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Should Mickelson WD?


ZEUS121996

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26 minutes ago, wvu80 said:

I think that's a pretty cool challenge.  Even if you don't like the parents idea of programming the kid's future they are showing long-term thinking.

 

I had a neighbor who's young daughter ended up being on the Olympic team.  She used to get up at 5am everyday and go to the pool for two hours before going to school, then she swam after school.

 

Her dad said he NEVER woke her up to go swim.  He said if she wanted to swim that bad she would have to get HIM up to take her.

I wanted to play in the NFL. Only problem was my lack of size, speed, strength, and ability. Should they have let me pursue it? 

(A touch of sarcasm)

 

Mark

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1 hour ago, ZEUS121996 said:

One of the kids I teach comes from a well off family. They want me to come up with a 10-12 year plan, because his goal is to play in the Masters. He's 9 YO. Who knows if I'll even be around. He's not the only one, most parents are realizing that soccer, softball, etc. is not as easy to get a free ride to college. They do however are learning that scholarships for girls(women) are going unused.  So that explains why 30% of new people coming into the game are women.  

So should I tell them to start watching video of all the potential courses they might play?

 

Mark

Hahahahaha...  I don't know how much you play but in my prime I had about a 4-5 handicap.  I'd always drag someone local down to Muirfield once a year in the fall for a round of golf.   I remember Jack Grout sitting there under his umbrella drinkin ice tea one Saturday morning watching some young kid hit balls on the range.  The kid I took down went to putt and I hit the range...  I hit EVERY club in my bag perfectly w/Jack sitting there.  It was like he blessed me or something.  So we exchanged greetings on my way out and he said you're hitting everything pretty well today.  I said thanks and  I stopped to talk a bit.  The kid kept hitting and I whispered how much you getting an hour to do this Jack?  He smiled and said $150.  That was long ago and the kid was about 12 or so...  Jack's been gone a long time but we would always chat a bit at the tournament if we bumped..  So if you taught Nicklaus how much would you charge an hour?  Getting enough now or just being a nice guy?  A plan for a kid?  Females in the game?  Have fun w/that stuff...  Maybe they're going to etch your plan in stone someday or you'll have a lil red book of your own like Harvey Penick.   Nah, they'll figure out the video's in time.  BTW, my blessings turned to crap on #1...  Two HUGE duck hooks over the creek into the woods and ALL down hill after that...  Jack laffed HARD at the turn when I gave him the thumbs down and shook my head..  It was UGLY!  lolol  That course ALWAYS kills me or I just beat myself.  Someday maybe I'll take charge and run a string of birdies but not in this lifetime...  lol

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1 hour ago, Dave1290 said:

Hahahahaha...  I don't know how much you play but in my prime I had about a 4-5 handicap.  I'd always drag someone local down to Muirfield once a year in the fall for a round of golf.   I remember Jack Grout sitting there under his umbrella drinkin ice tea one Saturday morning watching some young kid hit balls on the range.  The kid I took down went to putt and I hit the range...  I hit EVERY club in my bag perfectly w/Jack sitting there.  It was like he blessed me or something.  So we exchanged greetings on my way out and he said you're hitting everything pretty well today.  I said thanks and  I stopped to talk a bit.  The kid kept hitting and I whispered how much you getting an hour to do this Jack?  He smiled and said $150.  That was long ago and the kid was about 12 or so...  Jack's been gone a long time but we would always chat a bit at the tournament if we bumped..  So if you taught Nicklaus how much would you charge an hour?  Getting enough now or just being a nice guy?  A plan for a kid?  Females in the game?  Have fun w/that stuff...  Maybe they're going to etch your plan in stone someday or you'll have a lil red book of your own like Harvey Penick.   Nah, they'll figure out the video's in time.  BTW, my blessings turned to crap on #1...  Two HUGE duck hooks over the creek into the woods and ALL down hill after that...  Jack laffed HARD at the turn when I gave him the thumbs down and shook my head..  It was UGLY!  lolol  That course ALWAYS kills me or I just beat myself.  Someday maybe I'll take charge and run a string of birdies but not in this lifetime...  lol

When I was younger, I could play a little bit. 4-5 hdcp is a good number as long as you could play to it.

Working with juniors, I am having an absolute BLAST! I make OK money, I never wanted to be a millionaire,  I just wanted to live like one. 

 

Mark

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1 hour ago, Dave1290 said:

Hahahahaha...  I don't know how much you play but in my prime I had about a 4-5 handicap.  I'd always drag someone local down to Muirfield once a year in the fall for a round of golf.   I remember Jack Grout sitting there under his umbrella drinkin ice tea one Saturday morning watching some young kid hit balls on the range.  The kid I took down went to putt and I hit the range...  I hit EVERY club in my bag perfectly w/Jack sitting there.  It was like he blessed me or something.  So we exchanged greetings on my way out and he said you're hitting everything pretty well today.  I said thanks and  I stopped to talk a bit.  The kid kept hitting and I whispered how much you getting an hour to do this Jack?  He smiled and said $150.  That was long ago and the kid was about 12 or so...  Jack's been gone a long time but we would always chat a bit at the tournament if we bumped..  So if you taught Nicklaus how much would you charge an hour?  Getting enough now or just being a nice guy?  A plan for a kid?  Females in the game?  Have fun w/that stuff...  Maybe they're going to etch your plan in stone someday or you'll have a lil red book of your own like Harvey Penick.   Nah, they'll figure out the video's in time.  BTW, my blessings turned to crap on #1...  Two HUGE duck hooks over the creek into the woods and ALL down hill after that...  Jack laffed HARD at the turn when I gave him the thumbs down and shook my head..  It was UGLY!  lolol  That course ALWAYS kills me or I just beat myself.  Someday maybe I'll take charge and run a string of birdies but not in this lifetime...  lol

Alright, I have to agree, 4-5 is not a big deal for a handicap.😃😌😃 JaJaJaJa Ja

 

Mark

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29 minutes ago, ZEUS121996 said:

When I was younger, I could play a little bit. 4-5 hdcp is a good number as long as you could play to it.

