Author: jasonsutton

I am a P.G.A . Director of Instruction at Carmel Country Club in Charlotte, North Carolina. 2013 Carolinas PGA Teacher of the Year. I am an AimPoint Green Reading Certified Instructior, K-Vest certified, A certified Coutour Putter fitter, D-Plane certified. I am a christian, married with 2 children. I love to flyfish and am an avid runner

Tiger’s Swing Changes – Has the Student Been Left Out Of the Process? Or Is Foley Salesman Of the Year?

October 12, 2011

I was recently asked by a friend of mine and fellow teaching professional of mine about what I thought of Tigers swing changes. This seems to be a hot topic in teaching circles since the sudden drop off of Tigers performance in the last year or so. Since the personal scandal that he has gone through, he has changed coaches (Haney to Foley) and now caddies (Williams to LaCava). I have set back and listened to everyone’s opinion on the situation and now I want to give you my two cents. As I understand the possibility of criticism from colleagues, peers and plenty of coaches that are way smarter than myself……I can take it! See as everyone focuses on Tigers swing changes which are vitally important and I will comment on, I want to bring another spin on things from a coaching perspective which is…..What does the student or in this case, Tiger….want from a ball flight perspective and from a past history angle. So here goes: I have posted 2 swings. 1 from 2008 and the other from this year to allow you to see the changes that Tiger and Sean have made.

1) The most obvious difference is the hand and arm plane in the takeaway. He is noticeably more inside with his hand and lead arm with the club more upright. In 08 his hands drifted away from his body with more forearm rotation with the shaft flatter at halfway back. As a coach I prefer this move as I spend alot of time fixing rollers and spinners of the shaft and club face.

2) the second change is with his arm plane/shoulder plane at the top and body pivot. Old Tiger had a flatter shoulder plane, higher arm plane and allowed his head to move behind the ball. The new changes are completely opposite. His shoulder plane is steeper, left arm is lower and head stays more steady at the top which from a coaching standpoint all matchup or what I call cancel each other out…..hope that makes sense.

 

The Good Part

As coaches, it is our job to work towards the goals of the students that we are working with. We all know that Tigers goals is to win majors, this is not what I am talking about. I am talking about connecting with and understanding the students needs.  When working with a player I want to find out there tendencies or their big miss and  work towards a pattern that avoids this miss. The question is did Foley really look at the swing characteristics and shot patterns that worked for Tiger in the past or is he so blinded by the philosophy that he thinks is superior or pattern of development that is the most efficient that he is not listening to his student. I don’t know the answer. Tiger is a very intelligent man and you would think that he would question every change for explanation why? Maybe Sean Foley is the greatest salesman in the world and has a logical explanation for the changes and has sold arguably the greatest golfer in the world that THIS is the way to go…. and that is great. It seems to me that Tiger is doing exactly what Foley wants in his swing changes but obviously they arent producing the results. Is it too early, I don’t know. Only time will tell. Personally, I think estetically his swing looks great as I love the way the stack and tilt hybrid looks to the eye. This is what Mac O’Grady and the M.O.R.A.D. boys would call very SEXY with the CP release that is low and around (and I totally agree. I would totally date that girl)……….:)

What I Would Do

but the facts are: Tiger has always been too shallow on the downswing which lowering his left arm and moving more weight forward would seem to accentuate which makes no sense to me. He always seemed to play better with a higher left arm (which I know doesn’t fit the pattern) but its true. This kept the club more in front of him and on plane and also taller through the strike.  So the question remains.” Has the student been left out of the process?” I hope not because as a big TDub fan, golf needs him to make a comeback and I would love to see it. I hope that team Tiger proves me wrong as if anyone could make it work, its Tiger. Remember, teaching is a moving target and it is our job as coaches and ambassadors of the game to figure out what our students need. If there was one way to move the club, they would all look the same……..And even the average bystander could tell that this isn’t the case. Comments are always welcome.

See you on the lesson tee at Carmel CC,

Guru …..I do teach non-members. To schedule a lesson, simply call the golf shop @704-945-3300 or the learning center directly @704-688-9201. If you have my cell number, you know what to do! 

p.s. made it through my first week and loving my new gig. There are great things to come!

