Where I Think Golf Is Off-Base
1 May 2012

Where I Think Golf Is Off-Base

British golf writer John Huggin recently penned an article detesting the fact that the R&A has spent £10 million renovating all the Open courses to combat technology advances in golf. His point primarily was that courses previously provided holes with several strategic ways to play, but now are made into one-dimensional options.

There is no question that the distance people are now hitting the golf ball has altered the way many of our early golf courses were intended to be played. Courses are now toughened up by narrowing fairways, adding forced carries, or growing rough that only people with blacksmith forearms can hack through. If a person can hit the ball 30 more yards, they should be rewarded for the effort. Instead, oftentimes the greens committee or tournament setup group decides to eliminate the bold play by adding some hazard to prevent even the thought of giving it a go.

Golf seems to be the only sport that reacts to innovation by eliminating the excitement that it was intended to create. When tennis got bigger and lighter rackets, creating more powerful serves, they did not make the court larger. During the steroid era when home runs were on the rise, they didn’t move the fences back farther. Golf should have taken notice.

Forcing a person to play a hole one way is boring, especially for tour golf. People want to see risk. It’s why Phil Mickelson is so popular, as was Arnold Palmer and Walter Hagen, and now Bubba Watson. Golf used to be all about risk and reward. If it becomes a game where there is no incentive to try anything different, then it risks its players becoming bored with the game without even knowing why.
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PEAKS & VALLEYS
4 Apr 2012

PEAKS & VALLEYS

A vital lesson for anyone who aspires to play golf at a high level is understanding the “Peaks and Valleys.”

It’s human nature to grasp the moments that give us pleasure and to hope that we could live in that feeling. Unfortunately, our journey in golf is likely to have as many down moments as moments of brilliance. The key is to learn to enjoy the bad as much as the good.

I teach my students that the “valley” they will experience is the real opportunity to learn what our weaknesses are. Honest self-analysis is the greatest talent we can have in golf (or life, for that matter.) A slump is an opportunity that will allow us to rise to a peak we have never known. Tour pros understand this necessary process for long term improvement.

Once, Seve Ballesteros was asked how he could hit the ball so wildly and still score well enough to win tournament and he answered, “I suffer better than other golfers.” Therein is the essence of how attitude builds the heart of a champion.

Hogan spoke of “digging it out of the dirt,” and his message was the joy of working to find the truth, in the face of a huge “valley,” and the strength gained that will bring us to the highest “peak.”

Some of the greatest buckets of balls I have ever hit came in the second half of a bad bucket.
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When The Price Is Right, People Will Respond
2 Apr 2012

When The Price Is Right, People Will Respond

There is a lot of talk about the state of the game these days and what needs to be done to create growth. Not many talk about reducing their prices, however, to attract more people.

I have been on a few forums lately, and you would think that lowering the price of a lesson or a round of golf is akin to selling your soul to the devil. Let’s be realistic for a moment, however. People are always looking for a deal, and in a tough economy even more so. I know I do. I play with a regular group of guys once a week, and we generally go to the course with the best rate.

Amenities only go so far. My friends are not going to pay $75 or more for a round of golf on a regular basis just because the course is newer, has GPS, a fancy clubhouse, and might be in better condition. If the course is in decent shape and priced right, my buddies are going there. They just want to play golf, and I believe most people are that way.

Here are a few example of what I mean. One of our local courses made a mistake and advertised a weekend rate of $25 instead of $35. We, of course, jumped on it. So did most of the other golfers in the area. The tee sheet was full all day, both days. I was approached by Groupon about doing a deal with them. I said what the heck. The discount was significant, but they sold 315 packages in a three-day period.

No matter what, people are always looking for the best deal they can find. If that means I have to take less for a lesson right now, so be it. I love what I do and want to keep doing it. Everything cycles, and adapting to the ups and downs is not compromising your principles – it is making sound business decisions.
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Teaching Simple Pitch Shots
2 Apr 2012

Teaching Simple Pitch Shots

The technique used for pitching the ball is basically the same as with other full shots with a golf club.  The only changes are a smaller swing, a slightly opened stance, and an open hip position that most good wedge players use.  This is done because the smaller swing of the wedge.  By opening the stance and hips, it gives the body a little more room to clear through the shot.

The length of the backswing and speed of the downswing influence the distance control on pitch shots.  A longer backswing increases the potential speed of the clubhead.

