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1 May 2009 admin

The DRIVER and The STUDENT

It is the most glamorous club in the bag. It can send the ball soaring much farther than the longest home run Hank Aaron or Babe Ruth ever hit. Along with the putter, it is the most rewarding, frustrating, fulfilling, and anger-inducing club we use. Of course, we are talking about the 6-iron. Just kidding! Over the past 10 years, the driver has been the most talked-about and scrutinized weapon in a golfer’s arsenal, due to the rapid evolution of the technology of the club. Pro golfers are hitting the ball 30 yards farther, on average, than they did with the old persimmon drivers. It seems no one has a neutral opinion on the longest, yet lightest, club in the bag. Students either love or hate their drivers – there seems to be no in-between. Students who enjoy hitting the driver find that teeing the ball up, along with using a sweeping, free-flowing swing, will propel the ball reasonably well. Those who loathe the driver likely do so because of the somewhat unforgiving nature that low loft on a clubface can produce. It is quite easy to produce sidespin if the driver face isn’t square. A clubface that is open or closed just 5 degrees means a 250-yard drive will be 22 yards off line, enough to find the rough on a typical 40-yard wide fairway. The length of the driver, combined with a sweet spot that is farther away from the shaft than with other clubs, makes the driver harder to hit from that perspective, too. Many students compound their driver woes by not using one with the proper specs for their swing. Too often, they use drivers with shafts that are too stiff and lofts that aren’t high enough. To get our students to make friends with their drivers, we must start with the equipment. Driver heads today come in all sorts of shapes and internal weight profiles. Your student needs to find a driver that is right for their swing. If they fight a slice, an offset driver head or one with heel weighting can help. If they have a smooth transition move or clubhead speed that is less than 100 mph, a regular shaft may be the right call. According to a recent Golf Magazine article, the average male golfer has a clubhead speed of around 90 mph, with an initial ball speed of 135 mph. This player needs to launch the ball around 14 degrees with approximately 2,900 rpm to achieve maximum carry. Driver specs will vary between players, but most golfers in this range won’t go wrong with driver loft of 10° or higher. A regular shaft would probably fit most, with a faster-tempoed player needing a stiffer tip section. Technique-wise, our students need to suppress the urge to continually play the long ball. This urge leads to swings being made out of sequence, usually with the arms and hands playing a dominating role to start the downswing. When teaching driving, it’s best to stick with the basics. Make sure the ball is teed up opposite the inside of the forward heel with a stance slightly wider than shoulder width. One trend today is teeing the top of the ball just slightly higher than the top of the clubface. The normal school of thought is to tee the ball so that half of it is above the top of the clubface, but some teachers feel it’s easier to make solid contact with the ball teed lower. The stance should be square – a big reason for an over-the-top swing is the foot stance being closed. Try to get your students to relate their driver tempo with that of a mid-iron. If they can do that, they should be able to make more consistent, solid contact.

24 Apr 2009 admin

What is the Best Putting Grip?

