The Town-Crier just published an article about my homeschool program. I am honored and thankful. The digital issue can be accessed here, it features a group shot that was taken on July 21, 2020.
I always encourage my adult students to arrive at least 10 minutes early for their lesson to warm-up but most arrive just on time or late leaving no time for this important activity. While juniors typically adapt easier to physical activity, I believe it is important to develop the habit of warming-up early which is why we usually start each class with some kind of warm-up activity.
I usually observe while another coach or even a junior golfer leads the activity. It always impresses me when they youngest golfers are able to do the movements better than some of the older golfers. While this could be due to disinterest, it could also mean that they are lacking coordination. Simple exercises practiced over time will help with coordination. The videos below offer exercise routines that can be incorporated into your day.
First Tee Healthy Habit: Play
A variety of energizing play can help the body stay strong, lean and fit, and be fun in the process. Sleep and other forms of “re-charging” allows one to engage in play on a daily basis
Over the last week, I have had increased conversations about exercise with my students. Exercise and fitness are just as important in golf as in any other sport. If you just gave me a raised eyebrow, I can understand why, but I would like to remind you that I am not referring to the casual golfer that you may encounter in your everyday lives.
I have junior students that are playing tournaments and have aspirations of playing in college. I also have adult students that want to improve their handicap. In order to be competitive, every aspect of the game must be explored and that includes physical fitness. I am not expecting them to become a gym rat, but I do want to know how many push ups and pull ups they can do. Then we may talk about setting goals to do more to increase strength among other things. Click here to see how Scott Stallings encourages his family to stay fit and then evaluate your own fitness with the PGA Golf Fitness Challenge or try the classic Presidential Fitness Challenge.
GOLF FITNESS CHALLENGE
You can do this challenge once a week or once a month. The key is to track your success, set some goals and HAVE FUN!!!
Other Resources
I shared some other golf specific information in other posts, click the links below to access those:
I teach golf. This may sound like an obvious statement but for me it is something that I get to do and I really enjoy it. When I see some of the reviews that have been submitted lately, I find myself honored and humbled. Just yesterday, a student posted that they had learned more in one lesson with me than they had learned in 10 lessons with other golf professionals. I have a hard time understanding what was happening in those lessons. When I teach, I enjoy helping my students escape from their everyday lives to learn golf. I am direct in my approach and I do not hold back my comments. If a student pays me money to learn golf, I want to teach them golf. I want to see them succeed and achieve their goals. I want them to get out and play. Truly, I do not take myself that seriously. I am simply thankful that I have a place to teach. This pandemic has made it difficult to find a new home at a golf course but I have continued to coach my students to success even at the Golf Practice Center at Commons Park in Royal Palm.
I am receiving texts and pictures of scorecards frequently from adult students who have improved their scores consistently and are enjoying the game on a new level. More of my junior students are playing tournaments. While some finish first, others do not but they are coming back to their lessons with a renewed desire to keep pressing ahead to improve their skills. I have even witnessed an increased level of energy and joy in my homeschool students that fills me with so much hope for the future of golf. All that to say, I am thankful for the opportunity to teach golf, to have awesome students and to do what I love to do.
First Tee Healthy Habit: Vision
In order to make the most of one’s unique gifts — talents, characteristics and abilities — an individual needs to learn from the past, value the present, create their vision and future to ultimately “leave a healthy footprint.
Updated 1/2024
I love golf and I am fortunate that I get to do what I love every day. It was once said that if you love what you do then it is not a job and that is exactly I how I feel. Does that mean that I stop setting goals for the future? Absolutely not. I have a lot of personal goals that I would like to achieve. Some of them are golf-related and some are not.
I know exactly what those goals are and what needs to happen before I can achieve them. I know what I need to do every day and I do them. I am committed and I keep pressing forward. When things get overwhelming, I take time to think, evaluate where I am and make changes if needed. Some days are easier than others but the achievement is worth it. Most people set goals but don't make it time sensitive. In my opinion, if your goal does not have a date associated with it, it is the same as creating a bucket list or the someday list. For this reason, I like the SMART model for setting goals to keep you accountable.
The SMART model also requires you to be specific about your goal and to establish checkpoints for how you are doing along the way. But even the best designed plan of attack can go astray. Always overcome and persevere. I have had to do a lot of this through my current battle with melanoma. No matter what comes your way keep pursuing your goals.
Check out this video for some tips on setting goals for your golf game.
In my experience from working with both my adult and junior students, the toughest part of pursuing your goals is taking the necessary steps to accomplish it. I have had some students become crippled with fear because they want to play a tournament but they are afraid of not doing well. The reality is you may not play well in your first tournament but you will not know unless you try. If you don't play well then you use that experience as a learning tool.
Negative thoughts of fear and doubt are a part of life, the trick is to not let the feelings of negativity take over. If you think you can, you will, if you think you won't, you won't. This is where a thought goal ladder can be helpful. I found a few examples that I liked online, review them and apply the concept the next time your thoughts challenge your ability to accomplish your goals.
When you love this game, you overcome.
There are days when I teach and I feel accomplished but the best days are when I get surprised by my students. On this particular occasion my surprise came when I opened an email at the end of a long day. It was a video of one of my homeschool students who was having fun with putting. I laughed, I smiled and I was thankful that he got it. Golf is fun! He was having fun, he was creative and he was playing golf. I was then inspired to create a putting contest for the homeschool group. How great would it be if they all experienced the same kind of joy that Timmy did in his video! Timmy was not able to attend today when I made the announcement but I did let his family know that his video set everything in motion. As for the contest, I challenged each one of my students to create a putting maze. Their parents can help them build it but the student must make the putt and submit the video for judging by independent evaluators. The winning video will be announced during our last class next Tuesday. The prize is a $50 gift card that can be used to treat Mom and Dad to a special dinner. updated 7/21/20 Video Submissions:These video submissions are amazing examples of living out the First Tee Healthy Habit of Play. Play is all about teaching junior golfers that a variety of energizing play can help the body stay strong, lean and fit, and be fun in the process. Sleep and other forms of “re-charging” allow one to engage in play on a daily basis.
Winner: most Creative and INventive $50 PRizEWinner: Best Putt $25 Prize |
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