Blog

28 Jul 2011 admin

Teaching Women Golfers

By Wayne Mills Contributing Writer Nashua, New Hampshire There is a rumor going around that men and women are actually quite different. For the sake of this article, we will leave the social and political arguments aside and just focus on the real and practical experiences of two golf instructors, one woman and one man, on teaching women golfers. Seth Dichard, owner and operator of the Seth Dichard Golf School in Hudson, New Hampshire, a Top 100 Teacher in the World Golf Teachers Federation, has had a lot of experience in teaching women golfers and with substantial success. His prize pupil is Alison Walshe, born in Galway, Ireland, but raised in Westford, Massachusetts, who became a student of Dichard’s while in high school. Alison went on to play on the boy’s golf team in high school, earn a college golf scholarship, become an All- American at Arizona State, and play her way onto the LPGA Tour, where she is climbing the rankings and is poised to enter the winner’s circle any day now. Another young woman who has fl ourished under Dichard is Tracy Martin, who also came under Dichard’s guidance while a junior golfer, and has now earned a full scholarship to the University of Richmond and plays on the women’s golf team. Dichard gives an unvarnished observation. “The obvious differences are women’s build (chest and wider hips) and that women are generally weaker than men. You would think that they would just hit the ball shorter, and other than that, their build wouldn’t pose any problems, but it does. “Due to their high levels of fl exibility, particularly in their hips (and shoulders), one of the most common swing flaws I see in women is their lack of stability in their swing, especially lower body stability, due to their overly flexible hips. This leads to long and powerless swings. So, generally when I work with women, I work on creating stability in their lower body with a good upper body rotation to help shorten their golf swings for better control, while keeping whatever power they have. I then make sure I put them in a stronger grip (closed clubface grip) to help them to hit a draw for added distance. “Since women tend to be weaker in the arms and hands compared to men, I may even have them set the club earlier to help establish more leverage during the backswing for added power. Their legs seem to be the strongest part of their body, so I then may teach them to use them more by driving the legs toward the target, depending on the lack of strength. “Specifically, some other changes I look for are: • Bent forward posture, enough so that they can swing past their chests freely. • Lower hands due to a bent over posture that allows for an earlier wrist set. • Wider stances to help create stability. “I teach women specific drills to help increase clubhead speed and proper release, because most women don’t ever release the club properly due to their lack of strength. And, I teach nearly all my women students (and most men initially) to draw the ball, promoting more of an inside-out swing path that produces more power.” As far as the student-teacher relationship, Dichard has some surprising views. “In regards to teaching women vs. men emotionally, or even how they learn differently, it really depends on the person. Some men act like emotional train wrecks and some women act and think like a world-class athlete. “Engineers can be argumentative whether they are a woman or a man. I’ve seen it and experienced it. But, in my experience teaching over the past ten years, I’ve seen all kinds of students, and it’s honestly hard to put women in a different category emotionally than a man. I guess I’ve seen a couple of women students cry and a couple of men students almost cry, but that’s about it. I’ve seen athletic women who are as good as any man and I’ve seen men who I think almost have never even thrown a ball. It sounds crazy but true.” Helen Gawlik, a Level II USGTF member from Illinois, offers her observations from the women’s point of view. “There are two separate types of individuals who play and/or want to learn golf. First, we have men, then we have women; however, we must separate them into the ‘competitive’ or ‘social’ category. Let’s take women first. “They are open-minded and take stock into the advice you give. When they do win, they want other golfers to come back and play. There are emotions that women display during their instruction and/or their play. Women who are competitive are just happy if they play par golf and look forward to always improving their game of golf, either by club adjustments and/or basic instruction. “The average social beginner or intermediate golfer wants to address an area of the game that they seem not to be able to correct (i.e., teeing off, chipping, putting). Again, we have emotions when they are given instruction and implement and achieve the desired outcome. They believe all is fi ne with their game; their drive to achieve anything higher than having a ‘social’ game of golf with their friends, husband, family, etc., will be accomplished as long as they can hit a ball and putt. However, they are too worried about their looks, and constantly concerned about what others are doing. They don’t pay attention to where their carts are, talking and/or texting on the phone. Or, to top it off, they are worried about where another golfer is positioned or what someone else is wearing. Insofar as instruction to these types of ‘social’ golfers, as mentioned earlier, they want to achieve, but are too worried about everyone and everything else instead of focusing on their golf game. “Men play golf to be competitive, and their goal is to win at all costs. They want to beat you! Insofar as instruction is concerned, they do listen, but I don’t see implementation after they have left a lesson and gone back out on the golf course. They basically know how to play golf and want to achieve without instruction. Okay, I haven’t had a beginner ‘male’ golfer yet, only the male golfers that I have had the honor of golfing with and noticed these areas. On the other hand, you have the average ‘social’ golfer who takes a moment to listen and possibly implement the advice you give. They will try to achieve a better golf game. However, they truly don’t want to be the leader of the pack; they are comfortable just going out and socializing with their friends. They are very intimidated when a woman who is in their foursome is achieving a better game, even though they will always acknowledge and respect the female golfer. They ask questions of that woman with regards to where they learned how to play, etc., but yet hesitate to pursue instruction because again, they feel they don’t need it, they socialize. “With the aforesaid, the bottom line in instruction is that men want the instruction to win at the game of golf, and women want to achieve at the game.”

