TEACHING PHILOSOPHY

My Teaching Philosophy (Where…Why…Apply)

My mission is to provide golfers of all skill levels with the information and guidance necessary to remove the obstacles and interference that stands in the way of allowing them to reach their highest potential. I seek to achieve this by playing my part in redefining the traditional standard for golf instruction that has traditionally left golfers lost in a sea of conflicting advice and contradictory ideas. This kind of confusion has the tendency to limit the potential to accomplish anything that goes beyond short-term success that is fleeting in the long-term.

Through the use of high-speed slow motion video analysis (up to 40x slow motion playback), combined with my extensive study of the critical movements that make up a foundation for the effective technique observed in the best players in the world, I aim to help students to develop a clearly defined roadmap toward achieving personal success in the long-term. Through this approach, we are able to target precise areas WHERE an improvement can be made, confirm and understand exactly WHY it will be beneficial (before committing to applying it), and then APPLY the specific corrections required for improved performance. Following this structure greatly streamlines the process of implementing the improved changes. In short, this translates to meaningful, lasting improvement and a far more gratifying payoff for the amount of investment and hard work.

Here is a brief demonstration of how I use video analysis technology as part of a private lesson

Cornerstone Fundamentals

The technical goals of my philosophy can be summarized by 4 cornerstone fundamentals:

  1. A proper understanding and application of a fundamentally correct technique (that properly suits the golfer’s natural body type)
  2. Development of the physical capability that is required to safely and consistently perform proper swing patterns
  3. Development of a mental approach that will allow for consistent execution of proper technique under pressure
  4. Correctly structured practice habits that ensure all efforts put in will efficiently lead toward desired goals

Achieving A Swing for Life

While proper movement patterns can be challenging to learn and establish, the reward for the dedication to achieving them is a much simpler mindset toward generating and repeating a successful, athletically driven golf swing. One that is generated by natural movement patterns ‘built’ into the human body over the course of evolution. In other words, moving how we were designed to move, and in the most efficient way possible for achieving consistent repetition of a desired motion! Whether it be full swing, pitching, chipping, or even putting, I believe this to be the most effective way to build trust in your game so you can clear your mind, enjoy yourself, and perform your best under pressure.

To read about the experiences in my personal golfing career that have shaped my philosophy into what it is today, check out my own story in my biography page.

Skill Set & Ability

Matching Golf Instruction to Your Personal Skill Level and Experience.

While I always personalize my lesson programs to every student’s individual needs, if you would like to see the general areas of development I focus on for golfers of different skills levels, please click on the tab below that you feel matches your current ability.

It is very important for a beginner golfer to develop a strong understanding and appreciation of the basic fundamentals as they apply to the game. This is because the most effective route to developing a sound technique and approach to golf starts with a commitment to putting ourselves in position to allow athleticism to guide our development as a player. This is the power of establishing correct fundamentals, as the athletic movements they encourage a player to make allow for the easiest and most natural way to learn and play the game.

Therefore, it is essential for a beginner to explore the elements of proper grip, set up + alignment, and balance and rhythm. On top of this, a beginner should also strive to develop a simple and clear visual (along with feel) for how the body and club can move efficiently to promote proper impact and flight for the basic shots of the game. Above all else, having the peace of mind in KNOWING you are practicing correct habits and fundamentals is very helpful in developing the sense of belief that is needed in the early, and often uncertain stages, of learning a new skill / sport.

Keeping the approach to learning these concepts clear and uncomplicated, while at the same time emphasizing commitment and consistency to practice habits, is a very powerful recipe for starting off your journey in learning the game effectively.

As an intermediate golfer, you have developed the confidence and skill to swing consistently enough to play comfortably on the golf course. The focus now shifts to understanding how to approach your practice, and path toward improvement, with an emphasis on how to increase consistency, reduce errors, and methodically eliminate strokes from your scoring average (handicap). For a player at this point in your development, it is important to learn how to recognize cause and effect of your shots, whether good or bad. This comes through a deeper understanding of technique, a grasp on the laws and physics that determine ball flight, and a keen sense of how the elements you come across on the golf course will affect your approach.

In addition to this, an intermediate golfer should begin to explore the psychological components of the game. Recognizing how you react in different situations on the course goes a long way in starting to build strategies toward being prepared to handle the challenges that will surface as your game reaches a level where significant performance expectations start to establish themselves.

Naturally, You are also ready to start to learn the habits and process of a player who is highly proficient at the skill of course management and strategy. Specifically, we will explore how to create a system for choosing the correct shot for any given situation. Within this concept, you will also learn how to use course management to control your emotions, as well as to maintain consistency in your process and focus throughout your entire round.

As an advanced golfer, you know your swing, as well as how to recognize and explain the cause of nearly any shot or outcome that results during the course of play.
Therefore, at this stage, improvement requires applying a higher level of concentration and purpose to your practice. It is my job to to provide you with the insight to first discover the areas of focus that will be most valuable, then provide you with the tools necessary to ensure you get maximum productivity out of the effort you put in.

In addition, you are likely to find yourself ready to learn the skills necessary to give you the confidence and trust to take on situations that in the past would have been difficult to manage. Where in the past you may have felt forced to play conservatively, or, pay the price for attempting a shot you weren’t sure how to play, the goal now is to learn the advanced techniques that will allow you to take on these situations with confidence. This includes shaping and flighting the ball through intentionally manipulating curve and trajectory, developing ‘go-to shots’ for demanding or high pressure situations, and preparing your overall game to compete in tournaments on golf courses that will be set up specifically to challenge highly skilled players.

In addition to this, an advanced golfer is also ready to start using analytics to help their game improve. You will begin to learn about a variety of important statistical averages of highly skilled players, and start to recognize how yours compare. Through this, we will begin to specifically target the areas where you can best focus your practice toward seeing noticeable improvement, while also helping you to develop a stronger understanding of what elite players do well to consistently separate themselves from others.

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