play college golf in america – pga golf training programs

Rainy Day Golf Practice

JJ Wood, PGA — Fri, 14 Sep 2018 10:46:06 +0000

“I HAVEN’T PRACTICED BECAUSE IT’S BEEN RAINING OUTSIDE” – Worst Excuse Ever

If you’re like most golfers, you’re game probably runs in circles – meaning you play well at times, bad at times and it seems to go full circle to where you’re not improving much – if at all. I hear it nearly every time, “I didn’t have time to go to the course…or it was raining”, etc… We’ve all made the excuse, but like my college coach once said “if you can do 1 thing to get a little better every day, you will become great at this game.”

So, what can you do when it’s raining outside? Here are a few aspects of the game and some golf drills that you may find unconventional, but this is what the pro’s do daily outside of the golf course to improve their game.

IMPROVE SWING POSITIONS, INDOOR

Myth Buster golfers need to go to the driving range to work on their swing. This is false, in fact you probably do more harm to your game by working on your swing technique on the driving range. This trains your brain to thing technically, rather than athletically when you get to the first tee. Your best swing improvements happen without hitting a golf ball, slowing down the swing and perfecting the movement patterns for each swing position. Read more about swing improvements indoor

MENTAL GAME, PERFORMANCE STRATEGIES

Mental Game, the most overlooked, easiest and most beneficial aspect of game improvement. When it’s raining outside you can now feel good about sitting down and working on your mindset. Practicing your breathing technique and visualization should be implemented in your pre shot routine on every shot. Read this blog post for a simple mental game practice

GAME PLANNING

Each time you go out to practice you should have a plan to executive with specific objectives. It is best to write it down on a piece of paper, but if for some reason you don’t have paper, write down your next golf practice on your notes app on a mobile device. Make sure you have a balanced practice with specific details so you can ensure you get better each time you spend time working on your game. Read this blog post for more golf practice plan information.

The post Rainy Day Golf Practice appeared first on pga golf training programs.

Practice Planning for Purpose

JJ Wood, PGA — Thu, 09 Jun 2016 15:40:08 +0000

How to Practice Golf Effectively

Most golfers “do not prepare to fail, they fail to prepare”

Organized, specific and balanced – always have a plan before going to the course!
1. Each day you should have a main focus for the day. For example 1 day you would focus on full swing. Design yourself a practice plan before going to the course that focuses 60% of your time on full swing. Then split the remaining 40% of practice time on short game and putting.
2. This will help you get in a lot of good work on one area, but not have to sacrifice losing another area of your game.
Get Feedback – Journal after each phase of practice (i.e. after you complete your full swing practice, before you go to short game
1. Take a few minutes to analyze your practice and write them down
  Questions can include
  - How comfortable were you when practicing (i.e. did your body feel tight, not confident in your swing, etc..)
  - What adjustments need to be addressed for your next practice (i.e. my alignment felt right, but I was actually square or I kept hitting it left and I am not sure if it was my path or my club face) Figure out the cure for that and implement it in your next session
  - Go through your fundamental checklist and make sure you completed the practice plan you previously set. Make any notes for how you could improve that practice, add or take away aspects to make it a better practice.
2. When you are finished with your practice for the day, complete the “what I learned today” worksheet for an over all summary of your day practicing
Simulate Pressure: Bring a friend!
1. Playing 9 holes on the range is a great way to simulate some pressure and make your practice experience similar to the golf course.
2. Have a goal of hitting 7 out of 10 fairways. Create a fairway on the range and do sets of 10 shots until you reach your goal of hitting 7 out of 10.
3. Having a friend or practice partner is great for having putting competitions. Be sure you don’t get too relaxed. Make sure to read the putt and go through your routine like you would on the golf course!

SUMMARY

You need to have a plan every practice! If you incorporate these 3 practice goals each day, you will speed up your progression and understand yourself better as a golfer.

PRACTICE WITH PURPOSE Golf is the “worst practice sport” in the world
The most important aspect to playing golf well is knowing how to work on your game properly that leads to improvement. Most golfers train inefficiently, which doesn’t allow them to play their best golf.

