PUTTING DRILLS
(Taught by Sandy and Mike LaBauve)
Short ladder: Make putts in succession: three from 3 feet; three from 4 feet; and three from 5 feet.
Long ladder: To learn distance control, putt one ball from 20 feet, 30 feet, 40 feet and 50 feet to a three-foot circle, then reverse order.
Chalk line: For alignment and line control.
String line: For green reading and line control.
Two clubs: For path and face control.
Two tees: For solid contact, square face at impact, and rhythm.
Coins: For green reading and putting through gates.
Green reading routine: Look for terrain, water drainage, grain, speed, use eyes and feet and watch opponent’s putts.
Putting routine: Line up label; picture the putt; rehearse distance and rhythm; align putter face before stance; stroke and hold finish.
By BILL HUFFMAN
For The Tribune
Many high school golf coaches throughout Arizona are quickly getting into the “swing of things’’ this season thanks to a new program developed by the Southwest Section of the PGA.
In an effort to grow the game, SWPGA pros provided free spring and summer clinics for high school coaches in the past six months that ran the gamut from basic rules and etiquette to how to run a “fun and successful’’ practice session.
According to Sean Ferris, the junior golf coordinator for the SWPGA, nearly 100 of the approximately 250 high school golf coaches in the state (boys and girls) attended the clinics.
“We did the first clinic, which was just three hours long, last spring at Kierland (Golf Club in Scottsdale), and the second session, which was a more thorough, two-day clinic, on the ASU East Campus (in Mesa),’’ Ferris reported. “Judging from the reaction we got from the coaches, they learned a lot, and so did (the SWPGA), which is why the high school clinics will only get bigger and better.’’
Ferris said that because high school golf coaches are teachers first, and often coach other major sports, they may or may not know how best meet the needs of their young golfers. And that’s a critical situation, considering an estimated 2,000 high school students now play what once was viewed as a “minor sport’’ in Arizona.
“Our goal was to prepare these coaches, so they can have the proper tools to help their student-athletes have the best experience possible,’’ Ferris added. “We realize what they learn from these clinics might not impact their top players, although that could happen, too. But it could affect the rest of the team dramatically. It might be the difference between, say, a 10 th or 11 th or even 12 th player, sticking with the game for life.’’
Even though it’s strictly a volunteer program on the part of the SWPGA, many its most influential members and supporters have gotten behind it. At ASU East, for example, the marquee was loaded with some of Arizona’s most influential golf leaders. Among the speakers and their topics:
*Sandy and Mike LaBauve, both nationally acclaimed instructors, gave a clinic on how to conduct successful practice sessions.
*SWPGA officers Joe Shershenovich, Brett Upper, Albert Murdoch and Mike Wright spoke about how high schools can establish better relationships and communication with the golf courses where the schools hold practice sessions and tournaments.
*Debbie Crews, a sports psychologist at ASU, gave her insight on how to teach the mental aspects of the game to high school-age players.
*Bill Forrest, three-time SWPGA instructor of the year, offered some tips on basic instruction and teaching.
*John Jackson, a former All-American at ASU who once played on the PGA Tour, talked about preparing players for competition.
*ASU men’s golf coach Randy Lein informed the coaches about opportunities for their student-athletes at the college level, where over 1,000 institutions offer scholarships in three divisions.
*And Kurt Hudak, the director of the professional golf management program at ASU East, conducted a session on career opportunities in the golf industry.
So how did these high school golf clinics come to be? The actual seed was planted two years ago, when Sister Lynn Winsor at Xavier College Preparatory in Phoenix asked the SWPGA if they could help out by providing lunch during the Girls’ Class 5-A state tournament. Always the good Samaritan, a SWPGA contingent consisting of officers Joe Shershenovich and Jim Murphy delivered the food that fateful day.
“Murph and I went down to Aguila (Golf Course in Phoenix) where they were having the tournament, hung out for awhile, talked with thecoaches, and discovered a golden opportunity,’’ said Shershenovich, who is the director of golf at Grayhawk Golf Club in Scottsdale, with Murphy holding the same position at Gainey Ranch Golf Club, also in Scottsdale.
Shershenovich and Murphy had earlier discovered through the PGA’s “Play Golf America’’ program that only “two or three’’ of the nation’s 41 sections were providing assistance to high school golf. Arizona wasn’t one of them. To the contrary, some coaches from Arizona had been going out of state to places like New Mexico, Utah and California to attend clinics.
“We went to our membership, of which most of them had played high school golf, and said: ‘Don’t forget where you came from,’ ’’ Shershenovich explained. “I mean, why should our high school coaches in Arizona have to go out of state for clinics?’’
Now, they’re not, and coaches like John Sachs at Gilbert Mesquite and Jerry Grubbs at Mesa Westwood say they appreciate this new-found resource. So much so that they attended both sessions.
“I found both clinics very helpful, and I’m sure my colleagues did, too,’’ said Sachs, who coaches the boys team when he’s not teaching business marketing and computer science. “Debbie Crews was excellent, as her pointers on the mental aspects of the game are something most of us don’t know that much about.
“As for rules and etiquette, that’s something I’ve done with the kids before. But now, after being through these clinics, I can give a more structured presentation. And there are always changes (in the rules) that are good to know about.’’
It’s never too late, added Grubbs, a retired biology and science teacher who has coached boys golf at Mesa Westwood for the past 20 years.
“I think the clinics are great, because you can always learn something new,’’ Grubbs pointed out. “For instance, I just learned (from the LaBauves) that it’s OK to putt from off the green if you have the opportunity, whereas I always thought you chipped it.’’
Which, of course, is exactly why the SWPGAis there to lend a helping hand, said the LaBauves, who have taught the basic routines of putting, chipping/pitching, bunker shots, full swing, concentration and avoiding mental mistakes at both clinics.
“What we got from the first outing was, the coaches wanted to learn more about drills, contests and other basics so they could set up a more structured practice session,’’ said Mike LaBauve. “Which is very understandable, because many of these coaches really aren’t golf coaches, they’re teachers.’’
What’s been somewhat surprising, Sandy LaBauve added, is that the learning process has been a two-way street.
“I admire these coaches for coming to these clinics, and really wanting to improve their programs,’’ she said. “And while I hope they’ve learned a lot, Mike and I also have learned a lot from them.
“In every way, it’s been a coming together of the golf professionals and high school coaches. And by putting our heads together, we’re helping these kids learn more about golf, and, ultimately, having more fun doing it. And, really, that’s what it’s all about.’’
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