Martin Chuck - Tour Striker Inventor - relationship of the club face to the left arm

Martin Chuck, Inventor of the Tour Striker

In the video below, Martin Chuck demonstrates the relationship of the clubface to the left arm.    A great way to understand the left arms role in controlling the club face and learning to hit the ball straighter.

The Dream Series Part 2 -Book Review - Inside, Outside and On the Ropes

Book Review

Inside, Outside and On the Ropes

Life Lessons from Q-School & The Majors

Inside, Outside and On the Ropes is Keith Gockenbach's story of top level golf at the Senior level.   


If you had a steady job that produced a good stream of income and only had a few years to reach a full pension, would you quit your job and attempt to make it on the PGA Senior Tour.  Most people wouldn't even think about it.  That's exactly what Keith Gockenbach did.


The beauty of the game of golf is that at age 50, a golfer can experience the chance to make it on the pro circuit.  The opportunities on the Senior circuit are limited, making it the toughest tour to break into in the game of golf.  


"The mass of men lead lives of quiet desperation and go to the grave with the song still in them." Thoreau *
Keith decided not to lead a life of quiet desperation, but give his all to make his living playing golf and Inside, Outside, and On the Ropes is his song.  If you want to experience how demanding the pro golf circuit is, visit www.insidetheropesgolf.com  to read some excerpts from the book.  If you decide to buy the book, just let Keith know that Gooch recommended the book.  I've also included the forward from the book below.


*I realize that this is a misquote of Thoreau's line from Walden but it truly fits Keith's adventure.


The forward from Fred Funk:

Dreams. We all have them. Often our dreams seem out of reach, unattainable, beyond reality. Only the special few make dreams reality.

No matter what sport we play, dreams of making the big leagues float around in our fantasy world. Whether it’s football, baseball, basketball, or golf—the glamour sports create dreams of doing something extraordinary, defining moments that make us a part of history.

Anyone who has pursued golf with dreams of playing on Tour fantasizes making putts to win the U.S. Open or the Masters. We’ve seen it happen many times on TV: Jack, Arnie, and Lee Trevino easily come to mind. Names such as Ben Curtis, Larry Mize, Bob Tway, and even yours truly, Fred Funk, have had moments when dreams came true.

Keith Gockenbach has a dream, a dream of making the Champions Tour, golf’s highest level for the 50 and over crowd. The deck is stacked against anyone who hasn’t spent a successful career on the regular tour. The odds of locking down one of the few spots available to the qualifiers seem insurmountable. In reality, qualifying for the Champions Tour is considered the most difficult entrance exam in all of sports. But, guys like Jay Sigel, Allen Doyle, Rod Spittle, and my great friend Mike Goodes are examples of guys that made it without playing on the regular tour. Dreams come true for the few.

Follow Keith’s journey to capture his dream. The ups and downs that are inevitable on the road to living his fantasy. Life lessons are learned and success re-measured. The great game of Golf creates the highest highs and the lowest lows, but what we learn along the way is the best dream of all.

                                                                        Fred Funk

                                               

                                                                        2009 U.S. Senior Open Champion

                                                                        2005 Tournament Players Champion

                                                                        Eight-time winner on the PGA Tour

                                                                        Six-time winner on the Champions Tour

The Dream Series Part 1 - D.R.E.A.M. to your goals

"Success is the progressive realization of a worthy goal or ideal." Earl Nightingale

One of the great things about golf is that we can always learn to be better at part of the game.  And just like anything else in life, improvement takes time and persistence.  For those who stay to the task, the rewards of lower scores will come.

When I think about goals, I like to use the word dream for an acronym.  I'll do the short version here and then go into depth a little more later.

