When teaching children or even beginners, we can often over-complicate things.  Many of us speak a language very few understand.  Swing plane, clubface angle, forearm rotation and spine angle are everyday terms in our world, but not many students know what they mean or how it applies to them.  Most people do not like to ask questions or admit they don’t know what we are talking about.  When you ask a student if they understand you, they usually say yes.

For me, I like to make sure we are on the same page.  I will ask them to demonstrate what they think I am telling them to do.  This opens the communication line and also shows me as their teacher whether my style or word choice is being comprehended.  Students get excited when they demonstrate a proper drill or idea; they are engaged and their confidence builds.

With children, keep is simple.  Have kids figure out how to hit the ball high or low, bump a shot through the fringe, and keep it fun.  As children develop and understand the game, you can begin to discuss more technical terms with them.  Don’t forget:  This form of simple communication should also be directed towards the parents.  In the beginning, perfect swing mechanics are the least of things with which young players should be concerned.  Our job is to help people enjoy the game, not bog it down with terms students they don’t understand.

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• Only swing clubs in designated hitting areas and bays.  Never swing a golf club until you have cleared your swing space.  Do this by looking around you in all directions and testing the space for backswing and forward swing to see that no person or object interferes.

• Never walk up behind someone who is poised to swing

• Never swing a club toward someone as it could slip from your hands.

• Never walk out in front of the hitting line to recover a ball, tee, or for any other reason.

For greater impact, do not just preach these precautions, but demonstrate them at all times.  Use a partner / teacher system for more effective instruction.  Pair the students so that while one is performing the other is observing (caddy system).

Give brief, simple instructions the students can apply and practice for a few minutes, then bring them back for the next step.  Keep the explanation and demonstration brief.  Break this up several times in the lesson to allow for application, practice, and correction.  It is important to not get involved with one student longer than the others.  Individual help is necessary, but it should be brief so that others are not neglected.  Time management is paramount when teaching groups.

These tips will go a long way to furthering your teaching ability as a professional.

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This year could have been a perfect opportunity to compare just how much modern equipment has changed the game, or not. The US Open is being played at the Merion Golf Club in Ardmore, Pennsylvania. In all previous Opens, the course ranged from 6,480 yards to 6,550 yards. That is what Merion played to in all previous Opens from Bobby Jones to David Graham. The opportunity to compare has been lost, as for this year’s tournament, the course has been lengthened to just under 7,000 yards.

Rarely in this day and age do professional tournaments play on courses under 7,200 yards. Remember when the 600-yard hole at Firestone was considered a brute? Players reach this hole in two now, and some with irons. If equipment and balls have not mattered, then why the need to keep adding yardage? The only way to determine the true effect is to play on a course exactly as it was built. That won’t be the case, however, this year when there was a perfect opportunity to do so. Instead, we’ll get an altered layout with overgrown rough, and in the end, they will say the distance issue is a moot point.

Oh yeah, and the moustache painted on the Mona Lisa looks real good too.

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The problem I see stems from the selection of wedges that they are using. I teach my students to use low-bounce wedges, which help to get the leading edge under the ball without having to lead with the wrists. Leading with the hands through impact creates a low punchy style of a shot that is often inconsistent, and runs out too much and creates usually quite a deep divot. By using wedges with less bounce, the golfer can play the ball farther forward in their stance, open the face slightly, and use a smooth “armsie” swing and still get the leading edge under the ball without hitting it skinny or driving the leading edge deep into the ground. It is important, when playing the short game this way, that the clubface is fractionally open, and the ball is played up in the stance. If we open the face on a high-bounce wedge, the leading edge is raised too high off turf, and we will run the risk of hitting it skinny or be forced to hit down on the ball too much.  this leads to getting too steep, creating a lower-than-desired shot that relies on spin and a good bounce.

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During the final round, Scott began his round with a bogey on the first hole.  His demeanor walking off the green was very calm; one couldn’t tell if he made a par or worse.  He parred the next hole, which is a par-5 that many players think is a birdie hole.  Again, he walked off the green very calm, not upset for making par.  Many players, including yours truly, start to press if they feel they are falling behind the leaders.  Scott kept calm and birdied the next hole.

He then parred the next nine holes in a row, missing many makeable birdie putts.  His conduct never changed.  He stayed patient, knowing that he was hitting the ball well and that the putts would start to all.  If he would have started to press his game when he was not making birdies, he would have started to put more pressure on his ballstriking, possibly resulting in poor execution and possibly some bogeys.

Scott made three birdies on the last six holes, eventually winning in a playoff.  His patience and calm demeanor allowed him to take advantage of great shots and not get in his own way, winning his first major.  It took me a long time to learn how to play this way.  I would always feel that missing short putts or not making birdies meant that I was falling behind the leaders.  Tournament golf is a long process.  You must stay patient and let the good scores come to you.

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Ball Position

• For the driver, the ball is positioned directly in line with the lead foot instep.
• The ball slightly moves progressively back in the stance with each club.
• From the driver to the 9-iron, the ball moves back 2.7 inches for Tour professionals.
• For individuals with extremely wide stances, the ball can move slightly further back but not more than 5 inches or past the center point.

Stance Width

• The stance width with a 5-iron should be shoulder width.
• The driver stance is the widest, with averages near 2 inches outside of the shoulders for each foot.
• The 9-iron stance is 2 inches narrower than each shoulder.
• The lead foot is opened toward the target (flared) 25 degrees.

