ABOUT

About Me

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About Me
It's about the process.

A Purpose

My journey as a coach started as a kid, organizing schoolyard pick-up softball, road hockey, or touch football games in my village and elementary school. It was natural and inspired by my love of the energies produced, the enjoyment of the body in motion, collaboration, and competition—the combination of joy, learning, and performing; what everybody loves about sports.

A Journey

I passed the playing test and level 3 certification with the CGTF, and have worked as a certified golf coach professionally in golf clubs and practice facilities since 2008. Like so many I was guilty of teaching technique, diagnosing cause and effect, and providing quick fixes for swing issues. I knew better but it was the culture.

Having played senior hockey and coached high school hockey and softball; I questioned the singular way golf was being taught. Why don't golfers learn the mental skills and the human skills needed to go along with the swing? Why do golfers practice differently? Why don't golfers take a holistic approach to improve their performance on the course to lower their scores?

Education

My education includes a Master’s Degree in adult learning. I understand that learning is a process, that can be optimized. That earning can be more efficient and enjoyable if learning is attentional and motivational. That earning is a process with opportunities to make it more effective and transferable. Learning to swing the club and play golf is a process, swing technique is only a fraction of what golfers need to improve to achieve their potential.

An Evolution

Becoming a golf coach -Coaching Golf in a holistic manner as a process.

I understood to be more effective, my instruction had to apply the experience and knowledge I had acquired in a more effective manner.

It led me to Charlie King. (Top 50 Golf Digest for many years). I studied under Charlie and followed the New Rules Golf Certification. Mr. King helped my path of becoming a professional golf coach vs. an instructor to look at the profession of coaching as a total-game approach.

He introduced me to the coaching of Dr. Rick Jensen Mike Bender and Mike Malaska. If you genuinely want to understand the golf swing and help your students' movement patterns, you must incorporate the mental game, better practice, include the short game, assess equipment, communicate effectively, include fitness evaluations, use technology wisely, and add relevant programming. Charlie was also one of the first coaches to teach essential skills vs. technique and the individuality of everyone's golf swing. Think Big, thanks, Mr. King.

Today

I use science to simplify skill acquisition and to swing the club naturally.

Science and technology, (launch monitors, force plates, wrist sensors, neuroscience, 3D motion analysis, biomechanics, and kinematics) have debunked many myths and misconceptions. They remain extremely valuable in providing unbiased, objective feedback. However, they have also mechanized the natural motion of the golf swing and led to information overload and paralysis by analysis. To apply this knowledge more effectively in my coaching I have followed certifications with Dr, Lynn Scott (Swing Catalyst), Mike Adam(BioSwing Dynamics, Dr. Greg Rose (Titleist Performance Institute), and Lynn Mariott & Pia Nilsson (Vision 54).

You have to be committed to playing in a high state of awareness that minimizes interference.

Luckily neuro-science and modern learning theory have shown the effectiveness of mindfulness, awareness, consequential and game-like training, and playing purposefully. The swing is as natural a movement as is walking or throwing a ball. My influencers have been the teachings of Fred Shoemaker, Pia Nilsson, Lynn Marriott, Karl Morris, Charlie King, Gary Nicol, Michael Hebron, Chris Riddoch, Dan Martin, Marcus Bell, Scott Cranfield, Michael Murphy, Sam Jarman, Dr. Joseph Parent, Gareth Raflewski, David Orr, Will Robins, Dr. Kwon, Adam Young, Dr. Greg Rose, and Dan Phillips. I will be creating a blog post with my favorite books by these great golf minds.

Programming

Training programs include all the resources you need, at an affordable cost. I include customized events, coaching, and strategic practice plans for all levels. Optimize learning so golfers excel with their own unique swing and ultimately self-coach.

I hope to continue learning, connecting, sharing, and supporting golfers' explorations and joys of this incredible game.

M.Ed. McGILL, CERTIFIED GOLF COACH AND TEACHING PROFESSIONAL

My Coaching Philosophy

Learning, Freedom, Enjoyment, and Self-Reliance.

If golf was easy, how would you do it?

Stop Thinking and Start Feeling!

