Three Questions To Ask Before Your Golf Lessons

3 Key Questions to guide your improvement: 
1) What are you doing now? 
2) What do you want to do instead? 
3) How do you make the change?

What are you doing now, can also be translated into why are you here? What do you want to improve? Do you want to improve your physical basics, shot making skills, fitness and nutrition, equipment and set make-up, emotional and mental game management, on-course management and rules and etiquette. The more specific or more clear you can state your objective, the easier it is to be successful. 

What do you want to do instead? This is something to discuss with your coach either before or at the start of your lesson. We like to write the objectives on a white board or in your golfer journal and keep the goals to one or two main items per hour of lessons. 

How do you make the change? Change can happen in an instant. Let me say that again, CHANGE CAN HAPPEN IN AN INSTANT!  If you don't believe this, you probably do not have the right concept. If what you are doing doesn't work, try anything else! You need to have the right concept in your mind before you can make a physical change. Video can be helpful but also keeping it simple and focusing on either the angle of the clubface (open to the right, square to the target, closed to the left), path of the clubhead (inside our or a push, outside-in or a pull, on plane or along at your target), or the shaft (being delivered too high or too steep and top the ball, too low or too flat and hit behind, or on plane for the sweetly struck shots). 

We are dedicated to ASSESSing each student to determine how they move and determine their dominant learning style (visual, auditory, kinesthetic). We then DESIGN improvement programs based on the assessment and guarantee that you IMPROVE! 

Golf lessons vs. Golf Instruction vs. Golf Coaching

I was asked yesterday what the difference is between golf lessons, golf instruction and golf coaching?

To me a golf lesson is for someone that has a specific problem and wants to improve a specific shot like a 10-yard chip from the fringe or a 30' putt. Golf lessons are usually 30-90 minutes in duration. 

Golf instruction to me is for someone that wants to learn a specific method for putting, chipping, pitching or full swing. Golf instruction.wpuld include going to a Stack and Tilt golf school or AimPoint clinic for green reading. They will teach you a method that typically works for the instructor or tour player, it may or not work for you. Golf instruction is usually 60-minutes to three days in duration. 

Golf coaching to me includes an assessment on your short game and full swing and even on-course coaching. An provement program is then created based on data to improve a golfers whole game. The improvement and coaching program is spread out over 30-120-minute increments over a specified period of time. Golf Coaching is extended over a period of time of 30-days to two-years.  

All of these have purpose and  it depends on your stage of development. 

The Golf Improvement Group can help you identify what you need. Give us a call  at 952/401-GOLF (4653) for a free consultation. 

Taylor Made, PING, SeeMore Putters and US Kids Golf... Why we choose our golf club partners.

Some of my favorite golf events is the Master's tournament followed closely by the PGA Coaching and Teaching Summit and the PGA Merchandise Show. The annual PGA Merchandise Show in Orlando give a scope of the industry that will blow your mind.

The PGA Merchandise Show is an opportunity to meet with the engineers and developers of the equipment and get the companies story and meet the executives and see all the new products.

The local sales representative and the support they offer is critical to deciding on who to partner with.

Taylor Made Golf is a subsidiary of Adidas who also owns Ashworth. They spend the most money on Research and Development and obviously marketing. They keep coming out with the most advanced clubs on the market. Their golf ball is very under rated, their only weakness in their product line is their wedges. The new Daddy Long Legs putter is an interesting feel and they never cease to amaze with their advances in technology.

I started out by carrying PING because they had the best clubfitting system some of the best technology. Paul Peterson, the local rep really knows his stuff and has traveled the tours working with player of all ability levels and has been with the company for over 20 years, always a good sign of a strong company.

SeeMore Putters are a putting system and a club all in one. Hide the red dot, see the red lines allows you to be consistent with your set-up and aim.

US Kids Golf offers the best junior golf equipment on the market. Their clubs are designed for kids that grow at a reasonable price point for both starter and competitive ready golfers. They take 33% of the weight out of the head and use thinner shafts to make a grip fit the kids rather than cutting down a regular shaft and putting a grip on the club and selling them based on length.

We provide free club-fitting for kids. Call 952/401 -4653 to schedule a free 15-minute fitting for any kid.

After the PGA Show and after we get our new equipment, we will be shooting some golf product review videos in 2014... More to come!

If you want to make the next golf leaderboard and you do not have equipment that has been customized for your swing, consider getting fit from a qualified clubfitter that has done more than 100 fittings.

Do Golf Clubs Matter?

Did you know that golf clubs are designed around Ben Hogan who was 5'8. Generally speaking if you are between 5'6-5'10 you would probably be okay to fit in to the correct length of the standard golf club. But there is so much more than length to fit a golf club.