A Panel of Our Teachers Share Their Views

It seems, since golf began some 600 years ago, players have argued whether the straight back-straight through putting stroke, preferred today by putting expert Dave Pelz, is better than the inside-square-inside stroke recommended these days by another short game guru, Stan Utley. Well, surely these arguments will go on for a long time, yet one thing will stay the same: most USGTF and WGTF members believe the Pelz type stroke works better on short putts while the Utley-type stroke rolls the ball more purely on long putts. Something else that’s been getting a lot of attention lately is the putting grip, probably because there is such a wide range of grips, including the highly unorthodox claw popularized by PGA Tour pro Chris DiMarco, unique cross-hand hold employed by former US Open winner Jim Furyk, and the unconventional split-hand type grip used by LPGA player Natalie Gulbis. Before things get out of hand, Golf Teaching Pro editors thought we better check in with our members and ask them this question: what do you think is the best putting grip to recommend to average golfers, and why? What follows are the answers to this question that you might find fun to compare to your own. Bill Picca: I prefer the reverse overlap grip simply because it is the putting hold that has proven to be the most popular historically among winners of regular PGA tournaments and major championships. Let me make it clear that this is not the opposite grip to the standard Vardon overlap. My grip of choice is the grip called the reverse overlap grip, even though for a right-handed golfer it entails draping the forefinger of the left hand over the fingers of the right. I prefer this grip myself and recommend amateurs try it before any other grip. The reason is it keeps the hands out of the stroke and promotes a coordinated and rhythmic arms and shoulders action. In essence, then, this grip encourages the player to control the movement of the putter with the big muscles rather than the small ones, thereby virtually guaranteeing an on-line stroke rather than an off-line stroke. Yvon Legault: I know I am a minority, believing that the interlock grip is best for putting, so let me explain my thinking. When hitting drives and other standard tee-to-green shots, more and more PGA Tour professionals are following the example set by Tiger Woods, who prefers the interlock grip, as did Jack Nicklaus before him. When putting, slowly but surely, more and more top professionals are switching from the reverse overlap putting grip to a less conventional hold. A few years ago, several top pros started changing to a left-hand-low or cross-handed grip. A couple of years ago, the claw grip started to catch on and now a number of pros are using it. I predict the interlock will be the most popular grip of the future. I say that, knowing that it unifies the hands, but, unlike the overlap grip, it does not take them out of the stroke so much that you lose feel. The interlock grip promotes a very slight hinge in the wrists, too, and that freedom of motion is enough to enhance feel. In turn, your club direction is enhanced, and so is your distance control. A golfer cannot ask for anything more. Most of all, though, to quote essentially what I say in my bestselling book, Become A Putting Machine, which is likely to be published in America after enjoying success in France, Canada, Switzerland, and Belgium particularly: “The goal in putting is to robotize the stroke, make it automatic, and the interlock grip does this because it CONNECTS the hands.” Dave Shaver: Since ModelGolf innovator Ralph Mann bases his instruction on pro models, I believe the average golfer will do himself or herself the most good by adopting the grip of choice by male and female tour pros: the reverse overlap grip, with the left forefinger extended down and over the fingers of the right hand. This leading choice of grip by the world’s best golfers enhances shoulder action and quiets the hands, making for a very repetitive, consistent stroke. John Andrisani: I think weekend golfers should copy Natalie Gulbis and create a six-inch to twelve-inch gap (whichever feels most comfortable) between the hands when holding the putter. In testing out this grip, I determined that it automatically allows the left hand to lead the putter back and through and the right hand to follow and provide the power in the impact zone. In short, the left hand is the guide hand, the right hand the power hand. Because the right hand is not hindered in any way by the left hand, namely, because the hands are separated from one another, the player finds it easier to determine how much oomph he or she should put behind the stroke with the right hand to hit the ball a specific distance. I think more golfers would be trying this grip if a male tour player were using it. In the past, pro Hubert Green putted well using a similar hold. Hubert won many times on tour, yet golfers forget he did this using an unorthodox grip. I suppose that’s because he missed a short putt to tie Gary Player in 1978 Masters. John Wilde: I am not a teacher who believes in one set methodology. However, that does not in any way mean that I allow a student to choose some kind of wild-looking putting grip that, though comfortable, really will never offer him consistency in terms of distance and direction control. To repeat something I say in my book, The Old Man’s Practice Guide, “Putting is very individualized, but there are principles that you need to master. “The preferred grip is the reverse overlap, where the left forefinger overlaps the right pinky, but the crosshanded grip with the left hand low is an alternative.” One more thing I do stress is this: whichever of these two grips you choose to putt with, I like the student to position the putter’s handle a little higher on the left heel pad, and, ideally, use a putter with a reminder grip which positions the hands in a “weaker” grip position. Both of these keys give you an added sense of security in the hands when holding the club, thereby enabling you to make a pure pendulum-like stroke that rolls the ball smoothly across the green.