• D - Dare to dream big.  Most people settle for the things in life that come easy and give up on dreams.  For the golfers who are reading this, set your goal to break a barrier whether it be 70, 80, 90, 100 or 120.  And make sure that the goal is a little bit of a stretch.  What makes golf a great game is that we can always strive for continual improvement, no matter what level we are at and no matter what age we are, we can still hit a great shot at least once a round.
• R - Be resourceful.  Surround yourself with people that support your goals and especially those who can help you get there.  In addition, if our goal is to become better golfers, our understanding needs to grow.  More than ever before, there's never been a time  when so much information and learning is available immediately at our fingertips from downloading books to videos on YouTube.
• E - Energy and Excitement is key.  Any goal requires belief and desire to be excited about.  The information and encouragement you received from your resources leads to belief.  And belief feeds emotion.  "What the mind of man can conceive and believe, it can achieve."  Napoleon Hill 
• A - An attitude of Action.  Every journey starts with a single step and the first step is always the hardest.  Take the first step daily and track your progress towards your goal.  If you falter a little get back up and continue on your path.  Sometimes things don't always go right and this is the time you need to be especially excited about making your goal.  "There is no failure, only learning."  James Ray
• M - Mission.  Every successful company has a mission statement.  As individuals, we need one also to let ourselves know that we are "on a mission" to better things.  For me personally, it is "to touch one life daily in a positive way".  When it comes to my golf game and teaching, I try to learn one new thing daily so I have can always have something new to share with others.  The important thing about a mission statement is that it has to more than just words on a wall.  It needs to be something that burns deep down inside from your soul and fires you up as you inch closer to your goals and dreams.

In the next post, we will meet Keith Gockenbach.  He is someone who represents the importance of chasing dreams.

Original Gooch Video Golf Instruction Series #10 - Impact Part 4 and the motion of the Head

The motion of the head is often overlooked when teaching the golf swing.  In order to pivot or rotate the body, the head needs to swivel in the proper direction.  Wayne "Gooch" Yamaguchi gives a simple explanation of the motion of the head.

Original Gooch Video Golf Instruction Series #9 - Impact part 3

Understanding impact is important, but equally import is understanding the delivery path to impact.  A simple thought is to hit the inside quadrant of the the golf ball.  The concept is also called is the "visual arc of approach".  In part three of this series, Wayne "Gooch" Yamaguchi of Lake Michigan Hills in Benton Harbor, MI gives a simple drill to help understand your swing path.

Original Gooch Instruction Series #8 - Impact Part 2

In this video, Wayne "Gooch" Yamaguchi explains the function of the right arm at impact and "the magic of the right forearm".

Original Gooch Instruction Series #7 - Impact Part 1 - Flat Left Wrist

Impact Part 1 - The Flat Left Wrist and the Aiming Point

Golf season has started here in Benton Harbor, MI and finally had a day to produce this series.  Wayne "Gooch" Yamaguchi shares some simple ideas to work on and visualize impact.  The focus is on a "flat left wrist" and the "aiming point" concepts described in Homer Kelley's book.



A good golf swing starts with a good set-up

When you have a solid athletic position when you stand to the golf ball, making a good swing becomes a lot easier.  Here are a few simple thoughts to help you find an athletic position.


Stand with "duck feet" when addressing the golf ball:
--   The feet should be flared out when you get ready to hit the ball.  This will make it easier to turn the hips which in turn allows the shoulders to turn. 


Have an "athletic" posture to the ball
--   A simple thought to feel "athletic" is to feel as if you are playing a sport.  Examples are playing defense in basketball, waiting for a serve in tennis, or playing quarterback in football.  If you can't relate to any of these examples, feel as if you are closing a car door with your butt.  The posterior needs to stick out to balance your when you bend to the ball.  Athletes do this naturally.  Sometimes, in golf we spend a lot of time working on things that are unnatural.


Stay in a "Ready" position over the ball.
--   All athletes look "ready" to go into motion at the start of play.  When it comes to golf, the best image I can think of is the late Seve Ballesteros.  When I first saw Seve stand over a golf ball, he made me think of a panther ready to attack.  He looked relaxed and comfortable, yet ready to spring into action.  This feeling will allow you to swing freely.

