Blog

8 Jul 2010 admin

Jack Nicklaus Golfs Golden Bear

Mention the name Jack Nicklaus to a golfer, and so many different things come to mind: champion, architect, businessman, family man, and statesman are just a few of the adjectives that would be appropriate. When it came to winning, no other golfer in history, as of this writing, has won more major championships than Nicklaus’s total of 20, which includes two US Amateur titles. As an architect, his designs are among some of the best, including Muirfield Village, Castle Pines, and Shoal Creek. Nicklaus was always the consummate family man, trying to never play more than two weeks in a row when his children were growing up. He and his wife, the former Barbara Bash, continue to have close relationships with their fi ve children: Jackie, Steve, Nan, Gary, and Michael. He is also the grandfather of 21. Jack William Nicklaus was born January 21, 1940, in Columbus, Ohio, to parents Charlie and Helen. As a boy, Nicklaus took up the game at age 10, and shot a 51 for the first nine he ever played under the tutelage of Scioto Country Club head professional Jack Grout. Improving rapidly, Nicklaus became a child prodigy not seen since the days of Bobby Jones, winning numerous championships. He won the Ohio State Junior Championship at age 12 for the first of five consecutive victories in that tournament. He qualified for the US Amateur at 15, and at age 16 he won the Ohio State Open against a field of top amateurs and professionals from around the state. A year later in 1957, he qualified for the first of his 44 consecutive US Open appearances, and in the fall he entered The Ohio State University. In 1958 at age 18, he played in his first PGA Tour event, the Rubber City Open, and was just one stroke out of the lead after 36 holes before finishing 12th. In 1959, Nicklaus made his fi rst real splash on the national scene, winning the fi rst of his two US Amateur titles. A year later, he was a major factor in what many consider the greatest US Open of all time at Cherry Hills in Denver, Colorado. Playing the final 36 holes with the great Ben Hogan, Nicklaus finished in solo second place, two strokes behind Arnold Palmer. Hogan later famously remarked, “I played 36 holes today with a kid who should have won this thing by 10 shots,” in describing Nicklaus’s relative inexperience at the time. Nicklaus graduated from college in 1961 and went to work selling life insurance. As a fan of Jones, Nicklaus intended to follow in the great man’s footsteps and remain an amateur competitor. Ultimately, Nicklaus realized he wouldn’t be utilizing his greatest talent fully, and after a conversation with USGA executive director Joe Dey, he turned professional in November. Nicklaus earned his first check as a professional at the 1962 Los Angeles Open at Rancho Park Golf Course, taking home the princely sum of $33.33. He played frequently during the fi rst part of the year, entering 16 tournaments prior to the US Open at Oakmont Country Club in Pennsylvania. Palmer was the king of golf in 1962, having firmly established himself as the game’s number one player, as well as its most popular. Nicklaus, the reigning US Amateur champion, and Palmer, were paired together for the first two rounds of the Open. Palmer won the battle over the fi rst 36 holes, shooting a -3 score of 139 to tie for the lead with Bob Rosberg. Nicklaus was three strokes back at 142 in fourth place, tied with Bobby Nichols and Gary Player. Accounts vary on how many times Palmer three-putted during regulation play, but a 1962 article indicated Palmer took seven, while Nicklaus had one. Perhaps it was fitting, then, that on the 72nd hole, Palmer’s 10-footer to win stayed on the high side, necessitating a playoff the next day. Once again, Nicklaus’s putting was sharp and Palmer’s was not, and Nicklaus went on to win the playoff 71 to 74. It was his first professional victory, and of course, the first of 18 professional majors. Player agent Mark McCormack gave Nicklaus his famous nickname in a magazine interview when he described him as a “golden bear.” By 1963, the nickname was permanently associated with Nicklaus. Nicklaus’s dominance as a player was remarkable, not