Many of the golfers I teach have never seen their golf swings on video. They are often surprised at what they see.

There are three kinds of learners, and all can benefit from the use of video.

There are visual learners, who need to see things demonstrated. There are kinesthetic learners, who play by how positions and movement feel to them. There are also auditory learners, who relate to words and the feel of rhythm and balance in the swing.

With video, the visual golfer sees his swing and pictures the changes needed.

The kinesthetic golfer matches what he feels with what is really happening.

The auditory learner matches the words of his teacher describing his swing motion with what he sees. He can also relate to the rhythm and balance he sees.

I have found video to be of great assistance to all golfers because what they think is happening is usually far from reality. Seeing their swing convinces golfers of the truth and the changes necessary for improvement.

Most people who teach golf for a living use video in their instruction. Computer programs that allowdrawing to illustrate and help students understand what the teacher is saying have become very popular as well. These programs allow you to see yourself next to a player who demonstrates the attributes the instructor is encouraging you to work on.

Video also allows you to get immediate feedback, to see if the change you are working on is happening or not. This is invaluable, since most golfers practice without any feedback and often do not know if they are really doing what the teacher recommended.

Video takes the guesswork out of what is causing your errant ball flight. When the camera slows the swing down to frame by frame, it becomes obvious where the error happens. Video might not be appropriate for all lessons, especially for beginning golfers, but I have found that students change much faster when they see something with their own eyes.

If you have not taken a lesson from an instructor who uses video and software programs, you might ask for this for your Christmas present.