Guru TV – Body Pivot Options: Neutral vs. Positive

September 28, 2011

The body is the engine of the swing. After you train the hands and arms effectively then you can focus on your body pivot. In the past I have talked about matching components. Different pieces put together correctly that allow you to swing the club on the correct swing plane. You can’t get these mixed up or you will not hit the ball your best. Here are the different combinations that I prescribe for the best results:

Neutral Pivot (Option 1) – steeper shoulder plane, higher right hip, centered head position. I recommend coupling with a flatter hand/arm plane to balance out the swing.

Chad Campbell – Option 1

Positive Pivot (Option 2) – flatter shoulder plane, level hips, spine tilted away from target. Head moves a half of a head away from target. I recommend a more a more upright arm plane to match. Requires a bigger slide forward with the hips and hand drop from the top to balance out hsp.

Ryan Moore Option 2

 

Follow me on twitter @twitter.com/golfgurutv or by clicking the button at the top right portion on the blog.

See you on the lesson tee,

Jason

STUDY-PRACTICE-TEACH……OUR TWITTER GOLF BOOK LIST

September 14, 2011

I posted a question on twitter last night. “What are a couple of golf books that influenced your life or career,” The response was overwhelming! I appreciate everyone sharing their personal favorites with me and my followers so as promised I will share them with you all. Reading has always been a big part of my life and has helped me gain knowledge in coaching golf but also has influenced the way I live my life. I am not even including the many hours of lectures on CD that I used to listen to in the car on my way to and from work. Tony Robbins, Jim Rohn, Wayne Dyer, Steven Covington, John Maxwell and the list goes on. As Jim Rohn (my personal favorite, may he RIP) says,” There is a reason that all houses valued over 200,000 dollars have a library in it. Now we can buy books on our ipads and nooks but this is the future of learning. My point is, yes Guru get to the point please! If you read or learn something new in your business or in your life, I want you to do 3 things. 1. STUDY 2. PRACTICE 3. TEACH. Study– Make sure you know it so you can become the expert. Practice – Put it into action as hone our skills. Fail and try again until you get it right. Teach – (most important) Share your knowledge with someone else.  You know I have a story: Years ago I found in my possession some VHS tapes (that’s how long ago) of Martin Hall giving lessons. I learned so much from these tapes as I watched them over and over and could probably recite the language that he used (without the accent) and it helped me as a teacher. I met Mr. Hall at a top 100 dinner soon after and thanked him for his knowledge and sharing. He quickly responded with,”Now it is your turn to share it with someone else,” I never forgot that. So As requested: Here is our twitter golf book list from you my friends. Start your library today: Make sure you read on for my selections at the bottom…………

Quantum Golf

Seven Days in Utopia – David Cooke *

The Pursuit Of Excellence

Learn To Win

Practical Golf – Jacobs

Extraordinary Golf – Shoemaker

Golf Is Not a Game of Perfect – Rotella

Every Shot Has A Purpose – Nillson and Marriott

The Inner Game Of Golf – Gallaway

Bud, Sweat and Tees

The Golfing Machine – Kelly **

Dogged Victims of inexorable Fate – Jenkins

The Match

The Golf Swing – Leadbetter

Hogans Five Lessons

Down the Fairway – Jones

Attention and the Focused Mind – Gallagher

Zen Golf and Zen Putting – Parent

Perfectly Balanced Golf – Cook ***

Strokes of Genius – Boswell

Massacre at Wingfoot

The Stack and Tilt Golf Swing – Bennett and Plummer **

Golf My Way – Nicklaus

The Mystery of Golf – Haultain

Winning Is A Choice

The Hershey Hurricane – Tim Ryan

Tommy’s Honour

The Impact Zone – Clampett

*means they are on my list

Here are my additions: Swings Secrets and Lies: Six Timeless Lessons by Hebron, The 30 Second Golf Swing by Tomassi, On Learning Golf by Percy Boomer, Flick on Golf by Jim Flick, Golf the Torrence Way