28 Jul 2011 admin

The Future of Teaching Golf

It wasn’t too long ago that teaching golf consisted of having a teacher telling a student to “swing like this,” and then demonstrating a move for the student to copy. If the ball fl ight was satisfactory, then the mission was considered accomplished. Today, the use of computers, videos, and training aids is common among those who are full-time practitioners of teaching golf, but what will the industry look like a decade and beyond into the future? What avenues of imparting instruction have yet to be explored? The advent of the portable video camera in 1981 changed forever the face of golf instruction. Teachers were able to take a moving picture of their students’ swings and then show them immediately what their swings looked like. Not only was this valuable to the student to see visual feedback, but it was also helpful to the teacher, because now he or she could see things that weren’t apparent with the naked eye. Most all teaching today among full-time instructors still revolves around the use of a video recorder, even if the images are then converted for use with a computer. As for training aids, it seems every month a new product infomercial premiers on Golf Channel. While today’s teacher has all of these high-tech tools at his or her disposal, certainly the future of golf teaching will continue to evolve. One area that is just now getting attention is motor learning. There are three senses that people use to learn golf: sight, sound, and feel. You would think that the days of Tommy Armour sitting in a chair under an umbrella barking out verbal instructions to hapless students are long gone; yet, unfortunately too many teachers today neglect to impart enough sight and feel instruction into their lessons. USGTF members learn about these important aspects during their certification week, so our members get a good head start in this area as compared to non-USGTF instructors. Lessons of the future are likely to involve much more video, teacher demonstrations, drills, and the teacher putting students into certain swing positions or motions than do lessons of today. Other aspects of motor learning involve distributed practice vs. massed practice, and random practice vs. blocked practice. Distributed practice involves doing an activity, taking a break, doing an activity, taking a break, etc., with the result being the activity time and resting time are roughly equal. Massed practice means doing an activity with little or no break. Despite the growing body of research showing distributed practice to be superior to massed practice, most golfers and teachers insist on a program of massed practice. This is likely due to the fact that such research is not widely known among the golf population, among other reasons. Why would taking frequent breaks be beneficial? The theory is that the brain needs time to process what it just learned. If we just keep going on and on with hitting or chipping balls, let’s say, after a few repetitions our brains somewhat tune out, and true learning ceases. The current thinking in golf training is “the more balls hit, the better,” but this simply isn’t true. As the benefits of distributed practice become more widely known and accepted, golf teachers of the future are likely to adopt this type of practice schedule in their lessons. Instead of having students beat ball after ball, future instructors will likely have them hit only a few at a time before taking a mandatory break. Random practice means the activity changes either with each repetition or with great frequency, while blocked practice means doing the same thing over and over with little or no change. Present day teachers and players overwhelmingly promote blocked practice, where the golfer hits the same club several times until a groove is reached. However, research shows a random schedule is likely to be more effective than a blocked practice schedule. This theory is based upon the principle of “re-learning,” where the brain tends to retain information better in the long-term if material is “forgotten” and then “re-learned.” For example, in golf, if we are trying to hit our driver better, instead of hitting ball after ball with the driver, it might be better to hit one or two shots with it, go to another club for one or two shots, and then come back to the driver. Golf lessons of the future are likely to incorporate much more random practice than what we now currently see. Training aids undoubtedly will rise to a higher level, although right now there are some very effective high-tech, but expensive, tools available today. For example, the K-Vest is a great training aid and involves a very high level of motor learning, but it costs several thousand dollars. If a teacher is in a high-volume area, he or she can make such an investment work, but others may not recoup their outlay. Future high-tech training aids are likely to be more cost-effective than what we now see. Speaking of tomorrow’s training aids, what is likely to be developed? One educated guess is that someone will invent a “machine” that a student steps into, and this machine will consist of various levers and such which will be strapped onto the student. Only when the student makes the “correct” motion will the levers move in the correct order, allowing the student to continue to swing. If the student does not make the “correct” move, the levers will cease to move until the proper motion is performed. Launch monitors that now cost thousands of dollars will likely be only a few hundred dollars in the coming years. Their use will become more widespread, as teachers can accurately see exactly what the clubhead path, clubface angle, clubhead speed, and angle of approach are without any guesswork. This will allow the teacher to hone right in on the area of need, and provide a more structured lesson. Players will also be able to dial in their equipment with the coming proliferation of launch monitors. While they are of course available now, it is rare to find one at a golf course. This will not likely be the case as time marches on, so more players will be able to take easier advantage of them. As for opportunity, it follows that as we continue to add population, more golfers and more facilities are likely to come into the fold. In other countries, the game is booming. China expects to build 3,000 courses in the next 10 years, and teachers from all over the world are expected to converge there. Although technology is likely to play a greater role in future instruction, it will never replace the personal interaction between teacher and student. The future looks very bright for golf teachers everywhere.

28 Jul 2011 admin

Business Results in Golf Management

By Dr. Patrick J. Montana USGTF Level IV Member and National Course Director U.S. Golf Managers Association

Golf is a powerful business and social tool.

