St. Johns October Newsletter DP_STM76820 October Newsletter | Page 5

NOTE FROM TEACHING PROFESSIONAL
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Making Instruction Athletic
As a golf instructor, we are always looking for fundamentals that
will create significant change in minimal time and creating a proper
sequence in the golf swing is one of the most efficient ways to do
this. As we all know swinging a golf club is a unique and complex
action compared to most other things we do in our lives. Once
we recognize this difficulty, it is very helpful to utilize other motor
patterns that we have access to. One of the most common activities
we can rely on to simplify the golf swing is any throwing action.
Regardless if it is a medicine ball in the gym, or a baseball, or even a
javelin, the Kinematic Sequence is very similar to that of a golf swing.
With respect to the medicine ball example, the process of shifting
the weight to the lead foot, rotating of the hips, opening of the
torso, and finally the extension of the spine are all fundamentals that
support the golf swing. So next time the golf swing is feeling a little
off or you are working on your last lesson, grab the medicine ball
or even a tennis ball and begin to feel the progression of the swing
starting from the ground up, versus from the arms down.
This month, the Women’s Golf Clinics will spend some time on how
to practice efficiently and effectively. As I spend more time on
the range, there seems to be a tendency to practice one way and
play another. One of the most valuable aspects of quality practice
is having the time on the range resemble the time on the golf
course, we can achieve these criteria by using two simple practice
techniques. The first being to hit one ball per club and move to the
next shot and the second is making sure all 13 (minus the putter)
clubs are out of the bag at the end of each practice session. Odds
are practicing better will result in playing better!
John Mousley
PGA
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