Everybody has different experiences, bodies, skill levels, and goals. Everybody is capable of playing better golf and self-coaching.
Coaching golf is a process. Discovery and exploration are valued over right and wrong. Tips and quick fixes never work.
Awareness is curative. A positive mindset is essential.
Knowing where we are and where we want to go is essential.
Coaching is individualized, to skill, experience, and body dynamics.
Coaching that maximizes outcomes with communication and environments that optimize attention and motivation.
Coaching is holistic. It's a game with many elements: Technical Skills, Mental Skills, Emotional Skills, and equipment.
Coaching students to understand the physics and biomechanics of the golf swing and ball flight. Always explored and simplified. Simplified skill acquisition.
Coaching the importance of balance, tension, and tempo. "Never correct a swing before verifying BTT."(Pia Nilsson and Lynn Marriott, Vision 54 Caoaching)
Technology provides objective, unbiased feedback that helps golfers get better faster. We see things we never saw before. Giving appropriate and meaningful feedback
Purposeful Practice makes practice more meaningful, transferable, fun, and efficient.
Playing the game is as crucial as swinging the club - scoring, wedge play, putting, and a tour-tested shot routine are coached.

My approach is tested, it works, and I guarantee it.

My commitment as a coach is; "I don't simply coach you on how to swing a golf club. I coach you on how to play the game of golf, to transfer the physical and mental skills to the golf course so that you can become your own best coach. This includes recognizing your tendencies and increasing awareness to get you back on track."

My commitment is to help my students improve their skills and movement patterns faster and more efficiently, optimize the learning environment, and make learning more enjoyable.

I teach the whole game Technical skills; Human skills, Mental skills, Preparation, Purposeful practice, Mobility, Equipment, Scoring, Short Game, and Putting.

Let's have some fun!

Optimize Learning

Optimizing Motor Learning

Motor learning theories have focused on when feedback should be given, how practice should be organized, and what tasks should be performed. New research by Wulf and Lewtwaite (2016) has shown that these theories are not complete. Movement is complex and happens in a social context. Coaches can reassure or pressure students with their communication. The golfer's mindset will have an impact on learning and performance. Greater confidence and clarity will allow for more effortless and automatic performance. To optimize human movement, The Optimal Theory of Motor learning proposes three conditions to optimize motivational and attentional focus, that will improve motor performance and motor learning: Autonomy - Expectancies - External focus.

Autonomy and Freedom

Motivation increases when the golfer is provided choice when learning movements.

Autonomy supportive language engages the student in the process. The golfer has a say in the task being

performed.

Examples of how I incorporate autonomy into daily practice.

Ask students when they would like to receive feedback
Ask pupils if/when they would like to watch a demonstration of the movement goal
Allow players to choose the order in which they will perform prescribed drills
Give golfers a choice over task difficulty progressions and regressions
Allow players to choose the color of the equipment they use, e.g., a red or blue golf ball
Allow athletes to choose between different music playlists during training

Motivation increases when the golfer is provided choice when learning movements.

Autonomy supportive language engages the student in the process. The golfer has a say in the task being

Enhanced Expectancies - Enjoyment

Enhanced expectations are positive feedback that emphasizes successful performance and ignores unsuccessful attempts. Expectations are intertwined with past experiences, self-efficacy, and motivation. Does the golfer freeze because they doubt their abilities? Do they believe they can learn to perform in different situations? These factors will affect motor performance and learning.

Examples of how I incorporate enhanced expectancies into daily practice.

Provide positive feedback after successful drills.
Praise performance (yep, it can be that simple).
Change the definition of success, so the task is appropriately challenging
- Too easy an explanation will not be motivating for advanced golfers.
- Too tricky a definition will likely discourage participation with beginners.
- Motor learning is a process. Breakdowns will happen but are opportunities to gain better awareness and improve.

External focus - Instinctive, Self reliance

An external focus of attention is when the pupil focuses on their intenteded movement effect, outside there body. Can be an image, a feel, a prop, the ball, the club etc.

An external focus of attention has consistently been shown to improve motor learning over an internal focus of attention across multiple studies.

Examples of how I incorporate an external focus of attention into daily practice is with with external cues.