What is more important in the golf swing - Style or Function

In college, I competed as a gymnast.  Our score depended on executing movements with style and grace.  As a gymnast, if my toes weren't pointed or my legs came apart while executing a manuever, it would be a deduction that would effect my final score.  When it comes to golf, the only score that counts is the total number of strokes.  So what we should focus on is moving the golf ball towards the hole as efficiently as possible.
 When A.J. Bonar was the director of golf at SDGA (now known as Golf Academy of Americas), he emphasized the need for us to help golfers understand how the golf club should move in the golf swing and the toe of the club rotating around the shaft.   In the attached video, Martin Hall has a great visual demonstration of this.  If you haven't seen Martin Hall on Tuesday nights on the Golf Channel, I highly recommend that you watch him.

Mom, Dad and my friend Cameron - Setting life and golf in perspective.

There's a lot of parallels in golf and life.  A lot of golfers lose their enthusiasm when things start going bad and it just isn't any fun.  Sounds kind of like life in general, doesn't it.  Let me share a few stories that help me keep life in perspective.  I learned them from Mom, Dad & my friend Cameron (pictured on the left).
On September 9, 2001, Mom & Dad came out from L.A. to visit me in Indiana.  Two days later, we experienced the terrorist attack on The World Trade Center and the Pentagon.  We were out for dinner at the Olive Garden that evening and only two other tables were occupied.  As we were talking, my Dad said two simple words, "They win."  What he meant was that the terrorists broke our spirit and our feeling of being invulnerable.  This came from two people (my parents) who after the bombing of Pearl Harbor, despite the fact they were born on American soil, as teenagers were told that they were not worthy of being American citizens because of their Japanese ancestry and sent to "relocation" camps.  In addition, my mom has been through Cancer twice and my dad has gone through the numerous surgeries for heart conditions.  I've not been through anything so traumatic in my life.  That evening, I learned a simple lesson.  Greatness comes from doing the basic tasks in life like waking up and going to work every day to the best that we've got to give.

A few years back, I had the opportunity to meet an amazing young person, Cameron Howard.  Cameron is afflicted with a condition called Progeria.  Progeria is a disease that causes the body to age at a highly accelerated rate, and most people with Progeria seldom live past 13 years of age.  If you've read my first blog post, one of my basic "rules" of golf is "golf is a game for a lifetime".  Maybe I should change the phrase to "life is a game for a lifetime!"  From Cameron's example, I've learned a lot.  He has a great attitude and a huge smile.  He approaches life with great enthusiasm and his parents, Jason & Stephanie, share that enthusiasm and make the most of every day. 
It's that example of the attitude of the Howard family that has given me the inspiration to approach life with a great enthusiasm and treat each person I meet if more important than myself.    For myself and anyone who's ever met Cameron, he's a bright shining light to those of us who've lived a full life and makes me appreciate the life I've lived and have yet to live.
So although all I may be is a golf pro in Benton Harbor, MI, I hope I can affect someone else's life along the way by sharing some of the lessons I've learned and living each day to the fullest possible.  Thanks Mom, Dad & Cameron.

To learn more about Cameron Howard, visit http://www.iamcam.org/.  In August we will have our annual charity day at Lake Michigan Hills to bring awareness to Progeria Research.

Golf Instruction Video Series #6 - The Pivot

Wayne "Gooch" Yamaguchi, Head Golf Professional Lake Michigan Hills in Benton Harbor, MI talks about the pivot, the "workhorse" of the golf swing.  Here I will show you a drill to practice to develop the "coil" the body creates.  The motion is actually very simple.

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How to pick a golf ball

One of the most common questions we get here at Lake Michigan Hills in the golf shop is “What ball should I play”. 

First, determine what is your top priority?  Is it  performance around the greens, distance, value, or looks & style.

