Henry Brunton Performance Tools

Different Strokes...^TM is a software system developed exclusively for Golf professionals and Instructors. It identifies a golfer's learning preferences and prescribes instruction to match their style.

Do you ever wonder why one professional golf instructor may enjoy a great reputation with some students yet not with others? Do you ever wonder why professional golfers on the tour spend a considerable amount of time searching for a teacher they can be comfortable with? Some even give up and say they can't find one. For example, Jack Nicklaus has not been successful in replacing Jack Grout, his life long teacher.

Recent research in the field of instruction has examined this issue and has found that not all teaching methods work equally well with all golfers. For example, it is a known fact, that if ten students receive the same golf instruction, approximately four students will indicate that they learned a great deal and that the instruction was perfectly tailored to their needs. The other six will say either that it somewhat met their needs or that instruction was not as satisfying as they thought it might be, and would probably not return for more instruction with that instructor.

The failure to provide equally effective instruction to all students is neither the instructor's nor the student's fault. Rather, it is the differences in the degree of instructional fit between the instructor and learner that account for most of the variance in learning performance and satisfaction.

Instructional Fit is a term used to describe how well the teaching process (method, strategy, communication mode, etc.) matches the knowledge acquisition preferences of the student. These preferences, often collectively referred to as learning styles, describe the way in which a particular individual receives and process new information and skills. Research in education indicates that the matching of instruction to learning style is a prerequisite to effective teaching.

Although a few elements of a student's learning style can be identified through teacher observation, a comprehensive assessment of learning style, up until now, could only be achieved through interviews conducted by educational specialists or by using a reliable learning style inventory.

Different Strokes...^TM uses an inventory called the Golf Style indicator (a copyright of IMPACT) to identify individual learning styles and then provides the golf professional with an instructional prescription which is tailor-made for each student. Different Strokes will help the owner gain a better appreciation of the different ways individuals learn when they acquire knowledge and skills and will prescribe teaching approaches that produce successful instruction for each style of learning.

In other words, this software program will provide the owner with the learning behaviours students will demonstrate in response to teaching when they go about the process of acquiring the knowledge and the specific skills involved in the game of golf. It also provides indicators of consumer characteristics which each student will manifest when considering the purchase of golf products or services. Different Strokes is the best scientifically validated and up-to-date instructional technology of its kind on the market today.

If you are an instructor and you're interested in using these resources with your own students:
Link to Instructors' Page

If you are a student who would like to learn more about your own learning style and how to find a coach and program which suit your style:
Link to Students' Page