Ralph Bauer is currently the Director of Instruction at Hamilton Golf and Country Club in Canada. Before taking that role in 2020, Ralph traveled on the PGA Tour for 19 years working with PGA Tour players. Ralph still coaches Tour players, but has reduced the number and the travel so he can spend time with his family. Ralph also helped invent the Tour Read app, an app that helps you learn to intuit the break of the putt.
When Ralph entered the coaching world, he noticed a lack of great coaches at the time. He wanted to become the coach he never had and help people live their dreams and improve their golf game. He dedicated an immense amount of time and effort into becoming the best coach he could be. This commitment paid off, as Ralph has had significant success coaching players on the PGA tour for 19 years and guiding his students to win 50 state championships. Reflecting on his own experience with coaches during his early years, Ralph points out the shortcomings of that era. Coaches would often focus on their own successes and expect their students to copy their techniques without considering individual differences. Ralph shares a humorous example of a coach telling him to gain 50 pounds to swing like him.
This outdated coaching approach highlights the need for a more personalized and informed coaching style. The advent of launch monitors has transformed the coaching landscape. Ralph acknowledges that coaches now have access to a wealth of information and no longer have to rely on guesswork. Launch monitors provide tangible data about a golfer's swing and impact, allowing coaches to make more accurate assessments and provide targeted feedback. Ralph sees this as a fortunate development for coaches, as they can now provide evidence-based instruction and help golfers understand what is happening at the point of impact.
For more information, listen to the episode here https://rss.com/podcasts/thetournamentcode/
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