Saturday, January 30, 2010

Cold Day in Dallas

Golf in Dallas during the month of January is 'hit and miss.'  Today was a 'miss' day.  Temperatures were in the 20's when I woke up and they didn't get much warmer throughout the day.  There was very little action at the Four Seasons in terms of golf.  However, thanks to some dedicated students I did have a few lessons.  One was with a top junior Matt Gilchrest.  As you can see in the picture we're both either very dedicated or  nuts.  Come to think of it our first lesson together 2 years ago was in similar weather conditions.  Thankfully January's coming to a close and we can only hope for better weather in February.
Oh BTW, one other junior was practicing with one of our members and ended up playing 18 holes today.  He just happens to be the #1 ranked junior in the country Jordan Spieth.  Not surprising that the best are also the most dedicated.

Thursday, January 28, 2010

Will Phil make a difference?

Phil Mickelson makes his 2010 debut on the PGA TOUR this morning at 9:00AM in San Diego, California.    He's in the field of the Farmer's Insurance Open at Torrey Pines.  The 2010 season is just 4 weeks old but it's craving for some star power.
This week used to be reserved for the much anticipated start of Tiger Wood's season.  However we all know where thats gone.  So, here you go Phil.  It's your stage.  Mickelson has an incredible opportunity to take center stage of this tour.  The deck couldn't be stacked more in his favor.  He's well rested, playing in his backyard, on a course where he's won in the past.  He doesn't have to worry about Tiger breathing down his back.  Is this a perfect opportunity to build momentum or does Phil apply too much pressure on himself to do too much too soon?
The answer to that question is entirely up to Phil.  Pressure is self imposed.  Depending on how Phil views this scenario will determine whether he has a monster year, which several of experts are predicting, or gets in his own way.

For the sake of the tour I'm hoping Phil steps it up and has the monster year.  Time will tell.  Phil, it's your stage.

Tuesday, January 26, 2010

Swing Analysis - Deb Mielke

Pictured is a good friend of mine and long time student Deb Mielke.  I've worked with Deb on her game for 10 years.  She's one of the most dedicated students I've ever had.  She was a 90 shooter when I first started helping her and now she's a regular qualifier for the USGA Mid Amateur and Senior Amateur Championships.


Here's a sequence of her swing from a recent lesson.  Below is a recap of each picture.

Picture 1 - Nice set-up.  All the body parts are aligned properly.  Her bend from the knees and waist allow her to have the correct shaft angle at address.
Picture 2 - At the halfway point in the backswing her clubhead is slightly behind her hands.  This slight flaw lends itself to an 'across the line' position at the top of the backswing.
Picture 3 - The club has moved above but has remained parallel to the original swing plane line.
Picture 4 - Deb has turned behind the ball nicely with good length to the swing however the club is across the target line.
Picture 5 - Deb has had a history of coming over the top with the club and the angle of her downswing has been too steep.  She has corrected the steepness in her downswing but her arms and club have moved slightly out and over at the start of the downswing  from where she took the club back in the backswing.
Picture 6 -  The angle of the golf shaft has almost returned to the original shaft plane at impact.  This is an indication that she's been consistent with the club swinging down the plane better in the downswing.  However she's hung back too far on her right foot. This position could cause her to bottom out behind the ball or catch it thin if her hands get active.  She's also in a position to get the ball moving a little too much to the left when she hangs back.
Picture 7 - Deb has extended nicely with the golf shaft past impact.  She's still a little too much on her back foot this late into the downswing and follow through.
Picture 8 - I like the club finishing across the back of her head.  I also like the finished position with her hips and legs.
This was a well struck shot with very little movement on the ball.  If Deb can continue to improve on this golf swing, 2010 is going to be a very good year for her.

Monday, January 25, 2010

Teaching Kids

So often I have parents ask me about getting their children started in golf.  I tell them to start their children when the kids show an interest.  That age could be 3, 5, 7 years of age, etc... The important thing is to make sure they have fun and get them some decent help starting out. 
There's a few things I feel are really important when a child learns to swing a club.  First, have a club that somewhat fits them.  This is SO much easier these days then when I grew up.  Multilple companies have clubs to fit all age levels.  Having the club fit makes it easier for them to swing. 

