My Philosophy
Teach People not Golf
Mastering the Basics
Importance of Impact Zone
The Pivot
Dynamics of the Swing
Ball Flight
Touch on the Science of the Swing
On Course Instruction
Importance of Advanced Video
Students for Life
TEACH PEOPLE NOT GOLF:
Most instructors don’t pay attention to the student’s needs
The student’s feedback governs where we start the lesson
Get more involved in what they’re trying to accomplish
Tell me about your best hole
What would you like to get accomplished in your lesson
Get more involved in them
Advise them with club fitting
MASTERING THE BASICS:
Grip
Posture
Alignment
Balance points
Grip pressure
Finish
IMPORTANCE OF IMPACT ZONE:
All the ball responds to is what’s happening at impact
At impact were dealing with a clubface and a path
The ball has a starting direction which is dictated by path
If the ball curves that is dictated by clubface
Three other factors are centeredness, speed, angle of attack
There are 5 key things we look for at impact
Educate arms & hands from delivery to post-impact
Educate arms & hands + body from delivery to post-impact
THE PIVOT:
Sequence of Motion:
-Load
-Shift
-Rotate
DYNAMICS OF THE SWING:
Golf club follows the pivot throughout the swing
7-Step Swing
Monitoring Club path and Clubface
Understanding the relationship between body and club
BALL FLIGHT:
Initial direction ball travels = path
Curvature of the ball = face
Ball flight is more important with better players
Attention to ball flight allows you to respond to what just happened
Understanding grip mainly controls the face, while the body and arms to a large degree controls the path
TOUCH ON THE SCIENCE OF THE SWING:
Body is the power source
Arms guide the club
Hands fine tune the shot
Pivot controls what the body can and can’t do
Not to technical
Swing works on a natural arc
There are no straight lines in the golf swing
The lower body clearly initiates the downswing
Four major aspects in the golf swing to evaluate:
1) Impact
2) Grip
2) Body
3) Golf club
ON-COURSE INSTRUCTION:
Difference in hitting on the range vs. taking it to the course
This covers the mental and management part of golf
Mental part of golf covers the pre-shot routine
Visualization of the shot
Relaxation
Management part of golf covers playing smart shots
Playing towards your strengths and against your weaknesses
Mastering and understanding different lies on the course: 1) uphill lie 2) downhill lie 3) ball above your feet 4) ball below your feet
It’s not how it’s how many
IMPORTANCE OF ADVANCED VIDEO:
You don’t have to guess at anything
A proper analysis every time
Exact things to work on
Frame by frame analysis
Golfers see what they thought they were doing but aren’t doing
Most all golfers know what good looks like
Historical record of the lesson
Comparing a student’s swing to a tour player’s swing, where are the greatest positions in the golf swing
Simplified understanding of how to make corrections visually
STUDENTS FOR LIFE:
Continue to keep students improving
Treat the lesson or schools like they are the most important thing on your mind
Be up front and honest with the time it takes to get better and make changes
No such thing as a quick fix
If we treat our students better than anyone else, they will be ours forever, if we don’t they won’t
Set goals that are attainable for the student