Very proud of Paul Weyland Junior Golf Academy student Jake Slocum for his recent fine play in the Saguaro Amateur Series- Gobbler Men’s Amateur in Tucson, Arizona.

Jake’s rounds of 68, 72 and 71 for a 2-under par total on a difficult 7,400 yard long golf course gave him 9th place out of 88 competitors.

Jake is 16 years old.  This was not a tournament for junior golfers.  This was an event for the top collegiate golfers and amateurs from across the country. There were a total of 38 universities represented in the field.

Jake is building confidence and getting better every day. When he starts playing at Iowa State in two years he will have total belief and confidence that he can he can play and compete with anyone.

This kind of self-belief is essential for a junior golfer to achieve this kind of success. It’s my job to not only teach golf but instill self-belief and self-confidence in these young players.  Jake works harder on the correct things than anyone I know, and it’s really paying off.  Well done Jake!!!

 

Paul Weyland Golf Elite Player Development student Carson Barry finished T4 at the 48th Eddie Hogan Cup Team Matches held on August 13th and 14th at Riverside Golf & Country Club in Portland, Oregon.

This was Carson’s second year on Team Idaho. Last year he finished T29 with a two day score of +9. This year he shot 74, 69 for a -1 total, helping Team Idaho finished 4th overall out of 12 teams. Carson is showing tremendous improvement in is game over the past year as he has also shown in previous tournaments such as the Junior World and the Big I.

The Hogan Cup 36-hole team matches pit the best junior golfers from the Western United States and Canada against each other in a team format with the three lowest scores each day determining the team total. Being selected to compete in Hogan Cup matches is an honor that has been bestowed to few individuals, and the excellence of past participants is indicative of the quality of the small, select field. There are some notable names who have participated in this event including Tiger Woods, Fred Couples, Jason Gore, Beau Hossler, Patrick Cantlay, Eddy Lee, Charlie Wi, Bobby Clampett, Joe Rassett, Ricky Barnes, Jack Renner, Lennie Clements, Scott Simpson, Rick Fehr, Robert Gamez, Bill Sanders, Kirk Triplett, Jim Nelford, John Fought, Peter Jacobsen, Jeff Quinney, and Casey Martin.

Wow! Great playing Carson, and great job Team Idaho!

WANT TO SHOOT LOWER SCORES?

Here is a great article in Curious Coaches called, “Redefining Deliberate Practice.” Are you practicing by a determined amount of time? You might want to reconsider this and read this article that discusses the benefits of goal-oriented, object-driven practice sessions.  Practicing with a purpose will save you time, get better results, and will lower your scores!

Sign up for an assessment with me, and I’ll develop a practice plan for you.

http://www.curiouscoaches.com/2014/10/14/how-to-design-more-effective-practice-routines-for-your-students/

Congratulations to Paul Weyland Junior Golf Academy Rising Stars student’s Nate Barkan, Jake Slocum, and Connor Mahoney for their fine play in this past weekend’s Rocky Mountain Junior Golf Tour event at Banbury Golf Club.  Congratulations also to Strive for Excellence students Natalie Mullins, Carson Barry, Drew Lunt, Jason Adkins, Cole Bunderson, and Justin Higgins.  Also, congratulations to Colby Dean for his fine play in the ID State Match Play Championship, making it to the semi-finals

Not everyone played to the level they wanted or are capable of and that is often the way it is with this game of golf.  However, what is important, and what I am so proud of them for is the professionalism, sportsmanship, and great attitudes they displayed on the course.  Remember that “strength does not come from winning….your struggles develop your strengths.”

At this young age winning means nothing, because kids develop and mature at different rates and times. David Leadbetter told his juniors and myself as a coach working for him that there is not one shot a junior golfer will hit that in the big picture of their lives will really matter.

The important thing at this age is that they learn something every day and when they have a bad day, they pick themselves up, dust themselves off, go back to work hard, and try their best next time.   These young kids are learning life lessons like how to deal with adversity. “Adversity will either destroy you, define you, or develop you,” and in all these fine young people it will help develop them into better and more productive citizens no matter what they chose to do in their lives.

Well done, I am very proud of you all!

Get more distance with the driver

Great information from David Leadbetter on how TrackMan can help you create feelings to achieve your desired ball flight

This is a game I have my juniors play and I want them to be playing it at least weekly.

Interesting video by Joseph Mayo on the high spinning tour pitch shot