The interest in integrating one’s golf skills in business and one’s business skills in golf has grown significantly in recent years. There is a reciprocal relationship. If you can improve your productivity on the golf course, it’s going to help your business and, likewise, if you can improve your productivity in business, it’s going to help your golf game. Any careerminded individual who has taken advantage of the game’s business benefits can easily explain why. One of my former students who is CEO of his own Manhattan-based law firm commented, “I think the thing about golf is that you have a captive audience for four hours. It’s networking. People are more likely to give you business if they know you.” Another student said, “It’s definitely helped with my management skills and strategic thinking. After each shot you take, you have to prepare for the next one.” This year I developed and implemented a three credit elective course requested by the students enrolled in the Executive MBA program at Fordham University. The major objective of the course was to provide them with an understanding of golf as a business tool as well as to teach them how to play golf or improve their golf game. During the course, I taught them how to develop and apply a results-oriented management system to their business and golf game. In a recent Wall Street Journal cover story, reporter/golf columnist John Paul Newport wrote, “Golf and business are similar in a lot of ways, according to both business people and professional players. Both, for example, require a lot of discipline, they say.” He quotes Tiger Woods as saying, “Strategy and patience, they go hand and hand in both cases,” when asked about connections between the two. “It’s a question of when to be aggressive and when not to be aggressive, when to be conservative, and that’s done through experience.” There are many similarities in management and golf as well as in teaching management and golf. Both require strategic thinking, planning, execution, control, evaluation and feedback. Let me begin by stating that at the heart of a system of managing for results is managing expectations. More often than not, managing expectations seems to be the missing link in business practice. However, it occurs seldomly in golf because everyone knows what is expected. There is an agreed upon standard of performance – namely, par. Standards of performance in management have one major purpose and that is to develop your people. You may use them for merit, promotion, transfer and compensation purposes, but primarily as a manager you want to develop your staff to meet expectations. I might illustrate this point by the game of golf. Par on the golf course is the standard of performance for a professional golfer. Now you can go out all by yourself in the morning, or join three other people in a happy foursome, and when you come in from #18, you know – no matter what the comments are – you know immediately whether you are a good golfer or whether you need development. As golf teaching professionals, we know what our students need to develop to become better golfers. The standard of performance for a job should be as clear as par on a golf course, at least to the extent language will allow. In order to develop a system of managing for results which negotiates performance contracts through managing expectations, it is important to step back and review or learn the purpose of management and the management process and to break down the process to see how a results-oriented management system fits into the process. In addition to learning this system of managing for results, during the golf club management certification course students hear from practicing golf club managers and professionals about customer relations and customer service, golf facility operations, merchandising operations, food and beverage, tournament management, golf club financial management, ownership management, turf management operations, golf instructional operations, and even learn about today’s modern golf equipment. If you’re thinking about a career in golf club or golf resort management, you may want to consider enrolling in a United States Golf Managers Association certification course and increase your employment opportunities in this growing global field. For further information, please check out our website at www.USGolfManagersAssociation.com.

