Blog

15 Sep 2014 Corina Pelloni

JUMPING THE GUN ON THE DEATH OF GOLF

Headlines about golf have made CNN’s, CNBC’s, Fox News’, and many other TV news’ broadcasts lately. Normally, that would be great. A new Tiger Woods that the public, golfers and non-golfers, are excited about wasn’t the news headline. The reports were all about how the game of golf was in trouble and the game was in jeopardy of going the way of the dinosaurs. Let’s put some perspective on the situation. These uninformed opinions are based on three things. Let’s examine those things that have brought about such a panic. First, golf OEMs (original equipment manufacturers) sales have been dragging for well over a year now. Second, Dick’s Sporting Goods dismissed 468 golf professionals in one day. Third, golf courses are closing at a rate of 160 per year. For the OEMs, the problem is serious. The flood of merchandise on the market is overwhelming the equipment business. Consumers have greater outlets to get rid of equipment they don’t want by using the Internet or the PGA trade-in program. The great news about this for the OEMs were the sales numbers from 2006 through 2012. The bad news derived from this is that it created a false market ceiling. The OEMs hired more employees and expanded their product lines. They also increased distribution significantly, all based on a retail market that was somewhat of a fantasy, much the same way as the false housing market for which our economy paid the painful price the last six years. Now the sales have plummeted for some companies and their retail accounts. This has led to bad publicity when earnings reports are announced every quarter. Of course, this has also unfortunately led to layoffs. To make matters worse, sales increases in 2012 were based on one product, the original Taylor Made Rocket Ballz line of clubs. It was easily one of the most successful product launches in golf equipment history. The problem with a successful product line such as this is the near impossible task of increasing or even matching the sales the following year. Short product cycles are another sin of the OEMs. This practice really turns off consumers. In my opinion, the companies are getting exactly what they deserve right now. For Dick’s. the situation is complicated and many-faceted. The easy answer is what we covered about OEMs: a successful product launch, a false growth of sales. With the combination of poor management, poor hiring and poor training, the professionals employed by Dick’s were doomed. Only unrealistic sales could have saved them. I worked for Dick’s for two years, so I have very intimate knowledge of their issues. Regardless, this obviously makes the golf business health look worse than it is. Finally, all the courses closing. Very simply and honestly, we built too many golf courses in the early 2000s, and too many difficult courses. With the advent of online discount sites like GolfNow, greens fees plummeted. The laws of supply and demand were bound to catch up with the golf courses eventually. So, here we are. Is it as bad as the news would lead you to believe? No, not even close. Golf will never die, and the gloom and doom is offset by many positive signs. Junior participation is better than ever. Some regions of the country are showing increased rounds played. Executive courses and shorter courses are getting more popular. Country club memberships are on the rebound. Will the big international equipment companies continue to downsize? Yes. They need to. Will more courses close? Yes. They need to in order to balance the supply and demand system and increase green fees. Don’t believe all the negativity. The indicators the media focuses on are not indicative of reality. Just because a huge corporation is having issues does not mean golf is doomed. The game of golf will be fine, and its strengths are the all the things we love about it: fresh air, exercise, beautiful courses, the enjoyment of watching the ball fly, and the challenge of the game. Our obligation as teachers and golf professionals is to be positive and be great ambassadors of the game.

12 Sep 2014 Corina Pelloni

DOES THE TEACHER GET TOO MUCH CREDIT?

