JASON
GRISWOLD, PGA Professional managing TLC Tournaments and Handicapping/Chelsea
Tee Time Systems
What is your
favorite part of the game to practice?
My favorite part of the game to practice is chipping and pitching.
I find when I do not play for a while I lose the feel around the greens.
Nothing is more frustrating than when I come off the course and have a less than
desired outcome, I look back and calculate that I added a bunch of strokes to
my round around the greens. Getting “the feel” back with a practice session takes
pressure off the rest of my game as I am confident I can get the ball up and
down around the green, even when ball striking leaves something to be desired.
What is the
part of your game that needs the most attention?
Putting. I have never been a great putter and I can lose confidence
quickly. Like most, I have tried every putter and every way to putt. I now have
an anchored belly putter style and it works when I practice, just my luck.
What is the
one way a student can practice better?
Like many teachers preach, make every ball count or mean
something. Play games against a spouse or a friend. Challenge yourself to make
a certain shot or to hit a certain amount of balls onto a practice green or near
a particular flagstick. Use your imagination. I recently heard a story about
Ben Hogan never hitting more than 20 balls at one time without taking a break
in between.
List your
top 3 teaching specialties or favorite skills to teach:
My top 3 specialties are: course management, iron play and
chipping/pitching.
What are
your preferred training tools or technology?
I like using a flight monitor. It will give you spin rate, ball
speed and distance. You see these devices getting smaller and more advanced
rapidly. Pretty soon there will be “an app for that”. For putting, I like using
the Eye-Line. The Eye-Line mirror gives you a visual of where you are over the
ball and the rails and lines give you instant feedback on identifying the
deficiencies in your stroke. I also like to get the player on video and let the
student see what their swing looks like which gives the student the opportunity
to critique their own swing. It is funny when a student who thinks “I don’t do
that” is flabbergasted when they see what they actually do on the screen.
What
percentage are you teaching a new concept to a student and what percentage are
you coaching that student?
85% of the time I am coaching a student. We can work a new
concept on plane or path, etc. but when the student finally “gets it” and hits
the shot or makes the move we are looking for, “we know it is in there” then I
become a coach. This is a game of inches, the 6 inches between your ears.
Confidence plays a large role in this game. I believe in the student and I
strive to help them to see that belief within themselves.
What are
your goals as a teacher and coach?
My goal as a teacher/coach is to get that player to meet the
objectives that we set prior to the lesson. What are we trying to achieve? A
majority of the time the student will take one step back and then eventually
take two steps forward. I particularly enjoy the phone call or the conversation
that comes after the lesson saying "everything that you taught me worked today
and I shot x today." I certainly enjoy the hugs or high fives I get during and
especially after the lesson.
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