Shamrocks and Shanks

Part 2 of the Podcast with Sean Kennedy. In part two we move into the world of coaching discussing Sean's process and thoughts on short game, his involvement in a new format for coach education seminars and his thoughts on technology and its place in current coaching. 

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My guest for this episode is Sean Kennedy. Sean is the Director of Instruction at the Cliffs Community in the Carolina mountains, one of the most picturesque areas in the US and he works with all levels of players from club golfers to elite players. 

During this podcast we get to chat about many things in golf and we look to help the club golfer with narrowing the gap between doing and knowing. We get to discuss some of Seans favourite drills and tasks for players as well as his passion for on course and playing sessions. 

In the coaching segment, we delve into Sean's inspirations, address queries from the Podcast community, and explore whether his instruction focuses on technical adjustments or skill enhancement. We also touch upon topics such as short game strategies and challenging moments. Finally, we talk about Sean's collaboration with other like minded coaches  in organizing an annual two-day seminar offering advanced education for any golf teacher wanting to enhance their knowledge. 

For some of you, this may be your first introduction to Sean. I like to delve into the coaching world when I have the opportunity, meeting new people during my travels to learn from them in various ways. Sometimes, I feel compelled when getting to know individuals who may not be as well-known to highlight their work and skill. While you may not hold Sean's words in as high regard as those of Butch Harmon or Mark Blackburn, underestimating them would be a missed opportunity. Sean is one of the most genuine, intelligent, respectful, and exceptional coaches I've ever encountered. He looks at the human and the golf swing as an ever-interacting system and one which must be treated as such…it would be easy to look at the golf swing as simply  numbers on a screen but Sean has uncanny knack for looking past those and bringing out the skills in the person as opposed to bringing the skills to the person…

Ladies and Gentleman 

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A frank and honest conversation with one of the smartest techincal coaches in golf but also one who is at the forefront to change in the Golf Coaching industry. Hugh Marr has had success at all levels of the Golf Coaching world but now has turned his attention to helping other coaches improve the quality of the lessons we are giving to you the club golfer.

This Episode is a great insight into the perspective of someone who genuinely wants you to improve your game and not through gimmicks or quick fixes but through accurate, evidence based assessments and recommendations. Hugh disucsses some of the common misconceptions he encounters for the club player as well as discussing some beneficial drills or tasks you can do that will actually improve the only important things in your golf game and that is impact. 

For the coaching side of the episode we discuss the reason for Hugh now focusing on helping other coaches, the reception and reaction he has got to this point and then we delve into his own process and structure for coaching. We also discuss how he helps other coaches out there with his education website and his work with other elite instructors like Andreas Kali and Mark Bull,

Sit back and enjoy this is an episode full of just simply good content.

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My guest for this episode is Andrew Rice. Andrew is the Director of Instruction at The Club at Savannah Harbor, located at the Westin Savannah Harbor Golf Resort and Spa. In 2019, Andrew was named one of Golf Digest's 50 Top Teachers in America and #1 in Georgia. He has written books, appeared on numerous television productions and runs one of the most successful 3 day golf schools in North America

This episode is absolutely bursting at the seems with information and content. We discuss Andrews path to where he is today, his experience with club players perceptions and understandings, and how impact has perhaps become the forgotten aspect of online swing content and as he wrote a book on it that section gets pretty good. We chat a little about the proposed roll back of the ball and then we move into the coaching section…

IN the coaching section Andrew delves into his coaching influences through the years, his explorations into golf swing theory and technique alongside the team at Ping Golf, and the process he uses when exploring such material as the wedge game or wind effect etc….

We chat about his work with other coaches on content projects and we discuss Coach Camp, the Golf Coaching event which he runs every year bringing coaches form around the globe together to learn and improve. Lastly Andrew highlights some of the lessons he has learned form running his golf school and distils some advice for those starting or indeed looking to improve their own school..

I have been aware of Andrew for nearly 5 years now in the golf coaching realm but never really got to spend too much time with him personally. I enjoyed his content from afar and when I started to try to produce my own content and my own explorations into the why’s and how's of the golf swing, my respect for what he did and how he did it grew. There are the coaches out there who wait for the information to be distributed or discovered and then they learn or study it after it has been filtered through opinions and perspectives. There is nothing wrong with this however and it does produce a level of learning and knowledge. What appears to me about Andrew is he is not happy with that level nor the wait and its not because he wants to be the first or the smartest its because he truly loves the game like we all do and he wants to make sure we are right and he knows to truly truly help golfers our information has to be right…. It is not enough to know the information you must own the information…..

As Andrew refers to many times in this Podcast he sees himself as a constant learner, a constant evolver and a recognizer that the more specifics he knows about the golf swing the more he realizes the broad spectrum there is for greatness..