Sean Foley and Tiger Woods have gone separate ways. Tour pros hire instructors. Tour pros change instructors. Instructors sometimes coerce pros to hire them with some formula they claim is the secret to better golf. Does the instructor really make the pro? I believe more often it is the other way around. Most of the players are special talents to begin with, and messing with their natural abilities might not be the smartest course of action. The best advice I ever got was from Hall of Fame instructor Bob Toski, who said to me, “Teaching great players is easy, just don’t screw them up.” Certainly, the golf swing has benefited from technology, but at what point does it become too much? Does it really matter if a player knows what synapses are firing or what muscles are connecting or how gravity plays a role during that one-second motion? It’s not complicated. Get the club squarely on the ball. How it is done can be very individual and unique. I wouldn’t begin to tell Jim Furyk or Lee Trevino or Miller Barber that they would become better players if they worked on stacking their weight more and improving their shaft lean. The golf swing is about execution under pressure. The method is not crucial; it is executing the method that is essential. That requires repetition, which tour players have been doing from a very early age. But even then, the best players screw up. They are not robots. There is a lot that goes into a shot – lie, wind conditions, ground condition, pin placement, and nerves. I don’t believe you can rely strictly on a single method for each shot. The other thing method instructors tend to say is that their method will produce solid shots all the time. I remember the headline on a Golf Digest cover with a tag line – “Hit every shot solid.” That is unrealistic unless Iron Byron is doing the swinging. Hogan said the secret is in the dirt, and although he claimed to have a specific move, he spent hours every day working on it, and still said he only hit about four perfect shots a round. Golf instructors will come and go as will players. Theories and terms will pop up and disappear. However, it always come down to the player’s talent and his work on the dirt.

11 Sep 2014 Thomas Wartelle, USGTF Level IV Member

HELPFUL TIPS FOR STUDENTS

In the continuation of the series “Helpful Tips for Students,” we move on to preparing for the tee shot. The Tee Box Choose the Correct side of the Tee Box: Don’t just plop the tee and ball anywhere between the markers. Remember that you have the right to tee the ball up anywhere between the markers and up to two club-lengths behind the markers. The smart player uses this to his advantage. If a right-hander tends to fade the ball, he hits from the right side of the tee box; if he tends to hook the ball, he hits from the left side of the tee box. This can also help if there is trouble on one side of the fairway. Always tee the ball on the side of the tee box that has the trouble and shoot away from the danger. Tee the Ball High for a Hook and Low for a Fade: A ball teed high will tend to promote a sweeping swing, making it easier to draw the ball. Teeing the ball low will promote a steeper swing, promoting a fade. Use a Tee on Par-3s: When playing a par-3, too often I see players simply drop the ball between the markers. Use a tee to your advantage by creating a perfect lie. A ball teed low just slightly above the ground level will mimic a perfect lie in the fairway. This will increase the chances of a solid strike. For Your Target, Have Tunnel Vision: As you prepare to hit a shot, choose a target and try to hit the ball only at that target. Many players immediately look for all the danger and spend more thought on what can go wrong, rather than positive images. A good player has “tunnel vision” and simply aims at a single small target. The subconscious mind does not understand negative words. Therefore, when you tell yourself “don’t go O.B.,” you are just telling your subconscious mind to “go O.B.,” therefore reinforcing negative images! Plan Your Strategy for Each Hole: Use the correct club to tee off. It is not necessary to hit driver on every hole. If you watch the pros, they hit driver as little as 3-4 times a round. A good strategy is to figure out what distance off the tee will give you a comfortable approach shot to the green. For example, a 325-yard par-4 may require as little as only 200 yards off the tee to leave a “comfortable” wedge shot. Often, this strategy applies to par-5s, as well.

