Anyone who teaches golf using a drill that involves hockey skates is certain to get my attention! The Director of the Richmond Hill Golf Learning Centre in Toronto, Shawn Clement, does just that, focusing primarily on momentum in the golf swing. Clement has been teaching and coaching golf since 1987, and is now on the top 25 list of CPGA Teachers in Canada as rated by Score Golf Magazine in September 2007.



Shawn authors an excellent website with links to insightful articles, dozens of his instruction videos on YouTube, and a "Watchdog Blog". Here you'll find great tips and instruction on all aspects of the game. His videos are very easy to follow, light-hearted, and packed with great instruction!

Interestingly, Shawn trains and plays from both the right and left side of the ball and carries a scratch handicap playing from either side. He has qualified and played events in several professional tours, such as the Canadian Tour and US Mini Tours, with a set of clubs consisting of seven right-hand and seven left-handed clubs in the same bag. This is the combination he used to qualify first in the 1999 CPGA Playing Ability Test in Montreal. This experience has been invaluable in teaching his students how to truly maximize their technique and potential on the golf course, whether they play right-handed or left-handed.

In addition to his personal coaching, Shawn also shares his expertise with a wider audience of golfers. Shawn has been a regular contributing instruction editor with Golf Tips Magazine since 2000. He has also contributed to numerous other publications, including Fairways and Score Golf Magazines, and is one of the first Canadian golf teaching professionals to appear on the Golf Channel’s "Academy Live" program.

Shawn has studied nutrition through the "Energy First" program for sustained focus during play, and fitness to make sure his students are in the right fitness program. He has worked with Sports Psychologist Bob Rotella and Peak Performance specialist Bob Palmer to help his students keep the right perspective and the right frame of mind. And of course Shawn has worked alongside some of the very best golf teachers, doctors, and neurologists, to make sure he has a full grasp of the proper fundamentals and teaching techniques available.

Plan to visit www.shawnclementgolf.com for some artful golf instruction.

As a sidenote, with a little help from the Artful Canuck and Artful Aussie (last post), my game is back down to my career low index of 3.3. I've shot rounds of 74 or below 6 times in the past 20 rounds! Yesterday, I shot 74 with 3 3-putts (missing 3 footers on the last 2 holes). The friend I played with noticed I was taking my putter back quickly and peeking after stroking the ball. After the round, I practiced slowing things down and keeping my head "Tiger-like" still. What a difference! That sub-70 round is coming!!

Labels: Golf Instruction, Links, Shawn Clement

Last month, after posting my Artful Golf Links, I started reading one of the golf blogs that I had recommended on a daily basis. I had only recently discovered this blog and quickly learned that this Australian blogger, Cameron Strachan, teaches a very similar approach to the game that I've taken, stepping outside the box and thinking a little differently.


Aussie Golfers by DJ Bass at flickr

Interestingly, Cameron's approach was inspired heavily from instruction he received in Scotland from Kendal McWade, who was taught by none other than Fred Shoemaker! Also interesting is that Cameron worked with another artful Aussie, Aaron Baddeley, before he was a PGA Tour star, on his putting game. Baddeley is well known for his putting skills, which were on display yesterday as he battled Tiger all the way to the 20th hole in the Accenture Match Play Championship.

Cameron spoke to Baddeley about keeping the putting technique simple and learning to trust his subconscious to perform the motion. The foundation of Strachan's approach is this learning to trust your subconscious, and to play automatically. This theme of playing automatically is discussed frequently and in depth in his daily blog entries, an approach that first requires that you quit trying to fix your swing!

In a recent blog post, Cameron shares, "I think improving at golf can be difficult because the path to do so is not always obvious. In fact, I believe if you want to reach a higher level of play you need to take counter intuitive steps. These steps are not obvious and actually go against traditional concepts. This approach can feel uncomfortable and requires a shift in mindset. Uncomfortable - yes. Beneficial - YES!"

He then lists some of his "counter intuitive" steps, most of which I'd already incorporated into my own approach to learning and playing the game. Among my favorites of his suggestions are to try less, think less, and practice less, and instead play more and most importantly, leave your swing alone - quit trying to fix it.

