16 y.o. nephew is great player but needs advice

[arkstorm]

Coaches/Instructors your input is particularly appreciated

As the title suggests, my nephew is a solid player and has his heart set on playing in a big college program. He was working with a pro that coaches some top juniors in his area but he seems to have hit a wall.

He's got all the shots, hits his drives 275+ yards at sea level, can hit cuts, draws, high, low and has a pretty good short game. But he just hit a wall where his peers are progressing and he's not.

I think he just needs the proper inspiration to take his raw talent and turn it into low tournament scores.

He listens to me so I want to say the right thing. I am definitely going to explain to him that in order to be great at anything you have to want to be that good, which means wanting to work at it in any way it takes. In the case of golf, work on the shots, work in the gym, and become a student of the game.

What advice would you give him?

[statechamps08]

knowing how to hit the shots does nothing if you don't know what shot is required for the shot. Course management is needed in order to use these shots effectively.

[Sean2]

he also needs to be a teen. there will be days when he wants to hang out with his friends, or gets hung up on a girl. that's okay. it would be a shame if he ended up resenting the game b/c he's feeling too much pressure. he also needs to attend to his school work.

 

i think it's good for an adult to provide guidance as long as the adult doesn't put too much pressure on him or try to live vicariously through him.

 

there is an 12 year old girl at our club who has played in international tournaments and won a few. i've played with her a few times and she is a phenomenal talent. a 79 from the middle tees is a bad score for her. it's amazing what she can do with a golf ball. sometimes she doesn't want to come to the course and practice and that's okay with her parents. their number one priority is academics and being a kid. golf comes after that.

[anthonykim3]

work on course managmenet and in the teacher aspect maybe he has become to good for that teacher and needs a nother one to bring him to the next level tell him when you hit a plateu you need to work harder

[arkstorm]

work on course managmenet and in the teacher aspect maybe he has become to good for that teacher and needs a nother one to bring him to the next level tell him when you hit a plateu you need to work harder

 

I like that.

[statechamps08]

work on course managmenet and in the teacher aspect maybe he has become to good for that teacher and needs a nother one to bring him to the next level tell him when you hit a plateu you need to work harder

 

I like that.

 

not harder but smarter. What if the kid already spends hours a day to be where he is? Then u tell him unless he practices like tiger he wont be able to shoot even? Be careful u dont give him the wrong idea he he must be doing some kind of work to get where he is. Instead practice shots he DOESNT have, cause even tour pros have weaknesses. I liked going out when the course wasnt bust aand playing 2 balls from each spot, then taking the worse of the two. No point in practicing ur 8 iron from the middle of the fairway thats what the range is for.

[mizunogrrl]

This guy nailed it. I bet the kid works as hard or more than most, especially since he realized he hit a wall. That adds an unfathomable amount of stress that can chase him away if he gets too angry.

 

Truly, he hit a mental wall. And, he needs to learn to relax enough to let himself succeed. How and when he learns this will be hard to predict or to simply teach.

 

Just make sure he's still having fun and not just chasing down numbers and stats. I did that and it doesn't help everyone.

 

 

 

 

work on course managmenet and in the teacher aspect maybe he has become to good for that teacher and needs a nother one to bring him to the next level tell him when you hit a plateu you need to work harder

 

I like that.

 

not harder but smarter. What if the kid already spends hours a day to be where he is? Then u tell him unless he practices like tiger he wont be able to shoot even? Be careful u dont give him the wrong idea he he must be doing some kind of work to get where he is. Instead practice shots he DOESNT have, cause even tour pros have weaknesses. I liked going out when the course wasnt bust aand playing 2 balls from each spot, then taking the worse of the two. No point in practicing ur 8 iron from the middle of the fairway thats what the range is for.

[gators78]

If he really wants it then he'll get it, just be able to provide the coaches and practice facilities when he comes to you. I played all the time and was a really good player in high school, played a little in college but I found a life outside of golf, and loved it.

 

At the end of the day its a game

[MSPG97]

Remember what Booby Jones said "Competitive golf is played mainly on a five-and-a-half-inch course...the space between your ears.” If your nephew has hit a wall it may be in this area not on the course.

[lowandslow]

Easy, Tell him to practice his short game.......the short game can NEVER be good enough. Thats where good golfers are made.

[arkstorm]

Athleticism+knowledge+confidence+trust=low scores

 

I think this is a pretty good formula for predicting the quality of a player.

 

Which of these things do you think he needs improvement with?

 

Most good juniors that plateau at a particular level do so because of how they approach the game and life. I've had many junior students that refuse to use their brain and learn what they need to learn in terms of what they feel, how to practice and what areas need improvement. They always ask, was that better and I always say what did it feel like to you. When I get I don't know as an answer, that tells me a lot. They are not fully engaged in the learning process.

