| When you are learning golf, it can feel like there is | | | | "not-so-consistent." |
| really just too much to ingrain into our bodies. This | | | | These stages of learning also correlate to how |
| is exactly what its supposed to feel like. Although | | | | consistent a player you can become. In the |
| some may learn more quickly than others, if we | | | | beginning, we struggle because its such an |
| have never done something before, we still must | | | | unnatural movement for our bodies to be making. |
| all go through these learning stages at some level. | | | | Then, we learn some band-aid fixes that may |
| Let me introduce the four stages of learning: | | | | work to cover up swing flaws in the middle of |
| 1. Unconscious Incompetence-These stages of | | | | the round. |
| learning start when you are doing a task wrong, | | | | We then move on to making great swings, but |
| and you don't know why. | | | | usually with a conscious effort during the round, |
| 2. Conscious Incompetence-Then, we learn to | | | | and you say to yourself that you are "thinking |
| recognize that we know we are doing it wrong. | | | | too much" during a round rather than "letting it |
| 3. Conscious Competence-Next, we feel we can | | | | happen" or "getting in the zone." |
| do it, but only with concentrated, conscious effort. | | | | I have found that getting in the zone doesn't |
| 4. Unconscious Competence-Finally, habits become | | | | necessarily happen when the habits are perfectly |
| ingrained so that we understand how to do them | | | | ingrained (although it helps to have them |
| correctly, using only our subconscious | | | | ingrained), but when we learn to trust what we |
| The final stage of learning (unconscious | | | | have spent so much time trying to ingrain into our |
| competence) is obviously what we are after, and | | | | bodies, and make swings toward the target we |
| separates the consistent players from the | | | | focus on with little to no fear. |