11 Sep 2014 Corina Pelloni

HELPFUL TIPS FOR STUDENTS

In the continuation of the series “Helpful Tips for Students,” we move on to preparing for the tee shot. The Tee Box Choose the Correct side of the Tee Box: Don’t just plop the tee and ball anywhere between the markers. Remember that you have the right to tee the ball up anywhere between the markers and up to two club-lengths behind the markers. The smart player uses this to his advantage. If a right-hander tends to fade the ball, he hits from the right side of the tee box; if he tends to hook the ball, he hits from the left side of the tee box. This can also help if there is trouble on one side of the fairway. Always tee the ball on the side of the tee box that has the trouble and shoot away from the danger. Tee the Ball High for a Hook and Low for a Fade: A ball teed high will tend to promote a sweeping swing, making it easier to draw the ball. Teeing the ball low will promote a steeper swing, promoting a fade. Use a Tee on Par-3s: When playing a par-3, too often I see players simply drop the ball between the markers. Use a tee to your advantage by creating a perfect lie. A ball teed low just slightly above the ground level will mimic a perfect lie in the fairway. This will increase the chances of a solid strike. For Your Target, Have Tunnel Vision: As you prepare to hit a shot, choose a target and try to hit the ball only at that target. Many players immediately look for all the danger and spend more thought on what can go wrong, rather than positive images. A good player has “tunnel vision” and simply aims at a single small target. The subconscious mind does not understand negative words. Therefore, when you tell yourself “don’t go O.B.,” you are just telling your subconscious mind to “go O.B.,” therefore reinforcing negative images! Plan Your Strategy for Each Hole: Use the correct club to tee off. It is not necessary to hit driver on every hole. If you watch the pros, they hit driver as little as 3-4 times a round. A good strategy is to figure out what distance off the tee will give you a comfortable approach shot to the green. For example, a 325-yard par-4 may require as little as only 200 yards off the tee to leave a “comfortable” wedge shot. Often, this strategy applies to par-5s, as well.

11 Sep 2014 Corina Pelloni

A Message to Golf Course Owners

By: Ken Kramp, Warren, Ohio USGTF Level III member

As a golf course manager you are always expected to look for ways to increase your bottom line and explore opportunities to promote your facility. My question to you is this, “Have you looked at all types of golfers to reach this goal?”

I would like to introduce to you a larger growing group of golfers that has visited your facility at least once a week for years. This foursome is made up from one family and includes a grandfather, father, son and daughter. Over time you may have noticed the foursome went to three, then two, and then one. One day you asked the daughter what happen to your grandfather, father and brother. The daughter informed you that her grandfather had a stroke and could not walk that well. Her father had been in an accident and hurt his knee. As for her brother, while on active duty serving our country, he lost his leg. Like most people your heart would ache for this family. The daughter asked if there was anything you could do to bring them back together on the golf course.

Here is my challenge. Look at your facility and see what services you have to offer to provide a golfer with a disability the opportunity to enjoy a day of golf. Talk to your customers that may need some assistance to see what they would like to have available. Then figure out how your facility could improve, from the parking lot to the eighteenth hole. Most of the things that an individual with a disability would need you already provide based on zoning laws and the ADA (American with Disability Act). Some suggestions may have an expense that you will have to budget for, but most will have little or no cost to you. In all cases the rewards will be priceless.

In the scenario that I described, all of these individuals have a walking and standing disability. I truly believe that everyone would love to help this family return to the game and by doing so your facility would increase its revenue. The best thing you could do is to create a relationship with your disabled golfers and see what they need. Encourage them to just visit the club house. With some time they may start using the practice facility. One day they may transition to the course.

As golf club managers you have the ability to make the difference. You may let them use the golf cart around the practice areas for little or no charge. When it comes to the course you may offer a flag on the cart to designate the golfer so they would be allowed to leave the path. In most cases this is all that is needed to provide access and keep pace of play. Allowing the disabled golfer to get closer to the tee box or greens will not hurt the grass. Educate the golfer about ways to access the course and conditions. In most cases they will take care of the course better than your regular users.

Here are a few suggestions that you can offer at your facility: Have your instructors offer golf clinics for disabled and/or senior golfers. Team up with therapists from local rehabilitation centers or local disabled organizations. This type of networking provides great resources, as well as great marketing opportunities. There are also great organizations that can offer you assistance in finding information about a related disability. Just go online, type in the disability and the word golf and you will find some great information. You can also contact us at the United States Golf Managers Association office and we will get you in contact with individuals that can help.