After initiating some dialog with Cameron via email and sharing a little of my own story with him, he sent me a copy of his ebook which includes unique instruction on basic golf mechanics and on how to find your natural game. He also sent me his ebook on putting.

The vast majority of swing instruction assumes that if you can groove your swing it will naturally give you a better golf game. Cameron believes, "that improving at golf can never be as simple as changing your swing or thinking positively." He says that the first step in learning how to go automatic and play naturally "is to stop fixing your swing. At least for the moment (you may find out down the track you may need some adjustments). Continual fixing does not allow for one to get into the automatic phase, at least not consistently."

He teaches his students to accept their swings and imperfections and to learn to appreciate and score with their own unique abilities and limitations.

"When you swing naturally and automatically", Cameron says, "the golfer's mind is not filled with irrelevant details about the technique, but rather, where do I want the ball to go? He then allows his automatic process to do it. He simply repeats this process until the final putt is home... This does not mean that every shot is perfect. The bad shots remind us that we are human, the game is an art and even good shots can get a bad bounce... The beauty of golf is that it can be played and played well by many different types of people. There are short hitters, long hitters, fast and slow swingers just to mention a few. All of these people can play the game to their own high standard if they allow it."

"Golf is a magnificent game as it allows the cat to be skinned many ways, no one is disadvantaged if they learn to play their game and not someone else's."

"If you want to play your best golf all of the time, then you must learn to trust your swing. And the only way to do that is to commit to the automatic process... The best time to think about your shot is behind the ball. This is the time to work out what club to hit, the wind or whatever else you need to know. Imagine this process is like using a road map to figure out where you're going. Once you know where to go, you jump in your car and drive there, you don't worry about how to drive. Once you have made your mind up it is time to go completely automatic and hit the ball. This is when your subconscious will deliver your own natural swing... I call this playing with your heart! You give up full control... what you get back in return is YOUR own swing."

"The beauty of learning to automate your skills is that your subconscious will do the hard work for you. There's no need to worry about every small detail. Your subconscious mind is suited perfectly to putting or swinging well... you just have to let it!"

Plan to start visiting Cameron's Artful Golf Blog regularly and consider purchasing his ebook, Golf Instruction 2.0. Cameron is now offering his Perfect Putting ebook for free. You can find Cameron on YouTube too!

Labels: Books, Cameron Strachan, Golf Instruction, Links

Over the past year or so, I've collected what I think is the largest golf blogroll on the internet. Although I've only posted a handful of my favorites in my "Artful Blogs" list in the right column of this page, my complete list of golf blogs is rapidly approaching 300! And this list only includes the blogs and news sites that publish an RSS feed.


Chambers Bay Golf Course by mistymisschristie at flickr

I've found blogs that offer information about golf courses, golf destinations, golf instruction, golf equipment, golf rules, golf books, golf tips, golf news, golf photos, golf videos, golf fitness, and personal experiences playing golf. Some bloggers share their quests to play professionally, some to reach scratch, some to simply learn the game or to play their best. These blogs include experts from club making to shot making to course design and photo taking. Most simply share news from the world of professional golf, but many provide insightful course reviews, travel recommendations, and plenty of advice.

Make sure to browse this growing list of golf blogs, including my new favorite by Cameron Strachan from down under. Cameron provides great instruction using a mixture of science and natural learning principles to help you play a better golf game. Then there's the Wedge Guy who not only shares everything you wanted to know about wedges, but some great advice on the short game too. And for some excellent video instruction, visit Shawn Clement Golf.

You can get great reviews of golf resorts and vacation packages at Golf Vacation Insider. If you're brushing up on the rules of golf, make sure to visit Free Drop by rules expert John Vander Borght. Mike Pedersen can help if you're finally ready to get fit, providing great advice on strength training, stretching, nutrition, and exercise. Or perhaps you'd like to follow a golfer's pursuit of golf's holy grail, playing the Top 100 Golf Courses in the world. For everything you wanted to know about golf architecture, head over to Ian Andrew's Caddy Shack. A favorite for equipment reviews and golf news is The Sand Trap and if you want opinions on everything golf, don't miss Geoff Shackelford.


