Tag: golf

Reflecting On The Year Behind Us and How I Set Goals

December 26, 2011

Today I stood very still and thought for a while. I prayed a prayer of thankfulness. This time of year is great for two things.1) Reflecting on the year that has passed and 2) An opportunity to look ahead and make plans for the future. Isnt funny how we long to take days off but then we feel guilty for not doing something we would consider productive? I have a hard time sitting still. I am restless for change. I am so blessed with my life and what I have accomplished but that kind of thinking can often make you lazy and complacent. I don’t want to be that guy. So I had to write something today whether it made sense or not, I just had to have a brain dump of sorts. First of all thanks for showing up today as I never in a million years thought I would ever have something interesting to say that so many people would want to listen to. It’s funny how writing works. We think we are sharing our thoughts with our readers but really I am learning and growing as well. It provokes thoughts on both sides and hopefully we talk about it. This has been a crazy year for me and a memorable one for sure as I am finally doing exactly what I should be doing. I love my new job as Director of Instruction at Carmel CC. For many years I wondered when this career move that I had been preparing for all of these years would happen. After it finally happens,  I am able to look back and see that I wasn’t ready back then. I thought I was but I needed more preparation. More maturity.  I always say,” God is Never Late…..But He is never early either.” This often makes people impatient and they make mistakes.  I had set this goal 5 years ago and it has motivated me to get better in every area of my job. Whatever your goal is the key is to prepare yourself to be ready when the door opens because you never know. So now what do we do. We have the dream job and this opportunity ahead of us so now what…………..? Lets set some goals! I recently met with my staff and asked them to submit their goals for 2012. They did such a great job and I am excited to help them achieve them next year.  I have always been a goal setter as I feel it keeps me going in the right direction. Kind of like this blog, I tend to get going in multiple directions and don’t get anything fully accomplished unless I have a plan . It doesn’t matter whether you are a student trying to improve your golf game or a teacher/coach trying to improve your skills as an instructor, you need to write down some things that you want to accomplish. So here is some insight on how I go about this process every year about this time:

1.) First, look back at your goals for this year and see how many you were able to check off and how many you may want to carry over to next year. What you did well and the things you want to improve upon. (Reflection is important)

2.) I break mine up into categories such as:

1. Teaching production/units/income

2. New programs

3. Social media/marketing

3. Writing

 4. Speaking

5. Certifications and Continuous learning

6. Stretch Goals

Then I start to fill in the blanks with ideas, action plans and timelines. As soon as you decide on what you want to do, it is so important that you creat an action plan. These are the steps that you are going to make in order to achieve this goal. This could be an important phone call, a contact letter or a class to take….The main thing is to never leave a goal without creating action to move towards it.

Extra goals that I would encourage away from career goals are: Spiritual, Fitness and a Life or Bucket List……(for another blog)

I am not going to share all of my goals for this upcoming season but I will tell you that I am going to have a big focus on creating new programs which I am very excited about. I have the 2012 calender of events locked and loaded to share with my members at Carmel which will have a laser like focus on short game and putting as I will set a goal to see how many strokes I can take off of my members handicaps by year-end. Aimpoint, Putting Schools and Wedge fitting short game schools will be the highlights. Second will be more speaking engagements. I will host a PGA section seminar this spring as I am very excited to share the knowledge that I have acquired from many of you reading this blog, you know who you are and I  thank you. I have already been asked to do my first away game short game school (Thank you Rob McGill aka @golfprorob) that I am very excited about in March. FYI….I am free to speak at anyones club or section meeting as I would love to do that if you need someone to share coaching and social media ideas or personal development (shameless plug). In the writing category I will be finishing up my first book which I am excited about. Due to Golf Illustrated being bought out, I am available for more writing gigs if anyone needs an instructional editor. I will be writing for a new up and coming magazine called the Turn and will be an instructional editor which I am excited about but I have room for more (Golf Tips, Golf Digest, Golf Magazine…..If you are listening!  In the Certification category, I am very excited to be finishing my Aimpoint Green Reading certification in February. My members are already excited about the clinics that I have presented and will take that to the next level for sure. What certifications do you think is important? I am looking at a few for this year. I have put together a social media schedule of videos (Guru TV), increasing brand awareness,  tips and information to get the Carmel members more involved with the Carmel Golf Academy  (click to like our facebook page) and to help communicate better with them which I think is going to be great. Even the non-members will be able to view so don’t worry but I am excited to see what I can do with my new environment of outstanding members so stay tuned. The seeds that I have been planting are starting to grow. So thanks for being here for this brainstorming session. I feel better already and I hope you got something out of my rambling rant. I am so thankful for you the student and my fellow coaches that help me achieve my number 1 goal every year. Be a better coach than I was  last year…..and I have done that for sure. Talk to you tomorrow

*****follow me on twitter

*****friend me up on facebook and like our Carmel Golf Academy page

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

Tiger’s Swing Changes – Has the Student Been Left Out Of the Process? Or Is Foley Salesman Of the Year?

