When it’s all said and done, there are three different types of services being offered in the golf instruction world.. and the info world at large, in terms of helping people get the results they want.

All three of these represent a level of desire.

Level 3: “Just Read The Manual”

Let’s start with the least desirable thing that is offered to people which ironically is what pretty much everyone else is trying to do. This is without question the bottom of the three levels, the least desirable thing to offer.

This is the equivalent of somebody not knowing how to program their DVR.

Let’s say you want to record the golf channel because it’s Ryder Cup weekend. But you can’t figure out how to set the timer and record that channel at that time.

If someone were to offer you a “75 page owners manual” and said “There you go, now you can figure out how to program your DVR”… “Thank you, that will be $47”. You wouldn’t be overjoyed, but you’d probably take him up on his offer because there’s no other options.

This is the last thing anyone wants. But it’s what most everyone is trying to do.

Level 2: Show Me How To Do It Right”

This time instead of “Here’s your 75 page owners manual” you hear..

“Oh, you want to know how to record the Ryder Cup on the Golf Channel from 1am Friday morning until 3pm in the afternoon? No problem, you see that home screen button on the remote. Press that button, and then press select show. Then you press G, see where it says Golf Channel, click that, and press record. You’re welcome”

This is much more desirable – to have someone actually walk you through the process, rather than someone say “here’s the manual”.

Level 1: “Do It For Me!”

In most cases – the most desirable thing of all is to have someone come in and program your DVR for you so you don’t have to mess with it and potentially mess all the settings up!

Now – the examples I’ve given above are real life examples. But in the golfing world, you could equate it to reading blogs or a book (level 3), watching youtube videos and then videoing your own swing and working on the changes yourself (level 2), and then actually seeking out some help from a Pro and asking him to diagnose your faults and then build a plan of action to improve your swing and game (level 1).

In my coaching business, I’m actually working between level 2 and level 1. This I find is the sweet spot.

Actually showing people how to do it, and then doing it for them. Meaning, diagnosing their faults and implementing a plan of improvement that leads to a much better golf game.

It’s not that the books aren’t full of great knowledge and wisdom, they are! But most of the time people misconstrue the information. Which makes the learning process even longer and arduous.

If you’re going to read the manual, read it with someone more qualified who can answer your questions along the way..