Concept Golf is golf instruction. It is golf instruction that is based on principles not mechanics. It is an opportunity for the golfer to develop his very own unique swing. With the golfer developing his own swing, he has nothing to remember, nothing to practice and nothing to fix. It is a swing that will be all his for his entire golf experience. He is not conforming his swing through extensive mechanical instruction to some great but obscure golfers swing.

All the golfers on the Champions Tour have their own unique swing. They are as distinctive as the individual. You can recognize the player by his signature swing from a great distance. Because they have always had their own swing, they are still playing at the highest level.

Because Concept Golf teaches with principles and not mechanics, our golfers have nothing or little to remember. They understand the principles and then are able to apply those concepts to their swing and shot-making in the way that makes sense for them. Now they are in possession of the tools that make golf a simple game with a simple swing.

It has been a long road to discover the principles that make golf and its swing simple. And that is what the principles do. With an understanding of the principles, ALL the desired swing effects automatically belong to the golfer. Shot quality is at a high level. Scores start to recede, enjoyment increases, frustration and embarrassment diminish near zero.

Today I want to share with you what its like to have a lesson with John Toepel.

A lesson with John

In all the lessons I have taken as an amateur and a Tour Professional, only one teacher, Jimmy Ballard, explained the big picture of the swing before we went to the range. With a complete picture in mind there was a chance to incorporate the individual parts of the swing into the whole and make sense of the changes.

For some time now, I've understood that the only way to positively impact a better player's game is to play golf with the student, in order to identify the golfer's true problem areas so that they can be corrected. The assumption has been that to fix the swing is to fix the game. Golfers' problems originate in their thoughts and must be corrected there.

However, our first job is to accurately identify the trouble, and that will only reveal itself on the golf course. The problem may be in the swing, but why? The problem may be in the short game, but why? The problem may be in management, but why? Taking a look at the golfer's swing on the range will show me his swing in a very low-pressure situation, but will tell me nothing about him as a golfer and how I can help him improve his game.

In my eyes, you and all my students are par golfers. You are not a poor golfer trying to get better, except in your own eyes. If I, as your teacher, see you as an untalented golfer trying to become the model of consistency, Im not going to be able to help you and you are not going to improve. My job really is to open your eyes to the reality of you being a par golfer at this moment.

Concept Golf teaches people to be better golfers so they can have fun playing the game. We begin with an hour conversation to learn about each other. I need to know a lot about you, both as a golfer and as a person. My questions are designed to learn how you see your golf game, your swing, why are we here, your handicap, your goals, your golf strengths and weaknesses as you see them, your golf history, other lessons, family, other sports, employment, how committed you are, how much time you have for practice and golf and whether you can you use golf in business. At this point I determine our next step. If you are relatively new to golf or if there is a lot of confusion about the swing idea, we will probably go to the range. If you are a more accomplished golfer, we will play golf so I can learn about your golf game and see for myself the problems in your game that cost you strokes.

When we go to the range it's reasonable that you hit some wedges and seven irons so you can get the butterflies out of your stomach and I can see your "range" swing. Once I see your swing with a couple of different clubs and understand how you think of the golf swing, we can begin to give you the right ideas. Your swing will tell me what you are thinking about the swing, and the interview will tell me how the instruction needs to be structured so that it makes the most sense to you.

I will explain the five swing fundamentals of Concept Golf so you have a complete idea of the swing rather than just the disjointed parts and pieces. In order for you to have an effective swing, you need to have the correct, total understanding of the swing. That is the starting point. The total concept of the golf swing is presented in a logical manner so that the ideas are reasonable and make sense rather than nonsense. When it does make sense to you, you will be willing to accept the principles that will give you a swing that works. You will make great progress during the first lesson, hitting the ball further and more effortlessly than ever before.

Eventually we will play some golf. We will talk at the end of our round and agree on a direction for your improvement. Often golfers do not know where or why they are losing strokes. As an outsider and teacher it's easier for me to identify and pinpoint the problem area or areas. A case in point is a friend of mine in Pennsylvania.

Rick Troutman called me one day and said he wanted to lower his average score from 73 to 69. He asked if I would come to his home and see what I could do. I've known Rick for several years and have played several rounds of casual golf with him. He's a good golfer and hits fairly long shots. When I arrived, we had a talk on the way to the course. The one thing he was quite blunt about was that I was not to work with his swing. I had no intention of working with his swing, just his game.

We played 18 holes the first day, then 36, 18, 18 and 18, spending no time on the range. He was hitting it to the right some of the time, and he did ask why. I gave him a one-sentence answer; that was the extent of my swing instruction. We worked on his pitching and talked about his putting, but the rest of the instruction was about course management and Rick-management.

He called two weeks later after winning a tournament and was very happy with the improvement and the instruction. He continued to play better and better. About two months later he called to tell me his average score was now 69. Most golfers do not need swing instruction to have lower scores.

Concept Golf has the goal of making you a better golfer with lower scores, not just improving your swing. As you become a better golfer, you probably will have a new, correct and understandable picture of the golf swing, but don't be limited to that. We will also need to look at your short game, course management and self-management.