Detailed Attention to Swing Fundamentals and Sound Biomechanics
You won’t find any secret moves taught at the Wadden Golf Academy. We only teach fundamentals that are found empirically in swings of the best players in the world and documented through biomechanical research and high speed video. A golfer’s ability to achieve his/her full potential rests upon the ability to integrate and master golf’s essential fundamentals:
- The correct grip
- A correct loading of the right arm at the top of the backswing
- A proper rotational torque around the body’s core
- A shaft that stays “on-plane” throughout the swing
- A balanced and “connected” finish that allows the body’s rotational momentum to continue in an uninterrupted manner through impact
We differentiate ourselves in two areas: First is an insistence that our students learn to form a perfect grip. This critical fundamental is often diminished by other teaching professionals if you hear: “There are three ways to grip the club, choose one that is most comfortable for you.” Seeking comfort rarely produces a good grip, yet a correct grip feels comfortable immediately. We agree with Ben Hogan, who began the opening sentence in his bestselling book: Five Lessons: The Modern Fundamentals of Golf with the statement “Good golf begins with a good grip.”
Second is strict attention to a balanced finish. We show our student’s how to build a properly “architected” finish that enables the body to release toward the target after impact and promotes a sense of purpose that begins right from the start of the swing. A proper finish that is so balanced and comfortable … you can’t wait to get there!
The Teaching Sequence Matters
Since the move away from the ball is the initial action a golfer performs, it is intuitive to think that the backswing should be the beginning focus of instruction. Many instructors follow an incremental approach that teaches the swing in a sequential phase beginning with the takeaway, then the top-of-the-backswing, down to impact, and finally the follow-through.
Our students are often taught in the reverse order. First, we show them how a perfect grip facilitates a necessary and powerful “hinge” between the left arm and the club. We then proceed with the “end-in-mind” and teach our students to make a complete, connected, and balanced finish. Our experience shows that remaining problems in the backswing are minimized once a student has mastered the correct grip and follow-through.
This marks an important moment. The rotational requirement to finish the swing in balance typically creates more solid impact and promotes a ball flight that finally begins to draw. This leads to an immediate sense of satisfaction and excitement that one might finally begin to conquer the endlessly complicated game of golf. With this as a foundation, we then teach the basics of a backswing that properly transfers weight and stretches muscles that instinctively want to unwind into impact. Once our students get their grips and rotational weight transfers correct, a swing plane that is “on-plane” becomes baked into the cake.
Integrated Swing Instruction and Clubfitting
Are you concerned when your instructor refers you to a separate clubfitter? How could your clubfitter have any idea of the progress you are making with your swing? Should I change my equipment now to keep it from interfering with new swing changes…or should I wait to buy new clubs until my swing undergoes its next phase of improvement? These questions are best answered with an integrated approach to teaching and clubfitting.
Identifying the right moment to change equipment is an important decision. Getting it wrong can be expensive. Unless you are 5’10, have a 34”wrist-to-floor measurement, and a 95-100 mph clubhead speed, there will be some aspect of your equipment that will need to be customized to your particular swing and build.
We are expert clubfitters with an “open source” approach to clubfitting. With the flexibility to choose among a multitude of competing component products, we can help you cost-effectively optimize your existing set of equipment, create a lower-cost custom-fit alternative to the golf superstores, or put you into the highest-end equipment that money can buy.
World Class Putting Instruction and Putter Fitting
Until just a few years ago, putting was considered a black art. You were either a labeled a great putter or terminally diagnosed with the “yips.” Thankfully, some of the most significant strides in golf instruction in recent years have occurred in the area of putting.
Putting methods among touring pros are now converging toward a single “correct” stroke. We can show you the stroke mechanics the pros are using to achieve such outstanding results. Confused as to whether to take the putter straight-back-and-straight-through, as putting guru Dave Pelz advocates; or inside-to-square-to-inside, as Stan Utley recommends? We’ll show you why each expert is right in their own regard, and how to integrate both of these concepts correctly into your putting stroke. We’ll also fit your existing putter in a fashion that gets the shaft swinging on a plane perfectly aligned with your forearms, together with a putterhead that sits perfectly flat on the ground.
We Specialize in Coaching Competitive Juniors
Developing our younger students into top competitors is one of our primary goals. During 2009 through mid-2011, our competitive juniors have won over fifteen IJGA events. Not only do we teach young competitive juniors, but we are parents to them as well. Bill and Biv Wadden have both raised children that have competed successfully in high school and collegiate varsity golf, swimming and crew. We understand what it takes to be successful at both the local and national level, and can help your child develop appropriate competitive ambitions and realize them. You’ll also hear us continually stress how important their academic success is to being recruited by college golf coaches.
