From One Golf Parent to Another…

From One Golf Parent to Another...

Recently my son Grayson, my daughter Madison Rose, and I played 9-holes of golf on Crooked Cat at Orange County National Golf Center and Lodge in Winter Garden, Florida.

Grayson was hitting the ball remarkably well and was one under for quite a few holes! Did I mention he just turned 13 years old?

Then, we came to the ninth hole. A slight dog-leg left with water guarding the corner. He decided he was going to hit over the water (carry about 240yds) leaving himself about 50 yards to the hole. I suggested he lay up, but also told him the decision would be his and to stay committed to the shot. He went with the driver, went through his preshot routine, lined up, and… hit it a bit too high and into the water. He was devastated. As Madison Rose and I could clearly tell by the way he dropped to his knees and yelled, “Noooooooooo!”

I’m not a psychologist, therapist, or counselor… but I am a parent to two AWESOME children who love to play golf! And I’m happy because THEY (not me forcing it on them) want to play golf. Hopefully because I’ve made the game fun for them.

So I’ll be speaking to you as a parent… AND… as a golf coach who works with a ton of juniors and who sees and hears some of the interactions parents and their kids have when it comes to golf, performance, tournaments, and practice. So here are some of my observations… and how I responded to Grayson. Perhaps there is something here for you.

1. It greatly hurt Grayson when he plunked his tee shot into the water… and his great score plummet with it. It stung! He was disappointed. Frustrated. Sad. He felt like his heart had been ripped out. PARENTS… for me to tell him that the round didn’t matter would have been an insult to his intelligence and his skill. He knew I’d be lying. Of course it mattered. It mattered greatly to him or he wouldn’t have reacted as strongly as he did. So I acknowledged his feelings and felt sad along with him and gave him a BIG hug! And if he wanted to cry… I would have let him… on my shoulder.
2. I praised Grayson for his effort over the result. For his club choice. For his reasoning. For his great preshot routine. I could have said, “I told you to lay up but you didn’t listen to me and that’s why you hit it in the water and ruined your score!” But that wouldn’t have helped… would it have? PARENTS… instead I SINCERELY told him how proud I was of how he went through the process, stuck to his decision, and how he handled the outcome.
3. I let him know that it was okay to be sad and that I understood because I have been there before (and will again) and yes there will be another day and that I loved him… unconditionally! PARENTS… Golf is not who Grayson, Madison Rose, or your child is. Golf is a game that they play. And if they decided to quit playing tomorrow… I would love them just as much. PERIOD! It kills me when parents walk off the golf course in disgust, anger, frustration… when their child has a less than stellar round in a junior tournament as if they tried to play bad on purpose! Sometimes I just want to shove a club in the parent’s hand and say, “Let me see you play!”
4. PARENTS… after the round… way after… and when he was ready to talk and had settled down… I asked if he had any thoughts on what HE thought happened. And when he talked about it… I listened… as a psychologist, not as his swing coach. Did he lose his concentration? Did he get nervous? Was he overconfident? Did the water psych him out? Immediately, he started talking about his swing mechanics and how he had to work harder on it and practice more. However, I suggested to him that he just lacked experience. Experience of feeling the pressure of a phenomenal round or being in the lead in a tournament and that he should play more golf. His swing was fine…
5. And finally… I told him that golf is full of near misses, changes in momentum, narrow escapes, creativity, and at times… luck. And that I thought it was cool that he put it all on the line and chose the shot he did and that he didn’t try to pretend like he didn’t care about the outcome… because he did. PARENTS… I wanted him to learn from this experience and we talked about his thought process… but I also want him to maintain his creativeness when playing… to take chances at times… to try things… even when others think it’s crazy… even when the outcome doesn't always turn out as expected.

