Tin Cup was a good rom-com with golf as the backdrop. The Greatest Game Ever Played was a classic sports movie. And of course, everyone knows Bill Murray’s antics in Caddy Shack.

But let’s talk about the golf movie that inspired my Natural Motion Golf Lessons…

But for me, the most poignant golf movie of them all is The Legend of Bagger Vance with Will Smith, Matt Damon and Charlize Theron.

I love the setting… in the deep south in the early 30’s. The golden age of golf. I love the characters, the story line and even the costumes.

The book was even better! It’s written by Steven Pressfield, who lived down in Naples and took a couple lessons from me. We both learned a lot.

Bagger Vance is about focus, and maybe more importantly DIS-focus… that state we all fall into occasionally where we’re completely lost.

Matt Damon’s the lost player and Will Smith’s the wise, mystical caddy who helps him find his way back to the game.

“Eventually he realizes that the game is not against the foe, but against himself. His little self. That yammering fearful every-resistant self that freezes, chokes, tops, nobbles, shanks, skulls, duffs and flubs. This is the self we must defeat.”

Bagger Vance is about awareness, and letting your natural, authentic swing work for you even though it’s not perfect. Instead of overthinking all the mechanical pieces, you get out of your head and just let it happen.

“This is not conscious awakeness, I believe. It doesn’t spring from the front of the brain. Its source is rather, I suspect, something far deeper, proceeding from a far more profound quadrant of consciousness.”

I call that accidental magic, and it happens to everyone, at least once or twice a round.

But what if you could harness that magic and turn it into a repeatable process? Instead of a few good, solid shots per round you could be hitting 20 or 30 right on the sweet spot. Routinely!

Wouldn’t that be nice?

That’s what I teach… Natural Motion golf lessons in The Villages. I don’t impose my will on you, and force you to change your natural motion. I just get you set up for success so your natural motion can reveal itself.

“Hagen and Jones do not will the swing into being, they use their will to find the swing that is already there. Then they surrender their will to it.”

Yes, Bagger Vance is a work of fiction. But it’s also one of the best books ever written on the mental game of golf.

Read it! Or at least watch the movie. Then you’ll be in the right frame of mind to make the most of your golf lessons with me.

Make an appointment today!

Call 352-751-6767 and ask for the Bagger Vance Lesson Package…

Special offer! This lesson is the opposite of what you’d get from any other golf instructor in The Villages. More Bagger Vance and less Bryson DeChambeau.

You’ll get 90 minutes of game-changing instruction, PLUS the most thorough, dynamic club fitting and testing in the business.

We’ll check every club in your bag. I’ll even through in a free copy of Pressfield’s ebook called The Authentic Swing.

All for just $129.

The post Natural Motion Golf Lessons – How to optimize your authentic swing. appeared first on Golf At The Next Level.

I don’t fit the mold that the golf industry has established. I give golf lessons in The Villages, but they’re not like any other lesson you’ll ever find. Anywhere.

The modern golf industry has always been divided into two camps: PGA certified “teaching pros” on one hand, and clubfitters/clubmakers on the other. The powers that be want to keep those two camps separated like church and state…

“Those independent guys don’t know anything about teaching. They need to just stick with making clubs.” So the PGA’s always at odds with groups like The Professional Clubmaker’s Society and the International Clubfitter’s Guild.

And with contrarians like me. I don’t fit neatly into either camp. Here’s why…

I believe, wholeheartedly, that Golf Clubs Create Golf Swings.

I learned that early in my career when I was working with the big name pros who played McGregor clubs. They all had the skill to compensate for anything that we put in their hands.

It was amazing to see… I once handed Tom Weiskopf a club that was 6 degrees upright and dead shut, just to mess with him. He took one look at it, changed his setup a little, and started hitting it dead straight, just like every other club in his bag.

Those guys were so good they could adapt to anything. But they knew better!

They always wanted it their way… Whether it was Weiskopf, Nicklaus, Moe Norman, Sam Snead, or Arnold Palmer… They all insisted that we build clubs to fit them, so they would never have to change their swing to fit the club.

Why should you try something that even the best tour pros are not willing to do?

