The 10-Minute Golf Lesson

/ The Grateful Golfer / 3 Comments
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Practicing for my 10-minute golf lesson

What can you learn in a 10-minute golf lesson? This is the second 10-minute lesson I received from a PGA Ontario member. During the Toronto Golf Show, PGA Ontario had it usual kiosk with and large number of teaching professionals waiting to help amateurs improve their game. This years lesson proved that even an old dog can learn a few new tricks.

I was fortunate to be paired with PGA Canada Golf Professional Kyle Docherty. Kyle is an Assistant Professional, Scarboro Golf & C.C. and if you are in the area looking for a lesson or two, I recommend you give Kyle a call. He is a positive, knowledgeable, and enthusiastic teacher who quickly identified some fundamental errors in my swing. Continue reading →

The Difference Between Teaching or Coaching Golf

/ The Grateful Golfer / 14 Comments

Lowering your score in golf is a key to most players. We spend time practicing, reading, watching videos, and taking lessons to improve our game. This post was sparked by a question from a grateful golfer, Sharkgolf13, “Could you explain the difference between coaching and teaching?” Thank you Sharkgolf13 for this very interesting question.

At the same time, golf is a very simple and complex sport. There are many moving parts to a swing, different ways to play a round, and infinite possibilities on how to improve. During the journey to improvement, it is important to understand the difference between being taught and coached. This distinction is important because both can have a positive impact on your game in different ways. Continue reading →

GAO Growing the Game!

/ The Grateful Golfer / 9 Comments

Walking around the Toronto Golf Show I was happy to see a variety of booths and kiosks. As we meandered down ‘demo alley’, I spied the area for the Golf Association of Ontario. As a current member, I was drawn to their location like a moth to light. I talked to many of the hosts and hostesses about the GAO and was impressed by what they had to offer. There were two ‘Grow the Game’ initiatives presented at the Toronto Golf Show I had never heard of and after some research realized there were more worth mentioning!

The first was a pledge to play golf in 2016! The GAO provided a unique way to challenge golfers to hit the links this summer. Like all goals when written down, most people become motivated and accountable to achieve them. In the 2016 golf season, I have committed to play 80 rounds of golf. Given I have 28 weeks to achieve my goal, I think it is achievable. I will let you know when the season is over. Continue reading →

Golf Stats vs Golf Stats – Pt 2

/ The Grateful Golfer / 8 Comments
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Scrambling for Par

My last post talked about four common stats track by amateur golfers. These stats are easy to record while playing, however if find that your playing partners are waiting for you to record you data, I suggest finding a quicker way to record the data (little slow play plug). These and other stats can provide valuable indicators on where to focus your practice to improve your game.

The four stats in question are driving percentage, GIR, # of Putts, and scramble percentage. These particular stats are enough for most players to understand their strengths and weaknesses in their game. However, it is important to properly interpret the results to find the root problem that causes a lower stat percentage. As I analyze the data I make try to determine the root-cause of my challenges, not just the obvious! Continue reading →

Golf Stats vs Golf Stats

/ The Grateful Golfer / 9 Comments

On and off over the years, I have tracked every kind of golf stat. I have found stats can be both valuable and a waste of time. It really depends on what I want to do with the data. Collecting stats without a plan to use them is just collecting stats. Knowing what to do with them is extremely important because the stat may not actually be the root problem.

Recently, I asked which golf stat was the most important. This is what people said:

As you can see, GIR and # of putts are the stats that the respondents felt were the most important. However, there were four stats and I am not sure we can discount the other two so quickly! Continue reading →