So many of my counterparts have already finished their recap of this years PGA Merchandise show so here is my take on this years haps. In my opinion this years show was the best ever. As I have written in the past, the PGA show is what you make of it. The people you choose to be around, the seminars you attend and the products you are interested in. The PGA of America is starting to get the fact that it is a social media opportunity to connect with the members and the experience is getting better and better. As always, I had a definite plan to get around as many top coaches and to see as much of the show as I can which can be difficult in a very short stretch so I went for it. I can break this post down into 2 parts: 1)The networking and spending time with good friends and 2)the products that I thought were new and innovative and would help your game.
Part 1 (Networking)
I was very excited to hang out with and spend time with my good friends John Graham, Dennis Sales, Jason Helman, Rob McGill, Andrew Marr, Sara Dickson, Kirk Oguri and Ricky Lee Potts which you have heard me call my mastermind crew. We have all become very close and the side bar conversations are so valuable and I always come away with new information on how to teach better. For those of you who could keep up with our twtter feeds would know that we had a Pre Tweet up on Wednesday where we got together for dinner and then John Graham’s and Richie Hunt’s Big tweet up on Thursday which was awesome. I got to meet so many new people who I had talked to on twitter like Steve Mitchell, Nick Starchuck, Megan Pudua, James Hong, Michel Mennard, Travis Lloyd, John Randle, Zach Baron. I even got to stay with Aaron Olson, one of the bright young stars in the business from Arizona. He works with Megan Pudua, Jeff Rittter and Martin Chuck at the Raven. You will be hearning great things from this young man as he was very impressive for sure. There were so many people who I met I am sure I am leaving someone out. As for the tweetup, it did not disappoint as the swing discussion and demonstration was led by good friend and one of my favorite people, John Dochety as he turned Andrew Marr into a pretzel demonstrating the multiple tilts in the golf swing. Doc, you are the best my friend and I always learn so much when we get together. Thank you to John Graham for putting it together and I know it is going to make a difference in our industry for such a group of coaches to come together from all different philosophies and theories to share and enjoy one another’s company. Trust me, the teaching summit had nothing on what went on this evening. I have included a short montage put together by Nick Chertock (who better be in attendance next year) which was awesome. Thank you my friend. One of my big goals while I was there was to take the opportunity to shoot some video of all the mastermind crew. So I put together our team and how had a round table discussion the next morning that lasted about 40 minutes. I think you can get the feeling of how much we care about one another which for me has been life changing. The only bummer was that Sara Dickson and Switzerland (JG) could not be a part of it but there will be a next time. Big thanks for my friend, Ricky Lee Potts for moderating the discussion and my friend Eric “LaFama Blanca” for the excellent camera work. We will step it up with some wireless mics next time (Nick C). I hope you enjoyed it as much I we did filming it. I could go on and on about all the side bar moments that I had discussing Aimpoint and the importance of ankle mobility with John Graham and Dennis Sales or watching one a teaching legend like Jim Hardy give a lesson in the garage with a broom or how Kirk Oguri has better hair than Robert Rock but I don’t have enough time. You will have to hit me up another time. Now to part 2
Equipment and training aids:
Best Booth : Taylor Made City. You could even get a picture with Dustin Johnson, very cool. It took up the entire end of the show.
Training Aids that I liked :
Guru training systemwww.gurutrainingsystem.com 3D training with no wires or sensors. Very cool. (still looking for my royalties)
Swing byte – http://swingbyte.com/ I bought one of these as it gives you 3d motion of the club from different angles and connects to your ipad or phone so it is portable. It also gives you data from each shot. Looking forward to playing with this for sure.
ES 12 digital golf assistant – great for gap training and tells you how far each shot travels. here is a video http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=pF6HSrdlkD8 I bought one of these too. I will be doing wedge schools and on course training with this guy.
Shotstothehole.com – a very good stats tracker that i may use this year.
