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

Guru

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

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

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

Follow me on twitter @golfgurutv 

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

Guru

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

Most of you that follow me on twitter know where I was last weekend. For the first time in my career I took my teaching on the road. My good friend, Rob McGill asked if I would come and teach a short game school at his club in Nashville and I couldn’t pass up an opportunity to spend the weekend with my buddy and do some teaching. I was truly honored that someone would think that I had something to offer his members and for that I am thankful. So I couldn’t leave this week without giving some props to Rob McGill because I feel like people deserve to know the type of guy that he is but most of all the type of golf professional he is as well. This is not about me but about my friend Rob. I show up at the airport and Rob and his son, Braxton surprise me with a folder with (www.golfgurutv.com #makeeverything on it) which was pretty cool. We go to the club for a wonderful dinner and I start to meet the members of this fine club. You can just tell the love and admiration that they have for their head professional by the way they respond and treat him. Rob is always good for a kind word and hello to everyone that passes by…not because he has to but because he genuinely loves people and the members at Stones River. In the day and age of PGA golf professionals that are losing there jobs it was great to see a professional that is always trying to better themself and more importantly creating value to the membership by bringing programs like the AimPoint Class with John Graham and my little short game school as well. I told the members in my intro that they were fortunate to have a head professional that is always trying to improve his skills and share with the members his knowledge.  As all great professionals , Rob is also a great mentor to his assistants, Matt Spain and the other staff members as he was continually checking on them and testing them in an unselfish constructive manner.  Being the great observer that I am, I was just filled with joy to see watch this guy work and engage the members throughout the weekend, and then teach alongside him as well. I enjoyed meeting his family as they treated us like one of the family with their hospitality and kindness and I just wanted to say thank you and recognize one of the true great PGA golf professionals in our business. Thank you Rob for everything.

****I would be remiss if I didn’t mention the epic mindmeld discussions on the golf swing that was had by John Graham, John Dochety, Rob, Matt Spain and with a special guest appearance by Kirk Oguri and Bob Townsend. We had a great time and I learned alot for sure. I know I promised some video and some video was taken but cannot be published unfortunately. Maybe next time.

Jason

Here is the email that I received that will promptly go into my new testimonial page:

Hi Jason,
It’s Sunday night and it’s my quiet time but I wanted to take this
opportunity and thank you for the help you have given me unknowingly
but your blog site is truly amazing!

I found you quite by accident on the web just looking for someone that
could suggest some help on the proper backswing/takeaway (my takeaway
was way inside). I am a 4 hdcp. at The Tuxedo Club in New York state
and have been as low as a scratch a few years back but that was 2 kids
ago and they are now 19 and 23 so that tells you how long it’s been.

I am a self taught player and student of the game. Finding someone
like you was nothing short of a miracle for me, as you explain things
both verbally and visually ( the broom drill, et al) that clearly
define the feeling and look portions of the swing should look and feel
like.

Last night I didn’t make friends with my wife taking her time away but
I had to watch and read as much of your blog and former videos while
you were at Dana Rader that I could. What a revelation and truly
amazing! You cleared up so many misconceptions I cannot begin to
explain.

Additionally I had the opportunity to read your farewell to your
cohorts at Dana Rader and it was truly heartwarming and nice to hear
someone give thanks for opportunities and leave on great terms and
with only the fondest of memories.

Knowing that most PGA pros don’t get a lot of accolades for their
work, I had to take these few minutes to tell you how proud the PGA
sector should be to have someone like you representing it. You are a
credit to them, your family and all of your co-workers and members at
Carmel CC and they are very lucky to have you!

I wish you only the best in your new endeavor at Carmel and whatever
else you undertake. I also will look forward to any updates and new
videos on gurutv.com. Hopefully our paths will cross at some point in
the near future, as I may make a pilgrimage down to Charlotte to see
and take a few lessons from you. I’m hoping for a rejuvenated year now.

If your ever up in the New Jersey/ New York area (metro) please give
me a call. I’d love to have you up to Tuxedo for a day of golf at one
of the oldest clubs in the country with a storied history.

Wishing you only the best!

Sincerely,

Andy “Wiz” Wyszomirski
Mahwah, NJ”

See you on the lesson tee at Carmel,

Guru
 

Mark Sweeney and the Guru

The cool thing about a blog is that I get to write about life changing experiences and hopefully inspire others to join you in things that just don’t come along everyday. In this case it was my AimPoint Green Reading final certification weekend. Officially there are 18 more golfers on the planet that don’t have to wonder,”What the heck is this AimPoint stuff I keep hearing the Guru talk about? For the rest of you, AimPoint is a unbelieveable green reading system developed by Mark Sweeney that allow you to gather information, plug them into  a chart and know “EXACTLY” where to aim in order to make every putt on the putting green. The cool thing is that anyone can do it with a bit of coaching and some practice of some basic skills. You may have seen the green line on Golf Channel that represents where the ball must roll at the correct speed in order for the ball to go in. Well now there is a teachable system that Mark has developed that can be applied to the average golfer to the tour player alike. I was introduced to this by my good friend John Graham and I am happy to say that I am officially a Certified Instructor to teach this phenomenal system. Mark came down this past weekend and spent some valuable time working with me on the fundamentals and  how to apply it to the lesson plan for the students. Watching Mark read putts was like watching Picasso paint a picture. He was reading putts up to 60 feet in less than 25 seconds which is faster than most tour players read a simple 15 footer which sold me and my other teachers that with practice and some repetition, you can not only read putts with perfect accuracy but also faster than the old fashion squatting, plumb bob, walking around the hole procedure. Working with Mark was great as he was very willing to share any information that will help us teach this system to be the best of our ability. As he did the first clinic with my members, I soon found out why he is so successful. everyone had a great time and they were always engaging with so many good questions. As the putts started to drop, they were hooked and excited. After I did my best Mark Sweeney impersonation in the second clinic, which was not even close I was so excited to be a part of this new and growing group of AimPoint Instructors. It is amazing that after so many years that this great game has been around that no one has even come close to developing a system that takes all of the guesswork out of one of the most mysterious parts of the golf, Green Reading! We should all be thankful to alive and have the opportunity to take part in such a game changing process. I am confident that you will start to see more of the games great players adopt this system in the near future. All I know is that we have 18 very excited golfers that will soon be #makingeverything. Feel free to contact me to come to your club to do a  clinic by emailing me @jsutton@carmelcountryclub.org or hit me up on twitter @twitter.com/golfgurutv. ps. I think 7 or 8 of the participants in the clinic signed up because of my interaction on twitter. There is some ROI in there somewhere, lol.

Special thanks to Mark Sweeney for allowing me to be a part of this prestigious group of coaches and to my friend, John Graham for all the training and extra time that he has spent with me over the last year. I promise to share the information as we are truly doing something that will grow the game.

See you on the putting green at Carmel,

Guru