For the second year in a row now PGA Camps is happy to announce the continued partnership with COACH+.  COACH+ is an organization whose primary goal is to help develop stronger coaches.  Their team works in many different sports, with many different organizations (local sport, national sport and Olympic sport).  The collective experience their team has in the areas of coaching coaches, the understanding of youth development and how to blend the two together is immense.  The PGA Camps team is truly excited for the continued growth within our Directors and extremely thankful to have the opportunity to work beside the COACH+ staff.

Golf is one of the few sports that is known to be played for a lifetime.  There is truly something in it for everyone, especially children. Young people have the opportunity to learn about respect, responsibility, perseverance, positive self-talk, helping their playing partners/opponents and very specific course etiquette, all of which can be applied throughout life.

When children are brought into the game, they can make friends from all walks of life and playing abilities. Golf can also help them to develop their hand eye coordination, balance, their sense of “feel” and critical thinking skills. Your child will also be able to spend long periods of time outdoors, learning about agronomy, different climates and much more.

Golf is a rapidly growing sport and there is no time like the present to become involved.  Whether it is a camp, private coaching, group lessons or simply personal experimentation, all options are a start to your child’s journey in a sport which lasts forever!

You don’t have to be on the course or at the driving range to improve your game. In fact, you can often improve your game more off the course.

What can you do at home to help your golf game? Short answer: A LOT. No, we aren’t talking about buying a simulator or some solution that is going to cost you thousands of dollars. The simple most effective way to improve your golf game at home is to follow a golf fitness program like GolfForever. Your body—and your game—will thank you for it.

What can you do at home to help your golf game? Short answer: A LOT. Making small improvements to your range of motion, rotational strength and balance can make a huge difference in your game. That’s where GolfForever comes in. It’s what helped Scottie Scheffler go from a good PGA TOUR player to the best. And you’d be surprised with what it can do for your game, too. Check out how even just these three GolfForever exercises can help your swing immediately.

When golfers think about improving their game, they often envision expensive lessons, the latest golf equipment or hours grinding on the range. However, perhaps the simplest and most effective way to improve your game is by working on the most valuable piece of golf equipment you own: your body.

When it comes to golf stretching and exercises designed to improve your golf swing, you can make noticeable improvements to your body (and your game) from the comfort of home. That’s where GolfForever comes in.

The GolfForever Training System delivers workouts and exercises that not only utilize their tour-proven Swing Trainer (used by Scottie Scheffler and over 400+ Tour Professionals), but also workouts and exercises that require nothing more than resistance bands. All of the exercises take about 30 minutes and you will see a drastic improvement in your body and your game. CLICK HERE TO LEARN ABOUT A PGA CAMPS DISCOUNT.

The Foundation of Golf Fitness
A well-rounded golf fitness program typically centers around three core pillars:
• Flexibility & mobility
• Core strength
• Balance

While all different in nature, these three components are very much connected when it comes to improving your ability to generate high rotational forces (clubhead speed) with control, and in a manner that doesn’t cause pain or injury.

1. Flexibility & Mobility
It’s first important to note that flexibility and mobility are not the same thing.
People typically understand that flexibility is the degree to which a muscle can be passively moved through a range of motion, like when stretching. Mobility, on the other hand—which could be considered as more important your general health and your golf game—is not as commonly understood. Simply stated, mobility is the degree to which you can actively move a joint through its range of motion, like during a golf swing.
To get the most out of your golf swing, it’s vitally important to work on your mobility.
As golfers, we often experience tightness over the course of a round—especially after sitting in a cart for long periods of time. This stretch is just one example of something you can do from anywhere (including at home) to improve your hip mobility and the range of motion in your golf swing.

How To Video.

2. Core Strength
Another golf exercise is the Plank, which is another simple routine you can follow at home and one of the best ways to increase your core strength. And although you may think you know the proper way to plank, many people do it incorrectly, so be sure to follow our tutorial so you get the most out of your routine.
How To Video.

3. Balance
The last pillar, balance, can also be worked on from anywhere. The T-Squat is a great at-home exercise that addresses balance as well as mobility. Add a few reps to your daily routine, and you’ll begin to see how simple exercises from home can help you generate the high-speed rotational force you need in your golf swing.
How To Video.

