December 2011 – The Golf Guru Show

PRACTICE? What Do You Mean I Have To Practice?

December 29, 2011

Big Thanks to @LiamPGA for the topic tonight. Be sure to follow Liam’s tweets on twitter. I was listening to XM radio the other day and the topic was, “What are the top reasons why golfers don’t practice?” I would love to hear your top 5 if you would leave them in the comment section. Some of the answers were 1. I only have time to play not practice 2. My wife complains if I am at the golf course for that long etc. You get the idea. I think it is primarily because 1. It takes commitment to change 2. Players don’t have a plan for improvement so they are just cementing bad habits and 3. Most people are impatient and quit trying if it they don’t see results right away.

This just in……..ready! GOLF IS HARD PEOPLE! ok, don’t stop reading. In my opinion, this is what makes golf so great…..the challenge. The fact that we will never be satisfied with the level we are playing to makes it the greatest game in the world. So here is a few nuggets on how to build a practice plan

1. know what you are trying to accomplish get with your coach and discuss the keys until they are clear. If your coach can’t explain it so you can understand the what, why and how…….find another coach!

2. Use your mirror if it’s too cold or the weather is bad. Rehearsal swings with your eyes on it is the next best thing to a video. I caution you to not hit too many balls into a net without ball flight validation. Could be more harmful than good.

3. spend 60% of your time inside 60 yards and include putting. Search my archives and find the putting post I did on Putting Boot Camp for drills to include in your time..

4. Spend half of 50% of your time in mechanical mode which includes your workstation (see video) and working on changing your pattern. The other half should be practicing like your play which should include (a pre-shot routine, lining up to different targets, changing clubs and learning to hit different shots ( the 9 ball drill )…..Playing par 2 on the practice green with one ball to see what you can shoot. This is an area most golfers don’t spend enough time in so you can successfully transfer the skill to the golf course……Any Ranger Rick’s out there?

Bottom line is that you can get some work done even if the weather is bad. Let me know if this helps motivate you to take a lesson and then go practice. There are No shortcuts to improving at golf. Talk to you tomorrow night.

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Share this post with your friends and leave your comments below. Give me your top 5 reasons that you don’t practice

See you on the lesson tee at Carmel,

Guru

GURU TV Archive: The Value Of Proper Rehearsal Swings

December 28, 2011

This is one of my favorite shows that I did before I left DRGS because I think it can really help you if done correctly. For those of you who have worked with me know how much I like to manipulate the students into what I want them to feel as I explain to them what I am doing. It is the best way to connect the feel with the real and hit multiple senses that will create long-lasting pattern changes. The first key is knowing what you don’t want to do (the major error) and secondly, being able to make meaningful rehearsal swings that go opposite of the error. All the great players do this. Lately, Tiger Woods has been see making an exaggerated outside to in downswing rehearsal that people are wondering what he is doing. He has finally figured out that his pattern is creating a swing path that is too much inside out or to the right. He is creating an opposite feel of the error and it has obviously helped his ball striking which should worry the rest of the PGA tour because I think he’s got it. So my tip of the night is………..Dont be afraid of exaggerating the opposite move that you are trying to get rid of, check it on video for validation and imprint the feel and hang on to for dear life because as they say in this crazy game of golf, we never really own it! We just borrow it for a while, just kidding but it feels that way sometimes.

See you on the lesson tee,

Guru

Students Of The Game…..Consistency Is Not A Goal!!

