Golf Pro
November 30, 2007 by admin · Leave a Comment
When most people think of a golf pro they think of a PGA Tour golfer. The majority of the 28,000 members of the PGA of America are club pros. A club professional’s duty is to direct, oversee and manage the everyday operations of a golf club or golf resort. The position includes managing all aspects of the course, upkeep, vehicle maintenance, retail shop, event scheduling, instructional program and anything else having to do with day to day operations. A golf pro has the responsibility to build membership and increase club profits while maintaining hands-on control of the entire enterprise.
One of the main resposibilities of a golf pro is to build a strong golf lesson program. One way for them to accomplish this is to incorporate qualified assistant professionals to become instructors. A good lesson program creates business in many ways. Students who are involved in the program may eventually become club members. Their membership creates residual business for the club. The students from a large lesson program become a real benefit to the long term future growth of the golf club.
There have been several club pros that have reached fame and fortune, the most well known is Arnold Palmer. Born in Latrobe, PA., Palmer learned golf from his father and was assistant golf pro at the Latrobe Country Club. At the age of 17 he was breaking par (70). Palmer popularized the game of golf like no other golfer in history, so much so that he was given the nickname “the king”. He is responsible for establishing golf as a compelling television event in the 1950s and 1960s. He retired from tournament play on October 13, 2006.
There is a rigorously maintained distinction in golf between professional and amateur golfers. If an amateur plays in a tournament for money, they will forever lose their amateur status. On the other hand, a professional may not play in amateur tournaments. Even if a professional agrees not to play for money it is very difficult to regain their amateur status. Once a golf pro becomes a professional they have two choices: either work at a golf club/resort or become
a member of the PGA tour.
How to hit a draw
November 29, 2007 by admin · Leave a Comment
A draw shot curves slightly from right to left. It is one of the best shots to hit with a driver because the shot creates overspin on the golf ball. The overspin will make the ball run a bit farther which obviously adds more distance.
This is an ideal shot to hit if you are playing a hole with a dogleg left (angled right to left). Many PGA Tour players always hit a draw with their driver. Let me explain their theory: If they hit a draw they aim staight down the fairway. If the
ball does draw it will land left of center and still be in the fairway.
If they do not hit the draw as planned and unintentionally hit the ball straight they still land in the middle of the fairway. Either way they can’t lose. Let me answer the main question: “how to hit a draw“?
The important thing to remember is that the ball has to have a bit of right to left spin on for it to curve to the left. There are two changes that I make to create a draw. I turn my clubface slightly inward. Instead of my clubface being square to the target I make sure the toe is turned in just a bit.
The next thing I do is to bring my right foot slightly back from it’s usual position. Doing this tends to promote swinging the club from inside. There are all kinds of theories on how to hit a draw, a lot of them can be very misleading. I think the best thing to do is just keep it simple. Don’t change your grip or grip pressure. Don’t alter your stance to any great degree.
You should still be standing square to the target. Make sure you don’t change your swing.
The main thing to keep in mind is, just like any shot, hitting a draw takes practice. Before you try to hit a draw on the course you should spend plenty of time on the practice range. You will find that a draw is not that difficult to hit and
may very well become an integral part of your golf game.
Amateur Golf Instruction
November 27, 2007 by admin · Leave a Comment
Amateur golf in the United States is governed by the United States Golf Association. The USGA is comprised of the national association of golf courses, clubs and facilities of golf in the U.S. and Mexico. The primary responsibility of the USGA is to interpret the rules of golf.
One of the tournaments, among many, that is organized by the USGA is the U.S. Amateur Championship which is held at various prominent courses throughout the United States. Winning a U.S. Amateur Championship is the epitome of amateur golf in America. Most winner’s of the Amateur Championship go on to join the regular PGA tour. Some have done exceedingly well like Jack Nicklaus or Tiger Woods while other’s have quickly faded from view.
Being on the PGA tour is much different than playing amateur golf, the environment is much different. As a PGA tour member you play weekly, against some of the best golfers in the world which creates intense pressure. The tour also requires adequate sponsorship to afford the high costs of travel and entry fees.
If you are not doing well on the “money list” sponsorship can be very hard to aquire. A couple of top 10 finishes can make all the difference to a newcomer on tour. It can catapult them to the kind of prominence that will bring notice from corporate sponsors. Corporate sponsorship could mean the difference between continuing or quitting the PGA tour.