Let’s face it… You’re not that good. The average bogey golfer cannot compensate successfully, or consistently, for golf clubs that are ill suited to his golf swing.

And yet, thousands of golf lessons in The Villages are wasted every year trying to teach people to do exactly that.

No PGA certified golf instructors in The Villages take equipment into consideration. In fact, they’re told NOT to. “Leave that to the clubfitters or the sales guys,” they’re told.

So instead of making a simple adjustment to a guy’s clubs, they’ll try to get him to change his grip, his swing plane, his set up, his “angle of attack” and a hundred other things.

To me, that’s just dumb.

Changing the golf club is a lot easier than tearing apart a golf swing and rebuilding it piece by piece.

When I give golf lessons the first thing I do is I look at your equipment. It’s the opposite approach of PGA instructors.

I address the equipment issues first, get that out of the way, THEN I teach you now to turn accidental magic into a repeatable process. It’s not that hard.

Everyone hits it on the sweet spot 4 or 5 times a round. You know the feeling… when the ball sails magically right toward the target.

With a few simple equipment tweaks and a little work on your posture, I’ll have you hitting it dead solid 20 or 30 times per round. It’s the only golf lesson in The Villages that achieves so much, so fast.

You’ll go from this…

to this…

Let me explain why consistent impact like that is important…

When you miss the sweet spot you’re giving up precious yards off the tee. Not only that, your accuracy on approach shots will be way off.

Impact is all that matters. I don’t care what your swing looks like, as long as you can make consistent contact in the middle of the clubface you’ll do fine.

I follow Tiger Wood’s lead on this. Here’s what he said when he was asked “What’s the very best advice you have for the weekend golfer?”

“To get better… more than anything… start small and hit the ball in the middle of the face. If you can find the middle of the clubface consistently your game’s going to improve by so many shots, and you’re going to enjoy the game so much more. If you can’t find the middle of the face it’s going to be really frustrating.” – Tiger Woods. Australian interview 11/12/2019

Unfortunately, PGA instructor’s manual doesn’t cover sweet spot impact. I honestly don’t know why.

Any PGA instructor worth his salt can come up with umpteen reasons why you’re not hitting the ball consistently on the sweet spot. But none of them will say, simply, “you need a different club in your hands.”

They will never address the elephant in the room. They will never admit that the golf club you’re swinging can actually dictate the golf swing you’re using.

I will.

I will show you exactly how you’re trying to compensate, and I’ll fix the root of the problem first.

Then we can get on with the lesson that’ll produce immediate, measurable improvement.

Call for private golf lessons in The Villages today. 352-751-6767

The post Golf lessons in The Villages — What the golf industry doesn’t want you to know. appeared first on Golf At The Next Level.

There are a lot of putters for sale in the Villages… old ones, new ones, cheap ones, spendy ones, fancy putters, dumb putters, useless putters, magical putters and everything in between. With so much to choose from, buying a putter is one of the most random, emotional purchases anyone ever makes.

It always starts with a few missed putts, an innate desire for a quick fix, a knee-jerk reaction and a trip to the golf shop.

Most people head straight to a big box golf retailer that has 157 different putters in stock. They walk around, pick one up that looks nice, and start experimenting. If one putt goes in the hole, then suddenly that putter’s their new best friend.

It’s pure luck, but they rationalize the decision by saying “it feels right and it fits my eye.”

Not exactly what I’d call a smart, data-driven purchase.

Here’s another common approach that has been loved by the golf industry ever since the first televised golf tournament. People watch a PGA tournament, then go out and buy whatever putter the winner was using.

“If it wins on Sunday, it sells on Monday” the sales reps say. Even if it’s a $500 Scotty Cameron or an oversized hunk of aluminum.

When Jack Nicklaus won his 18th major at The Masters with this piece of junk, McGregor’s sales went from zero to hero overnight.

Ten months later they took that model off the market.

It worked for Jack for few weeks, but was worthless in the hands of anyone else. (Next time you stop by GNL Golf, I can show you the exact model I’m talking about. Try it, and you’ll see what I mean.)

​

Looking for putters for sale in the villages? A lot of people use what I call the treasure hunter approach to buying a new putter…

They find all sorts of bargains and “rare finds” in thrift stores, on Facebook Marketplace, at garage sales or even hand-me-downs from hapless friends.

