Golf By Zach

05/24/2026

Golf Lesson Schedule Update for week of May 25th - 29th ⛳️

Schedule Update for the Week of May 25th–29th I will be out of town Thursday and Friday this week and unavailable for lessons on those days. Monday and Wednesday availability in Franklin is very limited at this point, so I will also open up Tuesday this week as an overflow day for anyone still wan...

03/30/2026

Some Short Game Exercises to Try! ⛳️

03/30/2026

Golf is Peaceful Chaos ⛳️

Golf is supposed to be relaxing right? It depends on what you mean. Overall, I would say it’s a challenging game in a mostly relaxed environment, but that’s not always the case either. Sometimes, golf is very tense and chaotic and you’re hanging on for dear life.

When I play in a group of 4, we typically are playing 2 vs 2, which adds a layer of challenge to an already challenging game. Is it fun, yes. Is it relaxing, kind of. Between golf shots you’re laughing, strategizes, or talking trash, but when you’re over the ball you need to focus and try and hit a good shot.

Sure you’re outside and typically riding in a cart, or walking, with adult beverages generally included. But you’re also in battle with yourself and others and that’s very stimulating. If you’re thinking golf is “Zen” that’s not generally the case.

Playing “Zen Golf” requires practicing peace while being active. You can’t meditate with your eyes closed and play golf at the same time. What you can do is acknowledge the challenge in front of you, approach it honestly, stay loose but intentional, put your best swing on the ball, and accept the result.

Working hard doesn’t require intensity, it requires honesty. Managing your energy requires us to break down the challenge into smaller pieces. If a building is on fire, like many of us feel about our game sometimes, firefighters aren’t trying to put the whole fire out at once, there’s many small things they have to be aware of first.

When a world class sprinter runs really fast it looks very intense and difficult. But look at them after the race; they look like they could easily go do it again. Their conditioning has allowed them to be explosive in an organized way in an intense environment.

If you’re missing something in your game, you have to address it honestly and learn how to work on it. I have to work on my Initial Starting Line with Putting. When I train, the reps alone won’t transfer. I’m also training my mind in terms of the level of focus and intensity I want to bring to the golf course.

Putting practice is going to be different than Driver practice. My intensity may be higher with a driver so I can be more explosive. My iron game is somewhere in the middle with precision and power. My wedge game is closer to putting but with creativity mixed in. It’s “the game within the game.”

Creating peace from chaos is managing a bunch of little details in a honest and consistent way.

As a coach, my job is to help you find the little things and help you address them honestly and practice effectively. ⛳️

- Coach Zach

03/23/2026

Golf By Zach Membership Update!

03/23/2026

What are you scared of? ⛳️

Fear is natural when you take risks. But playing it safe can be a greater risk than embarrassment or a negative outcome.

In my last two rounds, I played relatively well based on my goals, but I still scored 4–5 shots worse than I should have because of fear. A simple example: missing putts inside 3 feet. The fear of missing was greater than my commitment to the stroke. Fear creates tension, and tension makes freedom impossible.

Players add pressure to themselves for different reasons. Good players want to score low. Struggling players want to avoid embarrassment. Most golfers live somewhere in between. But when your focus becomes controlling outcomes, success gets harder. Smaller goals that keep your focus positive and present can make a huge difference.

One of the worst mistakes in golf is confusing success with luck. If you cannot reproduce a shot consistently, it is not a skill yet. Expecting good shots without skill development leads to frustration. Add fear to that, and it becomes a disaster.

That is why players often stop caring after the round feels lost and suddenly hit a great shot. Not because they suddenly improved, but because their nervous system got out of the way. The goal is not to stop caring. The goal is to focus on what you can control, commit fully, and accept the outcome.

Fear is a major plateau in life. Hard work and skill development are prerequisites, but they are not the final goal. The real goal is crossing the line between fear and the unknown. Most of the time, what you find on the other side is not nearly as intimidating as you thought. But crossing that line is necessary if you want things to change.

You may not find treasure every time. You may not immediately find what aligns with you. But you will never know unless you explore.

It may sound cliche, but the treasure is often found in the pursuit itself—in doing what once felt impossible until it becomes part of who you are. And once you find it, your job is to help others find it too.

Reflect on your fears, and find a way to cross that line. ⛳️

— Coach Zach

03/14/2026

Scottie Scheffler at The Players ⛳️

Even the best player in the world fights and gets frustrated with his golf game. Hitting fairways at TPC Sawgrass this week has been proven necessary to contend. As I’m writing this I just saw Highsmith advance the ball only 10 feet from the rough on the 5th hole, nasty rough! His next shot finished 10ft from the hole, which is a testament to his focus and commitment.

Scottie is playing well today because he’s in a better position off the tee, which has to feel great to him. He worked for hours in the rain after playing to find something to build on. He’s a master at controlling distance and great at grinding out scores when his ball striking isn’t his best.

The goal is to be committed to what you’re doing, but confidence precedes commitment. You only build confidence with ball striking in practice. Reps and more Reps! Deliberate, quality practice makes a difference because if you’re tracking something intentionally, it’s easier to pivot when necessary. Blindly hitting balls leaves no room for evaluation so you leave your practice feeling exhausted and unsure what to take from it.

Scottie is battling his driver swing. When your swing sequence is off and the ball flight isn’t doing what you expect, you get lost. Being lost opens up a two-way miss which isn’t playable because you have to miss in one direction to be consistent. Being lost is temporary unless you quit.

Figuring out the cause of a problem is like searching for something in the dark. Professional golfers have a team to help them navigate their game, but sometimes you’re on your own. You have to be willing to search for your swing. It’s never as far off as it seems.

