Enjoy this post by Dan Defreest:
Mentors
Good morning from Classic Swing Golf School in Myrtle Beach SC.
There’s an old saying, “Behind every good man, there’s a good woman.” I’m going to modify that comment by saying that behind every good golfer, there’s another good golfer!
Virtually every successful golfer in history can point to another golfer that has influence or helped them to achieve success. Even the great Ben Hogan who was thought to have never had a mentor, had one, his name was Henry Picard. It was Picard who gave Hogan the lesson that changed his game, Hogan had a terrible duck-hook that he struggled to control, Picard changed his grip and weakened it, the rest, as they say, is history. Hogan then combined his own theories with what he learned from Picard to become the most dominant golfer of his generation
Hogan wasn’t Picard’s only success story, he worked with another struggling golfer named Jack Grout. Grout was Picard’s assistant at the Hershey Country Club in Pennsylvania for several years and became and was heavily influenced by Picard. Grout had a moderately successful career on the PGA tour, but his real accomplishments were as a teaching pro.
In 1950, Grout became acquainted with a 10 year old golf prodigy named Jack Nicklaus. Grout tutored Nicklaus throughout his youth and his professional career. Raymond Floyd was another one of Grout’s students who went on to win 22 PGA tournaments including 4 majors.
Another great golfer, Arnold Palmer was instructed by his father Deacon. Once during Palmer’s great years he struggled with a slump. After studying films of his son, the elder Palmer noticed that Arnold was loosening his grip at the top of his backswing and re-gripping the club. Palmer corrected the problem and went back to his winning ways.
Another set of eyes can make all the difference in your game, come see our professionals at Classic Swing Golf School, whether you’re on track or you need to get back on track, our staff has the training and knowledge to help you. – By Dan Defreest