17 Apr 2009 admin

The Skill of Putting People at Ease

By Mark Harman USGTF Level IV Member and Course Examiner, Ridgeland, South Carolina

One of the biggest reasons a golfer may not take lessons is one that many golf teachers may not have thought of. That reason is intimidation. Yes, many people, especially women, are intimidated at the thought of taking lessons and putting their game in front of someone to judge. Part of the problem is the old stereotype of the grumpy old pro who has little patience for beginners and novices who seemingly (to him) can’t walk and talk at the same time. Unfortunately, there is some ring of truth to this, as golf traditionally has more than its fair share of course employees and “professionals” who are condescending, sour, and ready to rip your head off. Now for the good news: these bad actors can work to your advantage. By contrasting your behavior, attitude, and actions to theirs, it makes you look that much better to the golfing public. It’s not enough to just smile and be friendly. It’s been researched that body language is perhaps the most important means of communication in personal contact. This means using welcoming gestures, such as open arms, instead of standoffish ones like folded arms and hands in the pockets. Do you provide any literature, brochures, or a website for potential students to peruse? If so, you undoubtedly want a picture of yourself on the material. Believe it or not, there are some teachers whose picture on such materials looks like a mug shot. Now, what kind of welcome is that? Not a real good one. You can also find teachers who, while they may be smiling, are wearing dark sunglasses because the picture was taken outside. Again, not a good idea, because it goes back to the old adage, “He must have something to hide.” Once on the lesson tee, take a genuine interest in their games. Ask a lot of questions. Involve the students in the learning process. Ask them if what you’ve asked them to do is uncomfortable or too difficult. If so, you must find something that they can accomplish. If it’s appropriate, self-deprecating humor can be great at putting people at ease. It lets them know you aren’t perfect and that you empathize with them. Don’t hit balls to just show off your superior skills, but only when necessary to legitimately demonstrate a point. A teacher who starts bombing 300-yard drives in front of his female student who can only hit it 120 might get her to start thinking, “What’s the point if I can’t do what he’s doing?” You should also take the personality of your student into account. If they are a quiet type, they will feel ill-at-ease if you are a boisterous backslapper. Say fewer words and talk in a quieter voice to these people. Although it’s hard for a naturally gregarious person to tone it down, it must be done unless you want that person’s first lesson with you to also be the last. Putting people at ease isn’t rocket science. A lot of it is common sense – treat the person with respect, treat them as an equal, and be humble. You can separate yourself from others – not just in golf but in all walks of life – by acting accordingly.

