Something Everyone Needs to Know to Improve Their Golf Game

While researching how people learn I ran across this and wanted to pass it on.

"If a golfer has learned to play golf well as a teenager and then grew up, he or she does not have a clue as to how to instruct someone else to learn to play in the same manner unless the student is a teenager."

This came from “HOW THE BRAIN LEARNS MOTOR SKILLS AND THE GOLF SWING”

It’s Time For My Weekly Award of BSOW.

Where do I sign up? 

Couples: Task force won't solve Ryder Cup woes!

Fred Couples: PGA shouldn't 'panic'

Fred Couples, who captained the United States Presidents Cup team to victories in 2009, '11 and '13, doesn't think the newly formed 11-member task force will solve the Americans' Ryder Cup woes.
"I don't think anyone should panic," Couples told reporters at the Champions Tour season finale in Arizona on Wednesday. "I don't think we need a task force. I don't think we need the PGA of America straining about this.
"What I really think they need is to get players that have been on a lot of these teams to get a feel for what kind of captain they need."
After a third straight defeat in the biennial matches, one theory being bandied about is that the PGA of America might turn to someone who helped the Americans to so much success in the Presidents Cup, namely Couples, the 1992 Masters champion. In his career, Couples played in five Ryder Cups and owns a 7-9-4 record, including 1-5-1 in foursomes where the Americans lost 7-1 at Gleneagles in 2014. He was also vice-captain for Team USA at the 2012 Ryder Cup that the U.S. lost in heartbreaking fashion at Medinah outside Chicago.
So what kind of captain would Couples be?
"I think the easiest part is just really not panicking," he said. "You've got to have your teams ready and just get points, and it's not easy to do. They make it look easy because they're winning and their formula, whatever it might be, is not because they're closer and they're friendlier to each other. That's the biggest crazy thing ever.
"Every team I've been on has been phenomenal, and I'm sure every team Europe's ever had has been phenomenal. They just win, so it looks easier."
"I think anyone would love to be the Ryder Cup captain. I particularly don't think it's really that hard to do, I really don't. I keep hearing it's a two-year process. Well, what would I do right now? I don't even know who's going to be on the Presidents Cup team, let alone the Ryder Cup team. So I could go have dinner with Rickie Fowler for two straight years and tell him everything, and then he might not make it.
"So I think it's all -- it's just a little bit much. We need a little more fun and that comes with winning."
Couples questioned 2014 U.S. captain Tom Watson's decision to sit five-time major winner and Ryder Cup stalwart Phil Mickelson for both Saturday sessions.
"I know one thing, I will play Phil Mickelson on Saturday of the next Ryder Cup if he's on the team," Couples told reporters. "That was the only thing I could see that maybe you could say that Tom, something happened there.
"Because we lost three and a half to a half [in the foursomes session], and I guarantee you it was because Phil wasn't out there playing. I guarantee it."
The 2016 Ryder Cup will be held at Hazeltine National Golf Club in Chaska, Minnesota.

Swing Caddie SC100 Personal Launch Monitor Review by My Golf Spy

We don't mean to oversell this one. Swing Caddie's personal launch monitor isn't nearly as robust as Trackman, FlightScope or Foresight, but for what it is, it's pretty damn awesome.

It doesn't give you launch angle or spin rate, so it's definitely not a fitting tool. It will reliably and accurately give you swing speed, ball speed, carry distance and smash factor, and it doesn't it for literally THOUSAND of DOLLARS less than those enterprise class systems.

For the guy working on his consistency, looking to dial in his numbers, or simply get his gapping squared away, for less than $300.00 the SC100 is difficult to beat.

Throwback Thursday: History could indicate how power will change at the PGA of America

Throwback Thursday: History could indicate how power will change at the PGA of America

By Cliff Schrock

Will November 22 see Derek Sprague become a modern-day Joe Dey? In the wake of the PGA of America's Pete Rose-like banishment of its 38th president, Ted Bishop, we might very well see a style switch similar to what happened 40 years ago when the PGA Tour had a change in power. 

It was in 1974 that Dey, the then tour commissioner and a future World Golf Hall of Famer, was succeeded by Deane Beman, an amateur champion who had decided to end a modestly successful pro career at age 35. Dey, the executive director of the USGA for more than 30 years, moved into the commissioner job in 1969. He is one of golf history's most distinguished administrators, who governed with a low-key, but firm by-the-book style that was well respected. The rules column he wrote for Golf Digest was one of the most popular reads in the magazine's history. And since 1996, the USGA has recognized a volunteer each year with the Joe Dey Award for meritorious service to the game.


Dey helped smooth the strife that had developed between the club pro and tour pro sides of the PGA of America; the Tournament Players Division was created, and later became the PGA Tour. Dey was 66 when he stepped down, and his fatherly presence was a stark lead-in to the much younger Beman, who faced some opposition by players who didn't like the idea of a fellow professional now at the helm of the ship and determining their livelihood. 

When Dey retired, he responded to a question about what were the best and worst parts of the job. In true Dey disciplinarian style he said the best was seeing how well players police themselves and call penalties because it's the nature of the game and expected of them. The worst part was having to impose sanctions or penalties on a player. 

