An interview with John Dooley by Ivan Morris

The Voice of Midwest Golf By Ivan Morris

Shark ‘Blows’ $5 Million Bonus At Doonbeg!

With the benefit of hindsight, Greg Norman should have demanded a bonus payment per snail when he was designing the Doonbeg golf course!

A recent census has revealed that the infamous Vertigo Angustior population at Doonbeg has increased 6-fold from 10 million to 60million. If The Shark had asked to be paid 10 cents per snail for a verifiable increase within 10 years – he’d now be due $5 million! Marauding golfers were not that much of a threat after all.

Something similar happened at the Castlegregory golf course in Kerry where toad spawn is now being 'exported' to so-called, environmentally protected habitats in Wexford where the Natterjack’s very existence is threatened by Nature herself without nary a golf course in sight. When will non-golfers realize that 'our game' is good for the environment?

The welcome at Doonbeg Golf Club is always warm with a relaxed efficiency added. As often as not, the person who looks after new arrivals is the charming pro, John Dooley, who enjoys disguising his seriously sharp golfing brain.

A keen student of ‘total golf,’ John not only understands technique but he has also studied the biomechanics involved as well as the often-overlooked mental side. Nothing makes John happier than to be on the practice ground helping a receptive student to play better.

Last week’s sideways rain kept me off the windswept Doonbeg links. As one question borrowed another - and then another - before I knew it, I had this week’s column!

IM- what one thing, in your opinion, would make the game better?

JD- change the handicap system because it is not doing its job as intended. In theory, it should be one of golf’s greatest assets but there are too many golfers who manipulate a faulty system – they are hurting the game in more ways than they think.

IM- what do you think of the current grooves controversy?

JD- the new grooves should help the better players to shine. However the rules are the rules and Mickelson should not have been play-acting with them simply to make a point. Players need to get used to the fact that it is not as easy with the new grooves to play drop and stop shots out of the rough.

IM- are touring pros spoiled?

JD- great players deserve great rewards. I’d cut off my toenails without an anesthetic if I thought it would make me good enough to tee it up in The Masters.

IM- who is your favorite golfer?

JD- the one and only - Arnold Palmer

IM- name your favorite golf courses worldwide?


JD- The Quarry Course at La Quinta in California, The River Course at Kiawah Island in South Carolina, Porcupine Creek GC in California plus many more besides and Doonbeg, of course.

IM- what’s in your golf bag?

JD- a pocket of half full of dreams! I currently play with a Taylormade TP Burner Driver (9.5 stiff), Sonartec fairway metals, Taylormade muscle back irons, and Taylormade chrome wedges, 54 and 60 degrees.

IM- what’s the newest/latest piece of equipment in your golf bag?

JD- a Scotty Cameron Studio Newport putter, 32 inches in length.

IM- why so short?

JD – so I can extend my arms which will allow me to gently rock my shoulders. It also helps me to feel more comfortable and solid over the ball and helps me to keep my eyes properly aligned.

IM- who would be in your dream 4ball?


JD- Sophia Loren (in her mid-20s), Kylie Minogue & Hugh Heffner

IM- what’s the best golf advice you’ve ever received?


JD- the golf swing is two turns and a swish in the middle, performed rhythmically! Once you know this and can grip the club properly and take up your stance with the proper posture – golf is easy! That’s basically what I teach. Once people know how to address the ball properly the swing ‘happens.’ Improvement is all down to practice, patience and perseverance.

IM- what’s your favorite meal here at Doonbeg? 


JD- Kumo, the head chef, does a superb tuna steak in Darby’s bar.

IM- soccer, rugby, cricket, football or hurling? 


JD- hurling – especially on the first Sunday in September, whenever Cork manages to beat Kilkenny. That’s almost as much fun as I imagine playing at Augusta would be.

IM- your favorite band/singer/music?


JD- nobody better than the boss - Bruce Springsteen

IM- how do you relax away from the golf course?


JD- I love to travel, especially to Canada and the United States where the golf courses are wonderful and the competition is mighty!

IM- who would you most like to meet, and why?


JD- I would like to experience a couple of weeks as a fly on the wall observing Richard Branson in action.

IM- if you weren’t a golf pro, what would you like to be?

JD- perhaps I might like to have a go at the Luge in the Winter Olympics, representing the Peoples Republic of Cork, of course.

IM- you ARE crackers! What are your goals for 2010?


JD- complete my PGA Advanced Diploma.

IM- that sounds more sensible. I wish you good luck!

hello

John Dooley P.G.A

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The Pub Posture

The pub effect for teaching the posture

It is fair to say a picture can tell you a thousand words or as Freud would say eureka is a classic form of understanding or the penny has dropped!

Well in this case, I have been a PGA golf coach for about the 10 years and I have been playing golf or about 25 years. I still firmly have the attitude enforced where the no one that plays golf that I cannot teach! To be fair and justified I develop pretty much an open mind to all coaching methods and theories. Whilst concentrating on improving my coaching skills by increasing my knowledge, skill sets, and a ultimate goal to be one of the great coaches of all times . . .

There will always be new tricks and traits to be learnt, regardless of how insignificant the information might be.

So about a year or so ago, I am on the range and teaching a standard golf lesson with a wonderful young lady and the content of this golf lesson just happens to be on posture and how much more poor posture can effect the ball flight, poor golf shot consistency & etc.

Starting from the ground up, a good posture has a number of key aspects

I. The weight is on the balls of the feet

II. The knees are slightly flexed

III. The back is straight at an angle

IV. The arms are hanging comfortably from the shoulders (palms breath from inside of the thigh)

V. The chin is out from the chest

The body is now in a ready to perform the swing

This is more or less the whole package when it comes to a good posture before making a swing at a ball. However the difficulty on this occasion was this lady would flex her knees her back would immediately straighten into an upright position. Time after, time, after time, this action would happen no matter how many different times I explained, demonstrated and was failing miserably to apply her to this task. I was at a low point in my teaching career and I had almost exhausted every descriptive phrase and the fact was almost clear on the horizon that this could be the first person in my world class teaching career that I could not get the message across!

Like divine intervention, a moment of clarity or a Zen moment. . . I said to her “do you know when you are sitting on a bar stool and your drink on the bar counter, and the glass is too far away to reach comfortably to pick it up” She said “yes”. “Well, you know when your back side is glued to the chair and you have absolutely no interest in shifting from that position and now you are stretching to grab your class?” She “yes”, “Can you act out that position?” I said – “Oh yes “she said, “now I get it!”

She zipped right into position and perfect posture!!

Now who says, “nothing good can come out of the pub!!!”