Top 100 GOLF Teacher Tim Cooke shares the story of high school golfer Maddox Nielsen, who shot a 59 and shaved 3 strokes off his handicap.
Courtesy Tim Cooke
When I was in high school, there was very little commitment to improving my golf game. Sure, I was there playing about twice a week rounds with friends after our mindless summer jobs, but it was mostly just for free time and fun more than all score low.
Those hours on the golf course are some of my fondest memories as a teenager, and I’m sure they didn’t secretly keep us out of some trouble back in the day.
While we certainly had fun, we didn’t win much as golfers, me none of us ever learns a lesson.
This is where the game has really changed for a new generation of young players, however, because, unlike my crew 25 years ago, they’re not just passionate about playing the game, they’re taking the time to commit to improve. also.
This HS golfer went from a 12.8 handicap to a 4.6 in 12 months. Here’s how
One of those kids is Maddox Nielsen, a high school golfer who has seen serious gains in his golf game over the past year thanks to the help of GOLF Top 100 Teachers Tim Cooke.
“The talent level of young players increases every year and it’s time to add Maddox Nielsen to the list of outstanding young players,” says Cooke. “He just shot 59 in a high school tournament.”
So what has helped Cooke Nielsen the most to get to this point? The master teacher outlined a few things below – which can help you take a big step in improving your golf game as well.
How this high school golfer improved in 12 months
Courtesy Tim Cooke
Over the past year, Cooke says Nielsen has shown tremendous growth — after all, it takes more than luck on any given day to score a 59 — which is evident by his rise in the junior golf rankings. .
As Cooke explains, the Junior Golf Rating Board’s “score spread” calculator is an easy way to compare players from around the country playing in different tournaments. It is the average difference between a player’s scores and the USGA course rating. Nielsen has moved from +0.93 (ranked around 1700th in the country) to -2.38 (now ranked 408th).
Even more impressive since most of their lessons are virtual.
“Like many of my competitive players, Maddox doesn’t live near Hilton Head or Sea Pines Resort, so his development over the past year has been dictated by a clear improvement plan, some distance pursuits and a ton of work on his part. “, says Cooke. “Over the past 10 months, I’ve been able to see Maddox three times for half-day sessions – with these in-person lessons making it easier to refine his game plan when he’s working on his home in Utah.”
Cooke says one of the main differentiators between Nielsen and his peers is the teenager’s athleticism — something the head teacher quickly noticed and used to develop the middle schooler’s improvement plan.
“Maddox is a tremendous athlete, having played many other high school sports, so he can make changes quickly,” Cooke says. “In my initial evaluation of him, it was clear that he had great swing speed and could hit great shots, but he lacked the consistency needed to lower his competitive batting average.”
Despite this natural ability, Cooke was able to identify some problems with Nielsen and quickly focused on those areas to help lower his overall results.
“At first, he kept a lot of pressure on his left side in the backstroke, then he over-rotated with his body, which created a thin, left-handed miss. So we started by bringing consistency and checks to his setup balance, allowing an early shift of pressure to his right side in the pickup,” says Cooke. “Early practice together included mirror time at home , which provided Maddox with visual feedback on the recommended setup changes we wanted—legs flared at 11 and 13, nose above belt buckle from a face—in perspective, and then standing on an aiming rod so that to feel the balance points on the feet at the front of the arch rather than the heels.
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Cooke then implemented a plan to get the teenager to feel the necessary weight shifts in the golf swing. Since Nielsen couldn’t be physically with Cooke, the head teacher couldn’t use the force plate technology—so he devised a plan to work on it virtually.
“I have the benefit of having Swing Catalyst force plates, so I can measure how people move and generate force—but we needed exercise and feedback so Maddox could practice this again in Utah,” Cooke says. . “So we worked on moving his lower body a little to the right, allowing him to feel the pressure build up in the middle of his right foot, and getting the club head with his hands at the end of the drive.
“An early shift of pressure in the lower body, not an upper body swing, helps the club stay in a more neutral plane in the backswing.”
Almost immediately, Cooke said he noticed improvements in Nielsen’s game. With the right foundations and fundamentals, the teenager has been able to play the best golf of his young life.
“After that first session, we could gradually add and refine his game plan as he played events in the late spring and summer,” says Cooke. “Maddox has continued to work his tail off, sticking to his plan and watching his scores drop – down to 59!”
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