7 Nights At The Twitter Academy (Junior Edition)….A Must See If You Want To Play College Golf


For those of you who don’t follow me on twitter. The mastermind crew, orchestrated by my good friend Jason Helman, are helping the juniors this week with a variety of topics. I was fortunate to be joined by one of my Elite juniors, Philip Oweida as we talked about the value of using video during playing lessons. I was also joined by former LPGA tour player, Perry Swenson and former mini-tour and reigning Carmel Club Champion, Justin Livonius for an interview about the college recruiting process and some valuable tips that the juniors don’t want to miss. Here is my video submission and the entire interview (uncut) with Perry adn Justin. I hope you enjoy and share them with your junior golfer.

See you on the tee at “The Best Club In America”

Guru

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7 Nights At The Twitter Junior Academy……Starts Tonight @8!


Here we go again. This time our mastermind crew is helping the juniors this week and it starts tonight at 8 pm. I love being a part of this group as we continue to grow the game and share information to help us become better coaches. Thanks to Jason Helman for putting it together and coming up with the topics and the great trailers. We have added two new faces to the line up which you will enjoy. A couple of young star coaches. Here is the line up and the topics that will be covered. Click on the link to follow these individuals on twitter.

May 14th – Day 1 – Jason Helman – Full Swing

May 15th – Day 2 – Dennis Sales – TPI Fitness and Outside Sports

May 16th - Megan Padua and Aaron Olson – Wedge game and Junior Fitting Importance

May 17th, Day 4 –  Rob McGill – Bunker Shots

May 18th – Day 5 – Jason Sutton – On course Playing lessons with Elite Juniors

May 19th – Day 6 - Sara Dickson – Games and Drills

May 20th – DAy 7 – John Graham - Putting, Neuro Learning and Junior Skill Development

I hope you will follow us and check out these top coaches and have your juniors join you for this Twitter Edition of the 7 Nights at the twitter academy

Guru

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D-Plane with Trackman Maestro and John Graham


One of my 5 Mastermind Skills is educating my students on how and why the ball flies the way it does. I call it (D-Plane Knowledge) I talk about D Plane in just about every lesson because I want my students to armed with the correct information that will help them diagnose their ball flight and ultimately help understand why I choose the order of change that we are working on. Coaches and players alike, if you don’t understand the concept then you just aren’t looking hard enough or you probably won’t be reading this blog because the information is out there. I pride myself on trying to share the information that I have acquired from top coaches such as John Graham (and many others) with other teachers that will benefit and ultimately help grow this game of golf. Recently there have been a couple of great video explaining D Plane that will help answer some questions and also dispel myths about spin axis and why 2 D video can be misleading by John Graham and by Joseph Mayo. John has partnered with  Mark Strong to produce an excellent 3D video presentation that will be very insightful and informative. Go to http://johngrahamgolf.com/dplanevideo.htm to download for only 10.00. It will be the best 10 dollars that you will ever spend on your golf game or your coaching career. Here is an intro video:

I hope you find these videos helpful and let me know if you have any questions. Thank you to John and Joseph for taking the time to do these wonderful videos.

Follow me on twitter @twitter.com/golfgurutv

See on the lesson tee at Americas best club,

Guru

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My Day at Augusta with Nicklaus Palmer and Masters Predictions


I’ve been attending the Masters since 1998 but until you can share it with someone who has never been, well it is just a place that every golfer needs to go. In 2001, it was my father in law Butch that went with me for the first time. He never takes this trip for granted. Butch battled Leukemia and won but in the process he missed the trip to Augusta two years ago so he has a great appreciation for Augusta. I knew it was going to be a great day when he looked at my son, Nicklaus as we approached the gate on Monday (acting like a kid himself) and said,”This will be one of the greatest days of your life!’ and that we are so blessed to be here. He was right.  I was so excited to share this special day with my 10-year-old son, Nicklaus Palmer (you have to love the name) who has become a passionate golfer in the last 2 years. Ever since he started going to the Wachovia (now the Wells Fargo Championship) he got the bug and I love it. We are entering the gate and he pulls out a plastic  baggie to put some Augusta grass into. That is what passionate golfers do and I love it. Nick couldn’t believe the condition of the golf course and he loved walking the golf course and seeing all of the holes that he had only seen on the internet and TV. After walking the course and watching Tiger and a few others play a few holes, we hit the range to watch the boys practice which I hoped would be educational and it was. He loved watching the short game area as we witnessed Hunter Mahan (one of his favorite players) take a pitching lesson. Is that what you want me to do daddy? Is all he said as he studied the technique of Hunter and Patrick Cantlay hitting wedge shots. The day would not have been complete without Nick’s favorite golfer making an appearance. Rickie Fowler. Even though it was 2:00 and we were getting tired, his step quickened as we caught up with his idol on the second hole. We followed Rickie throughout every shot on the front nine and Nick managed a couple of responses from all the “nice shot Rickie” that he kept throwing out after every shot and even got a high-five on no. 6 tee (I don’t think he has washed his hand). He even managed a few autographs such as Jack Fleck, which I thought was pretty cool. All in all it was a spectacular day spent with my boy and I think we created some memories of a lifetime. As we walked out of the gate Nick said,”Dad, can I come back next year?” You got it buddy, thanks for sharing this day with me and Papa. On the ride home, Nick told me the list of things that he learned from the day and that he couldn’t wait to get back and practice them on the golf course……..like father like son, always trying to learn and get better and I love him for that. He said that he will be playing in the Masters in 10 years (Big Dreams never hurt).