You golf clubhead speed influences the stiffness and weight of the shaft. Your swing tempo also influences where and how the golf club kicks or it's bend point.
Below is a general guide to finding the right flex:

Golf Clubhead speed with a driver
<80 L-Flex
80-90 mph A-Flex
90-100 R-Flex
100-105 S-Flex
105+ X-Flex

Next comes this issue of lie angle or the angle the golf club shaft comes out of the head. Did you know that if your lie degree is off one degree with a wedge, you miss your target by 48' on a well struck shot. If your lie angles do no match your swing you'll consistently making compensations in your aim and alignment and not be rewarded for your well struck shots. It is critical to measure your lie angle dynamically, in motion, rather than statically, measure from knuckle to floor. There are averages, but I've never met the guy or gal directly in the middle of the curve.

Grip size also influences how you swing your golf club. Traditionally, grips are a personal preference and I agree. One thing to take into consideration, if you're right-handed, and you slice the ball, chances are your grips are too big. A small grip will promote the roll of your wrists and squaring of the clubface.

The brand of club doesn't make as much of a difference as many people think, other than getting a consistent spread of weight. You do need to remember that you ultimately get what you pay for. Companies like Taylor Made and Callaway spend the most money in research and development and their products are often getting replicated. Most knock-offs are not made from the same type of steel and do not feel the same as the real thing.

Best way to save money is to buy a season or two behind. The other option is to start with a 5, 7, 8, 9, PW SW combination iron set and a driver and 5-wood along with a putter. You can expect to spend $400-800 on a starter set, or  $700-$1200 on a full set.

Another option is retrofitting your current equipment. Adding or subtracting a half-inch in length or adjusting your lie angle is possible and relatively inexpensive at between $8-12/golf club.

Did you know that it is the same price to buy golf clubs from the big box stores (Golf Galaxy, Dicks, Golf USA etc.) as to get them fit from the Golf Improvement Group.

Any questions or comments, please leave a comment below. If you would like to schedule a fitting with one of our golf club fitters. Call 952/401-4653 or e-mail pluthb@pga.com.

Golf swing myths

Below are what I consider to be the biggest myths in golf. 

First, you need to swing like a tour pro. While tour professionals make excellent models, frankly you can't move like a tour pro! If your instructor is not assessing your natural movement patterns and designing your swing based on how you naturally move, you may want to find another instructor! We all talk differently we all walk differently we all move differently and I believe we should all swing differently! For instance fast hips need strong grips. If you consistently carry an eight iron over 150 yards, chances are you have fast hips and need a different grip than somebody that can hit an eight iron 80 yards. 

Second myth in golf is "keep your head down." As an instructor this goes right up there with the guy that offers you your first cigarette. This may be the worst advice I hear from golfer golfer.

Go ahead and try to keep your head down throughout your whole swing and see if you can hit it. Well I agree that your head should be study you need to figure out where and how you position your weight at address and whether you swing around your right hip your left hip or your tailbone. Once you determine that, then you can position your head for more consistent results and maintain that until follow-through. we defined follow-through where both arms become straight. Then your head should be pulled up and through into your finish.  You really do want to watch those good shots fly high into the sky!

The other myth I see most often is breaking the golf swing into different stations. You need to remember the golf swing takes two seconds to complete. As a guy, I'm lucky to be able to have one swing thought let alone two. Ladies on the other hand ... typically have a different processing rate and are able to manage hundred different thoughts within that two seconds, at least that's the way that I feel when my wife is giving me her honey do list...

Another myth about the grip is you should hold the golf club like a bird. While I agree that firm fingers and flexible wrist is crucial to developing a consistent, in tempo golf swing, faster swing tempos need firmer grips while slower swing tempos need softer grips. 

Another myth is that golfers can buy equipment off the rack and play to the best of their abilities. To me this is like having a random medical dispenser that you pop a quarter into hoping you get the right medication. Or wearing the same size shoe as your six-foot nine or 4 foot nine brother-in-law. It's really no different than price getting your clubs custom fit these days. The right shaft type either graphite or steal along with length, lie angle, set make-up has a huge impact in developing your golf swing and game. 

Your comments and recommendations for future blog posts are greatly appreciated. Enter to book your lesson with a Golf Improvement Group instructor visit GolfLessonsMinneapolis.com.

World's best golf swing tip

Golf is a game of feel. There is no better way to develop feel than by practicing with your eyes closed. Start off on the putting green from a couple steps away with three golf balls. Roll the first golf ball and delay opening your eyes and tell you think the golf., Open your eyes engager results. Repeat for the second golf ball and hopefully your last golf ball Will be the best. Repeat from 5, 7 and 10 steps away.

Move to the edge of the green and hit 10 yard chip shots. Same procedure, three balls to target that's 10 yards away. Try 15 yards if the green is clear;). 

Next move the ball farther forward into the middle of your stance from 15 and 20 yards away.  Repeat the same three ball exercise. 

Lastly, you're going to try your full swing. Start of a slow tempo without a golf ball and build some size and speed again with your eyes closed. I'd recommend starting with the wedge or 7-iron repeating the three swing sequence keeping your eyes close until you think the ball has landed. 

You'll be amazed at how quickly you develop a feel for your golf swing. 

I've used this drill with many students and have found great success in developing a new or more consistent golf swing. Your feedback is appreciated as always and feel free to send me your questions and comments.

For more tips like this visit GolfLessonsMinneapolis.com to sign up for your golf lessons.