There are several different theories on how to control distance.  Some advocate the length of backswing dictates the distance hit.  Others control the distance by swing speed.  Personally, I think that is a combination of the two.   However, I prefer to rely on swing length as a guide and swing speed as the ultimate control under pressure.

There are various styles that we can use to accomplish a successful pitch but there are a few fundamentals that should be followed:

  • The pitch shot is just a small swing with a lofted club.
  • Feet and hips should be slightly open to the target.  This makes it easier to see the target line and to swing down the target line.
  • Set the weight more to the target side to promoting a stable impact position.  The set-up should nearly mimic the impact position.
  • For most pitch shots, there is very little rotation of the clubhead on the backswing and through the impact area.  The clubface should remain square to the target well after impact.
  • Feel as if the clubhead is a broom brushing the ground at impact.  There is no need for a huge divot.

Pitch and Run  

There is a variation of the pitch shot where the ball is pitched into the air and releases upon landing.  The shot is executed the same as a normal pitch, except the non-target hand releases more at impact.  The clubhead is allowed to rotate over after impact to encourage for the pitch and run shot.
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Golf Needs New Thinking
2 Apr 2012

Golf Needs New Thinking

Many of us have been lucky enough to make a living in the great game of golf. At a time when the game has taken a beating from the economy, it is the duty of all of us in the industry to give back to the game to make it healthy and growing again.

As I sat in the front row of the audience at the January PGA show in Orlando listening to the great Jack Nicklaus speak, I couldn’t help but be moved by his words. It wasn’t only his words, but the tone in his voice and the obvious concern you could see on his face. Here was this die-hard traditionalist talking about how he had to revisit his beliefs and attitudes in order to realize that the game was falling behind other sports with kids and the public in general. On the big screen behind him, he played a video of a focus group session. Some of the comments about the game, its representatives (us!), and its image were not very positive. As a matter of fact, it was startling to hear “outside voices” from average people who have either left the game or never played talk about their perceptions of the game. I was squirming in my seat.

At Jack’s beloved Muirfield Village course in Columbus, Ohio, Jack hosted some “out of the box thinking” outings. He was proud to show the pictures and videos of the interviews recorded during and after each event. One was a tournament with the hole being made three inches bigger on every green. Another event featured more than one hole on every green. Another set of pictures and participant interviews focused on his initiative of shortening the course significantly for a large outing. To say the least, the feedback was wildly popular and positive. And, all of this came from someone I always considered one of the hardcore traditionalists in the history of the game.

In the mid-to-late 1990s, golf was riding a wave of popularity. Golf schools were packed, and courses were being built long and difficult – and a lot of them were being built. Equipment manufacturers were thriving. Tiger Woods was seemingly the lead on ESPN every day. Television ratings were setting records, and there were new golf shops everywhere. Since then, we have lost over 9 million golfers.

Think about that number for a moment. Jack’s message was basically that it was up to all of us to promote the game, not just in our traditional close-minded way, but with “new thinking,” as he called it. He called on everyone listening to get kids involved, give some free lessons and change the way the game is introduced to new players. Change the game somehow to make it more fun.
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Good For Bubba – And For Golf!
1 Apr 2012

Good For Bubba – And For Golf!

Wasn’t that a blast! Louis Oosthuizen making his albatross on number two, and then Bubba Watson with his four birdies in a row on the back nine that kept most of us on the edge of our seats. Then to have Phil Mickelson lurking…and most of us knowing that it would be just like him to pounce on the leaders, adding to our anticipation. Bubba then demonstrated in sudden death that golf, like life, is about realizing our mistakes, reassessing our predicament, and having a commitment to recover.

The 2012 Masters will be considered a classic for a long time!

Not only that but it was very good for the game of golf. There is another star on the PGA Tour. Oh sure, Bubba has been around for awhile, and we all know how exciting he is with his swashbuckling manner of play. But, to do it in the way that he did it! Having to create shots that would scare the daylights out of many touring pros, on the back nine, on Sunday, at The Masters, has contributed to Bubba becoming a household name, even amongst many non-golfers.

With the current state of the PGA Tour (and Tiger Woods’ antics weakening his mind and reducing him to just another touring pro), golf has lost much of the excitement that it had in recent years. We needed some fresh heroes to step up. Oosthuizen wasn’t a fluke when he won the British Open, but now he has confirmed himself as a player who has to be reckoned with in all the majors. Let’s add something to the mix, though. Bubba and Louis are not only great golfers. Their attitudes and behavior make them people who many of you would enjoy your posterity looking up to.

