Chip Shots from Kelowna- September 1, 2010
.....It has been a wonderful summer in the Okanagan and for those of you who have never visited us let me say that the fall months provide some of the most pleasant golf weather you will ever encounter if you come to play the many spectacular courses in our area. We see many visitors at this time of year who combine their love of golf and our scenic vistas with a chance to taste the plentiful wines the Okanagan produces. Hope to see you here.
.....Monte's Golf Shop has experienced a great year as well. We have increased our inventory with many used and new items at great prices to better meet your golfing needs. The shop was profiled in Inside Golf
Magazine in an article written by Gord Montgomery in its on-line edition. Thanks Gord for such a well-rounded and informative article. I have had pupils visit me from different parts of Canada and the U.S. to take lessons and I enjoyed meeting you all and working with you to improve your G.O.L.F. games.
.....Congratulations to Emily Nicol, one of my Junior G.O.L.F. pupils on her fine play in the last two weeks. Emily placed 8th in the B.C. Juvenile Girls Championship at Glen Meadows in August and last week placed T5th in the P.N.G.A Ladies Publinx at Lake Padden in Bellingham, Washington. Emily is featured in the Swings section of my website and her swing has upgraded another 20 % since those pictures were taken. I also had two other pupils in the P.N.G.A. Publinx with strong finishes. Craig Roth finished T4th on the Men's side and Terry Nicol finished 8th in the Senior Men's Division.
.....Back in 1995 when I was doing a lot of work with Craig Roth and he made the Willingdon Cup Team which represents B.C. in the Canadian Amateur Craig was quoted in our local paper saying, "Monte believes in sticking with the basics. He keeps saying simplification through a system not through omission. When you have a system it eases your mind if you're under pressure." Of course Craig is speaking here of The Golfing Machine System and referring to 1-B in the book. Homer Kelley did us all a great service when he wrote the book The Golfing Machine and took the guesswork out of the equation. The System Craig refers to has stood the test of time because The Golfing Machine is chock full of concepts and ideas that are so practically applicable and work in the real world with every level of G.O.LFer. The book has scientific underpinnings to be sure but it is the tools that Homer provides for every teacher's toolbox whether it be The Aiming Point Concept or the Power Package Concept or Extensor Action or The Flying Wedges or The Stroke Pattern Concept or The 24 Components or The 144 Component Variations or Clubhead Lag or Chapters 4 and 5 on Wrist Conditions or Visual Equivalents or The Endless Belt Effect or Educated Hands or Basic Motion, Acquired Motion, and Total Motion, or The Mechanical Checklist, or Axis Tilt, or The Twelve Sections, or The Three Zones et al. which give the pupil a clear vision of what she or he has to do to play and practice the game with continual progress. There are also many sage and pithy statements in the book. Let us end on one. "Those who know how precise it can be, know best how precise it needs to be."
..... Best Wishes for the rest of the year and I hope to see you soon on my lesson tee. Monte Harris G.S.E.D.

Chip Shots from Kelowna-June 2010

.....A customer asked me this morning what I thought as a Golf Professional of the U.S. Open just completed this past weekend. I must admit I always find it one of the most fascinating and dramatic golf-viewing days of the year. The world's greatest players are tested at a difficult level that is almost hard to fathom. The precision and the patience required of these players puts them under the most excruciating pressure and scrutiny and their every move and word is monitored and dissected by legions of critics. I admire and applaud their great skills and their professionalism and they really do carry on the great tradition and spirit of the game in this hardest of all tournaments. Graeme McDowell is a true champion both with his golf and his comportment.

.....Summer seems to have finally arrived in the Okanagan and tounament golf is in full swing. This past weekend the British Columbia Zone 2 Men's Championship and B.C. Amateur Qualifier was held at the Kelowna Golf and Country Club. One of my long-time students Jason Monteleone was the winner with scores of 70-67. Congratulations Jason.
Jason and I have worked for many years on his game with principles from The Golfing Machine. Jason has been a wonderful pupil who works hard at his game, competes well, and is a true gentleman on and off the course.

.....For those of you interested in the book The Golfing Machine I always have copies for sale at Monte's Golf Shop. If you are just starting to study the book remember to carefully follow Homer Kelley's reading lists in the preface to enable you to start on the right foot in accessing this treasure trove of information. Always remember that The Golfing Machine is a System not a method and a well-trained Authorized Instructor is there to help you first evaluate your procedure and then to assist you in building a G.O.L.F Stroke that is Geometrically sound and Law (as in the Laws of Force and Motion)-abiding. Remember everyone is capable of far more than they do and a sound G.O.L.F. Stroke is possible for EVERYONE through intelligent pattern-building. You do not have to be plagued by the Compression Leakage and Throwaway that people show me every day. Touring Professionals are special people in many ways but in reality they just know how to "wait for it" i.e. Sustain the Lag which any person with an open mind, the power which the knowledge in the book provides, and a strong work ethic can also do. As I say elsewhere I love to work with beginners to tournament players and I hope to meet you on the practice tee. Best wishes for the summer.