For most golfers, performance around the greens should be your first consideration.  With a high spin ball, it will make a huge difference in the short game and putting.  The drawback is the high cost of a performance ball.  Examples are Titleist Pro V1, Nike Tour, Bridgestone B330 series or Srixon Z Star.

If adding distance is a consideration, there are the mid priced balls, which also have a mid-spin rate which gives the best of both worlds.   Examples are Titleist NXT, Nike Vapor Speed, Bridgestone E Series, Top-Flite Gamer or Srixon Tri Speed Tour.

For the golfer who loses a lot of balls, value can be important.  There are also some performance characteristics to these balls, however limited.   Examples are Nike Power Distance, Titleist DT,

And finally, looks are important.  The colored golf ball is back.   The best thing about the colored ball is they stand out brightly and are easy to find when the light is poor outside.  In addition, most people play a white ball so yours will be the easiest to spot, and maybe no one will hit your ball by accident.

Taking the swing to the practice tee

A great way to work on a change in your swing is to practice swing through a tee in the ground without a ball.  As Harvey Penick said to try to clip the top of the tee off.  When you go to the practice tee (driving range) place a tee under the ball and visualize clipping the top of the tee off while swinging through the ball.  Another effect this will have is giving you a greater margin of error while you are learning a new motion and you will gain confidence in your ability to make great golf shots. 


In fact, if you are a beginner, you can even use a tee out on the golf course.  This will make the round more fun.  I had my Mommy work on this and golf became a lot of fun for her.  She went a little overboard and hit her driver all the way down the fairway until she was close enough to hit a wedge, but nonetheless, she was having lots of fun.

Three S's of the Golf Swing & learning to Play

With the golf season just starting to get underway here in Michigan, golfers get excited as it warms up.  A lot of golfers seek lessons, a lot of golfers head to the practice range, and eventually all of them end up on the golf course.


When it comes to the golf swing, there are three levels of learning.

1. Learning to Swing the club.
2. Learning to Strike the ball (PRACTICE)
3. Learning to Score on the golf course.

We can learn to strike the ball without learning to swing the club.  You can just go out to a practice range, lay the ball down and find a way to get the ball in the air.


We can learn to score on the course without step one and two.  We can go out on the course and hit the ball around until we get it into the hole.  Repeat this eighteen times and you've played a round of golf.


However, most of us want to improve.  So we watch the Golf Channel, read books and take lessons.  Once you decide you want to use this information, you cannot skip step two - you must practice.    When giving a lesson, I always ask the golfer how much time they have to practice.  This will help give them a realistic idea of how rapid their improvement will be.


So if you decide to try the new hot golf tip, make sure that you spend a few days on the practice tee before taking it to the golf course.

Golf Instruction Video Series #5 - The soft left arm

So far, most of the videos have focused on the function of the right arm.  We use both arms in the golf swing so here is what happens with the left arm.

Instructional Video Series #4 - The Rope Handle Technique

In this video, Gooch demonstrates the rope handle technique and how a towel can help you develop lag and clubhead speed.

 

Instructional Video Series #3 - Extension and the Function of the Right Arm

In this video, we will explain the function of the right arm in the golf swing.  One of the drills is something I borrowed from Tom Tomasello.  The split hand drill is one I learned from a gentleman named Jim Netto who worked with Fuzzy Zoeller. 

About Me (Original Gooch) & Why and How I Teach

As the Head Golf Professional at Lake Michigan Hills in Benton Harbor, Michigan, I feel one of my most important tasks is to help people enjoy themselves and an important key to enjoying golf is learning to perform better.  I have a few keys to my method.

1. A golfer doesn't have to devote hours every day hitting balls to improve.  If they are willing to spend five to ten minutes daily on a consistent basis repeating drills, they can and will improve.
2. I have two important jobs.  To understand the complexity of the golf swing is number one.  Secondly, to communicate the information in a clear, simple way that a student can understand immediately.
3. As a golf professional, there is no greater joy for me than seeing the smile on a student's face when they improve.

