Simple Enough: Insights and Lessons from a Pga Hall of Fame Member and Master Professional

By John Gerring

There is no question that golf is a challenging game that draws players of all ages and abilities to beautiful courses around the world. For any golfer, learning occurs at a deliberate pace, just like their swing. With that in mind, seasoned golf professional and teacher, John Gerring, shares a collection of lessons and insights into the game that teach a simple way to play and achieve results.

Gerringa PGA Hall of Fame member and master professional who has given thousands of lessons to beginners, advanced, and professional golfersemploys a unique style through personal reflections and anecdotes that lead golfers through his coaching experiences and game fundamentals while teaching straightforward methods to hit a golf ball, gracefully finish a swing, and accurately aim for a target. Through his lessons, golfers will also learn how to geometrically align their feet and shoulders, eliminate distractions, maintain the same style and swing for every shot, reduce the number of putts, fertilize strengths, and work toward goals in small, continuous bursts.

Simple Enough shares comprehensive golf lessons from a PGA professional that return to the basics and teach players of all levels that when it comes to the game of golf, one is never done learning.

• Language: English
• Publisher: AuthorHouse
• Release date: Feb 5, 2016
• ISBN: 9781504964647

John Gerring

John Gerring has been a PGA professional for over fifty years. He was the thirteenth professional in America to earn the title of PGA Master Professional, was ranked a “Top 100 teacher” by Golf magazine, was chosen as National PGA Professional of the Year in 1981, and was inducted into the National PGA Hall of Fame in 2005. John lives in Greenville, South Carolina.

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© 2016 John Gerring. All rights reserved.

No part of this book may be reproduced, stored in a retrieval system, or transmitted by any means without the written permission of the author.

Published by AuthorHouse 2/5/2016

ISBN: 978-1-5049-6465-4 (sc)

ISBN: 978-1-5049-6463-0 (hc)

ISBN: 978-1-5049-6464-7 (e)

Library of Congress Control Number: 2015919746

Illustrations by John Gerring

Any people depicted in stock imagery provided by Thinkstock are models,

and such images are being used for illustrative purposes only.

Certain stock imagery © Thinkstock.

Because of the dynamic nature of the Internet, any web addresses or links contained in this book may have changed since publication and may no longer be valid. The views expressed in this work are solely those of the author and do not necessarily reflect the views of the publisher, and the publisher hereby disclaims any responsibility for them.

CONTENTS

Preface

Here's to Wake Forest

The Beginning

A Personal Reflection

Simple and Complex

The Greatest Game

Just the Facts, Please

The Truth

Playing Within Yourself

Simple Versus High Tech

Arnold Palmer

Larry Nelson

Betsy King

Brooks Dendy

A Bit of Clarity

Brain Memory

Fertilize Your Strengths

Fundamentals

Three Favorite Golf Swings

Build a Slingshot!

Reality

Shrink the Graph

The Set-Up

The Right Picture

Shrink to Grow

What's My Worst Mistake?

The Grip

A Good Grip

The Stance

Shape of Your Swing

A Late Wrist Cock

The Two Tree Trunks

Flat

Forward Swing

Full Swing

Full Swing -- Simplify!

A Superior Move

Mistakes to Avoid on the Full Swing

Impact Position

Three Balls and a Hidden Target

Making a Swing Change

Clubhead Speed

Stability Means Repeatability

Pulling or Throwing?

Right Knee Post

A Big Help

One Constant

A Symphony of Alignment

It's Posture

Posture Again

Distance

A Bad Grip Position

You and Your Coach

Repetition

Always the Same

Simple Slice Cures

The Straight Left Arm:

Short Game

Bunker Play

Special Shots

Putting

A Discussion About Putting

Producing a Score

Your Game Plan

Motion

Distance Control

From the Neck Up (And Between the Ears)

My Pet Peeve

Better - Really?

When Everything Goes Right!

Scorecard

How Do We Learn?

How You Should Learn

How to Learn

More About Learning

Compound Learning

Failure

I Like This

Quitting

Stick to the Routine

Change

The Draw Hook is King

Changes are Difficult

How to Handle Pressure

Aging

Alvin Pap Sutton

Be True to Yourself

Be Well Connected

Boxing and Golf

Competitiveness

The Personality of a Winner

A Consistent Routine

Golf -- It's Always In Season

Artificial Help

Short Thoughts

Julius Boros

Madman Hill is Crowded

Nibbling

Practicing, Where is My Target?

