Entry 25.38

This past week is one of the biggest weeks of the year in the golf instruction world here in the U.S. It’s the week to find out how you stack up according to your peers. Golf Digest released their “Best Teachers In Every State” and “50 Best Teachers in America” lists. These lists aren’t decided by Golf Digest writers. They aren’t decided by players. They are decided by your peers: other golf instructors. These are the same people who compete with you for business. But they are also the people you call when you have questions. I have a list of names of mentors that I call when I need help. Or if a player isn’t a good fit for you, it’s where you send that player for instruction. I do this all the time. I’m not equipped nor in a place to work with juniors or families. I just don’t have the equipment or space. Due to my limited availability, the player may not be able to meet during that time. But I know several other instructors in the area who are awesome with those demographics and have more availability. So, I happily pass their names and contact information on. Am I losing out on money that could go in my pocket? Yup. But that’s not the most important thing to me. My personal philosophy when it comes to teaching is 1) Guide players to play better golf and have fun doing it. 2) Relentlessly pursue knowledge and truth to provide the highest level of instruction 3) Make a living by accomplishing number 1 and 2. In that order. That order probably plays into why I say I’m a terrible businessman. I don’t put dollars and cents first. I put what really matters first. You. The player. The great coaches that I know seem to have a similar philosophy although I haven’t asked all of them. I’m not saying that finances aren’t important. One of my mentors is concerned about me on that front. In fact, he’s the reason that number 3 even exists in my philosophy. Could I make changes and make more money? Probably. Even some of my players have told me that I could and should. But I have to be true to me. That is where I find satisfaction.

Which brings me back to the Golf Digest lists. I want to get my name on those lists. The “50 Best Teachers in America” list is a stretch. But I can’t tell you how much I was hoping to see my name on the “Best Teachers in Every State” list. Instead of scrolling straight down the list to North Carolina, I started at the top with Alabama. I read every name in order and worked my way through the states. I recognized a lot of names. Some of them I know. Some of them I’ve spoken to. But others I know. I’ve spent time with them. I’ve learned from them. When I came across someone I knew, I took a second to congratulate them in my head. I recognized a lot of Methodist graduates. Even though I don’t know all of them, it makes me proud to see our graduates being so successful. I may have missed a few. I don’t know all of our graduates. The count of Methodist graduates on the list was 34. Down the list I went. Florida had a lot of people who I’ve either met, learned from or spent time with. Jess Frank. Awesome guy I sat next to at Network Training in January. Michael Manavian. I count him as one of my mentors. He has been an amazing resource for me when I have questions. I’m not sure he knows how influential he has been in my teaching career. Andy Plummer. Looking forward to spending some more time learning from him. Hopefully here in a couple of week. Bob Schade. Went to dinner with us after Network Training and is a stellar person. Down the list I went. Illinois. Kansas. Maine. New Hampshire. New Jersey. New Mexico. New York. North Carolina…

When North Carolina came into view, my heart rate picked up. I had a small lump in my throat. I almost decided to stop scrolling. If I made it, someone else would let me know. If no one said anything then I had my answer. That’s how I found out I got promoted to Staff Sergeant. Wasn’t even on my radar that it was possible and then Shelby congratulated me on my promotion. But I knew the list would be compiled of people who I knew. Great teachers and amazing people. So I kept going. David Orr was #1. Not surprised. Love his “The Lab, the zoo and the wild” analogy. Eric Alpenfels. He has hosted the Section’s Fall Teaching and Coaching Summit since I’ve been attending. We had a couple “mini” debates during a chapter teaching event. Ryan Dailey. OP36? Ever heard of it? That model has done so much for not just juniors but adults too. Robbie Fritz. An amazing teacher with a contagious smile. Member of the “Methodist Mafia” who was gracious enough to come back to campus and spend a day with us last year. Martin Lucas. I met him at Triangle Chapter Teaching event, and he’s become a part of my circle. Rick Murphy. Legend. I met him at The Ultimate Golf Lesson with Mike Adam’s and Terry Rowles a few years ago and he is a big reason why I started my journey with the Gray Institute. If you didn’t already, upon second look you’ll notice that those names were in alphabetical order. My name wasn’t among them. I found that out pretty quickly with the last name of Carlson. And despite the fact of how badly I wanted to be on that list, I was completely at peace.

