Wednesday, July 27, 2011

20 Questions With Don Parsons

This edition of 20 Questions With......is especially useful because our subject is not only an outstanding instructor, but was also an elite level amateur golfer back in the days of covered wagon, the gutty and sand tees ;-)
He also provides some interesting insights into golf fitness, technology, and and junior golf.


 Don Parsons is the owner and DOI at The Studio at Twin Lakes in Santa Barbara, California. 

 http://www.thestudioattwinlakes.com/



In my opinion he has created the standard for golfer development. When I opened his website gallery page, I just said, "Really?" He has created  what I have always wanted- an indoor facility with the technology and resources to make people drop their jaw and say- "WOW!" It has everything, putting lab, club fitting equipment, 3-D motion capture, and a golf specific fitness center. He is a Level 3 TPI professional as well as a Level 2 certified bio-mechanisist.

The 4-Time Northern California PGA TOY and the 2003 Southern California TOY, has touched every base on his way to his current heights in the business. After realizing that he wasn't quite talented enough to QB the Dallas Cowboys, the native of Fort Worth, Texas and his father moved back to California where his folks purchased a 9 hole executive course. After watching David Graham win the US Open the last time it was played at Merion, he decided to go to the golf course instead of surfing. After watching a local high school kid shoot 72 that day he was hooked and played 45 holes a day for the rest of the summer. In three months he went from shooting 120 to 81. 

Don played collegiately for the Gauchos of UC-Santa Barbara where they climbed to number 18 in the country. As a senior he qualified individually for the NCAA tournament. In 1988 he won the California State Am at Pebble Beach. Can you imagine having that experience and memory to carry around in your hip pocket for the rest of your life? He competed in all the major amateur events including the US Am, Sunnehanna, Porter Cup, Pacific Coast Am, and the Rice Planters. He made this very telling comment to, " If I could continue to coach, I would regain my amateur status in a heartbeat to compete in the amateur events, I loved the competition and camaraderie of it all."

After college he turned pro and realized just how brutal living on the road was going to be. In fact, he had to WD from his first pro event because he had a car accident on the way to his final practice round. He still feels the effects of the accident in his neck to this day.

In his first pro start he was a shot off the lead and went out in the last group with two guys named Tom that he had never heard of. One of the Tom's shot 64 and illuminated the reality that their were guys that he had never even heard of going very low routinely.  One of the Tom's was Tom Silva. The other? Tom Lehman, eventually won the British Open.

By 1990 Don had come to the realization that professional golf was not for him. His aching back made the decision to get a day gig a lot easier. He took a job at a 9 hole course in Santa Barbara which he is part owner of to this day. He was elected into membership of the PGA in 1992 and became a full time teaching professional. He has always been somewhat of a tech nerd and builds custom speaker cabinets. He built his first video cart for the range in 1992 using dry erase markers to draw lines on the monitor.

He has produced over 60 collegiate golfers. This past year producing in his opinion the best crop with four players ranked in the top 50 in the US. The four have gone to play collegiately at Stanford, Northwestern, Norte Dame, and UC Davis.  Of those four, one was honorable mention All-American, and two others Big West and Big East Freshmen of The Year. He has two players that have won the California State Am. His long time friend and student John Pate has played in 16 US Amateurs and 12 Mid-Ams.






http://www.golfchannel.com/tours/pga-of-america/2011/pga-championship/

logo_2011_champ.gif









1. What is the big difference between the games of the elite amateur and the tour professional?















From a statistics standpoint I would say it is normally wedge play and putting. There are a lot of elite amateurs that are fantastic ball strikers 

2. Video or launch monitor?
I use video because it is a medium that most players are accustomed to. I would love to get hold of a Trackman someday.

3. 3D or launch monitor?
3D it is what I am used to and what I own. Plus, I believe that the motion of the body controls the movement of the club.

4. Roger Staubach or Troy Aikman?
Roger Staubach. Aikman took my dream job.

5. You  have one of the most impressive arrays of technology for just a relatively small facility. Is there anything you don’t have or wish you had?
Since I pay for all of my technology, I have had to compromise to a degree. I would love a Trackman, an AMM 6 sensor, and some force plates.

6. What is around the corner in regards to teaching technology?
I think it is a matter of time before we have really convenient and portable 3D technology. Sensors woven into clothing that would give us some really great 3D info.