⇒ PRACTICE EFFICIENTLY

⇒ HAVE A GAME PLAN, STRUCTURE AND DISCIPLINE WILL SPEED UP YOUR IMPROVEMENT

The post Practice Planning for Purpose appeared first on pga golf training programs.

Internationals Recruits & JUCO Transfers NCAA v NAIA

JJ Wood, PGA — Sun, 20 Dec 2015 00:03:54 +0000

2.1. NCAA versus the NAIA

National Collegiate Athletic Association (NCAA)

The NCAA is made up of over 1,200 colleges and universities, with 126,000 student-athletes receiving scholarship money each year.
NCAA colleges and universities offer over $1 billion in scholarships each year.
Schools that fall within Divisions I and II offer both full and partial athletic scholarships, depending on the sport. Division III schools do not offer athletic scholarships and tend to be the more selective academic institutions.
Full scholarships (full-rides) are offered for football and both men’s and women’s basketball.
Partial scholarships are provided for other sports, which are considered “head count” sports. For example, a men’s golf team may have the equivalent of 4.5 scholarships to divide amongst all the players on the team. The head coach has the authority to divide these as he sees fit, providing either full or partial scholarships.

NCAA Division 1 main points:

5 scholarships per men’s golf team each academic year
Players that land on a NCAA D-1 golf roster, tend to be the best players in their region or states
Example schools:
- Texas, Oklahoma, USC, Florida, Georgia Tech, Houston Baptist

NCAA Division 2 main points:

5 scholarships per men’s golf team each academic year
Some D-2 programs are not fully funded, which leads to less scholarships for the team
D-2 players are typically the top players on their respective high school golf teams
Example schools:
- Edwards University, Chico St. University (CA), Midwestern St.

NCAA Division 3 main points:

Do not offer athletic scholarships
Average to above average high school golfer
Tend to be smaller, private schools
Example schools:
- Trinity College, Texas Lutheran University, UT Dallas

National Associate of Intercollegiate Athletics (NAIA)

The NAIA includes approximately 300 member institutions, with 90% of those offering athletic scholarships, with the average amount being approximately $7,000 per year.
The NAIA has two divisions, with the top level talent comparable to the NCAA Division II.
The recruiting rules are not as strict as in the NCAA. For example coaches can start contacting student-athletes in the 9^th
Academic requirements for NAIA schools also tend to be more lenient than for NCAA schools. High School students must have 2 out of 3 of the following:

Minimum scores of 18 on the ACT, or 860 on the SAT (math and reading)
Top 50% of class ranking
GPA of 2.0 on a 4.0 scale (determined by HS)

While official recruiting trips are limited to five in NCAA, there is no such restriction in the NAIA.
Finally, “amateur” rules do not apply, as the NAIA allows you to have received a minimal amount of compensation in your athletic career, whereas NCAA is much stricter.

NAIA main points:

Top NAIA golf programs can rival the best in NCAA D-1 because the academic requirements are lower at the NAIA level to be eligible
Great option for foreign players
Roughly 300 schools
Example Schools:
- Texas Wesleyan University
- Our Lady of the Lake University
- Thomas University

2.2. The Impact of Title IX of the Education Amendments of 1972

Title IX of the federal government’s Education Amendments of 1972 prohibits gender discrimination in education programs and activities that receive federal financial assistance

Title IX essentially requires an equal number of athletic scholarships be offered to both men and women athletes. The impact has been an obvious increase in athletic scholarships for women, while creating an “imbalance” in scholarships for men’s sports.

Because on the men’s side, football receives 85 full scholarships and there are no women’s football teams, other women’s sports need to be credited with 85 scholarships to be fair. This has the effect of reducing scholarships available or other men’s sports, with the exception of men’s basketball. For example, a men’s baseball team is able to only give 11.7 scholarships per year, while they have a roster of 35 players on average, compared to a women’s softball team that is able to offer 12 scholarships for typically 17 players.

However, it is interesting to note that after passage of Title IX, graduation rates for women increased with more receiving bachelor’s, master’s, and doctoral degrees in 2008 than any previous year.

