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Bill Madonna Golf 2
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Bill Madonna 3
I recently spent 4 days at Marriott Orlando World Center and as part of the visit I participated in a group golf clinic with Bill Madonna. Bill is one of GOLF Magazine's Top 100 Teacher's in America, a Golf Digest Top Teacher in Florida and a GRAA Top 50 Teacher. But all of the accolades in the world don't mean anything if a teacher can't communicate and that's where Bill shines!
During the golf clinic our diverse group of 10 included several complete beginners, a few occasional golfers and 2 participants with a little more experience. Yet Bill was able to teach all of us something valuable. He stressed the basics: a pre-shot routine that doesn't waver, cocking the wrists correctly and most importantly, relaxing and having fun. By the end of the clinic, everyone had hit at least 1 or 2 solid shots.
I enjoyed the clinic so much that I went back for a private lesson the next day. I've been playing golf for about 10 years but haven't golfed much over the last 3 years so my game is rusty. I've always struggled with an inability to turn my hips–my swing used to be all arms. I've practiced enough that I could put together a decent round yet I kept hitting a wall in terms of improvement. I knew what I was doing wrong but could never seem to really fix it despite lessons with other teachers.
At the start of our lesson, Bill photographed me taking two full swings and then he got down to work. The good news? He said I had everything I needed to be a good golfer: good timing, athletic skill, a good grip. The bad news? My swing. As I suspected, he immediately honed in on the lack of turn and we started to work. He gave me an exercise that helped me feel the needed weight shift from right to left and after a few tries I could feel the difference. Eureka! I was holding my upper body still while moving my hips and I didn't have to repeat a string on "swing thoughts" to do it. After 10 minutes of practice, I was doing it almost effortlessly.
Bill then added a more pronounced wrist cock--again, after a few minutes it felt natural. I started hitting balls and the tweaks worked! I was hitting the ball further than ever before, straight down the fairway and consistently. Pitching wedge, 7-iron–even my driver–it was all the same motion and it was working in a way that nothing I had ever tried before had.
I can't wait to get back on the course to see how my new swing works during 18 holes. My plan is to keep practicing what I learned at this lesson and then head back to Orlando for a 1/2 day session in a few months. Bill's instruction was easy to understand with stories and examples that illustrated the principles clearly.
For me, Bill's title is now "number 1 teacher" and I'm looking forward to seeing where my game can go.