An important lesson regarding your golf swing

This post is important. It will be the most valuable golf instruction I’ll give in regards to improving your golf swing.

Until this point, much of this golf blog has been about automating your swing. And automatic is important. Because without automation you’ll never be able to take your golf game to the course. You won’t be able to perform under pressure. And you’ll almost certainly walk off the course feeling frustrated and annoyed.

And this will be the case no matter how good your golf swing is.

Put another way.

No matter how technically sound your golf swing mechanics, you will never realise your full potential if you don’t understand and then implement automatic. So yes it’s important. And I’m not about to change my tune and start teaching something different. I will always be a fan of automated golf learning.

But (you knew that was coming didn’t you?)

Thanks to a recent survey I put together, I have realised that many of you guys are struggling with your golf technique. And this is despite giving automatic golf a fair go.

So I have decided to spill the beans on what I think you need to do to improve your golf swing. Now I’m not about to start going all technical on you. And I’m certainly not contradicting myself by giving you complicated instruction. Far from that.

Here’s the thing.

Automatic golf can’t give you something that you haven’t already got. If you can’t actually hit the ball in the sweet spot, then automation is not going to help you. And, if you have tried to automate your swing, you should be now seeing some consistent shots occurring. If you’re swing is still not working that well then you probably need further assistance.

Sidenote: Ray C had a lesson with me a few weeks ago. He has always struggled with a nasty hook. Yes, automatic will help him – but some swing improvements will help too. And it’s for guys like Ray C who I have in mind as I write this.

Onward.

The one thing that I’m absolutely certain of is this. If I start talking about swing plane, body pivot, forearm rotation and angles I will destroy your game. This kind of instruction doesn’t work too well (that’s my honest opinion :))

My golf swing instruction is a little bit different. The best way I can describe it is like a light. To make a light work all we have to do is flick a switch. We don’t have to concern ourselves with electricity or wires. All that is required is one little motor skill – flick the switch – and presto! The light works each time.

This simplistic approach took me years to figure out. I had golf lessons each week for two years. I traveled around and got to meet scientists and learning gurus. I practised (a lot) and played more rounds then I can remember. But the one thing that had the most profound impact on me was getting a deep understanding of keeping golf instruction simple.

And there’s more to it than than thinking you know what “simple” is. You can’t say I’ll teach someone simply but still dish up the usual crap. That doesn’t work – in fact this is probably the worst instruction of all.

What I’m talking about is giving you the road map and instructions that will allow you to improve your golf swing. But, and this is really important, these instructions can’t mess with your learning system. They have to be like the light switch – one simple instruction allows a lot of behind the scenes things take place – you reach your goals without too much stress.

Like hitting the ball high and straight without having to think about your grip, back swing, wrist cock, club face position, hips, the target, your release and follow-through all at the same time. What I’m talking about is making the golf swing as easy as humanly possible.

Sound too good to be true?

It is easy. But the instruction I’m going to share with you is not a miracle cure. It requires practice and dedication. It won’t just happen. So if you were hoping for something you’d find on the Golf Channel then I’m sorry. I can’t help you. Quick fixes don’t work – never have and never will. The sooner the golf industry (and everyone else) realises this the sooner golfers can start making real progress.

Here’s what I’ve got in mind

I’m going to release my absolute best lessons I know on building a better swing. These are not going to be about the automatic process. It’s all about developing a motor skill (your golf swing) and improving your technique. These lessons will be delivered on this blog on a post by post basis. One thing at a time.

I suspect if you’ve tried automating your game but still feel like your golf swing is lacking you’re going to want to read these posts. If you’re also looking for more of a system then this is for you. And, if you’ve tried automation without too much luck then maybe the following is what you’ve been looking for.

Here’s how it will work;

1. You will need to be a member of the Golf Tribe to gain full access. If you’re not a member then you can sign up here. There will be some information available free, but if you want to see everything, including the comments (this is where the real gems often lie) then please join. It’s only $19.95 per month and for the quality of content I think it’s worth it.

2. Each lesson will be on a post by post basis. I’m not going to do everything at once. Not only is this impossible, the crawling approach works well. Learn, apply and automate – then move on. I’m planning on delivering a knock out lesson each week. This is not set in stone – it is only a guide.

3. I’m hoping the comments section will light up. If you have any questions then use the comments section at the bottom of each lesson. Your comments will add to the quality and allow more learning to take place. If you’ve got a question then the chances are someone else will have it too. So be brave. Post any questions that you will have.