The Big Picture of Golf Fitness

It’s important to note that while these three exercises are excellent ways to improve your physical health at home, they are just part of the broader initiatives you can take to improve your body and your game.
In addition to improving your flexibility and mobility, core strength, and balance, strength training can have a significant impact on your performance. It’s also a vital component to unlocking your maximum rotational power and improving your movement patterns, with strong shoulders and hips that don’t break down from the repetitive, unnatural motions of the golf swing.

Improve Your Body and Your Game!
As a part of PGA Junior Golf Camps, you receive an exclusive offer to GolfForever. Learn more about the offer and the GolfForever Training System below.
Learn More.

For a sample GolfForever Pre-Round Warmup check out the one used by World #1, Scottie Scheffler: PGA Tour Star Scottie Scheffler's Warm-Up Routine | Get ready with Golf's World #1 | GolfForever .

One of the things that sets golf apart from most other sports is the challenge it presents from a mental and emotional aspect. These attributes are difficult areas to tackle for any golfer, let alone a pre-teen or teenager. Many times, when a young golfer struggles, the mental and emotional challenges are very often what causes the most difficulty. 

With this in mind, many coaches of young golfers try to keep fun and enjoyment at the forefront to avoid making the game too serious. 

However, when a young golfer has reached a certain level of proficiency from a skill standpoint, and competition is the next step, you must treat playing the game with some seriousness. When this is the case, and tournament pressure comes into play more often, the challenges of the mental and emotional aspects that golf presents can become a mighty obstacle. 

Whenever I need to consult with someone about this topic, I often turn to Dr. Joe Parent, author of ZEN GOLF: Mastering the Mental Game and GOLF: The Art of the Mental Game. 

Dr. Joe had much to offer me as I recently talked to him about this topic. His practical approach is just what the doctor ordered for any young golfer struggling with their mental and emotional game. The following are some thoughts that Dr. Joe wanted to share…

Too Many Thoughts:

Overthinking the result you want from a shot can get in the way of executing it properly. It can make you tight with tension or excited with anticipation. Either way, it interferes with the flow of your routine and your swing. A better approach is to put your focus entirely on the following four-step process:

1. Choose a target that will leave you in the position you want without too much risk of landing in trouble. Have a good image of the shot you want to play to that target. 
2. Feel the swing you want to make to produce that image.
3. Commit to that swing. Keep a smooth flow throughout your routine and as you address the ball. Commit to a good tempo through your swing.
4. Take care of the process that way, and the results will take care of themselves.

Get Out of Your Own Way: Your Subconscious Mind

Have you ever hit a shot when it felt like you weren't really trying to make it come out any particular way? The results are usually surprisingly good. 

It may feel like you're not in control, but that's because you're used to trying to control your swing with your thinking mind. In fact, you haven't lost control—you've just transferred it to your subconscious mind. You've gotten out of your own way, which lets you play your best golf.

Here's a technique for intentionally turning over control to your subconscious mind. Before each swing, mentally say something to your body such as, "It's all yours," or "OK, take over." That signals the thinking mind to let go, allowing the subconscious mind to guide the body in swinging the club without conscious mental interference. When you do that, the very best swing your body knows how to make will show up time after time.

Plan with your head but play from your heart to get the most out of your game.

Keeping Your Emotions in Check:

After a poor shot, most of us have an initial reaction of anger or frustration. Emotional reactions imprint more strongly in our memories than ordinary experiences. They get a unique "tag" because of the energy associated with them. We're hard-wired that way. That's why it's best to get more excited about your good shots and less upset about your bad ones.

If you stockpile negative memories about a situation on the golf course (or elsewhere in your life), your confidence will be undermined. You'll be more likely to expect poor results in similar situations. And when you think that way, those expectations are likely to be fulfilled.

Not only do negative emotions imprint bad memories, but they also limit your ability to learn from what just happened. Insight does not appear during emotional upheaval. Therefore, it's essential to clear a negative emotional response to a shot as soon as possible. If you can keep your cool, you can reflect on what went wrong and adjust accordingly. 

