14 Apr 2017

Getting Ready

As spring begins to present itself to most of the country, golf season is on a lot of people’s minds, from students to teachers alike. It’s important to shake off the cobwebs that might have developed by getting back to the basics and working on fundamentals. As golf teaching professionals, this advice applies to us as well.

As teachers, we might not play as much as we would like; however, our students look to us as good players and examples of how to master the sport. Our golf game doesn’t have to be of tour quality, but it does need to be good enough to demonstrate certain areas of the swing. Too often, golf teachers don’t work on their games as much as they should, and it is visible to their students.

Now that spring is here, don’t be afraid to spend some time on the range. Work on the basics: alignment, ball position, posture, grip and tempo. If you time it right, your students will arrive to observe your routine, understand the importance and follow along. Another benefit is the quality time spent as a fellow golfer alongside new and prospective students. Once others witness your dedication to the game, they will have more trust in you for their game knowing that you practice what you preach.

As we prepare for a new golf year, think of ways to do business differently. Write down some goals for your golf teaching business, plus some goals for your own golf game. Figure out what is needed to achieve these goals and then make a plan to attack and conquer them. Here’s to a great 2017 season!
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The Changing Face Of Set Makeups
28 Mar 2017

The Changing Face Of Set Makeups

There was a time – maybe until the mid-1980s or so – that a normal set of golf clubs consisting of 14 clubs had the following:  a 1-wood (driver), 3-wood and a 5-wood; 2-iron through 9-iron, a pitching wedge, sand wedge and a putter. Among better players, it was not out of the ordinary to see a 1-iron thrown into the mix, usually replacing the 5-wood. Occasionally, you would see novelty clubs such as a 2-wood, a 6-wood, or a chipper in some-one’s bag, usually in place of the 2-iron. Fast forward to 2017, and this set makeup is history. You would be hard pressed to find a golfer with the same make-up as his counterpart from 30 years ago. The first change occurred when Dave Pelz came up with the concept for the 60-degree wedge, known today as the lob wedge. Tom Kite, who worked with Pelz at the time, put the club into play in 1981, and other touring professionals eventually followed suit, even if not right away. The next set change occurred in the early 1990s when Callaway Golf introduced multiple fairway woods consisting of the usual clubs along with the 7-wood, 9-wood, and 11-wood. LPGA Tour golfers were not hesitant to adopt these new clubs to replace their long irons, as they were easier to elevate and yet provided the same distance. In addition, their more forgiving properties allowed for better overall shot-making. Male professionals, on the other hand, largely elected to stay with their long irons, although these newer clubs did find their way into the bags of some male club golfers. The 7-wood (called the “Heaven-wood” by Callaway) became popular among the senior set, but a fair number of younger amateurs played the club, too. At the time, it was somewhat prevalent among better players to snobbishly-proclaim that “real men” don’t use fairway woods, and most male golfers carried only a driver and 3-wood. Of course, a prominent golfer a few years later put what he described as an “old man’s club” in his bag, and seemed to relish the attention it brought. When Tiger Woods added that 5-wood to his arsenal, it signaled to his professional brethren that results, not appearances or macho behavior, were what counted. TaylorMade Golf in 2003 introduced the next big change in golf, a change that has had a lasting effect on set makeup. The Rescue Mid Hybrid was the first hybrid golf club (a mix between an iron and fairway wood) that truly took off with mass sales that had staying power. Previous generations had hybrid precursors such as the Baffler and Ginty, but they were strictly novelty items, even though they were highly effective. Since TaylorMade by 2003 had the name recognition and credibility most golfers required in order to influence their purchases, the Rescue became a popular club among both professionals and amateurs in short order. Senior professional golfer Dana Quigley in the mid-2000s was noted for having no iron higher than a 7-iron in his bag, and advised amateurs everywhere to follow his example. Although you don’t see many 2- and 3-irons in any amateurs’ bags these days, Quigley’s advice to dump the 4-, 5- and 6-iron has yet to take hold in wholesale fashion, but it’s common on today’s LPGA Tour for players to have a 5-iron as the lowest-numbered iron in their set. Some companies have introduced complete hybrid iron sets, but so far they haven’t gained widespread interest. In contrast to the early 1980s, a set makeup today may consist of the driver, a 3- or 4-wood, 3-hybrid, 4- through 9-iron, a pitching wedge, gap wedge, sand wedge, lob wedge and a putter. That’s quite a difference. The gap wedge came into play when the standard pitching wedge loft, formerly at 50°, changed for many companies to 46°, or even lower, in some sets. Since the standards and wedge loft has held steady at about 56°, there became too much of a distance gap between the pitching and sand wedges. Thus, companies rushed to fill the void with a gap, or approach, wedge. Things have certainly changed in set makeup these past 30 years, but there was a time when many golfers carried fewer clubs and had an entirely different composition when shafts were made out of hickory. Golfers a century ago may have carried anywhere from 6-10 clubs. Francis Ouimet won the 1913 U.S.Open with just seven clubs, and they can be seen in the famous picture of him with caddie Eddie Lowery walking down the fairway. One of the reasons to carry so few clubs was the relatively high cost of each individual club. As steel shafts came into prevalence and made clubs more affordable, golfers continued to add clubs to their bag. Lawson Little won the 1934 and 1935 British and U.S. Amateur tournaments carrying anywhere between 26 and 31 clubs. Caddies everywhere were grateful when the USGA and R&A soon limited the number of clubs to 14. The set makeup of tomorrow may consist of club designs yet to be invented, but if history is our guide, will surely one day differ from what we see today.
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22 Mar 2017

