Putting Lesson:

What is it going to take to make you a great Putter?

“Its Simple Make more putts”

You will need to master 3 task to reach your goal.

1) Learn to role your ball end over end

2) Control your speed

3) Aim, be able to start your ball on line

If we are going to master the shorter shots, we need to learn how to hit a Low, Mid and High Shot from all around the green to score. Learning how to use the bonce is essential to accomplish this. Are you playing with the correct bonce on your wedges? Have you been fitted for your wedges or do you fit to your wedges? May be a good place to start!

How Do you get out of the Sand trap?

1) Ball Forward

2) Weight on Front leg

3) Club Face open

4) Take a Full Swing

5) Maintain the same distance from the ball, don’t move up a down, stay low and forward

Golf Lab, I have seen my students learn 90% faster when they create a place to practice at there house.

The Science Of Speed

The goal of this series is to provide a summary of the adaptations that occur from maximal effort training at high speeds. I hope to explain how these adaptations can lead to improved performance in athletic tasks requiring maximum forces at fast movement speeds. For you and I, the particular focus will be on club head speed. These adaptations are important for all high force high speed athletic activities however.

Having an understanding of these adaptations and making sure to stay on top of them as part of your training throughout life (all ages) will also have great transfer to your movement capacity in everyday life.
I like to call this “aging athletically”.

Most of these adaptations are distinctly different from those that occur as a result of heavy strength training with low reps, and moderate or light load strength training with higher reps. Unless someone is specifically training for speed, they will be leaving these adaptations on the table, which is a mistake.

This is not to say there aren’t benefits to heavier strength training when speed is the goal. There most certainly is and I will get to them at a later time. (I also post about them on Twitter almost daily!)

High speed movements require light loads, relative to the maximum amount of load we can move in that movement pattern.

The most common light load exercises you will come across when training for increased club head speed are:

• Maximum speed golf swings, whether this be with driver or speed tools that enable over and underload training.

• Jumps, med ball throws and slams.

• Band exercises at very high speeds.

• Weight lifting exercises performed in a ballistic fashion.

Maximum speed swings with speed feedback from a reliable device like the PRGR are by far the most important of those listed above.

Chris Beardsley, a strength and conditioning researcher from the UK, has put together extremely good information about the adaptations I am going to write about. Much of what I write will be taken from work he has done and I will try my best to credit him whenever possible. His material is very in depth and one of my goals with this series is to try and simplify it to help my understanding, and hopefully yours too.

what happens when we train with maximum effort at high speeds that makes us better at producing force at high speeds?

The short answer to this is a combination of neurological and physiological adaptations. A common analogy used to explain the difference between these two types of adaptations is to think of neurological adaptations as improvements in the software, and physiological adaptations as improvements in the hardware.

Neurological adaptations mainly improve our ability to send better signals from our brain to the muscles.

Physiological adaptations are improvements to the muscles and connective tissue structure and function.

I am going to start with neurological adaptations.

Neurological Adaptations

The nervous system is our command center. It is primarily made up of the brain and spinal cord. When we want to perform a movement, like swinging a golf club fast, we send a signal from our brain to our spinal cord. This message is then transferred from our spinal cord to our muscles via a motor neuron. When the signal from the motor neuron reaches the muscle, the muscle contracts.

As we practice / train specific tasks (high speed activities at maximal effort in this case) there are a number of enhancements to our nervous system that can occur to increase the force that is produced when this muscle contracts.

These adaptations are very important for increases in performance and are what we try to stimulate in training. We probably don’t need to worry about trying to have a certain training method to hit each adaptation. They are all going to happen from the high speed training stimulus (I think), but it is interesting to learn about what is happening. It’s also unrealistic we will actually be able to track our improvements in these specific nervous system functions, as we won’t be getting assessed in a physiology lab.

That’s not overly important though, as we are more interested in performance improvements. The most practical and important feedback we can get is club head speed (and ball speed).

