For those of you who don’t follow me on twitter. The mastermind crew, orchestrated by my good friend Jason Helman, are helping the juniors this week with a variety of topics. I was fortunate to be joined by one of my Elite juniors, Philip Oweida as we talked about the value of using video during playing lessons. I was also joined by former LPGA tour player, Perry Swenson and former mini-tour and reigning Carmel Club Champion, Justin Livonius for an interview about the college recruiting process and some valuable tips that the juniors don’t want to miss. Here is my video submission and the entire interview (uncut) with Perry adn Justin. I hope you enjoy and share them with your junior golfer.
As most of you know, I started a new junior golf program for elite juniors called (J.E.T.S.) that includes 2 coaching sessions per month as well as 2 private lessons per month as well. I wanted to do something different from the normal junior golf program so I partnered with my T.P.I. level 3 trainer, Mark Kane (kanetraining.com) to help develop the kids physically as well as help them improve their golfing skills. I just finished my second month and I am very excited to say that is going very well. We have five kids currently signed up and I am so proud of how hard they have all worked. They are required to keep a journal of what they do when they practice and keep track of their stats using shotbyshot.com. My goal was to create athletes through the fitness and the drills and then teach them golf. The kids did a nice job of setting goals and writing them down and a few of them have been able to mark off a few which is pretty cool. Here are some wins to report so far:
Luke Thalman shot a career low tournament round of 65
Henry Shimp won a NJGC event by shooting 69-71 and is now ranked number one on that tour.
Aaron Walker shot 79-72 to win his first NJGC event
All of the kids have worked so hard and they have pushed each other which was one of my goals of this program. I try to promote a competitive team atmosphere to help motivate each of these fine young men. Here is a couple of videos that will give you an idea of how my coaching sessions are set up. Enjoy.
In an attempt to revamp our junior golf program this season, I took the reins on our elite junior program. I was already coaching several very good junior players so I came up with a system that I thought would bring them together and help take their games to another level. I was already doing many of these things with my kids so I just gathered all of the information and created this program to enhance some teamwork amongst the kids. My program includes 2 hours of private lessons per/month which allows me spend one on one time to work on mechanics and then bringing them together for two group coaching sessions twice a month where I can create a supervised practice atmosphere (similar to a football practice) and I have partnered with the best TPI trainer in Charlotte, Mark Kane to get the kids working on agility, mobility and power. My vision is to bring these kids together to promote some teamwork and also a competitive atmosphere that will drive the kids to become better. It is amazing how much more they tend to focus when their peers are watching and participating. I am also instilling in them the work that is required to become proficient players that might have the ability to play at the collegiate level. I give them homework every session that will include:
journaling about their practice sessions, lessons and results of their required drills
entering scores in their shotbyshot.com accounts to track results and give us direction on the area of the game that we need to work on in our private sessions
the word of the day. So far we have discussed Accountability and Trust
I also created a Facebook group page to allow me to communicate and they can send me results of tournaments, questions that they may have and I can post pictures, articles and videos that I think would be helpful for the group.
Our first month was a huge success as Mark Kane worked the kids out last night and did an amazing job connecting and motivating the kids to push themselves through the “Cyclone” stations. Check out the video and meet our new stars or the future.
If you need more information about this program or have questions, feel free to email me at jasonsuttn@aol.com or check out the Dana Rader Golf School website @http://www.danarader.com or call 704-542-7635 to schedule a lesson
Please share if you feel this information is helpful and thanks for checking out my blog.