4. I may add to the content at a later date. This will depend on the questions and feedback I receive. I’m a firm believer of delivering the best content possible for this moment in time. If I learn something new or find a better way of explaining myself, then it will be added to the specific lesson. So each lesson will improve over time.

5. All Tribe members will be notified of new content via email.

6. Content will include vids, audio and images.

7. The first lesson will appear shortly. Keep your eyes peeled.

And just so you don’t forget. Automatic golf is and will always be the most important part to mastering your game. The information that I’m about to share must be used used with an automatic mindset. No exceptions.

Any questions fire away. It will be good practice.

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23 Comments

  • Gregor

    Reply Reply February 12, 2010

    Cameron,
    you’re right. As soon as the instruction gets technical, I lose the plot trying to do something I didn’t understand or misinterpreted out on the course and play bad. As far as I am concerned, the easier the better. And I like the analogy of the light switch
    Gregor

  • Grayden Provis

    Reply Reply February 12, 2010

    Cameron
    I’m looking forward to it but with (I must admit) a hint of apprehension. Why? Because I don’t even want to start thinking “technique” again having recently emerged from the endless dark tunnel of golf swing instruction that messed me up for so many years. But I’m sure coming from yourself I’ve got nothing to worry about 🙂

  • Bernie

    Reply Reply February 12, 2010

    Hi again Cameron
    I understand where you/”we” are all coming from and going “TO”. Yes, going to “not hopefully going to”. Like you and many many others, I have had lots and lots of golf lessons. I even have two sons, now men, who played off scratch. I even listened to their lessons and their coaches taught them different things as they were “individuals”. Boy was I screwed up. Really really looking forward to the “WAY AHEAD”. Cameron, I will take the information as I know you will present it. Not tooooooooooo technical but GREAT. An addition to AUTOMATION. Go Cameron and The Tribe.
    Bernie

  • Steady

    Reply Reply February 12, 2010

    Hi Tribers,
    instruction does have a purpose. Be wary of what you get. The reason being is Cameron simplifies and makes it easy to understand. No tech jargon just the facts. The ahha factor will come into play. Then auto starts by saying now go and do it. Ie Hit it over the tree. auto makes it so that the right club is chosen,the ball is played off the right foot for right handers, club face slightly open and swing. All that done purely on instinct. Correct me if I’m wrong. I hope this helps.
    Cheers Steady

  • DP

    Reply Reply February 12, 2010

    Cameron,
    Your ‘ hold, fire and release’ instructional videos are excellent and I put it into practice yesterday without having time for a warmup hit. 28points after 13 holes before rain and lightning hit.
    Will put more details on the tribe site in a moment.
    I signed up 2 weeks ago without hesitation because your information, enthusiasm and selfless teaching have been terrific and inspiring – a bit like your golf really.
    Instruction is helpful and important but must be automatised once on the course and playing i.e. playing when it means something and not just a social hit when going automatic is easier!
    The power stool video would be worth including with the ‘ hold, fire and release ‘ videos, I believe.
    Cheers and GG
    DP

  • David Pryde

    Reply Reply February 12, 2010

    Cameron,
    Hit 2 shots absolutely pure yesterday.
    How?
    From your ‘hold, fire, and release’ video.
    Also I hit nearly every shot without looking at the target but trusted my setup instincts (as a fellow triber mentioned the other day following your suggestion). The sense of freedom by not looking was just like being on the practise fairway where we always hit better shots!
    I do admit that I did have some conscious, non-automatic thought, because I was trying to swing my arms and club down from the top while my back was still facing more or less toward the target thus preventing rotational spinning of the body at the ball.
    This results in what feels like an earlier release but with better results. Hit some fat shots which I expect to do for a while until the upper arms work more than the hands which want to run the show.
    Work in progress but 2 exhilarating shots in 13 holes is a very exciting start.
    Thanks once again and keep up your very fine instruction!
    Regards,
    DP

  • Rob Zinnoegger

    Reply Reply February 13, 2010

    G’day
    Some 12 mnths ago I purchased the Bio Swing product. Since then I have spent a fair bit of time trying to develop & improve my shot making using the instruction provided with mixed success. I also started to get very inconsistent scores on the course.
    Two weeks ago I joined the tribe. I have only scratched the surface of what is available on this site so far but I think I’ve found the most important piece of instruction. That is to go “Auto” when your on the course.
    Today I did just that and have to say that I really enjoyed myself. I did have one swing thought though which may be wrong but it worked for me. Before taking the club back I would think “Just free wheel it”.
    I hit a few good shots but I didn’t many bad ones. Importantly I didn’t analyse any shots after I made them, I just accepted the result.
    I’m excited about the instruction that you will be sharing with us and will endeavour to use it to improve my game by practising but once I hit the course it’s “Auto” for me.
    By the way, had 40pts, no scrubs and birdied Index no.1 hole.