Beman came into office with the task of governing the career direction of players he just spent several years playing against. One of the first issues he had to deal with was the new policy of "designated tournaments," which, in essence, was where leading players were told three "must events" they had to put on their schedule. That peer dynamic Beman dealt with hit Bishop full in the face in the waning weeks of his presidency. After being removed last week from office due to "insensitive gender-based statements" on social media, it's now being seen how much Bishop had a segment of his fellow club professionals against the way he operated as perhaps the most visible, vocal and outspoken PGA president ever. His maverick style created great animosity and was a vast departure from the traditional president whose only public persona was as the plaid-coated figure at the PGA Championship awards ceremony. 

Sprague, general manager and director of golf at Malone (N.Y.) Golf Club, was in line to be elected PGA president in November, but got moved up to interim president after Bishop's firing. When Sprague, a Malone native, is officially elected at the meeting in Indianapolis -- in the state Bishop is located as director of golf at The Legends Golf Club in Franklin -- his contrast to Bishop's style should be a distinction the PGA of America will be relieved to see. 

Gary Player: I Can Fix Tiger Woods In One Hour

Gary Player: I Can Fix Tiger Woods In One Hour

• By Coleman McDowell, Assistant Editor, GOLF Magazine
• Follow Coleman on Twitter.

Published: Thursday, October 30, 2014 | 12:22:24 PM | Comments (2)

Tiger Woods and Gary Player practice before the 2009 Masters.

Tiger Woods still doesn’t have a new swing coach after parting ways with Sean Foley in late August. Here’s an unlikely choice for his new guru: 9-time major winner Gary Player.

In an interview with Graham Bensinger, Player said he would love to sit down with Woods for an hour, and that’s all the time he would need to fix Woods’ problems.

“Would I love to sit down with him for one hour and give him a piece of my knowledge,” Player said. “I can’t tell you what I’d say. But then I think he could win majors ... I’d talk to him quite a bit about the swing. He’s got flaws. There’s a reason. I reckon I could get those things across from him that could make a massive change because I’ve got the experience that it would take him at least another 40-50 years to get. I’ve got this in the bank! But you can’t go around volunteering to help everybody.”

That was the end of an answer to the question: “What do you think of Tiger?” Here's Player’s initial answer in full:

“Tiger is the most talented golfer that ever lived, without a question. Whether he’ll reach Jack Nicklaus’s majors is debatable, no one knows. Time will tell. I’m going to give you a very interesting scenario. If Tiger Woods once he had won the U.S. Open by 15 shots, if Tiger Woods never had a lesson from another pro in his life. And I’m not condemning those pros, some of them are pretty intelligent, Hank Haney and his other teachers, they’re pretty good. But Tiger was so good and so much better than anybody plays today. He could never hit the ball like Ben Hogan. Not even close. But that’s not what counts. It’s scoring, winning. Tiger Woods if he had never had another lesson, if he left what he had, he would have won 20, 22, 24 majors. But he’s also been unlucky. Three knee operations, a back operation, and a few other problems. So, will he come back as champion? I really hope so because the game needs Tiger Woods. It helps me. It helps golf manufactures. It helps young people in countries that aren’t all white. We need a black man to be a champion. Will he accomplish and become the best golfer ever? Only the Lord knows.”

The Perfect Golf Swing!

I ran across this ad in my inbox and it started me thing.  First thought is you would be wasting your money to buy this and the second thing is what exactly makes up a "Perfect Golf Swing"? 

I hear that term used a lot - particularly in marketing of golf products, but I've never seen a definition of it.

I would love to hear your thoughts on the subject.  Please leave comments with your thoughts.

Simple Tip to Improve Your Putting.

Got this one off the Golf Chanel.  It's so simple, really works, and doesn't cost anything.  Reminds me of the learning aide that I used to teach not cupping the hands through impact.  Consisted of a popsicle stick and two rubber bands..  I love simple!

It's also easy on the eye.  Bless the Golf Chanel and Fox News Network

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Best value in sunglasses on the market!  $39.95 with lifetime guarantee and fast free shipping!

Keeping Golf Simple! It’s time for my first weekly award of BSOW.

It’s Time For My First Weekly Award of BSOW.   

This doesn’t fall under the instruction category, but rather learning aids.  I had actually picked a front runner, but this was a late entry and it comes from a company noted for its BS products.

What really got my attention was their claim:

Can You REALLY Add 10 MPH of Club Speed (and 30 Extra Yards to Your Drives) INSTANTLY with Just 6 Swings of This “Stud Stick”? YES! And Here’s How…

I guess it may be in the realm of possibility for some individual, but I would put my money on winning the lottery as a better bet than it doing that for you.  The technology has been around forever.  I had one in my teens that would make a “click” when you generated enough swing speed.

If you take any type of weighted device and attach it to your club and swing it several times and then swing without it you will see an increase in swing speed for a lot less than $79.95 plus shipping and handling.

This is the company that us the club with the hinge in the shaft that I doubt any Major Champion Winner could have swung without it breaking down.

They may be the best I’ve ever seen at marketing BS.