RST Online Learning Student's Guide: Intro
The Student's Guide is a valuable feature of the RST Online Learning system, created to assist you in translating information into measurable progress as you're learning the golf swing. This introduction will explain the who, what, and why of this powerful new tool.
The Guide is a resource for students, designed to provide a toolkit 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 toolkit is open-ended — as new students come along, they will undoubtedly gather fresh 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" — what it takes to achieve lasting swing improvements.
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 fellow 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.
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 steeply 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 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 overcome 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 from the instructor.
In fact, the most important learning in golf — or anything else for that matter — often comes from other students because you're both on the same side of the aisle.
Golf instructors know the material and work hard to convey it effectively.
Your fellow students, meanwhile, are learning the same things you are. They can often communicate not only the material but the learning process itself more effectively than the instructor can, because they've just gone through it.
This opens up a resource that's not typically available in a standard in-person golf lesson. It creates an avenue for learning golf from other students who share your perspective.
Why does this matter?
Online learning is different from in-person learning, but it's still learning. At some point along the way, everyone reaches a moment of frustration, wondering what's going wrong.
It doesn't matter if you're sitting over a laptop or a textbook — learning is still learning.
There are a few differences between online and in-person golf instruction, and we will be discussing them. But overall, there are far more similarities than there are differences. For a data-driven look at how your current swing mechanics measure up, try a free AI swing analysis that scores your movement patterns objectively.
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 — what it takes to make lasting swing improvements
- The golf swing as a system
These before-and-after photos may not look like they show a dramatic transformation. This is big change.
There are no little changes in the golf swing. That's one point we can share with you right now.
That subtle detail below the hands with the bent trail elbow — compared to the After photo, that represents a significant shift.
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, representing six weeks of focused work.
As it happens, six to seven weeks is something of a magic figure in motor learning. We'll come back to that when we get to the module on Real Change — what it is, how to achieve it, and why so many golfers are unsuccessful in creating lasting improvement.
We'll be discussing that in considerable detail.
So what do we mean when we say the Guide will cover "the golf swing as a system?"
Many students don't have a clear framework for managing and monitoring their golf swing development. The Student's Guide will give you a structure for tracking progress, monitoring performance, and managing change effectively. To experience AI-powered practice tracking with real-time coaching, check out a free AI golf lesson that scores your reps and provides instant feedback.
It's really one of the most exciting elements of this Guide!
We will also expand into other topics as warranted. More and more students go through this experience all the time. Some of them will discover fresh insights, and we'll add them to this Guide.
Our goal is to build an outstanding resource for online students learning the golf swing for years to come. New chapters will be published as time permits and as student demand warrants.
Watch part 2 now to see how you're moving your body in the opposite direction of the pros!
Your virtual Student Union
Ray Wyvill learning the golf swing - Before
Ray Wyvill learning the golf swing - After
Before
After