My checklist to look for in the golf swing is the following:
1. A functional grip - One that allow them to cock their wrist properly.  Make sure both hands match one another.  You don't want one hand really strong and the other weak.
2.  An athletic set up - Even at a young age, swinging a club is an athletic motion.  Get their weight evenly balanced and towards the 'balls' of their feet.  Make sure they have some bend at the knees and waist. 
3.  Body Movement - There should be some turn in the backswing with the shoulders and some turn through in the follow through with the lower body.
4.  Arm Swing - The club should swing up over the right shoulder in the backswing and then over the left shoulder in the follow through. 
4.  Keep the head still - A big deal for kids.  Make sure that the head has minimal movement and the eyes remain level throughout the swing.  The old adage of keeping the eyes on the ball is a good one.  Just make sure they start looking for the ball after the hit it on the follow through.
5. Hold the finish - This is a big one as well.  Every swing should have a finish where they can hold their balance.  It should be right heel off the ground, belt buckle to the target, club supported over the left shoulder and eyes looking for the ball.  Achieve this finish everytime regardless of the shot hit.  To me this is a big one.

Lastly, have some motion to the swing.  I'd rather have motion and be a little off on technique then the other way around.  It's great to see the kids out hitting the ball around.  Just remember to Keep it Fun!!  BTW, the kid in the pics above is my 7 year old son Carson.

Sunday, January 24, 2010

Always Looking to Improve

One of things that never ceases to amaze me is that most golfers have a thirst for improvement.  Whether it be through lessons, magazines, instruction books, seminars, etc... they're always striving to get better.
One of my main goals in teaching is help students become better at being their own best teacher.  The more they understand their mistakes and then the necessary corrections, the better they can help themselves.

One of my favorite things to do is helping other instructors be better at what they love to do.  I get the opportunity to travel around the world to give seminars on my teaching philosophy.  Some of the attendees have heard me many times in the past but say they always pick up something new.
The picture is from a Teaching the Teacher seminar at St. Leon Rot in Hiedelberg, Germany.  All of the men pictured are instructors or players.  And they have a thirst for improvement.  Two notable in attendance are: Torsten Gideon(standing on the extreme right) and Gunter Kessler(sitting in the middle).  Torsten played on the European Champions Tour in 2009 and Gunter is the Coach to Martin Kaymer and Marcel Siem, two of the rising stars on the European Tour.  To have them in attendance was an honor.  But it just goes to show you that anyone can improve.

My message is simple.  Do what you do because it's the best way you know to do it.  And stay consistent with your message but always find a way to improve it.  Lastly, remember that improving at golf is not a fix, IT'S A PROCESS.  Never ending.  Just stay consistent.

Saturday, January 23, 2010

New V1 iPhone App

For those of you with iPhones there's a new app out for V1 software.  It's the teaching software I use at the Four Seasons.  Downloaded it last night and it's very cool.  You can even draw lines on the your iPhone screen.  Here's the link:  New V1 iPhone App

Friday, January 22, 2010

These Guys can Play!


How about the leaderboard for the opening round of the first event on the Champions Tour.
1.  Tom Watson -  63
2.  Tom Lehman - 65
2.  Fred Couples - 65
The event is being played at the Four Seasons Hualalai Resort on the island of Kona, Hawaii.

Talk about some fire power! Three stars from the past that certainly can still play like hell.  Hard to believe Fred Couples is a Senior.  Wasn't he just getting it up and down off the bank of the 12th hole at Augusta National.  Oh yeah, that was 1992.
I'm thinking that if the Champions Tour keeps sporting this type of leaderboard you may see a few more viewers checking them out while Tiger Woods sorts out his issues.

Analyzing your swing

When analyzing a swing I pay attention to four things, trajectory of the shot, curvature of the shot, what area of the clubface the ball hits, and what happens at impact.  Regardless of the player, if they're not hitting the ball the way they would like, one or more of those areas are at fault.  I let those categories tell me where to start in the swing.
For example if you're hitting the ball on the toe of the club here's your choices.  You're too far from the ball at address, getting further from the ball at some point in the swing, swinging the club too much inside the ball on the downswing or your clubs are either too short or too flat.  There's one hook tendency that results from your right hand hit over your left hand which causes a toe hit and a toe hook.  Those are your options.
I let the student make enough swings for me to exhaust all these possibilities before I make my correction.  This procedure allows me to make the correct diagnosis every time.  It also allows me to get some immediate relief to the students bad shots.  The consistency of the correction might take a little time but the student can sense there's relief in sight.
It's not easy to self diagnose your golf swing but if you follow the above steps you'll certainly be moving in the right direction.