December 27, 2011

Tonight I want to speak to the students in the room. Specifically the ones here that are interested in getting better. Who really wants to improve their scores? Raise your hands high! Is that your real objective? You would be surprised to find that it isn’t always the case. At the beginning of every lesson or golf school, I always ask the student what is your goal for today and where do you want your game to look like in a years time? Anything past that is for tour players. You would be surprised by some of the answers that i get from such a simple question. (or is it). I enjoy asking the goal question and telling them that their answers cannot include the word CONSISTENCY and you wouldn’t believe the look on their faces because they were all going to say it….”I just want to be more consistent”. As a golf coach, that phrase means very little to me as I attempt to gain valuable information about your game that will help direct me towered helping you play better. Players, you have to be more specific. As I watch a new student warm up and hit every shot to the right, i might joke that you are incredibly consistent………..smile 🙂 the point is, you have to be more specific when setting your goals and a quality coach should be able to help you with this. The first step is with an accurate assessment of your current condition. Now I understand that there are goals that apply to different level of players and this important because the only thing worse than not setting goals is to set them too high only to get frustrated. For example, a beginning golfer might set a goal of getting the ball airborne every time and that is ok. There is nothing worse than a new golfer thinking that they should hit it perfect (just like their friend who has been playing for years) and getting frustrated and quitting the game. Here are some examples of specific yet simple goals and I will give you an easy way to organize your plan for next season.
1. Stop slicing or hooking

2. To hit the ball more solid instead of hitting the ground behind the ball or catching it thin

3. To hit more fairways or greens

4. To hit my pitch shots the right distance

5. To stop 3 putting

6. To hit my fairway woods off the ground

7. Gain distance (very popular) but a good goal

8. To understand my golf swing and what to work on

9. I want to get the ball out of the bunker every time

These examples are what I call skill building goals. As a coach, I can work with these answers and build a plan to improve these skills which will ultimately lead to the second kind of goal (Outcome Goals). These are good guidance to get started and keep you focused. Examples of outcome goals would be to win the club championship or your flight in the member guest. To lower your handicap from 15 to 9. to qualify for the state amateur or to break 80 for the first time.
These are great starting points but it’s only the beginning. I understand that there are two types of golf 1) ego Golf and 2)scoring golf
Ego golf is the player that doesn’t care what they shoot as long as they hit the ball farther than their golfing buddies so that they can talk about you in the bar after your round. These players look great on the range but can’t post a score. These are the types of players that drive coaches crazy because we feel that the ultimate goal is to score lower and we don’t care how you do it. If I have to hear,” I shot my career low……buttttt I really putted well on that day,” So What! Its part of the game. The same player goes out and hits 15 greens and shoots worse but is happy with it.

Start by keeping basic stats (gir’s, fir’s, putts, up and downs, penalty strokes) or get a software program that does it for you. My favorite is www.shotbyshot.com. This will help you to establish a pattern to see where you are actually weak and where you are strong. After you chart 10 rounds, share it with your coach and you can start to set some goals. Here is an example: Lets say you set a goal to lower your handicap from 15 to 9. You chart your rounds and you are hitting 8 greens in reg. 9 fairways with no penalty shots, your up and down % is less than 30 and you are averaging 38 putts per round. If you are like most golfers you are still trying to hit the ball better to get your greens in reg up to 14 because that is what the top tour player is doing. Wrong! Your coach is going to say hop in the cart and lets introduce you to the short game area and putting green. He may even sign you up for an AimPoint clinic, if you are lucky! Build the skills that will help you reach your goals. Be honest with yourself and don’t worry so much about what others think when you are practicing your weaknesses. Pretty soon they will be asking you what has changed when you are thrashing them) which is the greatest compliment as a golfer…..and the most rewarding.

Be smart this winter and you will thank me later. Dont let your ego keep you from reaching your goals this upcoming season. See you here tomorrow night!

