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#Mentor: A Twitter Question : Advice For New Coaches

October 24, 2011

men·tor

 noun

1.a wise and trusted counselor or teacher.
 
2.an influential senior sponsor or supporter
 
I spoke to the large group of insurance business people the other day on the  topic of  personal development. My speech closed with a quote from one of my favorite people, Mr. Zig Ziglar.It states “You can have everything in life you want, if you will just help other people get what they want. Today, I was talking to a hungry, young driven golf professional that was seeking my advice on how to become a great teacher. First off I was flattered, second of all I was mindful to give him advice that I wish I would have gotten when I was new in the business. Gathering and sharing information and experience is something that i have enjoyed doing when I felt like I had something to offer someone who could improve their knowledge or outlook on the coaching business.  So before I tell you what I told the young man, I posed this question on twitter. The pool of outstanding coaches that I have on my twitter feed is something that I can’t put a price on and will never take for granted. Tonight I was the student and they were the mentors and just set back let the magic of social media run its course. My friends did not disappoint as they never do. The question was,” In 140 characters or less, what advise would you give a young coach?”  So here is a culmination of the answers that they came up with. So new coaches, take note and pay attention: I will use their twitter handles so you can follow.
JohnGrahamGolfJohn Graham
@golfgurutv I would tell them to get on twitter. Follow everyone you know and start a new topic conversation everyday by @ing #mentor
 
AMGolfMindCoachAndy Morrison
@golfgurutv ‘Be ready to meet the PERSON in front of you at their model of the world and shape your knowledge so it fits for them’ #mentor 
 
ParkytheProMartin Park
@Sara_PGA @golfgurutv “Those of us who dare to teach must never cease to learn”…there you go – less than 140! #JustforSara 
 
IanPeekGolfIan Peek
@golfgurutv understand impact,gather info from as many varied coaches as possible,test what youve heard,always ask customer what he wants
 

Sara_PGASara Dickson, PGA
@JohnGrahamGolf @golfgurutv #truth Twitter & it’s links to other resources has been the most help by far
benclaytongolf1ben clayton

@golfgurutv: Coaches. If you had to give a new, young teacher on piece of advice, what would it be. Learn not from a book #mentor”
 
DonalScottDonal Scott
@golfgurutv #mentor I’m still young;) so I can only speak from my experience so far. Lust for new info & be genuinely interested in people!!
 
alasdairwattalasdair watt

@golfgurutv Read everything,watch everything,Watch @ range @PGA events. Visit the best instructors. Then formulate what is best. #mentor
 
IanPeekGolfIan Peek

@golfgurutv #mentor part II ;look at the traits of successful people,gather info from the coaching world o/side golf,write down what u learn
 
BrentDavisGolfBrent Davis

@golfgurutv watch, study, read about & talk to as many different coaches as possible. Take what works and develop your own ideas #mentor
 
rcampbellgolfRobert Campbell

@golfgurutv Go see as many top teachers as u can, take lesson or observe them teaching for a day. #mentor 
 
TimCookeGolfTim Cooke

@golfgurutv read, watch, find people to teach! Must help people to develop coaching skill (not just talk about it!) #mentor
 
dancarrahergolfDaniel Carraher
@golfgurutv keep asking why #mentor
 
CMcCormickGolfCameron McCormick
@golfgurutv great question. Aspiring coaches must pursue knowledge outside of conventional sources/subjects. Gr8 coaching requires cont…
 
CMcCormickGolfCameron McCormick
@golfgurutv …knowledge in all facets that influence performance. Seek knowledge to differentiate from the masses. #mentor
 
jgpaUSAA. S. Graham III
@golfgurutv My advice: Don’t latch onto others 2 reach your goals. It’s not who U know, its the hard work U do that creates success
 
In my opinion, the great coaches always have a student mentality and are willing to share with others their experiences and knowledge because they understand the big picture. The problem with the golf business is that we don’t want to share best practices because we are afraid or insecure in our future. We think that if we assist others that they will take our piece of the pie. Let me give you a secret, the pie is very big and we havent even bitten off a nibble. There are so many golfers who are afraid of taking lessons because of all of the bad golf lesson experiences that continue to be given  because of coaches who aren’t prepared to guide the student in the right direction. IT IS NOT THEIR FAULT. It is us, the ones who are the caretakers of the game who need to make it our mission to reach out and share in order to improve the over all quality of the golf instruction business. Okay, Okay, I will get off of my soapbox and get to what my advice was to a young up and coming coach. It has all been said but this is what i think:
1. Find an experienced coach to guide you in the right direction (mentor)
2. Learn why the ball does what it does (D Plane)
3. develop your people skills first and then learn to teach. I see so many that have the info but cant communicate it to the average golfer
4. develop a servant attitude toward your students and learn to build relationships
5. If your student doesn’t get better, it should bother you. Figure it out! Ask for help and don’t be too proud
6.Teach as much as you can (even if it for free) to sharpen your eye. Nothing can replace experience on the lesson tee.
7. Learn all the different theories, methods..do your research and develop your way
8. Get around as many great teachers as possible and don’t be afraid to ask why?
9. get out of the box and learn from coaches in other sports and how they apply to golf
10. Stay humble and stay Nervous!
 
