Figure 6.1 Syllabus.
The lesson plans in this chapter were specifically written for middle and high school PE teachers to use for a golf unit. You and your team can use many of these lessons, if not all of them. You can obtain the training aids and equipment used in these lessons through NAGCE.
The 13 lessons in the program cover introductory topics such as the history of golf, a review of safety and equipment, and proper golf etiquette, as well as technique instruction on putting, chipping, pitching, sand play, and the full swing. See the syllabus on page 53 (figure 6.1) for the name of each lesson and a brief summary of each topic.
INCREMENTAL LEARNING
Historically, people have learned how to play golf through many forms of instruction. As technology has improved, most of these methods have become very advanced, but technology is only part of the process. After 30 years of teaching and coaching golf, I do not believe that technology alone affords the most effective way to develop an acceptable-to-great golf swing. Rather, I am convinced that the best way to develop a correct golf swing is through incremental learning.
Incremental learning is the process of exposing students to the skills required for putting, then for chipping, then for pitching, and finally for the full swing motion—in that order (hole to tee). There is nothing revolutionary about this process; however, most teachers and coaches do not use incremental learning consistently, nor do they use it in conjunction with related training aids. Many students are reluctant to keep working on the basics. There is tremendous desire to use the full swing motion. Your task is a difficult one: to keep students from trying to exceed their abilities.
By explaining the incremental learning process and by providing students with the tools and conditions to experience success at the beginning levels, you can help students understand that, until they are proficient at the basics, they absolutely will not be able to execute a fuller, faster motion. Unfortunately, because many golfers offset their errors, an incorrect golf swing can produce an apparently acceptable golf shot. Offsetting is a major problem and can lead to unsuccessful plateauing (becoming stuck at a lower level of capability). You can help your golfers plateau successfully (becoming consistent at a higher level of capability) by building the motion through incremental learning.
Moreover, when golfers begin swinging the club at higher speeds and in bigger arcs without first attaining a certain level of fundamental correctness, they develop a condition or manner of executing the golf swing. In a very short time, this condition becomes the mental and physical means (perception and execution) of how they think and feel they should strike the ball. Students present these various conditions to their instructors during lessons. These conditions cannot be overcome simply by hitting balls. You must recondition the students through drills and exercises accompanied with problem-related training aids.
Students develop their games much more quickly and effectively if they are fortunate enough to begin with an incremental learning format and problem-related training aids.
These user-friendly lesson plans are set up for 13 sessions of 45 minutes each, but you can combine or shorten them to accommodate your particular schedule. Keep in mind, however, that the order of instruction must stay the same if you want your students to realize the benefits of incremental learning.
SAMPLE LESSON PLANS
Figure 6.1 provides a syllabus for your use. Copy it for distribution or amend it to fit your particular schedule or needs. Before each session, write the day’s lesson objective on the board for your students to copy into their golf folders.
At or before the first session, ask each student to purchase a three-prong paper folder. Have the students build their own golf lesson notebooks with self-made cover pages and handouts that you provide during each session, including a table of contents, technique tips, instructions, drills, diagrams, skills challenges, etc. (All of these masters are included with the individual lessons.) At the end of the golf unit, each student will have an organized folder for you to grade. The folders also serve as a future resource for students who continue to grow and develop their golf swing after the unit ends. Students need to bring their golf folders and pencils to each lesson; all other equipment, including handouts, will be provided during the lesson.
In any lesson where skills are taught, you as coach and teacher should have some proficiency with the skills. You do not need to be a professional golfer, however. Wherever you need to show students how to properly execute swings or other skills, the lesson plans are annotated to guide you to the correct pictures or video tape selections to share with your students. As you know, learning new skills takes time and practice. You must be able to demonstrate these golf skills to the students via your own swing or examples shown in video tapes.
The lessons are set up so that you explain the skill to be taught, demonstrate the skill, use voice commands to lead the complete class in trying the new skill together, then put buddy teams together so students can help each other practice the new skill as you walk up and down the line of students to help or comment on each team’s progress.
The incremental learning process is of paramount importance for developing a correct and repeatable golf swing. No other sport requires this building of the motion. Your training equipment should include 12 Perfect Pace Putting Systems (PPPS) for three reasons:
1. You cannot afford to have students waiting to develop this most important skill. With 12 PPPS, up to 24 students at once can practice putting using the buddy system.
2. Students using the PPPS learn physical skills that they’ll use not only for putting but also for chipping.
3. You can use the PPPS for games and skill challenges that incorporate the element of fun.
