"I never start a lesson by seeing somebody who has a problem that needs fixing," says golf instructor Laird Small. "That's helpful because many golfers have negative mindsets. They see themselves as limited in so many ways—too old to learn, too stiff to swing correctly. My job is to show them what they can do, one step at a time."
Small's approach isn't based on positive thinking, or a mere can-do attitude. It springs from his lifelong study of Christian Science and the light it sheds on each individual's spiritual nature.
"Mary Baker Eddy saw people as God's reflection," Small says. "And I do, too. This is the bedrock of the mental standpoint I take into lessons—that imperfection isn't part of God's nature, so it's not part of God's children. That means that every one of my pupils is spiritual and perfect, which is how I see them. That starting point often leads me to share the proper advice to improve people's golf games."
