Teaching Beginning Golf
Dr. Scott Colclough
Middle Tennessee State University
Dr. Mike Hall
University of North Alabama
Stuart Currie, ABD
Middle Tennessee State University
Introduction
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Teaching Cues
Sources of equipment
Resources & references
Safety
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Equipment
Clubs should be in satisfactory working
order.
Check: club head, shafts, grips.
Proper attire: clothing and footwear.
Weather: 1st sign of thunder and
lightning remove players from course.
Seek shelter
Range Visits
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Try and limit numbers
Space: Side and behind
Make sure players are level or slightly
behind one another
Everybody hits in the same direction
Retrieve balls only under Coach’s
instruction.
Golf Terms
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Par
Defined: The number of strokes it should
take to complete the hole.
How do you come up with par: 2 putts
on every green, yardage, and hazards
Average par for 18 holes:72 (36 putts
18x2)
Golf Terms
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Scoring
Ace: Hole in one
Eagle: 2 strokes under par
Birdie: 1 stroke under par
Par: Score a very good player would expect
to make on a hole
Bogey: 1 stroke over par (good for the
average golfer)
Double Bogey: 2 strokes over par
Putting (½ the game)
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Dave Pelz:
80% of the strokes golfers lose to par
are determined by their play within
100 yards of the green.
Putting
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Grip: Palms on opposing sides, thumbs down
shaft,(r-handers)slide right hand down & place
left index finger over right pinkie or extend
your left finger index finger over the fingers of
your right hand.
Stance: Feet shoulder width apart, eyes over
ball, blade of club square to putt line
Wrist : Take the wrists out of play
Rhythm & Tempo: Tic-Toc, same speed for all
putts, everyone is different find your tempo
Pace: Get it close, think of the hole as being 3foot in diameter rather than 4.25 inches!
Coaching at the Range
Where do I start??
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Organization
Safety
What is the ball doing? fading/slicing,
drawing/hooking, topping/fatting
What is the club doing? Shut/open
What is the body doing? Reverse
pivoting, swaying, under/over rotation.
How to correct and What
to Check??
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Observation: Side and behind
Demonstration: You show
Instruction: Minimal, key points
Check: Grip, stance, posture,
alignment, backswing, impact, follow
through, finish.
How to Grip the club
(irons & woods)
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Grips
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Target Hand -Top View
“V” point to the rear ear
Two knuckles visible (top hand)
No gap between thumb & index finger
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Rear Hand – Top View
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“V” point to the rear ear
One knuckle visible (bottom hand)
No gap between thumb & index finger
How to grip the club
(irons & woods)
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Grips ( pressure should never be tight)
Vardon grip: right pinkie overlaps the left
index finger
Ten-finger/ baseball grip: place all ten
fingers on the club
Interlocking: interlock the right pinkie and
left index finger
Address
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POSTURE
Athletic position
Knees slightly bent
Bend from the waist
Arms hang down naturally
Address
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STANCE
Feet shoulder width apart
Toes pointing slightly out
Weight distributed 40-60
Weight distributed on the balls of each
foot.
1. Square stance- aiming towards target
2. Closed stance- aiming right of target
3. Open stance- aiming left of target
Address
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ALIGNMENT
Feet should be parallel to the target
(square stance).
Align club to ball using intermediate
target (T), club face square, align body
Toe line should be parallel to target line
Address Drills
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Hand shake drill: Three people needed,
the person in the middle turns and
shakes hands with the two people facing
him
Heavy box drill: same as above, pretend
you are handing each person a very
heavy box
Address Drills
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Place two golf clubs down on the ground
pointing towards the intended target. One
golf club should represent the ball to target
line and should be pointing directly towards
the target. The second club should represent
your feet to target line and should run parallel
with the first club. Imagine a railway track
running towards your intended target.
The golf club should be square to the target
and positioned just inside the leading foot.
