Research shows exactly why young athletes should stay in sports.

That’s the word from Paul Caccamo, the Harvard-educated executive director of Up2Us, a national coalition of community sports programs that teaches young athletes life lessons.

“Sports are more than a game; they are a set of life lessons. Kids growing up without them are really disadvantaged,” he says.

The statistics tell you all you need to know about the advantages of participating in athletics, says Caccamo, who received one of Harvard’s most prestigious graduate awards for innovation in social-service program design.

“Kids who participate in sports attend school more, are more community and civic minded, get in less trouble, and tend to be more successful in the workplace. They have done studies from corporate leaders in the country: The number who made honor role was less than 20% but those who played sports was 70% – 80%.”

Young athletes learn to work together, acquire leadership skills, get a sense of discipline and learn communication skills, Caccamo says. “All of these things are keys to success in the workplace.”

So how do you ensure your kids get all these benefits by staying in sports?

To understand why children and teens stay in sports, you have to understand why they drop out. The Number One reason: They’re not having any fun. Kids often join sports teams to be with friends and enjoy themselves, but at some point become overwhelmed by the pressure and the focus on winning.

To help ensure your kids stay in sports and enjoy the many benefits:

* Be sure to separate your dreams from your child’s. Sometimes parents have different ideas about what they want from their child’s sports experience. These ideas can undermine their child’s experience.

* Keep your expectations in check. Kids often take on your expectations as their own, and if they don’t achieve them, lose confidence.

* Help kids manage their own expectations. If a young athlete begins a basketball game expecting to score 24 points, he’s likely to feel frustrated and disappointed.

* Choose coaches and teams carefully. Be sure to interview potential coaches about their philosophy. It’s better, especially when children are younger, if coaches focus more on skill-building and on having fun than on winning.”

Moe hit several shots and said, I guess I hit a lot of accidents!

Is your fitness level holding you back from making the swing you know you can make? If so, join me Saturday mornings from 9-10am at the Chanhassen Recreation Center for an hour long golf fitness class February 4-March 3. It is either $20/class or all five for $50.

I’m down at the PGA Merchandise Show this week with Rod Lidenberg and Mark Polich excited to test all the new golf equipment todat at the world’s largest demo day at Orange County National. I have meetings and seminars set up for the rest of the week and look forward to having a very productive and educational week ahead.

Southwest Metro’s only holistic Winter Golf Training Program

High School and College Tournament Preparation Program

The question I need you to answer to yourself right now is, do you want to play your best going into the season or are you going to train during the season?

If you are serious about getting better and wanting to improve and play at the next level, I am the coach you are looking for. I’ve helped players make mini-tours, men’s and woman’s D1 College Golf Programs, DIII colleges, Varsity Teams, JV Teams and if you’re serious about improving read on. If you want to wait until the season starts to prepare, keep waiting…

This is not a beginner’s golf program! This program is holistic and will cover not only your swing, but also your body, and your mind! I will help you develop a golf swing that compliments your body, not teach you a method that may or may work based on your physical skills. I believe there is a best swing for you that compliments what you are physically capable of, not a model swing that I teach to everyone. Each body and mind is unique and I will assess and clearly explain what you need to do to be more consistent and more powerful.

This program follows our “Six Ways to Improve at Golf” model and dive into detail in each of the six ways to improve which are:

1. Pre-Swing FUNdamentals- Grip Posture and Alignments
2. Shot Making Skills- Putting, chipping, pitching, lob shot, flopodopolous along with trajectory control and shaping shots.
3. Fitness and Nutrition- Your body is the most important piece of equipment and how you fuel it will determine your long-term effectiveness.
4. Equipment Fitting and Set Make-Up- Custom fit your putter, wedges, irons, woods and driver using PING nFlight software, Coutour putters. Proud Callaway staff member and also carry Mizuno, NIKE, PING and US Kids equipment. We will also make golf ball recommendations if requested.
5. Mental and Emotional Management- Use the Mental Golf Workshop to set golf goals and understand the strengths and weakness of your personality type.
6. Course Management, Rules and Etiquette- All of our programs include some form of playing lesson. There are a lot of pretty swings on the range, you have to learn to take it to the course and apply what you learn!

The Discovery Session will rate your current skills in each of these areas and the following nine weeks will be invested improving your game. Usually week seven is a retest to measure your improvement and readdress your goals.

In my fourteen years of coaching and dissecting thousands of scorecards, the easiest way to shave strokes is through the short game or shots inside 100-yards. Yes, you need to get it off the tee in play, but if you simply look at the stats, the short game is where you need to improve. 70% of your shots occur from inside 100-yards and we will invest about that much time working on your short game from 100-yards and in. The aboutGolf Simulators are state of the art precise units that will tell you how far you carry the ball and your total distance.