So to my Masters Picks:

1. Tiger: I know he is on everyone’s list but I don’t think I would have said this a couple of months ago. After watching him practice in person, there were no multiple rehearsal swings that I am used to seeing him make as he is working on his swing changes which means that he finally trusts his new move. As Phil Mickelson said in his press conference,”That Sucks for the Rest of Us.” He is as confident as I have seen him as his body language reflects it.

2. Rory McIlroy – redemtion time

3. Matt Kutchar- looked good Monday and I think is ready to win a major

4. Adam Scott – great showing last year and the new putter is working which has been missing in past majors

5. Padraig Harrington – was spotted working with AimPoint inventor, Mark Sweeney. Big advantage and has been hitting it better of late

Dark horses to watch out for:

Rickie Fowler – did not miss a shot the nine holes we walked with him. Puttng is the only problem. If he figures out the greens he could be dangerous

Bo Van Pelt – Aimpointer that has played well in the past. I like him to get another top 10

Bill Haas – Has the game to compete in the majors and has the length

I am not sure there has been a more anticipated Masters as this one and it should not disappoint. It looks like the course will play soft and long so you have to carry the ball far and hit the long irons well so we will see. Who is your top five picks? Thanks for reading and enjoy the Masters.

Guru

 

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Pre-Shot Routine and a little D-Plane (Guru TV Blast From the Past)


Follow me on twitter @golfgurutv 

See you on the lesson tee at “The Best Club In America”

Guru

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Sneak Peak of The Guru Short Game School @Stones River CC – Teaching the Bump and Run


Here is a clip of the short game school I taught at Stones River CC with Rob Mcgill. I had a great time and I thank Rob and the members for having me. Here I am teaching the bump and run shot

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What’s Your Take On “The Big Miss”


I am going to hold my opinion of Hank Haney’s book until I get a chance to read it but it has been all over the radio and internet. I am sure this is good for book sales as it seems anything that has to do with Tiger is always big news. I am curious to hear from my readers on whether Hank has crossed the line or is he entitled to share these personal insights about his time with Tiger? I have heard both sides on the radio and internet but I thought this was a bold and interesting take by top teacher, Rick Smith. I have not coached any PGA tour players yet so I can’t weigh in on either side. Let me know what you think? I hate to contribute to more sales of the book but I was curious to hear your thoughts. Here is the comment from Rick Smith:

Rick Smith, a long-time swing instructor on the PGA Tour and former teacher to Phil Mickelson and other notable players, including Rocco Mediate and Lee Janzen, spoke out on Wednesday at the Arnold Palmer Invitational about Hank Haney’s forthcoming book, “The Big Miss,” about the teacher’s six years as Tiger Woods’ swing coach.

“I would rather be broke and not have a penny to my name before I violate the code of player-teacher confidentiality,” Smith said.  “In 27 years out here, I’ve never done that. I’m personally upset with Hank because he’s broken and violated our code of ethics. If you have the opportunity and you’re privileged to conversations, you will not and should not share anything from them with anyone. I don’t care who it is.

“For all the guys who have committed their lives to teaching, this should be very upsetting and I know that I’m not the only one that feels this way.  What Hank did is against the rules.”

Smith, who stopped coaching Mickelson after the 2006 U.S. Open at Winged Foot, still retains a close personal and business relationship with the four-time major champion. For years, Smith says, he and Mickelson would not discuss with anyone what they were working on. Smith would get permission from Mickelson and other players to answer media questions.

“Your relationship with these players is for a lifetime. All the guys that I have worked with are still my dearest friends,” Smith said. “Obviously, Hank was convinced that it was great that everybody knew about his work with Tiger and that it was substantial financially for him to write this book. But you can’t put a dollar value on something that is an ethical violation.”

Smith said Haney should “suck up” any ill feelings that he might have toward Woods after their working relationship ended in 2010, and be “grateful” and “appreciative” for the chance to work with one of the greatest players of all time.

“The Big Miss: My Years Coaching Tiger Woods” will be released March 27.

Thanks for reading as always,

Guru

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