    Cheers
    Zingers

  • Steady

    Reply Reply February 13, 2010

    Great score Zingers.
    Cheers Steady

  • Grayden Provis

    Reply Reply February 14, 2010

    In an earlier post I mentioned that I recently went out and re-committed to Cameron’s routine and immediately saw improvement – both physical and mental. Today was the first Saturday comp opportunity since that day and I was determined to carry my commitment through no matter what. Here’s what happened:

    I started off very scratchy indeed with a double bogey. It was tempting to drop the bundle a bit because that certainly wasn’t how I saw the script running. But I was committed this time and stuck to the routine. I continued to scratch around a bit over the next 4 or 5 holes – my ball striking was not “on” today – but I kept the routine going. Cameron always says forget about counting your score, count how many times you perform the routine and I was determined that that was where my focus would be today.

    I continued in this fashion for the rest of the round. I included for the first time in a full round the additional routine of not looking up to the target at all once over the ball – just hitting and trusting that my “Einsteining” would set me up correctly. It did. I never quite got the ball striking to where I know it can be but I stuck to the routine come hell or high water. I managed to actually do it on every shot bar one for the day – for some inexplicable reason I decided out of the blue to abandon it for a particularly important little chip and surprise, surprise the chip was a shocker (!)

    At the end of day I when I added up the damage I’d racked up 39 points and my handicap will be going down by one.

    Lessons learned:

    1. Cameron’s routine WORKS
    2. The “keep your eyes fixed only on the ball as you approach it” part of the routine is REALLY important. This is a particular area I now realize I had been pretty loose on.
    3. The routine gives you CONFIDENCE. I noticed when it came to the business end of the round my playing partners were getting a bit rattled with their games. Nothing unusual there – I do that as much as anyone. I just hadn’t been so aware of it until today because today for the first time I noticed that I had a quiet confidence that the routine would “get me through” when it came down to those crucial last few holes. And it did.
    4. Even when your ball striking is average the routine allows you to KEEP SCORING

    I haven’t played a full round in competition mode with this degree of commitment to the routine before. Not that I perfected the routine today by any means. I was very aware of the shots where I performed the routine with less than total trust. But it was a very powerful lesson to me today. Cameron’s way works. Stick with it folks.

  • Rob Zinnoegger

    Reply Reply February 14, 2010

    Thanks Steady
    Opened the paper this morning to find that I had won the A grade. Got to be happy with that.

    Zingers

  • Iain Edwards

    Reply Reply February 14, 2010

    dear CAMERON – hi have been silent for a few weesk- composing my golf swing –

    great interpretation of survey — i think it was one of my points that remakable golf via the automatic process assumes you already have a good golf swing that is reasonably accurate and consistant – so how to get that.

    as a beginner at the hard end of the learning curve being 67 i have carried out the following experiement in the name of the swing aligner resopnse.

    i stopped all range practice and for one month and spent 20 mins 2x day swinging through the aligner . started at yellow line — now set at blue line. the aligner has taken a pounding along with blocks. the centre of board has a long crack down the target line and large sections missing from blocks.
    but the swing has straightened out and have worked out what to do with the swing in order to get it along the taget line between the blocks.
    then went to range and trying to follow the automatic process hit some of my best shots strainght on taget with sw,( 70 m) w ( 100m) and 7 iron ( 145m). my swing with a hybrid( 150m) and driver(200 +m) had also improved. ( but the coach thought i was using my arms too much!)

    so the system works – as said before using the aligner should tell you what you are doing wrong in accordance with what blocks you hit – my consistant error was hitting the top right and bottom left sponge ( out to in swing which after rotating right elbow in , and increasing right leg stability seemed nealy perfect but only after i finally raised my chin up and aimed my left buttock at the target before commencing the back swing did the swing plane staighten out consistently -so with some awareness of what causes what the swing aligner will i believe create an automatic swing path –

    ****** have you some tips on what to do -to correct out to in swing path and hitting ground before ball,. ( coach said i was falling back too much – right leg stability- and not following through enough or was unstable )
    i think you SHOULD SELL THE ALIGNER WITH REMARKABLE GOLF AS A ESENTIAL TOOL IN THE PROCESS OF DEVELOPING THE AUTOMATIC SWING PROCESS,
    and change the logo to – “the original cameron strachan swing aligner.” better advertising value for you —

    more to follow on the complexty of the site and all the web addresses. it gets confusing and you get lost going backwards and sideways when you click on a web adress.

