During the first shortened round (5–6 holes), things get a little chaotic from time to time.
The ball must be played. You have to learn the proper order of play on the course. At the same time, you must be considerate of your fellow players as well as the golfers in front of and behind your group. Stableford points are tallied, the scorecard must be kept accurately, and the golfer tries to stay focused on their own shot and their game strategy.
In addition, there are etiquette rules and an appropriate pace of play to ensure that the flow of the game is maintained throughout the entire golf course.
In this situation, many golf instructors take over the scorecard to make things easier for their students.
We deliberately do the opposite.
After all, we don’t just want our participants to pass the course proficiency test. We want them to leave the golf course as independent golfers.
A golf license involves more than just good golf shots
Many people associate the golf license primarily with the technique of the golf swing.
Of course, a golfer must learn to hit the ball with sufficient confidence. But that alone isn’t enough.
The golf license also requires skills such as:
- keep the scorecard accurate,
- Calculate Stableford points,
- keep track of your teammate’s shots,
- understand the order of play,
- Apply the rules in real-game situations,
- Implement Ready Golf,
- Be considerate of other players,
- maintain an appropriate playing speed,
- and keep track of the entire round.
At the same time, the golfer must continue to make decisions about club selection, target areas, risk, and playing strategy.
It is only the combination of these skills that transforms a beginner into an independent golfer.
A skill is not developed by having it taken away
Especially on the first day, keeping track of the scorecard requires a lot of concentration.
Many new golfers lose track of their scores. Others forget when to record a score, don’t keep accurate count of their playing partner’s strokes, or are unsure how to calculate Stableford points.
That is exactly why this task belongs in the classroom.
A skill isn’t acquired by having it taken away from you. It’s acquired through practice.
In the short term, it would be more practical if the golf instructor kept track of the scorecard and handled as many organizational tasks as possible. The student could then focus more on his or her shots.
In the long run, however, this would deprive him of an important part of the learning process.
After all, once the lesson is over, the golfer will have to take on these tasks on their own. If they’ve never practiced them under guidance before, that’s exactly when the uncertainty sets in—the moment the golf instructor is no longer standing right there beside them.
In the Golf Learning System, we therefore view the course eligibility certification not as an exam, but as the beginning of the ability to play independently.
Mistakes at the beginning are part of the learning process
Of course, things can get a little chaotic during the first or second round.
Then we’ll take a short break, discuss the difficulties we’ve encountered, and reorganize the individual tasks.
Where should each result be entered?
When is the count conducted?
How are the other player’s shots controlled?
When is the Stableford score calculated?
How does the team stay in the flow of the game despite that?
Mistakes like these aren’t a sign that the golfer is overwhelmed. They show which skills still need to be developed.
Our goal is not to hide difficulties from the student. Our goal is to give the student the opportunity to solve them with guidance.
What seems confusing on the first day starts to change after just a few rounds together. After two or three scorecards, set routines take shape. Counting, recording, and checking scores become second nature.
The task hasn’t gone away.
The golfer has developed a skill.
Routine brings mental freedom
The key improvement isn’t just that the scorecard is filled out correctly in the end.
Once their swing has become second nature, golfers hardly have to think about it consciously anymore. This frees up mental capacity.
He can focus more on other tasks:
- the next play,
- choosing the right racket,
- the game strategy,
- the orientation,
- the risk of a stroke,
- and preparing for implementation.
That’s exactly how learning works on the golf course.
A task that is initially challenging becomes a second nature through repetition, correction, and experience. Only then can the golfer manage multiple demands at once without each individual task requiring his or her full attention.
Not just passing the test, but actually being able to play golf
That’s why passing the golf license exam isn’t our only goal.
We want our participants to be able to navigate their home course afterward. They should be able to organize their round on their own, keep track of their scorecard, make decisions, and not feel lost or unprepared.
Some courses for obtaining a golf license focus primarily on getting participants onto the golf course as quickly as possible.
Our approach is different.
We don’t just want to ensure that a participant is allowed to play.
We want him to be able to play.
This also means that, during the course, the player must take on tasks that are difficult at first. Only in this way can individual experiences develop into consistent routines.
What becomes apparent in the weeks following the course
The value of this training becomes particularly clear in the first few rounds after earning your golf license.
The golfer, who had earned her golf license with us two weeks earlier, scored 20 Stableford points over nine holes just one week after the course. Another week later, she scored 21 Stableford points.
The second scorecard records these 21 points on the first nine holes.
These results aren’t just two good laps.
They show that the skills she developed during the course have indeed become more consistent. The golfer was able to apply what she had learned at her home course even without the golf instructor and complete her round on her own.
Of course, she still has a lot to learn, too. That goes for every golfer, regardless of their handicap.
The difference, however, lies in how a new golfer feels when they step onto the course after the lesson.
Not:
I’m not ready to try it yet. I’m not exactly sure what I need to do. The main thing is that I get to play as soon as possible.
Rather:
I know the procedures. I can organize my round. I can count my strokes, keep track of my scorecard, and improve my game.
That is precisely what shows whether a course for obtaining a golf license merely prepares students for an exam or actually trains golfers.
Why we shouldn’t confuse responsibility with being overwhelmed
A student doesn’t take on tasks simply because the golf instructor wants to help him less.
The opposite is true.
The golf instructor’s role is to organize the learning process in such a way that golfers can experience new challenges, make mistakes, receive feedback, and develop routines based on that feedback.
Responsibility, therefore, does not mean leaving the beginner on their own.
It means gradually enabling him to do things on his own.
The handicap progression of a female golf student from an earlier course certification class this year illustrates how this learning process can evolve.
Within a few months, she improved her handicap from 54 to under 40.
Such progress doesn’t come from a single good round. It comes when a new golfer plays regularly, navigates the course on their own, gains experience, and learns from their own decisions.
That is exactly what a good golf license is meant to lay the foundation for: not just for your first handicap rating, but for your long-term development as a golfer.
This also means that the golf instructor shouldn’t resolve every difficulty right away. Some challenges need to be experienced under guidance so that the golfer can later handle them on their own.
The scorecard is a good example of this.
At first, it causes extra stress. After a few rounds, it becomes normal. Later on, it becomes a natural part of the game.
Stress becomes routine.
Guidance leads to independence.
A good handicap course prepares you for your future life as a golfer
The success of a course to earn a golf handicap isn’t only evident on the last day of the course.
It becomes apparent in the weeks that follow.
Can a golfer play alone on the course?
Can he organize his group?
Does he know the key procedures?
Can he keep track of his scorecard?
Does he understand his Stableford points?
Can he think ahead and make decisions even when he has several tasks to handle?
If you have these skills, your golf journey won’t begin with uncertainty, but rather with a solid foundation – one that our Golf Learning System builds step by step.
That’s exactly why we let our golfers who are working toward their course certification keep track of their own scorecards from the very beginning.
Not to make the course more difficult.
But rather so that, later on, they won’t just have a golf license, but will be able to play like real golfers on the course.
Monnard Widmer Coaching Insight
A good Handicap course doesn’t just ensure that you’re allowed to play. It prepares you to play on your own.
