Instruction

Quantifying how golfers actually move is key to the future of instruction

Published

4 months ago

Apr 15, 2025

As we get older, it becomes harder and harder to move the body, generate speed, and place ourselves into solid fundamental positions during the swing, thus swing flaws tend to materialize. It’s these swing flaws that are caused by poor physiology that hamper even the best golfers in the world.

Secondly, because these issues are impossible to “see,” most instructors are trying to place their students into positions that they cannot achieve physiologically, and this brings improvement to a standstill.

Over time, there have been a few organizations in other sports that have focused on testing their athletes’ ability using functional movement screens but it was not widely used in golf training until the advent of TPI, created by Dr. Greg Rose and David Phillips. They developed a series of subjective movement “tests” that would show the instructor to what degree their student could move their body in different positions. Wherever there was a weakness- whether it be from stability or mobility- an exercise plan could be put into place based on these tests so the player could eliminate that deficiency and make better swings over time.

With the advent of video-based 3D motion analysis and AI, new products have come out on the market that have made screening golfers for movement less subjective and more measured. Now, for the first time, we are able to map the movement screens of golfers in any setting and show them, within degrees, how much they actually move. This gives us a numerical baseline of the player’s ranges of motion, mobility, and stability within different body segments, and these results can be compared over time to see how a player’s body reacts as they continue to stretch, work out, or do whatever they need to do in order to improve.

Below is a five-minute testing protocol I did using Proscreen AI powered by Kinetisense on one of my students screening the following movements

Golf Posture
Golf Stance Upper-Torso Rotation
Golf Stance Lower-Torso Rotation
Overhead Squat
Internal Hip Rotation
External Hip Rotation
Back Flexion
External Rotation of the Shoulders
Shoulder Flexion
Single Leg Balance

These tests show this golfer’s ability to “move” in the three planes of motion that golfers are required to move within and will show us any deficiencies that they might possess.

Below is a sample report featuring these results showing this player’s physiological profile:

In assessing this player’s swing mechanics, it is clear that they are grappling with both left shoulder mobility impingement and limited left hip mobility. These interconnected issues are significantly impacting their overall swing performance.

The left shoulder mobility problem is causing the hands to kick out during the backswing, which disrupts the necessary positioning for an effective shot. As the player struggles with their left shoulder, the arms tend to lift and push out, leading to an unfavorable club position at the top of the backswing. This misalignment not only hampers the player’s ability to make solid contact but also complicates the transition into the downswing.

The left shoulder mobility problem is causing the hands to kick out during the backswing, which disrupts the necessary positioning for an effective shot. As the player struggles with their left shoulder, the arms tend to lift and push out, leading to an unfavorable club position at the top of the backswing. This misalignment not only hampers their ability to make solid contact but also complicates the transition into the downswing.

Compounding the issue is the player’s restricted left hip mobility. This limitation further exacerbates the pressure transfer problem during the swing. As the player attempts to initiate the downswing, they tend to shift more weight into their left hip and left heel, resulting in a smaller, more cramped posture through the hitting zone. Unlike elite golfers, who maintain an elevated stance through the hitting zone, this player’s restricted lower body movement can lead to a lack of power and fluidity in their swing.

Addressing both the left shoulder and left hip mobility issues is crucial for this player’s improvement. By enhancing shoulder mobility, they can achieve a more effective takeaway and club position, which is essential for a successful swing.

Additionally, improving hip mobility will facilitate better pressure transfer and promote a more dynamic downswing. Ultimately, resolving these interconnected mobility problems will lead to a more consistent and powerful swing, enabling the player to perform at their best on the course. A focus on these aspects of their game can transform their overall performance and enhance their enjoyment of the sport.

Through the Proscreen’s KAMS testing protocol, we found that diagnosing the left shoulder and left hip mobility issues affecting this player’s swing mechanics became much easier. This objective assessment simplifies the process of identifying specific faults that might otherwise go unnoticed.

Ultimately, KAMS testing underscores the importance of precise evaluation, allowing us to target and address the player’s performance challenges.

As always, the player and the coach have two options once they get the results of the analysis — work on the body in the gym or work around the “swing flaw” if the golfer is not willing to work out. Obviously, working out would be the best option, as proven by TPI, but as we know, some people refuse to go to the gym, so the only other way we can swing effectively is to work around the weaknesses of the body.

However, if we cannot first identify the functional movement inefficiencies, there is no way we can effectively teach our golfers!

Tom is the Director of Instruction at Jonathan’s Landing Club in Jupiter, Florida, and is a Golf Magazine Top 100 Teacher Alumni and a Golf Digest Top International Teacher. He can be reached at toms@jonathanslanding.com

Nick Biondi also contributed to this article. Biondi is a highly respected golf professional at Radley Run Country Club in West Chester, Pennsylvania, recognized as one of America’s Best Young Teachers. He serves on the Teaching and Coaching Education Committee for the Philadelphia PGA and has been ranked by Golf Digest as one of the Best in State Golf Instructors.