(1) Messages get sent from the brain to the spinal cord. These messages are then sent from the spinal cord to the muscles via a motor nerve. The different colour motor units represent different motor unit types (explained below). The motor units are not to scale. The low threshold would be smaller and the high threshold, larger.

Adaptation 1.
Increased recruitment of high threshold motor units / fast twitch muscle fibers.

This is one of the few adaptations I will cover that occurs from both heavy strength training and high speed training. It is also extremely transferable across different speed activities. Getting better at this increases your maximum strength and maximum speed. This is because both of those activities rely on the ability to use our “fastest twitch” muscle fibers, and both fast and heavy training with maximum effort enhances that ability.

We all have three types of muscle fibers, summarized in the table below.

Muscle Fibre Types

Fiber TypeClassificationResistance To FatigueAbility To Produce ForceGood ForType 1Slow TwitchExcellentLowSustained endurance activitiesType 2aFast TwitchLowHighStrength & explosive activitiesType 2xVery Fast TwitchVery LowVery HighVery high speed & explosive activities

There will be differences in fiber type proportion between people.
This is largely down to genetics, but also training & activity. There will also be differences in fiber type proportions between muscles. This will be dependent on the muscles primary function.

From my understanding most of us do not have many type 2x fibers to begin with, and most types of training convert them to type 2a. This is something that I need to learn more about, and then try to write about. I have asked Chris Beardsley about this and he suggests it’s not a particularly big problem. The golf swing occurs over a long enough time period that the type 2a muscle fibers can hugely contribute to lots of speed production. This would be in contrast to something like maximal speed sprinting, where the foot is only in contact with the ground for about 0.1 of a second.

Muscle fibers are part of something called a motor unit.
A motor unit is a motor neuron, and all of the muscle fibers it innervates. All muscle fibers in a motor unit are of the same type.

Motor units are categorized by the threshold of force required to recruit them.

Motor Unit Classifications

Force requirement / effort levelMotor unit nameContains which fibers?LowLow ThresholdType 1Intermediate to highHigh ThresholdType 2aVery high to maximalHigh thresholdType 2x

The amount of muscle fibers controlled by different types of motor units varies greatly. Smaller muscles that control very precise movement, like the eye for example, might have as few as 5 muscle fibers in a motor unit.
The soleus which is one of the calf muscles and very important for posture has an average of 180 fibers per motor unit. The other calf muscle, the gastrocnemius which is used for more powerful movements like running and jumping has 1000-2000 fibers per motor unit. (2)

For low effort activities we will only recruit slow twitch muscle fibers.
As we gradually try to increase force we will still recruit our slow twitch muscle fibers but start to move down the continuum towards our faster twitch muscle fibers and recruit them too. When effort is maximal, we will recruit all of our muscle muscle fibers. Type 1, Type 2a, and Type 2x will all be pitching in to help!

In high force / high effort activities the slow twitch fibers won’t be able to help much, as their force production capacity is low, especially at high speeds. In high speed activities the speed of movement may be faster than the maximal contraction / shortening speed of slow twitch fibers, meaning they cannot tribute (3). This is why the specific training of our type 2a and type 2x fibers is so important in enhancing power output in explosive activities, like swinging a golf club faster.

The force production capacities of type 2a and 2x fibers do not get conditioned with everyday activities or cardiovascular / aerobic emphasized activities. Additionally, the loss of muscle fiber size and function with age is predominantly a type 2 – fast twitch problem (4). To maintain their size and functional capacity we must do some challenging resistance training, and some light explosive training.

Untrained VS Trained People

People who have not trained for strength or speed do not have the capacity to recruit their highest threshold motor units / fastest twitch muscle fibers.
To become proficient at this we need practice at trying to produce maximum force.