I appreciate the lure of the hunt, and frugality is not a bad thing, but you have almost no chance of finding the right tool for the job that way.

If you’ve taken our putting class you know there is a much better way to buy a putter.

Start by checking your aim with a laser aiming system. Until you know your aiming tendencies, you’ll never be able to make a wise choice in putters.

And please stop bending over so much!

Bad posture will kill your game faster than the latest Hank Haney training aid.

​

Over the years I’ve found two putter heads that work exceptionally well for the vast majority of my customers…

I sold a lot of Slazenger putters before that company went out of business, and now my custom fitting revolves around these Lotus putter heads.

If you shop for these online you’ll see that many are advertised as designed by Sean Toulon himself.

I think that’s bunk. Only Scotty Cameron commands a higher price for putters and I’m selling these for just $139.

Toulon was head of product creation at TaylorMade when its iconic Rossa putters and Spider designs were created. He currently designs putters for Odyssey. I worked for Sean when he ran Zevo Golf back in the 90’s.

Regardless of whose name is, or is not, on this putter, it has performed very well in my testing over the years.

And I promise you this, it will work better than the best selling putter of all time – the Odyssey two-ball. Here are some good, rational reasons why:

• It’ll be custom built precisely for your unique stroke and posture.
• Visible alignment line on top ensures proper aim.
• It’s face balanced, which makes it easier to keep the putterhead square to the target.
• Forged and hand Milled, which means it’s not mass produced in China with cheap, 3rd grade steel.
• Infinitely adjustable so I can make this putter head work no matter what your set up looks like.
• Super soft steel. You’ll love how it feels. No need for a face insert or gimmicks of any kind.
• Black satin finish. White or chrome finishes reflect a lot of light and attract the eye, so it’s almost impossible to NOT watch the putter head’s movement.

So think about the tool that you’re using on the greens. Is it working for you, or against you? How do you know?

If you haven’t had your putter checked to make sure it’s built to spec for you, you’re probably creating unnecessary misses.

If you have any friends who are struggling with their putting and threatening to buy a new putter, save them some money and send them to GNL Golf.

What they’ll experience in our $49 class is ten times more valuable and more accurate than the $200 putter fittings that the big chains provide.

Hell, they don’t even check the lofts.

If you want to make a smarter decision, and start putting better than you ever have,

GET A CUSTOM BUILT LOTUS PUTTER TODAY. Only $139

You won’t be second-guessing this purchase. Instead of adapting to the putter, get a putter that adapts to you. Call to set up an appointment to get your Lotus Putter — custom fit and spec verified. 352-751-6767.

p.s. 8 out of 10 people who come to our putting classes walk in with a putter that’s too short. If you were one of those, you’ve already tested out a Lotus Putter. That’s what we put in your hands to teach you to aim properly and to make a simple, shoulder-only putting stroke.

The post Putters for sale in The Villages appeared first on Golf At The Next Level.

Everyday in our putting classes we’re debunking the putting myths and misconceptions that people bring with them.

We see a lot of crazy ideas here in The Villages, and we set golfers straight with proven, modern fundamentals that will not steer you wrong.

Lets review four of the most common myths of putting…

Putting Myth #1: You have to look down at the ball when you putt.

The problem is, you might think you’re looking at the ball, but you’re not.

When you look down at the ball your eyes follow the movement of the putter. You can’t help it. When I was down in Naples I tested this with miniature cameras set into the putting surface, and the results are definitive. With my students, the eyes move 9 out of 10 times.

Your eyes are following the club head and your brain is following your eyes. So you start thinking about the length of the stroke and the path of the putter and a hundred other technical details.

Nothing good can come from that.

If you’re thinking about mechanical details like “how far should I take the putter back” you’re doomed.

You have to turn off your brain and just make the stroke.

Easier said than done. Many neuro scientists believe that’s impossible. You can’t think about nothing, so we recommend that you think about the target.

Shift ALL your focus to just one thing… the hole. Instead of trying to look at the ball, look at the hole.

When you look at the hole your mind stays right where it needs to be. That sharp visual focus eliminates mechanical thinking and allows the body to do what it naturally does. The ball will follow.