Instruction

The Wedge Guy: Beating the yips into submission

Published

3 weeks ago

Aug 1, 2025

Terry Koehler

There may be no more painful affliction in golf than the “yips” – those uncontrollable and maddening little nervous twitches that prevent you from making a decent stroke on short putts. If you’ve never had them, consider yourself very fortunate (or possibly just very young). But I can assure you that when your most treacherous and feared golf shot is not the 195 yard approach over water with a quartering headwind…not the extra tight fairway with water left and sand right…not the soft bunker shot to a downhill pin with water on the other side…No, when your most feared shot is the remaining 2- 4-foot putt after hitting a great approach, recovery or lag putt, it makes the game almost painful.

And I’ve been fighting the yips (again) for a while now. It’s a recurring nightmare that has haunted me most of my adult life. I even had the yips when I was in my 20s, but I’ve beat them into submission off and on most of my adult life. But just recently, that nasty virus came to life once again. My lag putting has been very good, but when I get over one of those “you should make this” length putts, the entire nervous system seems to go haywire. I make great practice strokes, and then the most pitiful short-stroke or jab at the ball you can imagine. Sheesh.

But I’m a traditionalist, and do not look toward the long putter, belly putter, cross-hand, claw or other variation as the solution. My approach is to beat those damn yips into submission some other way. Here’s what I’m doing that is working pretty well, and I offer it to all of you who might have a similar affliction on the greens.

When you are over a short putt, forget the practice strokes…you want your natural eye-hand coordination to be unhindered by mechanics. Address your putt and take a good look at the hole, and back to the putter to ensure good alignment. Lighten your right hand grip on the putter and make sure that only the fingertips are in contact with the grip, to prevent you from getting to tight.

Then, take a long, long look at the hole to fill your entire mind and senses with the target. When you bring your head/eyes back to the ball, try to make a smooth, immediate move right into your backstroke — not even a second pause — and then let your hands and putter track right back together right back to where you were looking — the HOLE! Seeing the putter make contact with the ball, preferably even the forward edge of the ball – the side near the hole.

For me, this is working, but I am asking all of you to chime in with your own “home remedies” for the most aggravating and senseless of all golf maladies. It never hurts to have more to fall back on!

Instruction

Looking for a good golf instructor? Use this checklist

Published

4 weeks ago

Jul 31, 2025

Sue Shapcott

Over the last couple of decades, golf has become much more science-based. We measure swing speed, smash factor, angle of attack, strokes gained, and many other metrics that can really help golfers improve. But I often wonder if the advancement of golf’s “hard” sciences comes at the expense of the “soft” sciences.

Take, for example, golf instruction. Good golf instruction requires understanding swing mechanics and ball flight. But let’s take that as a given for PGA instructors. The other factors that make an instructor effective can be evaluated by social science, rather than launch monitors.

If you are a recreational golfer looking for a golf instructor, here are my top three points to consider.

1. Cultural mindset

What is “cultural mindset? To social scientists, it means whether a culture of genius or a culture of learning exists. In a golf instruction context, that may mean whether the teacher communicates a message that golf ability is something innate (you either have it or you don’t), or whether golf ability is something that can be learned. You want the latter!

It may sound obvious to suggest that you find a golf instructor who thinks you can improve, but my research suggests that it isn’t a given. In a large sample study of golf instructors, I found that when it came to recreational golfers, there was a wide range of belief systems. Some instructors strongly believed recreational golfers could improve through lessons. while others strongly believed they could not. And those beliefs manifested in the instructor’s feedback given to a student and the culture created for players.

2. Coping and self-modeling can beat role-modeling

Swing analysis technology is often preloaded with swings of PGA and LPGA Tour players. The swings of elite players are intended to be used for comparative purposes with golfers taking lessons. What social science tells us is that for novice and non-expert golfers, comparing swings to tour professionals can have the opposite effect of that intended. If you fit into the novice or non-expert category of golfer, you will learn more and be more motivated to change if you see yourself making a ‘better’ swing (self-modeling) or seeing your swing compared to a similar other (a coping model). Stay away from instructors who want to compare your swing with that of a tour player.

3. Learning theory basics

It is not a sexy selling point, but learning is a process, and that process is incremental – particularly for recreational adult players. Social science helps us understand this element of golf instruction. A good instructor will take learning slowly. He or she will give you just about enough information that challenges you, but is still manageable. The artful instructor will take time to decide what that one or two learning points are before jumping in to make full-scale swing changes. If the instructor moves too fast, you will probably leave the lesson with an arm’s length of swing thoughts and not really know which to focus on.

As an instructor, I develop a priority list of changes I want to make in a player’s technique. We then patiently and gradually work through that list. Beware of instructors who give you more than you can chew.

So if you are in the market for golf instruction, I encourage you to look beyond the X’s and O’s to find the right match!