Madison Rose and Grayson

I want to be inspiring, encouraging, and supportive of Grayson’s and Madison Rose’s golf game… really... their lives! A parent once fired me as her child’s swing coach because she didn’t think I was tough enough on her. That if she didn’t go out and shoot a 44 or better in her next 9-hole tournament, I’d make her practice harder. She was eight years old. I’m not in the business of being tough on my students. Sorry… never going to happen. Life is already tough enough on them. Instead, I want to encourage them and to show them how to enjoy the game more by introducing them to the necessary skills needed. I want Grayson and Madison Rose to WANT to play golf… not because I MAKE them play. I mean doesn’t that sound silly? You have to MAKE someone PLAY? As in PLAY?

Peace… Love… Golf!

Read More

PGA Demo Day 2012

The Eleftheriou Clan attended the 2012 PGA Demo Day at Orange County National Golf Center and Lodge (OCN)... the place where I teach! It was outstanding as always. The team at OCN did a phenomenal job!

Saw LOTS of friends (some from years ago) and made some new ones!

Enjoy the pics!

Peace... Love... Golf!

The Day Before the Event. It's Set up Time.
Thanks to the GREAT staff at  Puma for hooking up
some of our Juniors with some cool "stuff!"

The Calm before the Storm!

It's TIME! Waiting in line to get in!

We DID feel Welcomed!

Oakley... one of our Favorites! First stop of the day! 

Swung by Softspikes and had the spikes on our shoes changed... FOR FREE!
Afterwards, I really had to make an effort to pick up my feet when walking with new spikes!
Thanks Softspikes!

Orange Balls at Cobra/Puma at Orange County National Golf Center and Lodge.
How appropriate!

Future LPGA TOUR Player Madison Rose 10-yrs-old being ball fit at Bridgestone.
Swing Speed Average - 83.1 mph

Future PGA TOUR Player Grayson 13-yrs-old being ball fit at Bridgestone.
Swing Speed Average - 109.3 mph

Lots of cool stuff! Honma had a driver listing for $2150!! I'll take two!
The head was colored gold... appropriate!

Over one mile of vendor booths, activities and of course food!

Started at Oakley and eight... as in EIGHT hours later... finished at Oakley!
Almost had to get another pair of Softspikes put in!

Read More

Releasing the Golf Club Through Impact

I’m in a car… driving at 90 miles per hour… I’m not wearing my seatbelt.

I hit a wall… the car stops to zero miles per hour immediately… My body flies through the windshield at 90 miles per hour. UGH!

How does this relate to golf? This illustration shows the “transfer of energy” as it pertains to your golf swing and how power is transmitted to your golf ball.

The “wall” in the golf swing is the target-side leg (Left leg for right-handed golfers). Perhaps you’ve heard the expression of “hitting past your left side.”

My “body” in the illustration represents the clubhead.

My body separating from the car and flying through the windshield at 90 miles per hour represents the release of the clubhead through the hitting zone (impact and follow-through).

My point is, that when we speak of “releasing” the clubhead through the hitting zone… it’s simply a RESULT of the arms and hands abruptly slowing down as they approach impact… transferring the energy they’ve accumulated through the clubshaft to the clubhead… which eventually transfers the energy to the golf ball sending it on its way.

In a good golf swing… for this chain reaction to happen… the hands must be PASSIVE… holding the club lightly… ALLOWING the clubhead to release its energy into the ball. Any effort to manipulate the clubhead using the hands will result in deceleration and most likely mishit shots. When the hands try to manipulate a clubhead that’s traveling 90 miles per hour… to hit a golf ball that’s 1.68 inches in diameter… timing will be too much of a factor. And some days you’ll have it… but on most days you won’t.

Here’s a quote from Ben Hogan:

“The main thing for the average golfer is to keep any conscious hand action out of his swing. The correct swing is founded on a chain action. If you used the hands when you should not, you prevent the chain action.”

Read that again… and then say, “Amen.”

Correctly “transferring” energy to the ball (translated: POWER), should occur without effort. It’s part of the chain action Mr. Hogan speaks of. You don’t DO the release… you ALLOW it to happen.

Oh yeah… and ALWAYS wear your seatbelt!

Peace… Love… Golf!