I use the iPING putting app and iPad to video to assess and measure improvement. If you don’t improve, you do not pay, but you have to put in the work required to meet your goals! After teaching over 12,000 hours and working with 94 Top 100 Instructors, I’ve developed and adapted many ways to safely assess and improve golfers of all ages and abilities.

I am not going to hold your hand through this program and you will be expected to do your conditioning drills and workouts outside of class at least once, if not two or three times a week. The more you put into this program, the more you will get out of it. There is no substitute for hard work, I just want to make sure you are working smart! I will help you develop a plan that has proven to work but I will not hold your hand to make sure you do all your work. This program is for dedicated golfers trying to get better in Minnesota during the winter months.

“Hard work beat talent that doesn’t work hard!” John Wooden

Fitness Classes at Chanhassen Recreation Center

Serious Golfers Only Workout Sessions-

You don’t have to be a single digit handicap to take part in this fitness program, you just have to have a desire to get better and improve the most important piece of equipment that you have, YOUR BODY!

About Brad Pluth:

• PGA Certified Director of Instruction (only teach golf and run golf events, I don’t fold shirts or manage the golf course)
• US Kids Top 50 Junior Instructor/Coach in North America
• Has worked with 94 Top 100 Instructors an travelled internationally playing golf
• Authorized Instructor of The Golfing Machine (GSEM)
• Owner of Adventure Golf Academy- Junior golf schools and after school program in 40+ elementary and middle schools in the southwest metro that serves 4300+ students
• ACE Certified Personal Trainer- 20 week program (not just two days like TPI)
• TPI Level II Certified Golf Fitness Professional- program will include a physical workout that you will be expect to do two or three days a week
• International Youth Conditioning Alliance Certified Coach- Specialty in working with ages 8-21
• Certified Clubfitter for Callaway, Mizuno, Nike and PING and US Kids. Use PING’s nFLight software at Inside Edge Golf in Eden Prairie. Have access to Titleist, Taylor Made and just about anything else you want. Will convert specifications from fitting to match any company’s specifications. Also customize wedges and putters for Titleist and PING and Coutour Golf.
• Currently a +1.4 USGA handicap. Finished T-10 at 2011 MN Section PGA Championship with rounds of 77-69. Multiple top 10 finishes in Section events. Career low 66 at Wild Marsh Golf Club.
• 2011 MN PGA Horton Smith Award Winner for Education and Co-Director and Creator of the Teaching Division
• Mental Golf Workshop Practitioner- I use a simple and very effective Mental Game Assessment called the Mental Golf Workshop to help you understand your golfing style relative to your personality and the strengths and weaknesses that go along with each
• Active Member at Grace Church Eden Prairie
• Lives with his wife of nine years and four kids in Chaska

Golf game for life: Priceless

Tuition Scale

Would ideally like to meet once or twice a week. Be ready to schedule all ten sessions on the same date and time in a 10-12 week span. Program will start either in December or January. Ideally start the second week in January but will start earlier if needed.

I have 12 openings left so grab your teammates and call (952) 401-GOLF (4653) now!

Programs are conducted at Inside Edge Golf in Eden Prairie (www.InsideEdgeGolf.com), the Golf Zone in Chaska or the Chanhassen Recreation Center or will come to your high school or college upon coach’s approval. I will customize a program for individuals, groups or team’s that meets your budget, time commitment and goals. Whether you want to make your high school team or a Division I college team, I’m here to serve and help you become the best golfer you can be!

More about the Tournament Preparation Program

Fitness Program

Brad Pluth is an ACE Certified Personal Trainer and is available for private coaching and in home training on a limited basis. He firmly believes that your body is the most important piece of equipment and it needs to be trained for golf. Working out with football players and doing bench presses is better than nothing but there is a much better way to get prepare for the golf season. By the way, the bench press is a great activity if you want to push yourself off the ground after you get knocked down but doesn’t have much purpose in golf. It is my philosophy to safely assess and customize a workout program around your stability-mobility pattern and then after everything is moving well, add strength and speed. There is no point in strengthening a joint that doesn’t move properly. This is why I use the TPI Physical Screen and other metrics to customize a program specifically for you to develop consistency and power. My evaluation will also explain why you make the swing you do and physical reasons why you can or cannot make the move you may be trying to. There are ways to work around limitations but I prefer correcting them when possible. Please note that my specialty is helping people move more efficiently and with more power, I do not deal with pain issues, rather refer to my network of medical professionals.

