Hilton Head Golf…
Well, I just returned from a good trip to Hilton Head, South Carolina. Bring your GPS, the signage is scarce as they try to keep the island free of the typical signs that are posted everywhere Americana style. The golf courses were in decent shape considering the winter they had. Special Thanks to Chip Pellerin at the Country Club of Hilton Head for looking after us and Skip Pratt at the Hampton Hall Club a terrific Pete Dye layout. These are both must plays if you’re travelling to the area.
A quick story: We had a fantastic time with Larry Coletti a surgeon from the Connecticut area and his brother-in-law Bill. Larry is slight in size, just turned 80 but was very fun to play with. He told me a very funny story and trust me I hear a lot of them when playing with other people. Picture it coming from a small elderly man with the voice…you know the one. Here’s his story…”So, I was playing with my wife on the next hole, it’s a par 3 and she hits it just a bit short and doesn’t it end up beside a gator, well she says, “okay you win the hole, I’m not going anywhere near that gator” and he says “don’t be silly it’s not that close to him, you can hit it up there and still make par.” “She says no way, the only way I’m playing is if you stand between my ball and the gator.” He obliges, she flipped it on the green and made the putt for 3 and he wrote “L” beside the match total for Loss of hole. When she reviewed the scorecard one hole later she said, “I beat you on that hole” and he said “no, you can’t ask your opponent to help you when playing a hole, you asked me to stand between you and the gator, so I win the hole.” I asked him how he enjoyed the couch that night. Two holes later on the next par 3, Bill was in the same situation with a 6 foot gator, but there was only 2 club lengths between the gator and the ball, Larry didn’t oblige this time. Bill quickly hit and unfortunately topped it in the water, his next shot was dropped about 40 yards away, : ) he stuffed it to a foot and we gave it to him for double. All in all it was a very fun day and I had some serious laughs. One of the better days I had spent on the course when getting paired up.
Some good eating and happy hour spots: Wiseguys, Aunt Chiladas, Lands End Tavern (Sea Pines)
The word “don’t”….
As a golf professional or student of the game this word is very important, in that you should obliterate it from your vocabulary in the game of golf. It’s a very powerful and negative word that can lead to disaster for your swing, focus, game, mindset and general overall enjoyment of the game.
As a Professional if you use the word “don’t” during instruction you’re conveying a negative and this is what most people will remember. Have you ever watched the news? What do you remember after watching it? Currently it’s all of the distress, grief and misfortune occurring in Haiti. There’s rarely “Good News” on TV. We’re accustomed and tuned to the negative, have you ever rubbernecked at an accident to see what was going on? If yes, then why would you be so negative to a student, aren’t you trying to make them better? Here’s what they will remember when they get on course….”Okay, so the pro said “don’t” grip it so tight or it could right, “don’t” stand so wide or it could go right.” What happens to the student when you’re not there is that they will generally over compensate, grip it very loose, stand very narrow and then swing, have no idea where it’s going because the fear has been created by the word “don’t”. Then they doubt the pro because they did everything he/she was told to in the lesson setting. They should be remembering positive things, like, if I grip it looser and stand a little narrower, I hit it more solid. The student could also be standing over a shot thinking “don’t go right” there’s OB there, don’t be short there’s water there, so, that leaves long or left in the trees, guess what, if the fear of “don’t” is created it will remain present. We have to replace the word with better words or phrases such as “eliminate, try not to, limit, overcome” etc. so we can provide a more positive outcome for the student when they get to the range or course. Try it next lesson, see how you do.
As a student, your focus of “don’t” should also be replaced to a positive thought, such as “okay, where is my miss?” Some may say this is a negative but that’s exactly what tour players figure out in practice rounds. If it’s long like the example above this is where your focus should be, on that and that alone. In other words, the thought has been translated to “if I hit this too solid, I will be long, but that’s safe.” It will hopefully lead to the proper club selection as well, which will eliminate short and lets you think less about left and right. You have to create a type of tunnel vision that takes those three other negative thoughts you may have had away and narrow it down to one. Once you have narrowed that focus you will have given yourself a better opportunity at producing a better result. Make sure your pro/coach or instructor focuses on the positive.
If you have any questions, please feel free to contact me or your local CPGA or PGA professional.
The New Rules of Golf Instruction…
If you’re a golfer or an instructor and want to improve this is a great 60 page read. Author, Charlie King put it together and lucky for me he was one of my instructors when I went through a PGM program in Florida. I’m happy that I followed in my instructors footsteps and have been practicing these ideals since my career began. It has certainly been influential in my teaching career and I’m sure my students have found it mutually beneficial. There are many many days that I recall our classroom discussions on teaching philosophies and I often relay them to my students. I hope you find it a good read and can spread the word. Thanks Charlie.
Stop Over-the-Top Swings
Here is my “Quick Fix” article that was published in “Score Golf Magazine”
on how to help you stop getting over the top.
Check it out: -> Stop Over-the-Top Swings – Contents Credit
Actual Article: -> Stop Over-the-Top Swings
Golf Scene Magazine
Here is my article on practicing bunker play, published in Golf Scene Magazine.
Check it out: -> The Dreaded Bunker Shot – May 31, 2009
Jason Helman Golf 