The recreational player that wants to improve, but has limited time should focus on playing 9 Hole rounds instead of 18, and learn how to practice with intention. A swing change cannot be paired with scoring. You have to drill the change, prove to yourself you can replicate the shots without a drill, prove to yourself you can execute the shots on the golf course, and then get back to scoring.

Swing changes are great for the offseason. Scoring focus and getting the most out of your game during the golf season is how you learn to play the game. I wouldn’t sacrifice a limited golf season for a swing change. I would focus my practice on learning how to maintain solid contact, figure out my distances and shot shape, do putting and chipping drills, work on my mental game, and keep my body moving. Creating a new motor pattern that you trust is a 6 month process at least. Just listen to Professionals.

Scottie isn’t going to change his swing, he’s going to find a shot that’s playable and find a way to score. He won’t entertain a swing change until the seasons over, if ever. Tiger went through swing changes and his body changed a lot over his career.

You find a way to play and commit to it. Otherwise you’re in the dark.

Come into the light ⛳️
- Coach Zach

03/11/2026

First Round of the Year: What did I Learn? ⛳️

1. Transitioning from simulator turf to grass is a real adjustment Technically & Mentally. It doesn’t feel the same and the ball doesn’t react the same. Make sure you give yourself a couple weeks to aclimate to new surroundings, depth perception, turf interaction, making divots, short game, etc.

2. Wet & Windy Conditions: You will get mud balls, mirky lies, and very inconsistent conditions. It’s fun to play in March in Ohio but don’t expect clean playing conditions.

3. What to Practice?
- Starting line with putts. 3 & 6ft Circle Drill. Reading greens & Lag Putting.
- Range sessions on grass. Feel impact with the ground.
- Irons: Spin control in the wind.
- Routine: Sharpen focus and commitment.

4. Expectations: The goal is to create a baseline, not performance. Is there frustration? Of course. I know what I need to work on and will show up to do it again. It’s natural to want to quit when you play poorly, just like a hard workout or a hard day. Golf is very challenging, which is why you have to focus on the wins and practice your weaknesses. You can’t lose by showing up and putting in effort.

Track your stats, journal about your game, go practice with intention, go out and play! ⛳️

- Coach Zach

03/06/2026

Climb that Mountain ⛳️

Improvement requires Structure, Clarity, a Roadmap, and Quality Feedback.

The picture attached are the Pillars and Tiers for all players. Every element affects the other. The key is to understand where you are in the process, and to develop a plan to get to your goals.

Some players are heavily analytical and need to focus on the mental and emotional process to help them execute the best committed swing.

Some players have a very limited range of motion, lack of strength in their legs and glutes and core, which makes stability and balance the priority when it comes to improvement.

Some players are simply using equipment that is making it more difficult for their swing mechanics to properly match their swing, which creates inconsistencies with ball striking.

Some players have all the tools. They can move well, they’re emotionally regulated, they have the right equipment, but they’re just new to Golf so they have to learn the swing mechanics in order to be able to play the game.

There are many possible combinations. My job is to identify where you are and help you get to where you want to be without skipping steps. That requires commitment and clarity.

If you’re serious about getting better, you need a plan. Not just a swing tip, a new driver, or more range time, or more playing time, you need structure. We don’t shoot into the wind to hit our target. Don’t tell yourself you want to get better without an objective plan. It’s not worth the stress. Just play golf and enjoy yourself. If you need to get better to enjoy yourself, don’t fool yourself into thinking it comes naturally.

Go Get It! ⛳️

- Coach Zach

03/03/2026

Golf Scoring Roadmap ⛳️

It’s easy to plateau in golf. Hoping for better ex*****on the next time you play isn’t usually what makes the difference. Learning where you are leaking strokes objectively is how you’re going to optimize your practice time and translate those skills to the golf course.

Structured practice creates consistency and improvement. There’s room for unstructured, creative practice that is beneficial as well, but you need to know your game. It’s not all business, but when you find yourself stuck, it’s time for a detailed examination.

Create a plan, stick to the plan ⛳️

- Coach Zach

03/02/2026

What does a Golf Workout look like? ⛳️

I trained at Planet Fitness today with one goal in mind: build a body that supports better golf — not just a better physique.

Golf performance isn’t about how much you can bench. It’s about how well you move, rotate, stabilize, and produce force from the ground up. Everything in this session supports that.

WARM-UP: Activate Before You Accelerate

• World’s Greatest Stretch
• Glute Bridges
• Dead Bugs
• Lateral Band Walks

Most golfers are tight through the hips and weak through the glutes and deep core. That combination leads to early extension, loss of posture, and back discomfort. This sequence opens the hips and activates the stabilizers before loading the body.

STRENGTH: Posterior Chain & Single-Leg Stability

• Dumbbell Romanian Deadlifts
• Rear-Foot Elevated Split Squats
• Single-Leg RDLs

Power in the golf swing comes from the ground up. Strong hamstrings and glutes help maintain posture and control pressure shifts. Single-leg work improves balance and lead-side stability, which is critical for consistent ball striking.

ROTATIONAL CORE: Transfer Strength to Speed

• Cable Woodchops
• Pallof Press Holds

Golf is rotation with control. Woodchops train controlled acceleration. Pallof presses train anti-rotation, which helps prevent swaying and loss of structure at impact. Speed without stability leads to inconsistency.

SHOULDER HEALTH: Protect the Engine

• Face Pulls
• Single-Arm Rows
• Scap Wall Slides

Healthy shoulders allow you to practice more and swing freely. Most golfers overdevelop the front side of the body. This balances that out and supports better posture throughout the swing.

The goal of training for golf isn’t exhaustion. It’s efficiency. Move better. Rotate better. Stay stable. Hit it solid more often.

Move Better. Feel Better. Play Better ⛳️

- Coach Zach