I work with golfers of all levels including some Mini-Tour Players but one of my greatest joys in the world is coaching junior golfers that progress to a level to play in college. I have had several junior boys to go on to play college golf but my first girl junior just committed to play for the Texas Tech Red Raiders. Bill and Deb Tobey brought Mattie to see me when she was 12 years old and after working with her the first time, I knew that she was something special. Even at a young age, Mattie could hit the ball over 200 yards. Now she drives it distances over 280 yards at times which is something that sets her apart from most young women. You look at her golf swing today and you think,”She makes it look so easy, but it wasn’t always that way.” Mattie has worked extremely hard on her golf game and has earned everything that she has accomplished. Her parents, Bill and Debbie have done a great job of instilling a sound work ethic and a great balance of the importance of academics as she is an “A” student as well. It takes such a commitment from the entire family (Ben, her brother…whom I coach plays at Pfeiffer University and is a fine player himself), with all the travel to tournaments, the lessons and the entry fees paid. The family support is a huge key for a junior to reach their full potential and Mattie has a great team around her. Mattie was starting to climb the state rankings in the last couple of years but really broke out this summer when she won the AJGA Palmetto Classic, finished runner-up in the N.C. Junior Girls match play and then qualified for the very prestigious Big I Youth classic Nationals. There were a few colleges interested before that stretch but then the phone and emails started buzzing. Coaching these elite juniors has been a big learning experience for me as I have been fortunate enough to be involved by the parents in the recruiting process. One coach came out the school and watched Mattie and I work together and several others were calling me on the phone to get my take on this outstanding young golfer. At the very end, Texas Techs (we are all family mentality) and the fact that the coach was willing to work with me through the magic of v1 video including their outstanding practice facility…..made her decision very easy and myself and her parents felt comfortable sending her off to Texas Tech to play big time Big 12 golf. As you can tell, I am so proud of what Mattie has accomplished (like she was one of my own) and expect her to get better and better as she embarks on her college career. I will keep you posted on her progress and with any luck we will see her on TV in a few years (LPGA Tour) because (You can’t teach 280), but at worst Mattie will be a doctor (or whatever she chooses to do in her career) that plays pretty good golf which is alright too!
Mattie Tobey Killing It
I want to thank Bill and Deb for allowing me to be Mattie’s coach and to think I might have had some positive influence on her life is simply what makes my job so great and why I enjoy getting out of bed in the morning. Best of luck Mattie Tobey and always remember, “I will always be here for you and I am always a phone call or text away, Go Lady Red Raiders!”
Alan King from Columbia, South Carolina is part of the State Championship A.C. Flora high school golf team and one of my students. What a great way to end your high school career winning it all and being a part of a team of champions. Alan is one of my elite juniors that I am fortunate to work with and I am so proud to think that I had a little bit to do with his success. I have been working with Alan for about three years and I can’t say enough about the young man and his maturity as a player and as a great young man. As you can tell I am so proud of Alan and what he has accomplished in his career thus far. Alan is going to continue his golfing career at Wofford College which has a great golf program. This will allow Alan to really hone his skills and also not be too far from his coach (only an hour and a half away) which is so important to keeping his game in shape. I think that Wofford got a steal of a recruit as I think Alan’s best golf is still ahead of him. He is a a tall (6’6) and is starting to fill out and get stronger. He already hits it a long way but I am anxious to see what we can do when he fills out a bit. I get so much enjoyment working with hight school kids and I work with a lot of very talented juniors that have aspirations of playing college and professional golf. Behind every talented junior golfer is a parent that ultimately wants the kid to succeed. Unfortunately, a lot of parents tend to get too involved in the process and end up hurting the kid instead of helping.
David King (Alans father) is absolutely one of the best parent that I have ever worked with (The Tobeys are another one that comes to mind). I told David that he should write the chapter in my book on how to be a junior golf parent. Every parent wants to be Earl Woods, unfortunately you can’t. The important thing is to know your role. If you are going to teach/coach your kid then you don’t need a qualified teacher or coach, if not, I want to give all of the parents a checklist of do’s and don’ts in being a junior golf parent.
Don’ts
1. When interacting with the coach, let the kid express the feelings about their game. Too many times when I am interviewing the child, the parent does all the talking. Little Johnny is hitting his driver bad and he is a horrible putter. Oh, also he makes stupid decisions when he gets in trouble. This does nothing but make the child feel that they are getting scolded and does nothing to help his or her self-confidence. If the kid gives the coach their assessment of their game, it allows them to take responsibility of their own game (Let Your Kid Talk!) This also strengthens the player/coach relationship
2. Getting Too involved in the lesson or questioning the coach on the juniors swing or technique. You are paying the coach to help the junior with their swing technique and overall golfing skill. If you are constantly asking the coach about this thing in their swing or that, you are hurting the process and relationship of the player/coach. If you could teach the child, you wouldn’t be paying the coach to do it so leave the changes to the expert.
3. Leave or Stay out-of-the-way when your child is getting the lesson. I know you want to see what the coach and student are working on but the kid will be more receptive and act differently if they don’t think they are being watched or critiqued by the parent. If you are going to watch, keep it at a distance. If the instructor wants you to know what they are working on, they will let you know at the end of the lesson.