Tiger has been an unbelievable golfer who raised the bar possibly higher than it’s ever been…in some respects, anyway. Sadly, though, I shudder at the thought of his example of being a role model to those who will follow. Not only for his antics off the course, but even on it. If a full-grown man doesn’t have more control over himself than to sling and then kick his club when he hits a shot that he doesn’t like, what kind of example does that set for the youngsters coming up? He lets profanity fly when he deems it is necessary, whether there are ladies, children, or whoever in the gallery. Honestly, I sit and watch Tiger sometimes and wonder what he is going to do next that sets a bad example for those youngsters who idolize him.

I’m pulling for him, though! I want Tiger to get past all of this and finally grow up into the man that he has the opportunity to become. I really don’t know how I would handle it if I was young, worth hundreds of millions of dollars or maybe a billion, was idolized all over the world, and had people treating me like royalty wherever I went. Then, to know that I was so special that many people just wanted to say “Hi” as I passed by so that they could tell their grandchildren 40 years from now that they actually talked to me. Even with all of those distractions, in many ways, Tiger has demonstrated that he is driven to be the best that he can be and I give him credit for that.

It would be a great story if Tiger got his life together and was able to finally look all of us in the eye and say, “What have I done? How could I have been such a boorish person who, too many times, has shown so little respect for the game, my competitors, the fans, and having little regard for giving back to the game which has been so good to me? I can only imagine what effect my actions on and off the course will have on many young men in the future who have idolized me for years.”

I would like to say to him, Tiger, you’ve been compared to and in many people’s eyes, even exceeded Bobby Jones, Byron Nelson, Ben Hogan and even Jack Nicklaus as the best golfer in history. It would be nice to see you finally get to the place, though, where you could represent the true spirit of golf as those men have, men who gave back as much or more than they took. I’m really pulling for you, Tiger. Please…grow up! If not for yourself, do it for the youngsters coming up!

We all make mistakes; that’s part of life! One of the wonderful things about golf, though, is that it teaches us how to take responsibility for errors, correct them, and become better for it. You’ve done that very thing on the golf course, in major championships, right in front of our eyes. It will be one of the greatest sports stories ever told if you finally accept the responsibility that goes along with what you have received from golf and the fans that have supported you and behaved in a way that upholds the finest traditions of the game. Now, let me give you some incentive! It would also give you the best chance at beating Jack’s total number of wins in the majors – seriously! Here is a fact of life: For anybody to reach their true potential, they simply must be at peace with themselves.
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What We Can Learn from Kyle Stanley – A Tour Winner
12 Mar 2012

What We Can Learn from Kyle Stanley – A Tour Winner

The saga of Kyle Stanley on the PGA Tour this year provides us with a teachable moment.

First, let’s recap. Stanley had a three-shot lead coming into #18 on Sunday at the Farmer’s Insurance Open in San Diego. He proceeded to hit his third shot onto the green, but it spun back into the water. He took a penalty stroke, hit his fifth shot onto the green and then proceed to three-putt, making a triple bogey. He then lost the playoff to Brandt Snedeker.

The very next week, he went on to win the Waste Management event in Phoenix.

The question is, “What can we learn from Stanley’s exploits?”

First, Stanley admitted that he was very nervous during the playoff. Many amatuers believe that the players on the PGA Tour do not get nervous. That is false. Tell your students that everyone gets nervous. This is a human condition. When an event is important to you and there is uncertainty about the outcome, you will be nervous. When your students are aware that even great players get nervous, they will feel more comfortable when they, too, feel the nerves.

Second, Stanley learned from his failure in San Diego what his body will do under pressure. More importantly, once he learned how his body reacts under pressure, he then had more control over his body when the pressure arrived at the Waste Management tournament. As a result, he was successful.

Most likely, your students do not know what their bodies will do under pressure, so they choke when the pressure comes. Points to consider:

– Does your student swing faster under pressure? – Does your student swing slower under pressure? – Does your student think faster under pressure and get impulsive? – Does your student take more risks under pressure?