Instruction

What Lottie Woad’s stunning debut win teaches every golfer

Published

4 weeks ago

Jul 29, 2025

Brendon Elliott

Most pros take months, even years, to win their first tournament. Lottie Woad needed exactly four days.

The 21-year-old from Surrey shot 21-under 267 at Dundonald Links to win the ISPS Handa Women’s Scottish Open by three shots — in her very first event as a professional. She’s only the third player in LPGA history to accomplish this feat, joining Rose Zhang (2023) and Beverly Hanson (1951).

But here’s what caught my attention as a coach: Woad didn’t win through miraculous putting or bombing 300-yard drives. She won through relentless precision and unshakeable composure. After watching her performance unfold, I’m convinced every golfer — from weekend warriors to scratch players — can steal pages from her playbook.

Precision Beats Power (And It’s Not Even Close)

Forget the driving contests. Woad proved that finding greens matters more than finding distance.

What Woad did:

• Hit it straight, hit it solid, give yourself chances

• Aimed for the fat parts of greens instead of chasing pins

• Let her putting do the talking after hitting safe targets

• As she said, “Everyone was chasing me today, and managed to maintain the lead and played really nicely down the stretch and hit a lot of good shots”

Why most golfers mess this up:

• They see a pin tucked behind a bunker and grab one more club to “go right at it”

• Distance becomes more important than accuracy

• They try to be heroic instead of smart

ACTION ITEM: For your next 10 rounds, aim for the center of every green regardless of pin position. Track your greens in regulation and watch your scores drop before your swing changes.

The Putter That Stayed Cool Under Fire

Woad started the final round two shots clear and immediately applied pressure with birdies at the 2nd and 3rd holes. When South Korea’s Hyo Joo Kim mounted a charge and reached 20-under with a birdie at the 14th, Woad didn’t panic.

How she responded to pressure:

• Fired back with consecutive birdies at the 13th and 14th

• Watched Kim stumble with back-to-back bogeys

• Capped it with her fifth birdie of the day at the par-5 18th

• Stayed patient when others pressed, pressed when others cracked

What amateurs do wrong:

• Get conservative when they should be aggressive

• Try to force magic when steady play would win

• Panic when someone else makes a move

ACTION ITEM: Practice your 3-6 foot putts for 15 minutes after every range session. Woad’s putting wasn’t spectacular—it was reliable. Make the putts you should make.

Course Management 101: Play Your Game, Not the Course’s Game

Woad admitted she couldn’t see many scoreboards during the final round, but it didn’t matter. She stuck to her game plan regardless of what others were doing.

Her mental approach:

• Focused on her process, not the competition

• Drew on past pressure situations (Augusta National Women’s Amateur win)

• As she said, “That was the biggest tournament I played in at the time and was kind of my big win. So definitely felt the pressure of it more there, and I felt like all those experiences helped me with this”

Her physical execution:

• 270-yard drives (nothing flashy)

• Methodical iron play

• Steady putting

• Everything effective, nothing spectacular

ACTION ITEM: Create a yardage book for your home course. Know your distances to every pin, every hazard, every landing area. Stick to your plan no matter what your playing partners are doing.

Mental Toughness Isn’t Born, It’s Built

The most impressive part of Woad’s win? She genuinely didn’t expect it: “I definitely wasn’t expecting to win my first event as a pro, but I knew I was playing well, and I was hoping to contend.”

Her winning mindset:

• Didn’t put winning pressure on herself

• Focused on playing well and contending

• Made winning a byproduct of a good process

• Built confidence through recent experiences:

Won the Women’s Irish Open as an amateur
Missed a playoff by one shot at the Evian Championship
Each experience prepared her for the next

What this means for you:

• Stop trying to shoot career rounds every time you tee up

• Focus on executing your pre-shot routine

• Commit to every shot

• Stay present in the moment

ACTION ITEM: Before each round, set process goals instead of score goals. Example: “I will take three practice swings before every shot” or “I will pick a specific target for every shot.” Let your score be the result, not the focus.

The Real Lesson

Woad collected $300,000 for her first professional victory, but the real prize was proving that fundamentals still work at golf’s highest level. She didn’t reinvent the game — she simply executed the basics better than everyone else that week.

The fundamentals that won:

• Hit more fairways

• Find more greens

• Make the putts you should make

• Stay patient under pressure

That’s something every golfer can do, regardless of handicap. Lottie Woad just showed us it’s still the winning formula.

FINAL ACTION ITEM: Pick one of the four action items above and commit to it for the next month. Master one fundamental before moving to the next. That’s how champions are built.

PGA Professional Brendon Elliott is an award-winning coach and golf writer. You can check out his writing work and learn more about him by visiting BEAGOLFER.golf and OneMoreRollGolf.com. Also, check out “The Starter” on RG.org each Monday.

Editor’s note: Brendon shares his nearly 30 years of experience in the game with GolfWRX readers through his ongoing tip series. He looks forward to providing valuable insights and advice to help golfers improve their game. Stay tuned for more Tips!