Thursday, January 21, 2010

Happy Birthday Jack

Jack Nicklaus is 70 years old today!  Wow!  Hard to believe.  When I was growing up he was 'The Man' to follow.  Still remember seeing him, in person, win the 1980 PGA Championship at Oak Hill Country Club in Rochester, NY. He had a great chance to win the 1982 U.S. Open at Pebble Beach until Tom Watson holed an impossible chip on 17.
However, for me the greatest memory of Nicklaus was 1986 at Augusta National.  His Sunday afternoon back nine 30 might be the greatest 9 holes ever played in competition.  The eagle at 15 and then the birdie at 16 were just mind blowing.  And then getting the chance to walk up 18 with his son Jackie,  who was on the bag, had to be a incredible moment for both.
In the late 80's, when I was working at PGA West in Palm Springs, I saw him give a clinic prior to opening one of the courses he designed there.  Even to this day I don't ever remember seeing someone hit the ball as straight as he did for that 45 minutes.  All different clubs, same shot.  This was still the era of wooden headed drivers, blade irons and balata balls.  Just incredible!
A little known fact about Jack Nicklaus is that he's never played a round of golf where he didn't carry 3 pennies in his pocket.  One to mark with, one in case he lost his 1st penny and then in case a playing partner needed a mark.  Always the gentleman.  Still one of the greatest ambassador's the game has ever known.  Check out some great footage.  http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=jle1G5l-qsU


HAPPY 70TH JACK!!

Tuesday, January 19, 2010

Matt Gilchrest - Player of the Year!


A big congratulations to one of my students, Matt Gilchrest, for winning Player of the Year honors on the Texas Junior Golf Tour for 12-15 year olds.  On the TJGT Tour he won 6 times this year!  This tour is a statewide junior tour that has some very good competition.
Additionally, he won Player of the Year for the Northern Texas PGA Medalist and Masters division in the 14-15 age group.
Matt's won his last 5 tournaments to end the year!  He's a Freshman in High School at Southlake Carroll HS.
I've been working with Matt for two years and he really has improved all facets of his game.  He's a hard worker who has some tremendous upside.  Congratulations Matt on a job well done.  I'm really proud of you.

Monday, January 18, 2010

NTPGA Annual Meeting and Education Seminar

Today the Four Seasons Resort and Club hosted the Northern Texas PGA Annual Meeting.  The morning was reserved for education and the afternoon for PGA business.
We had 3 entirely different presentations for our education.  The first hour was a marketing company called  Retail Tribe.  They had some very good software applications for golf clubs.  They also presented some good info on how to effective market yourself and club.  The takeaway I got from them was:
1.  Your members and students want to hear about your expertise in all areas of golf.
2.  Spend more time making your positive results known.
3.  Let them read more about the impact of your relationships.

The second hour was a presentation from Callaway Golf.  Jeff Hall and  re-owned wedge designer Roger Cleveland discussed the new groove issue.  They gave a very good recap of what's ahead of us in understanding the rule change as well as a time line for when the different levels of player must conform.  Some good takeaways were:
1.  The CC on the new conforming wedges stands for Condition of Competition.
2.  There's three elements to the groove change.  The volume of the groove (how wide and deep), the sharpness of the groove edges and the spacing of the grooves.
3.  The clubs that are effected are ones of 25 degrees of loft and more.
4.  This one is still a very 'sticky' one with equipment companies.  December 31, 2010 is the last day that wedges that don't conform can be manufactured and shipped from the manufacturer.  Stay tuned on this one as you might see some legal action take place as the year goes on.

The last hour was a presentation by Dr. Rick Rigsby.  Dr. Rigsby is an Afro American male that recently weighed as much as 400 pounds.  He's down to 310 lbs and continues to work at it.  He's also a preacher that gives seminars to Fortune 500 companies, professional and college sports teams, and is a featured speaker over 200 times a year.  Let me just tell you, the man can speak!  Maybe the most empowered hour I've ever spent listening to someone.  Here's some of his gems.
1.  Good enough isn't good enough if it can be better.  Better isn't good enough if it can be Best!
2.  He spoke about making an impact in whatever you do.
3.  Discipline is the cornerstone to habit.  The better you discipline yourself the quicker you form a good habit.  Makes great sense in regards teaching the golf swing.
4.  When you do a job, do it right.  Don't just do it.

