Golf and the PGA tour are alive and well!
Hiring a new Teaching Professional?
Helpful tips for students… continued
Trouble Shots
Stand tall when the ball is above your feet: Stand taller than normal when the ball is above your feet and expect the ball to draw. Because the ball is above your feet, you have to adjust your stance accordingly. Standing tall helps you sweep the ball. It also helps to imagine hitting a baseball off of a tee.
Sit down when the ball is below your feet: Feel as if you are sitting down more when the ball is below your feet and expect the ball to fade. Try to lower yourself until you imagine you have a level stance. If the ball is three inches below your feet, then sit down three inches lower by flexing your knees more.
On downhill lies, swing with the slope: Follow the slope on downhill lies with your set-up and swing. Use more a more-lofted club than normal and swing down and through the ball. You should put slightly more weight towards the target foot in the set-up. The more lofted club helps the ball get into the air. Remember to make the club swing down and through the ball to insure a slightly steeper angle of attack.
On uphill lies, swing with the slope and resist the urge to fall back: On uphill lies, follow the slope and use a less-lofted club than normal. Try to make a good balanced finish and resist falling back.
Use a hybrid or fairway wood for awkward bump and run shots: When faced with an uneven lie around the green, simply set up similar to as you would for a chip shot. As you address the ball, find your grip position by letting the shaft slide up or down the same amount that you adjust your stance for the awkward lie.
Be more aggressive when you don’t find the fairway: Try using a high-lofted fairway wood or hybrid the next time you are faced with a long shot off of a brushy lie. Be aggressive and don’t be afraid to remove some material with your swing!
A high-lofted fairway wood or hybrid clubhead passes through the rough easier than an iron. It gives you the opportunity to gain some distance and do more than just chip out. As long as you keep the clubhead moving, the mass and center of gravity of the club will do the work.
In Middle Tennessee
Transition is a desirable state for many in the workforce. Many individuals are unhappy in their current state. They would like a higher paying job or just a more gratifying job. Some are fortunate enough to make that leap, while others have too many obligations to even think about making a change, despite being miserable at work.
Joe Moglia was one of the fortunate ones. He began his career as an assistant college football coach. He loved his job. But, he was only making $33,000 at the time and needed to feed his growing family, and that salary was not enough. He left the coaching business to join the financial advising business. With his skills and great charisma, he rose to the top of his game. Eventually, he became CEO of TD Ameritrade and a very wealthy man. Wealth did not motivate Joe. Football did.
Because he was then financially secure, he transitioned his way back into coaching. A few years ago, he started as a volunteer assistant coach for Nebraska. Currently, he is head football coach at Coastal Carolina University. Joe now does what he always wanted to do for a living – coach football.
However, most stories are not as happy as Joe’s. Perhaps you and want to make a leap into being a full-time golf instructor, but are fearful to make the transition. You don’t think you can swing it financially. You have a mortgage and children who need college tuition. You feel stuck. Transition to a happier place does not seem fiscally possible.
Career transition coach Kevin McNulty (and a friend of mine) has a plan for you. He recommends having a split personality in your dream job pursuits. In actuality, Kevin says that you must put food on the table, so one personality needs to act responsibly and hold down the current job.
But, the alter ego needs to actively pursue the dream job – in your case, being a full time golf instructor. Kevin recommends devising a plan to move in your dream job’s direction. Perhaps you need to get a mentor, or join a mastermind group who can give you some great business advice.
The first step is to create a plan with clear strategies that will allow you to make that career leap into being a full-time golf instructor. Kevin advises making a six-month fiscal plan. You need to put enough money away so that when you decide to make a leap, you need not work for almost six months. This is your safety net in case your new direction does not pan out on a full-time basis. It will also reduce your fear of making that jump into the unknown.
As with nature, our life is composed of seasons. With advanced planning, you can make your transition a season of joy and not a season of discontent.
Whatever happened to “for the love of the game”?
Big-name players don’t necessarily want to play in the middle of nowhere, even if it is an historic course. Golf is big business. Gone are the days when players barnstormed the country in efforts to expose people to the game or raise money for worthy causes like the war effort. Money is what it is all about now. It is the world we live in.
In a way it is a shame, but the tour has no one to blame but itself. Like anything in life, once you give something, it is hard to take it away. Players are treated pretty well on the tour. They get free cars at every stop, free food and drink each day, and huge purses to play for. You would think that would be enough. To think that an individual making millions of dollars would need more just to show up is sad actually. That it is condoned is sadder.
The question, is how do you stop it? Does anyone even want to?
Helpful Tips for Students…continued
Around the Greens
Distance Control on Pitch Shots: Control the distance of your wedges by swing speed, shortening the club and length of swing.
The best wedge players rely on their tempo or swing speed when hitting wedge shots under pressure. Copy the great wedge players such as: Bobby Jones, Lee Trevino, Chi Chi Rodriguez and Seve Ballesteros.
Soft Lob Shots: Feel as if there is a quarter on the face of the club through impact. Don’t let the quarter fall off. The secret to high soft lob shots is to never let the face turn over through impact.
Sand Shots: Practice with the club grounded about one inch behind the ball. Too often I see golfer hover the club to high over the ball in the sand trap. This is probably due to the fear of being penalized for touching the sand before the shot. When practicing, don’t worry about touching the sand and get accustomed to where the club should contact the sand. As you progress then just slightly hover the club over your intended contact point.
Putting
Putting should be broken down to two simple elements:
Mechanics: When working on mechanics, putt a straight putt one meter from the hole. Work on grip, alignment, set-up, and path.
Speed control: When working on speed control, putt to very long holes first then to medium length holes. Think about feel and distance control and less about mechanics. Vary the types of “breaking” putts.
Short Putts: Practice as many 2-foot putts as possible. I was once asked why I practice so many short putts. My response: Unless I chip in or hole a long putt, I expect to have to make at least 15 putts under 3-feet every round.
Long Putts: When you arrive at the practice green, try to putt the longest holes possible. This will give you an immediate feedback on green speed. You will quickly adapt to each golf course’s green speed.
TEACHING YOUR STUDENTS ABOUT COMMON GOLF INJURIES
MINIMALIST TEACHING – CAN YOU DO IT?