Editorial

14 Feb 2014 Corina Pelloni

GOLF IN THE OLYMPICS?

In the spirit of this month’s Winter Olympics, it is imperative we in the golf industry – and all golf fans worldwide – voice our opinion about the individual format for golf at the 2016 Games in Rio de Janeiro, Brazil, as recently decided upon by the International Golf Federation ( IGF).  I know I’m not alone in espousing an anti-individual format and would highly revere witnessing a team competition for a host of reasons. I am not going to mince words. The IGF got this wrong, in my opinion. I’ll prelude my position by also stating I don’t even believe golf should be in the Olympics in the first place.  However, since it is a “fait accompli,” a team competition should take precedent over an individual one. I’ll digress. First, to remove a staple sport such as wrestling, a sport dating back to the 1896 Games in Greece during the first modern Olympics (and 708 BC in the Ancient Games), only to replace it with golf, is not fair…although wrestling was later reinstated.  There are also many typical North American backyard barbecue hobbies which are sports with both a wide audience and intense interest level in other parts of the world when played at a high level…badminton and table tennis come to mind.  Another inclusion in 2016 is rugby, and rightfully so, not because it is incredibly popular worldwide (although somewhat), and not simply because of its rough and athletic nature, but because winning an Olympic medal in this sport and the aforementioned backyard barbecue hobbies is the pinnacle for these athletes. Wrestling naturally falls into the same category. Turning back to golf. Is an Olympic medal the revered prize? Is it something a young Tiger Woods, Phil Mickelson, Rory McIlroy, Annika Sorenstam, Suzanne Petterson, Lydia Ko, or any other prominent professional golfer grew up dreaming about winning? Of course not! Now, some may argue today’s professional golfer never had the dream of Olympic glory, for it was not an available opportunity. Nor should it be. Golf has a storied history of revered championships that golfers thirst to win. An Olympic medal may look nice on the mantle, but a green jacket, Claret Jug, or US Open trophy will always glimmer brighter. Take it a step further. A Masters victory offers a lifetime invitation down Magnolia Lane. I’m sure Greg Norman would agree he was blessed with a fine career, but to say something is missing is an understatement, and it isn’t Olympic gold. Without getting bogged down in the political and financial argument that surely propagated golf into an Olympic sport, it is fair to say an Olympic medal is not the “Shangri-La” for the individual golfer. If golf is to gain a stronghold within the Olympic movement, a team competition is paramount. National pride is at stake, as we witness in sports such as hockey, basketball, curling, soccer, and now even figure skating. The Ryder Cup portrays an emotional intensity level not seen in any other professional golf tournament. The President’s Cup falls short in this regard; however, fragments of intensity are apparent. The same can be said for a variety of other golf team competitions, be it in the professional or amateur ranks. This being said, would golf fans tune in in droves to witness Tiger or Phil win another tournament, say the right things, and then have them go about their business two weeks later at the FedEx playoffs? What about Olympic glory?  Forget about it! There is a $10 million dollar annuity, season-ending championship, and player of the year award at stake. The Olympics were great and all but hey, there are other big fish to fry. Would sport fans tune in to watch their underdog nation have a chance against a stalwart golf nation? You bet. The IGF proposed a format to the IOC (International Olympic Committee) for a “72 hole individual stroke play format for both men and women, reflecting the leading players’ opinion of the fairest and best way to identify an Olympic champion,” according to the IGF website. Wow, is all I can say! Here we have an international sporting organization, governed by the leaders of the stewards of the game in the Royal and Ancient, the USGA, worldwide national golf associations and professional golf tours, and they leave it up to the leading players to choose the format? Whatever happened to true stewardship? Should the millions of golf fans and thousands of professionals employed and driving the industry not have a voice? Here we have an opportunity to grow the game in developed and emerging markets, and the decision is left to the top 120 players in the world? Sure, they may be popular, but do they truly know what is needed within the industry and relished by sporting fans? Do they truly understand the weight of their decision? As the competing athletes, I question their objectivity, and the enormity of the decision should not have been placed in their hands. Golf has a competitive edge over many sports in its uncertainty. Underdogs on paper often win, especially in a team format.  We’ve seen it time and again in the Ryder Cup with Europe. Who’ll ever forget the “Miracle on Ice” during the 1980 Winter Olympics in Lake Placid, when the US hockey team won the gold, upsetting the Russians during the semi-final match at the height of the Cold War? A winning team’s dynamic is often immeasurable and cannot be defined. This uncertainty is what can often propel a sporting event and a sport to a different stratosphere. The fact golf has an opportunity to not only be showcased, but to embrace its competitiveness and uncertain outcome on a world stage, is fortunate. It has been given a second chance in the Olympics. As golf fans, we already know who the top players are and do not need the Olympics for further proof. This cannot be said for other sports; hence, the Olympics are very much required for individual accomplishment and glory for many athletes. National team over individual pride for a golf victory would be held in great stead by the players, future stars, and fans alike. Furthermore, the uncertainty of a team victory heightens the suspense. Imagine an emerging country taking on the USA in a final match for the gold. How much weight would that hold in growing our game both home and abroad? Sorry IGF, I believe you missed the mark.  