Read More

10 Tips to Cure YOUR Slice

10 Tips to Cure YOUR Slice

1. At address, and without moving your head except to look down, check your grip and make sure that you can see 2-3 knuckles of your target-side hand and the fingernails and first knuckle joint of the middle two fingers of your trail-side hand.

2. At address, check to make sure that your ball position is not too far forward in your stance. With driver, a good place to begin is with the ball position about two inches inside target-side foot. For irons, middle to slightly forward of middle for shorter to longer clubs.

3. At address, begin with your shirt buttons facing slightly behind the ball and your upper spine a tad further away from the target than your lower spine. Maintaining this angle through the swing, and especially during the downswing, will promote a flatter downswing and attacking the ball from the “inside.” 

4. Waggle the club prior to hitting to release tension in your hands and arms AND THEN… maintain a light (not loose!) grip pressure throughout the entire swing… especially as club comes to impact and beyond. This will allow clubhead to naturally release through impact. When you hold the club too tight, the tendency is for the clubface to remain open at impact.

5. Don’t “snatch” the club with your hands as you begin your takeaway. Focus on keeping the clubface facing the ball or at the target for several feet as the club moves away from the ball. Excessive use of your hands during takeaway oftentimes leads to fanning the club face open, which in turn means you’ll have to rotate the club back to square at impact. This is too reliant on timing.

Right Hip Pulled Back and Around

6. During the takeaway/backswing, the trail-side hip (right hip for right-handed golfers), should be pulled back behind and around over the inside of your trail-side leg/heel due to a good shoulder turn, NOT away from the target causing it to move “outside” your trail-side leg/heel. This prevents swaying excessively with the hips and prevents a “reverse weight shift,” which happens when the trail-side hip sways away from the target while the upper body moves toward the target. Opposite of what was mentioned in tip #3.

7. At the top of your backswing, stop and take a look at your target-side hand (left hand for right-handed golfers). If the wrist is “cupped,” flatten it so that the back of the hand is aligned with the forearm. Work this position out by taking practice swings, pausing at the top, flattening the wrist, then swinging to full finish position.

8. During downswing, begin motion with a “feeling” that the shoulders are pointing right of target OR that your back is facing the target as the club and arms drop OR that your trail-side (right hip for right-handed golfers) back pocket “sits” on your target a bit as the downswing begins. Try each one to see which “feeling” works best for you. This move allows the arms and clubshaft to “drop” in front of the trail-side hip, which in turn promotes a flatter swing and attacking the ball from the inside position.

Address Position

9. Learn what good impact position should look and feel like! Set up at address, and then simulate impact position without taking a backswing. Alternate between address position and impact position several times to feel the difference. Differences are:

·  At address, your hips are square to the target line… at impact, hips are opened about 45 degrees to target line.

·  At address, shoulders are square to target line… at impact, shoulders are still square or slightly open to target line.

Impact Position

· At address, weight for most clubs is evenly distributed… at impact, hips have shifted towards target placing more weight on target-side leg than trail-side.

·  At address, head is over or slightly behind the ball… at impact, head is still over or slightly behind the ball. 

·  At address, arms are fairly extended… at impact, target-side arm is fully extended while trail-side arm has some bend (arms are not fully extended until follow-through position after impact).

Right Shoulder and Hip Closer to Target than
Left Shoulder and Hip

10. Finish what you started. Assuming you have no injuries and are capable of making a decent rotation, finish with your trail-side shoulder (right shoulder for right-handed golfers) and trail-side hip CLOSER to the target than the target-side shoulder and hip when posing in your finished position. This assures a good rotation of the body, which not only assists in squaring the clubface through impact… but contributes to a tremendous source of power… translated: more distance!

Well there you have it! Print this tip sheet out and try one, some, or all of these next time you practice on the range and say, “goodbye” to your slice!

Peace… Love… Golf!

By the way… if you Twitter (and even if you don’t), check out my eBook: If Your Swing Thought is Longer Than aTweet… IT’S TOO LONG! Filled with hundreds of my most popular golf tips featured on Twitter. Click here to purchase! THANK YOU!!