Classroom Discussion:

These are optional sessions that are included in the program. Topics to be discussed in the classroom are:

• Nutrition and what to eat and drink before, during and after a workout and round of golf
• Golf specific goal setting
• Indoor swing drills and games
• Rule and Etiquette discussions
• Preparing to travel and play in tournaments
• How to get recruited
• Understanding your equipment
• Course Management
• Golf workouts and understanding the mobility and stability chain throughout the body
• Mental Golf Workshop

Other topics will be discussed as needed and there will be a Q&A with different industry expert guests.

Equipment fitting for every club in your bag

The other important pieces of equipment are your clubs. Have you been fitted for you so your equipment compliments your motion? We use the state of the art PING nFlight system at Inside Edge to fit any club. We currently carry Callaway, Mizuno, Nike and PING fitting carts for irons and woods, Titleist Vokey Wedges, PING and Coutour putters and can convert the specifications for Taylor Made, Titleist, Cleveland and order just about anything you want.

We also conduct wedge fittings and putter fittings. 40% of your strokes will be with a putter and about 70% of your strokes will be with a wedge or a putter so to me, these are a couple of the most important clubs in your bag. Improperly fit equipment causes compensations and consistency issues and if you are serious about getting the most out of your game, these tools need to fit into your toolbox perfectly!

We will also offer a 10% discount on all special orders on fitted equipment, golf balls, bags, rain gear and other accessories, separate facility fees may apply. Yes parents, I’ll extend this offer to you too!

Did you know: It is the same price to get your equipment fitted compared to buying it off the shelf at a big box retailer! Bottom line, we will match or beat the big box retailers.

The Brad Pluth Golf Performance Binder includes a journal for you to bring to each session filled with drills, workout and nutrition tips, note cards for the Mental Golf Profile segment along with the Brad Pluth Golf Academy Champion Builders .pdf document.

Sample Private Lesson Program

Your program will be customized for maximum improvement and understanding based on your skills tests in the Discovery Session. Below is a sample from a past program. Your groups program will depend on your Discovery Session Assessment.

90-minute Discovery Session 1- TPI Physical Assessment and corrective exercises, equipment evaluation, short game and full swing evaluation, Mental Golf Workshop Overview

Session 2 (rest of lesson will be 60-minutes unless noted)- Customized movement preparation or warm-up program, putting evaluation using iPING, and chipping fundamentals, mental game session, full swing goals and drills (typical full swing session will include two set-up fundamentals and one in-swing cue. That’s it! No paralysis by analysis…)

Session 3- TPI Workout 1A, putting and pitching fundamentals, mental game session II, full swing work

Session 4- TPI Workout 1B, putting and lob shot fundamentals, mental game session III, full swing work

Session 5- TPI Workout 2A, putting and flopodopolous fundamentals, mental game session IV, full swing work

Session 6- TPI Workout 2B, putting with iPING and short game games I, mental game session V, full swing tempo training

Session 7- Reassessment of skills, TPI Workout 3A

Session 8- TPI Workout 3B, , putting and short game games II, mental game session VI, equipment fitting and yardage gapping, ball recommendation. You will leave knowing how far you hit each club in your bag.

Session 9- course management using aboutGolf Simulators applying what we learned , TPI review and update program

Session 10- Playing lesson outdoors at Halla or indoors at Inside Edge (optional playing lesson at Bluff Creek, student responsible for $20 green fee)

Session 11 (one or two hours)- Recruiting video sent to prospective coaches. (for a samples visit http://youtu.be/SDIgyDcarks or http://youtu.be/-4z_4de8Fu4)

Sample Twosome-Foursome Program-

Your group’s program will be customized based on your Discovery Session Evaluation and the groups needs.

All Discovery Sessions are 90-minutes and done individually which is where we customize the plan for each individual’s full swing, short game, equipment assessment and mental game strategies.

Session 2- Movement preparation and Fitness station I, putting station with iPING, short game station, full swing coaching station

Session 3- Fitness station I, putting station, mental game I, full swing

Session 4- Fitness station II, putting stations, short game, full swing

Session 5- Fitness station III, putting stations, mental game II, full swing

Session 6- Fitness station IV, putting station, short game, full swing tempo training

Session 7- Fitness station V, putting station, mental game III, full swing

Session 8- Retest fitness and create second workout series, putting and short game challenges I, equipment evaluation and distance gapping, ball selection

Session 9- Play day on simulator discussing course management, rules and etiquette, shot selection etc.

Session 10- Fitness station, putting Station Mental Game IV, Full Swing

Session 11- Playing lesson at Halla Greens (Bluff Creek optional but student pays $20 green fees)

Session 12- Play day on simulator competition style and develop recruiting videos (for a samples visit http://youtu.be/SDIgyDcarks or http://youtu.be/-4z_4de8Fu4)

More about the Mental Golf Workshop:

Learn to play golf that compliments your personality and understand your strengths and associated weaknesses through the Mental Golf Workshop. This 15-minute assessment will produce a customized report will produce an accurate picture of your golfing personality and customized strategies for these areas of your game…

This is available for $65 if purchased separately.