BTW: Twitter was on fire today. If you are not using twitter, then what are you waiting for…..the info is there!
 
Please share with any of the buttons at the bottom and your comments are always welcome!
 
See you on the lesson tee at Carmel,
 
Guru

Guru’s Update from Carmel CC

October 17, 2011

As you all know, I have recently changed jobs (or maybe you didn’t know) and am now the Director of Instruction at beautiful Carmel CC in Charlotte, NC. It is an awesome 36 hole private facility with a newly renovated Reece Jones designed South Course that is second to none. I have been overwhelmed with all of the well wishes from friends and family and your prayers are working because things could not have gone better in the first two weeks. Beginning with the outstanding staff from Jeff Nichols (DOI), Patrick Seather (HP) to the shop staff (Brandon, Adam, Chris, Dan, Fallon and Brett)…they have made the transition so easy with all of the help. Most of all, my new team of outstanding Instructors (Eerik Kauppinen and Clint Udell) have been so gracious and helpful in showing me how to get around all the day-to-day processes that are vital to our success. They are so open to change and have a passion for getting better which is why we have all jelled together as if we have been working together a lot longer than 2 weeks. The members at Carmel have received me with open arms and have been so nice as I walk the range everyday and run into them in the golf shop or in the locker room. I am very excited to provide them with new and exciting programs and help take the already excellent instruction to the next level. My staff and I have already made some nice changes that the members are taking advantage of such as 1)upgrading our video analysis software (V1 Branded Academy) which allows us to email the before and after swings with voice over of what we covered in the lesson to the members. We have had a lot of positive feedback on this already which is exciting. I have put together two new ladies programs and one adult short game school which has been well received. I am also bringing AIMPOINT technologies green reading (with the help of John Graham: senior instructor) in November. If there are any spots open after the next two weeks, I will open the two clinics to non-members. If you have any interest in attending, send me a message via twitter, email or Facebook). I just put together the entire schedule for 2012 which is chalked full of new and exciting programs for the members.

We have an outstanding facility with two hitting bays that allow us to open the doors and hit out into the range protected from the elements. Fitting capabilities with all the major manufacturers. It is only going to get better as we will make some upgrades to the building that will include indoor netting for cold weather and a putting studio with TOMI putting video software along with Coutour Custom fit putters.

Now that I am settled in, look for new upcoming episodes of Guru TV, featuring guest appearances from my staff instructors, Eerik and Clint (@clintudellpga on twitter). I have received many questions about whether I can teach non-members. As the members are my first priority, I can fill in the gaps with non-members. Feel free to contact me on my cell or you can simply call the golf shop (704-945-3300) or the learning center (704-668-9201)

See you on the lesson tee at Carmel CC,

Guru

Rory Mcilroy: Golfs Next Star wins first major: How did he do it?

