Category: Uncategorized

Do You Really Want To Improve Your Game? What Is Your Golf I.Q.? Does It Matter?

June 29, 2010

What is your golf I.Q.? How do you improve it? What does it mean to be an educated student? As a golf instructor, I talk and interview new students every day. As I get to know them, their golf background and their golfing goals and aspirations, I like to explore what I call their “Golf I.Q.” It starts as I observe the way they walk. The way they stand. The way they dress. The way they organize their equipment and the way they go about addressing the ball as they warm up. How much golf do they or have they played is a big part of it. How passionate is the student about the game is important. It doesn’t necessarily have to do with their handicap. I have seen mid to high handicappers with higher golf I.Q.s than better players. As you know, I am a list guy…..so here is my list of things that will raise of lower your Golf I.Q. See if any of these things apply to the way you go about playing this great game. I hope this makes you a more educated student of the game and helps raise your Golf I.Q.

Things that will lower your golf I.Q.

1. If you have iron covers (don’t be that guy….total bush league) or a rain cove unless you are traveling (nice one Jackie)

2. If you are playing with clubs that are more than 15 years old, saying “I will get new clubs when my swing improves yet you are swinging Taylor Made Bubble copies with the original grips. Don’t be afraid of technology, it will truly help you and your instructor is you have clubs that are fitted and include some forgiveness” : Please see Stan Roach at the Dana Rader Golf School for a correct fitting….http://danarader.com

3. Are your clubs out-of-order? The short irons go in the front and progress to the back and the woods go in the back with the putter. This way you won’t mistake your 9 iron for a 6 iron. Be organized and clean your grooves more than once a year and you can’t complain that you get no spin on the ball.

4. If you stand on the target line and aim your club face, whether it is putting or full swing, and then walk to the side and try to line up. Please Stop. this doesn’t work. Do you see any of the tour players doing this? By the time you get around to aiming your body, you are lost. This goes for you players that are putting the club shaft across your thighs to line up too. (You know who you are!), Guru Nation knows that you aim the clubface and then align your body. Don’t be that player!

5. Don’t be the student that asks the coach after every shot,”What did I do?”. Everyone has their swing tendencies and they usually don’t change. If the coach has explained to you why the ball is doing what it is doing, you should focus on what you need to do to change it.

6. Do you carry a ball retriever in you bag and it needs regripped? (subtract 100 points)

7. If you go to a tour event and yell “You are the man or get in the hole”………Please don’t be that guy. **Also, don’t wear your golf shoes to a P.G.A. tour event unless you are playing. (you know who you are)

8. If you practice full swing shots without sticks or clubs on the ground and complain about not being able to line up (dowel rods are $1.98 at Lowes)

9. If you buy a putter off the rack that is 35 inches long and you are not at least 6 foot 3. The only reason they make putters 35 inches is that is the height that will hang out of your golf bag. Custom fitting is not a joke….I recommend www.coutourgolf.com to get you started. Todd Sones is great.

10. When you describe your golf swing, you use terms like….”swing down the line, trying to keep my head down, keeping my left arm straight, hitting the back of the golf ball, I must have looked up, I didn’t get under the ball enough. If you are trying any of these ideas, you are NOT PLAYING GOLF, CRICKET MAYBE

I know, I know…..you are saying, this is pretty harsh BUT I live by the philosophy of “ACT AS IF.” (For all of you that have seen Boiler Room)If you want to be a lower handicap player, look at what they are doing and emulate them. Play with better players.  Mentoring really works (ask Tony Robbins which I am a big fan). If this resembles you in any way, stay tuned for the list that will help you to RAISE YOUR GOLF I.Q.  Stay tuned and lets work on you game in an intelligent and effective way that is going to make you better. Get out of your own way and start to see yourself as the player that you want to be.

Until next time, don’t forget to breathe and start by organizing and cleaning your clubs,

Guru

Rose wins Memorial: Young Fowler has to wait for first win

June 7, 2010

Aside from the four major championships, the Memorial Tournament is one of my favorite

Justin Rose

P.G.A. Tour events to watch. One reason is the host (Mr. Jack Nicklaus) is the greatest golfer to ever play the game. I even named my son after him (Nicklaus Palmer Sutton)…..I know, I am a golf freak. Two, it is a great golf course that always attracts a strong field. Whoever wins it has a lot to be proud of and it is a great accomplishment as it is for any tour event but the players seem to really get geared up for this one. This year didn’t disappoint as there were many great stories that unfolded. My new favorite young gun, Ricky Fowler (rickyfowler.com), leads for three days but can’t get it done. Phil Mickelson makes a late run and plays some unusual shots down the stretch and Justin Rose plays a fabulous final round to outlast the field and shake Jack’s hand for the win. For those of you who follow my blog know that I predicted that Ricky Fowler would win rookie of the year and win at least once. I still think it will happen but I think course management got the best of him as he hit it in the water on 13 to the right. A red light flag at best and one that he shouldn’t even look at much less hit a

Ricky Fowler

ball at…. but that is what makes Ricky, Ricky. He is very aggressive.  I was very impressed with how he handled it with no emotion and making two more birdies coming in to make it interesting. You can learn alot from his attitude. I try to get my students to act this way as I see golfers show negative emotion on every questionable shot much less when they are having a career round and hit a bad shot. On the other hand, Justin Rose showed the fortitude of a champion. He looked as if he had won 20 tournaments and you couldn’t tell from his pre-shot routine, which never changed, to his smile and attitude until the finish when he approached Mr. Nicklaus with class and respect. He gets it. So what can we learn from the changes that Justin Rose has made in his swing. His swing coach, Sean Foley, should be commended for the excellent work that they have done together. Lets have a look at Justin’s swing in slow motion. Here are my observations and what I like about it.