His book 'Lessons from a Third Grade Dropout' is a must read and I haven't even read it yet.  Google his name and check him out.

So the day of education was fantastic!  Always good to learn more about your craft and how to be better at what you love to do.

Sunday, January 17, 2010

NTPGA Awards Dinner



Just returned from the NTPGA Awards Dinner at the Four Seasons Resort and Club.  The Northern Texas PGA Section presented 14 awards to various Section members for their distinguished work in 2009.  Our Director of Golf, Paul Earnest received the Horton Smith Award for his dedication to education amongst the Section.
I received the Teacher of the Year Award.  It was a very rewarding and humbling experience to receive the award with so many noted teachers in our Section.
The picture above is with my wife Vicki just after the presentation.

Friday, January 15, 2010

Measuring Averages


Measuring an average in the area you practice is a great way to see how you stand on a daily basis.  In the area you're practicing, hit an odd number of balls to your target.  As an example, if I hit 5 balls to the target the ball that's the 3rd closest to the target my my average.
Charting these averages over the course of the year gives you a very definite way to see if you're improving in the different areas of your game.

Thursday, January 14, 2010

Stats for different Scores

Here's some interesting averages for a variety of scores.


Score       71        75        79        81        85        91      

GIR         12        10         8          7          5          2        

FIR         71%    66%    61%    56%     43%      31%  

Putts        29     30.3     31.7     32.3      33.7     35.7    

This chart is a great indicator for you and your students to understand.  I've always thought that you should handicap each area of a student's game.  For instance your ball striking might be a 3 handicap if you average 10 greens a round.  But your putting is a 10 handicap if you average 32.3 putts per round.

A great goal for 2010 would be to lower the handicap of the worst part of your game.

Wednesday, January 13, 2010

The 'hands on' approach and The Orange Whip


I'm not a big training aid promoter.  It's not that I don't believe in them, it's just that in my teaching I have a very  'hands on' approach to giving my students the proper feel.  I'll move students through, what I feel, is the proper motions with my hands.  To me, this serves two purposes.  One, I'm able to administer the proper feel to my student.  Second, it allows me to feel how ingrained the mistake is that I'm trying to correct.  I'll repeat the feeling for a student a number of times through the course of a lesson.

Teaching aids are designed to correct mistakes in golfer's swings.  Most aids, attack a specific mistake.  Rarely, do I run across a teaching aid that is universal to all golfers.  The Orange Whip is one of the few aids that virtually every golfer can use to their benefit.  It comes in a variety of different lengths and weights.  The whip is good for creating lag, smoothing out your swing, keeping your swing on plane, lengthening your backswing, improving balance, etc... Or one of my favorite uses for it, warming up before a round.
Check out the link.  The inventor and owner, Jim Hackenberg has a winner in my eyes.  And for your best deal ordering on line, use the promo code: timcgolf.

http://www.orangewhiptrainer.com/OWbrochure.pdf

Tuesday, January 12, 2010

Gaining Consistency





A big part of my teaching is getting students to swing the club more consistently up and down the swing plane.  To me, it's absolutely necessary if you want to have a swing that repeats.  The plane is established at address by the angle you set the club at.  The club should swing up that angle until it's about hip high where the club should be parallel to the ground and target line.  As the club continues to swing back it should move above the original plane but remain parallel to it throughout the rest of the backswing.  The process should repeat itself on the downswing and followthrough.  When the club swings up and down the plane you maximize your chance for hitting a solid and straight shot.
The pictures above help support my ideas.  The top one has the club coming down the plane and into the ball.  Notice how square the clubface is to the swing plane.
On the forward swing the shaft and the clubface mirror the plane before the club swings through to the finish.

