Women helping women in Berrien County - one woman at a time.

Most times, to receive financial assistance a woman has to be down and out.  What happens when a woman is down but not quite out yet.  100 Women Strong is a group of women in Berrien County whose mission is to be sure that women who need a little "hand" and not a hand out get that help.  

Many of the woman they have helped are single moms with a job and going to school to find a better life for their family.  So many of us live our lives from day to day, but when an unexpected financial crisis arrives, it can mean the difference between paying a bill and eating.  In the movie The Saint of Fort Washington, Jerry, a homeless man, says, "We're all one paycheck away from being homeless."  Whether it's an unexpected breakdown in their car, an unexpected bill, or a cut in hours at work, this could make the difference in that paycheck.  Imagine not being able to get to work because the car isn't running or being too sick to go to work because you can't afford to turn on the heat.

I'm very thankful for 100 Women Strong for stepping in.  They are allowing many women in my county to continue to reach for their dreams and not end up as a statistic.  What I really admire about this group is all of these women involved with 100 Women Strong lead extremely busy lives and I wonder how they can add one more thing to their busy schedules, but they do out of true compassion.  

I've become involved with them because I realize this.  For every woman they help, it means one more person is out there contributing to the economy and many children who have benefited will know that there are people out there looking out for them.  I also am thankful that they are changing lives and making sure that women can still reach for their dreams.  If only we could reach out to all of them, but maybe we can.  Think about it.

If you agree that what they are doing is great like their Facebook page at www.facebook.com/100womenstrong.

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".