A lot of what I teach is based upon a little yellow book The Golfing Machine by Homer Kelley.  Five years ago, it was hard to find a lot of information to help understand this book, but now with YouTube & Blogger making numerous videos available with just a point and click, the information is right at my fingertips.  In fact, until recently it was hard to find mainstream teachers who taught using the principles of this book.


Now you can find Martin Hall on Golf Channel's School of Golf, Sean Foley who is Tiger's new teacher, Mike Bennett and Andy Plummer of the Stack & Tilt commercials who all having been influenced by the Golfing Machine.  Basically, this book that has terms such as pressure points, power accumulators, and dual horizontal hinges has helped me understand that all athletic motions are similar whether it is baseball, bowling or even my own background as a gymnast. 


Which leads to one of my basic thoughts where "Everyone is capable of making a good swing."  If I can help a student believe that if they can lift their arms, look to their right, look to their left, and hold a 10 ounce golf club in their hands, the student has all the physical ability to play this game well.  All I ask is that they give it ten minutes a day.

Thoughts on taking golf lessons

When it comes to giving golf lessons, as an instructor or coach, I have the easiest job of all.  I explain the information and give the drills for the student to improve upon their swing, but the student has to do all of the work.  I never take credit for the success of the student's improvement because they made the decision to change and hit all the balls.
Even the slightest change or adjustment can feel drastic.  Try this, cross your arms.  Now cross your arms the opposite way.  This isn't physically impossible, but we feel much more comfortable doing things the way we always have.
This is one of the reasons I enjoy golf.  It is an athletic activity I can enjoy as I get older and still try to improve.  Just like every aspect of life, if I'm willing to step out of my comfort zone I can see the positive results from the willingness to change.  Whether it's learning a new skill on the computer (would a blog be this simple to produce three years ago) or improving the flight of my golf ball, the results of change towards improvement is a deeply satifying reward.

Original Gooch Instruction Series - Volume 2 - The Punch Drill

Here is a drill that has become a standard of mine for teaching the motion of the arms.  I learned this from Don Wiseman of Michiana Golf in Indiana.  I've made a few modifications.  This is a great drill for learning how the right arm works in the golf swing.  Also, I've found it's a great winter drill so I'll be ready when the snow melts and it warms up outside.

Original Gooch - Instruction Video Series - Volume 1 - The Grip

In the attached video, I've included some simple ideas on the grip that I hope you can apply to your own game.  Comments and questions are welcome.

Hitting At or Swinging Through the ball

Over the years, I've learned to separate the concept of learning the golf swing from learning to strike the ball.  One of my favorite sayings comes from my friend, Mat Blair who teaches in LaPorte, IN.  He told me he never wants to see his students "hitting balls".  What he means by this is that the ball should get in the way of the swinging club-head.  So, it is important to swing "through" the ball all the way to a balanced finish over the left leg.
This is why I emphasize that a golfer works on the new motion without a ball.  Working without a golf ball accomplishes several goals. 

1. The golfer will be able to make the new motion a habit provided the action is repeated daily for three weeks (21 days in a row)
2. The golfer will be developing the muscles used in the new motion
3. When working on a new motion and hitting balls together, adjustments are made for ball flight that may not allow the new motion to develop properly.
4. The drills can be done at home, without having to go out to the practice range.

If they then move to the practice range, I would like to see them work on the motion for three to five times without a ball, and then do the same motion with a ball, always making sure they swing to a full finish.

Over the next coming blogs, I will continue to talk about golf philosophy and start talking about components of the golf swing.