7. Mike Bender told us a story about how when he was on tour in the late 70’s and was getting pretty bored and lonely out on the road, and one of the other guys on tour told him the place to be was up stairs in Mac O’Grady’s room. He went up there and Mac had an early VHS recorder on one of those big Sony VCR’s recording swings while hitting into the mattress they had taken off the frame and leaned on the wall. He said that that was the possibly the beginning of in depth video analysis and pop instruction out on tour. He said that anytime Mac conducted one of his clandestine clinics it was like AREA 51 that required a secret password to get in LOL. Do you think Mac still has a secret or it the cat out the bag?
Lol, I used to hit balls into the mattresses when I was playing the mini tours.  I have never met Mac and can’t really comment on what he knows or doesn’t or where he keeps his cat.

8. You mention in your bio that you built your own rig and used dry erase markers on the monitor screen. What were your primary teaching points back in the day and what lines did you draw?
Slide and sway lines, swing plane lines, and the dreaded circle around the head.

9. How has your teaching evolved over the last 30 years? 
The biggest change to my teaching happened when I met an athletic trainer named Kevin Brown in 1999.  Working as a team to address our players’ needs really changed our effectiveness and allowed our whole to be greater than the sum of our parts.  I understood for years the effect that club fitting had on performance this was just the next step in the process. Finally, what this technology and team work has done for me is help me return to what made me a good teacher early on and that is coaching my players to become better players: teaching them to hit shots, to manage the course, to PLAY the game. But, I am doing this with better prepared athletes who possess more tools to pull it all together.

10. I  taught for nearly 15 years before I gave my first video lesson, then I took a job with a popular indoor teaching franchise. I learned more  about the golf swing in those 2 years than I did in the first  15, but I turned into a teacher of the golf swing instead of a teacher of the game of golf, thank God I got fired! LOL What is the balance that young teachers need to have to not get too focused on the golf swing and ensure that they develop well rounded golfers?
Remember that the swing is just one of many tools that are needed to play the game. Having a good tool box full of tools allows your players to get the job done in a variety of ways. If all you have is a hammer, everything looks like a nail.

11. In the northern locales, where we teach hitting into a net 18 feet in front of the player and in domes, I see players that won’t take lessons and just beat ball after ball and have no clue what the ball is doing. Once spring arrives they can’t take a divot and barely get the ball airborne. What’s the answer to keep this from happening?
This goes right back to #10. Why on earth would you work hard on ball striking into a net? There are other skills players can be honed during the off season: mobility, stability, strength, speed, putting. Work on new movement patterns, learn about your mental game, take lessons on concentration and focus. I talk to my players about making the most of their time with the assets they have. I would not recommend spending a lot of time hitting into a net, or practicing putting on a punched green. There has to be better things to do with your time.

12. In my teaching there are 8 areas of the game, please prioritize these areas in regards to importance to scoring:
Putting-Driving-Ball Striking-Wedge Game- Chipping and Pitching inside 50 yards-Specialty Shots ( fairway bunkers, greenside bunkers, trouble shots, recovery shots) Ball Striking-Game and Course Management
Putting
Chipping and pitching inside 50 yards
Game management
Driving
Course management 
Wedge game
Ball Striking
Specialty shots

13.The only area that players can control 100% is Game and Course management. I have all my new students prioritize these areas before we start any lesson program , and not one student has ever made it Number 1. Wouldn’t the one thing you can control 100% at least be in the top three?
Most players  think they already do a good job of managing their games and the course, but also lack the knowledge of how to improve it. Unless they can play with great players or teachers and learn these things it is really about the school of hard knocks. 
  
14. I’m a big believer  in playing lessons. I try to make them affordable but it’s tough for a lot of teachers  because most teachers don’t have a facility that will allow them.  How can those teachers fill that void in their teaching programs.
Playing lessons are valuable on two levels; as an evaluation tool to decide what is important and for the ability to teach people how to play. Stats are a good way to assess and evaluate performance. I have been to tournaments to watch my competitive players play under tournament conditions which is illuminating to say the least. Finally, make a deal with a local golf course to allow you to play with 3 players at a time. Money is tight, many courses will encourage the incremental revenue.

