What to do vs. How to…
By Michael Hebron
I have found that golfers who are playfully training with insights into basic core information for what-to-
do with a golf club make more progress than golfers who are trying to copy how-to directions for moving
their body.
In brain compatible learning environments, basic core concepts that are just-in-the ballpark, (not
technically perfect details) are used for making progress. Natural actions or responses such as; “Just
shoot the ball up,” or “Just swing the bat,” or “Just swing the weight of the golf club,” without following
specific details about how to do it, is the suggestion here (based on science of learning). It is the
environment that puts forward the most useful model for what to do. Said another way, it’s the
environment (not technical details from a perceived expert) that puts forward basic core information. For
example: the weather dictates what to wear. In business, what to do is based on the needs of the
customer. A doctor does not decide what to do next (how best to use the core information gained in
medical school) until the patient is examined. A lawyer does not decide what to do with what they know
about the law until they know the details of the case they are working on. To be fully informed, just be
aware of the environment; it is the only true catalyst of creative playful learning.
For golfers, awareness of the conditions of the shot they are about to play (up hill, down hill, into the
wind, down wind, left to right, right to left, etc.) is clearly the most useful model for determining what to do
with the golf club. This approach is far superior to applying technical details of an expert model, or how-
to directions for moving the body. Everything works best when it responds efficiently to the environment.
Copyright 2008, Micheal Hebron, Learning Golf, Inc., All rights reserved. From the book, Play Golf to
Learn Golf