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My guest for this episode is Mike Carroll whose website/app Fit For Golf has become one of the most prominent golf fitness apps in the industry over the last few years. Mike who is originally from Ireland but now calls California home has created an amazing resource where golfers of all levels both golfing and fitness wise can get custom designed workouts to help you not only in the golf swing but also improve your every day fitness levels which we will gladly take as a bonus.  

Our first question in the POD looks at perspectives and with Mikes expertise in fitness this was a fun one to start. We move on to discuss where perhaps the club golfer can improve in relation to golf specific conditioning. To help you in choosing the right fitness professional for you we discuss some traits or skills you might want to take into account when making that choice. 

Moving into the coach’s section and we start with Mike perspective on the potential depth of knowledge that a golf coach can know or indeed should know when it comes to fitness and movement to his level.. We chat about Mikes pursuit of more speed in his own game and the learning path that has taken him down in terms of marrying physical capabilities to golf technique, forces and the like. Lastly Mike gives his views on coaching education and where to look to improve your knowledge as a golf coach and perhaps looking more outside the industry to gain that extra knowledge. 

I make no bones about it I am always immensely proud to have fellow Irish professionals on the show and especially ones who have created a successful career or platform. At the start of this Pod Mike gives us all an insight into his journey to get to where he is now both geographically and business wise and towards the end he gives us a glimpse into the future of the fitforgolf platform. When you hear the story you get a sense of how hard he has worked but what you wont really hear is how much time Mike has dedicated to learning the golf swing side of this equation. He already had the fitness knowledge but his pursuit of learning from golf experts like Sasho MacKenzie, Dana Dahlquist and many more is what impresses me the most. The best professionals in this sport are the ones who take their expertise in one field and apply it to achieve greatness in others. 

Ladies and Gentleman 

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My guest for this episode is Doug Lawrie. Doug is one of the premier Junior golf coaches in the country In recent seasons he has won the PGA of Ontario Coach of the year in 2022 as well as his players receiving numerous accolades season upon season with many now pursuing successful college scholarships in the states. 

In this podcast we start with some Junior perceptions which Doug sees when working with players. We discuss some of the tendencies of the club players in working on their own games and we chat the fast approaching winter season here in Canada and what are some drills and tips they can work on.

In the coach section we look at the areas Doug has developed from an education perspective over the last few year including speed and other areas and what peaks his interest moving forward. We discuss some of the challenges that we might face when coaching junior players and the teaming up with other coaches to not only help your players but also your own knowledge in the long term. 

We also look at the process of assisting your players when they graduate to college or university and how you can help them in the best possible way from both a lifestyle and a game perspective. 

There are many coaches that I encounter either through my education or indeed with this podcast and it is always interesting to see their skills and their passions and how they discuss both. I think when I look at Junior coaching it takes something else to be successful. Yes, you need to care about your players, well we all do that and yes you want performance or results at the end of the day but I believe when it comes to the best coaches there is an investment beyond those measurements. There is an unquantifiable commitment to the education and the development of the young person that has been intrusted to you. That education and development, like the young person themselves, is always ever changing and challenging but that is the role. I think Doug Lawrie not only accepts that role as part of his profession but is welcoming of the opportunity to not only help create great golfers but to also be part of creating great humans. 

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My guest for this episode is Michael Kennelly who is a young PGA qualified Golf Coach from Ireland. Now he may not be a name that you are familiar with but he is rapidly growing an impressive list of players many of which compete at the highest level of amateur competition in Ireland and some of whom currently are competing in D1 and D2 division college golf. 

For this Podcast we started with our perceptions question and Michael discusses two areas for us, firstly the short game and some great ideas on shot selection and practice and then into the long game. We move onto some advice Michael has for both elite and club players  in preparing for golf in the colder winter climate, for those who still play. We also discuss some practice and learning concepts and how player can possibly look to create some more long-term changes in their swing.

Into the coaching section and we first chat mentors and influences and the Journey Michael has taken so far in his learning process. We move nicely into his thoughts on golf swing and movement and the influence of, how he is as a person on his coaching strategies. We discuss some of the biggest learning points to date which takes into his walker cup coaching experience and lastly what skills or learning he is looking to develop as we move into 2024.

Ladies and Gentleman 

Michael Kennelly

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My guest for this episode is Jeff Smith. Jeff is one of the top coaches in world golf having worked with numerous PGA tour winners and an abundant amount of talented young players. Jeff is also one of the hardest working coaches out there spending nearly 30 weeks a year actually out on tour and it was from this weeks, the RSM classic in sea island Georgia, that Jeff Joined us. 