June 20, 2011

iron swing

I first heard of Rory when he was 16 and was playing in European tour events and making cuts. A curly haired, freckled face kid. Looking more like Howdy Doody than an athletic icon, McIlroy has grown and matured into a world beater. I followed Rory around the back nine at Quail Hollow as he shot 62 to win the Wachovia Championship going away. As he faced a 40 footer on 18 with a couple of shot lead, he took no time and knocked it in like it was a five footer in a practice round. I saw the same look in his eyes this week as he destroyed the best of what the golf world has to offer by eight shots….and he left a few out there which is scary. As we watch these twenty something golfers come up through the ranks, Rory is by far the most talented and seems to be able to handle the pressure of Championship golf. As a coach, it is interesting to see how everyone marvels at the swing or technique of the hottest players going. Just like in the late 90’s and early 2000’s, we all wanted to swing like Tiger and I guarantee we loved to compare our students to Mr. Woods swing because he was playing better than anyone in the world for a unbelieveable extended time. (now he has changed it 3 times?) Would you have taught your students to swing like Jim Furyk if he would have been so dominant? hmmm? Well? So now we all want Rorys swing and what is not to like? He has great basics, athleticism, hits all the right positions, flow and power. But this is the same guy that missed several cuts in the past at big events and collapsed at this past April’s Masters, right. So I think aside from his wonderful golfing motion, first class short game and putting…It is the mental maturity and attitude that allowed him to stay out of his own way throughout the U.S. Open and win going away. I love the press conferences and learn so much about a player by listening close to what they say and how they say it. Rory mentioned (and was asked many times so he had no choice) about Tiger Woods. He said he thought a lot about what Tiger would do (2000 Open) which helped him keep his fire even when he had a big lead. This was very apparent when he got so upset after making a bogey on the 17th even though he had a huge lead but that is how you have to play in that situation. Tiger’s goal in the 2000 Open was to go bogey free even though he had a huge lead. He played a tournament against himself, set mini 3 hole goals which is what Rory did and it helped keep him in the moment up till the last putt. So we will see how this plays out as one major is just a start a legendary career. A lot of great players have won only a single major.   So lets not start comparing this young phenom to Tiger or Jack until we see some consistency over a long period of time as golf is a very fickle game and can come and go as you all know. Let Rory enjoy his unbelievable performance and be a young man who I already admire so much, not as much by his golf game but they way he has handled failure and now how he will handle success. His dad should be very proud of the man that he has become. Wise beyond his years for sure.

I am sure that I was not alone as I stood in my man room and chanted,”Let’s Go Rory” as he simply was spectacular for 4 rounds in our major championship. The U.S. players need to take notice. Who is going to step up and stop him? Only time will tell. I am so fortunate to have been able to watch Jack Nicklaus at the end of his run, Tiger Woods in his prime and now Rory McIlroy starting his.

Check out our website @www.danarader.com and follow me on twitter @www.twitter.com/golfgurutv or friend me up on facebook.com/jasonsuttongolf

See you on the lesson tee,

Jason

Distance from the ball….Is it important? You bet it is! Here’s Why

May 11, 2011

Distance from the ball can mean many things when it comes to golf. For instance, After I hit my driver…I am still standing too close to the ball. (wink,wink). Chi Chi Rodriguez used to joke that in order to hit your driver farther…..you must hit your ball and then turn and run backwards, haha. All kidding aside, there are a few things that I have been thinking about lately when it comes to driver setup that I want to share with you all. Feel free to jump in at any time and call me crazy but I tend to learn things from observing, testing, tweeking and then bouncing ideas off of people that are smarter than me…..you guys! Are you struggling with your driver. Maybe you are not getting the ball flight that you want although you feel you are creating the pattern that your coach is prescribing. You have the perfect driver for your swing. You have all the components in your swing that you are looking for. So what is missing? Have you checked your contact point on the clubface and most importantly have you checked your DISTANCE FROM THE BALL- I know that sounds basic but hear me out.
I attended a trackman seminar a couple of years ago and they were talking about gear effect. For those of you who don’t understand gear effect here is an excerpt from about.com that explains it nicely: “Gear effect” is the term used to describe the action of the clubhead, during impact with the ball, that causes a shot hit off the toe to curve in a draw or hooking motion, and a shot hit off the heel to curve in a fade or slicing motion.
These actions of sidespin and shot curvature happen because the clubhead rotates around its vertical center-of-gravity axis whenever the ball is hit off the toe or heel.

When the head rotates in response to a toe-hit, the ball slides, then rolls, sideways across the face from the toe toward the center of the face. This causes the ball to leave the face with a hooking or draw sidespin. Conversely, when the head rotates the other direction in response a shot hit off the heel, the ball slides, then rolls, sideways across the face from the heel toward the center of the face, which causes the ball to leave the face with a slicing or fade sidespin.

The reason all woodheads are designed with a horizontal curvature across the face (called “bulge”) is because of the gear effect. If shots hit off the toe generate a hook or draw curvature, the face needs to be radiused (curved) horizontally so the toe shot will leave the face angled to the fade side of the target. Thus the bulge radius causes the ball to start off more to the right (for a right-handed golfer; or to the left one a toe shot by a left-handed golfer), after which the hook spin generated by the gear effect takes over to bring the shot back toward the center of the fairway.

For shots off the heel, the bulge radius across the face of the wood causes the ball to take off to the left (for a right-handed golfer; or to the right from a heel shot for a left-hander), after which the fade spin generated by the gear effect takes over to bring the shot back toward the center of the fairway.
The presenter was telling a story about a player who was swinging 4 degrees from the outside with a 6 degree shut club face and was hitting a PULL FADE! Doesnt make sense, right. Until you check the contact point. The player was hitting the ball extremely on the heel of the driver which made the ball curve to the right. (Gear Effect). I don’t give a driver lesson now without a piece of face tape so I can see where the ball is contacting the face. After studying some of the best drivers of the golf ball, I have noticed a couple of observations.