17 Apr 2009 admin

Identifying A Student’s Learning Style

By Dr. Tom Kubisant, CSP USGTF Contibuting Writer

Connecting with each student is the most important thing you can do. If you can develop an individual relationship with each student, you will be more efficient in your teaching. And, students will learn more, better enjoy the experience, and come back to you. Students I talk to say they like to feel like an individual. Even though they may have the same issues as dozens of other golfers, they like to be treated as if their problems and goals are unique. Taking the time to personalize a lesson plan is one of the best things you can do to develop an ongoing relationship. This implies two things: asking questions and listening. I have presented speeches and seminars to teaching pros for over twenty years. Here is a secret: no matter the topic, I always survey the audience as to how many regularly use a pre-teaching questionnaire. Typically, only about 25 percent raise their hands. I believe having new students fill out such a questionnaire establishes both the framework for the lessons as well as develops a relationship. Typically, questionnaires survey students’ backgrounds, golf experiences, and especially physical limitations. Some others might include neurological orientations; meaning dominant hand, foot, and eye. Most forms include space for the golfer to detail specific goals for the lessons. Such a questionnaire is not only an assessment, but also becomes as contract. One key category is having students describe their best learning styles. I still like the Neurolingistic Programming (NLP) model of being predominantly either a visual, auditory, or kinesthetic learner. Such information is valuable in tailoring and communicating lesson content. If the student does not know which they are, have them become aware of the words they say and think. Visuals will say, “Picture this,” or “Imagine that.” Auditories will say, “It sounds right,” or “It rings true for me.” And kinesthetics will say, “My sense is something does not fit,” or “My gut tells me this is correct.” Which style is Johnny Miller? One of the challenges of working with each student is to develop creative ways to connect with the person’s learning style. For example, if the student is a visual learner, the teaching pro should demonstrate positions and motions both in slow motion as well as in real time. Visual learners also benefit from statically seeing their own positions. Full length mirrors can be great aids in having students see their own bodies. Finally, video sessions are valuable in having visual students see their own swings from angles they cannot see on their own. If the student is an auditory learner, the teaching pro should always anchor positive sounds of the desired action. Have the student grasp the club by the hosel and swing the club to hear the swooshing sound of the shaft as it goes through the slot. Have auditory learners listen to the desired click of contact with the ball. This is especially important on putts. Auditories greatly benefit from knowing the sound of a square face at impact. Finally, have them hear the desired thump of the sand on explosion shots. If the student is a kinesthetic learner, the teaching pro should always emphasize how the swing relates to the person’s senses, balance, and tempo. Sensitize them to the feelings of correct posture during setup – feet pressure, hip position, spine angle, shoulder position, grip pressure, and so on. During the swing, have kinesthetics feel extension, rotation, coiling, and release. Dynamic training aids are useful in helping them isolate the correct feeling, such as a ball under the outside of the rear foot, a headcover under the leading arm, swinging on a balance board, or your hand on their head to restrict an improper movement. Most importantly for kinesthetics, emphasize how tempo and timing feel for them. Honoring each student’s predominant learning style not only personalizes the instruction, it makes your content emphases more easily implemented. One of the best comments a student can make about the teaching pro is, “She made it seem so clear.” This is one of the best compliments you can ever receive. This means you have taken the time and effort to customize your content into the student’s learning style. It is also the hallmark of your professionalism. Dr. Tom Kubistant is one of the original golf psychologists. He has written three books and over 300 articles on the mental game of golf. He also maintains “The Complete Bibliography On The Psychology Of Golf.” He loves talking with USGTF members and can be reached directly online at Kubistant@aol.com or in Reno, Nevada, at (775) 345-0340.

17 Apr 2009 admin

What The Public Should Expect From Golf Lessons

Peter Kessler, former Golf Channel personality and now the host of his own program on XM satellite radio, said that he believed the optimal length for a golf lesson was 10 minutes. He said this because there was time to give the student only one thing to work on, and that any more might be overkill. While Kessler is not a golf professional, he has a valid point. One of the worst things we can do as golf teachers is to pass out too much information. A common refrain that new teachers hear from their students is, “I have so much to remember.” Hopefully, as time goes on, this teacher realizes that when he or she hears this phrase, the student has been given too much information. A trend in modern teaching is the use of high-tech video and training aids. Use of these items can be of great benefit to some students. The one drawback to training aids, specifically, is that the student is not likely to have such a training aid to use in between lessons. If a lesson is based solely upon the use of a particular training aid that the student does not possess, such a lesson may not be of much use. Training aids should be used only to supplement the lesson, and not be the sole focus of the lesson. Of more use potentially to a student are drills, since they can be done without the presence of a teacher. Drills should be pertinent to the student’s problem, and they should be of such a nature that the student can easily do the drill. In other words, a student is likely to not do a drill correctly on his own that is complicated to execute or to set up. Are there times that complicated drills, “excessive” instruction, or training aids that the student does not possess should be used? Yes, but these times are not common. Usually, these types of lessons should be reserved for those in the low single-digit handicap range. These better players will likely have the ability to process several things at once, be able to remember how to set up and execute a complicated drill, and remember the feel of a training aid. However, since the vast majority of our students do not fit this mold, we should return to very basic teaching for most of them. They simply do not have the capability to think about more than one swing change at a time. At the most, they might be able to think about one thing on the backswing and one thing either in the transition move or downswing. A “problem” not necessarily exclusive to new teachers is the giving of information that seems too simple. Such teachers might shy away from giving a student something very simple because they feel that the student deserves more “expert” advice. There is some validity to this, because a student receiving such simple instruction might question the instruction’s very simplicity. For example, a veteran USGTF teacher tells of a student who kept popping up the driver. The teacher saw that the student’s swing was somewhat sound and that there was no reason the swing itself should be making the ball pop up. However, the teacher did note that the student teed the ball too high (this was back in the days of persimmon drivers); thus, the student often only hit the bottom half of the ball with the clubface. The teacher advised the student to tee the ball lower, which the student did. After a couple of well-struck drives, the student said, “It can’t be that simple,” and asked for more instruction to “fix” the problem. The teacher stuck to his guns and eventually convinced the student that the correct, albeit extremely simple, instruction was given. Fortunately, most students won’t complain about instruction that is seemingly too simple if it truly works. Kessler’s 10-minute idea has merit. Challenge yourself to see if you can’t find and solve a problem within this time frame. If you can, it doesn’t mean the rest of the lesson time is unnecessary. Use it to reinforce the good behavior, and, like all good salesman, be sure to obtain a commitment for the next lesson.