I hope you enjoyed the list and now start your journey to S, P, T

See you on the lesson tee,

Jason

A Farewell To The #1 Golf School In the Country

September 13, 2011

This was the start of a very strange week for me. For those who don’t know, I have been presented with the opportunity of a lifetime and will become the Director of Instruction at Carmel C.C. in Charlotte, N.C. starting in October. I am sad to be leaving such a great place like the Dana Rader Golf School which I have called home for the past 12 years. What a great place to hone your craft, learn and grow as a professional. I showed up at Ms. Raders’ a head professional that wanted to learn to teach better and over the past 12 years I received so much more. Ms. Rader taught me the value of teamwork, servant leadership and relationship building. She created an environment for me to explore different ways of teaching the game and the freedom to express those finding on the lesson tee every day. I feel that the only way to become a top teacher is to gather information, learn to communicate it in a way that the average golfer can understand it and not be afraid to try new ways of improving your students. This is the atmosphere that is created by all the great instructors at the golf school. I have learned so much from all that I have stood on the lesson tee ( in the hot sun or the cold wind and snow) beside every day. That is the great thing about teaching with a group of like-minded, goal setting coaches is the ability to share ideas, try to support each other in our quest to help each student. I leave the golf school in great hands. We have an outstanding staff that includes: Stan Roach (clubfitter)Julie Cole (DOI), Jay Reid (DOI @Statesville CC location) Senior Instructors: Nancy Harvey, Marc Lapointe (DOI at Uptown location) and Doug Breuer. Staff Instructors: Molly Tullar and Drew Kiger. These guys and girls get it done every day as they continue to deliver quality instruction and create raving fans in the process. You all have so much talent and passion for the game. Stay humble and hungry for knowledge and you will all go far.  I will miss you guys dearly. Special thanks to some of the past instructors that had a great impact on me: Scott Fossum, Cami Berher, Claude Brousseau and Derek Radley. In the past two weeks I have managed to spend time with each of you and I appreciate all of your well wishes in my new endeavour. I will not be far away if you ever need me 🙂 When I started with Dana 12 years ago, I had a few goals that I hope that I have achieved:1) to improve my skills as a coach and teacher, get better every year  2) gain the respect of my peers 3)mentor and share my knowledge with other staff members and coaches in order to improve the golf school.

Laslty to the BEST students in the world (there are too many to mention but you know who you are): In the many hours that I have spent with you on the lesson tee, I have learned so much more from you than you learned from me and I am eternally grateful. Your friendship and continued support of my teaching and the golf school is unparalleled and I am so blessed to have worked with you and will continue to work many of you in the future. Thank you for all the congratulations and well wishes that you have given me in the last couple of weeks.

I have prayed about this position and opportunity for so long,  that I about to embark on. God has a funny way of making us wait until we are completely ready. As I always say,”God is NEVER late, but he is never early either. It reminds me of one of my favorite quotes,”When the student is ready, the teacher will appear!” In the last 12 years, I have been Ms. Raders student, employee and friend. She will always be my mentor as I have learned so much about my craft and about life while being in her presence and under her tutelage. I will miss her as I will miss everyone at the golf school. Not to leave anyone out. Special thanks to Susan (marketing director), Brittany and Chrissy for running the inside and making us teachers look good. Jackie and Chuck holding down the outside staff……you guys are the best. (If I missed anyone I will make it up to you)

So as I depart. Look for my last GURU TV episode at the Dana Rader Golf School tomorrow. (yes, the show will continue!). I have a special show for you all.  I just hope that I left the Dana Rader Golf School a better place than I found it. Now it is up to me to make my mark at Carmel C.C. Here I come!…..are they ready for what I am about to bring, we will find out?

See you on the lesson tee,

Jason

Early Extension: Pelvis vs. Hips

September 5, 2011

Here is a great video that I found from the Dave Phillips (TPI Instructor) about the pelvis and early extension. Those of you who have worked with me know that I always draw a line on your rear end to check for early extension (or your hips moving inward toward the ball). This is a difficult problem to fix because most of the time it is physical and not model driven. This is a big problem for amateurs because it limits the space between the club and body in the downswing and causes all sorts of impact problems. If you tend to push, hook or scoop at impact you are most likely trapped because of this issue. Make sure you get tested by a certified T.P.I. professional such as my guy, Mark Kane @www.kanetraining.com to see if you need to work on this all important area of the golf swing to improve your ball striking.

