my son is learning, I’m working on practicing and developing the skills that I don’t as well. So it’s not that I can skate in the opposite direction, but rather it is kind of new, and very awkward.

So how do I approach it? Well, just like I recommend golfers making changes in their golf swing. I start with small steps at a slow speed, and then build up the speed until I reach the point where I start to lose control, then to slow down. It’s the same as I learn guitar – I start slow until I develop the pattern, then work up to a speed where I start to lose control, then back down the speed. In learning new or improving all motor skills, the way humans learn is to do things slowly and small, then work up to the desired speed or results, just as when learning or changing something in your golf swing. If you can’t create a good impact position when you chip or pitch the ball (small swings), how can you possibly create a good impact position in a full swing at full speed? It’s the same thing with working on changing the sequence in your full swing – you should try taking a lot of practice swings, then start hitting making full swings, at say 50% speed – say a five iron at 75 yards. Then continue to “dial” up the speed, while incorporating the new change until you reach a speed that you lose control, then back it down and build it up. 

 All humans naturally approach learning or improving a motor skill in the same way. This is the way we are built, so it only makes sense to use the same approach with golf.

More times than not, making adjustments and changes to your golf swing, after doing it a certain way, can be uncomfortable to say the least. One of the most fundamental changes I try to make with students, and one of the hardest, is a grip adjustment. And generally speaking, no matter how little the change, it seems to be one of the greatest challenges for golfers. But the grip is a very important fundamental as it has the most influence on the clubface at impact, which determines how well you can control the direction of your golf ball. And while the grip is negotiable, it does mean you can hold it anyway you want, the important thing is to find the MOST effective way for you to hold it.

I learned the challenge of making the change recently with my guitar playing. I was holding the pick in a relatively unorthodox way, one that still allowed me to be able to play, but I didn’t feel like I had the maximum amount of control of the pick that I could. It’s similar to golfers who hold their club, with their left hand (right-handed golfer), too much in the palm. Evidence of this usually is the wearing out of the glove, but more importantly while you can hit good shots with the club in your palm, you will have more control of the club if it’s more in your fingers (with both hands) and very possibly better control of your ball flight.

But change is sometimes very challenging. I have been playing guitar for awhile now with a certain grip, and then tried to make the change and while I could play a little with the new grip, my playing took a little step backwards – the improvement was not seen immediately. But I stuck with it and after a couple of weeks I really started to see some speed and control movement in my playing.

The thing is, provided that you know that a change you are making is going to be more effective, you need to have a certain level of stick-to-it-iveness to make a change. But if you do persevere, and it may take some time, you will be rewarded.