28 Jul 2011 admin

Perceptual Swing Changes

By Dave Hill Contributing Writer, USGTF Level IV Member, Montreal, Quebec Has instruction gone full circle? As golf professionals, our golf swing instruction paradigm is often tested, and very much so of late. Some instructors whom I happen to know personally have taken a leap (I’m not so sure it was a leap of faith but rather blind faith) towards a complete paradigm shift. We can blame multi-media and the information age, we can blame society’s need for instant gratification, or we can blame ourselves. Ourselves? Yes, ourselves, the community of golf teaching professionals for succumbing to what some objective viewers see as the outrageous circus that is golf instruction. Harry Vardon and Bobby Jones were not immune to offering sage advice for the rank amateur. Jones’ formal education facilitated his ability to translate a physical act into words. No one has written more on the subject, and his works are a gift to this day. The great Percy Boomer from Scotland rewarded us with an insight into playing the game and how a club should be swung that was well ahead of its time. It was Ben Hogan, however, that provided the first “user’s guide,” if you will, the unsurpassable “bible” titled Five Lessons: The Modern Fundamentals of Golf for countless instructors and golfers worldwide. Then it happened. Jack Nicklaus came on the scene. The overweight, brush-cut, elbow-flying, heel-lifting, vertical-swinging bomber who not only had the gall to lay claim to Arnie’s throne, but with time and victories mounting, he changed the paradigm for how a club should be swung. What happened to Hogan’s Five Fundamentals? You know – the elbows tucked, flat swing, feet grounded, game of balance and symmetry with a combination of power and paramount precision. Hogan was the old guard; Nicklaus was the new world order. As the 1960s brought in change, so did Jack to the game of golf. There was a new way to play and a new way to swing. The paradigm shift in golf instruction had occurred, and Nicklaus created a generation of slicers. This paradigm shift left the game in a state of flux. There was Hogan’s flatter or Nicklaus’ upright technique. Oh no! But now the word “technique” was out, and even worse came – the “method.” Hello world! “My name is Jimmy Ballard and everything you know about the golf swing is wrong.” Here we go! The changing paradigm for golfers worldwide is in full-blown operation or perhaps chaos. “But wait, maybe Ballard is right! Ballard is coaching Jack’s successor Hal Sutton and look at Curtis Strange…he’s lighting it up!” Loading up and moving your center off the ball during the backswing was the proper way to swing and all the rage. You had to load up like a pitcher throwing a baseball. Curtis was winning everything, including two successive US Opens. Ballard was right. Of course, how was this possible when employing Jim McLean’s “the X factor”? Curtis wasn’t playing so well anymore and Hal Sutton was no Jack Nicklaus. Nobody can beat Faldo and he was setting his wrists early via Leadbetter’s instruction. Hmmm! Fortunately for all of us, Mac O’Grady has taken the findings of Homer Kelly’s “The Golfing Machine” to another level with his 168,000 variables of the golf swing, all of which can be learned at his academy offering M.O.R.A.D. (Mac O’Grady Research And Development). Andy Plummer’s and Mike Bennett’s “Stack & Tilt” method can trace its origins to M.O.R.A.D. My God, didn’t Vardon swing this way? Have you gone full circle as both a player and a teacher? The USGTF offered me the opportunity to write a monthly article, and it is a request I take seriously in spite of the sarcastic tone I portray here. Golf instructors are to offer insight, and in the months to come I will take you on a journey in time to not only unravel the so-called “methods” proliferating our trade today, but unveil how yesterday’s golf swing is that of today’s. DAVID HILL Is a certified examiner for the USGTF and a top-ranked instructor • 24-year golf professional • USGTF Master Teaching Professional • Class A member Canadian PGA • Over 25,000 lessons given in career • Director of instruction at Elm Ridge CC, Montreal, Quebec • Owner Montreal Golf Academy (four locations) • President/owner Marquis Golf (corporate golf/travel) • Top 50 Canadian teacher (National Post) • Top 100 WGTF teacher

