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Trust your information sources
Golf is a game that is widely discussed and analysed, where golfers of all abilities frequently share their opinions on a multitude of aspects of the game. While sharing information can be a great way to improve and develop, keep in mind that this unregulated data exchange could be harmful to you as the receiver, thus reducing your learning and development potential. So always take advice and opinions form random unsolicited individuals online with a pinch of salt.
As golfer’s we seek to find the next feeling or thought to game improve. But just remember that random individuals may not have the expertise to provide an accurate analysis. Golfers are particularly passionate about the sport. Commonly sharing their experiences, coaching and perceived helpful insights. This is particularly true across online group chats where everyone has an opinion regardless of their experiences and expertise.
Everyone has some type of bias, and being that golf is a subjective sport what might work for me might not work for you because of a variety of variables, such as: height, flexibility, golfing IQ, favourite player, shot type, etc. So even if the information you receive is great information, please keep in mind that you need to make sure that it is tailored to you. This will ensure that you continue to improve but also not cause any injury.
If you want to continue to improve, seek information from all areas but make sure you are in control of your journey and that you are fully informed about the potential swing fault/change. Once fully informed you will be able to find a SMART solution to build from either by yourself or with a coach.
Overall, the best way’s that you can guarantee your improvement is through seeking professional coaching. Professionals have been through intensive coaching courses to help describe techniques and movement patterns to their students. Likewise, playing professionals will have an abundance of knowledge on technical fixes and scoring methods. This includes elite amateur golfers as these individuals receive the highest forms of coaching. Additional sources of good golf information include golf specific websites & magazines that offer expert advice. All of these good sources of information have one thing in common: Years of high-quality experience.
In conclusion, receiving golf instruction from random people in online golf groups as gospel might lead to disaster as you could spend weeks working on the wrong thing. As tempting as it may be to seek easy information always be mindful of the source and where they may have gotten their information. By seeking professional coaching and experienced online sources of information, you can rest knowing that those individuals are providing relevant and accurate information that may help you improve your game if applied in the correct manner.
In defence of online chats, remember that you may find a eureka moment amongst the noise. I personally know someone who had a similar swing fault to someone else in an online group in the past who was given a perfectly good tip by their coach but they could not find the correct feeling for the fix. The group chat comment provided them with a different perspective and led to rectify their fault. There are loads of different methods to help fix a single issue and some may work better for others. It just needs someone who's been through it to identify what they used to combat it in order to pass that information on. It may not work, but it could also be the eureka moment you were looking for.
Using online groups and chats can also be a fantastic way to receive honest course reviews about conditions layout and services. They can also be great to vent, golf can be a frustrating game so building comradery online with others who are or have experienced the same things can also be great in maintaining your passion for the game.