15. You have had huge success with your juniors. How fulfilling is it to see those kids grow and mature into elite players and more importantly human beings and citizens?
Watching my players excel is hugely gratifying and I have developed long standing relationships with many of them that have spanned the 20 years I have been a full time instructor. In fact, my senior instructor Chad Beuoy started taking lessons from me 18 years ago when he was 13. Cash was tight for him back then so he trenched my yard for a sprinkler system in exchange for lessons. I have always admired his work ethic.

16. What is the ideal age to get a youngster started in the game?
As soon as they show a love for the game.

17. Coach or Teacher? What’s the difference?
I prefer coach because I feel like I am helping them to discover what works for them. I help them to see a trail that they must blaze. They do the hard work and determine their level of success.  

18. OK, here is a touchy subject. Two part Question- A. In your opinion, what  % of swing faults  are physical causations?   B. I’m a certified TPI Fitness Professional, I’ve done a great deal of physical screens since I was certified in September of 2009 and I’m not convinced that most golf pro’s are qualified to just go through the certification process and be cut loose to perform  screen’s without the sophisticated technology that something like K-Vest or AMM provides. Yet, in the eyes of TPI I am? What say ye?
I would say that at least 50% of swing issues have a physical component. The swing and every other movement pattern will follow the path of least resistance.  There is so much information out there about how to swing that most people know what they are trying to do. Whether they should be trying to do what they are trying is another question. I would say that if a player comes to you and says, “I’m coming over the top, I know what to do and just can’t stop.” There is probably a physical component to it.
I say you will be much better at it in six months than you are now and that you are  much better now than you were two years ago. I was level 3 certified in 2007 and worked with my trainer/therapist closely for 11 years and I am getting better every day. I love  technology and think that 3D is an incredibly powerful tool, but in the end we are the people who are doing the coaching. The more tools we can use to evaluate the better. I think where golf professionals fail is when they try to become fitness trainers because they took a TPI seminar. That is not what it was meant to teach you. 

19. A high % of average golfers early extend the spine through and just prior to impact, yet I’ve tested those same golfers and they can perform a full deep squat. On the other hand, I have seen elite players that can’t come close to performing a full deep squat, yet they can get their hips 50+ degrees at impact without early extending the spine and have no problem keep their trail foot on the ground with that trail knee moving toward the lead knee with ease. Can you explain this to me like I’m a 5 year old. LOL
I cannot. Early extension (the linear movement of the pelvis towards the ball before impact) continues to elude me as far as being a movement pattern that I have success changing while maintaining tournament performance with my players.  If I can get players controlling the pelvic movements of rotation, tilt, and side bend within the parameters we establish, and they can accelerate their torso efficiently, I find they hit the ball well and minimize early extension. Just because someone has a swing “fault” doesn’t mean it warrants fixing if there is something else that will be more effective use of time with regards to lowering score.

      20. Zeppelin or Stones?
Black Sabbath!
Bonus Question:
Klipsch or JBL?
Neither I make my own :-)

Thanks to Don for taking the time to participate.







Thursday, July 14, 2011

20 Questions With Dr. Craig Farnsworth

There are a lot of teachers and coaches that want everyone to know who they've worked with. Some teachers figure that if they are allowed to watch a player hit a few shots and make a simple observation, that player should be considered in his  "stable".  I don't have enough space to list all the tour players that Dr. Farnsworth has worked with. In fact, it would be an insult to list them because with his experience, credentials, and accomplishments, it's unnecessary. In the three months I've been a member of the golf instructors community on Facebook, I've read several posts by Craig Farnsworth, and obvioulsy I knew that he has worked with several tour professionals, but until I read his professional bio and resume, I had no idea the scope of his expertise and professional credentials. Here is just a taste of what Dr. Farnsworth has accomplished in his 40+ years career.  

If you asked him what he does for a living he would likely tell you that he is a Sports Vision and Performance Specialist.  But he is one of the most professionally diverse individuals I have encountered in our business.  After graduating with a BS from Indiana University in 1963 he went to the IU College of Optometry becoming a doctor of Optometry in 1966. That same year he became the staff optometrist for the US Army at Fort Monroe, Virginia. He has developed and conducted studies and designed pilot programs for macular degeneration, gas permeable contact lenses, bi-focal lenses for Bausch and Lomb, and headache therapy, as well as alignment and sunglass studies for Golf Digest. Also, how many golf pros do you know that have trained the United States Army Special Forces Operators? That's right, not only has he worked with them, he has been allowed to visit their highly secret training facilities. When those guys leave a message in your inbox, you might be in demand. I can't mention which unit he worked with but let's just say it's  THE unit.

