1.The Golfing Mindset - a golfer must be taught how to manage their thinking so they are able to manage their emotions. In golf, you will be tested mentally and physically; if emotions and negative thinking are in the picture, then the golfer will struggle to trust their talent and enjoy the so-called pressure of tournament play.

2.The Real Game of Golf – Golf is a game of misses & mistakes. Nobody has perfected the game and no one ever will. The key is not to try to perfect the game but to play it! To do this you have to know that the lowest score wins. So the question is: how do you shoot lower scores? We teach our players through games-based training how to shoot lower scores and how to track their play so they can match it up to stats from the best players in the world.

3.Purposeful Practice – We believe practice does not make perfect; rather, practice makes permanent! To become a champion golfer you must practice the way champion golfers practice. We teach our players fun ways to challenge themselves that simulate tournament conditions.

4.Skill Development – At Gene Bakkum Golf, we focus on teaching our players only the skills they need to accomplish their current goals. There are so many parts to the game of golf that often players become overwhelmed with information and are no longer playing golf but thinking technique. By adding the skill sets the player needs in a progression based on their ability, the learning process is made fun, fast, and lasting. This comes from the gymnastics arena in which a student has to first learn to do a somersault on a path to one day leading to a back flip on a balance beam.

Why Coaching VS Private Lessons?

The philosophy is based on the student becoming more independent after each session as they learn the 4 key areas of the game. They are leaning the mindset and mental focus for golf, how to score and manage the course, how to analyze their play and create a purposeful practice routine that promotes long term development, and skill-development which focuses on the skill sets needed to accomplish their goals in golf.

In coaching, your junior is an individual in a Team environment. Each of our juniors is taught the skills and techniques based on his or her strength & mobility, their learning style, and their desired outcome. The team environment is so productive for several key reasons;

1. It creates the right environment to learn the life skills and core values we teach

2. It allows your juniors to build friendships in an individual sport

3. It allows coaches to create competition and challenges that motivate the players

4. It enables your child to take leadership or mentoring roles to develop interpersonal skills

5. Its increases the hours your child can spend with their coach while not increasing the expense

6. Its reduces the chances of over-teaching & technical overload as the child to applies what they are learning by experimentation, allowing them to learn and ask questions rather than just being told what do to do.

What is On-Course Coaching?

The game is played on the course so once our juniors have developed solid skill-sets, we need to get more time on the course to simulate golfing conditions (side hill lies, bunkers, hitting over water, etc). Learning in the real environment enables them to gain confidence that they then can take to their play and tournaments. On the course we set up games, matches, and benchmarks to help them understand the keys to scoring and course management. Our players fill out the ELEVATE Golf Academy scoring system scorecards which then creates a practice plan for them based on their play, thus becoming more self-sufficient when they go off to play college golf.

What is Mentoring & Who Is It For?

Mentoring is for College Path players. Mentoring focuses on supporting the player and teaches them how to set goals for their game and create practice plans/tournament schedules that increase the likelihood of success. The mentoring program is every other week for 2 hours and is a minimum 6-month commitment. Every 90 days’ parents are required to come in and meet for a 1-hour consultation with the junior golfer and coach to discuss progress, plan for future, and answer questions that you as a parent may have. The goal of mentoring is to give the student the tools, education, and guidance to go to college and be able to handle the workload, life changes, and demands of a student athlete.




What is Skill Development?

When working on full swing, we believe it is important to focus on the correct outcome. Too often, that is a good-looking swing when in reality a great swing is able to put the ball where you desire it to be under pressure and in all situations. If the look of the swing was what mattered, Jim Furyk, Fred Couples, Dustin Johnson, Arnold Palmer, Jack Nicklaus would never have won a tournament.