Ask your students to monitor how their bodies change when the pressure mounts. Becoming aware of what happens under pressure is the first step to fixing any problems.
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Building Your Method
12 Mar 2012

Building Your Method

The first professional golf lesson I ever gave was with “Mr. Golf Channel Know It All.” He decided to contest every statement I made. Because of that, I made a commitment: always follow “how” with “why.” Now, the statement is, “This is what I would like to see you do, and this is why I would like to see you do it.” Hopefully, the student says, “That makes sense, I see why you do that.” From that point on they have ownership of that knowledge and have begun to build their method.

My students know they will be asked to share, show knowledge, and actively participate in the discussion. Every aspect of their method must match so that a ball flight pattern can develop.

Even at a tour level, you see players sometimes chasing a technique that is limiting. Today the fad is to “work left” through the ball. This general piece of advice is incomplete, at best. Also, I have never seen so many top level players laying the sod over short wedge shots. That stiff right arm that drives the right shoulder upward as we begin our swing, coupled with the chesty yank left, is contrived and robotic. The ability to read the turf with the bounce on your wedge comes from relaxed elbows. Soft hands hit soft shots.

If your method is complete, you can be successful with any club in your bag, provided the swing is good. If your method is lacking, you will only be successful with a limited number of clubs and your score will suffer as a result.
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It is our job to create more golfers
2 Mar 2012

It is our job to create more golfers

On a National Broadcast of the World Match Play Championship, PGA Tour Commissioner, Tim Finchem, said more people are playing golf, just less of it. Does that even make any sense? Let’s see, I have a business with 100 customers who patronize me 10 times a month. If I do my math correctly, that is 1,000 purchases. Now I hire the commish and he sends me another 100 customers. Two hundred new customers, I’m jumping for joy and business is booming. I get greedy and service starts to suffer. My customers are only visiting me 4 times a month. But hey, I have more customers, they are just coming less. So instead of 1,000 purchases, I am now sending out 800 products each month. Does this sound like the way to sum up the state of my business?

The key words in the statement are “more golfers.” Our responsibility as professionals is to help get them playing more. That is an area where we can do better. I play golf at a lot of different courses in my area. I can’t tell you the number of times I run across a pro or staff member who could care less if I am there to play or not. We now live in a world where people have many more options to occupy their time. We can’t take for granted that golf is going to be on the top of the list. We pros can make the difference. Above and beyond should be the motto. As teachers we interact with students all the time. Most just want to enjoy the game and be with friends. So make it pleasant for them. Start a league, introduce them to each other or hold a free clinic for former students. Keep them involved. We can keep the game flourishing.
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What Stokes Your Passion?
1 Mar 2012

What Stokes Your Passion?

Several years ago, I was asked if I could go watch the Special Olympics participants that I had been working with for a few years at their state golf meet. The group that I worked with was called the Spring Panthers. There were about eight regular participants, but sometimes up to 15. I took my wife with me and was surprised to see several hundred people at the golf course who were from all over the state of Texas. They had several different competitions such as putting, chipping, pitching, and for those who were more advanced, they could participate in a nine-hole championship. Our most advanced player, Kevin, competed in that event and did very well.

I watched as Tracy was competing in the putting contest. The competition was to see who could make the most putts out of five on a 10-foot putt. Tracy missed all five of hers and was quite upset as she came over to me and cried as she hugged me. I watched several more of them in the different contests that were being held, and I felt my emotions getting involved as each of them were doing their best. You see, they had been looking forward to this state meet for many months, and this day was going to be their only shot at winning a medal for something that they had been anticipating for so long. You should have seen the smiles on their faces when they would make a good shot. As I watched them jump up and down in celebration, I thought to myself, “If life could only be so simple for all of us!”

After the competition was over, Jane, Kevin’s mom, asked me if they could give me something and then take a group picture with me. They presented me with a plaque that had a golf ball and a club attached to it. It had my name on it and this quote:

“Thanks for all your time and help!”

1998 Spring Panthers

I had been volunteering my services to them a couple hours every Saturday for three years. Even though I helped them without charging them, believe me when I tell you that I was, by far, getting the better deal!

They all gathered around me as we posed for the picture. The sun was in our eyes but it didn’t bother me because I was wearing sunglasses. After the picture, each one of them came up and gave me a hug and said thank you. About 20 minutes later as my wife and I were headed home, my wife said to me, “Wow, that really touched you, didn’t it?” I said “Yes, but how could you tell?” My wife looked at me and smiled as she said, “Your sunglasses were leaking!”
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