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Golf Made SimpleI was a blank canvas ready for imprintingBy Patricia KutzaMy intentions are usually the best. I enroll in a sports-related immersion
course and return home flush with the expectations that I will diligently
practice my new skills.
Golf-Made-Simple schools operate on both coasts. On the Atlantic side, you can find instructors at three Florida-based locations, Amelia Island, Tampa and St. Augustine. On the Pacific Coast, instruction is given at the Barona Valley Ranch Resort and Casino near San Diego. I enrolled at Barona, a very large resort operated by the Barona Band of Mission Indians. Its' remote location, (replete with spectacular views) makes any golfer think twice before packing it in after a extremely humbling round of golf. It's accessible by car (optimally during daylight hours) as well as by the Barona-operated bus service that you board in San Diego. The Barona Creek Golf Course, an 18-hole championship golf course located on the southwest corner of the Barona Indian Reservation, would be my proving ground. And at the very least I confirmed one perception: When you watch the pros on TV battle their way from the front to the back nine, it is difficult to appreciate just how much power and skill is involved. With very little previous experience playing golf, I was probably in a much better place beginning my instruction than those more active golfers who are already entrenched in their playing habits-- holding on to all those pesky tricks round after round that may have produced a great score just once on the greens.
We then started what would be many drills to imprint a good swing, by using the 'tick-tock' method, saying these words aloud while we swung through our stroke. I was skeptical at first due to my weakness for over-analyzing instruction without enough data to support my assumptions. When I allowed myself to give in to the exercise of saying "tick-tock' when I swung my club, I had a better stroke. I didn't always hit the ball further, but I was using more of my body to follow through on the swing.
After I returned from the school I was still thinking about what I learned and I was eager to practice. Thanks to the Golf-Made-Simple website, I have a dedicated student page that lists my day-to-day progression of ideas and self-evaluation meshed with the instructor's feedback. I know that my disciplined practice will make a difference. It's great to know that my instructor is still only an email away. For more information: Golf Made Simple School Barona Valley Ranch Resort and Casino |
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That's one of the biggest reasons my interest was peaked by Gold Made
Simple's promise: Their promo said that I would leave their training with an
"instructor for life."
The school is designed for lots of personal attention (maximum enrollment is
a group of six). The first day my instructor aimed to wipe our mental slates
clean, talking about the dangers of ingesting the advice recreational golfers
give each other, the kind that ultimately leads to a golfer's demise. We spent
lots of time working on consistency, hitting balls within a defined perimeter.
I was lousy at this drill but I started to understand the underlying principle
here: I would be able to gauge my own progress, by seeing how many balls started
to land in the same area, even if they were out of bounds.
Every day we played at least nine holes of golf. Here I could really face
my demons and appreciate those impossibly long drives you see the pros execute
in championship play. I like the 'mental' aspect that my teacher stressed:
Sizing up the green and creating a goal before every stroke. At the end of
each day, everyone sat down and talked about how the day went, sizing up our
limitations and strengths and where we wanted to go, goal-wise the following
day.