1. Many PGA Tour pros address their driver closer to the TOE of the club. A few notables include: Zach Johnson, Dustin Johnson, Kenny Perry, Trevor Immelman, Jason Sutton (hacking teaching pro, sorry) and many others. Now I know there are many that don’t but bear with me.

2. Set-up distance from the ball (hands to body distance) is larger. The hands tend to hang out from the body and under the eye-line. Where iron set-ups, the hands tend to hang below the shoulder sockets. Here is my theory on this……..

Guru’s Theory (inconclusive): since the physics of the driver swing is flatter by nature, the arms will tend to swing out and away from the body as they get back out in front of the body which throws the club a little farther away from the player than it started. I know in most golf swings, the hands rise up through impact as well. This leads us back to our distance from the ball.

The Punch Line: If the golfer is standing too close to the ball and assuming that they are swinging on a shallow plane/path (in to out)……They will hit the ball in the heel. Even if you are swinging out to the right, the ball will still fade which drives alot of golfers crazy. This is why it is important to check your contact point as well as your swing mechanics and adjust your distance from the ball accordingly. I gave a lesson to a guy the other day that had a very nice pattern, could hit his irons with a beautiful draw but struggled with his driver. I merely moved him 2 inches farther away from the ball and his fade turned into a draw……coincidence ( I don’t know). Just some food for thoughtbut these are the things that keep me up at night. I am just looking for the truth and I appreciate you for reading.

If you feel this was helpful please use one of the share buttons at the bottom. Check out our website at @www.danarader.com and follow me on twitter @twitter.com/golfgurutv

Who Is Charl Schwartzel? Masters Champion

April 15, 2011

One year ago, I posted a Masters blog with my picks to win. As I got back from Augusta last year, one players caught my eye……..Charl. So I am just one year late with my pick, sorry. As the tournament unfolded last Sunday, twitter was blowing up with predictions and observations. Someone tweeted me and asked who I thought would make a move and I said (If Rory stumbles….which I didn’t think he would) Keep an eye on Charl Schwartzel. Who is this guy you might ask? He has won 6 times on the European tour and has contended in a few PGA tournaments but is a relatively unknown. Just like King Louis (his best friend) from the same country. So what can we learn from Mr. Schwartzel game. One after having lunch with a few past champions like Gary Player and Jack Nicklaus (we know that he is very smart)…..he prepared differently by finding the fastest putts and working backwards. (veteran move). The Masters Champion is usually at the top of the putting stats which he was. He was also was the second player to play the final four holes at 4 under par (since Nicklaus in 86′)

His swing is a picture of efficiency. There is no wasted motion for sure. His posture is one of the straightest on tour (it helps that he is only 140 pounds) but he maintains his spine angle throughout beautifully. I like the fact that he pivots around a fixed center with not a lot of plane shift from backswing to downswing. Which with superior club face control allows him to control his golf ball. With an expert short game that included a nifty bump and run hole out on the 1st which got him going. This is a definite swing for you to copy and I don’t think you have heard the last of Mr. Schwartzel. What do you like about his game? Special thanks to my friend John Dochety for this wonderful shot of his swing. Leave your comments below or share with a friend.

See you on the lesson tee 704-542-7635 ,

Jason

My Day With a Short Game Master

April 14, 2011

Every year as I compose my goals for my life and career,  I also update a list that I started about 15 years ago called my life list. A bucket list of sorts that included things that I wanted to do in my career. Several of them involve working with other top coaches. If you want to be at the top of your profession or field like I want to someday be, you must get around people who you admire or that have accomplished similar things that you aspire to do. Tony Robbins calls this modeling. I call this building relationships that will make you better with like-minded people. Today I am glad to say that I  can mark one of those items off of my list as I got to spend the day coaching with one of the best short game coaches in the world. Mr. Todd Sones (@toddsones). I have been fortunate in the last few years to build a relationship with Mr. Sones as he has kind of taken me under his wing and mentored me in many areas of the teaching business and life. So when he emailed my boss and asked if he could come to our golf school and partner with me and do a scoring game school I was very excited. An opportunity like this does not come along very often for me to work alongside a top 50 teacher and observe how he works with average players. I assembled 8 of my students to experience working with myself and Mr. Sones for a great day of learning about putting and the short game. We started off with a presentation about Todd’s philosophy and what the students should expect for the day which I recorded for your viewing pleasure (pending). I wish I would have had someone video the whole thing because I couldn’t process everything that I was witnessing as I was trying to teach and also follow behind my mentor as we went through each student.

