A Gap in Golf Instruction?

In early 2004 I read an Internet article which contained statement that "golfers are desperately looking for golf instruction".

Hold on here! There has been some of finest instruction for any sport provided in current golf teaching. For someone to make above statement, it would seem ludicrous. I mean, there are some tremendous golf teachers out there. They rank from those who you see on Golf Channel to those terrific gals and guys who you know at your nearby golf course.

But, above statement hints that something is not working. Well, I have a good idea what is not working and what should work. (Notice, I did not say that I KNOW what is not working.)

I will be introducing you to some new and vital golf tips and golf instruction from this website. You will NOT be learning a whole new method of swinging golf club. This will not be some "revolutionary" golf swing theory. What I will show you are some fundamentals of golf swing movements which will prepare you for golf swing ideas presented in current theories of golf instruction.

I have had experience as a physical education teacher from Grades 1 to 9. In one year I saw full development from a struggling Grade 1 student learning basic athletic movements all way to fluid-moving Grade 9 students (nearly a full-grown adult). And, within that one year I quickly learned how to develop that final fluid movement throughout all 'in-between" growing stages.

(By way, this is an experience that all Golf Pros should go through to learn deepest levels of teaching in their profession.)

I know difficulty people of any age have in trying to learn NEW body movements for any sport. Come to think of it - I know that same difficulty for people of all ages when they try to learn anything from how to safely cut a slice of roast beef to how to correctly type out an email message to send to their family or friends.

I've played most sports - except lacrosse. I am still learning new concepts of how to correctly move for sports that I use to play. (A young lacrosse player showed me some moves that are part of golf swing. Aha! Didn't know that did you?)

That is key! You have to be willing to learn new concepts. Even new concepts of Natural Golf and Gravity Golf, to name two, seem to miss concept of basic body movement from which "the basics of golf" can be taught.

The Golf Teaching Pro industry has very good "teaching stuff".

But, there is SOMETHING MISSING!

Many people try to play golf and too many of those give up.

A possible answer: Golf instruction has originated from people who have "figured" out how to do that which is good for their own golf game. Because no other starting point was available, mimicking successful golfers and following their advice has been starting point for beginners or struggling golfers.

I was taught how to teach athletics from a man who loved soccer. I had never played soccer until I met him in university. I not only became a good soccer player - I became a good teacher of soccer and any other sport.

That man taught us how to teach during process of teaching us how to play game and learn skills. And, since he was preparing us to "go forth" and teach little children, he also showed us how to teach to various levels of physical and mental development.

I have discovered that everyone who wants to learn how to swing that "stick" to smack that "little white ball" has to learn some simple Grade 1 type of movements.

Guess what! Those simple movements do not have to be golf- related movements.

I have made a point of trying to find ways of relating common, everyday life skill movements to golf swing. I have tried to relate movements in a lot of other sports to golf swing movements. My conclusion? Everyone has already learned something in their life which will help them learn an effective way to hit golf ball.

If you have ever tried to cut thin slices off a roast beef you know that a certain skill or attentiveness is required. You need to have precise movements and a "whole lot of no movements" to do that job without cutting your finger off.

Silly analogy, I know. But, connection is that controlled movement along with absolute non-movement is important for anything we do. That includes golf swing.

Basic Teaching Concepts

What I teach is basic body movement which is controlled for precision needed as you teach your mind and body how to handle a golf club.

Arizona Doctor Discovers Triathlons as Ultimate Weight Loss Program - Loses Sixty Pounds.

I never intended to get fat! I am not exactly sure how it happened, but there I was a 6’2” thirty-four year old pushing close to 270 pounds. My cholesterol was high, my triclecrides were high, and my blood pressure was high. I was on a direct course for developing diabetes, increased risk of heart disease, increased risk of cancer, and a ton of other diseases related to obesity.

It gets worse. I am a doctor, a sports chiropractor to be exact and my office is located inside a health club. Unfortunately, like many other doctors and other health professional out there, I was not practicing what I was preaching.

Living in sunny Arizona, land of endless summer, sooner or later you have to go to lake, water park, or you are invited to a cookout and pool party. That is when all my excuses caught up to me. Despite knowing health risks associated with being overweight, it was feeling of low self-esteem and embarrassment that finally drove me to action.

So there I was, a doctor, ready to get weight off. I hate to admit it; I tried some of those quick fix gimmick supplements. I tried a bunch of fad diets. I bought a bunch of books from all “weight loss experts”. Sure I would lose a little weight, but I could never stick with diet for any length of time. When I went off diet I would gain weight right back. Then tried working my butt off in gym, running almost every day. That got real boring, and I found that running everyday is not best thing to do when you weigh close to 270 pounds.

There I was again, still no direction, no focus, no drive, nothing to guide me. Frustrated about not getting any results and what to do, I thought I was just going to have to accept that I was overweight and deal with it. I gave it a real effort and it did not work.

During all of this, chiropractor that I bought my office from mentioned that he was beginning a weight loss program at his office, which was based on his experience with triathlon training. That got my attention. I really wanted to give program a try, but I lived too far from his office to come in on a regular basis. So I began researching sport on Internet.

The more I read about triathlons and triathlon training, more sense it made to me as a way to help me lose weight. If you are going to do an event that involves swimming, cycling, and running you obviously are going to have to train that way. The idea about jumping into pool for an exercise swim was not something I was looking forward to, and last thing I wanted to do was to put on a swimsuit and workout. Then I remembered how painful my knees were from running around, and swimming would be easier on my joints.

I also began reading about using heart rate monitors and affects of exercising at different heart rates. Many of authors of books on heart zone training were triathletes themselves, and they gave numerous examples on how using heart zone training you can track your progress and maximize your exercise program.

The more I searched triathlon Internet sites, more I became interested in sport. The people who competed in triathlons looked really fit, it was inspiring. That is when I decided to take my commitment to losing weight to next level. Weighing close to 270 pounds, I signed up for my first triathlon. Five months away, I was going to do a sprint race, which was a 500m swim, a 15-mile bike, then and a 3-mile run. This was a much shorter distance than many triathlon races, however at time I could not do even one of events let alone all of them back-to-back.