Distance from the ball 

These are measurements with standard clubs from the end of the lead foot (toe) to the center of the ball.  Excessively large or small foot size can change this slightly.  The average foot size is 11.

Proper distance from the ball (toe to center of the ball) is dictated mostly by length of club.

This distance can also be affected by numerous body characteristics, including height (taller = closer), shoulder and hip width (narrower = closer), arm length (shorter = closer), and foot size (larger = closer).  The reality is that most people will fall between these tolerances.  Height, arms, hips, and foot size only have a slight effect on distance.

• The driver distance (45- to 46-inch driver) is between 32 to 36 inches from the ball (pro average: 33 to 34 inches)
• The 5-iron distance is between 22 to 26 inches (average 24 inches).
• The 9-iron distance is between 18 to 22 inches (average 22 inches)
• For every inch in length of a golf club, there is a .5 inch (1/2 inch) difference in distance.

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It is often easy to become over-reliant on the words of a golf teacher to the point of forgetting that golf requires time and repetition. Not to say that a teacher isn’t relevant, but understand that the teacher/student relationship is really a journey in self-discovery. Unfortunately, golfers good and bad will try anything that even hints at being the one thing that they think will quickly make them better. If it is on the cover of a magazine or a 30-second spot on TV, a note to self is recorded and off to the range one goes. Many of my friends are like this, and probably yours, too: Eternal experimenters, quick-fix searchers, and generally on a path to failure.

I am going to paraphrase from a recent article I came across in a popular golf magazine. Getting better at golf requires a deeply personal engagement. It is a subtle and difficult process that is always a mystery. In essence, what it comes down to is that golf is hard. When I contemplate that, I often recall the movie A League of their Own, when character Jimmy Dugan is told by his player that baseball is too hard, his response is classic: “It’s supposed to be hard. If it was easy, everyone would do it. It’s the hard that makes it great.”

We should never forget that golf is a journey, a winding road with many ups and downs. There are guides to help along the way. In the end, however, it is up to you.

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• Your professional experience and talent are valuable assets.  Therefore, do not be afraid to sell your talents.  Often, golf instructors charge too little for their time, talent, and experience.

• Try to sell a percentage of your lessons as a program such as group lessons.  If you charge $75 per hour for an individual lesson but charge $30 per group lesson with 5 people per hour, you have now effectively doubled your income.  The added benefit is group lessons often have more energy and dynamics.  Be creative!

• NGF statistics show that 87% of golfers would play more golf and spend more money if they could play better.  Yet, only 13% of golfers are taking regular lessons!

• Invest in your business and education.  It is important to keep up to date with technology, training aids, and equipment.  Equally as important is to continue your education by utilizing the vast resources that the USGTF and WGTF have to offer.

• As an instructor, you should adapt and constantly evolve to the changing world.  Use new and innovative marketing ideas in your kids’ programs, ladies’ golf clinics, and social events that combine golf and business.  Try to keep up with effective forms of communications.  Opportunities exist when you make an effort.  Simple cost-effective ideas such as online social media, involvement in group activities, community clubs, parks and recreation, and volunteering for local schools can provide a great boost to your client base.

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As many of you know, I make a living selling golf equipment, so I wanted to share with you some information that I have been finding though our demo days in South Florida.

Watch your loft!

We have been finding that, with many of the new adjustable drivers, the goal has been to lower spin rates to get maximum roll on all drives. Lowering spin rates are great – if you get the ball in the air on the right launch angle. Many players have tried to lower their spin by using lower-lofted drivers. For many, lowering the launch angle too much can actually be detrimental.

My suggestion is that if you are thinking about getting a new adjustable driver this spring, find the one that works best for you on a launch monitor. Then, try to add at least 1.5 degrees of loft to the driver with the adjustable settings to see how it changes the characteristics of the ball flight.

Once you get your new driver, take it out to play nine holes on a course that you know pretty well with the club set on the standard position, and then on the back nine adjust the driver to have a higher loft. Pay close attention to the distance, launch of the ball, the ball, and the curvature of the shot. You may be surprised to see that the higher-lofted setting may help you game.

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For those of us that live in the Sun Belt, we have been in full golf season for almost six months and are starting to see our winter friends leave for their homes in the north.
A few weeks ago, I started my middle-school golf program and was thrilled to have almost 30 young players show up for golf from grades 3 to 8. As we started out training programs, we were spending a lot of time on the chipping and putting greens working on our short games.

On one afternoon, as we made our way to the chipping green at our local public course, I noticed an older woman on the chipping green working on her short game. Now, what caught my attention is what she was doing. She had 10 balls and a 9-iron, and she was working her way around the chipping green hitting basically the same 25-foot chip from many different angles. She was terrific, chipping almost all of her shots to within a few feet of each hole. I watched her for about 5 to 10 minutes with the kids. I told all of them to watch what she was doing, and her fundamentals were outstanding.

She had a simple setup, narrow stance, weight forward, and open feet with an open hip. Her hands held the club softly but firmly, and each shot had that perfect little “click” as she hit each short firmly with a descending blow. The result: A little loft, hop and roll right next to the hole.

My lesson to the kids as we were watching this exhibition was that her fundamentals were outstanding and that her practice was simple and productive. I had to finally ask her about her game, and she was so gracious, said she had been a good player for a long time, over 60 years, and she has always practiced her short game with her 9-iron.

She felt that the shot she was practicing was the shot that she faced the most when she played. You could tell she was very good at the shot – fundamentals always work!

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