We started with putting for the majority of the morning which included a set of stations for the students to work (drills and practice) as I filtered each student to Todd to assess and also fit for a coutour putter which is Mr. Sones putter company where he can build high quality putters that fit the student properly. Getting students into proper posture and then fitting them is the only way to go. Out of 8 students, only 2 of them had putters that were even close to what would allow them to putt to their potential and one had been fit by me. Needless to say, once we put putters into their hands and they could see the results immediately…..they all bought new putters. The great thing about Todd is that he has that ability to help the students and also educate other teachers as well. Myself along with some other staff members and one PGA pro who drove in from Virginia, were privy to observe and pick the brain of one of the best as he did his work. I had seen Todd present his philosophy many times and had many conversations with him about teaching putting but until you see a guy work one on one with a student, you just don’t get the full effect. To see how he could make simple adjustments to their setup, explain it to the student and have them understand it and implement it quickly was great to see. After 3 hours of putting instruction, the students were all able to tell us what we had worked on and how they will practice their changes which I feel is the true sign that the student really gets it.

We ended the last couple of hours by working on shots from the edge of the green and back to about 40 yards which is so crucial in the scoring zone. Mr. Sones believes, as do I, that the terms “pitch” and “chip” are terms that don’t fully describe short game shots. These terms are often misused and confuse the average golfer. So the cool thing about what he teaches is the different language that he uses for each shot. We taught the students these shots:

1. bump and run – short shot played with a putting grip and stance (pw, 8iron)

2. bump and spin – same shot only played with a sand wedge to spin it

3. hinge and hold – played from the rough using an early hinge action to create a steeper angle of approach

4. low toss shot  – 25 yards off the green

5. high toss shot – same shot with a higher trajectory

He uses a different way of getting into setup which start by setting the club for the shot at hand and then “standing to the handle” which positions the butt of the club in the middle of your body. This sets the proper ball position without even mentioning it which is one less thing for the student to think about.

Mr. Sones says” A good short game can be summed up in one word, “descend!” and a poor short game can be described as “ASCEND.”

There were plenty more nuggets that I picked up as we talked in between and after the session that I will have to share later or you will just have to hit me up on twitter or come and take a short game lesson. Better yet, come out and get fit for a Coutour putter that will help me teach you better.

Because today I am a better coach than I was yesterday and that is what it is all about…..Am I Right? I can’t believe that I get paid to do this. Thanks for reading my blog and share this with someone who needs help with their short game. You can find me at the Dana Rader Golf School on the both sides of the building….not just the range.  or on twitter @twitter.com/golfgurutv

This year, make your lesson plan include at least 50 percent short game and putting and you will thank me later.

*****Special thanks  to my friend Todd Sones for a great day and sharing his knowledge with me and my students.

See you on the lesson tee,

Jason

P.G.A. Merchandise Show Review ’11

January 31, 2011

As the 2011 PGA Show comes to a close, I wanted to reflect and give my experience from my week in Orlando. For those of you, pros or just avid golfers alike, you must go at least once to see just how massive this things is. I heard on the radio that if you walk all of it, you will have clocked around 10 miles. I walked every bit of it and some of it several times so I definitely got my exercise. I think that this was my best Show that I can remember and I am going to tell you why. As I have posted in some previous blogs, the main reason that I go is to get around people who I find interesting and that I can learn from. The gadgets and products are great and I will get into that but it’s the people you meet and spend time with that make the trip a success. I will break this down diary style since my laptop has currently died and didn’t make the trip or I would have been blogging as I go like my good friend John Graham http://www.johngrahamgolf.com).

Sara Brown, Derek Radley and Me

Thursday (Day 1): Twitter has definitely made the world smaller and has allowed me to meet some great people along the way. The day started out by meeting up with Jason Helman (jasonhelmangolf.com) my friend and teaching pro from Canada. We walked the show for most of the morning to check out the new gadgets in the world of teaching. We met up with my good friend Derek Radley and his girlfriend Sara Brown (big break star and Rookie LPGA player), We had some lunch with her dad and the commisioner of the Futures tour. It was like walking around with a rock star as everyone recognizes Sara from TV.  After a great meeting with my Callaway rep, Tim Garrett,  to order my new clubs for the year, I ran into Rob LaRosa, Head Professional from Sterling Farms CC. We then made our way over to the Aimpoint booth to meet up with John Graham (@johngrahamgolf). We all walked over to the Swinkey training aid booth to

