T-GOLF – A NEW WAY TO TEACH BEGINNERS
UNITED STATES GOLF MANAGERS ASSOCIATION FOR 2011
US AND WORLD GOLF TEACHERS CUPS DATES ANNOUNCED
Winter Edition of Golf Teaching Pro Out Now
Callaway Golf Renews Personal Use Discount Program
Happy New Year
Tiger Woods Try’s To Regain #1 Ranking At Chevron World Challenge
Tiger Woods will host the Chevron World Challenge, and the noted golf enthusiast will have a chance to reclaim the No. 1 ranking he has lost during a sub-par 2010. The field will be made up of 18 golfers, including Dustin Johnson, Bubba Watson, and Rory McIlroy.
The Chevron World Challenge counts toward the world rankings even though it isn’t an official PGA Tour event. Woods has designs on winning at Sherwood Country Club this week:
“That hasn’t changed. I love winning,” Woods said Tuesday as he spoke with reporters at the elite 18-man tournament. “Coming down the stretch on the back nine with a chance to win — that’s the rush, that’s the thrill of why we practice. “That’s why we train, why we hit all those balls tireless hours, is to put ourselves in that one position.”Woods is more than a year removed from his last PGA Tour win, which fell in September 2009. He currently stands at No. 2 in the world, just below Lee Westwood. If Woods wins and Westwood, who is not playing in this tournament, finishes outside the top two at the Nedbank Golf Challenge, Woods will move up to No. 1. He’s only as high as No. 2 by virtue of the points he accumulated prior to his year-long slump. A full list of golfers who will compete at the Chevron World Challenge: Paul Casey Stewart Cink Luke Donald Jim Furyk Dustin Johnson Zach Johnson Anthony Kim Matt Kuchar Hunter Mahan Graeme McDowell Rory McIlroy Sean O’Hair Ian Poulter Steve Stricker Camillo Villegas Nick Watney Bubba Watson Tiger Woods
Teacher Talk
Some pundits are saying this is proof that the equipment has gotten out of hand, that it is making the pro game too easy. Or, they say that the courses are too “short.” These same pundits need to look at history.
Sam Snead shot a 59 in 1959 at the Greenbrier, although the course played 6,475 yards back then. Still a great score. Al Geiberger shot his 59 at Colonial Country Club in Memphis, and it played over 7,200 yards that day. Mike Souchak held the record 72-hole score on the PGA Tour for the longest time, a 257 in 1955.
Interestingly, there were seven 60s shot on tour in the 1950s. Maybe they were saying back then that equipment made the game too easy for pros, but since I wasn’t around then, I can only speculate.
The point is that top-flight professional golfers throughout history have shot incredibly low scores. Granted, the courses are longer today, but they have to be to keep up with the equipment. Plenty of pros routinely hit par-5s in two shots back in the day. It’s just that those par-5s were all 500 yards or less for the most part.
Golf is not easy, even though some pros recently make it seem so. The last thing the sport needs is for some misguided effort to toughen up the game – the USGA already knows how to do that at the US Open. Pebble Beach barely played 7,000 yards and I don’t recall anyone saying that course was too short. No, toughening the game will simply drive away players who are already frustrated enough with the difficulty of golf.
Let’s enjoy the great skill these top pros possess, and leave the equipment rules as they are.
TEACHERS, GET OUT AND PLAY!
How is this, you may ask? Very simple. It might be hard to believe, but if you stay away from the golf course any significant length of time, it will in all likelihood diminish your skills as a teacher! You should learn something about the game each and every time you play, and it doesn’t matter whether you played great or poorly. You might find a swing key that resonates with a student, or find yourself coming up with a mental game aspect you hadn’t thought about before that can be useful to someone else. Perhaps above all, playing should help to keep you enthusiastic about your profession.
What about competing? Certainly, a fair number of your students are likely to engage in competition, whether it be a money game with the regular gang, the club championship, or even statewide competitions. If you haven’t played in any competitions in a long time, it can be difficult to relay good competitive advice to such students.
Let’s talk about competing in the United States Golf Teachers Cup, for example. Every year, about three-fourths of the field is comprised of the same individuals yearly, with about one-fourth either newcomers or occasional participants. It is surprising to some of us at the National Office that demand for this great event, while high, is not even higher. In 2010 it is no secret that the economy is hurting just about every facet of business, including the golf teaching industry. If you are not participating in this year’s US Cup for economic reasons, that is perfectly understandable. But, if you have the financial means and no true work or family obligations, you owe it to yourself to check out this great tournament in 2011. Not only will you meet many of your fellow members from all over the country, you will definitely have a great time.
It also doesn’t hurt to get the juices flowing in serious tournament competition, which will give you a greater appreciation for what your competitive students are facing.