Working with juniors, I am having an absolute BLAST! I make OK money, I never wanted to be a millionaire,  I just wanted to live like one. 

 

Mark

 

27 minutes ago, ZEUS121996 said:

Alright, I have to agree, 4-5 is not a big deal for a handicap.😃😌😃 JaJaJaJa Ja

 

Mark

Juniors kids in general..  Ugh...  Many are fine but...  I loved the game as a kid.  I couldn't afford to go play putt-putt like most of the kids let alone play on a golf course.A neighbor about a block away had a beautiful putting green in his back yard.  I'd sneak over w/my ball and a putter and putt when they weren't home.  One day I got caught by him.  I was ready to run so he made me a deal.  Took me in the side door of his garage and showed me his golf bag and what clubs to use around the green.  I could play anytime I wanted but...  In return I had to dig all of his balls out of the bushes in his back yard.  To me at 11 or 12?  Holy crap!  So I would chip and put every day there and once in a while he came out to help me.  His family owned a  big nursery so he had bucks back in 1905....  lol...  I came back from Nam and a couple months later one of my besties came back so I stopped and said...  "Chuck, we made it and we both smiled.  I've been back a while so what do you want to do.  Anything you want we'll do.  He said I wanna play golf.  I told him I never played before and he said he hadn't played since he left and would teach me.  Soooo, next morning about 5:30 I picked him up and we went to play.  I walked in to the clubhouse at a nice lil public course about 8 miles outta town and totally filled my pants.  Lee and his wife (the neighbor) along w/another couple had built an 18 hole course. He was laffin his butt off and said I knew someday we'd meet again...  He asked if I had clubs and I said no...  He walked over and took a set of PGA's off the wall, put them in the ugliest plaid bag I'd ever seen and said go play.  I said how much are these and he said they're on me then gave me a dozen balls.  He and his wife as well as the other couple are gone now but I'll never forget what he did for me.  You don't EVEN wanna bet against me in a calcutta!  lol...  It's one of the most beautiful public courses for 60 miles and to this day I RIP guys for not repairing ball marks or replacing divots.  It's me, I love the game, got into photography and off to Muirfield I went.  Got a great shot of old "Rainbow" I'll post someday.  Mr John 3:16!  lol  Since you hang w/the big money boys let's make some money on reprints!  BOOM we're bazillionaires!

 

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6 hours ago, ZEUS121996 said:

It is a challenge, designing a program that takes into account the growth spurts, girls and everything else that can get in their way. The club is like a safe house for kids. The parents and kids know that someone is always in sight and calling distance. Maybe they don't reach their goal, I can say that the vast majority of the kids end up being better people than players, and some of them can flat out play. I like to think I have a tiny little piece of that. I don't push any of them and tell the parents to let the kids lead, if they want to come out, great, if not, maybe tomorrow...…...

 

In the post directly after this one, you asked me if the kids should be pushed.  Mark, given your common sense and life experiences along with your comments in the above post tells me you know exactly what to do.

 

You push a kid, they push back.  I think it is FAR better to engage your students, empower them, encourage them to find what they are good at and to be their best, always.  Your role will be as a mentor, a teacher and to provide your technical knowledge and expertise to keep your student healthy through proper mechanics.

 

I was a pretty serious dad while raising my two boys.  The oldest was a pretty good pitcher and at the age of 12 he could throw a curve ball no other kid could hit.  I told him if he continued to throw curve balls I would take him out of baseball.  That's because there is a thing called a growth plate where the two bones in the arm grown towards each other.  Throwing too many curve balls can damage that growth plate. 

 

I told him WHY I didn't want him to throw curve balls and I had him read the same information I did.  He understood and developed his mechanics and threw fast balls.  He didn't win every game, but he developed and instead of chasing the major leagues, he chased "next level."  That was a good short term and long term strategy.  I always engaged him in the decision making process.

 

My son got a lot of attention for being such a good pitcher and he said he might want to be a big league player some day.  I told him that 'yes" you can throw curve balls and everybody will say how great you are, but nobody has ever got a major league contract for striking out 12 year-olds.  I asked him to become a good athlete and I sent him to pitching camps, I didn't know anything how to throw a baseball.

 

I taught him to think long term and let his body grow.  He ended up being a solid 6'2" and he could pitch, ending his career as high school pitcher.  He choose to leave baseball to concentrate on college.

 

He was good enough he could have gone on to be a college pitcher, but he made his own decision not to do that.  He had a full academic scholarship and wanted to study to become an attorney so that is the path he choose for himself.

 

As a parent I did the right thing by raising him so he would have options.  He was athletic, musical and smart.  He picked his own path and I could not have been prouder.

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