Important Considerations for the Junior Golfer Part 2 (MP3)
Free Golf Podcast
Part 2 of 2
John White C.P.G.A. discusses children and youth involvement in the game of golf, tips and techniques to be considered and how your child should approach learning how to play golf so they enjoy it for a lifetime.
I am amazed by the vast knowledge that is out in the world and how we must continue to learn if we continue to teach. I read a lot, sometimes in spurts, but I have this appetite that makes me want to know things. I think it is so important to cover every aspect of a subject, to delve into the way others think and what they have found out about certain things.
I aspire to be the best golf coach in the world (I think I am already there) so that means that I must continue my quest for knowledge. Right now I am reading the Annual Review of Golf Coaching 2008 which is cutting edge material from all over the world. I just got in and I am starting to read a book by Eric Hawkens which pertains to dance and I believe that any graceful movement can teach us about the golf swing. I have about 6 more books on the go. I just reviewed our Canadian Long Term Player Development guide which is awesome stuff on how to grow the game and make our country’s players better.
I tell you all this because I believe there are teachers out there that remain status quo and never change or learn new ways to do things. We must continue as a service to our students to prepare them the best we can for the things to come in their future. This holds true for every subject and those that dare to teach must not be afraid to learn.
I was recently at the P.G.A. show in Orlando and had the pleasure of listening to Dr. Greg Rose and Dave Phillips the co-founders of TPI which stands for the Titleist Performance Institute, where they study and promote golf fitness among other performance factors. They were very enlightening and the majority of their talk revolved around kids which I am particularly interested in. Dr. Rose talked about speed windows in kids which is the time frame that they will learn to create speed and if they miss these windows they might never learn to say swing the golf club very fast.
Kids have two speed windows, boys are 7-9 and 11-13 and girls are 6-8 and 10-12. This is where we should be letting them swing as fast as they can, throw the ball as hard as they can or sprint as fast as they can go. I have to some degree always taught that because I believe the easiest thing to teach in golf is how to hit it straight and the toughest is to get someone to swing faster.
So parents and teachers out there, let these children have a go at er! Let them grip it and rip it. Once they are out of these windows and have learned to swing fast, we can teach them the technique to keep it in the fairway.
I believe that Mike Weir is our best professional golfer that we have ever produced. His accomplishments are tremendous and I believe he is playing against more highly skilled players than ever before. Just this year he has 2 top 5 finishes and he constantly wins millions a year while possibly playing a limited schedule.
His Master victory alone could earn him this honor as being the only Canadian to win a Major golf Championship. He is currently tied with George Knudson for the most wins by a Canadian professional and I have a tremendous amount of respect for Mr. Knudson having worked with him and learned a great deal about the golf swing and would rank him a very close second, I believe that Mike will surpass this mark soon and go on to have a marvelous career that will be hard to beat by any present Canadian.
Mike Weir, although I have yet to meet him, also is a great role model for other Canadian kids, and should be an inspiration to them. His demeanor, respect and attitude is very healthy in this day and age where we sometime idolize people that are radical or living on the edge. My hats off to him in this regard for we recognize him for his golfing talents rather for some of the antics off the course. I do wish he would play more but I also respect his decision to spend time with other commitments. Well done Mike!
Most people when they are watching a golf swing will notice what the player does with their arms and their upper body but as in most athletic motions, it all starts with the footwork. If there is one place the golf swing starts its in the proper footwork. Unless you are saying sitting down rowing, although proper use of the legs is important then too, using your feet properly can add ease and power to any sports and golf in particular.
The first thing I would like you to do is to perform a throwing motion paying particular attention to your footwork. I have all my students do this and very rarely to I find someone who is incapable of making this motion even if it is an underhand toss. Doing this over and over will make you more aware of the proper footwork. The whole sequence of that motion is what we are trying to instill in the golf swing. Notice where your weight ends up, the front foot, is exactly what we are trying to accomplish in the golf swing. The particular sequence of motion is exactly the same as what the top players use in their motion and it all starts in the feet.
Even looking at the dart player as he prepares for his shot, the first thing that they do is get their feet into the right place. So whether it is throwing a ball, jump shooting a basketball, serving a tennis ball, bowling or golf everything starts with the proper footwork.
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