The Impact Bag Golf Blog

Having a Master’s Degree in Education is often helpful as a golf coach. One of the main aspects I use when delivering instruction or making swing changes is the 4 stages of learning. Learning golf can be a frustrating experience and the desired results are not always as quick to achieve as we would like. However, these set backs and failures we go through are a key component of the learning process and vital for our development. Making mistakes is vital to learning and should not be viewed as a mistake but just another learning opportunity.  Viewed through a more objective lens we spend less time in the doldrums or on the canvas and dust ourselves off and grow with each experience rather than grown at every hurdle.

The key is to stay in the learning process and not get frustrated by the mistake we make. If we can make a 1% improvement each time we play or practice over the course of time we will see a significant improvement (See Creating Habits Post). Raising our awareness of what we did well rather than allowing negative emotions to dominate will ensure that we keep moving in the right direction and not get fixated on what went wrong, then pressing repeat on that loop.

The 4 Stages of Learning

Stage 1: UNCONSCIOUS INCOMPETENCE

We don’t know that we don’t know.

In this stage we are ignorant of what we don’t know, we have no concept of what should be done or what is the right the way to do it. You could attribute this stage to a baby that doesn’t yet know they should walk. They are incioetant that that is something they should even do.

In golf terms an example could be the player is unaware that a cupped left wrist is causing the club face to be open at the top of your backswing and the shaft is steep in the downswing making you early extend and chop across the ball causing a wicked slice.

Stage 2: CONSCIOUS INCOMPETENCE

We know that we don’t know.

In this stage you become aware of what you didn’t know, a lack of understanding is uncovered or a new skill is understood. You recognise that you din’t know that piece of information or way of doing something and are therefore in a position to start to learn that new skill or knowledge. You understand that you din’t know this before and that there is room for improvement.

The player takes a lesson and the coach points out that the player’s wrist is cupped and the shaft is steep in the downswing. The coach shows the player this on video and explains what  is causing the player to slice. The coach explains that flattening the left wrist at the top of the backswing and on the downswing will keep the club-face more neutral. This is a lightbulb moment for the player and they understand the new concept.

Stage 3: CONSCIOUS COMPETENCE

We work at what we don’t know.

Here, you have acquired the knowledge and are working at the skill, but you must consciously focus to apply them. You can perform the task competently, but it requires concentration and effort. You show competence but not quite mastery.

The player makes a conscious effort to flatten the left wrist at the top of the backswing and shallow the shaft in the downswing. In this stage, the player practices, works on drills, uses feedback tools such as training aids, alignment sticks and video for feedback. It takes a lot of effort and work and most of the learning is done in this stage and gradually the left wrist begins to flatten in the back swing and the shaft shallows in the downswing changing the players’ ball flight.

Stage 4: UNCONSCIOUS COMPETENCE

 We don’t have to think about knowing it.

This final stage is reached when you have mastered the skill to the point where you can perform it effortlessly and without conscious thought. The skill becomes second nature, and you can execute it instinctively.

The player no longer thinks about flattening the wrist and shallowing the shaft in the downswing and can perform these moves automatically, unconscious of the swing changes implemented.

How to Apply the 4 Stages of Learning to your Golf Game

The four stages of learning can be applied to learning any new skill, from walking to riding a bike to driving a car. The key to the four stages is recognising where you are in the cycle. Simply by reading this article, you are already out of stage 1 of learning how we learn and have moved to stage 2 and are ready to raise your awareness. You are now ready for stage 3 and in a position to start to practice the 4 stages of learning. Soon you will recognise that you have become conscious of something you didn’t know. You are then in stage 2 and ready to find out more, to move into stage 3 and work at it. It could new knowledge about set up in the short game or how to pick sensible targets, whatever it is, realise that once you have any new knowledge you have to being working at that to master stage 4 of learning. In golf we tend to jump from one tip or quick fix to the next before giving what worked for a round or two chance to move to stage 4. We then end up in stage 3 working on 5 things at once and cause interference of thought.

In a golf context, Joe Mayo’s revelations about a steep angle of attack have been a new learning for me. I was always taught to use the bounce and have a shallow angle of attack. Once I found out about it and got out of stage one I quickly went through all his Instagram posts and found out as much as I could in stage 2. Then in stage 3, I began getting steeper, with my low point forward and some shaft lean, clipping the ball first. Now my spin rate is up, my contact is much better and with the thought of my club head moving outside the flag position I’m in stage 4. 

I had also always thought that the putter should go straight back and through. I learned that the putter should work more on an arc but never really liked the concept.  I noticed that I missed putts when I got my putter head outside the line and had to correct the stroke into impact. In stage 1 I saw that many players were using putting mats with an arc on them so I got one to take me into stage 2. In stage 3 I began to work with the mat taking the putter back and through on an arc. Lo and behold I start hitting my start line more often and rarely take the putter outside the line now. 

In the mental game, I wanted to introduce a performance trigger also known as a flow trigger. I found out about them from Mental Golf Type but hadn’t successfully implemented one into my pre-shot process. I prioritised 10 minutes of practice time to work on introducing a deep breath as a trigger before.

So recognizing when you move from stage 1. Unconscious Incompetence to stage 2 conscious incompetence is a vital step in the learning process. This is where taking lessons can help you  to move into stage 3 and start working on a new move, or implementing a set up change.

In Stage 2 Conscious Incompetence, you can begin to research and compliment the knowledge or skill you have just found out about. Getting a clear image or goal for how you are going to go about working on the new skill can help clarity, and accelerate the learning process.

In Stage 3 Conscious Competence we begin working on our new skill or knowledge. We implement practice plans, drills and feels to help cement the new move or knowledge into our game. Our goal is to get to a point where we can automatically implement the knowledge or move with much thought. My goal is to get things down to one swing though maximum when over the ball, or to just be target orientated and rely on the completed work that I will naturally make the move.

In Stage 4 Unconscious Competence we have groves that move or implement new bits of knowledge without thinking about them. You are now ready to play golf naturally or find a new aspect of your game to work on.

So in conclusion, working through the 4 stages of learning with any piece of new information is an insightful way to know when you can add more pieces to the puzzle. If you don’t feel like you can do the recommendations from the last lesson then maybe it needs more time in stage 3 until you are ready for more information. What we should avoid is layering information on top of new information before we feel we have got the new information to stage 4 and can successfully implement a change without thinking about it. More than one swing thought will cause mental interference and often a decline in performance.

I hope this was helpful. Please leave any comments below and subscribe to my page for notifications of new posts. For online lessons look me up on Skillest.