Many very talented amateur golfers have the ability to play on the PGA tour but do not have the resources to do so. It is
very unfortunate in some cases because I feel that new faces on tour make the game much more interesting. Tiger Woods is a very good example. He won the U.S. Amateur Championship at a very early age and immediately joined the PGA tour
to break every conceivable record. He is approaching the all time record for major championship wins presently held by Jack Nicklaus.
Playing amateur golf for Tiger was the stepping stone to the regular tour and I’m sure he wouldn’t disagree that he owes some of his success on tour to his U.S. Amateur victory.
BIOMECHANICS OF GOLF SWING KINESIOLOGY
November 26, 2007 by admin · Leave a Comment
Webster defines Kinesiology as “the study of the principles of mechanics and anatomy in relation to human movement”. Simply said, it is the study of how we move and the causation of our movements. How then, does this apply to the golf swing? In order to help you understand this let’s unravel what the biomechanics of golf swing kinesiology is all about.
The study of human anatomy and movement has been going on for literally thousands of years. With the advent of computer technology modern science has been able to pinpoint exactly how muscles function. The ability to look inside the human body has not only helped those in the medical community it has also created tremendous strides in the sports field especially in the game of golf!
That is why the biomechanics of golf swing kinesiology has become such a popular field of study.
It can easily be said that biomechanics of golf swing kinesiology has three primary functions: preventative, therapeutic and hi-performance. Reason would seem to dictate that in the field of sports, the prevention of injury would receive the highest priority. At present the study of biomechanics seems to be concentrated on achieving high performance. In athletes this means that in order to be at the top of your sport you need to be a “lean and mean, fighting machine”!
What this amounts to, for those of us that hope to drop our scores, is more time exercising. There are certain muscle groups that play a major role in swinging a golf club. The strengthening of these muscles will go a long way toward preventing injury and creating high performance on the golf course. Not everyone has the luxury of a personal trainer, however, there is plenty of literature available on the subject of biomechanics. Once you start your exercise program you will begin to see significant improvement in your physical stamina and your ability to swing in a more fluid fashion. Let’s not forget how a good exercise program can also help your ability to stay focused on your game. Biomechanics of golf swing kinesiology, described in the simplest form, means that a good exercise program is the best way to prevent injury, stay healthy and improve your athletic ability.
Beginner Golf Instruction
November 21, 2007 by admin · Leave a Comment
Most people that are new to the game of golf have a natural swing, youngsters between the ages of 5 and 12 years of age. They swing the club with good rhythm, balance and grace. The beginner has not yet been tainted by an overly enthusiastic golf instructor.
The first few golf instructions create a unique opportunity for the instructor to instill a strong desire in the student to do better. This is most easily done through simple instructional techniques. Let’s face it- the student is there to learn and have fun, and “having fun” is what the game is all about. Too many instructors just don’t place a high emphasis on having fun. Think about it, how many students will actually be scratch players in 5 years, or for that matter, ever? The point is that most players do want to improve their games but not at the expense of having fun! This is certainly not to underestimate the importance of instruction, practice or good technique.
There is a common tendency with most instructors, in spite of their best intentions, to over instruct their students. Let’s face it- their job is to try to find flaws and correct them, however, sometimes tampering with a natural swing can be detrimental to the student.
Instead of sticking with the major elements of the golf swing, instructors usually attempt to get into details of the swing that the beginner does not understand. For instance they may use terms such as “strong” or “weak” grip. To the beginner that could mean many things. Terms like “swinging from the inside “, “parallel at the top” could mean different things as well- you get the idea. As the instructor tries to explain and implement these various terms and techniques the beginner becomes confused and in some cases discouraged. That is the last thing the student needs.
Most beginner golfers, especially below the age of 12, are just concerned with being able to hit the ball, never mind “hook or slice”. If anything they may tend to swing too hard because the natural tendency is to think that the harder you hit the ball the farther it goes. The smart teacher knows that for a beinner just getting the ball in the air consistently is a major accomplishment. Getting the ball airborne and flying towards the target should be the goal of the first lesson.
Beginner golf instruction should be kept simple and uncomplicated. The golf instructor should be concerned with the basic fundamentals such as grip, aim, stance and posture. When a student sees their ball going straight they instantly become more enthusiastic and motivated. This type of motivation should be the initial golf of beginner golf instruction. Golf can be fun and exciting, and if the instruction is simple it will be!
Best Golf Instruction
November 20, 2007 by admin · Leave a Comment
The best golf instruction involves a willing student and a patient, knowledgeable instructor. It involves hard work on the part of the student going through swing moves that are very repetitive and seem extremely awkward at times.