11 Sep 2014 Corina Pelloni

Teaching the Blind

By James W. “Jay” Wood USGTF Level III Member, Newark, Ohio The game we call golf is, as we know, challenging and very humbling.  But, what does it become if we take away the ability to see the course layout, the greens, and even the golf ball?  This is blind golf. What is blind golf like?  This is not a lesson on how to teach the visually-impaired, but this article contains some insights and experiences which have helped a blind golfer become competitive on the USBGA (United States Blind Golfers Association) tour. In 2004 I was offered the challenge of coaching a blind golfer.  The gentleman is totally blind with no light perception.  The time spent with him has been the most worthwhile and best experiences to date in my golfing and teaching career. The most difficult part of blind golf is, absolutely and unequivocally, balance.  The sighted golfer balances himself based upon the horizon surrounding him.  The blind golfer with no light perception places his balancing hopes on the feeling in his feet and the sensation of vertically of the body. Any type of jerky motion during the golf swing drastically minimizes the probability of maintaining balance throughout the duration of the swing. Comments and references to swinging smooth have worked tremendously with my golfer’s balance.  Of course, the thinking process varies from person to person.  In addition, the blind golfer has a tendency to attempt to keep balance by not moving their feet.  Weight transfer and finish are still of importance.  One suggestion we have used is to imagine shaking hands with a person directly on his left as he finishes the swing.   This has improved his body rotation throughout the swing, with a better balanced finish with weight transfer to the left foot. Of course, balance is easier on level ground.  We have a very good par-3 hole at our home course that has mounds surrounding the green.  Here, we are able to practice every conceivable lie with various wedge shots to the green.  The practice sessions combine maintaining balance and ball position with different lies, slopes and short game mechanics. Good scoring is dependent on a solid short game, and we work towards this goal based on the use of the sand wedge.  Lob wedge or gap wedge shot lengths are based on adjusted sand wedge distances.  We also us a five-yard spread as distance references, 5 to 10, 10 to 15, etc. The blind golfer usually feels apprehension as he swings, hoping upon hope that he will make contact with the ball.  Consequently, there is a tendency to rush the swing.  We have made progress in this area by shortening his backswing, which helps eliminate any change in his spine angle.  Use of the well-known “weighted club” has been an asset towards smoothness and rhythm.  As with sighted golfers, we need to let the swing happen, and not make it happen. Since we are the eyes of the blind golfer, we must be aware of his alignment and clubface position.  My golfer lays his club across his thighs on setup, which gives me a good perception of initial alignment.  We then fine tune the stance, based on foot position.  If too much time is spent on aligning, it will become a negative and we will back off and start anew.  The process must be simple and concise. For the visually-impaired golfer, putting is all feel.  The one advantage the blind golfer has is that, to him, all putts are straight putts.   Any breaks and alignment are the responsibility of the coach or guide.  We must insure that the golfer’s putting stroke is straight back and straight through.  Various exercises are used to hone mechanics.  On most putts, my golfer likes to step off the distance from the hole to the ball.   He is able to feel contour changes in the green through his feet.  This is a confidence builder and helps him to visualize the putt. Using the push drill and right-hand-only putting practice, my golfer has become a very good putter.  After I select the line for his putt, I set his clubface where I want it and he then steps to the club while I hold it to keep it from moving.   We have found that this works best in our situation. Almost any drill used in teaching a sighted golfer can be used with the visually impaired.    However, manual positioning of club or body must be incorporated by the teacher.  Verbal descriptions must be easily understood by the golfer in hopes that they can feel the process or point we are addressing.  There are two very informative articles on the blind golf website, www.blindgolf.com, “Swing Without Seeing” and “Basic Blind Golf Techniques.”  Both articles were written by Bob Andrews, himself a blind golfer. Think of your sensations as you are playing golf, and then try to imagine what it would be like without your sight.  To a blind golfer, the input and feedback from the coach to the golfer and the golfer to the coach is most important. You are a team.  If you are ever offered the opportunity to coach the handicapped or know someone who is, get involved.  The rewards are more than one could ask for.