Continuing Education Key To Teaching Sucess

Who dares to teach must never cease to learn.” These words by the great American librarian and museum director John Cotton Dana are incredibly profound, even given their brevity and seeming simplicity.

They are particularly true for golf teaching professionals and coaches, and more relevant today than at any time in history. In our modern 21st century, golf instruction has seen an explosion of great thinkers, theorists, and practical applications that Bobby Jones and Ben Hogan could only dream about. Today, we have universities getting involved in studying golf in terms of mechanics, technique, the mental game and motor learning skills needed for success. It also seems every other teacher who makes their presence known on the Internet is deeply into the science of golf. All of us like to think of ourselves as competent instructors, and those of us who have gone through the USGTF certification process have experienced a golf teacher training program that is the best in the industry. Those who have successfully completed the academic portion of the program are qualified to teach all aspects of the game to average players, and those who have attained Certified Golf Teaching Professional® status can competently teach the game to more advanced players. Nevertheless, the learning process for golf teachers should never end upon attaining certification as either an Associate member, a Certified Golf Teaching Professional, or even as a Master Golf Teaching Professional®.  There are countless ways of imparting instruction to those who seek our counsel, new teaching techniques to learn, mental game skills to master and motor learning procedures that are always being studied and reviewed by the finest minds in academia. Golf teachers who are not keeping up with these developments risk being left behind by their more inquisitive and motivated peers who work to be the best that they can be. USGTF Master Golf Teaching Professional David Vaught from California wrote in the last issue of Golf Teaching Pro how important it is for teaching professionals to continue their education, and this article continues with that theme. Vaught is also on record as saying one of his main motivations in continually learning is that he never wants to give a bad lesson, and that’s a great ideal for all of us to strive for. What are some of the ways that we can continue our education as golf teachers? TAKE A LESSON. That’s right, take a lesson. One well-known adage is that doctors who treat themselves have a fool for a patient. No matter our skill level, we can always use outside help on our own games, but more importantly as a golf teacher, taking a lesson exposes us to different ways of thinking and learning. USGTF national course director Mark Harman fought a hooking problem several years ago, and after failing to fix it on his own went to another instructor who gave him new tools to solve the problem. So it doesn’t matter if you’re the best player in the world, the best teacher in the world, an officer in the USGTF, or a newly-minted teaching professional who just attained your certification…take a lesson! GIVE A LESSON. As teaching professionals, this is of course our mission, but just as the student is using the lesson as a learning vehicle, so should the teacher. After giving a lesson, contemplate what you learned and record it, either on paper or electronically. You should learn something new every lesson you give. ATTEND SEMINARS. It doesn’t take a long Google search to find golf teaching seminars given by various teachers and coaches all across the country. USGTF certification courses also fall into that category, with the added benefit of having an opportunity to earn a golf teaching credential that is recognized industry wide. UPGRADE YOUR CERTIFICATION. Did you earn your Associate or Certified Golf Teaching Professional status years ago and never sought to upgrade your membership?  If so, you might want to think about doing it. In addition to gaining a higher certification status, you will gain more knowledge in the process. The Master Golf Teaching Professional certification course in particular is always a wonderful learning opportunity, especially with your peers presenting thesis papers drawn on their experiences and research. TAKE ADVANTAGE OF USGTF CONTINUING EDUCATIONRESOURCES. The USGTF has gone to considerable time and expense in creating instructional materials for golf teachers and coaches that provide pertinent and relevant information that promises to improve the knowledge base of anyone who takes advantage of them. Industry-recognized professionals like Dr. Gregg Steinberg, Michael Brantl, Thomas T Wartelle and others have put together programs and instructional DVDs and books that are second-to-none when it comes to giving teachers and coaches an education in their respective fields. These materials are available through the USGTF Pro Shop. If teaching and coaching are your passions, you owe it to your students and players – and also to yourself – to continue to learn as much as you can about your craft. The resources are out there, so please take advantage of them.
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20 Mar 2017