only in terms of winning majors, but in consistency. He finished in the top four of the PGA Tour’s money list for 17 consecutive years, from 1962 to 1978. In 1979, Nicklaus struggled with his game, didn’t win a tournament for the first time in his professional career, and finished 71st on the money list. Jack Grout noticed that Nicklaus had become too upright in his swing, so in the 1979-80 offseason they set about to remake Nicklaus’s swing to be rounder and flatter. After also enlisting the services of short-game guru Phil Rogers, Nicklaus had a stellar 1980, winning the US Open and PGA Championship. He would go on to win three more times in his PGA Tour career, including the historic 1986 Masters. Nicklaus’s interest in golf course architecture was whetted in the 1960s, when Pete Dye asked Nicklaus for his opinion on Dye’s new course, The Golf Club, in suburban Colombus. Nicklaus’s first design, a co-design with Dye, was the highly acclaimed Harbour Town Golf Links in Hilton Head, South Carolina. Since then, he has designed more than 300 courses worldwide, and his design work keeps him traveling the globe. Also working in his golf course architecture firm are sons Jackie, Steve, Gary, and Michael, and son-in-law Bill O’Leary, who is married to Nicklaus’s daughter Nan. Nicklaus, as a businessman, has also been very successful, not only in golf course architecture, but in other ventures including book author, clothing, golf academies, and equipment. Despite the higher profile of other equipment companies, Nicklaus Golf continues to hold its own in the marketplace. As an author, Nicklaus’s 1974 book Golf My Way is an all-time classic, influencing countless golfers, among them Greg Norman, Ernie Els, K. J. Choi, John Daly, and Sean O’Hair. In addition, Nicklaus put out a video version of the book in 1983, and has written 12 others. Nicklaus’s life hasn’t been completely without difficulties, of course. In the mid-1980s, Nicklaus Companies (then known as Golden Bear Golf), the umbrella from which all of his businesses operate, got overextended with debt after getting involved in some non-golf-related businesses, and was close to bankruptcy. With tighter management, the company was able to stave off bankruptcy and prosper. In 1996, the Golden Bear company went public, but soon ran into difficulties. John R. Boyd and Christopher Curbello, who headed Golden Bear’s golf course construction subsidiary, Paragon Construction International, overstated the subsidiary’s revenues and contract profitability, which caused Golden Bear to file false and misleading financial statements for 1997 and the first quarter of 1998. In 2000, Golden Bear was taken private, and remains in the hands of Nicklaus and his family as Nicklaus Companies. In late 2003, Boyd and Curbello pleaded guilty to conspiracy to commit securities fraud. Perhaps the greatest tragedy in Nicklaus’s life occurred in March 2005, when his 17-month-old grandson Jake, son of Steve, drowned in a hot tub after the family’s nanny lost track of the toddler. Nicklaus wasn’t sure he wanted to play in that year’s Masters, but with encouragement from Steve, he teed it up at Augusta National for what proved to be the final time in the major championship most associated with Nicklaus. Later that year, he played in a tournament for the final time at St. Andrews in The Open Championship. As he had done so many times in his career, he birdied the final hole. Today, a new generation of golfers and sports fans know Nicklaus as that guy whose majors record is being chased by Tiger Woods. Ultimately, we know Nicklaus is far more than just a historical competitor. His legacy, not only as a champion but also of sportsmanship and putting family first, is sure to be noted as long as the game is played. Mention the name Jack Nicklaus to a golfer, and so many different things come to mind: champion, architect, businessman, family man, and statesman are just a few of the adjectives that would be appropriate. When it came to winning, no other golfer in history, as of this writing, has won more major championships than Nicklaus’s total of 20, which includes two US Amateur titles. As an architect, his designs are among some