More about clubfitting and ball fitting using nFlight

As the custom fitting pioneer and leader, PING embraces the responsibility of elevating the fitting experience beyond golfer’s expectations. In creating nFlight, the company’s team of software developers, scientists and fitting experts combined years of product knowledge, scientific data and fitting research into a tool that ensures fitting results never before available in both the indoor and outdoor environments. They developed the industry’s first virtual fitting software to precisely model, digitally analyze and scientifically compare every aspect of every shot it captures. The simplicity of nFlight relies on numerous and complex equations working within the software to analyze and compare shot characteristics and results. The software is capable of recommending thousands of club combinations. The software’s simulation capabilities go beyond the incredible graphic detail, which includes blowing leaves on the trees and ripples on the water. It factors in the golfer’s typical playing conditions to compensate for any environmental variances. It even considers the type of ball you’re being fit with to ensure accurate results. nFlight uses PING’s proven multi-step fitting processes for metal woods, irons and wedges to guide the fitter through the process. Familiar concepts such as the interview, static measurements and color code remain part of the process. In addition to providing detailed club specifications, nFlight includes a gapping analysis feature to make full set recommendations. By analyzing data from three clubs hit during the fitting session – typically a hybrid, iron and wedge – the software configures a set to produce proper distance gaps between every club. In the end, you walk away with complete confidence in the PING Custom Fitting process knowing you’ve been properly fit for the latest advancements in equipment technology.

We have simple saying at the Academy, “Never guess when you can measure!”

2012 Recruiting Guide available by request. Simply e-mail pluthb@pga.com and mention Recruiting Guide in the Subject field.

More on the Recruiting Process-

I’ve made contacts with hundreds of coaches throughout the country and may help with the recruiting process as needed. Bottom line, the earlier you start (Freshman and Sophmore year) the better off you’ll be. Click here to view a report made by my buddy Rob Noel about the recruiting process http://commander.gmc.legendarymarketing.com/partners/00188/file_library//Promotions/Microsoft%20Word%20-%20RNGA%20college%20prep.pdf

The TPI Physical Screen, nFlight distance report, Mental Golf Workshop can be used to help you with the recruiting process. For an additional $250 I will create a video, make contact with the coaches and get it in their hands. I cannot promise a scholarship but I have helped over 20 guys and gals earn a college scholarship.

Training never stops at the Brad Pluth Golf Academy!

Southwest Metro’s only holistic Winter Golf Training Program

Winter Tournament Preparation Program

The question I need you to answer to yourself right now is, do you want to play your best going into the season or are you going to train during the season?

If you are serious about getting better and wanting to improve and play at the next level, I am the coach you are looking for. I’ve helped players make mini-tours, men’s and woman’s D1 College Golf Programs, DIII colleges, Varsity Teams, JV Teams and if you’re serious about improving read on. If you want to wait until the season starts to prepare, keep waiting…

This is not a beginner’s golf program! This program is holistic and will cover not only your swing, but also your body, and your mind! I will help you develop a golf swing that compliments your body, not teach you a method that may or may work based on your physical skills. I believe there is a best swing for you that compliments what you are physically capable of, not a model swing that I teach to everyone. Each body and mind is unique and I will assess and clearly explain what you need to do to be more consistent and more powerful.

This program follows our “Six Ways to Improve at Golf” model and dive into detail in each of the six ways to improve which are:

1. Pre-Swing FUNdamentals- Grip Posture and Alignments
2. Shot Making Skills- Putting, chipping, pitching, lob shot, flopodopolous along with trajectory control and shaping shots.
3. Fitness and Nutrition- Your body is the most important piece of equipment and how you fuel it will determine your long-term effectiveness.
4. Equipment Fitting and Set Make-Up- Custom fit your putter, wedges, irons, woods and driver using PING nFlight software, Coutour putters. Proud Callaway staff member and also carry Mizuno, NIKE, PING and US Kids equipment. We will also make golf ball recommendations if requested.
5. Mental and Emotional Management- Use the Mental Golf Workshop to set golf goals and understand the strengths and weakness of your personality type.
6. Course Management, Rules and Etiquette- All of our programs include some form of playing lesson. There are a lot of pretty swings on the range, you have to learn to take it to the course and apply what you learn!

The Discovery Session will rate your current skills in each of these areas and the following nine weeks will be invested improving your game. Usually week seven is a retest to measure your improvement and readdress your goals.

In my fourteen years of coaching and dissecting thousands of scorecards, the easiest way to shave strokes is through the short game or shots inside 100-yards. Yes, you need to get it off the tee in play, but if you simply look at the stats, the short game is where you need to improve. 70% of your shots occur from inside 100-yards and we will invest about that much time working on your short game from 100-yards and in. The aboutGolf Simulators are state of the art precise units that will tell you how far you carry the ball and your total distance.

