The Mike Quinlan Approach: Why Motion Beats Mechanics (Every Single Time)

Let me tell you what’s broken about golf instruction:

You take a lesson. The instructor shows you a video of your swing mechanics. They point out twelve things that are “wrong”—your hip angle, your wrist position, your shoulder plane, your head movement.

You spend the next month trying to fix all twelve things. And your swing gets worse.

Why?

Because you’re trying to manage a dozen mechanical checkpoints in a motion that takes 1.5 seconds, it’s impossible. Your brain can’t do it. Your body can’t do it.

And yet this is how 90% of golf is taught.

I spent years teaching this way. I’d show students their positions, compare them to tour pros, and give them drills to “fix” each piece. Some got better. Most got more confused. All of them got more mechanical.

Then I discovered something that changed everything: the swing is not a collection of positions. It’s a motion.

And when you teach motion instead of mechanics, everything changes.

This is the foundation of what I call “The Mike Quinlan Approach”—and it’s built on the wisdom of two masters who figured this out decades before modern instruction complicated everything.

The Two Mentors Who Got It Right

Ernest Jones: “The Swing Is the Thing”

Ernest Jones was a British golf professional who lost his right leg in World War I. Unable to use typical mechanics or positions, he had to figure out how to swing a golf club using pure motion and feel.

What he discovered changed golf instruction forever.

Jones famously said: “The swing is the thing.”

Not the positions. Not the angles. Not the checkpoints.

The motion itself.

He would tie a handkerchief to a penknife and have students swing it. No golf club. No ball. Just the feeling of swinging a weight on a string—feeling the motion, the rhythm, the natural flow.

His students would learn to swing by feeling the motion, not by thinking about positions. And they got better. Fast.

Why did this work?

Because Jones understood something fundamental: the golf swing is an athletic motion, not a geometry problem.

When you focus on the motion—the feeling of swinging—your body naturally finds efficient positions. But when you focus on positions, you kill the motion.

---

---

Manuel de la Torre: “Swing the Club Head”

Manuel de la Torre took Jones’s philosophy and refined it even further.

His central insight: Control the club head, not your body.

De la Torre taught that golfers obsess over what their bodies are doing (hip rotation, shoulder turn, weight shift) when they should be focused on what the club head is doing.

The club head is what strikes the ball. Everything else is just supporting that action.

When you focus on swinging the club head—on its path, its speed, its arc—your body automatically organizes itself to support that motion. You don’t have to think about positions. Your body is brilliant at solving movement problems when you give it a clear external task.

De la Torre would say, “Don’t think about rotating your hips. Think about swinging the club head around your body.”

“Don’t think about shifting your weight. Think about swinging the club head toward the target.”

External focus. Club head focus. Motion focus.

This is how elite athletes in every sport operate—they focus on the task (throwing the ball, hitting the target, swinging the club) and let their bodies figure out how to do it.

Why Modern Instruction Gets It Backwards

Here’s what happens in most golf lessons today:

Modern Instruction:

1. Analyze positions (video, photos, comparisons to pros)
2. Identify “flaws” (this is wrong, that is wrong)
3. Prescribe fixes (do this drill, think about this position)
4. Hope the student can manage all these thoughts during the swing

The Result:

• Information overload
• Paralysis by analysis
• Mechanical, robotic swings
• Students who think more and play worse

The problem isn’t that position-based instruction is completely wrong—positions matter. The problem is the order of operations.

When you START with positions, you kill the motion.

When you START with motion, positions take care of themselves.

The Mike Quinlan Approach: Motion First, Always

My teaching philosophy is built on three core principles, all rooted in the wisdom of Jones and de la Torre:

Principle 1: The Swing Is Motion, Not Mechanics

Following Ernest Jones, I teach the swing as a unified athletic motion—not a sequence of positions to hit.

What this looks like in practice:

Instead of: “At the top of your backswing, your left arm should be parallel to your shoulder plane while your wrists are hinged at 90 degrees…”

I teach: “Feel the club head swing back naturally, like you’re sweeping it along the ground, then let it release through the ball toward the target.”

One is a checklist. The other is a motion.

The first approach creates tension and mechanical thinking. The second creates flow and athletic instinct.

When students learn to feel the motion—the rhythm, the tempo, the flow of the club head—their bodies naturally find efficient positions without conscious effort.

This is how you played as a kid. This is how every great athlete moves.

Principle 2: The Club Head Is Paramount

Following Manuel de la Torre, I direct all attention to the club head, not the body.

The goal of the golf swing is simple: Deliver the club head to the ball with the right speed, path, and face angle.

Everything your body does—your rotation, your weight shift, your arm movement—exists only to support that goal.

So why would we focus on the body?

What this looks like in practice:

Instead of: “You need to rotate your hips 45 degrees before your shoulders start turning…”

I teach: “Swing the club head back low and slow, then accelerate it through impact toward your target.”

Notice the difference?

One is internal (body-focused). The other is external (club-focused).

Motor learning research is clear on this: external focus (focusing on the implement or the target) produces better results than internal focus (focusing on body parts).

Why?

Because when you focus externally, your body self-organizes efficiently. When you focus internally, you interfere with natural coordination.

Put simply: Trust your body to figure out how. Just tell it what you want the club head to do.

Principle 3: Holistic Integration (The Three Pillars)

Great golf isn’t just about swing mechanics. It requires three elements working together:

1. Physical Execution: The ability to deliver the club head effectively

2. Mental Fortitude: The ability to stay present, trust your motion, and execute under pressure

3. Strategic Intelligence: The ability to make smart decisions, manage course conditions, and play within your capabilities

Most instruction focuses only on #1. But you can have a perfect swing and still shoot high scores if your mental game is weak or your course management is poor.