 

There are so many reasons your nephew could have stopped progressing and I'd be willing to bet, that he knows why. Somewhere deep down, he knows. He may not want to say it or admit it but he knows.

 

So here's my advice to you. I would highly recommend that he start a journal for golf. This journal should include but not be limited to inspirational golf stories, goals and the how he plans to attain them, emotions he is feeling during tournament golf vs casual golf etc.

 

He must be fully engaged when he is practicing. A bunch of people have stated that he needs to be a kid and I agree with that if he needs that. Some 16 year olds are ready to committ right now and they practice like adults. You'll probably know where your nephew falls. Don't underestimate the power of golf athleticism. Some people are better at it just cause. No manner of coaching and desire will ever allow me to run the 100 meter dash with Mr Bolt of Jamaica.

 

Check with your nephnew about the fomula I started with and see which one he thinks he needs to improve. That should be a good window into where he thinks he is.

 

Wow. You articulated exactly the message I want to reach him with. Can you just elaborate a little about the trust element?

[rblum22]

As the title suggests, my nephew is a solid player and has his heart set on playing in a big college program. He was working with a pro that coaches some top juniors in his area but he seems to have hit a wall.

 

He's got all the shots, hits his drives 275+ yards at sea level, can hit cuts, draws, high, low and has a pretty good short game. But he just hit a wall where his peers are progressing and he's not.

 

I think he just needs the proper inspiration to take his raw talent and turn it into low tournament scores.

 

He listens to me so I want to say the right thing. I am definitely going to explain to him that in order to be great at anything you have to want to be that good, which means wanting to work at it in any way it takes. In the case of golf, work on the shots, work in the gym, and become a student of the game.

 

What advice would you give him?

 

Do you want me to have a chat with him about the mental aspect of his game? I am sure I can screw him up enough to have you beat him while he is out here.

[slanger]

Sorry for this sort of late post, but I thought this would be the perfect place to discuss this.

 

Today at my school a sleep specialist came to talk to us who has worked with gold medalist sarah hughes, the NY Jets and the Orlando Magic. He said all of the athletes were not improving because they were over practicing and not getting enough sleep. Early morning practice is a no. Your nephew should be getting 9.25 hours every single day so as to retain the information he learned from his practice. If he is getting around 7, as described by this Dr, he is a walking zombie and not progressing. If he wants to improve, he must increase his hours of sleep and eliminate practicing in the morning. The brain, at his age, is not functioning until about 9 o clock if you were to wake up at around 7 o clock. He described a situation in golf how you can groove your swing and think you have it, but if you dont have a consistent 9.25 hours of sleep for the next week, the groove lasts in your brain as short term memory. Give this guy a try, I know I am.

 

 

His name is Dr. Maas. Below is not the best link for this, but it is very informative.

http://www.powersleep.org/powersleep.htm

 

here is an example also...From there find the part about sleep and golf lessons.

http://www.golfwithshannon.com/newsletter/...er%20122007.htm

[swings89]

Perhaps going against science, :russian_roulette: but I don't agree with the 'more sleep and less practice in the morning' concept. I've found that as I practiced or did anything in the morning, I was mentally more focused and was able to consume more out of the time. I find it a great time of tranquility for learning even if it means losing two or three hours of sleep.

[slanger]

While you are practicing more, your retention while you're supposedly improving isn't actually retaining anything. If anything, you are getting better from your round, or later practices. Early in the morning, no matter if you can "live" off of 7 hours of sleep you are not at your full strength.

[muxi87]

sounds like he's lacking in the "playing experience" line. Tell him to get more holes of golf in him. You can bang balls and be the most pure ballstriker in the world, but nothing can replace the experience you get when playing. Sounds like he knows how to hit the ball...no he needs to learn how to score.

 

The only other thing I can think of is imagination. It doesn't sound as if he's imagining the shot, or the different scenarios for each shot, as well as he could.

[arkstorm]

So I finally got to giving my nephew all the advice that everyone suggested...well actually I did pick and choose the best tips to discuss with him while playing two rounds when he was visiting last week. I really appreciate all the advice from everyone who chimed in.

 

We played two rounds at my home course, par 71, 6,800 yards, 134 slope, 71.8 course rating. He shot 74/74 on a course that is 2,500 miles from his home that has different grass then he's used to and disgustingly difficult greens. He drove the green side bunker on the 320 yard par 4 8th both days. I was measuring most of his drives with my Skycaddie, most of them were between 300-310 yards. The longest he hit was 320, the shortest that we measured was 280 -- all very straight.