21 Jul 2011 admin

Clubfitting Basics For The Driver

No club in the bag gets as much technology put into it as does the driver. For some golfers, bashing the long ball is the most fun they have on the course. A lot of emphasis is put on driving the ball long these days, and it seems to have overtaken the short game in importance in the minds of many golfers. Actually, driving distance is somewhat important. If the average course length that the average golfer plays is around 6,200 yards, and they hit the ball around 220 yards off the tee for the typical 14 drives, that means that the driver is responsible for 3,080 yards, or about half of the yardage. So, you can see that the driver is a pretty important club. Too many of our students have drivers that are ill-fitted for them. Often you will see them struggle to get much height on the ball, even on good hits. While a low bullet was the preferred ball flight back in the days of balata balls, the modern ball requires a different flight. The mantra of high-launch and lowspin best suits what should be happening today. There is a limit on how much height the ball should be hit, though. And, it may be beneficial for some golfers to hit the ball lower than what is considered optimal, since optimal involves carry distance. Golfers who play firm courses will probably find that they will get more overall distance (carry + roll) if they hit the ball lower than what will give them the most carry. A launch monitor is the best tool for dialing in a student’s proper specs, but not everyone has one, nor are they always readily available. Without a launch monitor, how are we to determine if a student’s driver is not right for them? While standing outside, reach your arm straight out in front of you horizontally. Now, raise your arm so your fingertips are as high as the top of your head. Your fingertips now approximate the top trajectory you should see most students’ drives reach. If your students’ drives are noticeably lower than this, they are likely shortchanging themselves when it comes to their drivers. To get more height, a driver with more loft is needed. You might have seen some advertisements for shafts that promote higher launch angles, but primarily this is done through driver loft. One of the shaft’s functions is to affect backspin. Assuming your student’s launch angle is good, if their drives fall out of the sky fairly quickly, chances are they are not getting enough backspin. They need a shaft with a softer tip and a lower kick point. If their drives tend to “balloon” or upshoot, they are probably getting too much backspin and need a firmer-tipped shaft with a higher kick point. In general, golfers who have fairly quick tempos and transition moves benefit most from firmertipped shafts, while those who have slower tempos and transitions will be fit best with softer-tipped shafts. A good source for shaft information is the Golfworks, and their online catalogue can be found at www.GolfWorks.com. As for shaft flex, a very general guideline is that swing speeds from 85-95 mph should use regular shafts; swing speeds from 95-105 stiff shafts; and 105 and above extra-stiff shafts. This guideline is not hard-and-fast. For example, there might be those with swing speeds under 95 mph, but with very quick tempos, who will best be served with a stiff shaft, and those above 95 mph, but with very slow tempos, who should use regular shafts. A good rule of thumb is for the golfer to use the most flexible shaft that they can control. If you clearly see that a student’s driver is not right for him, don’t hesitate to speak up. And, with the above information, you can probably steer them into driver specs that are very close to what they need. For more information on learning all about clubfitting, please contact jenn@usgtf.com.