    AS a hint all — videos on your web site should be listed in the menue bar at the top under the theme being explained with a number and title. and that number and title apperas in the middle of the black screen when you choose that video . the current set up is confusing as does the title on the page with the video refer to the video above or below. with a meue list you can work through the videos in order and note what ones you find of most value so that you can find it easily again.

    LOVE THE SUPPORT YOU PLAN TO GIVE – i have lots of questions to follow. HOPE THIS REPLY IS OF INTEREST,
    BEST REGARDS IAIN EDWARDS

  • Grayden Provis

    Reply Reply February 14, 2010

    One more thing I learned from my round of meticulously following Cameron’s pre-shot routine for a full competition round: Every golf swing / shot is a unique moment in time. The exact circumstances, feel, mood are something unique to that moment. Trying to reproduce a certain swing or shot is futile and doomed to failure. We should be simply trying to implement the pre-shot routine that produces an automatic golf swing and let fate take its course. No two shots will EVER be exactly the same. Ceasing trying to make them so opens us up to the magic of free flow golf.

  • Steady

    Reply Reply February 14, 2010

    Hi Tribers,
    played comp today had 30 points with 3 wipes and 4 one pointers. My only problem is airmailing greens. Did it 3 times today aiming for the front of the green. Checked my lie, went through my routine and played. I’m not fussed about my score or any other distractions however I wish to comment on Grayden’s post. He said”The exact circumstances, feel, mood are something unique to that moment. Trying to reproduce a certain swing or shot is futile and doomed to failure.”
    Right there is a great lesson for any golfer. Sure your shot patten may have your unique signature to it, ( fade/slice or hook/draw) but no 2 shots are the same and no 2 swings are the same. The shot that you are looking for may not be the right one to play or for you to play.
    MY problem isn’t golf swing or shots, I just need to know how to PLAY. What shot what club etc. I listened to one of the guys I was playing golf with today who went and watched last years aussie masters. He said that most players asked their caddy what shot to play. They might say a high soft draw or low fade etc and players just did it. My point is I know we don’t have caddy’s or a professional players but play smart, use your routine and enjoy..
    Grayden and other tribers stick to it. You will come through the tough times a better/relaxed and smarter golfer for it.
    Cheers Steady
    PS great to see others of likemindedness gaining something from the tribe.

  • Grayden Provis

    Reply Reply February 16, 2010

    While we’re waiting for Cameron to post his first lesson I reckon we may as well keep the chat going so here’s another thought I had after the round last Saturday:

    There’s automatic and then there’s AUTOMATIC.

    I became aware of different degrees of letting go while doing the counting. Sometimes I would be counting but notice my mind still wandering about in “the shot”. Other times I would literally forget all about the shot and just be “seeing” the numbers floating by as I counted them off. That to me is AUTOMATIC and I must say it was exhilirating. Once you’ve tasted it you want lots more of it. I’m not sure exactly how you consistently get it other than practice but I suspect its also related to how much courage you have – ie the courage to truly let go. You’ve got to give up control to get control. This journey is starting to get REALLY interesting now!

  • Cameron

    Reply Reply February 16, 2010

    Hi Tribers,

    Thanks to everyone for posting. I’ll respond shortly. In the meantime check out the latest post

    Talk soon,

    Cameron

  • Cameron Strachan

    Reply Reply February 17, 2010

    Ok. I’m here. So many comments which is great. The Tribe is forming again. Hopefully better than ever!

    When it comes to the golf instruction I’m about to deliver it WILL NOT be complicated. It will work with you rather than against you. It will not confuse and you’ll be free to add you unique style and flair. This is important.

    No cookie cutter approach here. The first lesson should be here soon.

    Cameron

  • Iain Edwards

    Reply Reply February 18, 2010

    DEAR CAMERON . YOUR BETA GOLF / BLOG SITE HAS MORE INTERLINKING WEB PAGES THAN A SPIDERS WEB. Can you give this new teaching aspect of the swing a seperate name some where on the menu bar so we can find it again . iain

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