Evaluate The Student And Yourself

The Student You are in your office, or behind the counter of the pro shop, or maybe on the driving range finishing your lesson and waiting for the next lesson. Wherever you are, your lesson starts when you immediately see your student, or students, approaching you. You are now in teaching mode. No words are used as you are analyzing the visual aspects of the approaching student. The student is giving you signals, or body language, as to their personality and emotional state. As the student approaches, you study the following:
  •   The walk: Is their walk smooth or jerky? Do they move athletically? Is their stride long or short and jerky? Smooth walkers usually will have a smoother flow to their body movements, and perhaps their golf swing. Short-stride walkers will usually take a short backswing and rush the swing.
  •   How is the balance of the student while moving? Balance is the most vital ingredient to skill movement, and not just in athletics. If there is a balance problem, that is going to be your first approach to the golf swing.
  •   Does the walking stride show nervousness? Is the head sagging down or gazing around side-to-side? Such may signal a lack of confidence or an embarrassment in the fear of not being able to do well. This will require an assurance by you to make the student feel comfortable and more at ease. One of the things an instructor has to do is make the student feel a little more self-assured by having the student realize that many shots and attempts will go wrong and not to feel embarrassed when it happens. Mistakes are part of the learning process. The student must leave their ego at home.
The student must realize the lesson is fun and learning is fun. Maybe a little humor will ease the student, but be careful, as humor is only humor if the student interprets it as humor. Some students will show too much ego and be aggressive and demand better results. Sometimes this is shown in their aggressive walk towards you and how they approach your personal space by standing too close to you with an “in your face” attitude. The student’s attire may also show some personality: the style of clothes, how the clothes fit the body. Color may show a comfortable, conservative attitude, or a flamboyant attitude with loud colors. Comfortable clothes may show a relaxed nature, while tight-fitting clothes project a certain image for fashion. Loose, comfortable clothes may indicate an easy manner and a possible easy golf swing. Tight clothes may indicate the possibility of a tight, restricted swing. A fashion-conscious-attired person maybe very aware of their looks, and as a result will be concerned in how their golf swing looks to others. The handshake can tell a lot. A firm handshake is ideal and may be a clue to their gripping the golf club. Too strong a handshake may well mean that the student is tight and believes in overpowering the golf club. A weak handshake may show a lack of needed strength in swinging the club. However, sometimes women use a weak handshake in the false impression of trying to be feminine and lady-like until they get the chance to swat the ball, as some may use vigor and perhaps borderline violence. Voice can be a key to personality. A loud voice may mean self-centeredness in trying to be in control and the center of attention. Such a student often ends up dissecting the instructions in an attempt to show superiority in knowledge of the golf swing. It is amazing how some students, more so with men, want to tell the instructor how well versed they think they are in the golf swing. If a person is too passive in their voice, the student may be shy, with a fear of failure, and produce tentative attempts in swinging at the golf ball. Some may find smashing the golf ball as therapy in the release of tension and frustration. A smashed bucket of balls may leave a good feeling. The Teacher We have just analyzed the student. Now, we will look at how you, the teacher, should convey yourself to the student. This is highly important to the student, as a good image will give the student confidence and satisfaction that things will go well.
  • Thesmile. Your first contact naturally should be a smile that wrinkles right up to the eyes. Lack of eye wrinkle usually indicates a false smile, as just the lips move. No matter how bad your day, do not indicate such to the student. The student is not interested in your bad day.
  • Look your student in the eyes. If you look away, do it slowly, and not as if it is boredom or the student being insignificant.
If there is more than one student, move your eye contact to all members of the group, so each student receives equal eye contact time. If a student receives little or no eye contact, they will feel ignored by the teacher. Being ignored is deadly. It should be noted that eye contact and smile work together for a comfortable relationship. Eye contact and no smile may make one feel uneasy. Eye contact with no smile may show uncertainty in your emotions or feelings to the student. It may be the old “Evil Eye” of Li’l Abner comic strip fame. Eye contact and a smile are comfortable to the student. Remember, too much staring or too little staring at your student will also make the student uneasy and uncomfortable. Too much staring may give the student a feeling that you are scrutinizing them. Too little eye contact may show disinterest.
  • Body position. Always face the student with your full body. This way, the student feels they have your full attention and interest. With half a body facing the student, the student will feel you want to move away from them.
  • Do not fidget, wiggle, twitch, squirm, or scratch. Be careful of hand movement, as it may signal disinterest. Standing confidently shows you are interested in helping them. Habitual good posture is the first mark of a good and confident teacher. Poor posture shows disinterest and lack of attention to the lesson, and may also indicate your poor attitude.
When you meet a student for the first time, it is a formal meeting, and not an old longtime-friend meeting. Informality will come with time, so do not push the friendship in a back slapping attitude. Over-doing the friendship aspect may give the student an uncertainty of you. What you have just read are tendencies. Individual tendencies vary with each individual, so do not overreact on one tendency. Usually, accurate readings occur when more than one signal or tendency prevails.
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