{"id":1520,"date":"2014-02-02T18:45:52","date_gmt":"2014-02-02T18:45:52","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/theaposition.com\/teemoore\/?p=1520"},"modified":"2014-02-02T18:45:52","modified_gmt":"2014-02-02T18:45:52","slug":"q-amp-a-with-lou-guzzi-2013-pga-national-teacher-of-the-year","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/theaposition.com\/teemoore\/golf\/instruction\/1520\/q-amp-a-with-lou-guzzi-2013-pga-national-teacher-of-the-year","title":{"rendered":"Q & A with Lou Guzzi, 2013 PGA National Teacher of the Year"},"content":{"rendered":"

\"unnamed\"<\/a>Lou Guzzi, owner and PGA Director of Instruction of the Lou Guzzi Golf Academy at Talamore CC in Ambler, Pa., is the 2013 PGA National Teacher of the Year. The PGA of America\u2019s 28th Teacher of the Year, Guzzi, 51, was honored for his overall teaching performance, innovative instruction, media contributions and outstanding golfers under his tutelage. On Feb. 14-16 at DeVos Place in downtown Grand Rapids, Guzzi will be a headliner for the 26th West Michigan Golf Show, providing free clinics all weekend to golf-starved patrons. He becomes the 11th nationally honored teacher to appear at the Show, joining such names as Todd Anderson, Mike Bender, Hank Haney, Mike Hebron, and the late Jim Flick. Recently, Guzzi chatted with me on a variety of topics.<\/i><\/p>\n

What can golfers do over the winter to get ready for the spring?<\/i><\/b><\/p>\n

First, they can read books and articles that fit what they\u2019re working on in their swing. Second, they can check their swing in front of a mirror, making sure certain positions are correct. I recommend players in the winter take lots of swings in slow motion to get a feel for where they want the club to be. As always, it helps to be working with a PGA professional but many times books, articles and online sources are valuable resources.<\/p>\n

What about putting over the winter?<\/i><\/b><\/p>\n

Very important. I have a putting area in my carpeted basement where I work on making 10-foot putts for twenty minutes a day.\u00a0 It helps to maintain a putting stroke and feel over the winter, especially if you\u2019re lucky enough to have a sunbelt golf trip coming up.<\/p>\n

Speaking of golf books, what should be in every golfer\u2019s library?<\/i><\/b><\/p>\n

Well, number one is Ben Hogan\u2019s Five Lessons. <\/i>It\u2019s a classic and never gets stale. I also like Tom Watson\u2019s Getting Back to Basics, <\/i>Ernie Els\u2019s\u00a0How to Build a Classic Golf Swing, <\/i>and Nick Faldo\u2019s A Swing for a Life<\/i>. For the short game, I recommend Tom Watson\u2019s Getting Up and Down<\/i>\u2014a tremendous book.<\/p>\n

In terms of short game, I know you\u2019ve written in Golf Magazine about Phil Mickelson\u2019s wizardry around the greens. What\u2019s his key?<\/i><\/b><\/p>\n

It revolves around Phil\u2019s \u201chinge and hold\u201d technique for chipping. Phil\u2019s adamant that hinge and hold\u2014 as opposed to the often taught rigid wrist method\u2014 is the way to go. He wants players to hinge and create an angle with their wedge and then hold that angle through impact. It\u2019s a slightly descending blow that delivers a crisply hit shot with back spin. I\u2019ve also written about Phil\u2019s knockdown shot. For this shot, he never alters his ball position. Instead, depending upon the length of the shot, he merely reduces the backswing and thereby the clubhead speed. He\u2019s a master of it.<\/p>\n

Name some of your favorite swings on the PGA and LPGA Tours<\/i><\/b><\/p>\n

I like a trio of Australians: Adam Scott, Stuart Appleby and Steve Elkington. All have great swings. Someone under the radar is Y.E. Yang, the 2009 PGA champion. At the Masters last year on the practice range, I watched a lot of Yang and I was so impressed with his swing. He\u2019s very underrated. And last June just before the U.S. Open at Merion, Jason Dufner and his teacher Chuck Cook were at my Golf Academy working out. So I had an up-close and personal look at Jason\u2019s swing. Great positions throughout and not complicated. On the LPGA Tour, I\u2019ve always admired the simplicity and grace of Patti Sheehan\u2019s and Annika Sorenstam\u2019s swings. In their prime, their swings were hard to beat. Today, I also like the simplicity of Inbee Park\u2019s swing. With a wonderful tempo, it\u2019s beautiful thing to watch.<\/p>\n

In your long teaching career, what\u2019s the biggest change you\u2019ve seen?<\/i><\/b><\/p>\n

It\u2019s technology. Nowadays, teachers use launch monitors, Flight Scope and multiple cameras when working with their students. When it comes to video with my students, it\u2019s all about \u201cseeing is believing.\u201d But technology is only a tool that can accelerate learning and understanding. It shouldn\u2019t be an end in itself or be used as a crutch. Technology can\u2019t replace the keen eye of a good instructor.<\/p>\n

What about the golf swing? Has it evolved much in\u00a0the last generation?<\/i><\/b><\/p>\n

To some degree. But in my opinion the golf swing hasn\u2019t changed much in the last 50-60 years. When I go back and watch the swings of Sam Snead, Ben Hogan or even someone like the unheralded Peter Thomson\u2014who won five British Opens\u2014I notice they all have timeless, great swings. What\u2019s to improve? They were swinging back then in a way the best teachers today now espouse. Thomson\u2019s swing was so compact and centered, it\u2019s a model swing for anyone. Same for Sam Snead\u2019s or Ben Hogan\u2019s and a dozen more.<\/p>\n

What are your thoughts when watching Tour swings on television and some of the instant analyses by commentators?<\/i><\/b><\/p>\n

The instruction and analysis are all fine. But I don\u2019t think the average person, or even the average teacher, could guess the direction of a Tour player\u2019s golf ball after it\u2019s been struck unless they were standing behind them or had a launch monitor. It\u2019s so difficult for the naked eye to pick up a swing flaw when someone like Phil Mickelson is swinging at 118 mph and has a slightly open or shut clubface. At that speed, it doesn\u2019t take much for a shot to be off-line. Combined with today\u2019s equipment and golf ball advances,\u00a0 the modern swing is generating so much speed and power.<\/p>\n

Lou, name three individuals in your dream foursome.<\/i><\/b><\/p>\n

That would be my dad, who passed away in 2001, Ben Hogan, and Bobby Jones. They would all make for a wonderful day of golf.<\/p>\n

Tell us about your dad.\u00a0<\/i><\/b><\/p>\n

Unlike most PGA teachers, I actually taught my dad to play golf. When I was twelve or so,\u00a0 my dad used to take me to the driving range but he really didn\u2019t play golf. Later, I became serious with the game and developed some skills. After dad had a heart attack at age 50, he asked to go out with me to the course to get some exercise. That\u2019s when he started playing for the first time and he became my number one student for the next 22 years. He succumbed to cancer but even during that painful period he was an inspiration to me for how much he loved the game.<\/p>\n

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For more information about Lou Guzzi, visit www.louguzzi.com<\/a>\u00a0and www.westmichigangolfshow.com<\/a><\/p>\n

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