Mr. Matt Swanson stopped by to visit with some of our junior golfers this morning for another session of golf course design.  He has been involved in the design of many golf courses around the world including Sentosa Golf Club in Singapore which was the site for the HSBC Women's World Championship in March 2023 and LIV Golf in April 2023.   We are always thankful for his willingness to share his knowledge with our young golfers.

Today's session was a hands-on workshop.  First the golfers shared their personal designs of a golf hole with Mr. Swanson.  He provided some general feedback about the elements of a good golf hole which were included in their designs and then he walked them through a series of questions that need to be considered when laying out an entire golf course.  One very important question:  Where does the sun rise and set? 

After studying pictures of actual golf holes, the golfers were encouraged to apply the knowledge that they just learned by sketching out a portion of a golf course on design paper.  

"The class was awesome. I loved that he gave us a sheet to create our own course and I loved how he drew on the tracing paper." -Juliana Morrison. 

"I was intrigued by how they factor in where the sun rises and sets in order to design a course."  -Michelle Morrison. 

"He designed Commons and that's where I learn and practice.  I like that." -Abriella Morrison

The goal of this year's First Tee Game Changers Academy was to create thought-provoking discussions & inspiring workshops.  Sydney Rogers had the opportunity to participate in the event at Villanova University last week.  She absolutely enjoyed the opportunity to meet other First Tee participants from all over the country while participating in team building activities in the great outdoors like kayaking and a ropes course. Her favorite workshop was led by some members of the Amazon leadership team because they shared some of the strategies that made them a game changer in business. 

The event also featured panelists from various backgrounds sharing their perspective on diversity.  Perspectives that Sydney did not always embrace as complete truth but she was able to confidently articulate her point of view with others.  It is not easy to take an opposing viewpoint on how to be a game changer but the experience motivated her to remain firm in her convictions.   
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I talk to all of my students about deliberate practice instead of just hitting a bunch of balls.  This means your practice has to be different, you have to slow down and feel what's happening in your swing.  By doing this you will soon be able to feel where the club is located in relation to your body. 

This is why drills are so important.  If you can own your swing to this level you can have more control of where the ball lands.   Unfortunately, this mindset can be hard to adapt but if you put in the effort the results will come.  Just watch this video of Tiger from the early days and you will see what I mean.  

"I golf," can mean different things to different people. For some it means, I take lessons because I want to play one day.  For some it means, I go to the range and practice.  For real golfers it means I play the game on a golf course.  There is nothing like playing a round of golf whether it be 9, 18, 27 or 36 holes in a day. 

On the course, every shot counts if you are keeping score. Yes, there are plenty of golfers who don't keep score because they just enjoy being on the course trying to get that little ball in the hole.  Sometimes, that means playing a scramble or best ball instead of playing your own ball.  These are the same people who simply drop the ball in an easy spot when they lose their ball. These players usually don't hole out either, if the ball is close to the hole, their playing partner usually gives them the benefit of the doubt for the next putt.  All of this is completely ok, because they are not playing competitively, they are simply having fun.  

When you are keeping score, it is important to be honest and hole out.  This is the only way to know if you are improving when you play round after round.  There are various statistics that a golfer can track that don't include the distance the ball traveled.  How many greens were hit?  How many fairways were hit? How many putts did it take to put the ball in the hole?  No matter what stats are kept it is important to have fun.  Never get so serious about the data that you forget to have fun. ​

Over the last few months, I have been hearing so many stories from juniors that are playing golf for the first time or playing golf after a long time.  The first question I ask is, "Did you have fun?  Did you enjoy it?"  The response is always "YES!"  When I look at the scores, they are usually pretty good.  When you play, you realize where you need work and usually you make a commitment to get better.  That's what I believe growing the game is about. 

I also have adults sharing how their scores are coming down.  Some of them are playing for money so they are appreciating being on the winning end for a change.  Shockingly those same adults refer the very people they are now beating to me.  This is a different level of sportsmanship and I love being part of it.  It only happens when people get out and play golf. ​