PUTTING LESSONS: THE LESSONS THAT ARE OFTEN FORGOTTEN
13 Aug 2013

PUTTING LESSONS: THE LESSONS THAT ARE OFTEN FORGOTTEN

For the longest time, I didn’t understand why people ask for putting tips, but never ask for a putting lesson.  Many people don’t understand the importance of putting, and if they do, they can’t rationalize spending the money for a putting lesson.  About a year ago, I started offering putting lessons for $20 for 20 minutes. I found out a few things by doing this.  I increased my hourly wage, and I was able to generate a lot of lessons from people who weren’t taking lessons prior.  My hourly lesson rate is $45 per hour, and at three putting lessons per hour, I increased my hourly wage to $60 per hour.  Obviously, more money is never a bad thing, but the extra students gained and having my name associated with that of being a specialized putting coach was an added bonus. After a few months of advertising putting lessons, I started having students take a putting lesson, even though they might already have a swing coach.  It helped differentiate myself from other teachers, and now people consider me a “putting guru.” When it comes to any business, you need to have something to distinguish yourself from your competition.  It could be price, location, style, or even something basic like offering putting lessons that other teaching professionals don’t advertise. Happy teaching!
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WHO DETERMINES THE RIGHT TO PRIVACY?
12 Aug 2013

WHO DETERMINES THE RIGHT TO PRIVACY?

We all want it: The right to be free from someone telling us what we can and can’t do. As long as it is within the law and does no harm to someone else, it should be no one’s business what we do in our daily lives. The Open Championship was held at Muirfield this year, a private men-only golf club. A lot of people in the press and public office decried the fact that the Royal & Ancient Golf Club, which runs the championship, held the tournament here.  How can you put on such a public event at a location that discriminates against women, was the cry! I think sometimes people read into the meaning of words a bit too much. To discriminate means simply to differentiate between things. One can, however, put intent behind a word and elevate the meaning, but there has to be an expressed intent. I see no evidence that male-only clubs were formed with the express intent to hurt women or vice versa. There are female-only golf clubs in existence. The Ladies Club in Toronto a prime example. Sometimes, people like to be together with others of similar background, beliefs, and, dare I say it – gender. So what? Stop making a federal case out of it. It’s the Girl Scouts, the National Organization of Women, the Ladies Professional Golf Association, or any number of associations geared for specific forms of activity or recreation. As a society, we should only be concerned when such groups raise the dialogue to intentionally exclude or harm others. I don’t see any evidence that the Honorable Company of Edinburgh Golfers, who are based at Muirfield, are going around trying to keep women from playing golf. If they want to have a men-only golf club, they should be free to do so. That is what freedom is all about, as long as there is no intent to harm anyone else. Time to lighten up a bit. I take the stance of Groucho Marx, who said, “I refuse to join any club that would have me as a member.”
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TEACH CORRECT WARM-UP TECHNIQUES
12 Aug 2013

TEACH CORRECT WARM-UP TECHNIQUES

Fitness research has shown that proper warm-up technique does not start with stretching.  This goes against traditional thinking.  Stretching is the same as activating or using a muscle.  Just as in lifting a dumbbell, when stretching a muscle group the muscles must expand and then contracts to complete the task.  Imagine walking into the gym and curling a 60 lb. dumbbell without warming-up. The correct technique is to warm up slowly before stretching.  This could include a slow jog, but more realistically for the golfer, simply striking a few short shots with an easy swing.  The best way is to make short 20-30 yard pitch shorts then slowly working into ¾ pitch shots.  After a few minutes, begin stretching out the muscles focusing on the major muscle groups for golf.  Some important golf muscles groups: back, shoulders, forearms and wrist, leg and hamstrings. Remember to never “bounce” when stretching, but to hold the position for a few seconds and return to the relaxed position. As golf is an athletic game, learning correct warm-up techniques will help your clients have a more enjoyable golfing experience.  It also decreases the risk of injury, therefore promoting continued lessons requested from the client.
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Mental Game: Finding the zone
6 Aug 2013

Mental Game: Finding the zone

By: Gregg Steinberg, WGCA contributing writer Unbelievable. Incredible. Amazing. Words pale in description of Tiger Woods’ second-round performance at the World Golf Championships-Bridgestone Invitational. Anyone who was lucky enough to see that round in person or on television witnessed some of the best golf ever played in competition. Woods was hitting prodigious drives, lazer-like irons and making putts from everywhere. Through 14 holes, Woods was 9 under with 59 as a possibility. Unfortunately, he could not muster another birdie coming down the home stretch and finished with a brilliant 61 on a very difficult course at Firestone Country Club. During Friday’s round, Woods was in the zone. The zone, also known as flow, is that magical time on the course when we have complete confidence in our game, the hole gets in the way of every putt, and we can do no wrong. It is a time when this very difficult game seems so easy. More importantly, the zone state is unique. More specifically, your feelings when in the zone state are unique. Sam Snead described the zone as a feeling of being “cool mad.” When I am playing my best golf, I would describe it as a peaceful feeling. I have heard other golfers describe the zone as being “totally pumped up.” Given that the zone state is unique for each golfer, you will need to create your own road map to find your zone more often. Here is my mental game recommendation for playing your very best golf more often: 1. Develop a zone log. Recall a time, or if lucky enough, a few times, in which you were in the zone on the course. Write down the day, the name of the course and what you shot. Most importantly, describe your feelings during the zone. Were you “cool mad” like Snead or peaceful? Were you pumped up? Were you nervous? 2. Discover emotional patterns. Were there any distinct patterns of emotions when you have played your best golf? 3. When you discover patterns, push your emotions in that direction when you play golf. If you play your best golf when calm, then figure out ways to stay relaxed. In contrast, if you play your best golf when pumped up, then find ways to build your intensity levels on the course. Aristotle once stated, “We are what we repeatedly do.” Excellence then, is not an act, but a habit.” Repeat your best emotions time and time again to find your best golf, time and time again.    
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