A few months back we promised some big news about new teaching technology and it’s time for the big announcement! AGI is now Augusta’s only provider of an incredible teaching tool for faster game improvement called K-vest. If you’re not familiar with K-vest we devoted an entire web page to give you all the information, just click here.

We are one of only four locations in Georgia to offer this amazing game improvement technology that will give you new insights into how your golf swing works and exactly what steps are needed to improve fast! You can book your K-vest session directly from the web page and if you book before the 15th you’ll enjoy a $10 discount on your session (for subscribers only)!

I am pleased today to be joined by Dr. Karl Morris, founder of The Mind Factor Institute.  Karl we have readers from over 20 countries around the world and look forward to your insights on playing better golf!

KM: Hi BJ, Great to be here with you and hope that we can share some ideas that will be of benefit to everybody. Because the biggest myth is that Mind Coaching is just for good players- when I am convinced that players of all levels can benefit. It is not that easy to change your swing instantly but you CAN change the way that you THINK with some pretty instant results.

Karl, can you tell our readers a little bit about your background in golf?

KM: My background was initially as someone who wanted to play at the highest level. I was a decent amateur and when I left school I wanted to play golf for a living. Well that was a fairly spectacular failure as I could never take the game I had in practice out onto the golf course. Initially after I turned pro I concentrated on teaching and kept seeing the very same thing in my students. Better swings on the range but NO improvement in their game on the course. I felt that we were REALLY missing something so I started to study as much as I could about the mind. I looked at the ‘Inner Game’, NLP, hypnosis, CBT, neuroscience research….basically you name it and I studied it. And from all of that I came up with some ideas myself and it evolved into what I now call the Mind Factor. The heart of this is the principle that mental training needs to be both PRACTICAL and APPLICABLE. You need to be able to take the tools out onto the course with you. Theory is fine and research is great but golfers need TOOLS.

Karl, 2010 was a banner year for The Mind Factor, how does it feel to see two of your players win major championships?!

KM: If somebody had said to me in your ENTIRE career would you be happy if you had coached a Major winner? I would absolutely have snapped their hand off. Yet to have some involvement with TWO major winners in a year was for me unbelievable.

Graeme McDowell had an incredible year in 2010, can you share a few of the things that you helped him with?

KM: I first met and started to work with Graeme in the fall of 2003 when he had come out onto the European Tour and he had initially won and then he started to struggle. His manager at that time Chubby Chandler asked me to have a chat with him and it began a six or seven year relationship. Initially with Graeme we looked at HOW he practiced as the most important key. He is a very bright man and he realised that just hitting balls one after another on the range was not going to let him fulfil his great potential. We really worked hard on creating practice systems that simulated the game, put him under pressure and also gave him a way of measuring his progress. For the first few years we saw an awful lot of each other but now Graeme has the tools pretty much in place. That is always my aim, to make myself redundant because if the player needs to keep having a mind coach working with him then I have not done my job!

You helped coach  Louis Oosthuizen to his first major win at the 2010 Open Championship. How did you meet Louis and can you tell us about the famous glove with the red dot?

KM: Louis is a great player and he came to me about six weeks before the Open and his manager again Chubby Chandler had said that he was playing some great golf but his concentration was all over the place.

That is what we went to work on- his FOCUS and CONCENTRATION.

The now famous ‘Red Dot’ was a particular technique to get his mind into the here and NOW. As he focused on that red dot at the start of his routine his mind became totally absorbed in the MOMENT. The task at hand. So that his mind didn’t wander to the possible outcome of winning his first Major. Being in the NOW is a great skill to learn and again the mind needs TOOLS to help you. The RED DOT was a tool.
Karl, what are the benefits of mental coaching for the average player that does not have tour aspirations? Can mental coaching really benefit them too?

KM: I really do think so because a good mental game will allow you to get the best out of the swing that you have. It won’t make up for a bad swing but it will help you become the best player that you can be. So many golfers hit the ball great in practice but they can’t take it to the course. That is not just the swing. When you work on TWO elements controlling the BALL and controlling the SELF then you give yourself a great chance to become the player that you can truly be.

Karl what about junior golfers, does being young mean that a junior would not benefit from learning to think better on the golf course?

KM: Not at all! Just as with good technical skills, a good grasp of simple but effective tools can help build solid young players, of which we are already seeing today. I think the difference with  juniors is the sooner they learn mental skills the better but it should be done as a result of playing games as opposed to formal ‘sit down’ sessions.

Karl you offer many products on your website http://www.golf-brain.com/ that players can use to improve. Is there anything new coming out in 2011?

KM: Yes we have a new product out that I am really excited about called ‘How to Change your Swing Instantly’ the science of how to change your brain to change your swing. So much as been written about what to do in the swing but so little has been written about HOW to change it. If you have golf lessons I honestly believe that this programme will greatly enhance your work with your pro.

Finally Karl, you have built a small army of Mind Factor coaches around the world. For players that may not be able to make it to Manchester, what can your certified coaches offer?

