Pat's Quest for the Tour
The perfect shot, the career low round, the effortless
300 yard drive. Who hasn't asked themselves if they had what it takes
to play golf at the highest level? If I just had enough time to practice,
the right instructor, the right physical trainer, the right equipment...
What if...
Well, that's exactly what Patrick McLamb is trying to find out, the
answer to the question, "What if?" Pat and I started working together a few months back. At the time, it was about once every two weeks or so that I saw him, and then it got to be about once a week. During this time, we made some swing changes, but I really emphasized taking him on the course and playing. Pat's only been playing golf for a little over 2 years and plays to about a 10 handicap, but has broken 80 many times, so he can play the game. But, when we first met, he really had no idea how to manage the course or his game, he just expected to hit perfect shots every time and felt that if his mechanics were good enough, that would take care of the job. Of course, I couldn't disagree more. So, at a certain point in working with him, I basically banned him from the driving range and made him go out and play 9 holes with me every time we got together. This is when things started to really improve.
After a few rounds of talking Pat through the decisions I make when hitting shots on the course, I started seeing him play the same shots and play them well. Rather than trying to blast every drive 300 yards dead straight on every hole, he started playing cuts to put the ball in the fairway and avoid trouble. He started paying more attention to ball placement on the greens. And, most importantly, he stopped obsessing over mechanics. It was at this point we were ready to begin working on his mechanics more in depth.
That's where we are now. Pat has learned a lot about course management and his scores are far more consistent and his ball striking has improved as well. We're now bringing in more mechanics each week to get his swing simpler and more repeatable. You will be able to chronicle Pat's progress as he tries to make it as a professional golfer on this website via Pat's Home Page and Golf Blogs. I will be posting in the blog as well, talking about the things we are working on and his progress. You will also be able to watch videos of me working with Pat, Pat's swing, and track his scores and progress online. It's sure to be an exciting journey, so stay tuned and check back often!
Chuck Quinton
Rotation
vs. Tilting
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