What I'm Thankful for

As 2010 comes to a close I would like to thank all that have read and followed my first year of blogging.  I've enjoyed sharing my thoughts and experiences in the golf world. 

With the passing of each year you take time to reflect on how the the year was for you.  On a professional note I'm thankful for:

-  Helping coach the #1 Junior in the USA, Anthony Paolucci.

-  The countless families that have allowed me to teach their children the game of golf.

-  The Four Seasons Resort and Club/Dallas for the opportunity to teach at their fantastic property.

-  The Golf Professionals around the world that took time out of their schedule to attend one of my seminars.

-  The fellow employees at the Four Seasons for allowing me to work along side of them.

-  The students that have entrusted their golf games to me for instruction.

And more importantly, on a personal note, to my wife Vicki and son Carson for giving me the time to devote to my passion of teaching golf. 

I would like to wish all of you a very Happy New Years!  May all your dreams and goals come to fruition in 2011.  Be safe.  See you next year!

Christmas Vacation makes an Unexpected Stop

My recent travels have taken me to Valparaiso, Indiana for the holidays. I took some time out of my Christmas vacation to help two of my college players Kyle and Ryan Grassel. Kyle is transferring to the Colorado School of Minds, a Division 2 school outside of Boulder. Ryan is a Freshman at Sonoma St in Northern California. We went to a nice 9 hole facility with some covered hitting called Creekside. The kids were able to hit but it was 28 degrees with 6 inches of snow on the ground.
Both are very dedicated to their games. Their younger sister Kelly is currently playing in the Doral Publix Jr event in south Florida. She was the Indiana Jr player of the year for 2010. I'll get a chance to help her on Monday when she returns.
I see the family 3-4 times a year and have done so for about 10 years. It's great to see their progress and fun to work with such skilled athletes. Ryan asked me this morning what student's the most fun to work with. I said the ones that listen. And he responded why wouldn't you listen? Love it. Here's hoping all students are better listeners to their instructors in 2011.

Tight Lies during the Winter Months

Winter golf in Dallas involves dormant Bermuda grass in the fairways and rough. As a result the lies get very tight around the greens. Shots you wouldn't think twice about in the summer months now are nerve racking. I recommend to my students to use a 3-wood or a hybrid club and putt the ball if the lie's too tight to chip or pitch. Set up the same as if you're going to chip,then make a putting stroke. There's no risk of a fat or thin shot and the ball rolls true. A similar shot with a putter will bounce too much due to the lower loft of the club. It takes a little practice but the shot reduces the anxiety level around the green in the winter months.

Titleist 910 - Controlling curvature

Curvature on the golf ball is mostly a clubface issue. When there's excessive curvature tune into why the clubface is opening or closing prematurely. I focus on the grip, how the face is throughout the swing, making sure the swing is on an arc and getting the proper release at impact.
The new Titleist 910 driver is a fantastic club to help minimize excessive curvature. By adjusting the lie of the driver you can make a big difference in the direction of the shot. Adding loft to the club will also help reduce curve. The 910 is the best driver I've come across to dial in for all students.

Guinness Book of World Records

Tomorrow Richard Lewis, one our members at the Four Seasons Resort and Club, will do something that no one else has ever done in golf.  He will have completed his 587th round of golf in 2010!  The Guinness Book of World Record is 586 rounds.  What makes this feat even more mind boggling is that he WALKED every one of those rounds.  The old record was set by someone riding in a cart. 
Richard has endured one of the worst winters in Dallas history as well as one of the hottest summers.  Sometimes playing up to 54 holes in a day, he's lost approximately 35 pounds.  Keeping score on every round, his handicap has fluctuated between a 3 and 8.  He's currently a 7. 
He's not stopping at 587.  Next week the 64 year old Lewis plans to play his 600th round.  His feat is a testament to literally putting your mind to doing something and then going ahead with it.  Richard Lewis, my hat's off to you.  You are truly a incredible human being!!

Easier Said Than Done - Dr. Rick Jensen

Every once an awhile I come across a book that makes an impact on me.  Dr. Rick Jensen is a Sports Psychologist from Orlando, Florida.  He's recently written a book called Easier Said Than Done.  It outlines the steps necessary to own your game.  He talks about the four steps to mastery.

1.  Understanding the Cause and Effect to improvement.
2.  Have your practice supervised from time to time by your coach.
3.  Transfer your training from the range to the course.
4.  Taking it to the course when keeping score.

As Dr. Jensen says, it takes time.  Taking a lesson and expecting to be improved tomorrow is unlikely.  You must practice the skill you're trying to improve.  This practice can be on the driving range or in front of a mirror.  The bottom line is it will take some time to ingrain a skill.  It didn't take you a day to learn how to walk or drive a car so don't expect the golf swing or short game to come over night.  Very profound words that often times go unnoticed by golfers.
Easier Said Than Done is a book that makes impact.

Improving your Balance

Movement is necessary in the golf swing.  The movement must be controlled and done so with the proper body parts at the proper time.  The feet are the root of this controlled movement.  It's the ground floor of the golf swing.  Where you place your weight at address to where you finish with your weight at impact sets up how the body moves throughout the swing.  To really swing properly your feet should feel alive.  At address they're gripping the ground and throughout the backswing and downswing they're the balance plate to the athletic motion of the golf swing.
During your next practice session isolate the feeling of your feet throughout the swing.  This will help you hone in on your balance and how important that is in making an athletic swing.  If you're balance isn't good practice standing on one leg with your eyes open.  When you feel balanced, close your eyes and maintain the same stability.  Do this exercise with both legs.  The average Tour Pro can balance with their eyes closed a minimum of 25 seconds.  The feet are a very underrated part of the swing but an extremely necessary one for hitting quality shots.

Tempo Teacher Review

I've provided a link to a review on the Tempo Teacher.  It's a great new training device that has come to market in the last week.  The device is simple and easy to use and the results are really good.  It you're tired of hitting the ball fat and thin around the green or feel you need to synch your fullswing up this device is for you.  It's really helped my short game and fullswing contact.  I like it so much I've become a spokesperson for it.
The Tempo Teacher can be purchased online at http://www.tempoteacher.com/

Tempo Teacher Review

Tempo Teacher Training Device

About one month ago a fellow employee from 12 years ago contacted me about a device he invented.  Conor Butts and I used to work at the Hank Haney Golf Ranch.  Conor was in High School and worked after school picking up range balls.  Fast forward to 2010 and he's now enrolled in the Entrepreneur  program at SMU in Dallas, Tx.  Part of his schooling was to invent something and take it to market.  Hence the Tempo Teacher.  He brought it by the Four Seasons to let me have a look.  I liked it so much we struck a deal for me to be the spokesman.
The Tempo Teacher is now live and available for purchase on the internet.  Learn more about it at Tempo Teacher.  It's helped my game and my students.  It'll help you too.  Check it out!

Avid Golfer - December Instruction Article

Below is my instructional article in the December issue of Avid Golfer.  Check it out!

AG - December Article

German Teaching the Teacher

This morning I finished up with my Teaching Seminar for the German PGA group.  The 7 days were geared toward improving their own games as well as their teaching skills.  Christian Kirchner, a Top 5 Instructor in Germany, puts the group together every November and then again in February. 
Doing seminars like this is one of the most fun things I do in golf.  It's great to help other people, that have a passion for golf, improve their skill.