Do’s
1. Research the coaches in your area that are the best for your child. Ask around to see who has the best reputation for helping juniors and helping them reach there goals. This is the most important thing that you can do as a parent, find a great coach.
2. Be the eyes and ears for the coach when you are away from the lesson tee. Your job as a parent is the give feedback on the scores that junior is shooting, the shots that they are hitting, the amount of practice that they are putting in and that is all. Leave the rest up to the coach.
3. Get with the coach and create the schedule. The coach will know the best tournaments and junior tours that will fit your child and their goals and skill level.
4. The most important thing that you can do for your child is: BE SUPPORTIVE, ENCOURAGING AND POSITIVE ABOUT THEIR GAME. THE KIDS ATTITUDE OFTEN MIRRORS THE PARENT. SHOW ME A POSITIVE CHILD AND I WILL SHOW YOU AN ENCOURAGING PARENT. HOW YOU INTERACT AND TALK TO YOUR CHILD WILL DIRECTLY RESULT IN THEIR SUCCESS.
I would love to hear from you coaches out there that teach elite juniors and also you parents that agree or disagree with my points. I look forward to hearing from you all.
After watching the Phoenix Open this weekend and hearing the story about Ricky Fowler, it got me thinking about all of the juniors that I have worked with over the years. One of our jobs as coaches is to teach but also nurture talented kids and help them to enjoy the game. Can a talented kid be ruined by an over zealous instructor that tries to make him or her look like Tiger Woods or what they think there perfect swing model should look like. We have to be careful with this. I am not saying that you shouldn’t change juniors swings because I have done plenty of that. What I am saying is recognize certain moves or individual qualities in a young players swing that shouldn’t be messed with in order to just make it look pretty. Ricky Fowler is a perfect example of this kind of individual style.
BARRY McDONNELL FOR TEACHER OF THE YEAR
You won’t find Barry McDonnell on any top teacher list but there should be one for teachers that have to ability to not destroy talent. Jim Furyk’s dad would be at the top of that list as well. Understanding what is important in the golf swing and leaving the rest of it alone if the player has the ability to repeat the important stuff. Barry is the only coach that Ricky had since he was 3. When asked about Ricky’s swing and how he teaches juniors, Barry said,”I try to make sure I don’t tell juniors things they don’t need to know, so they don’t get confused. You could see Rickie was a little lopsided when he started, his weight on one side where he would dig in for power, but he was right on plane. He swung his dad’s driver even when he was little.” Some may call this old school but I call it brilliant. When asked about this Barry responded,” I let kids find their own personality in their swings. I just try to get the fundamentals in there, but I don’t try to make them all look-alike. If the club is coming from the inside, and they get square to the ball, as far as I’m concerned, it’s a good swing.”
I am not saying that there is a formula for evaluating talent in Juniors. I think it almost a gut feeling that a coach has and that the kid displays some signs of talent. The number one thing is can they shoot a low number. Just be cognizant in the fact that if a kid has some funky moves in his or her golf swing yet does what is important which is hit great shots and can score, leave it alone. Here are the 3 things that I think are important in the swing and I will expand on this more in a later post or video. If you focus on these three areas you can’t stray too far off the path to success.
1. Pay attention to the basics – (notice I didn’t say fundamentals): I think this word is overused in teaching since there are so many variables and fundamentals say that every grip etc. should be the same and we know this is not true. Grip=sqauare club face, Set-up/Posture=efficient pivot, Alignment=intended starting line of ball etc.
2. On Plane Downswing/straight plane line– The backswing is overrated. It just has to allow for a repeatable onplane downswing.
3. Impact– A flat left wrist and a forward leaning shaft. Maybe the most important alignment in golf.
Ricky does all of these things very well. Despite some unconventional moves, he owns it and has since he was little, and there is something to be said for Trust and Ownership under pressure. Now if we can just work on his course management…..Go For The Green Ricky…….(Just kidding)
Pay attention to these three areas. If a junior can repeat this in his or her swing, be careful to change anything else. Teach them to chip, pitch and putt, the mental side and play golf with them as much as possible. Spend time coaching and less time teaching and I think we will see more players like Ricky come into the game. I have some advice for the parents as well but I will save it for another post. Parents please encourage and let the coach do his or her job….that’s all for now.
The Golf Guru Show 