13 Feb 2014 Corina Pelloni

SOCIAL MEDIA: IT’S A MUST

As golf teaching professionals, most of us are independent contractors. Some of us might work for a golf club, driving range, or golf school.  Like most businesses, we are always looking for ways to grow our business, gain new clients, and solidify our trade.  Social media is a great way to advertise, reach new clients, and stay in touch with current students. Websites like Facebook, Twitter, and Instagram are free to use and efficient, as many of your students are most likely already using these sites.  By accessing these forms of marketing, you can stay connected to your students and grow your business for free.  Free is always good for small business owners! When you start a Facebook page, it will help you expand in many ways.  You are able to show pictures of your business.  You can highlight training aids you use and show pictures of people taking lessons.  The people in the pictures are most likely on Facebook, so make sure you “tag” them.  Their network of friends will see these photos, thus growing your business without paying for advertising.  People will “like” the photo, and thus send your business information to others whom you wouldn’t be able to reach directly without paying for it. Next time you visit a local business, look to see if they ask their customers to follow them on social media sites.  Think of other successful businesses and pull up their social media sites for ideas.  If you think it’s too hard or you are not “techie” enough, think again.  It is a must for small business owners to connect to social media, especially for those of us in the golf business.

6 Feb 2014 Corina Pelloni

LEAVE IT TO THE GOVERNMENT TO LOOK A GIFT HORSE IN THE MOUTH

The business consultant Peter Drucker said that what we call management consists of making it difficult for people to get their work done. If I were to apply this to government, I could say it consists of making it difficult to conduct business. ESPN recently did an exposé on the charitable giving of the PGA Tour and noted that a watchdog group gave them a zero rating because they don’t give enough to the charities they support. The basic issue comes down to the fact that the PGA Tour gets tax-exempt status, and according to the report, they have been able to avoid $200 million in taxes over the past 20 years. The fact that the tour has raised over $2 billion for charities appears to mean nothing. Now, some of our so-called astute leaders in Congress want to take away the Tour’s tax-exempt status. Don’t they have more important things on their plate? A quote from the watchdog group:  “The lion’s share of the money is going to big prizes, cash prizes for athletes, and all the promotion around it, so it’s really pathetic, actually, every single taxpayer in this country ultimately is bearing the burden of having to pay the taxes for this wildly inefficient organization that’s giving so little to charity.” This makes no sense. The PGA Tour is a business. Their primary function is entertainment, at which they do a pretty good job. Each event is a major undertaking that supports a significant number of big and small businesses. The fact that the tour has decided to help charities is a bonus. I would also bet that the taxes paid by all the people employed by the tour to run each tournament and those paid by the athletes far exceed the annual exemption the tour receives. Didn’t Phil Mickelson say he pays 65% of his income in taxes? I don’t feel the burden and neither should the government.

3 Feb 2014 Corina Pelloni

PROVIDING CUSTOMER SERVICE

Teaching golf is a service industry.  It falls in the same category as restaurants, tourism, and entertainment.  The client does not have to take a lesson; he wants to take a lesson.  It is important to remember this, as golf lessons are basically luxury items. As a teaching professional we should: • Promote the game of golf. • Provide superior teaching techniques. • Deliver excellent customer service. Some interesting statistic concerning customer service: • 96% of customers who feel they were served poorly do not complain. • 90% of those who feel they were served poorly will not return for a lesson. • Each poorly served customer will tell at least nine people and some will tell over twenty. • 95% of customers will return if their problem is resolved on the spot. Providing good customer service yields “word of mouth” referrals and students who continue to take lessons. Remember to evaluate yourself by putting yourself in the customer’s shoes.  Try to imagine what it is like to take a lesson.  For instance, sometime as teaching professional we forget what it is like to be a beginning golfer. Our perception of ourselves is not always the reality.  Therefore, it is important to honestly evaluate your actions.  To grow as a teaching professional, continue your education.