Trackman 3 – www.trackmangolf.com This would be the final piece to my teaching academy as I would love to get one of these. The new one is more portable and now has a short game feature that will track down to 2 yards. I met with the rep and was very impresseed.
True Links Shoes – A low profile golf shoe that was very comfortable and allowed you to feel the ground. Mark Sweeney calls them AimPoint green reading shoes. JG, Dennis and I bought a pair.
I also want to thank Lorin Anderson from GBN for putting together such great education seminars. I attended Brian Manzella, Charlie King and Jeff Ritter which was a great way to start the show. I could say so much more but I will leave you with this:
It was great to spend time with my crew and meet so many top coaches and great people who have influenced my career such as Chuck Evans, Charlie King and Todd Sones which is what the PGA show is all about. As I said before, it is all what you make of it. If you didn’t get anything out of it, It no fault but your own. See you next year.
I know its been awhile since I shot a Guru TV episode but here is a special edition that I hope you enjoy. I recently reached 2000 followers on Twitter and I wanted to do something special for that person. I was willing to give away some Guru Swag but come to find that this young lady did not need that since she was already a professional golfer and had a sponsor. So I offered to do a video swing analysis (A mini-Guru Project) since she is in Arizona and she kindly agreed to let me have a look at her golf swing. Chelsea is playing the mini-tours and is working toward to LPGA tour. Her coach has done a fantastic job with her so I thought I would give her my ideas to add to an already fabulous golf swing. I had to break up the video into 2 parts due to my lengthy analysis so click on the second one to see the finished product.
As I strive to learn more about the golf swing and ultimately help my students play better, I often turn to my golf pro friends through my social media connections. Whether it is one of the many groups that I am in on Facebook or my favorite way to exchange ideas,Twitter.com. So I was curious about what everyone thought about FOOT FLARE or the positioning of the feet at address and how it impacted a golfers swing. As I write this post I will tell you that I don’t have all the answers but experience and reasearch have their place because I can tell you what has worked for me as I will give you my opinion on this subject and give you some options that might help. But I want to share with you first what my colleagues answered when I posed the question: How much foot flare (with both feet) do you teach and feel is important and why? Here is what I got:
@golfgurutv OK back to original question. Trail foot square lead foot flair towards target.
So it seems that most are in favor of some foot flare. 10 to 30 degrees seems to be the consensus on the front foot. The back foot seemas to be mixed a bit.Some want it square and some flared. So here is how I see it. I would love to hear from more coaches and players with their opinions as I am just trying to learn what is the best way for the player. From my experience:
1. One of the most consistent swing errors that I see is the trail hip moving lateral in the backswing (sometimes even moving the weight to the outside of the rear shoe). This can cause you to limit your shoulder rotation and throw off your timing and sequence in the downswing. It often happens when the player is trying to keep their hips still (X Factor). With a limited shoulder turn, your hands/arms and the club cannot get deep (more behind you) enough to have a chance to returning the club on plane or from the inside without a huge plane shift.
2. Secondly, I see so many golfers that have been drilled into their heads the importance of turning through the downswing that they don’t have enough lateral slide toward to target to allow the hands/arms club shaft to drop to the inside enough. They spin the body, keep their weight back too long and end up cutting across the ball. I call these players, “BACK SIDED SPIN DOCTORS”
So how will foot flare help these problems and why?
I would suspect that it has a lot to do with knee, hip and ankle mobility for sure so this should be checked. I work with som many golfers that have had knee and ankle injuries and foot positioning is crucial for these folks.
RIGHT FOOT FLARE: Angling your rear foot out 10 to 20 degrees will increase your ability to extend your rear leg and rotate your hips more. More hip rotation will increase your shoulder rotation. If you don’t think you turn your shoulders enough, check this and you will see what i mean. The right knee will change flexion on the backswing. Look at any good player and you will see this. I didn’t say straighten but change, very important. If you try to keep your right knee flexed and don’t let your hips turn……Unless you are extremely hypermobile….I would expect you to shoot somewhere in the low 200’s.