There is a huge difference between an untrained person and an advanced trainee both trying to produce maximal force in a movement. The advanced trainee will of course have bigger and stronger muscle fibers, but they are also much better at recruiting and using all of their type 2 muscle fibers. When they exert a maximum force all of their type 2 fibers are contributing. This is not the case for the people who have never trained for strength, speed or explosiveness. When they are trying their hardest, they are unable to access all of their muscle fibers, inhibiting their performance.

The good news is that we will quickly get better at this as we train, provided we are trying very hard with appropriate training.

If we stop training for a few weeks, or longer, we will start to lose our ability to recruit high threshold motor units / fast twitch fibers. We won’t return all the way to baseline, and we will improve the ability quickly after we resume training.

Summary

The ability to recruit our highest threshold motor units / fastest twitch muscle fibers is essential for performance in high force activities (like swinging a golf club faster).

If you are new to training for strength, speed, or explosiveness, you have lots of room for improvement in this capability.

If you have been training with high effort for a long time, you have probably exhausted or close to exhausted gains from this adaptation. You already know how to recruit all of or close to all of your fast twitch fibers. This means more improvements from this adaptation will be small or zero.
This doesn’t mean you cannot improve your performance, it just means that performance improvement will likely need to come from other adaptations.

Keep an eye out for future articles which will dig into the details on those.

I hope you enjoyed this article and please let me know if you have any feedback or questions.

Interested in a PRGR Radar for speed training? You can get 10% off with the code fitforgolf22 at this link.

References: 

Cover image: Golf Anatomy book by Craig Davies & Vince Dasaia

1) Nervous system diagram screenshotted from this great video: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=UnNGGD4-IHU

2) The Motor Unit – Neuroscience 2nd edition: https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/books/NBK10874/

3) Chris Beardsley Patreon: https://www.patreon.com/posts/fiber-type-46353424

4) Grosicki, G.J., Zepeda, C.S. and Sundberg, C.W. (2022) “Single muscle fibre contractile function with ageing,” The Journal of Physiology, 600(23), pp. 5005–5026. Available at: https://doi.org/10.1113/jp282298.
https://physoc.onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/epdf/10.1113/JP282298

WWW.Fit-For-Golf.com

 February 1, 2024

Letter of Recommendation for Dave Anderson

To Whom It May Concern:

Please accept this letter of recommendaton on behalf of Dave Anderson.

I met Dave in 2004 when I was looking to take up the game of golf. I recall reaching out to him

and being extremely impressed by the thorough evaluaton he did prior to making any

recommendatons. It was at that point I understood why so many people had referred me to

him.

As an ex-college athlete and coach, I have seen many coaches in my day and Dave is by far one

of the best. Watching his ability to teach family and friends with different skill levels always

impressed me. His experience helps customize individual plans for each person, seeng him

apart from all others.

His use of training aids and various means of technology proves he is a data driven coach who

will never be swayed by sight alone. His passion for making sure you are using the right

equipment and making swing adjustments on the fly are beter than anyone I have ever met.

This also allows him the ability to give lessons to a junior who is just starng or an adult playing

at the highest levels.

Lastly, as a family we have had the honor of having Dave be part of our daughter’s life since she

was 4 years old. His style not only develops amazing golfers, but she would not be the kid she is

today without his mentorship. I recall her coming home on mulple occasions where the

conversatons were much more than golf, they were life lessons. Some of these lessons

included how to rake a bunker, fix a divot, the mental aspect of the game, the edquete that

goes with playing and having fun but never losing your competve spirit. There were also

many tough lessons to be learned in this individual sport, and the fact that she always looked

forward to her next lesson shows a true balance that only great coaches have.

Erica has gone on to play Division 1 golf on a full scholarship and has accomplished more

individually and as a teammate than we could have ever imagined. Each week when we speak

to her at school, she contnues to do lessons with Coach Dave virtually where they exchange

videos and use technology to keep Erica on track. When she comes home on break or for the

summer, her first stop is always at the back of the range with Coach Dave.

I highly encourage anyone looking for an excepton golf coach or mentor to reach out to Dave

Anderson to learn more about his different programs.

