Kiawah Island Golf Resort National Pro Am / March 13-17, 2011
More often than I'd imagined, we here at Lynn Blake Golf experience a very pleasant surprise. That happened again this past week at the Kiawah Island Resort National Pro Am. http://www.kiawahresort.com/golf/tou...ampionship.php
I'll come back to the event in a moment, but first, a little background . . .
About a year after I established my 'world headquarters' at Cuscowilla, a new assistant, Wayne Watts, PGA, came on board. I remember meeting him briefly in the cart staging area, but over the next few months, we had little contact. (Lynn Blake Golf, LLC, is entrepreneurial and independent of Cuscowilla.) Then, late one summer evening as I was wrapping up, I saw his lone figure practicing at the far end of the range.
It wasn't pretty.
His swing was extremely flat, with the arms all bound together and held close into his body, under even the flattest of acceptable Planes. His talent was obvious, but no match for the flawed swing mechanics he had been taught. As a result, his shots were flying every whichaway, and his frustration was palpable.
When I went down and offered to help, he gave the green light.
I explained basic concepts and didn't pull any punches: some things simply had to change. He agreed, and we began The Journey. I left a half hour later -- dark-thirty -- knowing the seeds had been planted. I did not know then how earnestly Wayne would apply himself -- -- but I did know that the work was good and that we would be spending more time together.
That was eighteen months ago.
This past Thursday, in high winds on the famed Ocean Course, the unheralded Wayne Watts won the Pro Division of the Kiawah Island Resort National Pro Am -- by eightshots.
Oh, almost forgot, his Cuscowilla team -- all his students and aficienodos of Alignment Golf -- won the tournament proper.
A good day.
Congrats, Wayne.
In a relatively short period of time, you:
-- Mastered the principles of Alignment Golf;
-- Totally changed your approach to the game and your own swing; and
-- Earned the designation Lynn Blake Certified Instructor.
Last week, you took what you've learned and executed under the gun in a major four-day competition. You deserve the trophy (and the cash!).
We'll get photos up when they become available. For now, though, just know that 'ol Yoda is a mighty proud papa.
I am supposed to fly to Atlanta on April 17th. After this story, I've decided to start walking to Cuscowilla, TONIGHT!
Those I meet along the road will be treated to my version of many different LBG stories. Those who are interested can walk with me.
Congratulations to all involved!
ICT
__________________
HP, grant me the serenity to accept what I cannot change, the courage to change what I can, and the wisdom to know the difference. Progress and not perfection is the goal every day!
I have never seen him play. But I know he is a swell guy. He heard I was interested in a 3 Wood. While I was practicing he drove and fetched two demo clubs from the proshop and gave me a good deal. I now am the proud owner of a Cobra 3 W. My set is full at last - free at last - Like a dream. (I hope it's the same Wayne we are talking about).
My set is full at last - free at last - Like a dream. (I hope it's the same Wayne we are talking about).
Air has opened the door for the "rest of the story".
Last week, Wayne asked me to take a look as he prepared for the Championship. He was 'almost there', but something wasn't quite clicking. He knew it, and the occasional push-cut joined in the chorus.
One swing told me all I needed to know: Arch Enemy #1 -- Steering -- was alive and well. I showed him what was going on, and we did a few drills to free his Golfer's Flail (Arm Swing and Wrist Action). The corrections in place, each new swing sent the ball soaring straighter and straighter and higher and higher and farther and farther.
In my best Martin Luther King, Jr., oratory, I began to preach, "Free at last! Free at last! Great God All Mighty . . . Free at last!"
Wayne picked up on my message and spent the rest of the lesson chanting before each swing, "Free the people! Free the people!"
That's the way I left him the weekend before the tournament. When he returned victorious on Friday, he told me (and a half dozen other well-wishers milled 'round), "I had only one swing thought the entire week."
In G.O.L.F what is "the people" and what are they being freed from? The Arms swinging freely, independently from the Pivot...........as in the McDonald drills? The golfers flail specifically with Wayne?
-- but I did know that the work was good and that we would be spending more time together. 
Linear Mode