KM: A certified Mind Factor coach has the tools and techniques that I have used over the years with players of all levels. They have a knowledge that I am certain will help you get the best out of your game.

The knowledge that you have BJ!

Karl, on behalf of our readers I just want to thank you for joining me today here at the lovely Radisson Edwardian Hotel and sharing your insights.

KM: My pleasure!

For more information on The Mind Factor Mental Coaching Program in the U.S. contact:

B. J. Hathaway: Mind Factor Master Coach

706-836-4330 or bj@augustagolfinstruction.com

Who really knows what their putter face is doing? At AGI, we have the tools to explain and show EXACTLY what your putter is doing through impact. I am  a Hank Haney Certified Instructor specializing in improving your putting approach, stance and stroke and employ the use of a fascinating laser system called TOMI (The Optimal Motion Instructor). This system will show you 8 different facets of the putting stroke; alignment at address, alignment at impact, path at impact, stroke path and rotation, shaft angle, impact spot, speed at impact, and stroke tempo.

The most important aspect of your putting stroke is what it is doing through the impact zone, but how you arrive at that point can be taught in a more efficient manner. We at AGI can help you understand the putting philosophy of what the Professional Golfers use, what stroke 95% of them use in winning tournaments on the most highly visible stage in golf. We can develop some easy to follow drills to expedite your learning process, break down each of the 8 aspects of the putting stroke; and put you in a natural posture explaining each step. Once you understand how the stroke actually works, you will be able to refine your stroke and become much more consistent. This process will free up your mind to concentrate the most important aspect of putting, which is distance control. When we develop a consistent stroke pattern, it will give us a starting point to work on perfecting speed in the stroke.

A sometimes overlooked statistic in golf explains where your scoring comes from, the Gurus espouse the fact that 60% of our shots occur within 125 yards of the green, with more than half of those coming either on the green or on the fringe. With this knowledge, it becomes even more evident that we should focus more energy in this direction. AGI not only can get your full swing kinks worked out, but we can help you cut strokes from your score seamlessly by working on your putting and short game mechanics.

www.augustagolfinstruction.com

As I continue with my observations of Steve working with two of his students Arjun and Cliff, he sits with Cliff collecting information as to where he wants to go. As with AGI, Steve fits each game plan to the student’s abilities, simple but effective improvement is the goal. Once the agreed upon path has been determined, then it is time to go to work, the process begins.

The journey to better golf is tough, but for the committed ones, the rewards are very satisfying. As Steve works with Cliff, he stresses how important it is to stay in the process, staying committed to the changes and working on the new “feelings” in his swing. He works on changing the severe outside- in swing path to a more inside-out swing path. Before he can accomplish this feat, he teaches Cliff how to square the clubface through impact. As monotonous as this may seem for the student, it is never uninteresting for us at AGI, we as coaches can see the vision of solid long term improvement.

At AGI, we work with all sizes and shapes of students teaching these endless functions, with the obvious question being why do we do it? The not so obvious answer to the average golfer is, without being able to square the club at impact and swinging on the correct swing path, we have ZERO chance of playing good or great golf. It is definitely worth the effort and time it takes to fully understand this concept and put it into practice. Take care, until we meet again at the next observation in the process.

Even golfers make new years resolutions…whether it be finally breaking 100, lowering your handicap, getting more distance or finally banishing your slice – they are all worthwhile goals. The first change for the new year needs to be in your thinking process, no more thoughts of “stop slicing the ball” ….change that to “start hitting it straight”!  Rather than looking at what you are going to STOP doing, maybe you should fill your brain with the possibilities of what you are going to START doing.

Let’s create a generic plan for your golf game this year using these key points:

1. Knowledge

Let’s be honest, if you knew how to play better you would be doing it already. The reason that you slice is because you don’t know how to fix it, based on your golf swing. While books, videos and forums all have their place they also create a lot of confusion. Make the commitment to yourself this year to take a series of lessons and learn in-person what steps are needed to help you improve.  “Knowledge is the foundation of great performance”. Whether it be technical or mental improvement, you’ve got to KNOW what you want to do before you can do it!

2. The Plan

One of the fundamental things we’ve learned from Hank Haney is the necessity of having a solid plan to reach your goals. Without a game plan, all of your efforts become a hodgepodge of different ideas swimming around that lead to nowhere….except confusion. Don’t allow yourself to waste time trying every new swing theory just to discover many of them don’t work!

3. Goals

Goals, like resolutions, usually start off with grand ideas which is fun until you start falling short and give up. Make your goals SHORT term and I mean SHORT term. i.e. what are you going to do THIS WEEK, TODAY? It is OK to have a DIRECTION like scratch golf or the PGA Tour but our brain needs lots of LITTLE VICTORIES. We need a clear focus on where we are going but a total ABSORPTION in what we are doing NOW.