Monday, January 11, 2010

Teaching the Teacher - Day 2




The 2nd day of my Teaching the Teacher at the Four Seasons Resort and Club is a wrap.  The day went well.  It was very nice to get outside and enjoy some warmer weather this afternoon.  The temps reached into the 50's and was sunny.
I started the morning off with a description of how I analyze ball flight and what I look for in the swing.  We viewed some different types of mistakes I tend to see in golf swings.  Another college player, who's a student of mine, Jordan Frye came by to go through a mock lesson before lunch.
After lunch Jordan and I went through how to play different short game shots.  The last 90 minutes of the day was spent helping each of the attendees with their swings.  The group was very interactive and had some great questions over the two days.
Doing the Teaching Seminars is one of my favorite things to do in golf.  It's rewarding to be able to help other instructors and coaches improve what they're passionate about.  I applaud each of them to take time out of their busy schedules to visit our facility to improve.

Sunday, January 10, 2010

Teaching the Teacher - Day 1

Finished a very good 1st of my Four Seasons Resort based Teaching the Teacher Seminar.  There was a nice mix of Division 1 College Golf Coaches and PGA Golf Professionals.  The content was based on my teaching philosophies.  One of my long time students, LSU sophomore, Sang Yi stopped by to be a student for the group.  I took Sang through a mock lesson to allow the group to see how I would work with a tournament player.  Additionally we covered my 'hands on' approach to moving students through the various motions in the golf swing.
Tomorrow will consist of breaking down various swings on video, my short game approach with college golfer Jordan Frye and a little lesson time with each of the attendees.  Looks to be another good day.

Saturday, January 9, 2010

Watching Golf Swings

There's alot of different angles that you can view the swing from.  The two I like most are either from side on or down the target line.  When I teach, these two angles are the ones I spend the most time watching from.  Below is a checklist of what I'm looking for when watching from each angle.
Target line view -
- Set up (body alignment and aim)
- Angle that the club swings back and through as well as angle of the clubface
- Angle that the body turns back and through
- The curvature and trajectory of the ball flight

Side on view -
- Grip
- Width of stance as well as ball position
- Pivot of body back and through
- Head position throughout the swing
- Foot work

From these two angles I'll spend 90% of my time watching the target line view and 10% watching the side on view.  The reason being is I want access to the angle of the swing, the trajectory and curvature of the ball.  Don't get me wrong, everything I listed above is important but I'm able to make much more accurate corrections when I have access to those three things. 
Whether you're teaching or just watching golf swings, you'll get the best view when you focus on these two angles.

Friday, January 8, 2010

1st Round recap - SBS Championship

How about Sean O'Hair's 1st round of the SBS Championship. He hit four par 5's in two and drove the par 4 fourteenth hole in route to a 5-under 68. Not bad ball striking for the first round of the year.
Not to be outdone by the 1st round leader Lucas Glover's 7-under 66 that started with a double bogey 6 on the first hole. He then went 9 under through the next 12 holes with two eagles on the front nine. Man, these guys are good.
I had an itchy finger watching the telecast last night. The temperature in Dallas was about 20, the wind was blowing and I was ready to call the airlines to book a flight to Maui. Wow, did it look good on TV. Really looking forward to Round 2 tonight. Enjoy!!

Making Impact


The impact of the golf swing is really the most important part of the swing.
I'm of the belief that it certainly raises your percentage of making good impact if you make a proper backswing. I feel that you want to set up correctly so that you can make a good takeaway. And the takeaway sets up the top of the backswing. When you make a good backswing you have a better chance of making a good downswing. Making the proper motions throughout the swing help add consistency to your game.
The feeling for the proper impact should be:
1. The left hand rotating back to square.
2. The lower body moves forward then the left hip starts to move up and it clears. In unison, the right hip and knee start to move down to turn through.
3. The eyes and center of chest are in line with the ball at impact.

As I've said it's much easier to create the above feelings if you make a proper backswing.

Thursday, January 7, 2010

January Article for Avid Golfer

"http://http://www.myavidgolfer.com/articles/?view=department&department_id=15&no_current=1">
I've posted my monthly Avid Golfer article below. It talks about how you should adapt your game for the winter time. Check it out.


Wednesday, January 6, 2010

What a view!!


Well, starting tomorrow night the PGA TOUR goes primetime! SBS Championship, aka Tournament of Champions, gets going on Maui. Looking forward to watching some golf and seeing some warm weather.
Above is a preview of things to come. Great hole. Had the privilege to play it in December. BTW, I made birdie!