I use the iPING putting app and iPad to video to assess and measure improvement. If you don’t improve, you do not pay, but you have to put in the work required to meet your goals! After teaching over 12,000 hours and working with 94 Top 100 Instructors, I’ve developed and adapted many ways to safely assess and improve golfers of all ages and abilities.

I am not going to hold your hand through this program and you will be expected to do your conditioning drills and workouts outside of class at least once, if not two or three times a week. The more you put into this program, the more you will get out of it. There is no substitute for hard work, I just want to make sure you are working smart! I will help you develop a plan that has proven to work but I will not hold your hand to make sure you do all your work. This program is for dedicated golfers trying to get better in Minnesota during the winter months.

“Hard work beat talent that doesn’t work hard!” John Wooden

Fitness Classes at Chanhassen Recreation Center

Serious Golfers Only Workout Sessions-

You don’t have to be a single digit handicap to take part in this fitness program, you just have to have a desire to get better and improve the most important piece of equipment that you have, YOUR BODY!

About Brad Pluth:

• PGA Certified Director of Instruction (only teach golf and run golf events, I don’t fold shirts or manage the golf course)
• US Kids Top 50 Junior Instructor/Coach in North America
• Has worked with 94 Top 100 Instructors an travelled internationally playing golf
• Authorized Instructor of The Golfing Machine (GSEM)
• Owner of Adventure Golf Academy- Junior golf schools and after school program in 40+ elementary and middle schools in the southwest metro that serves 4300+ students
• ACE Certified Personal Trainer- 20 week program (not just two days like TPI)
• TPI Level II Certified Golf Fitness Professional- program will include a physical workout that you will be expect to do two or three days a week
• International Youth Conditioning Alliance Certified Coach- Specialty in working with ages 8-21
• Certified Clubfitter for Callaway, Mizuno, Nike and PING and US Kids. Use PING’s nFLight software at Inside Edge Golf in Eden Prairie. Have access to Titleist, Taylor Made and just about anything else you want. Will convert specifications from fitting to match any company’s specifications. Also customize wedges and putters for Titleist and PING and Coutour Golf.
• Currently a +1.4 USGA handicap. Finished T-10 at 2011 MN Section PGA Championship with rounds of 77-69. Multiple top 10 finishes in Section events. Career low 66 at Wild Marsh Golf Club.
• 2011 MN PGA Horton Smith Award Winner for Education and Co-Director and Creator of the Teaching Division
• Mental Golf Workshop Practitioner- I use a simple and very effective Mental Game Assessment called the Mental Golf Workshop to help you understand your golfing style relative to your personality and the strengths and weaknesses that go along with each
• Active Member at Grace Church Eden Prairie
• Lives with his wife of nine years and four kids in Chaska

Golf game for life: Priceless

Tuition Scale

Would ideally like to meet once or twice a week. Be ready to schedule all ten sessions on the same date and time in a 10-12 week span. Program will start either in December or January. Ideally start the second week in January but will start earlier if needed.

I have 12 openings left so grab your teammates and call (952) 401-GOLF (4653) now!

Programs are conducted at Inside Edge Golf in Eden Prairie (www.InsideEdgeGolf.com), the Golf Zone in Chaska or the Chanhassen Recreation Center or will come to your high school or college upon coach’s approval. I will customize a program for individuals, groups or team’s that meets your budget, time commitment and goals. Whether you want to make your high school team or a Division I college team, I’m here to serve and help you become the best golfer you can be!

More about the Tournament Preparation Program

Fitness Program

Brad Pluth is an ACE Certified Personal Trainer and is available for private coaching and in home training on a limited basis. He firmly believes that your body is the most important piece of equipment and it needs to be trained for golf. Working out with football players and doing bench presses is better than nothing but there is a much better way to get prepare for the golf season. By the way, the bench press is a great activity if you want to push yourself off the ground after you get knocked down but doesn’t have much purpose in golf. It is my philosophy to safely assess and customize a workout program around your stability-mobility pattern and then after everything is moving well, add strength and speed. There is no point in strengthening a joint that doesn’t move properly. This is why I use the TPI Physical Screen and other metrics to customize a program specifically for you to develop consistency and power. My evaluation will also explain why you make the swing you do and physical reasons why you can or cannot make the move you may be trying to. There are ways to work around limitations but I prefer correcting them when possible. Please note that my specialty is helping people move more efficiently and with more power, I do not deal with pain issues, rather refer to my network of medical professionals.