Swinkey Time

meet the boys http://swinkey.com and discuss the product and take a few pictures. So day one was just feeling out the location of the stuff we were interested in and meeting a few of the tweeps. After the show is when the good stuff happens if you are there. For those that follow me already know about the TWEETUP. This is a gathering of guys and girls that know each other on twitter. John Graham was nice enough to put it all together so about 30 of us met at Millers Ale house that night. Here is a list of some of the guys that I met:  David Wurzer, Jason Helman, Dan Carraher, Ricky Lee Potts, John Randle, Dennis Sales, Claude Harmon, Joe Hafera, Nick Clearwater, Sean Lalley, Rich Hunt, Todd Halpen, Bobby Siravo, Jamie Donaldson, Mark Sweeney, Bernie Najar, Ralph Perez, Andrew Lewis, Sara Dickson, Kirk Oguri, John Dochety, TJ Yeaton and Mario Bevilacqua. I wish I could have spent more time with everyone but I managed to get an idea of everyone’s teaching philosophies and backgrounds just by observing and listening to their conversations. I apologize for not taking more film as this one would have made a great reality show and surely would have went viral in an hour, but didn’t want to make anyone uncomfortable. I wish I would have taken pics. I was so busy talking that I forgot to eat.  No one got hurt although Doc (John Dochety) almost hit Ralph (gotham golf blog) with a front side chop as they battled over a #4 accumulator discussion. At the end, they hugged it out and we all made it home safe. I thank all of you for being willing to share all of your brilliant golf info so freely as this is what is going to help our industry grow and make us better coaches. It was great to finally put some of the names with the faces (and twitter handles) together. I also got to spend some time with two of my mentors and top 100 teachers, Chuck Evans and Charlie King which was great. I always learn something after spending time with them. I ran into new top 100 inductees, Charlie Sorrell and Mark Steinbauer and congratulated them on their accomplishment.

Jason Helman and John Graham at the show

Friday: The day started with checking out and getting more info on training aids. I know you all are waiting on my reviews so you can run out and buy or hopefully take a lesson from me. I will be doing video reviews as I get to use them in the coming months but here are my list of aids that I found interesting:

1. Swinkey (www.swinkey.com). One of the most versatile aids on the market for sure. I saw many swinkeys in the hands of people walking around the show so I think Todd and the boys did well. I highly recommend this product for any serious golfer who wants to improve. I would do a video review on it but unfortunately I don’t have an aid. I think I will check with Jim McLean and borrow his as I heard he got one for free, (just messing with you Todd). It was great to meet Disco Stu as well, he made his way around the show displaying the product with his cool World Cup jacket on. (great idea by @jasonhelmangolf) This company has a bright future for sure. Right On!

2. The Medicus Vision Stick: (www.medicuscatalogue.com) Endorsed by my good friend Chuck Evans and I look forward to using this one for path and low point training

3. Tour Striker: (www.tourstriker.com) Not a new product but I picked one up because I love the idea of helping players with impact and forward shaft lean. You have probably seen the infomercial on the golf channel.

4. Power Lag + Flat Wrist Pro (www.Powerlagpro.com): This is a devise that fits on your lead wrist and the back of your trail wrist to help feel the correct angle on your downswing. Developed by Sam Shah who invented the pivotpro. I will let you know how this works

5. The Perfect Release: (www.perfectrelease.com) An interesting aid that Martin Hall used on his first show on the Golf Channel. It is a bungee cord that connects your trail arm and the club shaft.

Possible candidates:

1. Drain-O Instant Pro Putting Fix -(http://www.drain-o.com/). A putting path aid made up of two tripods and a curved wire. I did shoot some video on this one. Might get one in the future.

2. Putter Master (www.puttermaster.com): A bar that is positioned across the wrists and helps keep your forearms square.

So the day ended with the an excellent putting seminar with my good friend Todd Sones and he was joined by Mike Shannon, the putting instructor from Sea Island. These two guys and who I learned how to teach putting and I always learn something new when spending some time with them.