4. Practice

No matter how big or small your goal, golf REQUIRES practice! Just making a plan, thinking and hoping produces…well not much. Part of your plan should be a list of drills and a practice schedule. Speaking of schedules, why not set aside certain times and days for practice and get those ingrained as part of your weekly routine.  Next, understand that the difference between exert performance and average reflects a steady, deliberate effort to improve performance in a specific way. Although it would be great, we are yet to see anyone play better golf by sitting on the sofa….so let’s get to it!

Knowledge, plan, goals, practice…four ideas to get you on the path to better golf this year. Simple but effective.

AGI – play better golf.

Augusta Golf Instruction

My first impressions are normally right, and this was no different with Steve. He is very down-to-earth and accessible. He is very knowledgeable about the golf swing and the process of improving. The first thing that Steve did reinforced my teaching methodology, at AGI we know there is no band-aid that will improve your game long term.  It is the process; we all need to know where we are at, where we are going, and how to get there. We need a short term plan coupled with a long term vision of where we want to finish. The motto at AGI is “simple but effective “and with this mind-set, we can accomplish all goals in time.

The first step to becoming a better golfer is recognizing that is a journey and that journey is what makes it all worth while. We all begin at different starting points, at AGI we will help you develop a detailed game plan aimed at the finish line. Stay tuned for the next observation from the Hank Haney Ranch.

Applewood: 1st place

Augusta Golf Course:  1st place

Midland Valley: 3rd place

Forest Hills:2nd place

Houndslake: T 5th place

“Champ is an athlete,  has a great golf swing and works hard, we fully expect to see more great play in 2011″, said his instructor B. J. Hathaway.

AGI supports the Augusta Area Junior Golf Association Tour as they continue to bring opportunities for junior competition in the area.

First, we would like to wish you all a Happy New Year! We are only 5 days away from the official opening of the PGA Tour season and we are glad to have each one of your as a part of the AGI family.

New site

After months of hard work our website has been completely redesigned! We invited you to come take a peek at the:

New graphics

New colors and layout

Link to the Internet Academy

New Video Tip of the Month (top right)

Tips from the Blog (bottom of home page)

http://www.augustagolfinstruction.com

We think you’ll agree the new layout is a great fit and we look forward to your feedback. Special thanks to Sean, Rob and Noel and our marketing team at Up to Par.

New Instructor

The plan for 2011 is to expand and grow the AGI brand and with that we welcome another addition to the staff: Cary Lonis!  Cary has 15 year of teaching experience and comes to us from Indiana. His son is stationed in the Army here at Ft. Gordon. Cary just completed his Level 2 Certification from Hank Haney and was the assistant coach for the Indian Tech men’s and women’s golf teams. He is also USGTF Certified and a TOMI Certified putting analyst. Cary will be teaching at our home base at Rolling Hills and will be offering:

* private lessons

* on-course playing lessons

* video analysis

* TOMI putting lessons

We will also be offering more group lessons, junior programs and summer camps this year along with our continued offerings in video analysis and mental coaching.

Additionally we are now offering not only TOMI putting analysis but also The Kure putting system.

As Georgia’s only location with two Hank Haney Instructors, we pledge to continue providing you with the best information and instruction in the Augusta area!

We look forward to working with you again this year and thank you for your continued support of helping us help you play better!

Best for 2011,

P.S. If you are on Facebook, be sure to join the fan page “Augusta Golf Instruction”!

PROFESSIONAL QUALIFICATIONS

• PGA qualified 1975.
• Golfing Machine Authorised Instructor. GSEB
• Class AA PGA Professional.
• PGA EUROPEAN TOUR Qualifying School 1980,1981,1982

Bown Golf offers private and group instruction featuring high-speed video analysis, golf biodynamics and mental coaching.

Richmond Park Golf Courses, Priory Lane, Roehampton Gate, SW15 5JR

david@bowngolf.com

Augusta Golf Instruction will offer a 50 percent discount to women’s group classes through the end of Oct. in honor of Breast Cancer Awareness Month. According to pro golf instructor B.J. Hathaway, who owns AGI, group lessons are a fun way to learn more about a sport with friends, get exercise and develop valuable skill for business.

Studies show exercise reduces the risk of cancer. According to a report on the American Cancer Society website, women who participate in sports decrease their breast cancer risk by 30 percent. In addition, the Women’s Sports Foundation said golf is a good way to improve business skills since it can serve as an icebreaker with prospects.

Oct. 20, 23, 27, and 30.  Wednesday’s will be at 5:30 p.m. and Saturday’s at 1:00 p.m.

AGI offers a variety of lessons for all skill levels, as well as mental coaching. Lessons are held at Rolling Hills Driving Range, 2133 Gordon Hwy, Augusta, GA 30909 by appointment.

AGI offers discounts to fire, police and military employees and veterans year round. For more information, contact AGI directly at (706) 836-4330, visit them online at www.augustagolfinstruction.com or view the Augusta Golf Instruction Facebook page.