Teaching Philosophy

Golf is the greatest game anyone can play.  It can be played by people young and old, by people of all sizes and abilities.  Golf permits people to compete against one another on a level playing field by virtue of a handicap system.
 
I have had the great fortune to have studied under some of the most skilled instructors in the world.  My thoughts on teaching are derived from many sources and I feel it is important to consolidate these thought in a system of codes or standards, similar to that in the fields of accounting, medicine, electronics and construction.   All of these fields have standards that are mandatory. 
 
Great golfers throughout history have appeared to swing the club in different fashions.  Some players have had strong grips, weak grips, stood tall, or leaned over, swung long or short but all successfully played the game.  What is it that these players had in common?  What they had in common is the genesis of the standards we apply to our students.
 
Great players from all eras have struck the ball solidly, hit the ball far enough and had control over the direction of the ball flying.   In order to accomplish this there is on order that students must understand and follow to track the progress they make. 
 
1) The first order of business is to get the player to strike the ground in the same place each time.
                This is done by explaining to the student  how to track where there club strikes the ground or where the bottom of the swing occurs.  Factors deciding this would be the relationship of the club to the player’s arms and the motion of the body to move the club, where the players weight or centers are relative to the ball.
 
Once a player can successfully make the bottom of the swing constant
2)  Step two is to maximize the total distance the player can accomplish without sacrificing the consistency gained by impacting the ground in the same place.  This is accomplished by creating a swing that revolves around  a fixed center.  Think of a bike wheel, the more centered the hub stays the faster the wheel can spin.
 
3) Educating the golfers as to the variables that affect steps 1 and 2.