of the best, including Muirfield Village, Castle Pines, and Shoal Creek. Nicklaus was always the consummate family man, trying to never play more than two weeks in a row when his children were growing up. He and his wife, the former Barbara Bash, continue to have close relationships with their fi ve children: Jackie, Steve, Nan, Gary, and Michael. He is also the grandfather of 21. Jack William Nicklaus was born January 21, 1940, in Columbus, Ohio, to parents Charlie and Helen. As a boy, Nicklaus took up the game at age 10, and shot a 51 for the first nine he ever played under the tutelage of Scioto Country Club head professional Jack Grout. Improving rapidly, Nicklaus became a child prodigy not seen since the days of Bobby Jones, winning numerous championships. He won the Ohio State Junior Championship at age 12 for the first of five consecutive victories in that tournament. He qualified for the US Amateur at 15, and at age 16 he won the Ohio State Open against a field of top amateurs and professionals from around the state. A year later in 1957, he qualified for the first of his 44 consecutive US Open appearances, and in the fall he entered The Ohio State University. In 1958 at age 18, he played in his first PGA Tour event, the Rubber City Open, and was just one stroke out of the lead after 36 holes before finishing 12th. In 1959, Nicklaus made his fi rst real splash on the national scene, winning the fi rst of his two US Amateur titles. A year later, he was a major factor in what many consider the greatest US Open of all time at Cherry Hills in Denver, Colorado. Playing the final 36 holes with the great Ben Hogan, Nicklaus finished in solo second place, two strokes behind Arnold Palmer. Hogan later famously remarked, “I played 36 holes today with a kid who should have won this thing by 10 shots,” in describing Nicklaus’s relative inexperience at the time. Nicklaus graduated from college in 1961 and went to work selling life insurance. As a fan of Jones, Nicklaus intended to follow in the great man’s footsteps and remain an amateur competitor. Ultimately, Nicklaus realized he wouldn’t be utilizing his greatest talent fully, and after a conversation with USGA executive director Joe Dey, he turned professional in November. Nicklaus earned his first check as a professional at the 1962 Los Angeles Open at Rancho Park Golf Course, taking home the princely sum of $33.33. He played frequently during the fi rst part of the year, entering 16 tournaments prior to the US Open at Oakmont Country Club in Pennsylvania. Palmer was the king of golf in 1962, having firmly established himself as the game’s number one player, as well as its most popular. Nicklaus, the reigning US Amateur champion, and Palmer, were paired together for the first two rounds of the Open. Palmer won the battle over the fi rst 36 holes, shooting a -3 score of 139 to tie for the lead with Bob Rosberg. Nicklaus was three strokes back at 142 in fourth place, tied with Bobby Nichols and Gary Player. Accounts vary on how many times Palmer three-putted during regulation play, but a 1962 article indicated Palmer took seven, while Nicklaus had one. Perhaps it was fitting, then, that on the 72nd hole, Palmer’s 10-footer to win stayed on the high side, necessitating a playoff the next day. Once again, Nicklaus’s putting was sharp and Palmer’s was not, and Nicklaus went on to win the playoff 71 to 74. It was his first professional victory, and of course, the first of 18 professional majors. Player agent Mark McCormack gave Nicklaus his famous nickname in a magazine interview when he described him as a “golden bear.” By 1963, the nickname was permanently associated with Nicklaus. Nicklaus’s dominance as a player was remarkable, not only in terms of winning majors, but in consistency. He finished in the top four of the PGA Tour’s money list for 17 consecutive years, from 1962 to 1978. In 1979, Nicklaus struggled with his game, didn’t win a tournament for the first time in his professional career, and finished 71st on the money list. Jack Grout noticed that Nicklaus had become too upright in his swing, so in the 1979-80 offseason they set about to remake Nicklaus’s swing to be rounder and flatter.

