The Rest of the Story
In October of 1998, I was among the youngest ever PGA
Member
to be awarded a section Teacher of the Year at age 28 in the Central
New York Section of the PGA of America. Since that time I have learned
much and continue to learn.
In 1999, I had the opportunity to work for one of
the finest
instructor's
in the country at the Doral Golf Resort and Spa, Jim McLean. It is Jim
who not only shaped my teaching, I also learned how to identify and
research other teachers’ philosophies via use of video analysis.
The
Jim McLean Golf School is arguably the best in the country in training
others how to teach. While I was at Doral other staff instructors I
studied under included Top 100 Golf Magazine Instructors, Mike
Lopuszynski, Jeff Warne and Dave Collins.
The training at the school was second to none; all
Master
Instructors were skilled at conducting clinics, golf schools and
providing the best in private lessons
Most recently, I have been fortunate to work very
closely with
Jim Hardy, John Hobbins and Mike LaBauve. I have worked with Jim Hardy
on four different occasions prior to and subsequent to the publishing
of his book, “ The
Plane Truth for
Golfers ” .
Jim
Hardy is the most knowledgeable golf instructor of our time.
I have spent thousands of hours reviewing video and
validating
his theories.
Four principles that I have applied to continue my
quest for
being a great instructor are to:
1 Never stop learning
2 Have a high golf IQ
3 Be familiar with not only what Jim McLean
teaches, but what
all great teachers teach i.e. David Ledbetter, Butch Harmon, Mac
O’Grady, Rick Smith, Jim Hardy, etc.
4 Make a valid argument regarding instruction;
back it up with
video analysis.