6 Mar 2009 admin

Leftover Chicken Wings

By: Paul Devore For a number of players who have worked hard to improve their swing, eliminating residual or “leftover” faults can be a frustrating process. One such fault or tendency is the dreaded “chicken wing.” Of course, “chicken wing” refers to that uncomfortable post-impact feeling of the lead elbow (the left for right-handers) separating from the body and pointing skyward in the follow through. This is usually accompanied by a cupping or flipping of the left wrist in order to square the club face. This “chicken wing” move, inevitably, leads to an inconsistent face angle at impact, costing the player accuracy, and deceleration of the clubhead; costing the player distance. One remedy to this devastating fault is downward extension through impact. Ben Hogan used to say he liked to take “two divots” – one divot with his clubhead, and a second divot “with my knuckles” a few feet in front of the ball. This feel of taking “two divots” promotes a longer, more connected left arm through impact, allowing the forearms and clubhead to rotate more naturally through the hitting zone, resulting in maximum speed and accuracy. If the left arm is extending downward through impact, then it stands to reason the left elbow will be less inclined to work upward and away from the body. To ingrain this move, have your students practice making full swings with a 7- or 8-iron, focusing on extending a relaxed left arm (knuckles) toward a spot about two feet in front of the ball as you move through impact. You can have them use a tee or even another golf ball as an aiming point on that spot. They should make no conscious effort to pull the left arm upward as they move through impact. The speed generated (along with irrefutable principles of physics) will naturally see the rotating left arm extend outward and upward into a full finish position. If the “chicken wing” is impeding your students’ progress, give this tip a try next time you go to the lesson tee.