14 Jan 2014 Corina Pelloni

TRAINING AIDS

As golf teaching professionals, we constantly look for ways to help our students get better.  We read books, attend continuing education classes, watch videos, and visit with other golf teaching professionals, all the while trying to learn more and become a better instructor. For anyone has been to a large golf store chain like Edwin Watts or watched  Golf Channel, we have seen numerous training aids.  Ironically enough, each piece of equipment or technique boasts that it can cure every fault in the golf swing.  Now, while it would be nice, we all know there is no quick fix or miracle pill you can take to attain the perfect golf swing. How often do you try these training aids?  Do you research the new training aids as they come into the market?  Are you investing into your own teaching career?  These are some questions you should ask yourself to make sure you are staying current on new training aids and teaching methods. When you are in one of the big golf store chains, head to the training aid section and try a few out.  While there is no reason to buy all of the training aids in the store, it might be helpful for your business to invest in a few that you think can benefit your students.   When you are trying these training aids, think about some of the common problems your current students have and imagine yourself in their shoes, asking, “Will this help me?”  If you think it will, then it will help your students get better, thus helping your business grow.  Don’t be afraid to invest in the future of your business.

18 Dec 2013 Corina Pelloni

IS IT TIME TO ALLOW YARDAGE MEASURING DEVICES ON THE PGA TOUR?

They are everywhere these days and they come in all kinds of shapes and sizes. GPS yardage devices are common among the crowd I play with, and it has helped speed up the overall time of our weekly round. No more hunting for the nearest sprinkler head or pacing off from the 150 post; just push a button or read a meter, then select a club. Our high school golf association allows devices in matches and tournaments as long at they give distance only. It has definitely sped up play, in my opinion. In a time when just about everyone in the golf industry is lamenting slow play, maybe it is time to relax the rules against such devices. The USGA and PGA Tour do not allow yardage devices in any of their championships. On contemplation, I fail to understand their reasoning. After all, players can use yardage books that give every detail of a hole with distance to hazards, bunkers, greens, or pins. How many times have we seen golfer and caddie behind the ball going over their notes incessantly before their 10 to 15 practice swings? The rule makers have allowed innovation in equipment and balls throughout history to make the game easier. Why not just go another step and allow caddies to carry GPS devices? It would eliminate the need for pencils and paper and save a few trees in the process. They might play faster, too!

18 Dec 2013 Corina Pelloni

NEW YEAR’S RESOLUTIONS

This time of year, many of us will reflect back over the past 12 months, thinking about the good things that happened, as well as what we would like to change for the upcoming year.  Hopefully, our students are doing the same thing for their golf game:  Analyzing their rounds, possibly worrying about things that could go wrong, and wanting to do better in 2014. As golf teaching professionals, we should encourage our students to focus on the positives for the upcoming year and provide them with a plan to make their resolutions become reality.  The most important thing to do is make them aware of your presence, even if you’re not physically there working with them on the course.  As their instructor, it is our duty to provide encouragement every step of the way. During the month of December, I send an e-mail to each student from the previous year.  The content of the message is to express the enjoyment I have had at being their golf teaching professional, discuss the improvements they made, and recommend a few things I think they should focus on at the beginning of the new year. Typically, I will select three or three things for them during the winter months.  Suggested areas could be fitness, mental game, short game, scoring, or swing fundamentals.  For most people, being inside during the cold winter months gives them a great opportunity to focus on an area which doesn’t require observation of a ball flying into the air at the driving range.  Some things might be as simple as swinging a club 50 times a day in their garage or enrolling in a yoga class to increase flexibility, which in turn increases distance.  Depending on the student, you could prescribe something more complex, like buying a small putting mat and working on three- to six-foot putts. Whatever drill or exercise you choose will keep your student in the routine of doing something to improve their game.  Keeping in contact over the winter months when they may not take regular lessons lets a student know you care about them and their game.  Plus, you’re on their mind and will be the first person they want to call when spring comes.

4 Dec 2013 Corina Pelloni

TECHNOLOGY OR TRADITION – WHICH IS BETTER FOR TEACHING GOLF?

