Golf Academy

A PGA member since 1988, Todd has extensive experience at upscale resorts.

For four years, Todd was head golf professional at Grand Traverse Resort and Casinos in Acme, Mich. The American Indian-owned resort has three 18-hole courses and is home to the Michigan Open and it hosted the 1990 Ameritech Senior PGA event.

Prior to that, Todd was interim director of golf and head golf professional at La Costa Resort and Spa in Carlsbad, Calif., site of the Accenture World Golf Championships.

He also served as head professional at the Mountain and Dunes Courses at La Quinta Resort and Spa in La Quinta, Calif. The famous nine-course resort, six PGAWest courses and three La Quinta courses, has hosted several professional events, including the Bob Hope Desert Classic, the Senior Skins Game and the PGA Club Professional Championship (CPC).

After earning his PGA card, Todd was a playing professional for three years, competing on the Ben Hogan Tour (now the Nationwide Tour) and the East Coast, JC Goosie, Spalding Space Coast, South Florida and North Florida tours.

A native of Trumansburg, N.Y., Todd's first stint as a club professional was at the Wellsville Country Club in Wellsville, N.Y. He is also a former golf coach at Alfred University.

Prior to accepting the Head Golf Professional position at Turning Stone Miles was the Head Golf Professional at Nemacolin Woodlands Resort in Western Pennsylvania, former home of the PGA Tour's 84 Lumber Classic.

He has a degree in Professional Golf Management and a minor in Business from Penn State University. He received his Class-A PGA membership in March 2005 and is currently working on the Master Professional program.

While working towards his PGA membership Miles worked at The Pete Dye Golf Club, Grayhawk Golf Club, Pinehurst Resort and Country Club, and Harbour Town Golf Links. Miles thoroughly enjoys teaching and his tips have been featured in the Pittsburgh Tribune Review.

A PGA member since 1996, Marty has been teaching at Turning Stone since December 2007. Nowicki is a two time recipient of the Central New York Section PGA Teacher of the Year award. In addition, he has been Nationally ranked by Golf Magazine and by Golf Digest.

Marty is a Syracuse native who began his golf career at the Onondaga Golf and Country Club in Syracuse. His career led him to several other golf operations, including The Doral Golf Resort in Miami, Royal Poinciana GC in Naples, Fl, Baltusrol Golf Club in New Jersey and Chelsea Piers Golf Academy in Manhattan.

Along the way Marty has spent time working for and with Jim McLean, Jim Hardy and Mike LaBauve. Marty has hosted Mike Bennett, Andy Plummer and Marius Filmalter at Turning Stone.

Nowicki is a graduate of St. Bonaventure University, where he was 2 time captain of the golf team.

Originally from Rome, NY. Steve started his professional golf career as a Assistant Golf Professional in 1992 at Kanon Valley CC and worked there through 1995. During that period he also played on The Gold Coast Tour from 1994 through 1996 in South Florida. He then worked at Monarch CC in Palm City, FL which would eventually lead him here to Turning Stone Resort in 2000. Steve started here as an Assistant Golf Professional, and in 2005 he received his PGA Class A membership.

Some career highlights include winning the 2007 Lincoln-Mercury Callaway Golf Pro Am, qualifying for the 2000 New York State Open at Bethpage Black and 1996 New York State Open at The Concorde.

Steve has also been an instructor with The Turning Stone Resort Golf Academy and has taught players from all skill levels tailoring each lesson to the students needs.

Andy Myers began his golf career at Turning Stone as a locker room attendant, outside services attendant and pro shop attendant at Atunyote® before being promoted to Assistant Golf Professional in November 2009.

Andy enrolled in the PGA Professional Golf Management Program in September of 2009. While working as Assistant Golf Professional and Tournament Coordinator at Shenendoah and Kaluhyat Golf Clubs, Andy completed all levels of the Professional Golf Management Program, passed the Player's Ability Test and was elected a Class A PGA Member. Andy has also completed all 6 Certified Professional Programs in the areas of retail, golf operations, ownership & leasing, executive management, general management, and instruction. He entered the golf industry in 2008 following 15 years as a High School Teacher and Coach. He has a Bachelors Degree in Education and Master's Degree in Instructional Design from Syracuse University (91-92).

Andy's philosophy on teaching is tailored to each student and is based on physical abilities and personal goals. He believes in finding each players "best swing" and his approach to teaching is to observe, explain, implement and review. In observing, he looks at the swing using video analysis systems and the ball flight patterns. In explaining, he reviews the cause and effect relationships between the swing and the results seen in the ball flight.

We have all been guilty of saying "I could have played better if..." and "but, if I did this... " You get the picture.

Here are some classic excuses I've heard (and said) over the years:

• If I could only putt
• If I didn't hit it into the water, I would've had par
• If I played it safe instead of going for it, my score would've been better
• I should've hit a different club but was too lazy to go back to my bag
• If that tree wasn't there, it would've been a great shot
• I would've had a good round but had too much on my mind
• If I didn't get tired, I would've played better

The list goes on. I think every time you play the game of golf you should remember past rounds. It's just like your parents used to say, "learn from your mistakes".

Think about the shots that have been similar to the ones in previous rounds. If the shots were good then duplicate them. If they were poor, don't make the same mistake twice. Next time out on the course write down the mistakes that you could correct if you had a second shot. A thought to ponder on, if you could actually have a second shot it would take the guessing and pressure off of you. Remember the second putts you have made because the first one you can't believe you missed. How many times have you finished a hole and then brought the ball back to try it again? The second try you seem to make a better effort because you learned from the first.