Follow me on twitter @golfgurutv

See you on the lesson tee,

Guru

Reflecting On The Year Behind Us and How I Set Goals

December 26, 2011

Today I stood very still and thought for a while. I prayed a prayer of thankfulness. This time of year is great for two things.1) Reflecting on the year that has passed and 2) An opportunity to look ahead and make plans for the future. Isnt funny how we long to take days off but then we feel guilty for not doing something we would consider productive? I have a hard time sitting still. I am restless for change. I am so blessed with my life and what I have accomplished but that kind of thinking can often make you lazy and complacent. I don’t want to be that guy. So I had to write something today whether it made sense or not, I just had to have a brain dump of sorts. First of all thanks for showing up today as I never in a million years thought I would ever have something interesting to say that so many people would want to listen to. It’s funny how writing works. We think we are sharing our thoughts with our readers but really I am learning and growing as well. It provokes thoughts on both sides and hopefully we talk about it. This has been a crazy year for me and a memorable one for sure as I am finally doing exactly what I should be doing. I love my new job as Director of Instruction at Carmel CC. For many years I wondered when this career move that I had been preparing for all of these years would happen. After it finally happens, I am able to look back and see that I wasn’t ready back then. I thought I was but I needed more preparation. More maturity. I always say,” God is Never Late…..But He is never early either.” This often makes people impatient and they make mistakes. I had set this goal 5 years ago and it has motivated me to get better in every area of my job. Whatever your goal is the key is to prepare yourself to be ready when the door opens because you never know. So now what do we do. We have the dream job and this opportunity ahead of us so now what…………..? Lets set some goals! I recently met with my staff and asked them to submit their goals for 2012. They did such a great job and I am excited to help them achieve them next year. I have always been a goal setter as I feel it keeps me going in the right direction. Kind of like this blog, I tend to get going in multiple directions and don’t get anything fully accomplished unless I have a plan . It doesn’t matter whether you are a student trying to improve your golf game or a teacher/coach trying to improve your skills as an instructor, you need to write down some things that you want to accomplish. So here is some insight on how I go about this process every year about this time:

1.) First, look back at your goals for this year and see how many you were able to check off and how many you may want to carry over to next year. What you did well and the things you want to improve upon. (Reflection is important)

2.) I break mine up into categories such as:

1. Teaching production/units/income

2. New programs

3. Social media/marketing

3. Writing

4. Speaking

5. Certifications and Continuous learning

6. Stretch Goals

Then I start to fill in the blanks with ideas, action plans and timelines. As soon as you decide on what you want to do, it is so important that you creat an action plan. These are the steps that you are going to make in order to achieve this goal. This could be an important phone call, a contact letter or a class to take….The main thing is to never leave a goal without creating action to move towards it.

Extra goals that I would encourage away from career goals are: Spiritual, Fitness and a Life or Bucket List……(for another blog)

I am not going to share all of my goals for this upcoming season but I will tell you that I am going to have a big focus on creating new programs which I am very excited about. I have the 2012 calender of events locked and loaded to share with my members at Carmel which will have a laser like focus on short game and putting as I will set a goal to see how many strokes I can take off of my members handicaps by year-end. Aimpoint, Putting Schools and Wedge fitting short game schools will be the highlights. Second will be more speaking engagements. I will host a PGA section seminar this spring as I am very excited to share the knowledge that I have acquired from many of you reading this blog, you know who you are and I thank you. I have already been asked to do my first away game short game school (Thank you Rob McGill aka @golfprorob) that I am very excited about in March. FYI….I am free to speak at anyones club or section meeting as I would love to do that if you need someone to share coaching and social media ideas or personal development (shameless plug). In the writing category I will be finishing up my first book which I am excited about. Due to Golf Illustrated being bought out, I am available for more writing gigs if anyone needs an instructional editor. I will be writing for a new up and coming magazine called the Turn and will be an instructional editor which I am excited about but I have room for more (Golf Tips, Golf Digest, Golf Magazine…..If you are listening! In the Certification category, I am very excited to be finishing my Aimpoint Green Reading certification in February. My members are already excited about the clinics that I have presented and will take that to the next level for sure. What certifications do you think is important? I am looking at a few for this year. I have put together a social media schedule of videos (Guru TV), increasing brand awareness, tips and information to get the Carmel members more involved with the Carmel Golf Academy (click to like our facebook page) and to help communicate better with them which I think is going to be great. Even the non-members will be able to view so don’t worry but I am excited to see what I can do with my new environment of outstanding members so stay tuned. The seeds that I have been planting are starting to grow. So thanks for being here for this brainstorming session. I feel better already and I hope you got something out of my rambling rant. I am so thankful for you the student and my fellow coaches that help me achieve my number 1 goal every year. Be a better coach than I was last year…..and I have done that for sure. Talk to you tomorrow