Legendary teacher Bob Toski never got on board.  Nor did the late USGTF teaching professional Julius Richardson, a member of Golf Magazine’s Top 100 Teachers list.  There are a number of other teachers who didn’t, either.  To what am I referring? Technology.  Things like video, computers, the K-Vest, etc.  “Old school” teachers like Toski rely on their eyes to tell them everything they need to know about what’s going on in the swing – even finely honed swings like a tour player’s. So, we see it’s possible to teach at a high level without technology.  This brings up a question:  Which is better, old school or new school? A few years ago in one of the golf magazines, they attempted to answer the question of which school was “better.”  The writer first went to a traditional old-school teacher in Scotland who taught by feel, and then he went to a teacher in the US who used high-speed photography, training aids, and launch monitors.  The “new-school” teacher was apprised of what the old Scot’s instruction had been, and he dismissed it by saying it wasn’t going to fix the problems that the launch monitor had identified with the writer’s ball flight, nor would it fix the problems with his swing that had been identified through video analysis.  In the end, the writer said he got better results from the old-school methods. I’ll also never forget watching Julius give a lesson one day to a lady who was struggling.  It was easy to see mechanically what she was doing wrong, and so I figured Julius would focus on that.  Nope.  Instead, he simply told the lady to “soften your shoulders through the swing.”  Huh?  I never saw that coming.  Well, the next shot she hit was a beauty, and she was thrilled.  She continued to hit shot after shot much better than what she was doing before. Let’s keep something in mind.  Both Bob Toski and Julius Richardson were great players as younger men.  Teachers who were legitimately tour-level, or even plus-handicappers, know what a truly sound, fundamentally correct swing feels like.  If you’ve played to this level and have taught for many years and made a concerted effort to study the craft, you can probably find great success with teaching through “old school” methodology.  If you don’t have all that going for you, you probably need some help through technology.  That’s not to say teachers who are/were fine players who know a lot can’t benefit from using technology; many do.  I prefer it myself.  The key is to be able to transfer the numbers and video images to feel. The definitive answer to the question, “Which is better, old school or new school?”, is elusive.  What do you think?

4 Dec 2013 Corina Pelloni

PRINCIPLES OF PRACTICE

The following are solid principles to follow that will help to develop your teaching skills: Only perfect practice makes perfect Golf is a skill; therefore, practice golf in pressure conditions.  This is the major difference between learning a skill and learning a technique.  Keep practices sessions short and frequent when working on a new skill.  Use practice time efficiently.  Students should experience a reasonable amount of success at each practice session.  Make practice fun as well as challenging. Positive Attitude towards Learning No matter what the standard of the player, a good instructor will make him or her better. It is important that any learning situation should focus toward success. The attitude of the teaching professional and student should be characterized by two qualities:

• An open mind to receive new ideas.
• An enquiring mind to question new ideas.

Organization Learning is based upon memory and students will recall more information when the material is organized.  Think of our memory system like a file cabinet.  The more organized the material is filed, the easier it is retrieved. Thus, instructors need to devise their lesson plans.   This allows the student to easily organize the material. Teaching is about creating environments that enable players to develop at their optimal rate.  

8 Nov 2013 Corina Pelloni

REACHING THAT NEXT LEVEL

Do you want to reach that next level as a golfer?  Tour players have consistent practice routines that they follow to prepare themselves for “playing the game of golf” on the actual golf course.  The following are some tips to help you improve your full swing practice routine. Warm-Up

• Always start with a warm-up routine such as making slow swings with a shorter club such as a 9-iron.  Hit a few easy shots and then stretch your back, shoulders, and wrists.

  Mechanics

• About 5 -10 balls with every other club starting with the 9-iron or wedge.  Use a guide or training aids for alignment and path.  Work your way up to the driver using every other club in the bag.  Then work your way back down to the short irons.  The goal is good contact and technique.  Stop / rest, and then repeat later if necessary.

  Distance Control

• Hit to certain targets with the target-specific club.
• Practice full swings and ¾ swings (and less) especially with your short irons.  Learn to “flight” your golf ball.

  Playing the Game

• Play your favorite hole on the driving range.  Imagine the situation and be target specific.
• Work on different distances, different lies, different trajectories, different elements such as wind, and various club selections.
• Golf Course:  Stop keeping score.  Become more “task-at-hand oriented.”  Keep stats such as fairways hit, greens in regulation, up and downs, and putts.
• Play every round as if it is an important tournament; however, do not keep score.  Stay in the moment of present / present future.