Both Feet Square "Blocked"
SQUARE FOOT: You will see golfers with this back foot position and you can do it if you have good hip/knee/ankle mobility. It is easier to roll to the outside of your rear foot with your weight in this position so be careful.
LEAD FOOT FLARE:Probably the most important foot position in the golf swing: Teachers like Mac O’Grady
Lead Flare back Square
and many others have spoken of the importance of left foot flare. So what benefit will you have by flaring your foot 10-30 degrees.
1. It allows for the hips to slide laterally longer in the downswing which slows down the shoulder rotation (keeps you spin doctors at bay). This allows time to drop the club to the inside much easier. So If you are a cut across slicer, you probably need more slide and less turn for sure.
2. It takes pressure off of the left knee as it allows the knee to get over or slightly outside the ankle joint before starting to straighten (or post)……Does Tiger Woods come to mind? His new more centered pivot requires more hip and knee slide toward the target which is easier on his bad knee…hmmmm? And he has more foot flare as well. Less injury to the knees and ankles can’t be bad, right?
BOTH FEET FLARED = DUCK STANCE (best of both worlds)The Duck Stance "My recommendation"
I see so many of my students that start with a square lead foot and pick it up and turn their toes toward the target and wonder why….Because it should have been there to begin with.
When you are watching football this weekend, pay close attention to the position of the place kickers lead foot and how that affects his ability to slide forward, swing his leg from the inside and turn his hips through the strike.
Ok, so that’s my take on foot flare. Would love to hear what you think as I am trying to learn and the more I look at players on the PGA tour the more different everyone looks so we need to make some sense of it all. Until then…..
Big Thanks to @LiamPGA for the topic tonight. Be sure to follow Liam’s tweets on twitter. I was listening to XM radio the other day and the topic was, “What are the top reasons why golfers don’t practice?” I would love to hear your top 5 if you would leave them in the comment section. Some of the answers were 1. I only have time to play not practice 2. My wife complains if I am at the golf course for that long etc. You get the idea. I think it is primarily because 1. It takes commitment to change 2. Players don’t have a plan for improvement so they are just cementing bad habits and 3. Most people are impatient and quit trying if it they don’t see results right away.
This just in……..ready! GOLF IS HARD PEOPLE! ok, don’t stop reading. In my opinion, this is what makes golf so great…..the challenge. The fact that we will never be satisfied with the level we are playing to makes it the greatest game in the world. So here is a few nuggets on how to build a practice plan
1. know what you are trying to accomplish get with your coach and discuss the keys until they are clear. If your coach can’t explain it so you can understand the what, why and how…….find another coach!
2. Use your mirror if it’s too cold or the weather is bad. Rehearsal swings with your eyes on it is the next best thing to a video. I caution you to not hit too many balls into a net without ball flight validation. Could be more harmful than good.
3. spend 60% of your time inside 60 yards and include putting. Search my archives and find the putting post I did on Putting Boot Camp for drills to include in your time..
4. Spend half of 50% of your time in mechanical mode which includes your workstation (see video) and working on changing your pattern. The other half should be practicing like your play which should include (a pre-shot routine, lining up to different targets, changing clubs and learning to hit different shots ( the 9 ball drill )…..Playing par 2 on the practice green with one ball to see what you can shoot. This is an area most golfers don’t spend enough time in so you can successfully transfer the skill to the golf course……Any Ranger Rick’s out there?
Bottom line is that you can get some work done even if the weather is bad. Let me know if this helps motivate you to take a lesson and then go practice. There are No shortcuts to improving at golf. Talk to you tomorrow night.