25 Jun 2010 admin

Fixing a Students Golf Hook

Most of the time, we find ourselves teaching beginners and novices, or intermediates who have typical problems such as over-the-top, slicing, etc. From a technical viewpoint, teaching beginners and novices isn’t that difficult, because we mainly focus on the basics of setup and a good rudimentary swing motion. Teaching intermediates with typical problems is still not overly strenuous from a technical viewpoint. Their problems tend to stem from the setup, and/or a lack of doing something correctly in their motions. For example, slicers tend not to release the club, so getting them to release properly is getting them to do something they are not already doing. By contrast, fixing a hook is a tremendous challenge for many teachers. The problem for the golfer who hooks is often that they are already doing something properly (releasing, for example), but they are overdoing it. Getting a golfer to reduce a motion is a more difficult proposition. A hook occurs, of course, when the clubface is closed in relation to the clubhead path through impact. There are both setup and swing considerations to take into account when evaluating exactly what the student is doing when he or she is hooking the ball. For purposes of this article, we will assume the player is right-handed.

25 Jun 2010 admin

Teaching Amputee Golfers

By John Savage USGTF Level IV Master Teaching Professional and Course Examiner Langhorne, Pennsylvania One of the most important things to an amputee is to fi nd some sort of physical activity. It lifts their spirits and gives them the feeling that they can accomplish more than just being able to walk. They must fi nd a place where they can have fun. Some have found golf. There are many associations they can join, should they seek a competitive outlet. There are numerous clinics conducted across the United States that are sponsored by the Amputee Associations. These clinics are geared towards hospital and rehab organizations. The clinic basically introduces and demonstrates the devices that have been invented to accommodate various amputee situations, such as arms, hands, and legs. Golf pros are invited to donate their time for one morning and give brief lessons to handicapped attendees. When it’s over, the pros go home, and rarely (if ever) get in touch with the rehab people again. Because of the present wars, the amputee population is unfortunately growing. When working with a handicapped person, there are many more considerations involved when making swing corrections than with a nonhandicapped golfer. After a swing correction is offered and tried by the player, you must ask how the movement affects balance. When you get that answer, you have two options: 1) continue along the lines of the correction, or 2) take another approach because of the effects on balance. You can see this man has golf shoes on, but they do not contain his feet. That little square box to which the red lines are pointing on each leg, acts as his foot in the prosthetic device. It’s like trying to play golf on stilts. Wearing prosthetics is similar to walking across a very slippery surface. When you walk on a surface like that, you use your muscles in a different way in order to keep from falling. Some muscles are tightened up, some are relaxed, and you walk with great caution. Eventually, the body adapts to the movement, and muscles get realigned to work with the prosthetic. Your visional perception also changes. Try turning your head while you are walking on that slippery surface – it gets scary. So, when a double amputee moves, his head goes with him. When I first started working with this individual, his left leg was air-actuated. When he swung you could actually see and hear it pull up into the body when he shifted his weight onto his leg. His right leg is computer-actuated and does a thousand commands a second. The only drawback is that the computer doesn’t know when he has stopped climbing a hill or riding a bike. So, he has to stop and let the computer re-boot or the leg will react as if it is still on the bike or climbing. His left leg has since been changed to be vacuum-actuated. The vacuum-actuated leg makes it easier for him to get his weight onto his left leg during the downswing. Without rotors on his legs, an amputee is very limited in making any type of golf swing with a rotary motion. Usually they compensate with lateral movement and an overuse of their arms, which is where we began our lessons. After two lessons, I asked him to see if he could get rotors. In his circumstance, the VA paid for his legs, so money was not a problem. A rotor is a device that allows some pivot motion in one direction or another. The limited movement of the rotor is for balance. Rotors are about the size of a silver dollar, and about an inch thick. They are set equally at 15 degrees to the left and right on his left leg. The prosthetics can adjust for more or less rotation. They are activated by twisting or turning the body. For golf, he pushes his upper body down and activates his hips to turn the rotors. When a rotor is added, the height of the foot on the prosthetic device must be narrowed. The left leg rotates in two directions. The right leg rotates five degrees for the backswing, allowing him to open his right hip slightly on the backswing. There is no rotor for the forward swing. A double amputee must keep his prosthetic feet flat during the entire swing. Those little square boxes around ankle height cannot tilt. Because if they do, he will fall. There is no such thing as coming up on the rear toe to complete the forward swing. As we progress with downswing movement and better hip rotation, we might be able to add a rotor on the right leg for forward movement in the swing. If that rotor is added, we will again address the balance issues that the rotor creates. Finally, keep in mind that the more questions you ask a physically handicapped golfer, the better the golf lesson will be.

