By Ken Martin, PGA, Director of Instruction

We have reached an exciting milestone relative to our Natural Golf instruction this year and I wanted to share with you that direction. Learning a golf swing is really just the tip of the iceberg when it comes to the overall picture of playing the game. Since my introduction to the Natural Golf Single Plane Swing way back in 1994, there has been quite an evolution regarding swing mechanics and our method for teaching those mechanics. The great accomplishment is that we have created a very simple philosophy that is easy to apply by golfers at any level.

That philosophy can be summarized by the following - There are three factors that determine an individual’s swing motion and their consistency at hitting the ball to a target. They are the golfer’s Concepts, Equipment and Aim; below is a brief outline of what each entails:

Concepts – What the golfer believes regarding:

• How to make a ball fly 
• What the club must do during the swing 
• What their body must do during the swing

Equipment 

• Equipment specifications can enhance or impair a golfer’s consistency 
• To play your best golf, you need to use equipment that fits your swing and that is why Natural Golf offers custom fit equipment 
• Primary to the fit are – 
• Correct lie angle 
• Correct shaft flex as determined by clubhead speed 
• Correct length as determined by height and wrist to floor measurements 
• Correct grip size for comfortably attaining single plane alignment of arms and clubshaft

Aim

• The clubface is the aiming device 
• The body is aligned relative to an aimed clubface 
• Correct clubface aim leads to repeatable swings while miss aiming necessitates compensations during the swing in order to hit the ball to the target

Using this outline, we have improved our instructional message to follow a simple logic thread when guiding students to learning our swing method. By learning the concepts of ball flight and club mechanics at the outset, building a repeatable swing becomes simpler than ever. With this basis in fundamentals, our students are able to take what they learn directly to the course and have more fun!

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As a direct result of this new philosophy are two new instructional formats that will be released very soon.

They are Growing the Game with the Single Plane Swing and The Natural Golf Game Overview Program.

The Growing the Game format will be an introductory level program for first time golfers. The program is designed to introduce what it means to play the game as well as start them on their way to learning the swing and short game concepts. As avid golfers know well, there is much to learn about playing. From understanding golf terminology and basic rules to arriving at the Pro Shop, protocol for starting times, where to practice what, on-course etiquette and more. Our Growing the Game format will remove the perceived difficulty barrier so new golfers can get started the right way to enjoy the game from beginning without embarrassment from lack of knowledge or skill.

The Natural Golf Game Overview Program entails 6 hours of comprehensive instruction on full swing, short game and pre-shot routine divided into multiple sessions to enhance the learning process. Experience has shown that learning takes place faster when there is some time between instruction sessions. Learning is a process taken one step at a time; a little practice before the next step makes a big difference in information retention and physical performance.

Consistency is what we are all looking for. Consistency comes from clarity of swing concepts and appropriate intention for action. The new Game Overview Program will give you our simple concepts in manageable parts.

I invite you to take part in our ongoing instructional programs and keep an eye out for the launch of our new programs. Enjoying golf has never been easier!