What do all those gadgets do?
My mom’s a great cook. Growing up I remember how I felt every time I pulled open the drawer in the kitchen where her cooking tools-of- the-trade were stored. I was subjected to this drawer each time I needed the can-opener. Or the veggie peeler, kept there tangled amid an assortment of rubber, wood and glinting steel. There was a sense of wonder surrounding this drawer, a world of intrigue and unknowns. It was, however, difficult not...
Matching golf shafts to your students
Matching a golf shaft to a student can be, at times, truly a challenge. There are several key elements in selecting the proper shaft. The teacher and player must work as a team to make certain the feel and performance of the shaft best matches the playability and feel requirements of the player. Shaft fitting is an investigative process; the more knowledge that can be discovered about a golfer’s swing, the better the fit is likely to...
Indoor Teaching
As Mike Weir began tie 2002 season, naturally full of hope after ending 2001 with his best ever season and a win at the Tour Championship, he expected great things. He of course succumbed to his worst season on the TOUR since his first, with only a little over $800,000 in earnings and a 78th place position on the money list. Upon early success during the 2003 campaign, journalists began probing Weir with questions pertaining to his...
Learning From Ski Teaching Professionals
People take ski lessons for improvement and enjoyment. In the summer, golfers take golf lessons for improvement. But enjoyment? Are you doing your part to make sure that is the case? An effective ski instructor has a way of delivering a positive ‘guest experience’ and a method of work that is both technically sound and results orientated. The technical components of ski teaching are: solid analytical and development tools, but...
Are New Drivers Getting Better?
Greetings and Happy New Year! In the last issue of Golf Teaching Pro magazine, I wrote about golf driver technologies. I explained what I call my “Water Hose” analogy about launch angle, ball speed and spin rates in the new drivers. If you don’t have a new driver, or know what your launch angle, ball speed and spin rates are then you’re giving up 20-30 yards. The object is to hit the new drivers high, with low spin rates to create...
Teaching Golf and Human Behavior
Here is a little story. Two men were talking, and one said to the other, “I taught my dog how to whistle.” The other guy said, “Okay, let me hear him whistle.” The first guy answers, “I said I taught him, I didn’t say he learned.” There is a difference between taking a golf lesson and learning from the lesson. We know as teachers that we do not have complete control of the learning process. Could one of the problems with...
Tall Students vs. Short Students
At 6’5 and 230 pounds, the power that big George Bayer possessed was astonishing. In an era of laminated maple clubs and inconsistent wound balls, Bayer repeatedly smashed his drives over 300 yards. Many feel that if he was playing the game in today’s Titanium era (he passed away from an aneurysm in March, 2003) he would be out-driving everyone by 40 or 50 yards, just like he was doing in the 50s and 60s. Bayer won three times on the...
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