Josh Scutt

To Whom It May Concern,

I am delighted to provide my enthusiastic recommendation for Coach Dave, who has served as

the girls' golf coach for the past six years. Throughout his tenure, Coach Dave has been

instrumental in shaping not only the athletic skills but also the character and values of my two

daughters, Aria and Naiya Patel.

Coach Dave’s commitment to instilling sportsmanship, integrity, and strategic thinking in our

girls has been exemplary. He goes beyond teaching the technical aspects of the game,

emphasizing the importance of fair play, respect for opponents, and upholding the principles of

honesty and honor. Under his guidance, our players have not only become skilled golfers but

also individuals of integrity both on and off the course.

One of Coach Dave's greatest strengths is his ability to build confidence in his players.

Through positive reinforcement, constructive feedback, and personalized coaching, he

empowers each student to believe in their abilities and strive for excellence. His

encouragement and support have been instrumental in helping our girls overcome challenges,

push their limits, and achieve their goals.

Moreover, Coach Dave places a strong emphasis on the importance of the short game,

recognizing it as a fundamental aspect of golf that can often make the difference between

victory and defeat. His focus on developing proficiency in putting, chipping, and pitching has

greatly enhanced the overall performance of our team and equipped our players with essential

skills to excel in various playing conditions.

Beyond his role as a coach, Coach Dave serves as a mentor and role model for our girls. He

leads by example, demonstrating dedication, discipline, and a genuine passion for the sport.

His positive influence extends far beyond the golf course, as he imparts valuable life lessons

and instills values of perseverance, resilience, and teamwork in his students.

In summary, Coach Dave's impact on our girls' golf game has been profound. I am confident

that his dedication, expertise, and passion for the game will continue to inspire and empower

young athletes for years to come.

Sincerely,

DJ Patel

02-25-24

To Whom It May Concern,

Fifty years ago, I had a head-on collision with an apparently drunk driver.
I spent two years learning to walk again after I was told I would likely not
ever walk.  I had always been athletic and worked out my whole life and
could not accept that idea.

When I took my son to Dave Anderson for golf instructions 30 years ago, Dave
convinced me that he could teach me to play.  I remember it like it was
yesterday, Dave taking a three wood and getting on his knees and hitting it
225 yards.  He said that he could teach me how to play with just arms and a
shoulder turn.  It was one of the most impressive and encouraging things I
had ever seen.

That day actually changed my life.  I have started over 50 businesses in my
career and had to work to find time to play golf.  For years, I only played
when I was traveling away from my hometown as when I was at home, I was at
one or more of my four kid's activities.  When my oldest son was 16 was the
first time, I began to play in the Atlanta area.  We played at public
courses around Atlanta.  Dave continued to teach me the shoulder turn golf
swing and helped me to see what I should do.  I could occasionally break 100
and shoot in the 90's.  I began playing 30 or 40 times a year in the 1990's
but would need Dave's watchful eye and voice of encouragement every few
weeks.  

In the early 2000's I began to play a little more and things started to
click.  I won my flight several years of the Club Championship and won my
flight in the Member Guest twice - winning the tournament one year.  A
couple of years later my son and I won a couple of Member Guests.  I
actually broke 90 a few times and shot 41, 45, 42 one day in the Member
Guest.

Dave continued to do very simple tweaks and worked to get me to visualize
them (which was the secret).  Golf was my personal challenge - me working to
see how I could be better at this game that I loved.  I realized early on
that I would not be that golfer that would win a metal tournament, but the
handicap system in golf allowed me to grind my way into being better and
better.  

Dave had taught me early in our times, to play fast golf as why take more
than one practice swing if you are not in a tournament.  Just hit the ball
and move on.  I learned that I could play with the best golfers, even
professionals if I didn't slow them down.  I have played my best rounds at a
pace of just over an hour per nine holes when playing with one other player.