You’ll be amazed by how much better your distance control is when you keep your eyes on the prize.

​

Putting Myth #2: The follow-through should be the same length as the backswing.

Tiger Woods recommends this in his book, but the minute you start measuring the length of your backswing vs. the length of your follow through, you’re screwed! Mechanical thinking has taken over.

When you putt with your eyes on the prize you won’t be pre-occupied with such debilitating details. Your mind will be focused on just one thing, and your body will know the stroke that’s required to roll the ball the right distance.

If you just let it.

​

Putting Myth #3: Your eyes have to be directly over the ball when you putt.

Just about every book ever written on putting recommends this type of setup. But it’s absolute nonsense.

Granted, your eyes have to be directly over the ball in order to aim properly, but they DO NOT have to stay there when you putt. Being that much over the ball is uncomfortable and unnatural for most people.

It forces you to bend over way too much!

Bad posture throws off your aim and your putting stroke. It also hurts your back so much you won’t be able to practice.

Not only that, every time you play your back will be aching enough to affect the rest of your game.

Here’s the pre-shot routine we teach in class… Get your eyes over the ball to aim the line on your putter, then step back slowly till you’re in a comfortable position. For most people, that means the eyes are inside the line, NOT right over the ball.

The pros check themselves on their set up position every week, if not daily.

​

Putting Myth #4: It’s your stroke that causes all those silly misses.

I’ve been asking golfers this question for 50 years: “What do you think caused that miss?”

Everyone blames a bad stroke. Every time. Without fail. Same thing when they’re hitting balls into the net. They always blame their swing.

No one says, “well, I think my aim was off” or “I didn’t have my usual posture” or “I didn’t do my routine.”

But the fact is, the vast majority of misses occur long before you ever hit the ball. You set yourself up for failure.

It’s not the putting stroke or the golf swing, it’s everything you do before you pull the trigger.

It’s simple little stuff that anyone can fix and repeat consistently.

When you have the fundamentals dialed in, and you keep your eyes on the prize, your putting stroke will take care of itself.

​

The post Putting Myths and Misconceptions that can ruin your game. appeared first on Golf At The Next Level.

“More distance” is such an over used, overblown claim, it’s become an industry cliche.

Think about the realities of the marketing hype. Even if you could learn to hit the ball 300 yards off the tee, you still have to get the ball on the green. And to do that, you need distance control, not just distance.

There’s nothing worse than hitting a great drive, right down the middle of a par-4, and then making a double bogey from a 120 yards out. It’s what they call an “unforced error” in tennis.

The most common miss in that sort of situation is short of the green, or short and right. Maybe in a bunker, or facing a difficult chip. Then you find yourself in chip-ville hell… across the green in three, on the green in four, and two putts makes six.

Ouch.

Doesn’t matter if you were 150, 130 or 110 yards out after your drive. If you don’t have distance control with your irons, you’re going to make a lot of those sixes.

What about those long par 5-s that you dread so much? You can hit the longest drive of your life, a great second shot with your 3-wood, and it makes no difference. You’re still faced with some sort of approach shot with an iron. An approach shot that demands distance control and accuracy.

This is what predictable distance looks like in an old, worn-out wedge.

Everyone does that at least three or four times a round. You know the feeling… when you hit that iron shot so pure that it just seems to fly effortlessly toward the target. Well, GNL Golf can teach you to do that 20 or 30 times a round. Imagine what that would do for your scores.

They say that golf is mostly a matter of managing your misses. Center impact translates to consistent distance and much better accuracy. So even your short iron “misses” will find some part of the green, most of the time.

And guess what… center impact also translates to more distance off the tee. So you can actually have the best of both worlds.

The post Distance vs. Distance control appeared first on Golf At The Next Level.

Hi. I’m John Furgurson, author of the Forget-About-It Guide to Better Golf. John Ford asked me to do a guest post here at Tee Box Talk, and I’m happy to do it. Because John is the only guy I’ve ever met who teaches people how to “Forget About It” before every shot.

When I use John’s technique, and clear my mind of all the technical nonsense, I hit the ball squarely on the sweet spot 80 percent of the time. When I don’t, I miss. Simple as that. Whenever the mechanical, left brain analysis creeps into my swing, I don’t play well.