Saturday: Last day at the show concluded a great week. I caught up with my new running mate from Ontario, Jason Helman and we caught a couple of short seminars on the main stage. I enjoyed the one with Suzy Whaley and her junior golf program with stations and fitness games that got the kids excited. Definitely the wave of the future of junior golf. Creating young athletes and then teaching them to play golf. I hit some of the new Callaway equipment on the trackman which was pretty cool. It got me excited to get back and play some golf when it warms up. Mr. Helman and I met John Graham and a friend for dinner to spend some more time before the week ended which was cool. I got back to the hotel and thought my night was done and then it happened. I get a call from TJ Yeaton, John Dochety and Mark Walder and we realized that we were staying in the same hotel so we met for drinks. For the rest of the night I was schooled in the world of Mac Ogrady’s MORAD system and some great stories about their experiences as only doc can describe it. You will be hearing from these guys as they are some of the brightest golf swing professors that I have ever met. There is so much more that I could tell you but you will have to get that from me on the lesson or a phone conversation. I want to thank Jason Helman for putting up with me all weekend and John Graham for allowing me to meet so many new friends. Let me know if I can do anything for any of you as I am in debt to you all.  What a great way to kick off the season.

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To work with me at the Dana Rader Golf School call 704-542-7635 or visit our website @ danarader.com

See you on the lesson tee,

Guru

Are You Getting The Most Out of Your Workout? Get Out Of the Box!

January 14, 2011

As you know I work hard on my fitness. I am a big runner and recently completed my third marathon this past October (Chicago Marathon). I am not fortunate to have a very high metabolism, so i have to work hard to keep my weight down and to stay fit. I gain weight by just looking at a chocolate chip cookie. If you are one of those guys that can’t gain weight, I hate you, seriously.  One of my goals this year, to help improve my running and my golf is to get stronger in my core and upper body. My next race is the New York Marathon in November so I have time. If you are not getting the results from your workouts, you probably need to mix it up a bit, get out of the box. So I started doing my research and I think I found exactly what I have been looking for. This is my 2011 fitness routine as demonstrated by a PGA tour player.

Hahaha! Gotcha! It can’t be all serious, right. Who would have thought that
Ben Crane had a sense of humor.

Follow me on twitter @twitter.com/onplanegolf

I will be back soon with a serious post, but until then…….best of luck with your workouts and I hope you laughed today

See you on the lesson tee,

Jason

20 Days With the Guru, Day 16:The Forgotten Pre-Swing Fundamental

December 21, 2010

You have heard the saying,”It is hard to make a putt with hour hands around your neck,” we have all been in situations where we get nervous or uptight on the golf course. It usually involves a first tee or a shot that applies pressure because it has a special meaning to us. It could be a final putt or a drive in which we have a chance to break a career low barrier or win a big tournament. Our mind and our thoughts become our worst enemy. We can sabotage a great opportunity to succeed by tightening up our muscles, owe mouth gets dry and we can’t swallow or what?………….Breathe dawg, breathe! That was my caddy bringing me out of my coma on the last hole. We have all heard how important a sound pre shot routine is to transferring a skill that is easily executed on the practice range by ourselves, yet being able to pull it off under pressure become quite difficult.
Several years ago, I attended a teaching summit where I saw a popular sports psychologist, Dr. Dick Coop speak on this very subject. Dr. Coop coached the likes of Payne Stewart and Corey Pavin. He went through all the physical fundamentals of a good routine such as starting from behind the ball, picking an intermediate target etc. The thing that I found interesting was where he said to breathe. Yes, you heard me. Breathe! It seems simple but so important. It is amazin how we forget sometimes                              Here is what Dr. Coop said:
THE 3 PLACES TO BREATHE
1.Standing behind the ball as you visualize – this is where the tension starts and the fear creeps in. Take a cleansing breath as you picture your shot. It will help you think clearly and keep your rhythm.
2. As you walk into the ball- The pace that you walk into the ball will dictate the tempo of your swing. (sing your favorite slow song in your head).
3.As you waggle and get ready to pull the trigger- This is where most players choke. A deep cleansing breath will help alleviate the tension and ward off any negative thoughts that might creep in. Also, if you focus on breathing you won’t have room for these sabotaging thoughts.

The Importance Of Breathing and the Lympathic System 

In order to help my students with there breathing and to learn more about the importance of it, I found a cd program from Tony Robbins, one of my favorite success coaches,  that I found most helpful in explaining how and why to breathe. I share this will all of my students as I do a playing lesson or work on pre-shot routine. Here is a exerpt from Tony Robbins program, Enegise for Life :

There are many benefits that arise from making deep breathing a part of your daily routine, most of which are due to the fact that deep, cleansing breaths give your lymph system a helping hand in clearing out the toxins from your body.

What is the Lymphatic System?

The lymph system is commonly referred to as the body’s sewerage system. It works by acting in harmony with the blood, surrounding every cell in the body and protecting each one by removing dead cells, blood proteins and any other toxins and excreting them from the body. The toxins are then removed from the body through our waste products, mucus, or our skin.

The body is hugely dependent upon the lymph system, to the point whereby if the lymph system was shut down for 24hrs you would die as a result of the trapped toxins and proteins surrounding our cells.