Sustaining the Lag in Kelowna, B.C., Canada
Monte Harris, G.S.E.D.

Chip Shots from Kelowna-March Edition

...Spring has arrived early in the Okanagan and the courses are in great shape. I have lived all over the world and I can honestly say that this is a beautiful place to live and work. For all the out-of-towners reading this blog please come and visit us , play some great golf courses and enjoy our holiday paradise.

...As always at this time of year every golfer and golf fan is looking forward to The Masters. Last year I was fortunate enough to attend the tournament and one cannot exaggerate the beauty of Augusta National nor the excitement of being on such hallowed ground. The Par Three Contest last year was highlighted by the group of Gary Player, Arnold Palmer, and Jack Nicklaus. It was a great experience to see these three champions playing together.

...Congratulations to Morgan Decksheimer, one of my pupils since he was 13 years old. Morgan has been playing the Arizona mini-tours this winter and his last two tournaments on The Pepsi Tour have included a 2nd place finish at Coldwater Golf Club in Avondale (70-69) and aT-6 at Starfire at Scottsdale Country Club (70).

...Steve Elkington, a great player who has worked extensively with Ben Doyle, the First Authorized Instructor of The Golfing Machine, is off to a great start in 2010 and is always a wonderful model for us all to study and learn from.

...Remember what Homer Kelley says about your Hands at Fix (Stroke Component 8). "They must appear to be near , or covering, the Left Toe-nowhere near the ball.....Move back and forth between Address and Fix until you see that. That difference separates Pro and Hacker. Much effort and poor results is the giveaway. Without exception. In-put Out-put Power Ratio also is utterly dependent on Hand Location at Impact."
Verify your six alignments listed in 3-F-5, A. Clubface-to-Target-Line,
B. Grip-to-Clubface, C. Hands-to-Ball, D. Plane Angle, E. Pressure Points, F. Right Forearm Position. Remember what Homer tells you to do in 3-F-6, "Shorten the Stroke, slow the Stroke, or delay the Release until a positive Clubhead Lag can give the Hands a heavy Clubhead to drive (or swing) against the ball- at all speeds." This is great practical advice and he amplifies in 10-19-0 when he says, "Master first the Short Shots-where you have time for careful Monitoring per 3-F-6." When and if you decide to build a precision G.O.L.F stroke, The Golfing Machine with the help of an Authorized Instructor will teach you how to wait for it by introducing the concept of Clubhead Lag and the Five Step Assembly of every Stroke via the application of The Power Package and The four Power Accumulators from the simplest to the more complex Motions. You will become friends with your Pressure Points and learn to Monitor your Hands. Every new pupil I get each year has leakage in their chipping and putting right through their full swing and hasn't come close to reaching their golfing potential. The book takes this person from the murky world of "Downstroke Blackout" to a clear grasp of how to achieve the "one mechanical imperative in the Golf Stroke...CORRECT IMPACT ALIGNMENTS."

Welcome to monteharrisgolf.com and thank you for visiting our new website. Our store is entering its eleventh year of operation and I have been a CPGA Golf Professional and teacher of G.O.L.F. for 31 years. I hope I can put my experience to work for you and in the coming months and years help you to enjoy the great game of golf even more. Our store specializes in used equipment so please feel free to e-mail us with any questions in this regard. I am an Authorized Instructor of The Golfing Machine by Homer Kelley. I was authorized by Ben Doyle at the Doctorate level, a G.S.E.D. , and at this time there are less than 40 G.S.E.D.'s in the world. The Golfing Machine is a brilliant book and teaching system and has had a great influence on the game of golf. Many past and current PGA Tour players have had their games influenced by Authorized Instructors or teachers who credit the book for their knowledge. As I indicated in the Lesson section of the website I have always enjoyed taking on new pupils from throughout the world. Please feel free to watch the Swings section on my website to view the patterns of some of my accomplished pupils as well as developing students and also my own swing patterns to get a glimpse of the work we do. Again many thanks for taking the time to read this weblog and I hope the topics I discuss in the future will be of interest to you.

Sustaining the Lag in Kelowna, B.C.,

Monte Harris