Do I deserve to be on that list? In my personal opinion, nope. I mean come on. I’ve been teaching seriously for a little over three years. That’s not very long. Most of those names I listed above have been teaching for a lot longer than that. Some five times as long. Some ten. Some more than that. I can’t even fathom the experience and knowledge that they have gained and shared. More importantly, I can’t imagine the amount of success that they have helped their players to achieve. But something confused me. As badly as I wanted to be on that list, why was I so at peace with not being there? It wasn’t the fact that I know I don’t deserve to be there. I’ve been left off lists before that I didn’t deserve to be on, and it bugged the snot out of me. I want to be the best of the best in everything I do. Even if I don’t have a chance of making it, I still fight and scrap like I do. So why this time was it different? I’ve been thinking about it quite a bit trying to figure it out. It wasn’t until I was out on the golf course today in a playing lesson that it dawned on me. It wasn’t a lightbulb moment. It was way more powerful than any lightbulb. And again, it was one of you who gave me the answer. The player I was out with, who I will call the Talker, made a comment to himself that I don’t even know he knows I heard. The Talker said “that’s why I’m here” in reference to how he had played the sixth hole after we chatted about it as we got ready to head to the seventh tee.

WHAM! That’s why I was at peace. Because I am doing what I should be. I’m helping my players play better golf. That’s why the Talker was there. He wants to play better golf. In Player Development yesterday, two students showed up, both of whom I have done individual lessons with. Putting lessons specifically. They’ve been at Player Development for the last three or four weeks, so I have been able to witness the progression. It’s been radical. And that’s not a me thing. That’s all on them. They listened to my advice. They put in the work. They are reaping the benefits. I mean one of them, the Grinder, has been making bombs lately. Right after our first putting session during a Player Development session, he made an all-world par on #15 making a twenty-footer to a difficult hole location. Can’t tell you how proud that made me. I mean this is the same kid that at the first Playing Ability Test I ran was in danger of being late. I didn’t know who he was when his tee time was creeping up. I usually don’t know who a student is because I never see them on the practice facilities or golf course. Fast forward one year and he is becoming a very solid player. The other student who was with us yesterday told me that he had adapted his process to include what we had worked on as we walked to the ninth tee. He didn’t have to tell me that. I saw it through the first eight holes. In previous weeks he was jus giving away strokes on the green. Not this week. He was gaining strokes. I’m excited to see his number of putts in the coming weeks (Students in Player Development track the number of putts they hit over nine holes each week). Again, that’s all on him. He did the work. I just helped point him in a direction.

I hope it doesn’t sound like I am tooting my own horn. Because I’m not. I’m doing my best to showcase my players. I don’t have some magic dust that I sprinkle when players come to see me that makes them play better. I have a sign in my SwingLab that let’s them know that (I actually do. “There is no magic dust.”) I definitely don’t always get it right. In fact, a player who saw me after his Club Championship match could tell you that. We’ve worked together a few times and while things are getting better, they are still off. I went back and studied his motion after our last lesson and thought I had found the answer. Boy, was I wrong. Back to the drawing board. We’re not trying to rebuild his swing. We’re trying to rediscover it. He’s already a good player. But something is off just a tiny bit. Plus he is in season. He’s on the golf team. That’s not the time to rebuild a swing. I work with quite a few members of the team. I’ve been very blessed to be trusted by Coach to do so. And I think I’ve helped them find success along the way. But they are the ones doing the work. That’s how all my players are though. I was leaving after my lesson with the Talker today and two other students with whom I’ve been working were on the range so I stopped in to check in on them. I played in Monarch Tour with them the week prior and it wasn’t pretty. A small poke here and there getting their geometry a little tighter and bam. The ball flight we want to see. Confirmation from them that the focus is on the feels. Smiles. Laughter. And as quickly as I stopped, I’m on my way.

I didn’t have to stop to check in on them. I mean it’s technically one of my days off from the university. But if I didn’t stop, I wouldn’t have been staying true to me. I’m doing what I should be doing. I’m helping my athletes play better golf. We’re all having fun doing it. They are putting in the work. It’s evident. It’s inspiring. It’s exciting. So, what if I didn’t make the “Best Teachers in Every State” list? I don’t know if my players really care about that. But they do care about playing better golf. They want to have fun playing golf. Am I helping them do that? Yes. Can I get better at it? Definitely. Doesn’t making one of those lists means that I have arrived? No. If anything, it means I would have a lot more work to do to stay on the list. I preach “trust the process” to my players. One of them, the Hulk, challenged me by his example to do the same in my teaching and coaching journey. I think the peace came because I am trusting my process. I’m doing everything I can to help my golfers play better. I watch them having more fun working on their skills. Seeing number 1 happening right before my eyes pushes me to pursue knowledge and truth relentlessly so that my instruction will help number 1 happen more efficiently and effectively for my players. Those two things bring me satisfaction. I don’t teach or coach to make some silly list. I don’t teach to make money. If I could live off smiles and laugher I would. In a heartbeat. Sadly, that’s not an option. I teach because of players like the Talker, the Hulk, the Grinder, Texas Ranger and more. They are counting on me. That’s why they are there. For me to help them play better golf. I’m doing my best to point them the right direction. I’m learning to do it better. I may not have made the list but that’s ok.