What Golf Ball

In Summary

Final Reminders

Simple Enough

This book is dedicated not only to the greatest game but also to the golf swing itself. The swing continues to escape and challenge us all.

A ball lying at your feet and at your side---at the same time---will guarantee a lifelong chase with no end in sight.

PREFACE

I HAVE BEEN FORTUNATE TO have taught thousands of children and adults the great game of golf in my fifty plus years as a teaching professional.

Over the years, hundreds of those students have suggested that I put the principles embedded in my lessons in writing.

Simple Enough is not a book in the traditional sense. Rather, it is a collection of my thoughts and expressions about teaching golf. If you took lessons from me today, this is what you would hear, over and over again.

My recommendation is that you read these lessons one at a time, think about the message, and then practice them, at home or on the range. When you are ready, read another lesson. Move at your own deliberate pace, just like your swing occurs at your own deliberate pace.

It's Simple Enough.

HERE'S TO WAKE FOREST

I WILL ALWAYS BE INDEBTED to Wake Forest. I attended on a golf scholarship and loved every minute of my four years there.

When I arrived on the old campus in 1953, Wake Forest was a small school with approximately 1,800 students. Our facilities were inadequate, but we students came away from the Forest at Wake with more than book knowledge. Somehow, the soul of Wake Forest moved within us and made us want to contribute to a better society.

I was fortunate to have three outstanding golf coaches at Wake Forest. Each moved on to make his name in the sports world and to advance Wake Forest.

Jim Weaver was athletic director as well as the golf coach. He recruited me, and after my freshman season became the first Commissioner of the Atlantic Coach Conference and laid the foundation for what was to become one of the best-run conferences in America. Jim was ahead of his time.

Bones McKinney replaced Coach Weaver. He came to Wake Forest to study for the ministry after his illustrious career in the NBA. While a student at the Seminary, he was the assistant basketball coach. So, I guess he took on the golf coaching duties in his spare time. He did not play golf, but he did coach Wake Forest to three ACC Championships in golf before being promoted to head basketball coach when Murray Greason retired. He coached our basketball teams to two ACC Championships and our only appearance in the NCAA Final Four. He was the funniest man I've ever known.

Jesse Haddock, who graduated from Wake Forest only a few years before me, was in an administrative function in the athletic department when he replaced Bones after my sophomore year. Bones had been promoted to head basketball coach. Jesse did not play golf, but he was a great recruiter and master motivator. During his thirty years as the golf coach, Wake Forest won fifteen ACC championships and three NCAA championships. Jesse is remarkable--one of a kind who loves Wake Forest.

Suffice it to say we golfers did not receive much instruction from our coaches. (We thought we didn't need it anyway -- four of us had fathers who were PGA pros.) The coach's job was to get us organized and transport us to various courses. We played our matches at Carolina Country Club in nearby Raleigh. The College owned a nine hole course that we called the hatchet factory. The clubhouse was so small we could hardly turn around in it. The team went to the matches in an old, beat up wood paneled station wagon we called the termite wagon.

The good ole days. Approximately sixty years ago. But I recall the names of my teammates and the fun times we had. They include Bill Greene, Eugene Sapp, Phil Weichman, Charlie Stock, Ken Worthington, Sonny George, Al Birmingham, Sandy Burton, Joe Turner, Mickie Gallagher, Dave Ogilvie, Ralph James, Tommy Helms, Henry Kerfoot and Red Sapp. Great players and wonderful friends. We won the ACC golf championship two of our four years, setting the stage for the tradition of outstanding teams that have brought glory to Wake Forest.

Old Alma Mater's sons are we.

THE BEGINNING

THE REVERED CULTURES AND TRADITIONS of all our lives seem to be shrinking and fading away. Where are all the good manners of yesteryear?

One refuge seems to be the golf course, and we must respect it. There is no need to spit. There is no need to use profanity. The game of golf is well beyond a spit and a curse.

When you see competitors doff their caps and shake hands after a closely fought match, you know golf is still alive and well.

Why not wish your opponent well and mean it? Because, really, how you play the game is the trophy you want to win ... and still be remembered.

A PERSONAL REFLECTION

WHEN I REACHED THE AGE of eight, my father took me to work with him. He was