RST Online Learning Student's Guide: Intro
The Student's Guide is a new feature of the RST Online Learning system, created to assist you in translating information into progress as you're learning the golf swing. This introduction will explain the who, what, and why of this new tool.
Your virtual Student Union
The Guide is a resource for students, intended to provide a tool kit of strategies and keys to understanding the process of learning the golf swing, created as a legacy from current and former students of the program.
The tool kit is open-ended - as new students come along, they will undoubtedly gather new insights on the golf learning process.
The Student's Guide is a repository for those insights, built and maintained as a resource for future students.
This Guide is envisioned as a kind of virtual student union. Found on many college campuses, the Student Union is a place where students can consult other students and either get help directly, or find out how to access the resources they need.
For example, one of the topics covered in the Student Guide is "Real Change."
If there's something about the material or explanation that you don't understand, you will find an interface that allows you to communicate with other students or someone else who can answer your questions.
Who's Behind This?
This Guide was created by a fellow student named Ray Wyvill. He has been a member of this site since 2006, and is a certified Rotary Swing Golf Instructor.
Ray Wyvill learning the golf swing - Before
He's an 8 handicap as of this writing, and still improving!
Ray spent some of his early years on submarines, then went on to spend 29 years in the commercial power business.
Most importantly in this context, he's a reformed over the top swinger of the golf club who has sworn off what Chuck used to call the "tomahawk chop," coming down into the ball.
Of all the aspects of his game, getting past that "chop" is Ray's proudest accomplishment.
Ray has included his background in this introduction as an inspiration to current students: It doesn't matter what's going on in your golf swing, it can't be any worse than Ray's chop! If he could get past that, you can get past whatever you're struggling with, guaranteed.
Why This Tool Kit for Learning the Golf Swing?
Students working in groups learn from each other, as well as the instructor.
In fact, the most important learning in golf or anything for that matter often comes from other students because, let's face it, you're both on the same side of the aisle.
Ray Wyvill learning the golf swing - After
Golf instructors or instrutors in general know the material and work hard to convey it.
Your fellow students, meanwhile, are learning the same things you are. They can often convey not only the material but the learning process itself more easily than the instructor can.
This opens up a resource that's not typically available in an in person golf lesson. It opens up an avenue to learning golf from other students.
Why are we dealing with this?
Online learning is different from in-person learning, but it's still learning. At some point along the way, your head goes into your hands, wondering what's going on.
It doesn't matter if you're sitting over a laptop or a book, learning is still learning.
There are a few differences, and we will be discussing them, but overall there are many more similarities than there are differences.
What Will the Student's Guide Cover?
- Why is online learning different?
- What do you need in order to succeed at it? What are the prerequisites?
- Feedback - how to get it, how to use it - that's the key to learning in any environment.
- Real change
- The golf swing as a system
These before and after photos may not look like they show a lot of change. This is big change.
Before
There are no little changes in the golf swing. That's one point we can share with you right now.
That little detail below the hands, with the bent right elbow - compared to the After photo, that's a big change.
The group started right around the time that the Before photo was taken. The two shots span the period from June 2 to July 21, 2010, so they represent six weeks of change.
As it happens, six to seven weeks is kind of a magic figure. We'll come back to that when we get to the module on Real Change - what is it, how to get it, and why so many people are unsuccessful in achieving real change.
We'll be discussing that in some detail.
So what do we mean when we say the Guide will cover "the golf swing as a system?"
After
A lot of students don't have a very clear concept of how to manage and monitor their golf swing. The Student's Guide will give you a structure for tracking progress, monitoring performance, and managing change.
It's really one of the more exciting elements of this Guide!
We will also go into other topics as warranted. More and more students go through this experience all the time. Some of them will come up with insights, and we'll add them to this Guide.
Our goal is to build an excellent resource for online students learning the golf swing throughout the years. New chapters will be published as time permits, and as the demand warrants.
Watch part 2 now to see how you're moving your body in the opposite direction of the pros!