Tonight I want to speak to the students in the room. Specifically the ones here that are interested in getting better. Who really wants to improve their scores? Raise your hands high! Is that your real objective? You would be surprised to find that it isn’t always the case. At the beginning of every lesson or golf school, I always ask the student what is your goal for today and where do you want your game to look like in a years time? Anything past that is for tour players. You would be surprised by some of the answers that i get from such a simple question. (or is it). I enjoy asking the goal question and telling them that their answers cannot include the word CONSISTENCY and you wouldn’t believe the look on their faces because they were all going to say it….”I just want to be more consistent”. As a golf coach, that phrase means very little to me as I attempt to gain valuable information about your game that will help direct me towered helping you play better. Players, you have to be more specific. As I watch a new student warm up and hit every shot to the right, i might joke that you are incredibly consistent………..smile 🙂 the point is, you have to be more specific when setting your goals and a quality coach should be able to help you with this. The first step is with an accurate assessment of your current condition. Now I understand that there are goals that apply to different level of players and this important because the only thing worse than not setting goals is to set them too high only to get frustrated. For example, a beginning golfer might set a goal of getting the ball airborne every time and that is ok. There is nothing worse than a new golfer thinking that they should hit it perfect (just like their friend who has been playing for years) and getting frustrated and quitting the game. Here are some examples of specific yet simple goals and I will give you an easy way to organize your plan for next season. 1. Stop slicing or hooking
2. To hit the ball more solid instead of hitting the ground behind the ball or catching it thin
3. To hit more fairways or greens
4. To hit my pitch shots the right distance
5. To stop 3 putting
6. To hit my fairway woods off the ground
7. Gain distance (very popular) but a good goal
8. To understand my golf swing and what to work on
9. I want to get the ball out of the bunker every time
These examples are what I call skill building goals. As a coach, I can work with these answers and build a plan to improve these skills which will ultimately lead to the second kind of goal (Outcome Goals). These are good guidance to get started and keep you focused. Examples of outcome goals would be to win the club championship or your flight in the member guest. To lower your handicap from 15 to 9. to qualify for the state amateur or to break 80 for the first time.
These are great starting points but it’s only the beginning. I understand that there are two types of golf 1) ego Golf and 2)scoring golf Ego golf is the player that doesn’t care what they shoot as long as they hit the ball farther than their golfing buddies so that they can talk about you in the bar after your round. These players look great on the range but can’t post a score. These are the types of players that drive coaches crazy because we feel that the ultimate goal is to score lower and we don’t care how you do it. If I have to hear,” I shot my career low……buttttt I really putted well on that day,” So What! Its part of the game. The same player goes out and hits 15 greens and shoots worse but is happy with it.
Start by keeping basic stats (gir’s, fir’s, putts, up and downs, penalty strokes) or get a software program that does it for you. My favorite is www.shotbyshot.com. This will help you to establish a pattern to see where you are actually weak and where you are strong. After you chart 10 rounds, share it with your coach and you can start to set some goals. Here is an example: Lets say you set a goal to lower your handicap from 15 to 9. You chart your rounds and you are hitting 8 greens in reg. 9 fairways with no penalty shots, your up and down % is less than 30 and you are averaging 38 putts per round. If you are like most golfers you are still trying to hit the ball better to get your greens in reg up to 14 because that is what the top tour player is doing. Wrong! Your coach is going to say hop in the cart and lets introduce you to the short game area and putting green. He may even sign you up for an AimPoint clinic, if you are lucky! Build the skills that will help you reach your goals. Be honest with yourself and don’t worry so much about what others think when you are practicing your weaknesses. Pretty soon they will be asking you what has changed when you are thrashing them) which is the greatest compliment as a golfer…..and the most rewarding.
Be smart this winter and you will thank me later. Dont let your ego keep you from reaching your goals this upcoming season. See you here tomorrow night!
Thank you Ricky for the opportunity to talk to you and share a little about myself. You are a great friend and I have learned so much from you. I hope everyone enjoyed the interview.
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)
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.
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!
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.
The Golf Guru Show 