Tag: dana rader golf school

The Key to Staying on Track With Your Golf Game: A Journal

November 29, 2010

As I reflect on my year and look ahead into the future, a key tool that I use is a writing journal. I have a journal for each area of my life: Spiritual, Family, Personal Development and Teaching. Before I can move forward, I must make certain that I am heading in the right direction. If you are serious about improving your golf game, I encourage you to start writing. No, you don’t have to write a book. Heck, you don’t even have to use proper grammar. As long as it makes sense to you, that is all that matters. I encourage all of my tournament players, elite juniors and serious golfer fanatics to participate in this practice of journaling. I have read hundreds of golf books over the years, some good and some not so good. No matter what I try to take something out of every one of them that will make me a better teacher or player. Nick Price wrote a book in 1997 called,”The Swing: mastering the Principles of the Game.” Although the instruction portion was average at best, the last chapter was interesting because Mr. Price published his swing journal that he kept while working with David Ledbetter. (The before and after pictures of his swing was quite interesting as well). Here is what he wrote which I think does a nice job of summing up the importance of keeping a journal from a major champion. He writes, ” During the course of my career I have kept a journal of my thoughts, primarily about my swing as I was working on it. I did not do this on a regular basis, but simply jotted notes down as they occurred to me, to reinforce ideas in my mind. Often after working with David Ledbetter I wanted to think about what we had discussed and to work things out in my own mind. Writing thoughts down helps me focus on what I want to do, and why.” When I look back through the journal now, I am struck by how I was obviously struggling toward the clear understanding of the swing that I sought. It is a never-ending journey that I enjoy-most of the time and keeping these notes helped me clarify matters.

Keeping a journal is a great way to keep thoughts that work (or don’t work) to remind yourself of what you are working on the last time you were on the lesson or the practice tee.  Here is an example of one of Nick Prices’ journal entries:

Supination : This is created when the left hand remains bowed through impact. The forearm rotates after impact, releasing the clubhead down the line of the target, still in the plane of the swing. This is undoubtedly the secret to consistent ball-striking, especially with the irons. When the left wrist is bowed incorrectly through impact, errant shots will result, the most frequent type being a hook. To insure against this happening, the thumb of the left hand must remain on top of the shaft, with the clubhead coming in low and after impact released. The normal result when this is done correctly is a very piercing flight of the ball, essential for extremely accurate iron play! The things to remember while trying or using this move are:

1. Make sure the club is taken away low from the ball

2. Make sure the backswing is completed

3. make sure the weight is transferred

4. make sure a  full turn is achieved

Wow! I don’t know about you but that is alot of stuff to work on in one session. This was only a portion of the post, believe it or not. I think this is the point of my career that I started giving my students less and less to work on in a lesson, right teachers. First understand that he is a tour player and it was his job to practice and secondly, he was a very analytical learner. The point is to jot down ideas that will keep you focused, you don’t have to write a book.

A Mental Excercise

For you “negative nellies” out there that only focus on the bad shots that you hit, try this in your journal. The next time you play, I challenge you to write down all the good shots that you hit (what club it was, yardage, how it looked, how it felt). This will start to project some positivity in your attitude and you will be amazed at how it will help your visualization skills.

So that is enough for now. Please share some of you goals for this past year and goals for 2011. I will post on how to help you set your goals if you are struggling soon. Leave a comment below.

Follow me on twitter @ twitter.com/onplanegolf or friend me up at facebook.com/onplanegolf

See you on the lesson tee (704-542-7635 to schedule a lesson)

Guru…….p.s. HAVE YOU PURCHASED YOUR DANA RADER GIFT CARD YET FOR CHRISTMAS?

Happy Thanksgiving Guru Nation: Black Friday Training Aids Ideas and Gifts for Your Golfer

November 25, 2010

Happy Thanksgiving to all of you golfers out there. This is my One Year anniversary of my blog (www.golfgurutv.com) and I am so thankful that you could be a part of helping me grow my community (Guru Nation). I hope that my posts and videos (Guru TV) have helpful and inspiring for your golf game. I am in the process of coming up with ways to improve my TV show and the overall way to promote the site in an attempt to reach more golfers around the world, so stay tuned as I try to make 2011 the best golfing year of your lives. I am often asked what my favorite training aids are and also what I am using in my teaching. As Black Friday approaches and Christmas shopping starts, here are a couple that I highly recommend you take advantage of for your golfing friends and spouses. Use the PROMO CODES and take advantage of some nice discounts. Here is my Christmas list and some archive videos to explain how they work. Enjoy and Happy Holidays to everyone.

The Kure Putting Solution : The best putting training aid on the market (promo code: 1.888.952.PUTT: USE DISCOUNT CODE PCD10231)

The Orange Whip: Great for off-season workouts and maintaining sequence and tempo in your golf swing (Use Promo code: GURU)

The Pivot Pro : Great for you lower body swayers

Follow me on twitter @twitter.com/onplanegolf or Friend me up on Facebook @facebook.com/onplanegolf (Jason Sutton)

To see these training aid in action, join me on the lesson tee by calling 704-542-7635 or visit our website @danarader.com

Guru

I Have “The Kure” In my hands. Who Needs A Putting Lesson?