21 Jul 2011 admin

Teaching Advice On Rhythm And Tempo

When it comes to rhythm in the golf swing, many golfers are somewhat Readmore

21 Jul 2011 admin

Teaching Student’s About Patience

By: Mike Levine USGTF Level IV Member Port St. Lucie, Florida Golf is a game of a lifetime… and you as a teacher of this amazing game need to bear the torch for its disciples. Create awareness in your students that there is no easy way. No real shortcuts. Enjoying practice and having an understanding of the steps necessary in order to advance is the only “secret.” One must learn and truly grasp fundamentals that are time-honored in order to advance and prosper with this game. The commitment is similar to learning a musical instrument. The formula is the same. Fundamentals well-rehearsed lead to sound technique, and followed with a commitment to improve continuously leads to achieving your potential. Once a student gets hookedby the game, whether from a drive that flies much farther than the effort would suggest, or a high, towering iron shot that seemed equally effortless, the “magic” begins. The brain and spirit of a golfer become addicted, triggering the excursion of a lifetime! Like any long journey, its passage reveals unique and surprising twists and unexpected delights and stumbles along its way. It is all but boring, and skilled practitioners of this game know all too well to expect only the unexpected. So, why do so many quit before they really begin this journey? We as teachers must share a bit of the blame, and perhaps should try to lessen the burden of the learning experience and the requirements necessary for golfing proficiency. That is only part of the answer, but it is more complex than that. Instant gratification is the byword today. This is the now generation, waiting only micro-seconds to be informed, entertained, gratified and fed! Yet, we can’t force golf into this micro-second community; that is both the peril and charm of golf. A great deal of the joy of golf is its contradiction to today’s “now” mentality. Like it or not, we only slowly acquire the skills necessary to approach mastery of this game. Yet, mastery is only rarely touched upon, and it fleets as quickly as it embraces us. How dare golf do this to us? Neither riches nor power have control of the golf gods. These gods lay their deaf ears upon all of our crying and moaning, and they care not for our misery. This god shows such little compassion that most flee this wrath, escaping to some other endeavor, all the while secretly dying to touch again upon that moment, day, or week of greatness. To feel and bask in the glory of great ballstriking, or effortlessly scoring on the course puts the hook in deep! The exquisite joys of those sparse moments of golfing greatness continuously beckon to us, like a cruel mistress calling us to her bedside, knowing full well of our burning desire to be satisfied by her special charms. This is the pleasure and the passion, the pain and joy of golf. The lows are low, and the high are high; but, therein is the addiction, and few who have experienced these peaks and valleys would trade for these moments. We must help our students stay on course. To endure and persevere. We surely can’t stop the world from turning so fast, but we can take a ride down a less-traveled and more peaceful path, that of patience and perseverance, which leads to golf’s inner circle – those who dare to be humbled and exalted by this game. So, let your students know what truly lays ahead – the journey of a lifetime, the pathway to self-mastery, the mastery of patience and perseverance!