When you get upset, step aside, take a deep breath, and swing the club back and forth in an easy rhythm, focusing on the flowing feeling. The heat of emotion will subside more quickly that way, and it will be less likely to spoil the rest of your round.

Another Tip For Better Emotional Control:

Getting upset over a bad shot is understandable. And a few seconds of emotion isn't really a problem. The problem comes from carrying it with you in a way that negatively affects the next shot and leads to a downward spiral of poor play.

It's OK to get mad but then get over it. You can use a ten-second or ten-pace rule. You allow yourself to be mad about a shot, but only for ten seconds or until you have walked ten paces toward the next shot. From then on, let go of the last shot and focus only on the one in front of you.

Here's a routine you can use to clear negative emotions:

After the intensity of your initial reaction passes, take a deep breath or two. Feel the negativity flow out as you exhale, and channel the energy into a positive process. Make one or two practice swings until you make the one you would have rather made on the previous shot. The difference you feel tells you what you need to do to best prepare for your next shot.

This post-shot routine gives you two benefits as you walk away from a bad shot. Your last swing is a good one rather than a bad one, and your focus turns away from negative emotions and toward a positive feeling for what you must do to make the next shot a good one.

Practicing the swing, short game, and putting are all critical aspects to focus on in the pursuit of improving. The same can be said for the mental and emotional side of the game. I strongly advise parents to incorporate exercises like the ones above that Dr. Joe shared. You can also find great PGA Coaches in your area at https://www.pga.com/coach. These highly skilled Professionals can assist your child with these parts of the game or refer you to folks like Dr. Joe, who specializes in Mental Coaching. 

PGA Camps is proud to announce, Jim Estes, PGA Professional and PGA Camp Director at Bowie

Golf Club has qualified for the US Senior Open! He was one of two qualifiers at the Omni

Homestead Resort in Hot Springs, VA, with a final score of 69. The Omni Homestead Resort

offers some of the country's most challenging and historic fairways. It is ranked amongst the

finest Virginia golf courses, which is surrounded by the natural beauty of the Allegheny

Mountains. Jim has been a PGA Camp Director since 2020 and has truly acted as a steward of

the game. He is extremely passionate when it comes to player development and believes golf

can forever positively impact our communities. The staff at PGA Camps would truly like to take

a moment and congratulate Jim on his accomplishment. We wish you nothing but the best at

this year’s US Senior open at SentryWorld Golf Course in Stevens Point, WI. Be sure to tune in

June 27 to July 2! To register for a PGA Camp at Bowie Golf Club, CLICK HERE.

PGA Camps is proud to offer camps at nearly 200 locations within the continental US.  Each location has a unique history and story, which its community is proud of.  Chamber's Bay, located in University Place, WA certainly has a rich history within the game.  The facility opened for play in June 2007 and soon there after hosted the U.S. Amateur in 2010 and a U.S. Open in 2015.  The facility has also hosted the US Amateur Four Ball Championship in 2021, the United States Women's Amateur Golf Championship in 2022 and will the host the U.S. Junior Amateur in 2027 and 2033.  The facility certainly is welcoming to Amateur Golf, as the staff is heavily involved in the junior golf space as well.  The season, the team at Chambers Bay is hosting Half and Full Day Camps, both of which still have space.  We encourage those who are near by to register today, as space is limited!

Many parents ask, “How important is equipment for my child?”  The answer is quite simple; proper equipment for your child is very important.  Like other sports, golf equipment is specifically modified to fit a child as they go through the different stages of growth and development.  If we take a closer look, fields and courts are modified for young children, basketballs and soccer balls are made smaller for younger children, bats are lighter in weight, etc., so why would we not modify golf equipment for our growing young ones? 

Many adults are under the influence in which tons of dollars need to be put toward a young golfer’s golf bag; that certainly is not the case.  Starting this year, PGA Camps is proud to announce a new partnership with EPEC Golf.  EPEC Golf fits equipment based upon height, allows families to upgrade their equipment once a child grows out of it, is lightweight and offers an incredible rental program.  To learn more about the rental and purchasing programs EPEC Golf has to offer, please CLICK HERE.