From The Student Side Of The Ball

I am proud today to welcome a brand new guest writer to this blog.  We look forward to many more posts from Jeff.  Thank you Jeff for being a part of The Golf Is For Everyone blog and welcome aboard.


From the “Student Side” of the Ball:

A series of blog posts from Jeff Passage On Golf

I have been fortunate in my professional life as an accountant to be on both sides of various transactions: auditor/auditee, lender/borrower, and student/teacher. It has afforded me the opportunity to learn and hone my business skills from these perspectives. It’s been true in accounting. It’s also been true in golf.

I began playing golf in 1967 at age 11 when my dad took me to the local public course to play 9 holes. I shot a 72. Over the years, I went out and played with my friends and co-workers and never could break the 100 barrier. I came close, but a bad shot or two always kept me from that elusive 99.

Eight years ago, in 2008, I finally had the interest, the time, and the money (yeah, don’t forget the money!) to learn golf the way it was meant to be played. I was convinced that the right instruction, sufficient practice and plenty of play would finally see my lifelong goal of breaking 90 a reality.

It hasn’t happened yet. My low to date is 94. But I do break 100 regularly.

I have studied golf with some of the best golf instructors out there. I bought the training aids, the dvd’s, the books, the magazines, even some Loudmouth pants. Grip it and rip it? Uh, not quite yet.

Let’s face it: I’m not the most athletically gifted guy. I tried to play sports when I was young, but I was never good enough to make the teams. But I still had golf!

Over the past couple of years, I have been fortunate enough to actually teach golf to others, beginners and experienced. It gave me the appreciation of how I may have wanted my golf teachers to communicate with me. Not that they are not good teachers. In fact, they are excellent. But there is something about what an instructor says and what a student actually hears. There is also a distinction between what a golf instructor sees in a student’s golf swing and what the student sees.

When a student is standing at address with club in hands and a ball on the ground, what do they see? They see a golf ball DOWN on the ground, 5 feet or so below his eyes. To the student, everything is DOWN! So, when they swing their club, the emphasis is on swinging DOWN at the ball. Oh, they have been told about target focus, the swing path, the aiming point, etc. But what is the main goal of the student? To hit the ball, which is DOWN on the ground.

At this point, the student forgets all about swinging on an inclined plane. At the top of the backswing, all they want to do is swing DOWN at the ball. Hence, the out-to-in swing path, over the top downswing, coming out of their posture, early extension, and lifting their head. All the clichés, all the faults that a golfer can manufacture.

I am describing me, but maybe this applies to you as well.

As one of my great mentors Martin Chuck likes to say, “There is enough down in the golf swing. We don’t need to create more.” True. The trick for the student is to learn that the downswing consists of the hands, handle, club (whatever reference works for you) moving down, out and forward.

That has made all the difference to me. Down, out and forward! Until next time … I am JPOG

She has a great swing, doesn't she?