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*****friend me up on facebook and like our Carmel Golf Academy page

Guru

7 Nights At The Twitter Academy: Gaining Momentum (videos included)

December 19, 2011

The bible says,”Two are better than one; because they have a good reward for their labor. 10For if they fall, the one will lift up his fellow: but woe to him that is alone when he falls; for he has not another to help him up.” Not to get preachy with you but the point is that we can accomplish more in a group than as individuals. Our goal for this project was simple,”To Help Grow the Game Of Golf,” As the goal stated is very straight forward, the avenues that lead us down this journey can take on many forms. So here is my lists that make up the objective and then I will review the project for those coming late to the gathering.

1. to share quality golf information with the average golfer through a single social media vehicle (twitter.com)

2. to highlight some outstanding PGA and CPGA professionals that you may not have heard of before

3. to share knowledge and open up discussion/debate with other coaches in the industry

4. to stretch ourselves to become better through the sharing and learning process (iron sharpens iron)

5. And finally to show other golf professionals the value and effectiveness of social media through tracking views and comments that could lead to future relationships and business with: students, members and other coaches)

So lets backtrack for those that are hearing the details of the “Seven Nights at the Twitter Academy” for the first time.

My good friend, CPGA teaching professional, Jason Helman (jasonhelmangolf) came up with this idea to mirror the Golf Channels week of instruction shows by having 7 golf professionals shoot 7 videos on different parts of the game, unveil them every night @8 p.m. on twitter. The catch was that you have to be following one of the group in order to view the videos as we all kept the link unlisted so we could control who viewed.

The group that was assembled is a very tight-knit group that converse regularly on twitter and other social networking sites. I affectionately dubbed the group; “The Mastermind Crew” after Napoleon Hill’s (Think and Grow Rich) idea which states in chapter 10.”The “Mastermind” may be defined as: “Coordination of knowledge and effort, in a spirit of harmony, between two or more people, for the attainment of a definitive purpose.” #mastermindcrew……..So here they are for you to follow: Jason Helman (@jasonhelmangolf) Sara Dickson (@sara_PGA) Rob McGill (@golfprorob)Kirk Oguri (@kirkoguri)Andrew Marr (@andrewmarrgolf) Dennis Sales (@dennissalesgolf) A very important member of our mastermind crew is John Graham, aka. the king of twitter (@johngrahamgolf) . John was originally going to participate in our project but was out-of-town so couldn’t do it. I am very fortunate to call John a good friend but all of us in the crew have been affected by his knowledge, sharing of that knowledge and friendship over the years so I didn’t want to leave JG out for sure. I would expect to see him in future videos for the project.

I am very fortunate to be a part of this outstanding group of professionals as I have learned so much from every one of them and learned some new things this week watching their videos. All of us met via twitter which show you how powerful this tool can be if you are searching for information, new relationships and interested in gaining more knowledge about your profession.

As for the question of have we reached our goals for this project? I would say this is only the beginning as the behind the scenes information and ideas that have been traded has unlimited potential. We will see where it takes us all but I can tell you that I am so thankful for Jason Helman for coming up with the idea, allowing me to be a part of it and guiding us through it. I appreciate the kind comments and questions for our #mastermind crew as we posted our videos. They were all wonderful and I think we represented ourselves well. The sky is the limit and I hope that you will come with us as we try to improve your game as we are passionate about sharing, coaching and this great game of GOLF.

Update: As of now we have collectively over 1700 views for our shows, not bad for 1 week!

So here they are! The 7 nights Crew in order of days they were presented