5 Mar 2009 admin

Etiquette necessary on golf course

As teaching professionals and ambassadors to the game, please be aware of golf etiquette. Each course may have its own special rules, but practicing the following customs should help you set an example. • Please be aware of other golfers outside your group. It’s easy to get so involved in your game or your teaching that you forget others on the course. That loud cheer when your client sinks a long putt may disturb somebody teeing off an adjacent hole. • Please replace all divots. The next time you find your ball in a rough spot on the fairway, remember that you might have had a better lie if someone else had followed that advice. Don’t be afraid to replace divots other than your own, as well. • Please don’t loiter. On the fairway, it speeds things up if everyone walks directly to his or her own ball instead of gathering around to watch someone else shoot. Think ahead about club selection. On the green, avoid congregating to mark your scores. Everyone should move off quickly following the final putt. Do your bookkeeping at the next tee. • When playing a shot from a fairway other than the hole being played, the right of way belongs to the persons on the correct fairway. • Players should not drive a ball from the tee or any position in the fairway until the group ahead is well out of reach – regardless of how many shots they’ve taken. • Golfers who are spending too much time looking for a lost ball (five minutes is considered appropriate) or lagging too far behind the group ahead must let faster groups play through. • Please avoid practicing on the golf course. This includes taking an excessive number of swings on the tee or elsewhere. • Set an example by taking care of the greens. They’re expensive to build and maintain and if everyone helps, it contributes to a smother, truer putting surface for all players. Repair your ball marks, avoid stepping too close to the cup, lay the flag down gently –preferably off the green – don’t leave cleat marks by dragging your feet, and although it should go without saying, keep carts off. • Groups on the course should consist of no more than four golfers. • Play the holes in order. • On the golf course, avoid giving advice unless asked. Even when asked, keep it short. • If your ball goes into the water, avoid wasting time searching and don’t try to compensate for the loss by trying to find another ball. • Be able to identify your ball at all times. • Act as a professional at all times, especially if you are not playing well. • Keep your movements – and noises – to a minimum when another golfer is preparing to swing. • “Fore” is the universal warning on the golf course whenever someone is in danger of being stuck by a ball. Please use it, and use it the moment you think your ball might endanger another person. • Set an example by not littering. • Keep motorized carts at least 40 yards from all greens. • Smooth sand in bunkers with rake.

