Has Golf Become a Frustrating Form of Recreation?

In an earlier article I spoke about the decline of the game and laid part of the blame at the feet of not only the governing bodies of golf but also at the feet of those who are developing and designing golf courses.

It is my opinion though that the majority of blame is directly on the shoulders of the PGA. It is my opinion that those who are responsible for the education and teaching of how to play the game have and are failing miserably. The fact of the matter is that though equipment has seen improvement beyond what many thought possible, the handicaps and skill set of golf players throughout the industry has improved ZERO. When it comes to true handicaps, way too many golfers do not have nor can they play to a 10 handicap or less.

In the beginning Medicus Golf was a training aid company with a purpose of helping golfers. We have now expanded our mission to include not only that of aids but to also assist golfers to improve through golf swing education. But this is not why I mention this. I mention this due to the fact that on a daily basis we are in contact with hundreds of golfers calling to purchase swing aids. In most cases these golfers are presently working with someone who is providing lessons for them. This does not make logical sense to me though I must admit that for our business this is a good thing. But, why would anyone who is working with a golf teacher/educator ever have a need for a training aid. It is one thing when an instructor would request the student to place an order to assist them with their swing faults but this is seldom the case. The students are the ones who are still searching on their own. The other amazing thing to me is that most students see and view their instructor as the best thing since sliced bread. This makes no sense.

It is my opinion that the students are not improving due to those who are providing the information are teaching a lot of experience and feel, and though in general the information may be good, it is far from being complete. With the information being incomplete the student never gets the correct mechanics for them and then the natural progression into their OWN feel, not the teachers, is never accomplished.

As Homer Kelley stated, “There are a lot of very smart people playing some very poor golf.” Why is this the case? They lack the information to succeed! Period! No ifs, ands or buts.

So until golfers, especially new to the game or those who have left frustrated with the game, can get the correct information, so the game is not a frustrating form of recreation, the game of golf will suffer. This added to the equipment issues, course design and other issues mentioned in the previous article, makes a turnaround for growth quite bleak but…..the fix is NOT that hard to implement, sell or get across to the public. All we need is to implement change with correct educational information of how to play the game and to make the game fun for all.

Randy Sparks