11 Sep 2014 Corina Pelloni

Teaching Special Olympics Golf

Written By: Lee Koukes USGTF Member, Chatsworth, CA About two years ago, I became acquainted with a little girl and her grandfather. They had been on the driving range many times and I was aware that the little girl had a handicap. The grandfather was so dedicated and the little girl so determined, that I stopped to see if I could be of any help. Amber had no use of her right hand and arm, and even though she was swinging with her left hand and arm, she was still using a right-handed person’s stance. We tried a few things, and it soon became apparent that she had pretty good control using her left hand and arm, but using the left-handed person’s stance. Right then, I decided that I wanted to work with this little girl even more. After a couple of weeks, I got her a new set of golf clubs that I had specially made and tailored for her capabilities. I gave her lessons every Monday afternoon for several months and the results and progress were amazing. Her grandfather and I took her out on the course one day to play a few holes and we couldn’t believe what we were witnessing. While she could only hit the ball 15 to 20 yards or so, she was right in the fairway every time. She was sinking putts that even I had trouble with. What a transformation! I learned that Amber was involved in Special Olympics Gymnastics. Being a curious person by nature, I decided to inquire around and see if there were any Special Olympics for golf. After several phone calls to various areas, I finally was put in touch with a local chapter in Ventura County, California and called to see how I might get Amber qualified to play in some tournaments in the area or if they even had anything organized. I was told that there were a number of people with various handicaps who would like to learn to play golf but there just wasn’t anyone who could teach them. I told them what I had been doing with Amber and let them know that I would certainly be interested in working with them to start a golf program locally. Since they did not have a formal program organized, I spoke with my General Manager, who was very supportive of the idea and offered to give us the use of the driving range, golf carts when we went out to play a few holes, free golf balls, etc. We have a group of 12 athletes who range in age from 11 to 28. We have a tremendous amount of fun and all of this has been observed by others who have generously come forward and volunteered to assist with these fine young athletes. The volunteers are not only former and present students of mine, but golfers who have observed and heard of what we have been doing and wanted to get involved. I am especially proud of the teenagers who have been my students and are on the high school golf team – they have volunteered to give something back to the community and really look forward to coming out on Thursday evenings to help with our Special Olympics Team. My ultimate goal is to have my Special Olympic Golfers practice at UCLA one day, where a big Special Olympics Event takes place every June. I cannot begin to tell you what a rewarding experience this has been for me, when I look at the progress that each of the athletes has been able to achieve and I see that look of accomplishment and satisfaction on their faces, along with the joy their parents have voiced. It really makes me feel very fortunate to be a part of this. Maybe in a very small way, I really am making a difference. Many thanks to the USGTF. Without the excellent training I received, I would not have had the confidence to undertake this task. If you have any questions and would like to start a program like this in your area, please send me an email or fax so I can get in touch with you. It can be frustrating at times, but the rewards far outweigh the challenges. My fax number is 818-885-6044, or you can e-mail me at CandLinLA@aol.com.

11 Sep 2014 Corina Pelloni

Teaching the Mentally Challenged

By: Pat Church, USGTF Level IV Member Eugene, Oregon During my experiences with the Special Olympics golf team the biggest lesson learned has been PATIENCE!!! Many of the golfers have mental, as well as physical disabilities, so constant repetition is a key to their success and sometimes testing our patience. The practice sessions I use for Special Olympics’ golfers, closely mimic what they will face in their regional & state competitions, thus providing a level of comfort and confidence to them. In the case of many of the Special Olympic golfers I have trained, the golf swing has been secondary to the fact that I am giving them a chance to have a new experience. I would assume that if a once physically abled golfer becomes disabled, we would be providing the chance to enjoy their “freedom” again. Perhaps the greatest experience in working with mentally challenged golfers can be the simple joy to their reactions……..sinking a 5 foot putt, hitting a straight shot or just hitting the ball can be the cause for great jubilation! I strongly recommend to all my fellow teachers – Volunteer some time to the Special Olympics’ program in your area. The things learned with this group will make you a better teacher and your reward will be long lasting!