The Approach integrates all three:

• We build a swing based on motion and feel (Physical)
• We develop pre-shot routines and focus techniques (Mental)
• We teach course strategy and smart decision-making (Strategic)

All three work together. Ignore one, and the others suffer.

What Makes The Approach Different

Let me be direct about how this differs from typical instruction:

Traditional Instruction:

• Focuses on fixing positions
• Compares you to “ideal” models
• Prescribes the same swing for everyone
• Separates “swing work” from “mental game” from “course strategy”
• Uses internal, body-focused cues
• Measures success by how you look

The Mike Quinlan Approach:

• Focuses on mastering motion
• Builds a swing that works for YOUR body
• Customizes based on your physical capabilities and goals
• Integrates physical, mental, and strategic as one system
• Uses external, club head-focused cues
• Measures success by how you perform

I’m not teaching you positions. I’m teaching you to swing a golf club.

There’s a massive difference.

The Science Behind The Approach

This isn’t just philosophy—it’s backed by motor learning research.

External Focus vs. Internal Focus:

Dozens of studies show that focusing on external cues (the club, the ball, the target) produces:

• More consistent results
• Better retention
• Faster learning
• More automatic, fluid motion

Internal focus (thinking about body parts) produces:

• Inconsistent results
• Interference with natural coordination
• Slower learning
• Mechanical, choppy motion

Why?

Because your nervous system is designed to accomplish external tasks, not manage internal positions. When you tell your body “hit this target,” it figures out how. When you tell it “rotate your hips exactly 47 degrees,” you override its natural intelligence.

Holistic Integration:

Research on peak performance shows that elite athletes:

• Train physical skills separately from performance
• Develop mental routines that trigger flow states
• Make strategic decisions based on probabilities, not ego

The Approach is designed around these principles.

What This Looks Like in Real Lessons

Let me give you a concrete example:

Student Problem: Slicing the ball

Traditional Approach:

1. Show video of swing path (outside-in)
2. Prescribe position fixes (drop the club into the slot, rotate hips faster, hold the face off)
3. Give drills to groove new positions
4. Student thinks about 5 things during the swing
5. Swing gets mechanical and tense

The Mike Quinlan Approach:

1. Identify the club head path at impact (outside-in)
2. Use feel-based cues: “Swing the club head more from inside-right to outside-left” or “Feel like you’re hitting the inside-right quadrant of the ball”
3. Use simple external triggers that guide the motion
4. Student focuses on ONE thing (the club head path)
5. Body naturally adjusts to accomplish the task

The difference:

One approach adds complexity. The other simplifies.

One creates thinking. The other creates feeling.

One fights the body. The other trusts it.

The Four Components of Every Lesson

When you work with me, every lesson includes:

1. Diagnosis (Understanding the Why)

We use video and data to understand exactly what’s happening. Not just “your swing is too steep” but why it’s too steep and what’s causing it.

This matters because: You can’t fix what you don’t understand. And you can’t commit to a change if you don’t know why you’re making it.

2. Motion-Based Instruction (Building the Feel)

We develop simple, external cues that guide the club head motion. No checklists. No mechanical thoughts. Just clear feelings that your body can execute.

This matters because: You need something simple to focus on during the swing—something that guides motion without creating tension.

3. Integration (Mental & Strategic)

We build pre-shot routines, develop course management skills, and create strategies for managing pressure.

This matters because: The best swing in the world is useless if you can’t execute it on the course when it counts.

4. Personalization (Your Swing, Not “The Swing”)

Everything is customized to your body, your schedule, and your goals. There is no “perfect swing”—there’s only the swing that works best for you.

This matters because: You’re not a robot. Your swing should fit your body, not some idealized model.

The Journey From Confusion to Clarity

Here’s what the typical progression looks like:

Week 1-4: Building Awareness

• Understanding what the club head is actually doing
• Developing simple external cues
• Learning to feel motion instead of positions
• Building trust in the process

Month 2-3: Developing Consistency

• Repetition without judgment
• Integrating the motion into actual shots
• Developing pre-shot routine
• Starting to trust it on the course

Month 4+: Owning Your Game

• The motion feels natural, not forced
• You stop thinking about mechanics on the course
• You focus on strategy and execution
• You play better golf with less effort

This isn’t a quick fix. It’s a fundamental shift in how you approach the game.

But the students who commit to it don’t just improve—they transform how they experience golf.

Why This Works When Other Methods Don’t

I’ve taught hundreds of students. The ones who improve the fastest and most permanently are the ones who:

1. Stop trying to control positions and start focusing on motion
2. Stop thinking about their bodies and start focusing on the club head
3. Stop separating practice from mental game from strategy and start integrating all three
4. Stop comparing themselves to “ideal” models and start building a swing that works for them

This is The Approach.

It’s simple. It’s athletic. It’s effective.

And it works because it’s how human beings are designed to learn movement—not through conscious control of body parts, but through focused attention on accomplishing a task.

You don’t need more information. You need better focus.

You don’t need more positions to think about. You need one clear motion to feel.

You don’t need to swing like a tour pro. You need to swing like the best version of yourself.

That’s what The Approach builds.

Ready to Experience The Approach?

If you’re tired of mechanical instruction that creates more questions than answers, let’s work together to build a swing based on motion, feel, and trust.

Book your first lesson or contact Mike and discover how focusing on the club head—not your body—creates the consistent, athletic swing you’ve been searching for.

The Mike Quinlan Approach: Motion over mechanics. Club head over body parts. Integration over isolation. Your swing over “the” swing.