We opened with a question on perceptions and understandings and Jeff’s answer creates a lovely insight into the club golfers learning and swing change process. We discuss the how been aware of our physical abilities in so important when looking at possible swing or technique changes. We highlight Jeff’s work with Sports box AI, one of many new 3D apps available to all players and how he feels it can help golfers to learn through an improved feedback loop. 

For the coaches we chat about the ability to translate all your knowledge base and PHD level discovery into simple terms for our player. Jeff discusses his work with Scott Piercy and the approach he takes to working with elite players. 

We move on to Jeff’s real passion of working with junior and Collegiate golfers and some of the challenges that coach’s may face having players in the collegiate system and what is the most important aspect of your role at that point. 

There is a quote attributed to Albert Einstein that reads “if you cant explain it simply, you simply don’t understand it” . In my opinion Jeff Smith is a master at this skill. For the most part elite coaches can recognize the same issues or movements that we would like to adapt but that skill, to tell a player something, they heard a hundred times before, but in a way they understand it fir the first time, that I believe is the true genius of Jeff Smith. 

Jeff was one of the first coaches I message to ask if I could spend time shadowing them, ironically enough it was through a podcast on my good friend Jason Suttons show where Jeff said hey if you want come watch just reach out and so I did… I didn’t know a lot back then but jeff was so welcoming for the whole day and so patient with this Irish Lad that was in way over his head. I will never forget that experience and the reason I tell that story is there are, like all professions, those who feel they are above giving back or paying back and above helping others climb the same mountain upon which they too once looked up at……….. 

I really believe that Jeff is the complete opposite and genuinely cares about not only about the progression of his players but also any coach that wants to learn….. As he mentions in this pod he wants to pay it forward and I think most would agree that debt is paid and then some…

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My guest for this episode is Ryan Mouque. Ryan is one of the up-and-coming golf coaches in world golf. Originally from New Zealand but now located in Australia Ryan has been establishing himself as one of the top coaches in online coaching through the skillest app platform while working with the full spectrum of players from the weekend golfer all the way through to the tour professional. 

In this episode We cover Ryan's experience on the club golfers potential misunderstandings, how to navigate all the available content, some goals to take away from coaching sessions and much more. 

In the coaches’ section we discuss Ryan's thoughts on the technical aspects of the swing so how he sees movement and golf swing from a hierarchal perspective. 

We chat about his coaching style evolution and how it was influenced by now being predominantly online with his coaching. 

Ryan brings us through some of the main lessons he learned during his educational trip to the states last year where he got to spend some time with some of the best coaches in the world and lastly some advice for those coaches looking to improve their skills and craft. 

In the modern landscape of todays communication, it can be very easy to become a sharer or transporter of information, to simply repeat what you have seen or heard and pass this off as a knowledge. In a way it is knowledge but surface level at best. Ryan Mouque is one of the coaches who is the complete opposite. From his  social offering there is information similar to others but there is a dept and knowledge there that can only be learned, not by watching tik tok and repeating, but by reading, listening, travelling and mostly by working your ass off. Ryan is one of the coaches who is not happy to be surface aware and that’s the key to the success of this man. From his website, socials, online teachings each one of these aspects exudes depth, professionalism and knowledge and add to that the hunger and eagerness to be one of the worlds best well you will see why he is fastly becoming one of the best new coaches on the golf scene. 

Ladies and Gentleman Ryan Mouque

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My guest for this episode is Martin Chuck. Martin is one of the most respected golf teachers in world golf and has worked with numerous elites and tour players including Mike Weir, Darren Clarke and Nick Taylor to name a few. As well as working with these elite players Martin operates the Tour Striker Golf School which is located at the Raven Golf Club in Phoenix Arizona and is one of the most successful golf school in North America. . 

The name Tour Striker might ring a bell with a few of you as that brand is synonymous with some of the best golf training aids on the market. Along with his wife Stacey, Martin uses his interactions with the every day player to bring to life objects and training aids that we can all use to improve our games and im sure at some stage we have all encountered on his designs on the lesson tee.  

In this podcast we open the discussion on club players by talking about how you hold the club and Martin highlights the reasons he is so adamant on a good grip

We chat some other low hanging fruit for the club player by talking about set up and routine and how we can learn about this from the GOAT Tiger Woods.

Martin gives some advice on how he likes to set up a practice session to get the most out of your time including a ten-minute trickery section and the lastly, we discuss distance and the one thing he sees that holds players back from creating more distance potential.

For the coaches we discuss some of the difference Martin sees when working with elite players versus perhaps the weekend golfer,

We chat about his mentors in golf including George Knudson and Moe Norman and how he uses the information learned in the right way to help his players.

Lastly, we discuss his communication style and how he has worked to develop it and continues to assist his coaching team in learning those same skills…

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