v My Teaching Philosophy

Simple yet effective instruction.

  I believe that there is no perfect swing, and therefore no two lessons are ever the same.  However, to be completely effective I teach with a system based on a series of principles and steady research.  The most important elements in an efficient, consistent and powerful golf swing are really pretty simple. 

I always assess each individuals personal characteristics and listen to what they are trying to do and what their golfing goals are.   There are so many different people with varying levels of strength, athletic experience, goals, physical capabilities that I weigh everything together  before making an assessment.  So in every lesson, I put care into  getting to know the player and work with the strategy that fits their learning style. 

I maintain that in order to teach the game, you must be an expert at playing it.  However, playing it well does not automatically make you an expert in teaching it.   For this reason I have spent countless hours traveling wherever need be to search out some of the big names in golf instruction - even those whose philosophies I may not wholeheartedly agree with - for the sake of learning more.  As my mentor, Jim McLean, says, if you haven't done any research what do you have to teach?

As a longtime student myself of the game, I value knowing what is important and what isn't.  Since studying under highly experienced instructors such as Jim McLean, Chris Toulson and Carl Welty, I have applied myself to research what is happening right now on Tour with the top players.  From my research and from my colleagues, I have eliminated vast amounts of false information in my teaching.

Two of my mantras:

Be open to new possibilities.

No matter how much you may think you know, never stop learning. 

What you practice, you get good at.

-Lynn Marriott & Pia Nilsson

With Lynn and Pia after their seminar on coaching the mental game.

Make everything as simple as possible but not simpler.

-Albert Einstein

If you haven't done any research, what do you have to teach?

-Jim McLean