1. I like his new set up: Added a little more knee flex which I like for a taller player. He used to be more bent over which didn’t match his swing plane.

2. I like his lower left arm which makes it easier to find the plane on the downswing. He used to be a little higher at the tip when he was younger.

3. He does a great job of keeping his head steady and maintaining his spine angle. Both are critical for great ball striking.

4 I was very impressed with his tempo under pressure. It never changed the entire day on Sunday. Congrats to Justin Rose and I wouldn’t be surprised to see him win another one very soon. Hang in there Ricky, you will win this year and a lot more in the future. You are still my son Nicklaus’ favorite player on tour which is pretty cool in my book…….Future.

See you on the lesson tee,

Guru………………..704-542-7635

GURU TV – How To Release The Club Part 2 (HD Remastered)

May 18, 2010

What’s Up Guru Nation. I don’t think we can talk enough about impact how to achieve it. Producing a solid impact position which should include a flat lead wrist, a forward leaning shaft and a square clubface with an efficient body pivot is the most important position in the golf swing but also the hardest to achieve. As long as golfers try to lift or scoop the ball off of the ground, I WILL ALWAYS HAVE A JOB. At the golf school, we call this job security. SO STOP SCOOPING! I understand that there is more to creating impact than what the hands and arms are doing but educating the hands, wrists and arms with small swings is where it starts. Then you can add the body pivot and tie it all together. Good Luck with your impacts and schedule a lesson so we can get to work on these key elements of the golf swing.

To work with the Guru, please call 704-542-7635 or visit our website @www.danarader.com

See you on the lesson tee,

Guru

Guru and Son Nick Get Their Heads Shaved for Papa: We Love You Papa

May 13, 2010

Here is the video of my son Nicklaus getting our heads shaved in honor of my father in law, Butch who is fighting Leukemia. A big Thank You to everyone who has donated to the Leukemia and Lymphoma Society, Team in Training fundraiser. Let’s keep it going and spread the word about this great cause. Check out my page with my running log and the link to my fundraising page.

###Special Thanks to Tina Love and Hair Works Salon in Monroe, N.C……you are the best

Guru

The Orange Whip Training Aid Promotion: It’s All About The Whip

April 29, 2010

Orange Whip Training Options

The Orange Whip Training Aid

is slowly becoming one of my favorite training aids and I know a few of you have ordered one after using it in one of our lessons. I contacted the company and expressed to them how much I love the product and have teamed up with them to offer a discount for anyone buying an Orange Whip Trainer from the website. If you buy one, please type in the promo code: GURU to receive 10.00 off your purchase. Here are the benefits that I have found and my review that I did from the archives.

1. Great way to warm up before practice or a round

2. Helps to develop rhythm and tempo in your swing

3. helps with the proper sequence of the golf swing by helping you feel the role of the body pivot and how that creates the shape of the swing and proper release of the club.

I have filmed a few students using the aid and the changes that were created by what I call interval training with mixing it with ball striking and impact drills. I will post a few vids of the changes that were made which were pretty incredible. Visit the website at www.orangewhiptrainer.com

Please leave comments on your experience with this training aid and if it has helped your game.

See you on the lesson tee,

Guru

GURU TV IS BACK AND THE QUAIL HOLLOW CHAMPIONSHIP

April 26, 2010

 

After a long but very rewarding week of golf schools and private lessons, I get a day off to relax. The week started with our Signature Golf School on Tuesday. When asked about this unique school, I always answer that this is the way we would teach in a perfect world. In the Signature School, Dana, Julie and myself take the students out onto the course first thing in order to observe them playing golf. This gives us teachers a live look into the students golf game that we normally don’t get. This is so valuable as most golfers have a hard time with self assessment and tend to leave things out or don’t assess accurately (not intentionally). We then bring them back in and go through what we observed and pick their brain as to what they were thinking as they were playing certain shots. We spend three days on the golf course coaching and playing a few holes in the meantime. It gives me a great opportunity to work on the mental side of golf including course management and decision-making. We have seen awesome results from this fantastic program and I thank the students that I had this week (if any of you are reading my blog) for their willingness to change and great attitudes that is crucial for long-lasting change. What they find is that it is often as hard to make a routine or mental change as a physical motion change. The week ended with a co-ed three-day school which was well attended with 18 students. I had so much fun with my group of brand new players, guiding them through the learning process and arming them with etiquette and golf course questions that would help them to be comfortable getting out and playing golf. It is very rewarding to expose new golfers to this great game that you can enjoy for a lifetime. I normally work with the lower handicap players so it was a nice change of pace to work with these very excited and ambitious beginners that were soaking up every nugget of info like a sponge. We finished on a high note with all of them hitting some quality shots which makes it all worth it. So back to my day off. For those of you that know me understand that I don’t do relax very well so I will be shooting a few episodes of Guru TV tomorrow and then spending a few hours at the Quail Hollow Championship pro-am capturing some video. Why, because I care about you….Guru Nation and I want to take advantage of every opportunity to help you all play better golf. It is my mission and my privilege to teach and coach and I try to never take that for granted.

WHAT WOULD YOU LIKE TO SEE NEXT

Feel free to leave a comment on a topic or a question that you would like to see on upcoming episodes of Guru TV and I will try to make it happen or at least do a post about it. Have a great week and enjoy the one of the best tournaments on the P.G.A. Tour. Most of the players stay at our hotel so It should be an interesting week. Stay tuned for upcoming posts and some video.

See you on the lesson tee,

Guru