Coaching Philosophy

The idea that there is one way to do things has its limitations, sure there are certain universal fundamentals, but there are a lot of ways of achieving the desired result. Not everyone has the same physical abilities. We aim to work with what you have, to refine the good and reduce the bad, but ultimately find your most efficient way of swinging the club.

We find out where you want to go and then map the points we need to take to get there. Our process consistently produces feedback, if you are not improving we need to know why and then make the necessary adjustments to our plan. There is nothing more valuable than time, and we don’t want you to waste yours practising ineffectively.

A coach might understand the golf swing better than you, but no-one understands what it ‘feels’ like apart from you. Our approach to coaching involves a constant conversation with the student. It consists of the coach stating what it is that needs to be achieved to produce a certain result, followed by the subsequent trial and error discussion with the student to find their feel to execute the task. At the end of the day it’s your swing, you have the final say. We are merely here to guide you as best we can. You decide what road you take to the desired destination.

And golf is “The Game of Life”, thus it requires a long term outlook. As revered author Malcolm Gladwell popularized the idea that it takes a minimum of 10,000 hours of appropriately guided practise to perfect a skill, golf is no different. There are no quick fixes in this game, the only way to improve is through constant refinement. Do not expect instant gratification, that’s not how life works and it is certainly not how golf works. Like anything worthwhile, there are often hard times before there are good. But if you keep yourself focused on the end goal and have made provision for short term hardships, it will make it easier to weather the storm and get to where you need to go. And who knows, you may realise that it is the journey, not the destination that matters. After all, there is no sweeter feeling than coming through the other side of hardship knowing that you conquered it, for without hardship how would we ever be able to distinguish achievement and realise true success?

Success is the sum of small efforts, repeated day in and day out. What makes golf so fascinating is that there are so many different facets to it, games within games. There is no use focusing on one or two and neglecting the others, because like it or not, you need all of them to produce a good result. Sure, you will always be more proficient at certain areas in comparison to others, but refining the weaker parts of your game can mean the difference between par and bogey. The sooner you discipline yourself to spend time on the areas you don’t enjoy as much, the sooner you become a better golfer. Who knows you might even realise that you enjoy it more than you think, and with a little application, can turn a weakness into a strength!

There is no better test of your character then the game of golf, it's never plane sailing, there is always another hurdle around the corner. The sooner you realise that, both in life and in golf, the less it surprises you and the more you are prepared for it. Such is life as is golf, it's much easier to see hardship as something that only happens to you, it’s your bad luck and its always way worse for you than anyone else, rather than seeing it as a challenge. At Element Golf we strive to teach our students not only to be better golfers, but through the ongoing tests of golf, help our clients build resilience, humility, fortitude, grit and gratitude that will in turn hopefully overflow into the rest of their lives.

At Element Golf we are passionate about achieving results with our clients and will use every resource at our disposal to squeeze the very last drop out. We make a promise to put in everything we have to see you reach your goals. All that’s left is for you to do the same, how much do you want it?

There is always more to learn. At Element Golf we strive to constantly be growing, learning and upskilling. We practice the Japanese philosophy of “Kaizen”, constant improvement and ultimately a mastery mindset. The same mindset you need for the golf course. The score is not the only task, constant improvement is the goal. Although results may be the destination, mastery and learning make up the journey.

Although it may seem boring and monotonous, constantly going back to check on the fundamentals is an integral part of the process. Maintenance is just as important if not more so than improving other areas of your swing. Without a solid foundation, the castle will crumble before being completed. A large part of the work PGA tour players do with their coaches is constantly assessing and maintaining their set up. Without it, there is no base from which to progress. And no matter who you are, bad habits creep in overtime if left unchecked. Think of it like servicing your car, if it's not done regularly the car will breakdown from wear and tear.

At the end of the day, golf is a game. It was created as a form of relaxation and fun and that must never be forgotten in the pursuit of excellence. If you are not enjoying the game then what's the point. Find out your true reason for playing and striving to improve and never lose sight of that purpose. Savour each moment you have on the course, whether it be a perfectly struck 8 iron or a 30ft putt holed from the edge of the green. Or maybe just the treat of being able to walk in a park for 4hrs, get back to nature, leave your worries behind and lose yourself for a while.