Read More

Persistence and Determination

I recently came upon this popular quote by the 30th president of the United States, Calvin Coolidge:

"Nothing in the world can take the place of persistence. Talent will not; nothing is more common than unsuccessful men with talent. Genius will not; unrewarded genius is almost a proverb. Education will not; the world is full of educated derelicts. Persistence and determination alone are omnipotent."

President Coolidge had a pretty incredible life… clearly getting to the office of presidency through persistence and determination. You can read a brief bio and learn some facts about him by clicking here: Calvin Coolidge

His words ring true regarding golf… don’t they? I mean, as an instructor, I definitely see Golfers in each of these categories. Let me explain… and perhaps this may apply to the way you’re going about with your game improvement plan…

TALENTED GOLFER:

This is the Golfer who is born with loads of talent. The person who practices very little… if at all!.. yet always seems to perform well on the golf course. Many of us wish we could be like this Golfer, who oftentimes doesn’t even have a great swing, yet kicks our butts!

YET… without practice to support and grow this talent… this Golfer will undoubtedly plateau. They may experience moments of greatness, but oftentimes once they achieve a certain level, they’ll remain there indefinitely. The talented Golfer MUST practice just as hard as the not-so-talented-Golfer if he or she really wants to reach their full potential. Talent will only take you so far.

GENIUS:

This type of Golfer knows about golf, their swing, the launch angle of their 7-iron, and the ball spin rate. They can evaluate and analyze their golf games (and everyone else’s!) and know the causes of both successful and unsuccessful shots. They can dissect the swing into minute components and talk about centripetal versus centrifugal forces, linear thrusts, power package accumulators, and not only can recite the Pythagorean Theorem, but can demonstrate how it applies to golf!

This Golfer is a true genius in the sense… but the Golfer that falls into this category lacks one major ability… the ability to shoot low scores. “Paralysis by Analysis.” For this Golfer to progress in their golfing abilities… he must forego the title of “Golf Scientist” and seek the title of “Golfer.” This “range pro” must get out and play to really test their genius abilities. And yes… as does the “Talented Golfer,” this Golf Scientist needs to practice as well. Book knowledge and genius is one thing, but this Golfer should practice and develop shot-making skills and simulate golf course situations in order to achieve their full potential. I truly believe score is still the best indicator of how well someone plays… don’t you?

EDUCATED GOLFER

People sometimes ask me, “Who would you say is your biggest competitor?” Expecting me to list a “who’s who” of golf instructors near the facility I teach at, I catch them off guard when I say, ‘The Internet.”

I mean, now-a-days, there is absolutely no shortage of information on the World Wide Web! Twitter, Facebook, blogs, LinkedIn, websites… UGH! And this doesn’t even take into consideration DVDs, Books, Magazines, Computer Software, Phone Apps, etc… OR the bazillion training aids that can be found. UGH (redux!)!

The educated Golfer is the person who has tons of websites bookmarked, arranged in alphabetical order, and has subscriptions to every newsletter and RSS Feed.

She’s a seeker of knowledge. Looks for the next quick fix. The “secret.” Trying to find ways to shortcut the process. But to no avail. Because the “tip” that works this week… doesn’t work the next. Whether it’s valid or not. Mainly because that’s how she treats the information she’s found. As a tip… not a long-term solution. Not taking into consideration that the TOUR Professional who wrote that tip, probably practiced it for years for her to get it right.

Don’t be this type of Golfer who jumps around from website to website, article to article, training aid to training aid, teacher to teacher, and never truly discover their game. Find a good book on golf, a website, an instructor, a method, etc…, and be persistent AND determined to “get it” before moving on to the next.

Persistence and determination… sigh… it’s hard work. Probably the reason why a Golfer will take a lesson from me who’s been playing 35 years, and I can’t help but think, How can he possibly have such a bad grip if he’s been playing for 35 years? Why hasn’t he learned it yet? The answer… lack of persistence and determination to get it right.

So hang in there… your persistence and determination will pay off!

Peace… Love… Golf!

Read More