Mørk Golf Club in Norway by SvendO at flickr

Although I don't consider myself much of a photographer, one of my favorite websites is flickr.com. Flickr is a thriving online community for photographers of all types and abilities, including plenty of golf enthusists. Each member gets their own "photo blog" where they can post photos and other members provide critique. You can check out the most recent golf photos posted by these members here.

You can find photos taken of golf courses in Michigan, the California Central Coast, Ireland, Bandon, Washington, Chambers Bay, California Bay Area, and lots more.

Flickr also provides groups where members can post their photos for a particular interest or category. There's a Golf Course Photography group, Golf group, another Golf group, Blog du Golf group, and of course, a Golf Babes group.


Old Tom Morris by Chris Gallow at flickr

A final place to spend some time to get some advice for your game, your next vacation, or your next club purchase are golf discussion forums. Some favorites include Golf Club Atlas to discuss the world's finest golf courses, GolfWrx and The Sand Trap to discuss the latest in golf equipment and tour news, and Shivas Irons Society to discuss golf literature and art (this forum is new and needs a jump start - don't hestitate to share your opinions). Another popular forum is hosted by Golf Digest.

Hopefully you're spending more time outdoors on the links instead of inside surfing these links, but if the weather's really bad, you can at least play these Mini Putt Games or this impressive new World Golf Tour. World Golf Tour is made entirely with Flash using real golf courses. The first course that they have is Bali Hai Golf Club in Las Vegas, but they're working on digitizing the Kiawah Ocean course and Pinehurst #2 and #8. According to an article in Fortune, it currently takes about a dozen people and six months of work to digitize a course, a process that costs the company $200K. If this takes off, new courses may pay that fee to get in the game and promote themselves! The game right now is limited to a closest to the pin contest, but eventually they'll have full online tournaments, complete with prizes, and you'll be able to play online with your friends in a virtual foursome.

Please don't hesitate to add a comment and share links to some of your favorite and most artful golf websites!

Labels: Golf Blogs, Golf Forums, Golf Games, Golf Photos, Links

Since picking up the game of golf just over 2 years ago, I've been most influenced by Fred Shoemaker's approach to the game, playing Golf as Art. If you do an internet search for "golf as art", there is little information to be found pertaining to playing the game. However, you'll discover some very inspiring websites displaying golf course paintings, photography, and video. I've gradually been adding some of my favorites to the Artful Links section of this website. I'll introduce you to some of them below.


Approach to the 6th at Cypress Point by Michael Miller

The painting above is by Michael Miller. Miller was the head professional at the Riviera Country Club in Los Angeles from 1993-1998, even while he was honing his craft as a painter. You can find his work at GolfClubAtlas.com, in the Art and Architecture section. This website hosts one of my favorite discussion boards as well, frequented by several well known golf course architects.

Another artist I've discovered is Joshua CF Smith. Josh has always been in and around golf. From leading the way on his high school and college golf teams, to building courses along the west coast as a superintendent for over 6 years after graduating from college. Josh has learned to further appreciate the beauty of golf landscapes through capturing their very essence on canvas. You can find Josh's work at JoshuaCFSmith.com.

I was introduced to the golf course photography of Aidan Bradley last year when Monarch Dunes Golf Club opened on the California Central Coast. He was hired to photograph the new course and his work is prominently displayed in the clubhouse as well as their website. Bradley's portfolio, which includes top golf courses around the globe, can be found at GolfCoursePhotography.com.

Other favorite golf course photographers I've found include Kevin Murry and Evan Schiller.

Just yesterday, after making a post about The Wandering Golfer, I found the website of the show's cinematographer, Scott Wilson. Scott is now traveling the globe for show's 3rd season. Through this experience, he has developed a passion for filming captivating Hi Def images of golf courses and resorts. His work can be enjoyed at FlagstickFilms.com.

Lastly, a soon to be released golf art film promises to show the true nature of the game. "The Nature of the Game, A Visionary Tribute to Golf" will highlight stunning images of famous and diverse golf courses, and hopes to explain the inexplicable of why we love this game. You can view a trailer for the film at TheNatureOfTheGame.com and read more about the film in an article at WorldGolf.com.

Feel free to comment to share the links of your favorite golf artists!

Labels: Art, Links