PHILOSOPHY
My Philosophy really starts out with the old saying, ”You can’t judge a book by it’s cover”. Every single person is different and has their own unique golf swing. This is why I believe teaching golf should be taught with a “system” not a “method”. You can’t give everyone the same piece of advice or try to teach someone something that works in your own game and expect it to work with everyone else. You have to find the best way to communicate to your student through multiple forms of communication – verbally, visually, kinestitically, or even through drills.
I love the game of golf and teaching it. I’ve been playing golf for over 25 years now, and there’s never a day I stop thinking about golf. The game of golf brings out so many great journeys, opportunities, challenges, and relationships. There’s nothing quite like it.
You can never stop learning in life. Golf ideas and concepts are always good to listen to, however, the bottom line is that it must be laced with facts that are followed up by research. There are a lot of distractions that can affect your game, make sure you stay focused on your goal!
Success is a hard fought battle – day in and day out. The table below was developed by John Wooden. It is called the “Pyramid of Success” and it is one of the biggest principles I live by.
The 8 Step Swing
My golf teaching and instruction is based on continuous research, that has been going back now for over 50 years. The 8-Step Swing is a “system” that breaks down the golf swing into 8 parts. Each part has been researched and filmed by the same exact camera angles for decades. I am a firm believer in this filming process because it doesn’t leave any misconceptions on the table. Everything is done the same way and backed through research and facts…not guesses.
Each step is broken down by “fundamentals” and “death moves” that show what’s going on in your golf swing. Being able to get my players more in the boundaries of the golf swing will help excel and optimized their golf game.
When it comes to beginners, it’s very important to work only on the basics of the golf swing. You want to make the game simple and entertaining. During these lessons, I love to talk about the “PGA”. The PGA has a great reputation for helping others in so many different ways. When I think of the PGA, I think of an amazing organization that has a wealth of information all focused on growing the game of golf and giving back. Like with anything else, it’s hard to be great without the basics. Here’s what I focus on when I introduce beginners to the game of golf.
“The Enemy in Golf is Tension” – Bobby Jones
Tension kills the golf swing. The lighter and more consistent your grip pressure is the better you’ll be able to control the clubface. The hands are the only part of the body actually holding onto the club. It is important to always feel how much pressure you’re putting on the grip. Using a scale from 1 to 10 is a great way to test your grip. For any normal given shot, you never want to feel yourself gripping the club more than a “5”.
The purpose of golf instruction is not about hitting drivers for hours and working on nothing else. It’s about working on the all the facets of the game. The Elimination & 25% Theory will help focus on breaking down the golf swing into a simple way. By doing this my students will excel more in their practice sessions and optimize their Total Game!