Most importantly, have fun!

Most golfers fight a slice, a ball that flies left to right too much, sometimes referred to as banana ball; it's the most common shot for amateur players. A slice reduces distance and is tough to control.

A slice is created when the club travels on an out to in path with an open clubface. The best way to create distance and accuracy is to have an inside to out path with a square or closing clubface (the opposite path and face position of a slice).

If you struggle with a slice here are two drills to help:

1. Feet Together
   After taking your normal set up, put your feet together and take swings without losing your balance. The swings don't need to be full; the main focus is to make clean, crisp contact. It helps create an inside to out swing path (it's very difficult to cast the club at the top without losing balance) and it helps with making consistent contact. After hitting consistent shots with your feet together start to widen your stance until you get back to a normal width.


2. Drop Your Right Foot Back (for a right handed player)
   After taking your normal set up drop your right foot back 9 inches. This encourages the club to swing inside to out. While making sure to turn your hands to square at impact try this 6 times. Then move your right foot back 6 inches from normal for 6 shots. Then 3 inches from normal for 6 and then back to a normal stance. With the new path of inside to out it'll get the ball to traveling straighter or even slightly right to left. You know you've mastered the new path when all your shots are straight or right to left.

And remember HAVE FUN!

The importance of set up. 53 Years ago Ben Hogan wrote his book "5 Lessons" The fundamentals of golf. In that book Mr. Hogan spent 43 pages talking about the importance of the grip and the stance. His detailed explanation is overlooked by the average golfer.

When you look at stances many golfers have taken them differently. What they did however is repeat how they took their stance. Golf is a game that is played while standing and the object we hit rests on the ground. That relationship requires the golfer to bend to some degree to reach the ground.

One thing each golfer could do today to become better would be to learn and understand the bend comes from the pelvis tilting forward. Next time you are wearing pants or shorts that have front and back pockets, take your thumbs and fit them into your back pockets as the other fingers fit into your front pockets. When you flex to take your set up, you should feel your pelvis tilt and hence you are on your way to being able to repeat a good set up.

When you watch golf on TV next, when the camera captures the player and target, look at their belt line and you will see the back of the belt much higher than the front of the belt. Setting up like this will protect the spine because you have established a relationship with your pelvis and your spine, when the pelvis moves, the spine will move as well.

Drill. If you put a club on the ground and put both feet up against it, when bending from the pelvis, your shoulders will move to the other side of the club or, outside of your toe line.

The better the player, the more aware that player is of where the golf club strikes the ground. When the ball sits on the ground, the club must strike the ground in order to hit a solid shot.

When watching the players at the Turning Stone Resort Championship, all of the players are very aware of the club striking the ground and most observers say "They make it look easy". The reason that is, is all of the players have control over the 3 variables that control hitting the ground and all hit the ground after the ball. The location of your weight, the length and location of the arms and the pitch of the shoulders and hips all influence where or if any player hits the ground.

The higher handicap players strikes (or misses) the ground in many different locations, thus that players hit balls that fly (or roll) differently each time. The tour player makes their ball travel the same way each time because they strike the ground the same way each time and the bottom of their swings occur in the same place each swing.

Some simple steps that will help any player. Put a golf tee under each armpit, hold both arms as straight as possible. Align the golf club and leading arm on the same line, ( the golf club and leading arm should both fit inside a mailing tube). Put 2 balls on the ground 12 inches apart and in the middle of your stance. Try to hit the ground between the 2 balls. Great ball hitters will strike the ground past the 2 balls. In order to accomplish this, your weight and your arms will need to be forward of the 2 balls. For a right handed player, your weight will need to be under your left foot. Make some short swings that strike the ground while both arms are long and holding in the tees.

This is the foundation of any good golf swing.

Getting Up And Down Is the Key to Lowering Your Score

The ability to get up and down from around the greens is what separates the high handicapper form the low handicapper. Understanding what club to use and what set up should be used is the most common mistake that most golfers fall into. There are basically two ways to execute a certain shot: either chipping the ball or pitching the ball, most people do not know the difference.

Pitching

First let's talk about the cool shot, The High Flop Shot, which has been most common associated with Phil Mickelson. This can be the most intimidating for most players because you have to commit to the shot, swing to fast and you may hit it thin, swing to slow and you may hit it heavy. Here is how to do it. Place the ball forward in your stance and set your stance and clubface open. Place your hands behind the ball and use a full wrist cock on your backswing, speed is the key here; keep your hands behind the ball through impact and make sure you accelerate. To control distance try to match the length of your backswing to your follow through. This shot you must Maximum Air Time and Minimize Ground Time.

Chipping

Chipping the ball is not so cool, but it's more effective because you can control the spin more. You can use any club in your bag to determine the loft and distance for this one, depending on your lie. Here is how to do it. Play the ball back in your stance with your palms facing together, just like a putting grip. Open your stance just a bit and keep the weight on your left side. Your hand position should be slightly ahead of the ball and you must have FIRM WRISTS to execute this shot successfully. To control distance again you must match your backswing to your follow through, Maximum Ground Time, Minimize Air Time.

Remember the key to any success is to PRACTICE, PRACTICE, and PRACTICE.