In addition to deep breathing, rebounding can be a further way to stimulate your lymphatic system.

The lymph that is collected around the body drains through two ducts into the blood, which are located at the base of the neck (around the thoracic duct). By breathing we stimulate the flow of the lymph, and through deep breath we can encourage the flow to be both cleansing and powerful. Once we breathe, the duct sends the lymph into our blood flow, then onto the liver where it metabolises and then onto the kidneys where the toxins are filtered.

  
Deep breathing is so important because, unlike our blood flow, the lymph system does not have a ‘pump’ to push the lymph fluids around our bodies. Rather, the lymph system requires the muscular movement which is created by breathing.

As well as acting as a filter, the lymph system is also able to destroy bacteria, viruses and abnormal cells, such as cancer cells. So enough of the anatomy lesson, lets talk abou how we should breathe. Here is an excersice that I want you to try.

Breathe In the Following Ratio

Breath in for 1 count

Hold for 4 counts

Breath out for 2 counts

for example – if you were to breath in fo 4 seconds,then you hold your breath for sixteen seconds and then breath out for eight. If you are able to do this ten times, three times a day (morning, evening, and before bed), you will see a huge difference to your energy, clarity and your ability to ward off illness.

This is why runners, yoga enthusiasts don’t get sick that often.

So pratice your breathing, work it into your pre-shot routine. Go have fun and I can promise you that you will be cool under pressure and finish off that career round.

Feel free to share this blog if you find it helpful by hitting one of the social site buttons below. Leave a comment as well

See you on the lesson tee and don’t forget to, well you know,

Jason

20 Days With the Guru, Day 7: That Which Can Be Measured Can Be Improved….But How Do You Know

December 12, 2010

How do you know what to practice? Most golfers tend to practice what they are good at because it is fun. You hit your favorite club so you can look good on the range because you are self-conscious about what you look like and how you are perceived. This is normal human behavior as no one wants to be embarrassed or look bad especially when it comes to golf. The serious and intelligent golfers practice their weaknesses instead of their strengths, you just have to be courageous and be able to take a good hard look at your entire game. So let’s say that you have bought into what I just said, the key is to first KNOW your WEAKNESSES. Only then can we get the most out of our practice sessions and really start to see improvement. I use a great piece of technology that will allow you to track your progress, target your weaknesses and be able to put together an intelligent practice program every time you go to the
practice ground. It is called SHOTBYSHOT.  This is the best software to track your progress that I have ever seen. What I really like about it is that it compares your stats in each area of your game to your goal handicap. (example:if you are a 5 handicap and want to be a scratch, you will see what your stats should be in each area to reach your goal. It then highlights your weakest area so you know what to focus on in your practice). It also gives you precise stats on your putting from specified distances that you record after each round). I use this to Taylor practice sessions for my tour players and elite juniors. It makes it easy for the player and the coach to create a plan for improvement.
Once you start to record some scores into shotbyshot.com, here are some general recommendations for practice structure and a few drills that can give you measurement in each area of your game.  Here is a link to Peter Sanders Blog (owner of shotbyshot.com)
Disclaimer******YOU MUST OWN YOUR GOLF GAME! AND YOUR PRACTICE! Your coach should not have to force you to practice, if so, you don’t deserve to get better. Remember,”YOU CANT FOOL GOLF,”
DRILLS FOR MEASUREMENT
The Median Drill (short game)
also called the eleven ball drill. You can use this on any short game shot……pitch, chip, bunkers etc. Pick a shot. You can use multiple targets if you have more than 1 pin on your practice green. Hit eleven shots to your targets. Take away the closest 5 balls. Measure how close to the hole your 6th ball is. This is your distance.your goal is to decrease this distance. Clear measurement.

14 Ball Drill (driving accuracy)
Pick out an imaginary fairway on your practice range. Maybe two flags as wide as wide as your average fairway as a reference. Going through your golf course routine, hit 14 drivers as you would in a round of golf. Count how many that you hit into your imaginary fairway. MEASUREMENT! Set your goals accordingly.

30 foot drill (putting)
Measure off a 30 foot putt. It is approximately 10 steps. Lay a club or dowel rod 3 feet behind the hole. Hit ten putts in attempt to make the putt or leave the ball in between the hole and the stick. Count how many you get in the zone. Measurement. This will help with your distance control.
Whatever your practice plan is, always include some form of putting practice.

So I hope this helps organize your practice in the upcoming season always remember,”In order to get to where you are going, you must know where you are. Only then can you figure out how to get there”

See you on the lesson tee,

Jason