The relentless pursuit of perfection.
Part of being good at what you do is embracing the idea of continuing education. To teach golf for a living you have to have a thorough understanding of swing mechanics understand how your students think and learn, have an open adaptive mind and most importantly be able to communicate and motivate your students. Recently I read the new Stan Utley, ART OF SCORING, book and found some very interesting ideas that were communicated in a way I have never heard before. The book has the ability to put the reader in the mind of a 20 handicaper, which each of us has been or currently is.
To quote from the book, “But in my experience, the most common 20-handicapper is the guy who can advance the ball pretty well, but has trouble getting on the green and one or even two putting. He’s been spending his entire golf career around the green hoping something good happens. He’s not doing things intentionally, and he for sure doesn’t think he has options.” This quote from the book really stuck me because in every lesson I teach I ask more questions than the student. I ask because I want to find out how they think, what is there golf IQ? I think this quote describes how most people play golf, they see the short game as a necessary evil. Short game is the part of the game that allows for physical limitations, you don’t have to be a great athlete to be the best wedge player in town. You need the right mindset and some decent technique. You need a plan.
One word of advice, buying golf books is great if you know what to apply to your own game. If you load yourself with a bunch of information there is no guarantee you will be successful in your quest to play better golf. Golf books are great for teachers to read because they know how to apply the information and what information is relevant to your game. Skill in golf is determined by your ability and proficiency with a wedge and a putter. If you want to play better golf come on out to the Santa Maria Golf Academy and work with me Ryan McGwyer or my fellow teaching partner Chris Burkstaller. Golf Lessons = Lower Scores!
Ryan McGwyer
Santa Maria Golf Academy
Certified Plane Truth Instructor
PGA Teaching Professional
(225)439-9600
Consistency. Its the first thing someone asks for when they come out for a lesson. It is the elusive tail that most golfers chase in a circle for as long as they play the game. It is defined as a harmonious uniformity or agreement among things or parts. The problem is that most golfers take an inconsistent approach to making their golf game more consistent. You read golf magazines which offer generic quick fixes and you watch the golf channel and try the drills you get there. If none of those work you ask a guy on the range who is a little better than you or hits it a little farther. That makes as much sense as asking Michael Jordan for dunking lessons. Just because someone has the athletic ability to do something doesn’t mean they know how they did it. Lets relate this to your health, I would be willing to bet you have had the same doctor for a long time. His or her way of treating you is probably very consistent. Your not eating dandelions one week to fix a migrane are you? But that is exactly what your doing with your golfswing and that is why you will continue to chase consistency. Find a “doctor” for your golf game, a coach someone who will give you a consistent message, motivate you to reach your potential, and make this wonderful game more fun. Spend more time making birdies and less time in the woods looking for balls. Golf Lessons=Lower Scores.
Come see myself Ryan McGwyer or my wonderful teaching partner Chris Burkstaller at the Santa Maria Golf Academy.
I will be posting streaming video golf lessons weekly starting soon. Best in golf Ryan
Wow is it ever cold outside! There are some really easy things you can do to improve your golf swing without even leaving the house. Most of you already read golf digest and try out drills you read in there, which seldom do anything more than confuse you. But I actually have something that will help you hit your driver farther and straighter without spending $499.
Take your driver and go in the garage, or wherever you have some decent space. I want you to make baseball swings, belt high, as fast as you can. Rather than starting the club like a baseball bat up in the air, start it as if there was a golf ball teed up 3 feet off the ground. This drill will increase your clubhead speed, round your swing out, which nearly everyone needs with a driver, and teach you to initiate the downswing with the lower body. The drill will also strengthen your core and be an amazing workout for you. If you want to hit it farther you need the club swinging faster in the right spot. No one has ever swung a driver too fast. Have you ever hit a drive too far? People make the mistake of swinging it fast at the wrong time and the baseball swings will get the club moving fast at the right time. To play the best golf of your life you need to do something different. Come take a lesson at the Santa Maria Golf Academy with Ryan McGwyer or Chris Burkstaller and remember golf lessons equal lower scores!
Spinning Your Wheels?
If you read last weeks article then you know that I offered a free 15 minute video check up to anyone who called. I had a seven different people this week take advantage of that offer this past week and here are the results of those checkups. Prior to the video I asked each student what they were currently working on in their swing and why. The answers varied from, that’s what one of my buddies told me to I saw it on the golf channel to some guy on the range said I need to…….. You get the point.
In all seven cases the student was working on something totally unrelated to the swing fault, in some cases it was not even close! After seeing their swing on video, it became very clear why the impact was inconsistent. Use the same logic in golf that you do in other areas of your life. When you are sick, you go to a doctor, when you need electrical work done, you call an electrician. You could probably save a lot of money having laser surgery for your eyes out of some guys garage, but I would not recommend it. I would also not recommend working on swing changes that you didn;t get from a PGA Teaching Professional. Your swing is important, chances are you have put a lot of sweat in to it and if you are spinning your wheels, its time to try a different approach. Get a game plan for improvement like the seven guys who called me this week. At the Santa Maria Golf Acadmey we have all the tools to help you reach your potential and this month we are giving them away for free. Call me at (225) 439-9600 for your free 15 min video lesson evaluation and shoot your lowest score this year!
Best In Golf
Ryan McGwyer