My Teaching Philosophy
My philosphy is based on the simple premise that golf is a GAME and should be enjoyed. Learning and playing golf should be fun, and we can enjoy the learning process together.
"Education is the kindling of a flame, not the filling of a vessel." -- Socrates
"Education is the kindling of a flame, not the filling of a vessel." -- Socrates
- Let's get your game improved to where you are shooting career rounds.
- Educate and coach each student so they have a roadmap for game improvement and more fun playing the game of a lifetime.
- Match realistic student goals with a relaxed way to meet their needs.
- There is no such thing as a method or lesson plan that fits everyone. The education must be tailored to the student. A student's goals and history with the game are a driving force in their ability to advance their game.
- The only thing the ball knows is the clubface.
- Solid contact for a ball off the ground is a three-legged stool -- you need a square clubface, the center of the clubface, and to have your club head bottom out at or ahead of the ball.
- A golf club swinging on-plane squares itself.
- We only touch two things at three places -- the club and the ground. We maneuver the clubface through our hands, and we need to use the ground to maneuver our body. Good players know how to use leverage to their advantage.
- Golf is a target game. If we tap into our innate "wiring" acquired from ancestral targeting skills, amazing things can happen.
- A good short game comes from targeting, solid contact and distance control. Feel can be learned when the student develops a system for distance control.
My Teaching Approach
- The first thing the student paid for is my undivided attention.
- Lessons are all about the student. I have two eyes, two ears and only one mouth. They should be used in the same proportions.
- Match the instruction to the student's goals and learning pace.
- Learn the learning style of the student. Find the best ways to explain, demonstrate, guide and allow the student to feel the proper motion. Know at least 10 ways to say or show or get a student to sense the same thing.
- There is an old saying: "Most shots are missed before the club even moves." This is the best place to start. Pick the low hanging fruit first.
- Try not to change the swing, but to first remove the tension and blockages and bad angles. Pros and scratch golfers do less work than amateur golfers in their golf swings. Find a way for the student to get out of his or her own way.
- When changing the swing -- use the sequence of "ground up, inside-outside, backswing to forward swing." Exceptions are novice players and getting a Downswing on-plane. On-plane training is much like novice training -- hands and arms first, then the body.
- Keep it simple, short and relaxed -- no more than one or two topics per session.
- Help a student learn how to pitch the ball properly, and they WILL shoot lower scores.
- Help each student become his or her own coach. Guide them to understand their swing tendencies and how to get back on track.
- Teach the student how to practice like the pros.
IF YOU LOVE THE COURSE BUT DESPISE THE RANGE,
YOU BOBBLE IN THE WATER HAZARD OF DELUSION.
YOU BOBBLE IN THE WATER HAZARD OF DELUSION.