5 Mar 2009 admin

The Basics of Todays Modern Equipment

By Jeff Jackson PowerBilt Golf www.powerbiltgolf.com As a golf instructor, you’re likely to see students whose bags contain a myriad of equipment – and oftentimes it’s not a pretty picture! Some players will have the latest in high-tech, high-dollar equipment, while others may have hand-me-downs from their grandparents. When it comes to instruction, you have the skills to make any student play better with whatever equipment they may have, but by educating your students to the benefits of modern-day equipment, you will not only help them immediately play better, you will be able to better teach them as a result of equipment that is matched to their game. Your students look to you as their “golf expert” due to your teaching ability. Even if you are not all that equipment savvy, it is important that you know some basics so that you are able to guide your students toward equipment that will improve their scores and enhance their enjoyment of the game. It’s not all that difficult to learn the basics of today’s equipment and how it will help lower scores. Dividing equipment into four categories – drivers, irons, hybrids and putters – will make it easy for you to instantly become an equipment guru in the eyes of those you teach. Drivers Big and geometric are the key words when it comes to today’s drivers. Nearly all of today’s drivers approach the USGA maximum conforming size of 460 cubic centimeters. Original metal drivers – and you surely still see some of these in your student’s bags – maxed out at about 150cc’s. The larger size of today’s drivers, which are made of titanium (a stronger, lighter material than stainless steel), creates what is known as a higher moment of inertia, or MOI. The higher the MOI of a club, the more stable it is on off-center hits, allowing less than perfect shots to fly longer and straighter. If your student still has a smaller driver in his or her bag, or one made from any material other than titanium, one of the fastest ways to improve driver play is through the acquisition of a properly fitted modern driver. Many of today’s drivers have non-traditional shapes. These shapes may be square, hexagonal or triangular. The purpose of any of these shapes is to position the center of gravity of the club so that it is easier to hit. Square shapes tend to allow players to hit the ball straighter as their weight is pushed as far toward the “corners” of the head as possible. If you have a student who has trouble finding the center of the face very often, a square driver should offer relief on those not so good hits. Triangular shapes and other shapes that seem to move weight rearward tend to make it easier to get the ball airborne, something that definitely helps slower swinging players. Mention that a launch monitor fitting will make sure a new design is properly suited to a player. The launch monitor will show things – swing speed, launch angle, spin rate, total distance and dispersion – that even the best teachers in the world can’t exactly quantify. Modern equipment with modern fitting techniques combine to lower a player’s score in short order. Irons If your students are playing any iron that is more than 10 years old, chances are they are behind the technology curve. If it’s oversize and has a deep center of gravity, it’s probably good for most of your students. In addition to most of today’s irons being larger, heavier, and thus more forgiving, many have wider soles that help a player get the ball in the air. Some have “undercut cavities.” This design moves weight even farther back from the face and helps the club be more stable on virtually any shot. If an iron is an undercut design, there will be a space between the back of the iron and the face toward the sole of the club. A key factor when discussing irons with your students is the distance they hit each one. You want them to have consistent distance gaps between each club, ensuring consistent accuracy on all iron shots. You also want to make sure they have wedges of the proper lofts and designs. Correct distance gaps in the scoring clubs are critical. Now that you have mentioned distance control, be sure to mention accuracy control through having properly fitted lie angles and club lengths. If you consistently see a player hit the ball left or right even when they make a good swing, it could be a lie angle issue. Lies that are too upright yield shots to the left for a right-handed player, while lies that are too flat often lead to pushed shots. New technology, when custom-matched to your students, will make your teaching much easier and will make the student scores go lower more quickly. Hybrids Long irons are a thing of the past. If there is a 3-iron (and even a 4-iron) in your student’s bag, they had better be a very good player. The answer to difficult-to-hit long irons is hybrids. Hybrids are a cross between fairway woods and irons. Typically, they are the length of long irons but with the forgiveness of fairway woods. They have deeper centers of gravity than do irons to get the ball in the air more easily. Plus, hybrids offer higher moments of inertia than do irons, making mis-hits go longer and straighter. They are easier to hit from rough due to their lower profiles and their weight makes them more user-friendly than long irons. Encourage your students to get rid of their 3-iron (and certainly any irons longer than that, as well) in favor of hybrids. For slower swinging players, the lower centers of gravity of hybrids make them even easier to hit. If a player swings slowly, adding #4, #5 and even #6 hybrids are a good idea. A number of companies offer full sets of hybrid clubs for those who struggle with their irons. Perhaps having a demo hybrid available during lessons may help show a student that hybrid clubs can be a true game-saver as compared to longer irons. Putters Geometric is the key word here too. More and more putters feature larger heads that create a higher MOI. The unique designs of some of today’s models may evoke comments from some of your more traditional students like, “I’m supposed to putt with that???” The secret to getting the ball to roll consistently is to create a putter that does not loft the ball too high at impact. The heavier weighted larger heads do this well. For those who have issues putting, one of the new larger designs may be just the ticket to lower scores. And while you’re discussing some of the new putter designs, make sure you mention that custom fitting of length and lie is a key to good putting. Even the most modern design won’t help a player unless it is fitted to his or her stroke. It’s good to know the meaning of some common putter technology terms. Hosel offset is how far the shaft is in front of the club face. Offset helps a player keep his or her hands ahead of the ball, generally resulting in a smoother roll for most players. Many putters now have what are called milled faces. A milled face is one that has been machine cut to precise flatness. Many of today’s high end models include face milling while the very highest end models have heads that are entirely milled for precise weight balance. Face balance is another term used to describe putters. A face balanced putter is one whose face will point skyward when the putter shaft is balanced on your finger. Face balanced putters help to create a straight-back, straight-through stroke which leads to improved putting. Good advice is to read as much as possible in golf magazines related to new equipment so that you stay a step ahead when it comes to product knowledge. Don’t necessarily believe every equipment claim made by every manufacturer, but do examine what technology most manufacturers are touting. By being aware of what’s new and hot in the industry, you’ll undoubtedly help your students play better. If you have the opportunity to attend an equipment demo day or two, be sure to take advantage of those situations. Hands-on experience with equipment will make it easier for you to communicate the benefits of new technology with your students, again making you an expert in their eyes and improving their games at the same time. Good instruction and proper equipment go hand-in-hand. Learning about equipment is a win-win for both you and your students.

