Teaching “PRO” File – Bower “Bo” Harris
The winner of the 2019 Harvey Penick Trophy for Excellence in Golf Teaching, Bower “Bo” Harris from Knoxville, Tennessee, certainly has a lot to be proud of. A 10-year teaching veteran, Harris teaches at Williams Creek Golf Course in Knoxville, where he has helped scores of golfers lower their scores, including scholastic golfers who are achieving success. Harris also uses technology such as Foresight Sports’ GC2, Gen i1 putting monitor and Swing Catalyst. In addition to his status as a USGTF Certified Golf Teaching Professional, Harris also holds other certifications that have allowed him to become one of the most sought-after teachers and coaches in the Knoxville area.
He also coached four medal winners in the 2012 Special Olympics, coached high school golf and, in his words, Helps underprivileged youth, veterans, and stroke victims with discovering and cultivating a passion for golf.” Harris is married to his wife Anya and they have a son, George.
September 20th is the deadline to enter this year’s United States Golf Teachers Cup, to be held Monday and Tuesday, October 18-19, at Revere Golf Club in Henderson, Nevada, just outside Las Vegas. A concurrent pro-am will be held for USGTF participants who bring an amateur partner. The entry fee of $495 per person includes two rounds of tournament golf, range balls before play, prizes, an awards ceremony and a closing luncheon. To enter, please visit 
By Mark Harman
Normally at The Open in the United Kingdom, wind, temperature and rain play a role on at least one of the days. But this past July at Royal St. Georges in the southeast of England, blue skies and calm winds ruled all four days. How much of an effect does wind and temperature have on the playing of our game?
Using Foresight Sports’ GC Quad and simulation technology, we can provide somewhat of an answer. The example here is a golfer who hits the ball slightly longer than the average male golfer. Into a 10 mph wind, a golfer can expect to lose approximately 12 yards of carry distance with a driver, while downwind the gain is about 9 yards. At the professional level these yardages are both going to be slightly to somewhat longer. Of course, a lot depends upon the launch angle and spin rate of the drive, too, but in general these numbers are going to be pretty much what we see. You can also see that a headwind has a slightly greater effect on distance than does a trailing wind.
Let’s use a 6-iron as an example. Into a 10 mph wind, the loss of carry distance will be about 12 yards, while downwind the gain will be about 8 yards. Into a 15 mph headwind, the distance loss from no wind is 20 yards, and the gain from a 15 mph trailing wind increases only 4 yards to 12 yards total. Again, this is further proof a headwind affects ball flight to a greater degree than does a trailing wind.
What about temperature? According to the technology, the difference in carry distance between a drive hit in 55° F and 90° F is only about 5 yards. So that doesn’t seem very significant. The difference in 6-iron carry varies only 4 yards, although at the higher skill levels a good player will notice this. Wind and temperature are elements that do affect the playing of the game and offer unique challenges on their own. Tom Watson embraced the challenge while other professionals loathed it. Our mental attitude towards different conditions undoubtedly play a greater role in our playing success or failure than do the actual conditions themselves.
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By Johnny McCosker, USGTF Professional
My student spotlight story goes back to Lakeland, Florida, where one of my students was Jonathan Giammatteo. He was a 5-year-old that his parents brought to me for his swing training and grooming. He showed a knack and talent for the swing and wanted to improve. We worked together for several years, and it was always a joy to work with him.
As he grew up, he pursed different interests, and basketball was one of them. After several years, Jonathan came back into my golf life in 2016. He began to compete in some local golf tournaments and we re-engaged in some teaching. He decided to go all-in for golf and was accepted to the Florida Gulf Coast University in the Golf Management program. The Quechee Club hires seasonal professionals in order to help out in the summer months. I wrote a note to the director of golf at the club and recommended that he hire Jonathan as an intern for this summer. So, now it’s come full circle, and Jonathan is now currently working at The Quechee Club. It is so nice to see him grow into a fine young man and we get to see each other.
Jonathan grew into a very accomplished golfer. As a junior golfer he obtained multiple wins, including the junior club championship at Grasslands Golf and Country Club, and the Schalamar Creek Junior Championship. He also finished with a T-2 at the Junior Citrus Open. While in pursuit of his PGA card, he passed his PGA playing ability test with scores of 78-74. In September of 2021, he plans to change the script for amateur golfers and turn pro at the age of 19 and play professionally in Florida while in college. During his time as an intern at the Quechee Club, Jonathan has been able to grow as an upcoming professional learning to play on different grasses and in different conditions than what he is used to in Florida.
For USGTF member Jerry Ellstrom from Port St. Lucie, Florida, golf was not something that has always been present in his life, but today it is a passion of his, especially when it comes to teaching. He conducts three clinics per week and his average clientele is ages 65 and over.
“We are going about it the wrong way in trying to focus on junior golfers,” Ellstrom believes. “There are 10,000 people who retire every day and they want to learn to play golf. They have disposable income, These are the people we should be focusing on.”
Ellstrom’s golf career started in 1972 after he got out of the Army, and he wanted to learn to play the game. He received lessons from Jimmy Clark, a two-time winner on the PGA Tour. Ellstrom took lessons from Clark for five years, but what was remarkable is that only a year after taking up the game, Ellstrom had a plus handicap. to achieve this, he hit 700 range balls most days in addition to chipping and putting. But he never entertained thoughts of being a touring professional. Instead, he entered the business world, running worldwide distribution sales for a semi-conductor company. He quit playing golf for around 20 years, and upon retirement looked for a new career. He entered Keiser University where he learned to teach golf under five Top 100 instructors. He later found the USGTF when he happened upon the National Office which was then in Port St. Lucie.
Ellstrom estimates he has given 7,000 lessons the past 10 years and enjoys it immensely. He believes an older teacher’s greatest asset is the ability to communicate, and he takes what a student has and makes it better. His lasting desire is this: “I have a desire to pay it forward for people to teach the game.”