17 Jun 2010 admin

Balance is The Key To Great Ballstriking

By Todd Graves with Tim O’Connor Edmond, Oklahoma and Ontario, Canada Before driving ranges, most pros shagged their own balls. They would hit balls from one end of a field, walk to the other end, and hit them back. Pros needed endurance and accuracy. An unintended benefit was that they’d focus on most of their shots so they didn’t have to go all over hell’s half-acre picking up balls. From the ages of 14 to 19, Moe Norman shagged more than one million golf balls, most of them in a 225- yard field at Rockway Golf Club in Kitchener, Ontario. The field at Rockway helped forged one of the most powerful and accurate golf swings in the history of the game. Forty years later, Moe didn’t talk about working hard at Rockway. He talked about effortlessness, ease, and simplicity; about learning to move his body in perfect sequence – in perfect balance. “My swing balances me,” he would say. All great ballstrikers swing in balance. Whether we look at a figure skater, quarterback, skateboarder or golfer, all high-performance athletes make complex movements look easy because they move in perfect balance. Golfers who cannot swing in balance significantly reduce their chances to hit the ball solidly, accurately and consistently. The overwhelming majority of golfers swing the club from outside to inside the target line, while better players tend to swing excessively from the inside. In both scenarios, the club is out of position and the body moves to counteract the forces at work in the swing, making it difficult to stay in balance. This verifies Moe’s explanation that his swing balanced him. Moe talked about making the body stable. With stability, the student has a much better chance of moving in balance. Drills that encourage stabilizing the body and proper spine movement will promote proper club movement. Ball Position Anything that affects the movement of the spine affects the balance of the body. This includes distance from ball and the position of the ball relative to the lead shoulder, which is a function of stance width. To create an optimum position of the body for balance, the ball must be positioned correctly in order to simplify the body’s ability to balance during the strike. Since balance is related to how the feet work and balance the body throughout the swing, the best drills for working on balance help you learn connection to the ground. Great ballstrikers synchronize their upper and lower bodies in a way that allows the hips to turn into the backswing as the shoulders turn. Then, during the transition, the lower body starts the downswing move as the club “drops” on plane. The lower upper body/lower body relationship establishes the stability of the lower body as the upper body produces speed. Feet on the Ground Drill Striking golf balls with both feet on the ground from the backswing through release helps train students to stabilize their lower bodies. Ensure that students turn their hips while keeping their feet on the ground, and that the right hip turns inward in the downswing as the lead knee remains flexed. This drill keeps the spine in position throughout the golf swing. Leverage Bag Drills A leverage bag is a great training aid to help students move into impact with the upper and lower body moving correctly in sequence. The leverage bag helps teach stability throughout the swing. Note: at impact, the hips are open and feet are flat on the ground. Todd Graves is the founder of the Graves Golf Academy, with teaching locations in Orlando, Florida, and Edmond, Oklahoma. Visit www.moenormangolf.com for more information. Tim O’Connor is president of O’Connor Golf Communications in Guelph, Ontario. For more information, visit www.oconnorgolf.ca

17 Jun 2010 admin

How I Teach Golf

By Thomas T. Wartelle USGTF Level IV Member, Washington, Louisiana At my golf academy, our teaching philosophy and methods are innovative. We use a combination of “old-style feel” with the latest in technology. We specialize in golfers who are serious about moving to the next level. Training includes all aspects of the game with a focus on:

• Swing Mechanics
• Short Game
• Tournament Preparation Techniques
• Mental Focus for Tournament Golf
• Fitness Training

The goal of my academy is to create a positive learning environment. We divide practice sessions into different segments: mechanics, feel, and playing the game. Students see results. They enjoy the learning process and see positive results with each session.