October 26, 2010

If you read the previous post and and watched the video, you already know that I have purchased a new training aid called “The Kure”. I have taken it out of the box and started to mess with it in my house on the carpet and I am very excited to share it with my students starting tomorrow. So who needs a putting lesson? I am accepting guinea pigs this week for those who want to try it. We have talked extensively about the importance of set up and posture in putting but it is all for not if you can’t aim the putter face and square it at impact. This is what The Kure helps you create. Muscle memory and visual feedback of face alignment. I think I will couple this with the Putting Arc and see what happens. If you like it, I will help you purchase one for your own personal use as I am now a certified dealer. Details will follow as how to do this. In the meantime, I look forward to seeing you all on the putting green.

Guru

Your Golf I.Q. Part 2: How To Raise It

July 4, 2010

As my previous post on how to raise your golf I.Q. got a tremendous amount of feedback from my peeps from Guru Nation and Twitter, I know that you have been patiently awaiting the follow-up post. You may have found yourself in a one or a few of the categories that were included in the former post and you are thinking,”Hey Guru, I want to change. How do I raise my Golf I.Q.? I have bought into the “As If” philosophy and am ready to start thinking above my current level of play. Help me help you! How many of you googled Boiler Room? Organized your clubs or Burned your iron head covers? That’s what I am talking about, so who’s coming with me? As I write this post, I am watching Justin Rose trying to hang on to win his second P.G.A. Tour event and just shows you how hard it is to win at the highest level. Did he lose his swing or did he just lose his mind last week. We will see how he does coming in. Back to this post. Here is my list to help raise your golf I.Q. and get  you in the mindset that “You are the Best Player in the World” (thank you Alan for that wonderful comment)

1.  Learn to dress like a player: Don’t be afraid to wear a white belt and/or white pants. If we are emulating the best players in the world this is important. If you dress like a player, you just might play like one. I have not seen anyone on the tour that has a belt with a sailfish or your club logo on it…..I’m just sayin. Dress as If and no high socks either. I don’t care if they have a swoosh on it….save that for the basketball court. You know who you are! Get a white belt.

2.  Put a hybrid in your bag: Don’t be afraid of technology. Next to the golf ball, the hybrid is the biggest jump in technology in the last 5 years. Take the 2 and 3 iron out of your bag and insert hybrid. You will thank me later.

3.  Read up on your golf history. How many majors has Jack Nicklaus won? 18 people. To have a passion for the game, you must know some history. I suggest you learn about the greats of Hagen, Hogan, Trevino, Ouimet, Old Tom Morris etc.

4. Take at least 4 lessons per year. I don’t care is Tiger thinks he can get better without a coach. Golf is a sport where feel isn’t real and even the best players need another set of eyes and some motivation to get better. Do your research, find a coach and stick with him/her. If you don’t you can’t complain that your game is  getting worse.

5.  Get fit for a new driver on a launch monitor. It is amazing what the correct fit will do to maximize your driving. The numbers don’t lie and an expert fitter can get you twenty yards in a heartbeat. Is your driver holding you back, go find out. I recommend Stan Roach at www.danarader.com.

6.  How are your wedges and putter? In the year of the last year of non-conforming grooves, buy a new wedge of at least 58 degrees. If you don’t own or can’t use a lob wedge you may as well add 5 shots to your score before you tee off. Aside from putting, pitching is the most important part of the short game………learn to pitch it and you can’t with your pitching wedge….just saying. recommend the Callaway X/Jaws or Cleveland with zip grooves. This is the last year that they will make them with non conforming grooves.

7.   Be a stat keeper: If you are not aware of your basic stats, how do you really know your strengths and weaknesses. Take inventory of your game so you know what to work on. The educated golfer works on the things that they do well so get out of your comfort zone and start to work on your weak areas like putting. I recommend www.shotbyshot.com. Let’s be smart about our golf games and where to practice.

8. Understand the physical basics of the golf club. An educated student understands that you must do two things with the golf club. 1) swing the club on or parallel to the plane that is created at address. 2)strike the ball with the shaft leaning toward the target…..Impact people. Any other philosophy is not golf!

9.  Do Not Fall Victim To Golf’s Misconceptions: Head down, left arm straight, tuck the right elbow…..NO! Here is are thoughts of an educated student: swing the club on plane (see #8), hit the inside quadrant of the ball, release the head with the body, the low point of my swing is even with my front shoulder, flat lead wrist/bent rear wrist, swing to right field, stay connected, find the slot, hit the lowest shot possible around the greens, I practice my putting because it IS important.

10. Be your own best friend: I can’t believe what you just said to yourself! In an recent excercise that I did with one of my elite juniors, I said,”Imagine that you are on playing lessons with the pros and you are the pro.” “Describe what you are going to do with this shot.” I heard him say that he was going to kinda hit it over there and sorta let it land at this spot and hope it trickles down to the hole……No, No, NO. You have to be committed and exact with what you are telling your brain and body to do. Let’s be committed to every shot. If you talk like this to yourself, stop. Justin Rose did and he just won for the second time this year. I suggest reading the 30 second golf swing by T.J. Tomassi.

Good Luck and don’t forget to breathe. The fact that you are reading this blog, raises your I.Q. already…..thanks so much.

See you on the lesson tee and I hope you had a happy 4th,

Guru……………..704-542-7635

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