If there’s a common denominator in the phone calls we receive regarding instruction, it’s about the same word…consistency. As in, “Why am I not consistent?” The gentleman in Alaska was on the phone asking that question. His being a AA shooter, I could hear his frustration. He knew, correctly, that he was better than his scorecards were showing. After a few minutes of listening, I very politely explained that I knew why he was not consistent. After a bit of silence, he very respectfully said there wasn’t any way I could know that. He went on to say, we’d never met, and to his knowledge, I’d never seen him shoot. AND…he said ...

You shot well today. Even your swing mistakes managed to catch a piece, XX. Everything just felt right, the targets looked slower than usual. Every X reinforced the momentum…your confidence a force driving the gun. Planned and rehearsed, sight picture after sight picture appeared right on time, again and again. XXXXXX. This momentum carried you through the final 3 stations to your best tournament score ever. It’s 2:15 in the clubhouse and you’re reminiscing so many good shots today. A friend strolls by and says you’ve tied the club “protester” and there’ll be a shoot-off at 2:45.  The protester has a reputation for disruptive ...

Please be patient and bear with me as I lead into this story. I promise it will circle back around to why you stopped by here in the first place. I used to be a serious golfer, self-taught from my first swing. There was never a lack of enthusiasm or determination on my part, just the thrill of my initial gear purchases after which I showed up, gripped it and ripped it. Though I had more fun than any one person might aught to have, the problem with being self-taught is usually the teacher. A true, ”long ball hitter” in baseball, golf was definitely an adventure for me. And for those on the fairways bordering both sides of mine. My problem was never ...

Well…maybe not exactly easy…but, here is a down and dirty, common sense hit list of exactly what puts more Xs on a scorecard.FWIW…my understanding of the science behind excellent shooting has come from my respected mentors. But, the art of my successful teaching has come from my thousands of students.Here are 4 cliffs notes on the process of putting more Xs on a scorecard.Step 1, is the word…or the question I hear most often… ”Why am I so inconsistent?” Well, it could be any of a few dozen commonplace reasons, but this we can count on: the swing being observed, on the very same target, typically, is not the same every time. It’s changing. ...