Play Golf For Juniors: The Academy of Golf at PGA National - Softcover

Adams, Mike; Tomasi, T.

9781552094464: Play Golf For Juniors: The Academy of Golf at PGA National

Softcover

ISBN 10: 1552094464 ISBN 13: 9781552094464

Publisher: Firefly Books, 2000

"Junior golf is the fastest growing section of the golf market by far...two out of every three high schools have a golf team.... Currently in the USA there are about five million juniors between the ages of 6 and 18 playing golf on a regular basis..."
- From the Introduction of Play Golf for Juniors

PGA Academy instructors Mike Adams and T.J. Tomasi introduce young people to the game of golf. In relaxed, conversational style the authors explain golf in simple terms and concepts without missing an important detail. Young players are encouraged to think the game through and understand its idiosyncrasies and the obstacles to a good swing, whether on the tee, on the fairway, in the rough, in a sandtrap or on the green.

The authors' lengthy teaching experience provides a set of progressive lessons used at the PGA Academy:

Equipment - the six important club specifications, why one iron goes farther than another, grip size, divots, loft and lie angle
The Rules - the basics, from what's par to how a course is laid out and played, rules of etiquette, playing out of bounds, the rule of equity
On Teaching Juniors - an important section for adults encouraging and supporting a young player, and understanding the three phases to learning golf
The Set Up - grip, ball position, posture, stance, aim and alignment
Full Swing - the swing's mechanics, making contact plus 11 drills and 8 junior swings fully explained with sequential photographs
The Short Game - the putting stroke, putting drills, chipping, bunker play, pitching, plus more drills
Learning Programs for Juniors - setting up a practice routine, picking junior programs, finding a pro
Tournaments - keeping your game ready, making practices count, staying injury-free.

With a glossary, "Tips" sidebars throughout, special advice for female juniors plus comprehensive sequential photography, PGA Golf For Juniors is an exceptionally complete book. It will appeal to aspiring young players, their parents and coaches.

"synopsis" may belong to another edition of this title.

About the Author:

Mike Adams is a former PGA touring pro and Director of the PGA's National Academy of Golf at Palm Beach, Florida. Known throughout the golf world as the "Swing Doctor," Adams has an impressive track record for correcting swing faults. He is one of the most sought-after golf teachers in the U.S. and teaches more than 3,000 individual lessons each year. His students include Jack Nicholson, Michael Douglas, Willie Nelson, President Bill Clinton and former President Gerald Ford. One of "Golf" magazine's "100 Best Golf Teachers," Adams writes for "Golf," "Golf Digest" and "Golfing."

T.J. Tomasi is Assistant Director of The Academy of Golf at PGA National. Three-time Head Professional and PGA Teaching Professional, he was Instructional Editor of "Golf Illustrated" magazine, and is currently the Chief Instruction Co-ordinator for "Golfing" magazine and a frequent contributor to "Golf," "Senior Golfer" and "Golf Tips." Dr. Tomasi has a Ph.D. in education with a major in Learning Theory.

From the Introduction: Here's what's in the book: Chapter I: Equipment Is it the archer or the arrows? Well it's both and this chapter is about your clubs, you know, the things you hit the ball with. In the last ten years, the use of the computer documents that the effects of club specifications, such as loft and lie, on the flight of the golf ball are substantial. The results of the research are clear: learning to swing the golf club correctly is directly dependent on having the correct golf club to swing. To maximize your performance in golf, you should fit your golf clubs to your own personal characteristics-such as swing speed, strength, and your body size. What are the important specifications you need in your equipment to make sure you can make a good swing? Now there's often a big difference between what you need and what you want (remember the line from the Rolling Stones song "You can't always have what you want") and in this chapter we'll just focus on what you need. Chapter 2: The Rules You can go out and just hit the ball around, but if you want to play the game called golf there are rules and in this chapter we review the only ones you really have to know. Playing by the rules lets you know how good you really are and it's fun because you're playing the same exact game as the pros are-at least rules wise. And how about a word on how to behave (this isn't for you because you're a perfect kid, it's for all the other kids reading this). Golf has a rich history as played by gentle men and women and this section on etiquette suggests a few basic dos and don'ts that every golfer should know and observe. Chapter 3: How To Teach Your Kid Golf This chapter, mom and dad, is for you. We know you're interested in helping your kid to play better golf

so we included non-technical information on how kids learn that will help you teach your junior. But remember, you're a guide not a jailer. Chapter 4: Full Swing So you think you're doing it right, well here's a chance to match yourself up with the kids in the book. You never can tell, maybe you're better than they are so next time you'll be in the book with other kids copying you. We'll start with the grip and cover the entire stance and swing. Our models are good players, who are 11, 13, 15, 17 years old respectively. Chapter 5: The Short Game Since approximately 65 per cent of the strokes you take are from 100 yards and in, pitching, putting, chipping and sand play make up an important segment of your blueprint for better golf. Even the best pros in the world miss on average about six greens a round, yet they manage to shoot par or better. Obviously then, how you handle the close shots from just off the green, plays a major role in how well you score or, if you don't care about score, how well you're playing your game. Chapter 6: Group Learning Group Learning is an important part of learning golf for kids and we'll outline what kind of programs are out there for you to take advantage of and how a good junior golf program is structured. Chapter 7: Tournaments So you're ready to play in tournaments? Here's what you should know, including how to play tournament golf (on course strategy) and where the competition is on a national level. As you can see from this brief overview, the purpose of this book is quite simply to help you play better golf. In the final analysis, your development depends on your ability to learn-our job is to get you started in the right direction.

"About this title" may belong to another edition of this title.