THE NEW APPROACH

So it’s been a while. After working hard to finish the first movie in the The Back Nine series, I had managed to accumulate enough points to qualify for the Golf Channel Amateur Tour’s National Championships. That was the good news. The bad news is that my game had deteriorated. Ironic that I would make a movie about seeing how far I could take my game, yet my game actually suffered in the process. All it takes is a tournament at PGA West to make this crystal clear. As I limped my way into PGA West for the big tourney, I was faced with this harsh reality. Finishing middle of the pack in my flight, it was obvious that I needed a new approach.

I was fortunate that one of the audience members for our theatrical screening in Santa Monica was generous enough to offer his support. Art Maffai was inspired by the movie, had been working on some new concepts and was kind enough to introduce me to Bob Grissett, the Director of Instruction at The Golf Academy.

I learned a great deal from Tim Suzor at Kinetic Golf, and without him, I would not have been able to go from a 15 handicap to a 4. He is, however, in Arizona and it’s too difficult for me with my family based in Los Angeles, and other work commitments to make enough consistent visits to move my game forward. I will continue to work with Tim when the opportunity presents itself.

After a couple of meetings and some strong words of wisdom, Bob agreed to take me on as a student. Not only is this the best facility in Los Angeles, with the latest in state-of-the-art equipment, but Bob has trained with the best, including David Leadbetter, Bob Toski and Byron Nelson, just to name a few. With his experience and encyclopedic knowledge of the game, there was little doubt that I would have an opportunity to take my game to another level, with a new approach.

My first lesson after the Nationals, Bob gave me a few great drills, and we were both pleased with my next visit. The swing has to start with a good foundation. You can see from the picture below, my posture has improved dramatically, and my swing now starts back on plane.


I will continue with the drills until my swing has been fully revamped and am ready to take it to the course. With this new approach, we believe it's important to work on the different elements that make up a golf swing, and really focus on drills, before spending too much time playing rounds.

I remain committed to the quest, will do the necessary work, and film along the way.