Repeat, Repeat, Repeat to attain perfection

I remember giving a lesson to a young lady whose father was a retired military officer.  I talked about how I typically use follow up lessons to reinforce what we have worked on previously.  He offered me the words, "Repeat, repeat, repeat to attain perfection."  
I've been giving a series of winter swing clinics and each clinic is nearly identical with some variations depending on the audience.  I like using the same format over and over because something new can be learned and new habits can be developed only through repetition.  (it takes 21 days to create a new habit - Maxwell Maltz's theory in Psycho-Cybernetics). 
Anyone whose ever played organized team sports knows that the majority of time in practice is spent in conditioning and constant repetition of "plays" over and over until they become "second nature".  When I teach the golf swing, instead of trying to teach the entire swing to someone in one lesson, I work on parts and give a student drills that they can do at home spending five to ten minutes daily.  Within a few months, three new "habits" can be developed.
I remember playing basketball and working on our plays without a ball when we were in the learning process.  In the same spirit, I prefer that students would spend time working on the "new" motions of the swing without a ball to allow the new motion to become habit.  Ideally, when the student goes to hit balls, hitting balls into a net is the ideal situation so that they focus on the swing and the feeling of solid contact.
In today's winter clinic I just taught, I made a statement to one of the students, "I can teach you the swing, but you have to learn the feel."

My four simple rules to learning golf

When it comes to learning the game of golf, I have four simple rules.
Golf is a game and games should be fun:  Whether we are playing the game or practicing, we should enjoy what we do. We already have day jobs, bills to pay and our day to day task lists so we should make certain that we enjoy ourselves playing the game (key word is playing).  One of the most enjoyable aspects of golf is that we all are capable of hitting a great shot once in a while and enjoy the feeling when we overcome the challenge of the game and hit great shots a little bit more often.  Which is why I've taken on the task of learning as much technical information about the golf swing and how to explain the learning process to in a simple method for those of you who have lives and can't spend several hours daily to "work" on your game (remember, practice should be "play" and not "work", we already have jobs).
Everyone is capable of making a good golf swing:   "The mind cannot focus on a negative.” James Ray.  Short game guru Dave Pelz says the most feared shot in golf is the short putt.  I personally think that it is because our focus is directed to "I hope I don't miss".  Without positive expectations, there shouldn't be an expectation of positive results.  I became a better putter when I expected to make every putt and more importantly, could care less if I didn't (back to the fun & challenge).  The two worst things we can do if we want to get better is to say "I can't" or "I don't want to change".  Here is my simple philosophy:  if you can lift your arms above your head and turn your head to the right and left, you have plenty of physical ability to make a good golf swing.  All you need to do is believe it yourself.
If you want to improve, you must have a plan:    Simply believing that you can have a great swing is only the first step to improvement.  The most important step is to embrace the idea of change.  I like to have golfers work without hitting balls using simple drills they can do in five to ten minutes daily.  If they get to hit balls, it is a bonus.  There is a theory called psycho-cybernetics by Maxwell Maltz that states a new habit can be created by doing it 21 days in a row.   In addition, it helps to have guidance from someone who will help you set some basic goals and help you through them.  My goal when I take on a student is to give them an understanding of how the golf club works, spend time with them frequently for a short time span (once every week or two for three to six weeks) and then only when they want a review or desire to move up another level.
Golf is a game for a lifetime and crosses all cultural boundaries:  "Success is the progressive realization of a worthy goal or ideal" Earl Nightingale.  Success in golf and life does not come overnight.  However if we work in 21 day increments, we can realize these goals.  I had the pleasure of giving lessons to Robert "Shank" Hullings who played 100 rounds a year.  Shank was 75 years old at the time and still hit the ball 260 yards and still wanted to be better.  Between the 100 rounds a year and a great attitude, I would say he is in better shape mentally and physically than many of us half his age.  My father was eighty years old when he hit the ultimate golf shot:  a hole-in-one.  By the way, this was his first and only.  So for you youngsters, there is still plenty of time. 
One of my fondest memories of this game is spending the afternoon with someone half my age, another twice my age and a golfer born in another country.  And we all enjoyed a great afternoon together.  If fact, it's the only athletic endeavor I've played with a grandfather, father and son at the same time.
And through all of this, never forget:  Golf is fun.