Classroom Discussion:

These are optional sessions that are included in the program. Topics to be discussed in the classroom are:

• Nutrition and what to eat and drink before, during and after a workout and round of golf
• Golf specific goal setting
• Indoor swing drills and games
• Rule and Etiquette discussions
• Preparing to travel and play in tournaments
• How to get recruited
• Understanding your equipment
• Course Management
• Golf workouts and understanding the mobility and stability chain throughout the body
• Mental Golf Workshop

Other topics will be discussed as needed and there will be a Q&A with different industry expert guests.

Equipment fitting for every club in your bag

The other important pieces of equipment are your clubs. Have you been fitted for you so your equipment compliments your motion? We use the state of the art PING nFlight system at Inside Edge to fit any club. We currently carry Callaway, Mizuno, Nike and PING fitting carts for irons and woods, Titleist Vokey Wedges, PING and Coutour putters and can convert the specifications for Taylor Made, Titleist, Cleveland and order just about anything you want.

We also conduct wedge fittings and putter fittings. 40% of your strokes will be with a putter and about 70% of your strokes will be with a wedge or a putter so to me, these are a couple of the most important clubs in your bag. Improperly fit equipment causes compensations and consistency issues and if you are serious about getting the most out of your game, these tools need to fit into your toolbox perfectly!

We will also offer a 10% discount on all special orders on fitted equipment, golf balls, bags, rain gear and other accessories, separate facility fees may apply. Yes parents, I’ll extend this offer to you too!

Did you know: It is the same price to get your equipment fitted compared to buying it off the shelf at a big box retailer! Bottom line, we will match or beat the big box retailers.

The Brad Pluth Golf Performance Binder includes a journal for you to bring to each session filled with drills, workout and nutrition tips, note cards for the Mental Golf Profile segment along with the Brad Pluth Golf Academy Champion Builders .pdf document.

Sample Private Lesson Program

Your program will be customized for maximum improvement and understanding based on your skills tests in the Discovery Session. Below is a sample from a past program. Your groups program will depend on your Discovery Session Assessment.

90-minute Discovery Session 1- TPI Physical Assessment and corrective exercises, equipment evaluation, short game and full swing evaluation, Mental Golf Workshop Overview

Session 2 (rest of lesson will be 60-minutes unless noted)- Customized movement preparation or warm-up program, putting evaluation using iPING, and chipping fundamentals, mental game session, full swing goals and drills (typical full swing session will include two set-up fundamentals and one in-swing cue. That’s it! No paralysis by analysis…)

Session 3- TPI Workout 1A, putting and pitching fundamentals, mental game session II, full swing work

Session 4- TPI Workout 1B, putting and lob shot fundamentals, mental game session III, full swing work

Session 5- TPI Workout 2A, putting and flopodopolous fundamentals, mental game session IV, full swing work

Session 6- TPI Workout 2B, putting with iPING and short game games I, mental game session V, full swing tempo training

Session 7- Reassessment of skills, TPI Workout 3A

Session 8- TPI Workout 3B, , putting and short game games II, mental game session VI, equipment fitting and yardage gapping, ball recommendation. You will leave knowing how far you hit each club in your bag.

Session 9- course management using aboutGolf Simulators applying what we learned , TPI review and update program

Session 10- Playing lesson outdoors at Halla or indoors at Inside Edge (optional playing lesson at Bluff Creek, student responsible for $20 green fee)

Session 11 (one or two hours)- Recruiting video sent to prospective coaches. (for a samples visit http://youtu.be/SDIgyDcarks or http://youtu.be/-4z_4de8Fu4)

Sample Twosome-Foursome Program-

Your group’s program will be customized based on your Discovery Session Evaluation and the groups needs.

All Discovery Sessions are 90-minutes and done individually which is where we customize the plan for each individual’s full swing, short game, equipment assessment and mental game strategies.

Session 2- Movement preparation and Fitness station I, putting station with iPING, short game station, full swing coaching station

Session 3- Fitness station I, putting station, mental game I, full swing

Session 4- Fitness station II, putting stations, short game, full swing

Session 5- Fitness station III, putting stations, mental game II, full swing

Session 6- Fitness station IV, putting station, short game, full swing tempo training

Session 7- Fitness station V, putting station, mental game III, full swing

Session 8- Retest fitness and create second workout series, putting and short game challenges I, equipment evaluation and distance gapping, ball selection

Session 9- Play day on simulator discussing course management, rules and etiquette, shot selection etc.

Session 10- Fitness station, putting Station Mental Game IV, Full Swing

Session 11- Playing lesson at Halla Greens (Bluff Creek optional but student pays $20 green fees)

Session 12- Play day on simulator competition style and develop recruiting videos (for a samples visit http://youtu.be/SDIgyDcarks or http://youtu.be/-4z_4de8Fu4)

More about the Mental Golf Workshop:

Learn to play golf that compliments your personality and understand your strengths and associated weaknesses through the Mental Golf Workshop. This 15-minute assessment will produce a customized report will produce an accurate picture of your golfing personality and customized strategies for these areas of your game…

This is available for $65 if purchased separately.

