Mike Olson
Broke 100, Then Broke 90 Within Two Weeks
Student Profile
Age: 45
Accomplishment: Broke 90
Student Since: May 2023
Location: GOLFTEC Northwest Las Vegas
Coach: Brian Motes
The Way to Way Better
- Adjusted grip that was too strong to more neutral
- Working on getting upper body moving more towards the target
- Improved shoulder sway from 0.9″ Away (yellow) to 0.7″ Toward (green)
- The improved shoulder sway lead to improved low point control for better contact
- 12-15 stroke improvement in just over four months
“Mike broke 90 for the first time on August 12th, 2023. Over the past few months Mike has been working with us here at GOLFTEC. Two weeks prior to breaking 90, Mike had just broken 100 for the first time. Most importantly his goal was to beat his business partner in match play which has now happened twice in one week. He is definitely on the Way to Way Better!”
Brian Motes, GOLFTEC Northwest Las Vegas Coach
Mike Before Swing
Mike After Swing
Inside The Lesson
GOLFTEC Coach Brian Motes has been working with Mike on improving his shoulder sway and head position at impact. Mike tends to sway away from the target on his downswing and his head moves back away from the target as well. This causes Mike to hit many shots heavy, hitting the ground before the ball. Using low point drills and a pool noodle by his head, Brian has encouraged Mike to start swaying towards the target on the downswing, which improves his contact. Brian also adjusted Mike’s grip from a really strong grip, to more neutral, enabling Mike to hit slight push draws instead of pull hooks.
Mike's Favorite Drill
One drill that has been key to Mike’s success is the low point drill. In this drill Coach Zach Lambeck demonstrates by starting with a chalk line between two tees and the ball placed on the chalk line. Tour Pro will hit the ball first with their divot coming after the chalk line 10 out of 10 times. For amateur players, start by trying to get six or seven out of 10 where you hit ball first and your divots are after the chalk line. For Mike, improving his shoulder sway helped him with this low point drill, and because he was able to start swaying towards the target his club stopped hitting the ground before the ball.
