TOWN 'N COUNTRY - Mike Stevens, a Tampa golf pro for three decades, gives lessons in Hillsborough, Pinellas, Pasco and Sarasota counties.
He played at the University of Miami in the early 1970s. He played on the 1998 U.S. Challenge Cup Team in Spain, winning the deciding match as U.S. teaching pros defeated their European counterparts.
Stevens, 52, chatted recently about his lessons and why so many people get so much pleasure and frustration from chasing that elusive white sphere.
How can golfers make their time on the driving range more productive?
Work on improving accuracy or swinging with balance and being relaxed. Work on how you finish your swing. Don't worry about what the ball does until you get good. I always tell the average player to develop two or three motions that will help develop a good, consistent swing that stays with you.
What's the toughest shot for the average golfer?
Hitting a driver straight off the tee. Wedges, short shots, those are easy. Everyone always says master the short game and you'll be good, but statistics don't bear that out. If it takes five or six shots to get to the hole, who cares if you one-putt every green?
What goes on during the swing that determines the result?
The important thing is to relax. Secondly, hitting the ball solid is greatly overrated. Three, you have to be able to swing the club toward the hole and be able to keep your balance. The club swings in a circle, and if you can keep the circle the same without interrupting it or changing the size of it, then hitting the ball is a gimme.
Rate the courses in Tampa.
I'm sort of fond of the older style architecture because I think they're more playable. If you hit the ball off the fairway, you can usually find it and play it again. Private clubs, I'd say Palma Ceia is a wonderful course, Temple Terrace, Avila is nice. Public courses, I like Rogers Park a lot. Summerfield (in Sun City) is a good course.
Best golf bargain in Tampa Bay?
Join the Paradise Golf Group. You pay $250 for the card and you can play 35 different courses, including Cheval, Westchase and Bloomingdale, for $18.
Explain how your lessons work.
We found the best way to improve is to improve your distance and accuracy. The premise of the experiment at Ohio State was to find out if there was any one thing that golfers did that allowed them to hit the ball a long way.
(Stevens is affiliated with Guaranteed Golf, a teaching method developed by golf pro Dave Christensen based on experiments he conducted with Ohio State University biomechanics and engineering experts.)
The only thing they saw was that everybody's arms were moving about the same speed. They found long hitters had the ability to swing the club faster than their arms, however, by a ratio of three to one. A short hitter can definitely improve his distance by learning how to utilize the hinging of the wrists.
Good players are relaxed enough to make that happen. Average golfers aren't comfortable with their swing and not as confident, so they tend to guide the club instead of swinging relaxed. They have to train themselves to relax.
Okay. But most weekend golfers will tell you there's nothing guaranteed about a round of golf.
You really need to know what to work on. Part of our philosophy is having people understand what can go wrong when they're hitting a ball. Surprisingly, there's not a whole lot that can go wrong. But once you know why something is happening, then you can work on the motions you need toward correcting it.
Wouldn't private lessons be more effective?
There is definitely a group dynamic that makes this work. People pay attention better in a group. The group pushes each other.
What's up with the new course designs that wind through people's backyards and have errant golfers virtually sitting on the couch watching TV with homeowners?
The theory was, build the golf course with homes around it so you attract people to buy the homes on the course. It wasn't a golf course design feature; it was more the housing community decided what type of golf course you needed to attract people to buy homes.
Why does every ex-jock think they can master golf?
Because they're competitive and athletic and they think it should be easy. The ball just sits there, it can't be that hard. There's a lot more to it than that.
Can the sweet spot on drivers get any bigger?
Probably. There's probably no limit to technology other than the restrictions placed on it by the USGA (U.S. Golf Association).
Most difficult hole in golf?
I'd have to say the 17th at St. Andrews, the road hole. You have to hit over a barn - now it's a hotel - into the fairway. Then you have to come back to that narrow green over that little pothole (a bunker guarding the green) on the left.
What's the craziest thing you've seen on a course?
I saw a guy drive his golf cart right into a lake. He wasn't paying attention, probably driving along the edge looking for a ball.
What affect has Tiger Woods had on golf?
More people are paying attention to golf. Not necessarily to play it, but to watch it.
What was your take on Annika Sorenstam playing in a men's tournament?
A lot of my friends were dead set against it, but it didn't bother me at all. Anything that raises the interest level in golf is a good thing, which it did.
Where did "Fore!" come from, anyway?
It goes back a ways, I think to the late 1800s. But I'm not sure.
Who's the next big thing in golf?
Michelle Wie, the 13-year-old who just won the U.S. Amateur, plays like a veteran. She hits the ball 300 yards. On the male side, the Howell kid (Charles Howell III) has potential.
It's been said golf is a sport for a lifetime. But why does it take a lifetime to master?
One of the things we tell everybody after they're done at the end of the eight weeks is that they're now in a position where practice will do them good because they know how to practice. It's like buying a training aid. You don't buy it, use it overnight and then you're good. It's to be used continuously, all the time.
How do those interested sign up for your lessons?
The best way to reach us is the Web site at Guaranteedgolf.com.