October 12, 2011

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.

See you on the lesson tee at Carmel CC,

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!

Guru TV – Body Pivot Options: Neutral vs. Positive

September 28, 2011

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.

See you on the lesson tee,

Jason

STUDY-PRACTICE-TEACH……OUR TWITTER GOLF BOOK LIST

September 14, 2011

I posted a question on twitter last night. “What are a couple of golf books that influenced your life or career,” The response was overwhelming! I appreciate everyone sharing their personal favorites with me and my followers so as promised I will share them with you all. Reading has always been a big part of my life and has helped me gain knowledge in coaching golf but also has influenced the way I live my life. I am not even including the many hours of lectures on CD that I used to listen to in the car on my way to and from work. Tony Robbins, Jim Rohn, Wayne Dyer, Steven Covington, John Maxwell and the list goes on. As Jim Rohn (my personal favorite, may he RIP) says,” There is a reason that all houses valued over 200,000 dollars have a library in it. Now we can buy books on our ipads and nooks but this is the future of learning. My point is, yes Guru get to the point please! If you read or learn something new in your business or in your life, I want you to do 3 things. 1. STUDY 2. PRACTICE 3. TEACH. Study– Make sure you know it so you can become the expert. Practice – Put it into action as hone our skills. Fail and try again until you get it right. Teach – (most important) Share your knowledge with someone else.  You know I have a story: Years ago I found in my possession some VHS tapes (that’s how long ago) of Martin Hall giving lessons. I learned so much from these tapes as I watched them over and over and could probably recite the language that he used (without the accent) and it helped me as a teacher. I met Mr. Hall at a top 100 dinner soon after and thanked him for his knowledge and sharing. He quickly responded with,”Now it is your turn to share it with someone else,” I never forgot that. So As requested: Here is our twitter golf book list from you my friends. Start your library today: Make sure you read on for my selections at the bottom…………

Quantum Golf

Seven Days in Utopia – David Cooke *

The Pursuit Of Excellence

Learn To Win

Practical Golf – Jacobs

Extraordinary Golf – Shoemaker

Golf Is Not a Game of Perfect – Rotella

Every Shot Has A Purpose – Nillson and Marriott

The Inner Game Of Golf – Gallaway

Bud, Sweat and Tees

The Golfing Machine – Kelly **

Dogged Victims of inexorable Fate – Jenkins

The Match

The Golf Swing – Leadbetter

Hogans Five Lessons

Down the Fairway – Jones

Attention and the Focused Mind – Gallagher

Zen Golf and Zen Putting – Parent

Perfectly Balanced Golf – Cook ***

Strokes of Genius – Boswell

Massacre at Wingfoot

The Stack and Tilt Golf Swing – Bennett and Plummer **

Golf My Way – Nicklaus

The Mystery of Golf – Haultain

Winning Is A Choice

The Hershey Hurricane – Tim Ryan

Tommy’s Honour

The Impact Zone – Clampett

*means they are on my list

Here are my additions: Swings Secrets and Lies: Six Timeless Lessons by Hebron, The 30 Second Golf Swing by Tomassi, On Learning Golf by Percy Boomer, Flick on Golf by Jim Flick, Golf the Torrence Way

I hope you enjoyed the list and now start your journey to S, P, T

See you on the lesson tee,

Jason

Early Extension: Pelvis vs. Hips

September 5, 2011

Here is a great video that I found from the Dave Phillips (TPI Instructor) about the pelvis and early extension. Those of you who have worked with me know that I always draw a line on your rear end to check for early extension (or your hips moving inward toward the ball). This is a difficult problem to fix because most of the time it is physical and not model driven. This is a big problem for amateurs because it limits the space between the club and body in the downswing and causes all sorts of impact problems. If you tend to push, hook or scoop at impact you are most likely trapped because of this issue. Make sure you get tested by a certified T.P.I. professional such as my guy, Mark Kane @www.kanetraining.com to see if you need to work on this all important area of the golf swing to improve your ball striking.

See you on the lesson tee,

Guru

Tiger Woods: What is wrong with Greensboro? Get back on the horse!