Address - Setup & Pre-swing
Routine
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Setup & Pre-swing Routine
Select club
Intermediate target (12-18 inches in
front and behind ball)
Align club to ball using intermediate
target (T), club face square, align body
Toe line should be parallel to target line
The golf swing can be broken down
into six stages with cues:
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* Keys of success have been developed with
the right handed golfer in mind. Left handed
golfers should follow the instruction but
reverse the instruction hints.
(You can substitute “front” and “rear” verses
“left” and “right”).
1. Backswing
2. Top of Backswing
3. Transition
4. Impact
5. Follow through
6. Finish
Swing Check Points:
1. BACKSWING: CUES
pass the heavy box, hand shake
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Halfway position:
Shoulders turn on a flat plane to 45 degrees
Shoulders rotate as the arms turn to hip
height
Left arm is extended but relaxed
Right arm is bent and the right elbow is
pointing down to the ground
Target hand is facing away from the body
Toe of the club is pointing up towards the sky
Stay within the posture position
Swing Check Points:
2. TOP BACKSWING: CUES – club parallel
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Shoulders have turned through 90
degrees. Left shoulder has turned
under chin
Wrists have broken and arms are
extended away from the body
Right elbow is pointing down to the
ground
Hips have turned through 45 degrees
Weight has transferred onto the right
foot (40-60)
Remain within the posture position
Swing Check Points:
3.TRANSITION: CUES –heel press
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Transfer of weight from the back foot
occurs with the leading knee separating
away from the back knee
Leading shoulder moves away and out
Club drops down and the right elbow
moves in front of the right hip
Weight continues to transfer over onto
the left side
Swing Check Points:
4. IMPACT: CUES –pop the towel
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Is a mirror image of the address
position except the hips have cleared
and the weight has transferred onto the
left foot
Spine angle should mirror the spine
angle at address
Staggered start
Swing Check Points:
5. FOLLOW THROUGH: CUES – kiss the knees
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The momentum of the previous movements
will continue to turn the body through the
golf ball.
Half way check point:
The follow through should mirror the back
swing checkpoint
Toe of the golf club should be pointing in the
air
Arms extended away from the body
Right shoulder should be moving under the
chin
Swing Check Points:
6. FINISH: CUES –golf trophy
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Weight has moved onto the left side
Body has turned through the ball, so
that the belly button is parallel to the
target line
Toe of the right foot should be pointing
into the ground with the heel raised off
Arms are high and relaxed by the left
ear
Which club should you
use?
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Average Distance
Driver
3-wood
5-iron
9-iron
PW
Men
Women
230
200
210
180
160
140
120
100
110
90
Golf Swing Training Aids
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Broom
Medicus: club feathering a hinge which is
engineered to bend whenever a flaw occurs
Assist: training grip, precision bent shaft,
weighted club head
Shotsavers, Inc. – Training Aids & Devices
Catalog – Golf around the World
Resources
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Videos/DVDs:
Jim McLean – The 8-Step Swing *
Nancy Lopez – Golf Made Easy
Butch Harmon – Conquering Golf
Harvey Penick - Little Red Video
David Pelz - Developing Great Touch
Wally Armstrong – The Clinic: The Full
Swing
Websites
 USGA.com
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PGA.com
LPGA.com
websites2004.com/golf
shotsavers.com/shotsaver/teaching
 Sportime
 Gopher
Sports Equipment
Elementary Rubric:
Putting
Good
Grip
Stance
Alignment
Tic-Toc
Okay
Not Yet
Secondary Rubric: Swing
Excellent
Grip
Stance
Alignment
Swing
-Back
-Top
-Transition
-Impact
-Foll Thru
-Finish
Okay
Not Yet
AGES GOLF
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www.agesgolf.com
Scott Sharron
PO Box 930458
Verona, WI 53593
Equipment provided for use and
demonstration by Mr. Scott Sharron &
Mr. Mike Heller