Teach 'N' Towel

Working with the Teach 'N' Towel is a staple part of new golfer lessons for me.

The colors, easy-to-use footprints for stance width, ball placement, alignment, pre-shot routine make it a great teaching tool. And, best of all, the student has a towel to use as needed! 

We sell them at the Deer Creek Golf Shop, where they come with a user guide. Here are some photos of a student learning how to step into a shot, place her feet and learn the image so she can later transition to doing that on her own. 

Practice with feedback!

Oakridge Health Fair Recap

I had such a fun time at the Oakridge Fitness and Wellness Center's Health and Wellness Fair on March 10.

Myself, Mike McNutt and Ty Weller were there encouraging members of all ages to try their hand at putting. SNAG Putting, or Puttle, were both in full swing (pun intended!).

It was a great way to get active and be a part of the fitness movement.

After School Junior Golf

Despite the extra support from our practice area sand gnats, the Wednesday After School Junior Golf Program was in full swing, working on chipping, full swing and golf fitness. 

Games like SNAG chipping, SNAG launching, SNAG Snapper, Hula Hoop Match, Chipping Tunnel, Tic Tac Chip and the Tower of Power are some of my favorites for this program. Students are also learning to honor the game (whichever sport they play) by respecting ROOTS (rules, opponents, officials, teammates and self).  

Building life skills through golf!

Do You Want To Have Dinner With A Golf Pro?

If you're looking for a fun dinner, consider Dinner with the Pros! 

2-4 members can enjoy dinner with me or 6-8 members can enjoy dinner with myself and a second Landings Club Golf Professional with no charge other than what food and drink are ordered on the member's account. Chat with the pros, ask questions, learn some fun trivia and just enjoy an engaging evening! 

Dinner with the Pro is held monthly on a Friday at 5:30pm at Deer Creek unless otherwise specified. Sold out events shared dinner with Nicole Weller & Ty Weller in January and Nicole Weller & Brian Sams in February. 

Don't worry, there are still seats available for the March 23 dinner with myself and Tad Sanders and the April 27 dinner with myself and Mike McNutt.

Sign up at the Deer Creek Golf Shop or contact me at 695-5211 or nicole.weller@landingsclub.com. 

After School Golf Photos

The Thursday After-School Junior Golf Program is in full swing! 

Throughout the program we'll work on skill development, challenge games, golf fitness, motion coordination and much more! With juniors ages 4-9 working on learning and developing their games with Coach Ty, Coach Jim and Coach Nicole, we always have a good time!

Check out these adorable photos below. How could you not love the After School Golf Program?

Bring Success to Practice and Play with Dr. Rick Jensen

Despite the morning rain, Dr. Rick Jensen, one of the top sports performance consultants in the country, gave several terrific presentations at Plantation on Monday, February 27.

Due to the rain, the morning outdoor session was adjusted to an indoor one complete with videos, demonstrations and information on how to play better by practicing better. Based on extensive research of how people learn, Dr. Jensen shared ideas about the process of learning a motor skill - going through understanding cause/effect, supervised practice, transfer practice and play practice. 

Two member sessions and a golf professional coaching session involved activities like the whiffle ball toss, the multi-gun barrel, the marble jar, the gymnast or boxing analogy and more. 

Dr. Jensen's autographed books were available to students but if you would also like a copy, feel free to stop by the Deer Creek Golf Shop, where they are on sale to members. And while you're there, join a supervised practice session with Nicole Weller or Paul Kruger!

It's All About Learning...

I had an interesting ah-ha moment during a recent lesson. One of my students said she needed to remember the concept we were working on. It dawned on me that golf is about more than remembering to use a skill--it's learning the skill. 

To remember involves mental capacity. To have learned involves being able to act on an idea that has taken root.  When practicing, work to learn an idea instead of just remember it. That should help, for example, the golf swing become a more natural motion instead of just an idea that doesn't translate into the swing. 

There are several stages needed for learning to take place. 

1. Understanding the concept (knowledge)
2. Acquiring the skill to use the concept (practice)
3. Appling the skill under pressure (transfer practice/play) 

Remember a golfer can't hit a golf ball with the brain... a golfer must play with feel. Practice to learn, not just to remember!