More about clubfitting and ball fitting using nFlight

As the custom fitting pioneer and leader, PING embraces the responsibility of elevating the fitting experience beyond golfer’s expectations. In creating nFlight, the company’s team of software developers, scientists and fitting experts combined years of product knowledge, scientific data and fitting research into a tool that ensures fitting results never before available in both the indoor and outdoor environments. They developed the industry’s first virtual fitting software to precisely model, digitally analyze and scientifically compare every aspect of every shot it captures. The simplicity of nFlight relies on numerous and complex equations working within the software to analyze and compare shot characteristics and results. The software is capable of recommending thousands of club combinations. The software’s simulation capabilities go beyond the incredible graphic detail, which includes blowing leaves on the trees and ripples on the water. It factors in the golfer’s typical playing conditions to compensate for any environmental variances. It even considers the type of ball you’re being fit with to ensure accurate results. nFlight uses PING’s proven multi-step fitting processes for metal woods, irons and wedges to guide the fitter through the process. Familiar concepts such as the interview, static measurements and color code remain part of the process. In addition to providing detailed club specifications, nFlight includes a gapping analysis feature to make full set recommendations. By analyzing data from three clubs hit during the fitting session – typically a hybrid, iron and wedge – the software configures a set to produce proper distance gaps between every club. In the end, you walk away with complete confidence in the PING Custom Fitting process knowing you’ve been properly fit for the latest advancements in equipment technology.

We have simple saying at the Academy, “Never guess when you can measure!”

2012 Recruiting Guide available by request. Simply e-mail pluthb@pga.com and mention Recruiting Guide in the Subject field.

More on the Recruiting Process-

I’ve made contacts with hundreds of coaches throughout the country and may help with the recruiting process as needed. Bottom line, the earlier you start (Freshman and Sophmore year) the better off you’ll be. Click here to view a report made by my buddy Rob Noel about the recruiting process http://commander.gmc.legendarymarketing.com/partners/00188/file_library//Promotions/Microsoft%20Word%20-%20RNGA%20college%20prep.pdf

The TPI Physical Screen, nFlight distance report, Mental Golf Workshop can be used to help you with the recruiting process. For an additional $250 I will create a video, make contact with the coaches and get it in their hands. I cannot promise a scholarship but I have helped over 20 guys and gals earn a college scholarship.

Believe it or not, this is the best time of year to make swing changes. Do you want to train during the season or play during the season?

December Special
$99 for 90-Minute discovery session and a 30-minute follow up session.

Winter fitness classes at Chanhassen Rec. Center start Saturday, January 7th at 9am. Sessions will be $20/session or eight for $100.

Winter High School and College Prep. Programs are now available. Call Brad at (952) 401-4653 for individual an small group options.

“Who is the best putter you know?”

I thought about if for a minute and answered “Kevin Cashman, who I haven’t played with yet to which the reply came, “No.”

“Steve Stricker…?” “No.”

Uhhh Phil Mickelson,  Tiger Woods…. “ ”Noooooooo. You are, you dummy.”

“Ohhh yeah, I am. I’m the only one I really know. I get it…I’m the only one that can hit my ball.”

So I marked my ball, cleaned it off read the putt from the low side of the hole, visualized the speed down the line, took a practice stroke from a foot behind my ball and stroked it right into the hole for a birdie.

I set a goal earlier in the week that I told Dave Kirkbride, our GM at Halla, that my goal was to shoot one round in the 60’s during the event.  After loosing a ball in the middle of a fairway en route to a 77 the first day I started off birdie, birdie the second day. So I’m on the 18^th tee which was a 450-yard par 4 with a 15mph wind into us. I need to make birdie to reach my goal. I’m a bit nervous being under par and trying to stay in the moment and focus on the task at hand which was getting the darn ball air born off the tee with these shaking hands and racing heart. I slowed down to imagine my son Brody sitting out in front of me while we are at the range and he says, “Hit me a good one dad!” To which I am compelled by my masculine spirit to make the most powerful and in balanced swing I possibly can, which I did 280 yards right down the middle. I approached my ball, found my distance at 168 with a strong cross wind and decided to hit a punch 6-iron. I picked four window frames left of the hole as a starting line, got over the ball and imagined my other son Gabe giggling and saying, “Hit me a good one dad!” I swung and as pure as a sunset in Phoenix, the ball came off like a rocket on a mission at the target, the wind hit it and started to push the ball towards the pin… it landed, bounced once, bounded twice and checked up two feet from the hole. A pretty mindless tap for my birdie and score of 69 for the day.

