I invite you to tune in to the Golf Digest challenge on June 21st at 12:00 EST on NBC. I will be “on the bag” with Lt. Larry Giebelhausen of the Phoenix Police Department. He was the winner out of the 73,000 applications sent in with a six-word essay of why they think they could break 100 at Bethpage. Larry’s essay was, “I’m a cop. I’ll shoot low.”
Also trying to break 100 will be celebrities Michael Jordan, Ben Roethlisberger and Justin Timberlake. Fred Couples is caddying for Jordan, Rocco Mediate is caddying for Big Ben and Anthony Kim is caddying for Justin Timberlake. It should be a blast!
About a month and a half ago, when Larry was voted in the top 25 or so, he contacted me and asked if I would be interested in helping. I jumped at the opportunity because he is a pleasant guy and this challenge involves everything that I love about golf….adventure, competition, pressure and helping a golfer learn to play his best.
Like any new student I encounter, I had to assess all aspects of his game. I was impressed with his full swing. His prior baseball experience helped him to acquire a natural feeling 1-plane swing. It is a little shallow and in-to-out, but not bad. He is very comfortable with his swing. Golf Digest posted a video of his swing here. (Larry's full swing)
I then had him hit some half wedges and shorter shots around the green. It was a disaster! I was anticipating this. A 1-planer swinging a little too shallow with a slightly closed clubface is not a good combination. He could hit a shank, a skull or a fat shot…take your pick. Occasionally, he would fumble it on the green. Anyone in the vicinity would be inclined to wear a helmet.
I asked him to hit a variety of putts and he looked fairly solid. It was pretty clear to me in that first session that his wedge was keeping him from being a low handicap golfer.
I started growing rough when he was voted into the top 12. We compared schedules. We were both busy. I met with Larry a few times to work around the green. The short game technique felt very foreign to him. He was not comfortable, but noticed the shots were getting better.
The final four were decided upon and on-line voting determined that Larry was the winner. We both realized the clock was ticking, and we had a short span of time to get him ready for the day of his life.
We are continuing to work. My wife Sandy coaches him when I am out of town. Stay tuned. I will get back to you in a few days with a progress report.
Mike