Merri Daniel and Andy Reistetter are partnering in 2013 to document their experiences on tour. Through our “Outside the Ropes Entertainment” website we will cover a variety of story lines including growing the game of golf, travel golf, the people we meet, and the adventures we have along the way. Here is our chronicle for Week 4 at the PGA Show in Orlando. Taking a one week break from being out on tour at the Hyundai, Sony and Humana tournaments. We can’t miss the biggest show in golf! Enjoy the game; it’s the game for life!
Photograph: Bridgett Brennan (standing with microphone), CEO Female Factor and Author of Why She Buys and Stina Sternberg (seated), Global Golf Director and Columnist for Golf Digest teamed up at the 2013 PGA Show to present “How to Grow your Business with Women Golfers.”
What is interesting about Bridgett is that she is a newcomer to golf, seeking instruction for the first time in October 2012. Her expert opinion, supported by industry studies, is that women influence and spend comparably less in golf than other sports. This is occurring even though on paper golf is perfect for them from a lot of perspectives: has finesse versus brute strength as a sport, very social & co-ed, peaceful, natural setting, fashion is great and there are drinks and conversation afterwards. Golf needs to adapt and show women we want their business.
One striking thing occurred at her first lesson, the pro Billy Knilans at Willow Hill tossed her the keys to the golf cart and said let’s go play. Now she was in control, more comfortable and experienced the magic of golf out on the golf course. In a short period of time (remember she lives in Chicago), Bridgett gets golf and loves it because “what it is teaching me” and is locked into constantly improving her game. She wants to come back to the golf course for “more of that feeling.”
Women are natural recruiters of people, pied pipers to recruit family and friends in activities they love to do. Women can help grow the game of golf. It is literally not what golf can do for women but what women can do for golf. Though, unlike the Pied Piper of Hamelin, women in golf will lead us men to a brighter, better future, not doom and gloom.
We had the pleasure of interviewing Bobby Clampett in his Impact Zone booth. Before Merri went to Golf Academy of America a mentor friend of hers had just read Bobby’s book and told her that “he had been teaching golf wrong for 15 years and focusing on all the wrong things and that Bobby’s Impact Zone is the right way.” Andy has assisted Bobby during Masters golf broadcasts and received his first on-air credit from him.
Clampett, a private pilot, is a great guy all the way around and really has two tigers by the tail. With a million dollars in winnings on the Champions Tour in his pocket and golf instructors lining up to be certified in the Impact Zone, the young golfing prodigy is no longer young or a prodigy, he is the real deal today.
Style-based teaching is out of style as there are as many styles as there are golfers and all that matters to the ball and you and me is the Impact Zone. TMI, there is too much information out there and we need to get back to basics if we want to improve in golf. The genesis of Bobby’s Impact Zone is really his work over a 15-year period watching the game’s greats and analyzing their swings via slow motion cameras.
Consider it a “think tank” sort of sabbatical where the realization is that the low point of Tiger’s swing is 4 inches in front of the ball whereas us mere amateurs make contact with the ground or thin a shot on average 2 to 4 inches behind the ball. It’s not complicated, there is no mystery and the golfer, as well as instructors are now empowered to simplify the golf swing.
Bobby Clampett seems surprised as anyone with his dual success though in golf, like life, time after time it is proven that those with the passion and willingness to do the work will over time succeed. We wish Bobby all the success in the world and every golfer to take the opportunity to get it right and easy with the Impact Zone.
http://bobbyclampett.com/impact-zone/
