Course Attitude Equals Course Results
Magic struck twice at TPC Four Seasons Resort at Irving, Texas. Once, when Steven Bowditch married his lovely wife, Amanda, and stayed there for their honeymoon. And then again when Bowditch shot an amazing 64 during the final round to win the AT&T Byron Nelson event. Is it coincidence that those two events happened for Bowditch at the same location? I think not. This is much more than a chance happening. The TPC Four Seasons...
Merkel Emerges as National US Match Play Champion
Newly minted professional golfer Tyler Merkel from Fort Myers, Florida, captured the 3rd annual United States Match Play Championship in strong fashion, as he defeated third-seeded Nyasha Mauchaza 2 & 1 in the championship match played at Indian Hills Golf Course in Fort Pierce, Florida. Merkel, whose swing coach is USGTF Master Teaching Professional Michael Wolf, defeated a field of 18 finalists winning four matches on his road...
Are You Likeable?
Often, as coaches, we are keen to dive into talking technical talk with our students. We are anxious to offer as much constructive feedback and guidance as we can. It may seem counterintuitive, but our technical messages may be better heard and absorbed if we enhanced our likeability factor. Tim Sanders has written a great book called The Likeability Factor. At its core is Theodore Roosevelt’s quote: “People don’t care how much you...
Getting Students to Accept the Quirks in Their Golf Swings
It undoubtedly happens every day: Somewhere, someone videotapes their golf swing, compares it to what they consider a “perfect” golf swing, and then tries diligently to make their swing “perfect,” too. Or, a teacher is giving a video lesson to a student, and the student is unhappy with what he or she sees. With the advent of the consumer camcorder in 1983, golf instruction changed forever. Instructors now had the ability for the first...
Peckels Wins 5th Annual US Pro Hickory
Eddie Peckels from Winter Springs, Florida, used a set of Precision hickory golf clubs from Louisville Golf to capture his second United States Professional Hickory Golf Championship at historic Temple Terrace Golf & Country Club in Tampa, Florida. The tournament, a commemorative to the 1925 Florida Open, is played with pre-1930-era equipment and balls. Peckels’ game matched the name on his clubs as he cruised around the Tom...
The Golf Instructor
Just recently, I felt very proud of one of my students. She was playing in a two-day ladies’ tournament, and after the fi rst day’s play, she came to me and said, “Coach, I need to say something to you concerning today’s play. While marking my ball on the green, I accidentally pushed the ball forward. No one saw what transpired, but I replaced my ball and called my marker to inform her of what had happened. I then called a penalty...
The Dangers of Seeking Perfection
Golf students come from all walks of life and personalities, each with their own motivations for playing the game. The one common thread that virtually all of these diverse individuals have is that they play the game for enjoyment. Even hardened competitors at the professional level are playing because they enjoy making a living in this manner. Most of us recognize the fact that, as Dr. Bob Rotella said, golf is not a game of perfect,...
Using Strokes Gained Putting to Analyze Flat Stick
Traditional putting statistics such as average putts per round, average putts per green in regulation, and average number of one-putts and three-putts have always been available and easy to figure, but they never really answer the question of true putting ability. That’s because the number of putts taken during a round of golf largely depends on the starting position of the first putt. An article in Golf Magazine in the early 1980s...
Developing Golf Skill s as a Habit
I have recently been reading Dr. Stephen Covey’s bestseller titled The 7 Habits of Highly Effective People, and came across a topic that could be applied to golf instruction. Dr. Covey defines the formation of habit as the intersection of knowledge, skill, and desire. Given further consideration, it seems this concept could be applied to golf instruction sessions to assess the development of golf skills and a student’s commitment to...
“It Is All About Points”
If you are in a relationship, and especially if you are married, you will understand about points. You are either ahead in points or behind in points. In most cases, if you are like me, behind in points is the story of your life. Very simply put, you gain points by doing what is expected such as yard work, working on the house, doing the dishes, the vacuuming, and not forgetting birthdays and anniversaries. You lose points by not...
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