9 Tips to Help Junior Golfers
Preparing for a Big Shot? Use Phil’s Formula to Perform
QUICK COACHING
By Keith Stewart, PGA
Published on
There comes a moment in every round where we really need to hit a pressure filled shot. Watching the 103rd PGA Championship yesterday, Phil’s game was wavering after the wayward tee shot on the 13th hole. Over the next couple of challenging moments, he hit some average shots. With Brooks Koepka’s birdie on the 16th hole, Phil’s lead was gone.
Phil completed the Par 5 16th without a birdie. The success of the entire day now hinged on the next iron shot. The most difficult hole on the course was parred by Brooks. Phil had to match his score or even try to beat it. With his most committed swing of the day, Phil drew a straight line to the flag with his shot tracer. The pressure of the moment and the difficulty of that play could have easily caused him to guide the swing. When belief mattered most, Mickelson moved through it with confidence.
Within that crucial moment, what can we learn from Phil’s focus and commitment? Any expert instructor can teach positions in the golf swing. Being labeled a “coach” implies a little more. PGA Coaches don’t just teach their students the golf swing, they also coach them on how to use it. When preparing for one of those pressure filled shots, use Phil’s formula to perform.
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Proper preparation starts with a powerful mindset. Dottie Pepper commented during the
telecast about Phil meditating. Behind those sunglasses, Phil filters out the noise and focuses on the target. Creating self-belief comes from a having a relaxed mind. Practices like meditation or just simply calming your thought process is the first successful step to pulling off the play. -
Select the club you can swing. One of the worst mistakes we can make in these situations is trying to hit half shots. This is a very important point. Changing the speed and length of your swing will create more stress in an already super stressful situation. Correct club selection can actually help remove anxiety from the shot.
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When it comes time to hit the ball, use your routine. You have a routine for a reason. Sticking to that routine for hours during a round of golf is impossible. We all have moments when we stray from our process. For this shot make it your best routine of the day. Do that and you’ll be really ready.
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Envision the shot as you walk into the ball. If you don’t see it, you cannot create it. You see great players do this on television all the time.
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Now you’re ready. Once you’re in the address position and ready to go; swing it. You chose that club for a very specific reason, now follow through on that intent. Make a complete swing. Hold your finish until the ball lands near your target.
These specific keys will allow you to perform your best under the tensest of times. Watch the coverage today. Now that you’re aware of what it takes to perform like Phil on the 17 th tee, observe all the contenders. Personality plays a part in this process too. Follow your favorite golfer and watch their routine. Their process will no doubt contain these five points.
As a PGA Coach, here’s one more tip on this subject. Screen shot this article. Save it in the pictures on your phone. Then when you practice, you can use that picture as a checklist. Start to incorporate each of the five keys into your pre-shot routine. Build a successful process on the range. One you can use like Phil when you have to perform under pressure.
Stay Centered Drill
QUICK COACHING
Stay Centered and Balanced with this Drill from PGA Coach Cathy Kim
Published on
If you’re a golfer that has a hard time staying centered in the golf swing, PGA Coach Cathy Kim has a great drill for you.
Some golfers tend to move their head from side to side or shift their weight too much in the swing. It typically means the weight is rolling in their feet.
If you struggle with this problem, try going to the opposite end of the spectrum and taking some swings with your feet together. Hitting some shots on the range with your shoes side-by-side will help you feel the way your body moves and eliminate the sway in your swing. Ultimately, the drill will help teach your body to move and rotate properly without losing your balance.
Once you’ve centered and balanced your golf swing, you can attack your tempo with another great tip from Kim.
If you’re looking for a golf coach to help take your game to the next level, PGA.com/Coach is a great place to start.
Operation 36 Golf
Operation 36 Announces Bold Initiative to Create 1,000,000 New Golfers
Matt Reagan, PGA
Co-Founder and CEO, Operation 36 Golf
Garner-based golf player development program, Operation 36, announced its bold initiative to grow the game of golf in a wildly impactful and measurable way over the next five years.
Co-Founders Matt Reagan, PGA, and Ryan Dailey, PGA have made Operation 36 well known because of their very different approach to teaching beginner golfers. Traditional wisdom says new players should get private golf lessons, and stay on the practice range until they are good enough to get on the course.
Operation 36 takes the traditional model and flips it on its head. All new players begin on the course. Instead of starting at the tee box, they play from 25 yards away from the hole. Once the player shoots par (36) from 25 yards, they back up to 50 yards, and so on, until they are shooting even par (36) from the full tee box. It’s timely, it’s fun, and it provides step by step improvement.
This golf program was initially seen as only a Junior Program that had caught fire as the standard for introducing any beginner to the game, including adults. It is now taught by nearly 700 coaches across the world at over 450 facilities with over 28,000 golfers.
Now the company has set an even bigger initiative.
Co-Founder Matt Reagan said, “There is a problem with how golfers are introduced to the game. It is our mission to give these new golfers the best program and technology possible to make becoming a life-long golfer a fun experience. Our team has been hard at work over the last 10 years to build the programs, technology, training, and network to help carry out this mission. We believe the foundation is in place to set our big Network-wide goal. We are going to introduce 1,000,000 new golfers to the game and get them to shoot even par (36) for 9 holes by the end of 2025! The best part is we can guide golfers and actually measure it with our technology. We will be the first company in golf that is able to accurately measure and relay the impact to the public. It can’t happen unless we pull everyone into the mission to grow the game. From Golf Pros as program leaders to existing golfers as influencers, we want everyone to have a complete plan to pull someone new into the sport. Over the coming months, we will be focused on continued growth and aligning with industry partners to bring the 1,000,000 new golfers goal to life!”
Operation 36 recently launched a new website, as well as a Program Map. Families who want to get involved with a program can now easily connect with a local Operation 36 coach. In the coming months, the company will be rolling out more tools to attract families to learn to play golf.
The mission at Operation 36 is to design the #1 Programs and Technology to introduce and progress a beginner in playing the game of golf.