Blog

11 Jun 2014 Corina Pelloni

LONG IRONS: WHY?

Recently, I was playing golf with a few members of the golf club where I am at.  Both gentlemen are around 45-50 years of age and have about 10 handicaps.  On a long par-3, I noticed one of them pulled out a 3-iron.  He made a decent swing at it, but caught it a little thin and missed the green about 25 yards short and right of the green. When I inquired as to why was he carrying a long iron versus a hybrid, his answer shocked me.  He said that better players played long irons, including 2- and 3-irons. I started laughing at his statement, which started a nice little debate about long irons versus hybrids.  Both players were shocked that the longest iron in my bag is a 4-iron. My point to them was that they needed to think about golf as a game of misses.  Very few golf shots are struck perfectly.  If my miss is a “better” miss than your miss, then I will beat you.  If you mishit a long iron, it does not fly as far or as straight as it would with a mishit hybrid.  By simply changing the clubs in their bag from long irons to hybrids, it would help lower their scores. My next point was to educate them on hybrids, and what they can do for your game.  There are lots of shots where hybrids come in handy:  deep rough, long par-3s, second shots on par-5s and little chips around the greens.  After our conversation, they began to understand this philosophy.  Later that week, one of them got fitted for the new Callaway hybrids to replace his 2- and 3-irons. Make sure you talk to your students about hybrids if they are still carrying long irons.  It will improve their game, lower their scores, and make the game more enjoyable.

11 Jun 2014 Corina Pelloni

FOOT GOLF. SERIOUSLY?

I was watching NBC Nightly News over the weekend and one of their segments caught my eye. Some fellows on a golf course were kicking a soccer ball down the fairway and then at a hole the size of a 55-gallon drum in circumference. Apparently, this new sport called “foot golf” is all the rage. I am not necessarily one to cast aspersions on people who come up with new ways to entertain themselves, but I won’t be joining the ranks of foot golfers across the globe…just as I have never played a round of disc golf either. Why? Well, I became an avid golfer because of the challenge. How hard can it be to kick a big ball down a wide open fairway? Want to make it interesting, forego the soccer ball, and use something more like a tennis ball. I can’t wait to see how they handle an uphill fairway when gravity returns the old soccer ball back to their feet time after time. All kidding aside, if people find this to be fun, more power to them. Will this propel interest in the actual game of golf? I doubt it. The PGA thinks it might, but I am skeptical. Humans in this day and age tend not to gravitate from something easy to something much more complicated, difficult, and expensive. The fact that foot golf was even created probably means that someone was looking for an alternative to the challenge of golf. Maybe I am wrong and this foot thing will ultimately help the game of golf. It might also keep people from ever trying real golf in the first place. I hope not. Only time will tell.

6 Jun 2014 Corina Pelloni

SUCCESSFUL TEACHING FORMULA

By Thomas T Wartelle A simple diagnosis of a swing fault leads to a simple remedy.  This leads to positive results and success. Remember that most students are happy to hit the ball straight and 150 yards.  If a student wants to continue his progress, make a plan and work on only one or two swing faults a lesson.  With advanced golfers, find out what their goals are and develop a strategy to make improvements to their game. In teaching the game of golf, it is important not to overload the student with too many swing thoughts.   When many swing faults are diagnosed, too much effort is made in correction.  The student often becomes frustrated and loses confidence in his game.  At this point golf, becomes less enjoyable and the teaching professional has failed. A happy student will take another lesson!  Therefore, to be successful as a teacher, our goal is to guide the student and provide a positive learning environment. The Teaching Professional Chart: Teacher 1:  No technical skills; no empathy (failed results). Teacher 2:  Technical Skills; No Empathy (poor results). Teacher 3:  Low technical skills; Empathy (moderate results). Teacher 4:  High Technical Skills; High Empathy (maximum results). Which teacher will be the most successful?  As a teaching professional, how do you rate on the technical skill scale and the empathy scale?  By making an honest examination of yourself, you can take your teaching to the next level.