 

His approach game was a little lacking but I think that has something to do with the fact that he's playing LT2's with the stock shaft in regular flex. So his dispersion with the irons is a little higher than it ought to be. I bet that if he got fitted head to toe his approach game would improve instantly. Case in point: he has a 50 gram regular flex shaft in his Taylormade hybrid and can only hit a high hook with it. He took a couple of swings with my hybrids and was hitting straight missiles. So the first piece of advice that I gave him was to learn to be a club ho. Actually, all joking aside, I explained to him that he really needs to understand the equipment. Most of the great players are also equipment tinkerers.

 

Despite the fact that his approach game wasn't spot on, he could get up and down from just about anywhere. I did notice that he was only chipping with his sand wedge and I suggested to him that he learn to develop some more imagination around the greens (then I explained to him what imagination around the greens means). He said his coach has him working on chipping with his 9-iron and his lob wedge as well which is probably a great idea for him.

 

His putting was great. I think he one or two putted every green but one on which he took a four putt, but like I mentioned, the greens on this course are brutal and it was the second hole we played. He got into a groove from there and never looked back.

 

I think the key with him is confidence. He sees juniors in his region putting up really low numbers and he feels like he just can't go that low. I explained to him that consistency is just as important as going low.

 

I really hope that some college coaches get to see the talent this guy has. With the right mindset and the right coaching I think he can be a serious contributor to the right college golf program.

[meeks7]

I am 17 and just went through the same thing as he is going through. I just went to the range and got my mental game back to where it should be and that is what helped the most. Having a strong metal game is what seperates a great junior player from the rest of the pack.

[arkstorm]

What grade is he in and what part of the country does he want to go for college?

 

He's in 11th grade and lives in the "Valley" near L.A.

 

I know his dream college is AZ State, so he's willing to go at least that far.

[yoonie]

The best thing to tell him to do is PAY ATTENTION. Everyone is better at something than you are. You can lose to it or learn from it. If he has all the shots and he can't score, then he must be using them wrong. I imagine it would be EXTREMELY instructive if he played with, paid attention to (and preferably lost to) someone who has 1 shot and knows how to score with it. The classic example, of course, is Lee Trevino.

 

It's for that reason that I've always wanted to play with Jim Furyk. I imagine it would be the most educational experience of my life, scoring-wise. Imagine what he could do if he had "talent" (quotations are locutory asbestos i.e. don't flame me)- now imagine how flawless every aspect of his game must be to score the way he does with his limitations. Now imagine that he had ALL the shots. You might be imagining Tiger Woods.

 

Other than that, one word.

 

Putting.

 

Ok, make it two.

 

Putting, putting.

[Deerslayer]

He needs confidence. If he is playing in top level events, or events where the same players are winning and he is struggling........change the scenery. Play in an event that is out of the area. Tournament play is about confidence and KNOWING you can succeed. Once he succeeds, he gains confidence and so on. Once he feels good about his game, then go back and kick arse where he can bust through the wall. Confidence is earned, you can manipulate how he earns it.

Even though my son is a top player, he still plays in a mixture of events. He plays in events where when he gets there, he is the known favorite. Everyone is gunning for him and HE is expected to win. He plays in events where there are any one of half the field could win depending on who hot. He also plays in tournaments against MUCH older bigger stronger players where a top finish measured by where you finish, not always winning.

With this strategy, he knows how to win, he knows how to lead, he knows how to have to grind to make up ground. A little of everything, but it is a strategy that has worked unbelievably well.

My son has been in so many situtations now in tournaments, he doesnt feel or show pressure. He is confident and knows he can win ANY tournament he plays in against ANY competition. He did this on his own from building a mountain of confidence in tournaments and all I did was in tournaments was scheduling.........

[anthonykim3]

how old is he and what is his handicap he seems small and he can win agaisnt any one any where does he play 7000 or 6500 yards it seems like distance might be a problem for long courses unless his is phil mickelson with a wedge

[arkstorm]

how old is he and what is his handicap he seems small and he can win agaisnt any one any where does he play 7000 or 6500 yards it seems like distance might be a problem for long courses unless his is phil mickelson with a wedge

 

Distance might be a problem?!? He's averaging somewhere around 300 yards off the tee. You may want to consider reading my previous posts.

 

He's on his high school team and his tournament handicap is 3.

[anthonykim3]

sorry i was talking about the stratton kid that looks 4 11 not the op question should have made it more clear i aplogize

[iteachgolf]

Stratton I don't think is even in high school yet and has a bright future in the game. I doubt many kids his age(14ish?) hit it a lot further. He is scratch or better.

[anthonykim3]

wow that is really impresive i might have to get him to teach me some things :wave: i am 13 and i am and 8 he just looked small he must have flexabilty like mad good for him