Let’s begin with the instructor and explain what their real purpose is. To provide the best golf instruction you have to have a keen perception as to what improvements should be made in your student’s swing pattern. It all starts with the word GASP and every instructor should be familiar with its meaning.
G stands for Grip. The only part of your body which is attached to the club itself are your hands. That makes it pretty important that you establish a really good grip first and foremost. Are you gripping the club too tightly?
A stands for Aim. Everyone must live up to the fact that if you’re aim is not correct you can hit the greatest shot you ever hit and not be on target. Aim is critical. Are you aiming directly at the target?
S stands for Stance. Your feet must be completely square to your swing path, shoulder width apart and your weight should be on the insides of both feet. This is one of the simplest to learn. Where is the ball in your stance?
P stands for posture. Is your back straight, are your knees bent slightly, weight on the inside of your feet and are your arms hanging straight down in a comfortable fashion? Are your knees bent too much? If so, you will it a “fat” shot!
Now let us talk about the student. Students are known to be impatient and this should be foremost on the instructor’s agenda. By not going too fast and getting into too much detail during the lesson an instructor shouldn’t have to worry about a student’s impatience. The reason being that most people, if given something that is too difficult, become impatient with themselves. So once again we should say “keep it simple”.
Students love to be challenged so they can prove to their instructor that they can accomplish what is suggested to them. They love to be able to prove to themselves and their instructors that they “really can do it” ! The problem with most teachers is their own ego- meaning that instead of being concerned with their students abilities and/or shortcomings they are concerned that they themselves are “wasting their time with this student”. A good instructional program is not only beneficial and rewarding for the student but also for the instructor and in the long run it benefits the game itself. This is truly the best golf instruction.
BIOMECHANICS OF THE GOLF SWING
November 19, 2007 by admin · Leave a Comment
Aristotle wrote the first book on Biomechanics. Some examples of biomechanics research include the investigation of the forces that act on limbs, the aerodynamics of bird and insect flight, the hydrodynamics of swimming in fish and locomotion in general across all forms of life. The biomechanics of human beings is a core part of the Kinesiology which is the scientific study of human movement. The biomechanics of the Golf Swing is a very interesting subject. More and more PGA pros are delving into this area with the result being much lower scores.
There are factors that control human movement that are quite difficult to understand but there is one thing we do know for sure and that is that human muscles work best when they are in a very relaxed state. Researchers that study the biomechanics of the golf swing know that when muscles are tense they don’t work as well and are more likely to be injured. A relaxed muscle works normally and is less likely to suffer injury. A very good example is as follows: Hold a rubber band from your fingertips and watch what happens. Take the same rubber band and stretch it between your fingers. Which of these two examples would you want your muscles to emulate the next time you set up for a golf shot?
Clubhead speed determines just how far a typical golf shot travels but in order to generate the kind of speed required to hit a 300 yd. drive the biomechanics of the golf swing come into play. During the swing the body creates centrifugal force through a coiling action. In essence being more relaxed at address results in a better “turn” which generates greater torque resulting in more clubhead speed.
Obviously, in order to remain relaxed, the computer between your ears has to be in control otherwise it can really complicate the biomechanics of the golf swing. In order to remain in a relaxed state on the course your mind has to be free from all anxiety, worry and fear, all of which cause tension. One of the very best examples of a person with great mind control is Tiger Woods. In my view the single biggest reason why Tiger Woods is the world’s best golfer is his ability to remain mentally relaxed and in control of his emotions at all times. He knows that anxiety creates tension and tension is the venom that can poison a good golf swing.
Online Golf Lessons - A New Approach
November 14, 2007 by admin · Leave a Comment
We’ve taken a golf instruction in a new direction. We’ve recently designed a golf apprentice program, where I take you through 12 months of online golf instruction. We cover the basics, and we also get in-depth. You can see the apprentice program absolutely free. The students currently enrolled have been getting great results.
You can see the free golf program here
Golf Instruction - The Hips
November 13, 2007 by admin · Leave a Comment
I wanted to post this really quickly because there have been a lot of questions from our full swing dvd customers about what the hips do in the golf swing.
It’s very important that when you initiate the downswing, that you think about turning AROUND the body and spine. Most players who have a golf slice problem tend to slide back away from the ball during the backswing, and then slide towards the target during the downswing and follow through. This movement produces a slice.
Instead, focus on turning your hips around in a circular motion. This will keep your golf swing on plane, and it will do wonders for your golf game. If you have any questions on this please let me know.