5 Mar 2009 admin

The Commonality of All Teaching “Systems”

By Mark Harman USGTF Level IV Member and National Course Director, Ridgeland, South Carolina I’ve been teaching golf for nearly 20 years now, and over the years I think I’ve just about seen it all when it comes to teaching beliefs. Of course, as soon as I say that, something new and out of the blue will pop up. The most recent “hot” teaching trend is the stack-and-tilt method as developed by Andy Plummer and Mike Bennett. These two fellows have a stable of over 20 touring professionals using their system. Basically, stack-and-tilt is a belief that the weight should remain on the forward foot during the swing. Plummer and Bennett believe that it makes no sense to transfer weight to the back foot when, according to them, it is simpler to just keep it on the forward foot during the swing. Of course, this is not new. USGTF member Randy Cayson, a current member of our examining team, was a proponent of this theory over 10 years ago, calling it a “single-pivot” swing. Remember when Moe Norman’s swing and Natural Golf were all the rage? Devotees of Moe were adamant that his swing was far better mechanically than the so-called “conventional” swing. I even personally know of one proponent who got very angry with me over a column I wrote a number of years ago that called into question the belief that Moe’s swing was automatically the best for everyone. The amusing thing about this fellow is that he practiced hours on end each day for a few years, and yet, to the best of my knowledge, never improved his game. Bob Toski and Jim Flick strongly believe that the hands control the golf swing, while David Leadbetter believes the big muscles do. Jimmy Ballard teaches students to load up and fire off the right side. Other teachers advocate left-side control. Yet, despite all the differences of opinion on exactly what the best way to swing a golf club is, there is one common factor that each and every system has: a retention of the angle between the lead arm and clubshaft until impact, when the lead arm and shaft straighten out. In fact, if there is any secret to the golf swing, that is it. This fundamental was highlighted in the book Search for the Perfect Swing, written by Alastair Cochran and John Stobbs back in 1968. In fact, it was the basis for the whole book. A student of mine named Frank is a fairly good player, regularly shooting in the low 80’s. He came to me wanting to shoot in the mid- to high-70’s more often. Frank has a pretty typical swing for a male golfer in that he sways his lower body on the backswing, counterbalancing by reverse-tilting his upper body. He had a fairly strong grip, necessitating a blocking action through impact in order to avoid hitting a hook. The first thing I did was neutralize his grip and have him release the club properly. Predictably, his ball flight got very inconsistent, but I felt this was a necessary adjustment in order to effect permanent improvement. The next order of business was to correct his pivot action. Well, this proved to be a problem. No matter what I did, he kept swaying and tilting. I consulted David Vaught, one of our fine examiners, and he gave me some great ideas. Still, nothing worked (sorry Dave!), as Frank’s muscle memory proved to be stronger than anything I’ve seen in awhile. In fact, as time went by, on videotape Frank’s early release got even earlier. Although he retained his belief in me as his teacher, I began questioning why all my best efforts went for naught. After thinking about the problem for awhile, I came to the conclusion that, no matter what, I needed to get Frank’s release timed properly. We all know that the release is a result of other things done properly in the swing. But, could we bypass all the other stuff and just go to the release? It was worth a try. When I next saw Frank, I showed him how to lag the club during transition, and thereby retain the angle longer. To describe the exact way of how I did this would necessitate some heavy reading and writing, so perhaps I’ll leave that for a future article. In any event, I did not mention any other instruction, nor did I want him to focus on anything else except lagging the clubhead to start the downswing. To make a long story short, it worked. He’s picked up some yardage and doesn’t hit the ball all over the place anymore on his bad shots. Although Frank is obviously still a work in progress, at least we finally started making progress. He still sways and reverse-tilts, but I am resigned to the fact that he simply cannot change this. The moral of this story is that I went to the one fundamental that every teacher agrees on. The closer you can get your students to this fundamental, the better.