Four hours later I find myself on the sixth hole of a playoff with a four foot breaking putt against a good friend of mine, Matt Norgaard who is consistently in the top ten players in the state and played golf at Oklahoma State. This time I have a four-footer up the hill to win the five person playoff. I turned to Matt who is also a new father and said, “When I get under pressure in situations like this, I imagine one of my kids sitting in front of me saying, “Hit a good one dad!” I calmly stroked the putt into the back of the hole…

Sometimes the proper motivation can help you overcome your fears, lack of self-confidence and putting things into perspective alleviates the pressure and gives you the ability to try your best and focus on the task at hand. Whoever said golf is just a game?

So I ask you, who is the best putter, chipper, driver you know? Who are you playing for?

This series is designed to teach the short game, full swing FUNdamentals, and fun games with on-course strategy. Four lessons will be on the practice facility and two sessions will be on the golf course learning to play the game with the instructor. Simple rules and etiquette will be included during all on-course lessons. Students will get as many holes in with the instructor as time allows for, and students may finish the round if instructors deems it appropriate.

Instruction includes:

• · Green reading and golf course architecture discussions
• · Putting: Distance and direction drills and games
• · Chip, pitch, and lob shot theory and application
• · Mental strategies for short game execution
• · Competitive games to simulate on-course situations
• · Full swing concepts and application through visual and kinesthetic cues
• · Playing strategies with use of practice facility tools
• · On-course experiences designed to bridge practice versus playing
• · Several games and strategies will be used to enhance learning experience
• · Fun and safe environment where learning and exploration is encouraged.

Tuition includes instruction, practice balls, green fees, and snacks.
Individual $660
Twosome: $330
Threesome: $220
Foursome: $165

Limited availability, reply or call (952) 401-4653 to register.

Face, Forearms, Feet, Focus on the Target
Rules of Engagement
What is the only thing that you truly aim at your target? If you think your feet or your body ask yourself what hits the ball? The face or more specifically the sweetspot. The “Rules of Engagement” are to aim the face then your forearms, look at the target and set your feet and then Focus on the Target. This will help free you up and more importantly play better, faster golf!

San Antonio and the Club Professional Championship
Continuing Education
I’ll be playing on Monday and Tuesday at the Club Professional Championship at Medina Country Club. I’ve been using the gates, working on my short game and have even been playing a little bit to get ready for this week (Shot 70 from the very tips at Bearpath on Wednesday).
I’ll be heading down to San Antonio for a Clubfitting and Technology Conference with the PGA Wednesday through Friday and will be back to teach on Saturday this week.
Kevin and Andrew will be available this week and I’ll start teaching Mondays, Wednesdays and Saturdays this fall.
Kevin’s Schedule Noon-1 M-Sa this week and next week

Reminder all PDP programs will be ending September 10th.

]]> http://bradpluthgolf.com/fall-golf-opportunities/feed 2 http://bradpluthgolf.com/tournament-preparation http://bradpluthgolf.com/tournament-preparation#comments Sun, 17 Jul 2011 20:47:59 +0000 pluthb http://bradpluthgolf.com/tournament-preparation Played Fairbault CC today and hit it great and putted like a chump. I’m finding the target training is really paying off and am striking the ball well and hit more quality shots (shots inside 10′). For the eight round of the year in MN, I’m not going to complain about a 73. I’m excited to play again tomorrow at Northfield CC and give it another try.

Weather you are just starting, looking for a tune up or are an experiences player loping fe a clear plan to Improve your golf game, the Discovery Session is for you you!
We will start with a the TPI Physical Evaluation to understand how you move best and generate power so we can customize your stroke based on what you are physically capable of doing, not a one size fits all model. We will then do a quick fit for a putter and take you through a putting assessment and evaluate your distance control, direction control and give you basic or advanced green reading strategies. We will then assess or teach you how to hit a low chip, a medium pitch and a high lob from 10, 15 & 20-yards. The segment will include a full swing assessment looking at your grip, alignment and posture and ell you hit the ball farther and/or straighter. We promise this will be the most educational 90-minutes of your golfing career and you will leave with a clear path to improvement or your money back!

There is an optional bonus 30-minute club fitting session to ensure your equipment compliments your motion and does not complicate it. We will use the Mizuno Shaft Optimizer and Callaway, Mizuno, Nike, PING and US Kids Golf Fitting tools to customize your irons, hybrids or woods and the Coutour or PING putter fitting systems.

Again, this program is for anyone that wants a clear path to improve at the game of golf weather your a beginner or advanced player looking for coaching.

Search around the website for testimonials, backgrounds on the instructors, resources an partners page and tips to help you play your best golf!