2.3. Junior College, Home-Schooled, and International Student Athletes

Junior College Student-Athletes – If your dream is to play at an NCAA Division I school, but you do not yet possess the physical tools, you should consider spending a couple years at a junior college. It is much easier to transfer from a 2-year school than from a 4-year school. For example, you do not need a written release from your junior college to transfer, while transferring from one 4-year NCAA or NAIA school requires such a release. Also, in some instances, junior college teams are more competitive than some NCAA and NAIA teams.

Home-Schooled Student-Athletes – Since opening GPG, we have consulted with numerous parents who think that their child has no chance to play at the college level because he or she did not attend a traditional high school. However, there are clubs and organizations that field teams of only home-schooled high school student-athletes. Sometimes these even compete against local high schools. The point is that by competing with these clubs or organizations, a home-schooled athlete can also develop the talent and credentials to compete at the college level.

The main thing that you have to be weary of as a home scholar is the accreditation of your home school courses. Please refer to the following website to make sure you are on the right academic course in your home-school practices:

International Student-Athletes – The biggest thing that holds international recruits back from playing at the top NCAA level is a prior professional athletic career. Most young individuals growing up overseas receive compensation for their athletic abilities, which, in turn negates their amateur status.

However, as noted above, since the NAIA is more lenient on amateurism rules than the NCAA, many talented foreign athletes have the potential to continue on their athletic careers at an NAIA school.

The post Internationals Recruits & JUCO Transfers NCAA v NAIA appeared first on pga golf training programs.

How to structure your practice into 3 phases

JJ Wood, PGA — Wed, 25 Nov 2015 17:22:33 +0000

Value Deliberate Golf Practice

10,000 hours of practice to become expert. 10,000 hours of deliberate practice to become expert. Practice golf smarter not harder. Is your golf practice efficient?

A recent golf study showed that for the average golfer, which is a golfer that averages 100 for 18 holes, deliberate practice was 30% of the total process of becoming a better player. This is roughly 1/3 of the total process!

The surprising part of this study (in my opinion) is that once a player reaches the international championship level (PGA Tour), deliberate practice only accounts for 1% of player success.

All of us are different in many ways. One golfer may need more deliberate golf practice than the other player. One golfer may need more “block” practice than the other. Block golf practice refers to repetitive swings with the same golf club without going through routine and simulating a round of golf.

When one of my players is going to make working on their long game the main focus for the day I have them break down their golf practice in 1/3’s.

The first 1/3 is deliberate practice and block golf practice on fundamentals golf drills while switching targets, clubs, and distances. In this phase of the practice it is similar to block practice because we are doing specific drills to accomplish a fundamental golf move, such as solid contact. I coach my golfers to do this in a deliberate way, so you are not hitting the same shot over and over.

The next 1/3 (block practice), is spent working on technique and refining your specific drills to improve your golf swing technique that will make you a more consistent ball striker. It is very important to do this in the middle of your practice session instead of at the end. Working on your takeaway on your full swing, would be an example of this phase.

The final 1/3 (deliberate practice) is focused on simulating pressure on the golf course. We do this by going through your pre shot routine, having one performance cue, and completing your post shot routine for each golf shot you hit on the driving range. You constantly want to be changing clubs, the shot you are hitting, etc. If you are still struggling with your technique mix in some block practice again but finish with this final deliberate golf practice every day!

All golfers growth curves are different and it is my job as a golf performance coach to show you what process is the best for YOU to achieve your potential on the golf course.

Practice is really important but it’s not everything. Experiences and situations that mimic competition or the golf course is equally important to becoming a better golfer.

Practice Plan 1

60% of practice time – full swing
Phase one of practice: 1/3
Warm up with pitch shots
Fundamental practice
Drill: feet together drill, focusing on pacing of swing
Drill: go through set up routine getting good alignment and ball position

Phase two: 2/3
Technique practice
60% of time hitting pull cuts to get path more in front of you coming down. (weakness)
– incorporate the downswing thoughts to get your path more left
20% draws
20% fades
Rotate through the 3 ball flights

Phase three: 3/3
Simulate golf course. Play 9-18 holes on the range switching club, target, going through pre shot routine.