John Ford teaches a pre-shot routine that’s unlike anything you’ve ever seen. But don’t worry, it doesn’t look weird when you’re on the course. In fact, your playing partners probably won’t even notice you’re doing it. It’s very subtle, but it has a stunning effect on your ability to hit the ball consistently. It applies to every shot on the course, from the tee box to the sand traps to the short putts.

It’s the pause that pays huge dividends on the score card.

In the classic instructional book “On Learning Golf” Percy Boomer says, “you must not think or reflect, you must feel.” But modern golf is dominated by video analysis, shotlink data and instant lessons. So the modern golfer has to switch from the analytical mode to the creative “feel” mode pretty much on demand.

With just one session at GNL Golf, they can teach you a simple routine that’ll “turn off” the mental noise precisely when you need to tap into your natural, authentic swing. It’s what the sports phycologists call “flow concentration,” and if you let it happen, you’ll be amazed how well you can hit the ball.

I have to admit, I found it difficult to do at first. (Bit of a mental block, I guess.) I had my own pre-shot routine that I thought was pretty effective, so it took a couple of rounds to integrate John’s little secret. But once I got used to it, Forget About it!

I still get rushed and distracted sometimes, and forget to do it. But I’m aware when that happens, and I always go back to it. It’s what brings me back into the game and allows my natural ability to shine through.

If you ever suffer from paralysis by analysis, like I have, or if you just want to hit the ball farther, and a lot more consistently, go see the guys at GNL Golf. And while you’re there, pick up a copy of my book.

The post “Forget-About-It” Golf appeared first on Golf At The Next Level.

Too much frustration. Too much pressure. Too much grinding, practicing, working, and not enough good old-fashioned fun.

All too often golf becomes a work-like routine where you show up at the same course at the same time, play with the same people, and struggle with the same problems on all the same holes.

Where’s the love? Where’s the relaxation? Where’s the child-like joy that you can get out of hitting one great shot? Seems to be lost in the American work ethic mentality that says you need to be hitting balls and working on your swing all the time.

Do you think the Scotsmen who invented the game wanted it to be work? No. They were just getting creative… passing time by whacking a little ball with a stick. They didn’t say, “come on, let’s go work golf.” They said, let’s go PLAY golf. There was probably a bottle of scotch involved.

Golf should be fun, relaxing and enjoyable, despite the inevitable struggles with your score. The fact is, you can make it work or you can make it play. It’s your choice.

So here are some tips on how to get out of your humdrum routine and back into a game that’s genuinely fun and fulfilling on so many levels.

Play a different course. A change of scenery is always healthy. It keeps you more focused and gives you something to think about, rather than your swing. Playing your home course all the time, you forget to stop and smell the roses.

Play in a scramble on the same team with the guy you’d most like to beat. Mix up the teams so that you’re playing WITH your biggest rival, rather than against him.

Play with a 12-year old. Borrow a grandchild, if you don’t have one, and take him out golfing. But don’t instruct! Don’t even open your mouth with the slightest little tip. Just play, and watch how much fun the kid has. Let him hit some balls into the water hazard and tee it up in the middle of the fairway.

Pause on every shot for a “forget-about-it” moment. In your pre-shot routine, take two seconds to remind yourself it’s just a game. Forget about the outcome, and just laugh at the whole thing for a second. You’ll be amazed how well you hit it when your worker-bee mind is turned off. GNL Golf can show you how to do that in about 45 minutes.

Walk nine holes by yourself. Get off the cart path either early in the morning or late into the evening. Drop two balls. Make up a game in your head. Do whatever you have to do to enjoy the walk, and the course, and every little detail of the experience.

And finally, here are a few ideas if putting is the primary source of your frustration:

Play a round without a putter…Just roll it with your driver or a hybrid. Pick up when you get within a flagstick length of the hole. Or take an afternoon off to attend one of GNL Golf’s putting workshops. That’ll put things in perspective for you.

Golf in not easy, and it’ll always be work if that’s your mindset. So change your mind. Then go hit it around like a couple of drunken Scotsmen.

The post Games are meant to be played. appeared first on Golf At The Next Level.

