Feel vs. Real: Why Conventional Golf Instruction Lacks Detail
Ask a knowledgeable golfer what it means to "shallow" the club, and you'll likely hear a good, conventional answer: "It's when you drop the club's shaft to a flatter angle at the start of the downswing to get it on a better path."
This is a perfectly fine description of what you might see.
A Tighter Golf analysis, however, would define the same move with more precision: "It's a near-radial correction back to mid-radial, a required compensation for a 'Drag Loading' pattern."
The first definition describes a visual. The second describes a mechanical cause and effect. This gap in precision isn't an accident; it's a fundamental difference in philosophy. This article explores the key reasons why this gap between mainstream simplicity and mechanical precision exists.
The Demand for the "Quick Fix"
The largest market for golf instruction is the amateur player looking for immediate relief from a common fault. They want a simple tip or a drill that can help them play better this weekend. For this audience, a simple concept like "shallowing" is accessible. A term like "near-radial correction" can feel intimidating and overly complex. Mainstream instruction, as a business, caters to this demand for simplicity and immediate application.
The Tradition of "Feel-Based" Coaching
For decades, the dominant coaching philosophy has been to teach "feel." Great players often describe their swing in terms of sensations, not physics, so instruction has followed suit, teaching students to "feel the club drop" or "feel the lag." This is often easier for a coach to communicate and for a student to initially grasp, even if it's less precise.
The Tighter Golf system operates on the principle that correct mechanics create the correct feel, not the other way around. Conventional instruction often starts and ends with the feel itself.
The Challenge of Complexity
The golf swing is an incredibly complex, multi-variable event. Mainstream instruction often simplifies this by teaching static positions (the "what") because it's easier than explaining the dynamic forces that produce those results (the "why").
The conventional definition of "shallowing" describes a piece of what you see. The Tighter Golf definition explains why that motion is happening—it's a necessary re-centering of the hands from a "near-radial" backswing path. One is a description; the other is a diagnosis.
Conclusion: The User Guide vs. The Engineering Manual
The difference in precision comes down to the intended purpose.
- Conventional Instruction often acts as a "user guide." It's designed for the widest possible audience and prioritizes simplicity and accessibility over mechanical depth.
- Tighter Golf is an "engineering manual." It's designed for the serious student, the analytical player, and the coach who wants to understand the machine from first principles.
Conventional instruction omits the deep technical details not because they're wrong, but because they are often perceived as a barrier to entry for the casual player. Tighter Golf embraces them as the only true path to mastery. đź’ˇ