Teacher Talk

In the past month, we’ve seen Paul Goydos and Stuart Appleby each shoot 59. In addition, you had a couple of 60s and assorted low-60s…

Teacher Talk

I recently played one of those relatively new championship courses in town and all four par 3 holes ranged in distance from 220 yards to…

PEAKS & VALLEYS

A vital lesson for anyone who aspires to play golf at a high level is understanding the “Peaks and Valleys.” It’s human nature to grasp…

Random Musings

…I pulled out my old 1961 Walter Hagan laminated driver the other day and compared it to my modern high-tech titanium/composite driver. Guess what? I…

True potential

How many times have you heard, “I play 14 holes really well, but there’s always four holes that kill my score”?  Or, “If I could only…

SELLING YOUR TALENT!

As golf teaching professionals, it is important to have highly developed technical knowledge and teaching skills.  However, we must be able to sell that skill…

KNOW YOUR YARDAGE

I have the pleasure of working with some great high school student-athletes who want to play at the college level.  Tournament golf is very different…

TRAINING AIDS

As golf teaching professionals, we constantly look for ways to help our students get better.  We read books, attend continuing education classes, watch videos, and…

VIDEO ANALYSIS

The correct video camera is an excellent teaching aid and an essential tool for the teaching professional.  It provides the ability to freeze the action,…

BOUNCE?!

A few weeks ago, I was playing a round of golf with some buddies. Their handicap range was from 15-25. About halfway through the round,…

LEARNING A SKILL

LEARNING A SKILL, PART 1 A successful teacher can transmit his information to the student in the most effective manner possible. To help achieve this…

Bad Shots

Bad shots are part of the game of golf; we all hit them.  After hitting a bad shot, there are different options on what happens…

Look at the hole

Anyone watching this year’s Masters tournament heard the commentators talk about Jordan Spieth’s unusual putting routine of looking at the hole while putting shorter putts…

INDOOR GOLF

As some of you are making your tee times in December and playing in short-sleeve golf shirts, enjoy it!  Some of us are not that…

REAL GOLF

I recently met a man in his late 50s who wanted to learn to play golf. I asked him some basic questions: Had he played…

REGIONAL EVENTS

This past weekend, I had the pleasure of attending the Southwest Regional Championship at Ridgeview Ranch in Plano, Texas, hosted by Bruce Sims.  This was…

POSTURE

Time away from the game is so good for the brain, from the working out aspect. The best thing for your golf is that the…

MOTIVATION

Most people have heard the story about the “anonymous” survey that Sports Illustrated covered with some PGA Tour players. For those of you who haven’t,…

GOLF APPS

Today’s technology has made playing a round of golf easier for the modern player. It has also pretty much eliminated the use of caddies. The…

RAIN DELAYS

I was recently caddying in our local State Amateur qualifier for one of my young golf students.  After 10 holes, the skies opened up and…

GOOD ANGER

We have all heard someone on TV or in person say a four-letter word after a bad shot.  Sometimes we might shake our heads, and…

PAYING THE PRICE

We have all heard phrases about working hard to be successful or willing to never quit.  There are phrases on t-shirts, posters, and even coffee…

CHANGE

Everyone has heard phrase about how the world is changing and you have to adapt to the change.  For some of us, this might be natural,…

RIP IT

Anyone who watched the Match Play Championship this past March in Austin, Texas, witnessed Jason Day playing some great golf.  I noticed something about him…

Handicapping

Handicapping, as in horse racing, allows players of differing abilities to compete on an equitable basis with each other.  Each player is assigned a handicap…

GOLF FITNESS

In the past few years, nagging lower back issues have hampered my golf swing and everyday lifestyle. I have hit over 5 million golf balls…

MATCH PLAY

Last week I was watching the NCAA Men’s Championship on TV.  The tournament format is match play:  first team to three wins is the champion. …

HONOR

Many discussions have been held regarding Dustin Johnson’s ball moving during the final round of the U.S. Open and the resulting ruling.  For those who…

TIGHT SHIRTS

Here we go again! During the year’s British Open telecast, Johnny Miller, working his first ever Open, spouted out commentary which once again leaves some…

FLEXIBILITY

As winter enters most areas of the country, now is a great time to brainstorm with your students on things they can do to improve…

Spring Trip

As I glance out the window, snow is falling along with the temperature.  Playing golf is a ways off in our neck of the woods,…

Shorter Driver

There is a new trend in the world of professional golf:  shorter drivers.  I’m not referencing the actual driving distance, but rather the length of…

Getting Ready

As spring begins to present itself to most of the country, golf season is on a lot of people’s minds, from students to teachers alike.…

Partner Events

The Zurich Classic was held this past April on the PGA Tour.  The event changed its format from a normal stroke-play, individual event to a…

U.S. OPEN

Like most people, I spent part of Father’s Day weekend watching this year’s U.S. Open at Erin Hills. While there is much debate on whether…

Pressure

By Cole Golden, USGTF Master Golf Teaching Professional I recently had a student who was going to play in one of the largest amateur golf…

Friendship VS. Competitors

By Cole Golden WGTF Master Golf Teaching Professional Recently, after Jordan Spieth’s and Justin Thomas’ major wins, much has been said in regards to their…

Gifts From Golf

By Cole Golden, WGTF Master Golf Teaching Professional Friendship can develop in many different areas of your life: family, church, school, work, hobbies and even…

Learning Something New

By Cole Golden, WGTF Master Golf Teaching Professional A month ago at the World Golf Teachers Cup at Boulder Creek Golf Club in sunny Las…

Does Tiger Need A Coach?

By Cole Golden, USGTF Master Golf Teaching Professional Tiger Woods recently announced that, after three years, he is no longer working with his golf instructor…

Education Of A Golf Teacher

By Mark Harman USGTF Course Director, Ridgeland, South Carolina What does it take to become an excellent golf teaching professional? Certainly, there are a number…

Teaching Outside the Box

By David Vaught USGTF Master Golf Teaching Professional® – Vista, California As often happens in other sports or even walks of life, humans tend to…

Slow Play

By Cole Golden, WGTF Master Golf Teaching Professional By now, everyone has seen or heard what happened at the Farmers Insurance Open in January at…

Member Benefits

By Cole Golden, WGTF Master Golf Teaching Professional There are many benefits of belonging to the USGTF and WGTF.  Just a few of the top…

Understanding The Motive

By David Vaught, USGTF Master Professional Occasionally we are all confronted with a deep-meaning question from someone that requires quite a bit of reflection. It…

Passing The Torch

By Thomas T Wartelle, WGTF Master Golf Teaching Professional I never saw my Pop play a round of golf. I saw him hit a golf…

Regional Events

By Cole Golden, WGTF Master Golf Teaching Professional Earlier in April, the Masters golf tournament was contested. For many people in the United States, it…

Music…Good Or Bad For Golf?

By Cole Golden, WGTF Master Golf Teaching Professional At this year’s Zurich Championship, the two-man teams started their match by walking out to the first…

Can’t Give Up

By Cole Golden, WGTF Master Golf Teaching Professional In September, after losing in a playoff at the BMW Championship, Justin Rose gained enough points to…

Today’s Golfer

By Cole Golden, WGTF Master Golf Teaching Professional More than 20 years ago when I became a certified golf teaching professional, golf was a different…

Is Golf Too Hard?

By Mike Stevens, USGTF contributing writer In the movie A league of Their Own, Gina Davis, the star player, tells Tom Hanks, the manager, she…