He has also worked as a consultant to the United States Secret Service marksmanship instructors,The US Department of Energy Nuclear Response Team, The US Federal Air Marshals, The US Olympic Shooting Team, and the US Olympic Hockey Team.

He has lectured and conducted clinics in Russia, Italy, and was the first president of the European Sports Vision Academy.

He has written articles for just about every golf publication in existence. He has shot dozens of instructional videos, and infomercials as well as appearing on the The Golf Channel.
 
If there is one instructional book that has been published in the last 5 years that every teacher should own and recommend to your students, it's Golf Magazines- The Best Putting Instruction Book Ever. He has a 12 page outline of what he believes is going to help you become a better putter- RIGHT NOW ! Who would have thunk that such a mainstream publication could deliver something so useful? It looks like a big glossy coffee table book. Maybe because it is. He is one of 10  putting experts in America chosen for the publication along with Stan Utley, Mark Sweeney, Marius Filmalter, and David Edel, among others. You can purchase it from Amazon for $20 bucks. Sorry Doc ;-)

Dr. Farnsworth is also the author of See It & Sink It- Mastering Putting Through Peak Visual Perfromance. I think it's safe to say that Dr. Craig Fransworth is arguably the most prominent sports vision expert in the golf industry. It's an honor for me to be able to conduct this interview. 


1.     What’s the difference between an optometrist and an ophthalmologist?
The ophthalmologist goes to medical school and is trained to examine the eyes for visually-related problems, including disease as well as perform surgery, including LASIK.  An optometrist, graduates from optometry school, must also pass national and state testing and is held to the same standards as an M.D., to correctly diagnose and correct visually-related problems with lenses, therapy or medication.   They only perform minor, anterior-related surgeries, namely foreign-body extraction. 
2.     I’ve always contended that a golfer will swing differently because of their visual perception of what they see when they stand to the side of the ball on an inclined plane than they would if the ball was on a 4 foot tee on a horizontal plane. Does this make any sense at all? If so, can you explain that phenomena so a hillbilly like myself can understand it, and better yet , how can I explain it to my students?
In my opinion, the difference in angle of gaze and distance from the eyes, combined with the ball being higher, places the hands and swing plane closer to the shoulders - a flatter plane, so physiologically, it is less eye-hand challenge.  Doesn’t hurt that it relates more to a baseball swing for the experienced. 
3.     Bobby Knight or John Wooden?
Wooden, a true Hoosier-born, was a gentleman and a genuine example of a coach/teacher.
4.     What do you think the % of Tour Professionals is that can correctly aim their putter face straight at their aim point from inside 6 feet?
Consistently, less than 15 percent (without the use of the golf ball’s logo alignment aid) can hit a two-inch at five feet, outdoors, on the green.
5.     What about the average golfer?
Less than one out of 10 can aim inside the cup at 10 feet

6.     What role do you feel technology will play in 10 years for the instructor?
I perceive the same advancements exponentially, as we have seen over the last ten years.  More means and methods for the instructor to digest and convey, but with results too similar to the past.  We must still work with the individual to develop the basics of skills, i.e., eye-hand and eye-body coordination, balance, among others as well as the mental aspects in order to best impact performance.  Without these, we tend to primarily build splinter-skills. 
7.     Do you think that most of the low hanging fruit has been harvested in that regard? If not, what do you think is on the horizon in regards to teaching technology.
If we keep allowing “the inmates to run the asylum,” we fail to provide the short game experience as well as applying the basics (see answer #6.)  In addition, we are still working with a public that all too often is looking to buy a game or just swallow that magic pill. 

