The Motivational Golf Blog

Golf Channel Here I Come......I Hope!

So the Golf Channel had an open call for the "Next On Air Instructor". It was an open call for anyone across North America could apply. Here is my submission. Enjoy. 

Grade 8 Creme Brule...A Recipe For Success

My daughter Abbie had to do a creative writing homework this weekend outlining her goals, accomplishments and intentions for this school year (Grade 8). 

I couldn't believe my ears when she came out with this UNBELIEVABLE prose. I am now sharing it with you to show that even at the young age of 12, the youth of today can have flashes of brilliance showcasing their imagination!

I hope you enjoy it as much as I did. Please forward it to whomever you want. I have not changed one word. 

Grade 8 Creme Brule

To make grade 8 Creme Brule, you'll need:

Success, Learning Skills, Participation, Patience, a Positive Attitude, Respect and to be Enthusiastic. 

First: Set your oven to "Always be Positive"

Second:     Get a mixing bowl and spoon to mix everything to be a great and successful student

Add:     2 Cups of Learning Skills

1/2 Cup of Success (There is always room for more so for starters don't add to much)

11/2  Cups of Participation

1 Tablespoon of Patience

300 ml of Positive Attitude

13/4 Cups of Respect (Having a bit too much respect never hurts)

And Just a Pinch of Enthusiasm

Combine all ingredients in the bowl together. 

Bake overnight for 10 hours. 

In the morning you'll be set and ready to go for a SUCCESSFUL Grade 8 Year!

- Abbie Lawrie, Pineland Public School

Burlington, Ontario. 

 I hope this inspires you to be great and use this recipe with others. Happy Baking!

Great Article on Increasing Clubspeed and Improving Your Golf Swing!

 I am always doing exercises to keep myself flexible, strong and powerful. This doesn't mean I am pumping huge amounts of iron, but I do make sure to exercise. Here is why if you want to be a better golfer, why exercise is essential to the plan. Enjoy.

http://weightliftings.com/838945-Golf-Fitness-Helps-Generate-More-Speed-in-Your-Swing.html

PS. I got this from my buddy Danny King, Director of Instruction at Magna Golf Club. Thanks Danny!

The SIngle Axis Golf Swing - Sean O'Hair

Sean O'Hair working on the range under Sean Foley's watchful eye. Notice how he maintains his sternum over the ball and rotates around his spine. Good move, I am a little concerned with his amount of movement in his left knee outside his ankle joint but hey we all can't be perfect.

Golf Swing In Sequence Use a Chair!

So I was playing golf with one of my long time best friends last week and I watched repeatedly as he swung his club in his practice swing in a wonderful sequence and well balanced finish not once but EVERY time. The only problem was that his actual swing resembled nothing in sequence or in balance. In fact it resembled someone trying very hard to "hit the ball" and not "swing the club" 

A golf swing in sequence is a thing of beauty, tempo and well executed timing. Often this is not understood by the golfer in order to perform the correct movement(s). I will show you in this video below an easy way to get your club and body swinging in a better sequence. Using some household items like a lawn chair (or kitchen chair if preferred) you can start making some swings to better your game RIGHT NOW. In fact it might be better for your game if you do them in the office, home or garage without a ball to mess up your execution of this great drill. 

For more information on this drill go to our Instruction Page and check out our library of helpful drills. 

Golf Posture Made Perfect

"Stay down on it!" I hear that time and again while working at the Range. I know that the words are well  intended and meant to help. The real problem lies in your Posture, and not your ability to "stay down". Posture is one of the easiest and simplest ways to make your game better if done correctly. The tilt of the spine, hang of the arms and the centralization of your weight are all important points to remember when trying to obtain really good Golf Posture. Practice this simple routine below and I can guarantee your misses will be less. 

For more information on this or any one of the videos here at the Focus Golf Group, email us at: [email protected] or drop us a line at: 1-905-334-4207.

The Modern Business Plan

 So I get an email of Seth Godin's Blog every day and I read every one of them. He is the author of "Tribes" and "Linchpin" and "The Ideavirus" which are great books. This guy is wickedly smart and "gets it". He shared his ideas on "The New Business Plan" and wrote a good little bit that I thought I should share with you: Seth wrote - 

It's not clear to me why business plans are the way they are, but they're often misused to obfuscate, bore and show an ability to comply with expectations. If I want the real truth about a business and where it's going, I'd rather see something else. I'd divide the modern business plan into five sections:

• Truth
• Assertions
• Alternatives
• People
• Money

The truth section describes the world as it is. Footnote if you want to, but tell me about the market you are entering, the needs that already exist, the competitors in your space, technology standards, the way others have succeeded and failed in the past. The more specific the better. The more ground knowledge the better. The more visceral the stories, the better. The point of this section is to be sure that you're clear about the way you see the world, and that you and I agree on your assumptions. This section isn't partisan, it takes no positions, it just states how things are.

Truth can take as long as you need to tell it. It can include spreadsheets, market share analysis and anything I need to know about how the world works.

The assertions section is your chance to describe how you're going to change things. We will do X, and then Y will happen. We will build Z with this much money in this much time. We will present Q to the market and the market will respond by taking this action.

This is the heart of the modern business plan. The only reason to launch a project is to change something, and I want to know what you're going to do and what impact it's going to have.

Of course, this section will be incorrect. You will make assertions that won't pan out. You'll miss budgets and deadlines and sales. So the alternatives section tells me what you'll do if that happens. How much flexibility does your product or team have? If your assertions don't pan out, is it over?

The people section rightly highlights the key element... who is on your team, who is going to join your team. 'Who' doesn't mean their resume, who means their attitudes and abilities and track record in shipping.

And the last section is all about money. How much do you need, how will you spend it, what does cash flow look like, P&Ls, balance sheets, margins and exit strategies.

Your local VC might not like this format, but I'm betting it will help your team think through the hard issues more clearly.

I know this is how we should think in this day and age...Get yourself up to speed. 

Write The Future...Yours

We cannot predict the future. We are not able to gaze into a crystal ball and see what lies ahead in our lives. this is somewhat logical so as we do not change the path we are on for personal or monetary gain. Makes sense. The only person who you can rely on to help lay the groundwork and pave the road to your success is you. 

Practice so that you don't have to think but only REACT

Read so that you can answer and not have to think but only RESPOND

Love so that you do not have to ask but only feel the RESPECT

and...

Leave it all out on the field, classroom, floor or track.

NIKE certainly has it figured out...DO YOU?

Enjoy. 

Guaranteed to help your game

There are plenty of golf instructors who claim to have the "secret" or the "thing" to lower your scores. While their intentions are good and some do have fantastic tips, I have found one that is guaranteed to help your game. 

So you say, "How can you offer this tip to be guaranteed to help your game" but can it really? I say YES it can. Learning a skill to improve your game is the point of taking lessons and improving. For more information about this and to learn how this can be guaranteed to improve your game, send me an email: [email protected]

Utility Wood Chip: 

Things that make you go hmmmmm???

Just watched this video from a post by my friend Mark Thompson at McKinley Solutions about "Did you know 4.0"

Enjoy