Tuesday, January 5, 2010

Winter Putting Fix

Most of you are reading this post from cities that have very cold temps and lots of snow. In Dallas it's no different. We don't have any snow, although it did snow three times in December. We do have some very cold temps.
So that means not much golf outside for the next few days. If you do get the urge, getting some practice in on your putting certainly would help your golf fix.
When I spend time with a student on the putting green, invariably the student is more worried about their line then the distance control. I focus more on the latter. To me, the distance control of any putt is the first priority. The distance you hit your putt determines how much break you play. So the distance control is paramount to determine the proper break. Additionally, I see more 3 putts happen with putts that are left either too short or long. Seldom is a 3 putt from missing the first putt too far to the left or right.
Don't get me wrong, the line is definitely important but if you put a little more focus on hitting the putt the proper distance I really believe you'll achieve a few things.

1. Minimize your 3 putts.
2. Less stress will be put on making your second putt.
3. More first putts, from longer distances will be made as a result of improved distance control.

So a quick drill would be to just practice putting to a wall. From any distance, attempt to leave the ball just short of hitting the wall. This drill puts emphasis on controlling your distance and minimizes the worry of a specific line. Give it a try.

Monday, January 4, 2010

Improvement for 2010


I get the opportunity to write for a Dallas based golf magazine, Avid Golfer, each month. It's a great way for me to express my teaching ideas. I've been affiliated with them on and off since 2000.
My latest article, which is linked below, centers around a few areas that all golfers could be better at in 2010. Viewing improvement as a process, increasing your flexibility and improving your putting will all lead to better golf this coming year.
I'll continue to post each article as the magazine is published. Check it out.

http://www.myavidgolfer.com/articles/?view=department&department_id=15&no_current=1

Teaching the Teacher Seminar


I have my Teaching the Teacher Seminar coming up January 10-11 at the Four Seasons Resort and Club in Irving, Texas. It's a chance to present my own teaching philosophy and ideas to other teachers and golf coaches around the world.

Throughout the year I get the opportunity to travel the world helping other instructors improve their teaching. So it's nice to be able to host a seminar at my facility. We still have a few spots left if you have interest. You may call (972) 717-2503 and our office executive Sheryl Pickle will be glad to help you out.

Saturday, January 2, 2010


This afternoon I got in my first few holes of the 2010 season. I had a 7 hole playing lesson with a student of mine, Four Seasons member Cash Nickerson. Cash has only been playing a few years but he's improved immensely in a short period of time. We'll go out and play from time to time. It helps me see how his game translates from the driving range to the course. It helps Cash learn to play the game better and hopefully watch me hit a few good shots along the way.
Well, we were both in for a treat today. Playing TPC we started on #1 and both hit very nice drives. I had about 165 yards into a slight breeze with a back left pin and hit the most perfect three quarter 6 iron straight at the flag. It stopped about 12 feet directly behind the hole. One putt later I birdied the first hole I played in 2010. It has to be a good omen. We'll see as the year progresses.
One takeaway from today's round is how difficult winter golf is in Dallas. When the course goes dormant, the lies start getting awful tight in the fairway and around the green. It puts an absolute premium on getting the bottom of the downswing in the correct place. You must make contact with the ball and ground at the same or the ball first to be successful. There's no cushion that allows you to slide into the ball.
A couple keys to help your ball/turf contact are:

1. Move the ball slightly back in your stance.
2. Make sure you're moving your lower body forward and then through the shot.
3. Retain your wrist cock in the downswing as long as you can.
4. Square the back of your left hand at impact to pinch the turf as you strike the ball.

The above picture is of the 18th green of our TPC course at the Four Seasons Resort and Club.

Friday, January 1, 2010

Happy New Years

Welcome to 2010! I'm starting a golf instruction blog for the new year. The posts will contain pictures, videos and written information about my teaching style and experiences in golf. By no means is my information the only way to instruct. It's just the best way I've found over the last 25 years. I can tell you one thing, Tiger or no Tiger, I'm looking forward to watching the first PGA TOUR event of 2010, on Maui, next week. Having been to Maui a few weeks ago, I had an opportunity to play the Plantation course at Kapalua. It was a treat but a very difficult test around the greens. The views are beautiful! Oh by the way, I did birdie 18.
I hope you'll enjoy my posts and please pass them on to a friend. Happy New Years!!