8.     Line on the ball or just go with your instinct when lining up a putt?
Empirically, if taught properly, logo line trumps all for aim.  94 percent of Tour players use it part or all the time in a 2008 Tour questionnaire.
9.     How can a guy like former Olympic shooter Lanny Bassham help a golfer?
Lanny is one of the few world class athletes who has done a wonderful job of also analyzing why and how when it comes to performance and organized it into a easy-to-apply instructional series.
10.      Is the notion that the human eye sees the environment upside down and the brain rotates it 180 degrees urban folklore or empirical fact, and how in the world did you guys figure that out? LOL!!!
The upside-down image on the retina is basic physiological optics of light, with light being transposed by the eye’s crystalline lens.  The brain then makes inferences based on the information the senses provide using trial and error and matches to reality, using movement through space - a key to the brain’s development.
11.      You have worked with more elite athletes in general and professional golfers in particular than probably all the teachers on the Facebook teachers group combined, what would surprise us the most about how they learn?
Thanks, but not sure of the comparison to others as you have plenty of great instructors in this mix. 
The elite, in my opinion, are first and foremost, better listeners.  They will attempt the drill or technique.  If it makes sense at all, they will usually apply it to a higher level than you presented it, and, wala, you become a “guru!” 
12.      Is it a fair statement that most elite amateur golfers and tour professionals really don’t know how they do what do, and if they did they would be for the most part paralyzed?
For some, maybe to a fault, avoiding quality information can haunt them when things go awry, and THEY WILL!  In their defense, they do have great feedback (proprioceptive) systems they find through discovery, that allows them to know the difference between good and bad swings.  Breaking it down into ten “easy pieces” can physically usurp their dynamic flow.
13.      Who were your sporting hero’s growing up in Indiana?
Not all from IN, but; golf - my father and Tony Pena, football - Otto Graham, basketball - Oscar Robertson and baseball - Jackie Robinson
14.      What has been the pinnacle of your career?
Wow, great question, and an easy answer.  Working with the armed forces elite commando units and honored to be at their hidden facility and for them to send instructors, every so often, to learn my visual/mental performance concepts and techniques.  They are THE TRUE HEROS!
15.      Can an elite hitter in the major league really pickup the rotation on the ball, and how quickly can they pick it up?
They have 1/5 of a second to respond to the information and make a decision to swing or take the pitch.  The elite recognize the difference in spin (and color) of a curve, slider and fastball.  Sports vision doctors teach techniques of how to perceptually slow down the ball’s actual speed. 
16.      You must be pretty jaded with all the athletes you have worked with in your career, who is the individual that just blew your mind with his or her aura of greatness?
NFL’s Tony Dorsett, would probably be right up there.  Even though in the twilight of his career,  he still impressed with his desire for knowledge and his ability to quickly enhance his depth perception with visual exercises. 
Of course, my favorite would be Sir Nick Faldo.  We have been friends since our first encounter in late, 1995.   Attending his knighting party in London was a delight!
17.      What does Dr. Craig Farnsworth do for fun? Do you have hobbies? What kind of music do like? What do you do to just get away from it all?
Used to collect stamps and 45‘s!  / Rock and roll, baby.  / But, nothing beats spending time with my wife.  She is my best friend, chief supporter and she loves life.  Her best attribute; she laughs at practically everything, including my warped sense of humor. 
18.      This year was the worst I have had in 20 years of teaching, how much longer will the economy continue to hammer the golf industry and what can we do about it?
Indeed, most of us are feeling it.  But, in a number of ways, golf has dug its own hole.  Harder courses, crazy green designs, long rounds, expenses and equipment “necessities”!   We must get to FUN: up tees, maybe six to nine holes and decrease the bill-of-fare.  Also, many club pros must find a way to promote better golf, not just manage the board of directors.

19.      What sport has the most skilled athletes?
Basketball
20.      What sports athletes tend to be the best golfers?
Baseball, followed by hockey
Bonus Question:
I have trouble losing track of the ball when I take full swings with my sunglasses on, is there a particular style or lenses that will eliminate that, or at least minimize it?
Most golfers believe, erroneously, the darker the tint the more the UV A,B and C protection.  Also, grey lenses tend to reduce contrast while a yellow/brown tint enhances figure-ground contrast.   In my experience, Peak Vision’s dual-zone technology (peakvisionsports.com) provides the best optics, the best impact protection and meets the difference challenges of the sun’s light and the grounds ambient light. 
Double Bonus : There are a couple of theories why tour players wear their sunglass on the back of their hat, Why is that? Because they don’t want them to fall off and hit their golf ball, or they don’t want to obstruct their sponsors logo?
See above - too dark a lens, poor color, optical distortion and, hmm, does the Tour not desire the eyes to be covered when the camera is rolling!!