First you go to the driving range and beat some balls, hoping to find your swing. If you can’t find “it,” you start to experiment with the latest tip from the Golf Channel… Then it’s “try this, try that” and hope something sticks.

Unfortunately, experimentation like that just leads to a merry-go-round of frustration, where every new corrective adjustment leads to more problems. The harder you try, the worse it gets.

In The Legend of Bagger Vance, the folly of this standard procedure is summarized quite well by Bagger; “Every player possesses only one swing he is born with. One true, authentic swing that is his alone. Some days we can’t find “it” at all. Our frustration mounts. We begin to study, to seek instruction, to strive by dint of effort to mold and control our swinging motion. This, as every golfer knows, leads only to despair…The path to study and dissection leads only to paralysis. It is folly to try to mold yourself to anything else.”

Modern translation: Instead of experimenting, borrowing other people’s ideas, or trying to emulate some tour pro’s swing, surrender to your authentic swing. The one that works naturally for you, at least occasionally.

You know how it feels when it all comes together… when the ball just seems to launch effortlessly off the clubface. When you hit that spectacular recovery shot you’ve never made before. When your swing is completely unconscious.

That’s your authentic swing. The real you. The trick is to allow that authentic swing to show up more frequently.

“Our task as golfers is to chip away at everything that is inauthentic allowing our authentic swing to emerge in its purity.”

That’s what the guys at GNL Golf do; they help remove all the accumulated clutter that’s getting in the way of your natural golf swing.

You don’t have to worry about the mechanics of the swing. It’s simply a matter of getting set-up correctly and then letting go.

If you can get out of your own way and do that, you’ll be amazed how you can hit the ball… right on the sweet spot of the club. You’ll find more distance off the tee and predictable distance with every iron. So you’ll hit more greens and post lower scores. All with the same old swing you’ve always had, hiding beneath the clutter of instructional videos and golf channel analysis.

The post Surrendering to your authentic swing. appeared first on Golf At The Next Level.

“I wonder if I’m reading this right”

“I wonder if this is the right putter for me.”

“I wonder if I should change my grip.”

“I wonder if my stroke is too long, or too short, or too quick or too slow.”

It’s a state of doubt and confusion that ruins confidence and causes a lot of missed putts.

Most of you experience short bursts of confidence with the putter. And it feels great. Unfortunately, it comes and goes depending on your recent results. Make a putt, and you get a bit of confidence. Miss an easy one, and you immediately start wondering, doubting, and dwelling on past mistakes.

So the question is, how can you eliminate some of that doubt, and replace the wondering with a calm sense of certainty?

First of all, stop being so hard on yourself. Everyone misses, and the more you worry about it, the worse it gets. As Dr. Gio Valiente says, “the game in your head rules the game in your hands.” So laugh it off. Have fun, and if you miss, say to yourself, “I’m due! I’ll make the next one.”

It’s easier to control your thoughts than it is to control the outcome of a putt.

Second, stop blaming your stroke for every miss. The putting motion is so simple, it’s seldom the root cause of your problems.

There are four fundamentals that affect your putting, besides the stroke. So start with these simple variables that you can easily control;

– Proper set-up.
– Accurate aim.
– Consistent routine.
– The right putter for you.

At GNL Golf, that’s what they do. They help you eliminate the nagging doubt that plagues your putting by addressing those critical fundamentals. Bring your putter to one of their hands-on putting workshops and you’ll see for yourself why those things are so important.

Over the last 17 years they have gathered data from 5100 Florida golfers. That’s a statisically significant sample, and believe it or not, well over 80 percent did not aim the putter at the hole on a straight, 5-foot putt. It’s the same thing, over and over again… They swear they’re aiming properly, but they’re not. The guys at GNL Golf have the technology, and the data, to prove it.

It could be your set-up. Could be your vision. Could be your putter. But if you’re not aiming properly, chances are, you’re making unnecessary compensations with your stroke. You’re unwittingly compromising your putting stroke to compensate for poor aim. And nothing good can come from that.

So it’s probably not your stroke. And it’s certainly not that you’re “just an idiot.” It’s just a matter of mastering the little things, and then letting go.

You can do that.

The post The Wonders of Putting – Aim is everything. appeared first on Golf At The Next Level.