August 31, 2011

Is golf the same without Eldrick? I don’t think so. Many reporters are saying that golf is healthy and in good hands with all of the great young players that are visible in the game right now and I agree to an extent?? We need Tiger to get back to contending in golf tournaments and put some excitement back into golf. We look to Rory, Matteo, Ryo and Ricky to save golf and it just isn’t going to happen yet. It is just not their time. I love these kids (especially Rory and Ricky) but how many tournaments have they won? 2? and I know one was a US Open and I appreciate that but it takes time build a career and I think they will both win plenty. There is not a day that goes by that one of my students asks me “What is wrong with Tiger?” or what do you think is going on and here is my take on things.

1.  We have been spoiled by his past performances (2000-2001) because we wouldn’t have expected any other player to do much better in his last two tournaments after such a layoff from injury. No one is exempt from laying off and getting their game back, not even the best. It takes time and quality reps.

2. Tiger needs to play every week! I am disappointed that he said that he would play Greensboro if he didn’t play well at the PGA to try to play in the playoffs and he didn’t. I think he was disappointed with his performance but he needs some consistency in his schedule…I dont care if he plays the Nationwide tour, he needs to play his way through this slump (yea I said it).

3. I know he is going through swing changes and everyone wants to blame Sean Foley for the wreckage but let’s get serious. No one could single-handedly screw up Tigers swing. He has been to plenty of swing coaches over the years and has managed to come out a winner. The golf club hasn’t changed and his talent will always win out. I am not saying that I agree with the direction that Foley’s going (that is for another blog) but C’mon man. He isn’t giving him putting lessons (I wish I had 30 minutes with him on the putting green…once again another blog)

4. Tiger needs to get back to the beginning when he played some lesser tournaments and just played golf. It is good to see that he is going to play the Frys tournament because that is what he needs. He is in a different place mentally and needs to get his confidence back and the only way to do it is to play through it. He is not good enough to play a limited schedule and pick and choose.

5. He needs to wear a white belt more often (oh yeah I said it JR)…….he plays better when he wears it.

Here is a short piece by Jason Sobel from the Golf Channel on his upcoming tournament:

The latest news about Tiger Woods competing in the Frys.com Open should come as a complete surprise.

No, not the fact that he’s playing a Fall Series event; he’s contended for a while now that he needs more “reps” late in the year. And not the fact that it’s the Frys.com, either; on a challenging golf course in his native California, it makes as much, if not more, sense than returning to the scene of his first career victory in Las Vegas or his second career win at Disney.

Instead, the biggest shock is that Woods announced the move on his personal website on Aug. 29, more than a month before the tournament will be played from Oct. 6-9.

After all, other than a major, WGC event or one of his own tournaments, this is the earliest he’s committed to an event in years.

Other than that, we should’ve have expected this announcement.

After U.S. Presidents Cup team captain Fred Couples first said he would almost certainly add Woods to the roster as a wildcard pick, he then concluded that he wanted Woods to play again prior to the competition. Well, Couples wasn’t coming up with that idea on his own. The guess here is that he knew Woods was planning to compete in a Fall Series event and made his claim knowing his wish was going to come true anyway.

Political reasons aside, this is a smart move. At the root of the Fall Series, its reason for existing is giving those who didn’t perform well in the regular season final chances to earn money, world ranking points and a trip to the winner’s circle. Woods has struggled with all three this year, failing to qualify for the FedEx Cup playoffs in his injury-shortened eight-start season, so getting another chance to tee it up leaves him as just another of those guys trying to salvage his season.

After that, he’ll play in an outing at Pebble Beach that will help raise money for his foundation, will do some corporate appearances in Asia before heading to the Australian Open then the Presidents Cup.

It’s not the usual late-season schedule for a guy with 71 career victories and 14 majors, but then again, this hasn’t been a usual season, either.

Peeps: Agree or Disagree with anything? Leave your comments in the comment section below about anything. I also welcome “Ask the Guru” questions” as well

Have a great golfing day,

Jason

GURU TV – Interview with tour player Federico Celano

August 14, 2011

Here is an interview that I did with one of my mini-tour players, Federico Celano. Federico is from Italy and we have been working together for 2 years and he has had a great season thus far with a recent t24 at the Southern Open with back to back 67’s to close strong. Check out the question that I ask him at the 10:30 mark that will help you, the average golfer get a good prospective on change. I hope you enjoy the interview and I thank Federico for agreeing to come on the show. He is playing in the Monday qualifier for the Wyndham Championship and then off to European Q School.

check out our website @www.danarader.com for more information on the golf school

To schedule a lesson with the Guru, call 704-542-7635

See you on the lesson tee,

Jason