40% of practice – short game/putting

. Review from last week on visualization –
– high light reel can be added to your visualization practice.
– You enjoyed the “trust & feel” visualization tape on Get Psyched App.
– You should continue to write out 3 process goals daily.

Recap from practice and preparation:
1.Practice the “controllables” – These are areas you can control, such as your set up: Grip, posture, alignment, ball position, stance and tempo. Please read this blog post to learn more about controllables
2. Efficient practice everyday, with a specific game plan written out prior to going to the course.
3. Drills to promote & simulate on course pressure
4. Its all about time management!
5. Putting assessment will give you accurate evaluation of what distance in putts you need to work on and what you need to maintain.

Creating Practice Plans:
1. Work 60% on weakness, 40% on strengths
2. Break down practice in to 1/3’s

Agenda for this week:
1. Create practice plan for each day for entire week. Be as specific and detailed as possible.

Below is one of my players while I was coaching at Ohio State. I liked how he listed numerous drills and completed 2 of them each day. He basically had a menu of drills so he always had something to do.

The post How to structure your practice into 3 phases appeared first on pga golf training programs.

Mental Tool 4: How should you practice?

JJ Wood, PGA — Thu, 19 Nov 2015 21:31:54 +0000

How to practice

Get excited, we are about to start the fun stuff!

I like to start with some education on how you should practice and why. Most golfers overlook the basics and never get better. The basics (fundamentals) are extremely important. Golf can be unpredictable, but there are some things you can control to give you a better chance at success!

In life there are many things we can control and others we cannot. This is the same with golf. Often times we like to blame others, the golf course, OUR COACH, and mother nature when things do not go the way we intended on the golf course.

It is important with golf to focus primarily on the things that are within your control. What are some things that are within your personal control when you are out practicing golf?

Full Swing: Setting up to the golf ball – this is a static and controllable aspect that is crucial for every golf shot. It is not a quick twitch reaction, such as hitting a golf ball at full speed. Most problems we see in golf swings could have been prevented if the golfer would have consistently practice the correct set up fundamentals.
1. Grip (And Grip Pressure)
2. Posture
3. Alignement
4. Ball Position
5. Stance
6. Tempo (Focus primarily on consistent pacing of your golf swing)
Putting: Short Putts – Putting is the simplest shot in all of golf. How big is the putting stroke? Pretty small, right? We make it complicated in our mind! When practicing, all golfers should start with very short, straight putts to see the ball going in over and over again. When you practice short putts, you are also able to make alignment your main focus. Use the line on the ball for each putt if that is what you do on the golf course. Get in a routine that you can take to the golf course, while building the positive mindset of seeing the ball go in the hole! Fundamentals are quite the same as the full swing listed above with a few exceptions.
1. Fundamentals are important, but putting is very personal. You need to find the pre-shot routine, set up and grip that gives you the best opportunity to make the putt.
  1. Putting is mostly about a confident mindset!
2. Reading the greens properly – take your time and look at the important aspects to determine your speed and line!
Routines – developing a consistent routine is essential to consistent golf, and better golf under pressure!
1. Pre-Shot Routine
2. Post-Shot Routine
3. Practice and Preparation Routine(s)
Self Talk – you can control how you talk to yourself. It takes practice.
1. Start by being aware of how you talk to yourself. You will not automatically be positive and confident, but if you catch yourself saying things that are negative, stop and re-word it in a positive way!
2. There are many exercises and drills you can do to change your self talk, you need to do this every day and the results will come!

To become great and achieve your potential as a golfer or student-athlete, you need to focus on the little things and practice them consistently. The golf swing at full speed is very fast and complex, which leads to a lot of things that can go wrong. Focus on these 4 controllable fundamentals and it will give you the best chance to play consistently great golf!

Next up: How to structure your practice in thirds

The post Mental Tool 4: How should you practice? appeared first on pga golf training programs.