The First Tee of Silicon Valley

The First Tee is an amazing organization.  It started in 1997 as a partnership between the golf giants - LPGA, Masters Tournament, PGA of America, PGA Tour, and USGA.

The goal of the First Tee was simply to get more juniors to play golf, especially kids who might not have access or exposure to golf in economically disadvantaged neighborhoods.

My kids both started in the First Tee Silicon Valley program since they were 5 years old, and they continue to this day (the program runs through high school years). 

The First Tee Silicon Valley is hosted at Rancho de Pueblo in San Jose.  What makes this course special is that it’s in the heart of a very tough part of town.  So Rancho and the First Tee play a critical role in providing accessibilty for kids to learn, practice, and play golf. 

For $120, you can sign up your child for a eight session golf program.  That’s right, for $15 per week, you can have your child participate in a 8 week program and each session is 1.5 hours.  It’s amazing.  Don’t expect PGA Class A golf instructors*.  Do expect golf coaches who are passionate about the game and people who are great with kids.  You also have youth (high schoolers) as coaches.  I think it’s great to have high school students as coaches, as it provides role models for the young junior golfers.  (*At the First Tee Silicon Valley, there are also some LPGA certified instructors as First Tee Coaches.  That’s pretty cool.)

To me, the best thing about the First Tee is that my kids get an opportunity to have fun with other kids in a safe, golf-centric environment while learning life lessons.  In fact, the First Tee essentially uses golf as a vehicle to teach kids 9 core values: honesty, integrity, sportsmanship, respect, confidence, responsibility, perseverance, courtesy, and judgment.

The staff at the First Tee Silicon Valley is world-class.  Khristine is the program manager, and she’s exceptional.  Highly responsive, friendly, and deeply cares about each junior golfer in the program. 

Check out a First Tee program near you. 
www.thefirstteesiliconvalley.org
https://thefirsttee.org/

Teacher: Mike Bricker, Pruneridge Golf Center

For about 8 years, my kids and I took lessons with Mike Bricker.  Mike is the head teaching professional at Pruneridge Golf Center, Santa Clara California.

In an effort to constantly improve my game, I’ve always taken lessons.  What I found refreshing about Mike’s approach is that he works with your swing, and tailors his approach to what resonates with you.  I never felt he was trying to force a swing type onto me.  Instead, I always felt that he would seek to understand my tendencies at the time, and provide tailored feedback to improve the swing.  I really liked that. 

As an avid connoisseur of swing types, I would frequently bring youtube videos to a lesson.  Freddy Couples.  Lydia Ko.  Luke Donald.  Mike was always open to listen to my thoughts about these swings, patiently answered my questions, and we talked about what to take away from those videos to apply to my game.  Some other teachers I’ve come across don’t react in this way, as they took offense to discussing swings different than what they were prescribing and what we were working on. 

Short game is another strength of Mike.  His short game coaching is very clear and sound.  His methods are very similar to Pelz.  We played many putting and chipping contests, and he’d win 99% of the time.  There are the once or twice times I won, and it was great to savor that short-lived taste of victory until the next lesson.  Pruneridge has a great practice bunker and chipping green, so we spent plenty of time working on this critical aspect of the game.

Mike is great with kids, and he taught both of my kids starting when they were 3 years old.  His teaching methods are engaging as well as resonating for kids.  Both my kids would be eager to see “Mr. Mike” every weekend.  We coupled lessons on the range with lessons on the course.  Mike laid a great foundation and passion for the game with both of my kids.  If you have kids, you may want to try one of Pruneridge's FREE junior clinics every Saturday.  Mike and Jeff usually conduct these classes and it'll give you a sense of their style and if it works for your child.  I remember seeing one student swing during this clinic, and I asked her how she got so good.  She told me her mom just took her to this free clinic for a few years.  I was amazed. 

Overall, I highly recommend Mike to anyone - young, old, aspiring pros.  He will improve you game, and you will have fun on your own journey to greatness.

For more info:
http://www.golfpruneridge.com/
http://golfdoctorpro.com/

  

 

Zen in the Art of Archery

Zen in the Art of Archery by Eugen Herrigel.

My favorite "golf" book.  I've read this book multiple times and it continues to enlighten me.  Although the book is about a person's quest for zen in archery, everything is applicable to our own quest for zen in golf.  A must read and I hope you also find "it" - freedom in your golf game.

Available on Amazon.