Now, Dave has taught all of my four children golf and their kids.  My oldest
two sons are single digit golfers.  My daughter's son passed his PAT and is
pursuing golf as a career.  My middle son's three boys play junior golf and
the six-year-old was "Six-Year-Old Golfer of the Year" at Atlanta Athletic
Club in 2023.

I have been a member of seven golf clubs (still a member of two - TPC
Sugarloaf and Hammock Dunes).  I (now 72 years old) played 160 rounds in

2020, 180 rounds in 2021, 198 rounds in 2022, 205 rounds in 2023 - all with

Dave's tweaking me.  Dave has helped me continue to improve as I have been
breaking 90 about half the time in the Florida club and occasionally on the
difficult TPC Sugarloaf course.  In late 2023, I shot my career low round at
Sugarloaf of 81.  

What I really like about golf is it is me against the course and it is all
up to me.  That is what gets me excited each day to see how I can do my best
that day.

A few months ago, Dave was playing a round with me at Sugarloaf and he said
that if wives knew how great golf was for the mental health of their
husbands, they would insist that they played golf every week.

Dave Anderson has not only become a great friend and coach, but he has also
been one of the main influences in my life.

KEN GOSS

I was introduced to golf at the age of four by my father. My dad brought me to my first

Saturday lesson with Coach Dave in the summer of 2007. I had no idea at that moment that the

game of golf would shape me into who I am today. With all of the growing up that took place

over the 17 years that I have been playing and competing, the one thing that has remained

constant was my passion for the game. The game of golf acted as a catalyst for me and taught me

many life lessons. Most of these lessons were not learned at the moment but were discovered as I

looked back.

My story is very different than most since I have been working with the same coach since

the beginning of my career. This player-coach relationship was so crucial for me because he saw

the destination for me and drew up a road map to help me get there. As a team, we have worked

for many hours a week trying to figure out the “magic” of the game. Coach Dave’s passion for

always wanting to help me improve, and planting seeds of belief in me allowed me to become

who I am today.

The first lesson that I learned as a four-year-old was that golf was fun. This is a lesson

that I must draw on quite frequently. I remember the challenges and competitions on the course

that I took on without hesitation growing up because Coach Dave always made competing

enjoyable.

When I was twelve my passion for the game of golf was not as strong as it had once been.

I decided to split my time between golf and tennis. While tennis taught me eye-hand

coordination and speed it was not conducive to a good golf swing. The lesson that I learned from

tennis was that there was no feeling that compared to how I felt when I was competing on a golf

course. With tennis I did not have the confidence that Coach Dave instilled in me like I did with

golf. I knew at that moment that golf was the sport that I would ultimately choose. When people

asked me what sport I played the conversation pivoted from “tennis and golf” to “golf”.

The next lesson that I learned was around the age of fifteen. That’s when I decided to take

ownership of my game and set goals to play college golf. I learned very quickly that even when

you practice enough the game does not owe you anything. During hard periods of competing, I

needed to remember that eventually, the hard work would pay off.

At the age of eighteen, I committed to Austin Peay State University. I wanted to fulfill

my dream of playing Division One golf and competing against some of the best amateurs in the

world. With college, golf brought many new stressors and opportunities. I was reminded weekly

by Coach Dave that I had what it took to be great. He would remind me that it was okay to be

nervous but to always put my faith over fear. I took the lessons and advice that he instilled in me

and went on to win three individual titles and be a part of a conference championship-winning

team. During every round of golf, I am reminded that this is a game that my four-year-old self

found fun, and I want to play for her. I am reminded that this is the sport that I identify with and

want to pour all of myself into it. I would not be where I am today without how much time and

wisdom Coach Dave invested in me. There is no one that wanted me to succeed more than he

did. Coach Dave understood when to push me to work harder and when to tell me that he was

proud of all I was doing. I cannot imagine how my future would have unfolded if I did not have

the roadmap that he created for me 17 years ago.

Erica Scutt

Division One College Player