The Learning Process: Mechanics, Feel, & Playing the Game

A typical session involves a segment where mechanical issues are addressed. From a technical standpoint, we believe that there is an optimal swing model for each individual. This model is determined by a person’s athletic ability, anatomy, physical handicaps, thought process, and level they wish to play the game. The goal is to move closer to each individual’s ideal swing model. Ultimately, this will lead to the most important part of the golf swing, impact position. First, we determine a student’s model by an evaluation of the student in terms of physical ability and goals. Next, we extensively use the SwingModel video analysis system. SwingModel was developed by Dr. Ralph Mann, an Olympic medalist in track and field. Dr. Mann has been analyzing sports performance for over 30 years in many different sports. Briefly, SwingModel is science-based. It uses decades of research on elite athletes performing the optimal movement in certain sports. In this case, the performance is the golf swing. All elements of the body motion are followed, and the athlete’s performance is digitized by a computer. Using computer analysis, a model is developed for the maximum biomechanical effort to perform the action. The model can then be fit into each person’s anatomy and ability to perform at a certain speed. Therefore, the SwingModel is custom-fit for each individual person. It is then overlaid on a video analysis of a student’s swing. From this point, I can begin to provide the student the information he needs to progress. The real art in teaching is to be able to communicate the information to the student for his/her learning type and thought process. A valued teacher finds a way to deliver this information. It is important to understand each student’s learning process. The teacher must communicate the skill through different forms of learning. This includes visual, feel, and verbal communication. We use “input amplifiers” to transmit the information. These are the visual, feel, and verbal cues that pass the information from the teacher to the student. We prefer to use minimal verbal cues. We find kinesthetic and visual cues are much more effective at transmitting information. Often this can be a simple kinesthetic training aid such as the SwingRite or the visual aid ProAlign1000. Through research and experience, I have found that many swing flaws are created in the set-up position. When the setup is flawed, the swing becomes a series of compensations. For instance, ball position has a major impact on how a golf club is swung back and through to impact. A ball position too far back or forward greatly impacts how the body will shift and rotate throughout the swing. A ball position that is too close or too far away from the body affects rotation of the torso as well as path of the swing on the backswing and downswing. For instance, research has shown that the ball moves back in the stance in relation to the lead foot less than four inches from the driver to the wedge. The average distance from the ball (toe line to center of the ball) with a 9-iron is 20 inches, and with a driver, 32 inches. Anatomy has an effect on these measurements. SwingModel tells us exactly these measurements for each individual. This is where a training aid such the ProAlign1000 is useful in reinforcing a proper setup position. We use SwingModel to tell us exactly where the set-up position should be, then we set the ProAlign1000 in this perfect position. Now the student is obliged to set-up in the desired position. Only through perfect repetition can the proper learning process take place. The same process is repeated through all aspects of the golf swing where the student should be close to his SwingModel.

Feel and Playing the Game

The mechanics of a golf shot are just a part of the game of golf. At any level, the game involves execution of shots. Therefore, I am a firm believer in playing golf on the golf course. Regardless of skill level, the best way to learn to play golf is on the golf course. At our academy, we also simulate game experience with certain drills and techniques designed to teach a golfer how to perform on the golf course. By doing this, we instill game-time performance and repetitive positive habits.

Fitness and Athletic Ability

Fitness training is one of the largest sports industries. People are now starting to realize that top golfers are athletes, and better performance can be achieved with better fitness. We focus on getting strength, flexibility, and endurance. The golf swing is an athletic movement. One of the fastest ways to get better in golf is to treat the golf swing as a sport and train like other sports. Too often, golfers want to get better but fail to exercise the required amount to perform to their expectations. Also, exercise increases quality of life. Golf fitness can increase performance, but can also be a fitness choice for people looking for alternatives to the regular gym. For more information on any of these products or teaching techniques, please visit the following website: www.swingmodel.com