See you on the lesson tee,

Guru

Tiger Woods: What is wrong with Greensboro? Get back on the horse!

August 31, 2011

Is golf the same without Eldrick? I don’t think so. Many reporters are saying that golf is healthy and in good hands with all of the great young players that are visible in the game right now and I agree to an extent?? We need Tiger to get back to contending in golf tournaments and put some excitement back into golf. We look to Rory, Matteo, Ryo and Ricky to save golf and it just isn’t going to happen yet. It is just not their time. I love these kids (especially Rory and Ricky) but how many tournaments have they won? 2? and I know one was a US Open and I appreciate that but it takes time build a career and I think they will both win plenty. There is not a day that goes by that one of my students asks me “What is wrong with Tiger?” or what do you think is going on and here is my take on things.

1.  We have been spoiled by his past performances (2000-2001) because we wouldn’t have expected any other player to do much better in his last two tournaments after such a layoff from injury. No one is exempt from laying off and getting their game back, not even the best. It takes time and quality reps.

2. Tiger needs to play every week! I am disappointed that he said that he would play Greensboro if he didn’t play well at the PGA to try to play in the playoffs and he didn’t. I think he was disappointed with his performance but he needs some consistency in his schedule…I dont care if he plays the Nationwide tour, he needs to play his way through this slump (yea I said it).

3. I know he is going through swing changes and everyone wants to blame Sean Foley for the wreckage but let’s get serious. No one could single-handedly screw up Tigers swing. He has been to plenty of swing coaches over the years and has managed to come out a winner. The golf club hasn’t changed and his talent will always win out. I am not saying that I agree with the direction that Foley’s going (that is for another blog) but C’mon man. He isn’t giving him putting lessons (I wish I had 30 minutes with him on the putting green…once again another blog)

4. Tiger needs to get back to the beginning when he played some lesser tournaments and just played golf. It is good to see that he is going to play the Frys tournament because that is what he needs. He is in a different place mentally and needs to get his confidence back and the only way to do it is to play through it. He is not good enough to play a limited schedule and pick and choose.

5. He needs to wear a white belt more often (oh yeah I said it JR)…….he plays better when he wears it.

Here is a short piece by Jason Sobel from the Golf Channel on his upcoming tournament:

The latest news about Tiger Woods competing in the Frys.com Open should come as a complete surprise.

No, not the fact that he’s playing a Fall Series event; he’s contended for a while now that he needs more “reps” late in the year. And not the fact that it’s the Frys.com, either; on a challenging golf course in his native California, it makes as much, if not more, sense than returning to the scene of his first career victory in Las Vegas or his second career win at Disney.

Instead, the biggest shock is that Woods announced the move on his personal website on Aug. 29, more than a month before the tournament will be played from Oct. 6-9.

After all, other than a major, WGC event or one of his own tournaments, this is the earliest he’s committed to an event in years.

Other than that, we should’ve have expected this announcement.

After U.S. Presidents Cup team captain Fred Couples first said he would almost certainly add Woods to the roster as a wildcard pick, he then concluded that he wanted Woods to play again prior to the competition. Well, Couples wasn’t coming up with that idea on his own. The guess here is that he knew Woods was planning to compete in a Fall Series event and made his claim knowing his wish was going to come true anyway.

Political reasons aside, this is a smart move. At the root of the Fall Series, its reason for existing is giving those who didn’t perform well in the regular season final chances to earn money, world ranking points and a trip to the winner’s circle. Woods has struggled with all three this year, failing to qualify for the FedEx Cup playoffs in his injury-shortened eight-start season, so getting another chance to tee it up leaves him as just another of those guys trying to salvage his season.

After that, he’ll play in an outing at Pebble Beach that will help raise money for his foundation, will do some corporate appearances in Asia before heading to the Australian Open then the Presidents Cup.

It’s not the usual late-season schedule for a guy with 71 career victories and 14 majors, but then again, this hasn’t been a usual season, either.

Peeps: Agree or Disagree with anything? Leave your comments in the comment section below about anything. I also welcome “Ask the Guru” questions” as well

Have a great golfing day,

Jason