How to use technology for golf

It is no exaggeration to say there has been a tectonic shift in golf instruction over the past 20 years.

That should probably read ‘tech-tonic’, because technology has revolutionised how the game is coached. Revered for so long, a teacher’s expertise and experience have been relegated to the status of beliefs and opinions in the face of the irrefutable facts and data thrown up by a new, microchip-based army of gadgets.

To quote legendary coach Chuck Hogan ‘, we are drowning in information but searching for knowledge.

Today, should you choose to, you can learn the exact moment your kinematic sequence breaks down, the difference in spin loft between your drawn and faded 7-iron, the difference in degrees between your address and impact spine angle, and how much pressure you are creating against the ground as you change direction… all nicely measured in Newtons per square metre.

You can discover whether your tee shot on the 4th hole gained you 0.4 of a stroke or that your putting – which you thought was your strength – is actually holding you back. The way we swing and play has become quantifiable, measurable… and, as a consequence, golf coaching has become evidential.

Now, reading that back, I can see there are some Luddite overtones in there.

Not at all. Okay, I will make the point that the likes of Snead, Hogan, Nicklaus and even Woods all managed pretty well without this technology, but there is no question in my mind that when used in a responsible and targeted way, tech can be extremely beneficial. But this said, I have already seen it create performance issues with all levels of golfer. Here’s why.

There is, I think, a general cultural acceptance that new technology is good. There is nothing new in this; when Marie Curie discovered radium in 1898, it didn’t take long for it to appear in toothpaste and children’s toys. Today, we golfers have access to an unprecedented array of tech-based coaching that includes launch monitors for the clubface, 3D motion tracking for your body, weight and pressure-charting force plates for your feet, and shot data gathering and analysis for the course.

Each of these technologies will tell you how sophisticated it is and how much it can help your game… and each one is correct. They are all extremely clever and potentially valuable pieces of kit.

But as a golfer looking to improve your game, it creates an unsettling picture: If they are all so important, shouldn’t you look into all of them? It can start to feel like missing out on any one of them would be a huge mistake.

It can lead to severely problematic issues like Information overload, the feeling you are being pulled in different directions, and the danger that, instead of becoming a golfer, you are simply becoming a collator of information.

Happily, there is a simple solution: take more ownership of – and responsibility for – the direction your game is taking. Information overload is only a danger when you are directionless and looking for any and every answer.

Make an assessment of your game – yes, by all means, use shot tracking tech to get an accurate picture – and from the results, target your approach. Perhaps you identify a need for more distance. Great, you can find the appropriate technology, perhaps force plates, to help you.

Maybe you will decide once and for all to turn that damaging slice into a draw. This might lead you to launch monitors and a better grasp of what your club is currently doing through the ball… and what it needs to do.

Give yourself a specific reason for gathering information, and then pick your technology accordingly.

Essentially, you should use technology to help you play better SHOTS, not just a swing that looks better.

As an analogy, consider your car.

There is any number of systems on it that could cause a breakdown. But if we decided to check every single element – the brakes, the engine, the wheels, the lights – every time we set off for a journey, we’d never leave the driveway. Instead, we trust the car to work until a specific element goes wrong and then fix that element. This is essentially the approach we need to take to playing golf in this techy, evidence-based era.

One further piece of advice: ensure the coach you use is on board with how you want to target technology. The state-of-the-art swing laboratory is increasingly replacing the old, drafty range as the modern PGA pro kits up to provide a better service. But just because the tech is there, it doesn’t mean you have to use it. Taking more ownership of your game extends to telling your coach what you don’t want to know as much as what you do.

We all play our best golf when our mind and body feel connected and our purpose is clear. Make sure your use of technology allows that state to flourish. If it is confusing you, start again with a more targeted approach. Only then can you really reap its considerable benefits.