Claude Harmon III, Mark Blackburn and Dave Phillips Share Perspective on Building a TPI Team

One of the most anticipated presentations at last week’s World Golf Fitness Summit was a panel discussion featuring three of the best golf coaches in the world: Claude Harmon III, Mark Blackburn and our own Dave Phillips.  

The goal of the panel was to share how they approach their students who have significantly different movement capabilities.  The three golfers discussed were Jon Rahm (Dave Phillips), Brooks Koepka (Claude Harmon III) and Chez Reavie (Mark Blackburn).

One of the reasons we chose these three is they are representative of the diverse swing styles, strategies and movement capabilities found in professional golf.  Koepka and Rahm are among the most powerful athletes on TOUR off the tee, Reavie is among the most accurate.  Koepka and Reavie are more mobile than the average golfer, Rahm is less mobile.  

In the midst of the conversation, Claude shared why he screens athletes and how he addresses dysfunction or limitations in his students.  His answer was instructive, and a great reminder of how powerful the team approach can be when applied correctly.  

 

If I’m not on TOUR I’m giving golf lessons to regular, everyday golfers.  If they have problems I pick up the phone and call someone… Go see this person for manual therapy, go see this chiropractor, go see this therapist.

- Claude Harmon III

The team model that we preach at TPI isn't reserved for golfers on professional tours.  It's a practical a strategy that's designed to impact the average club golfer.  Here's TPI instructor Mark Blackburn on the team approach as a revenue generator at your local club. 

 

"You're trying to create a culture. You're the catalyst for the change. Think of it as a long-term investment."

- @blackburngolf on establishing a golf, fitness and medical team at your club pic.twitter.com/LdxKx2s3Va

— TPI (@MyTPI) October 23, 2018

 

The average golfer needs a team as much as an elite TOUR player.  By identifying limitations and referring to experts, we can have massive impact on performance and durability in the golf community.

As a golf instructor you don’t have to be an amazing physical therapist, you just have to be aware of [their limitations] so that you can point golfers in the right direction.

- Claude Harmon III

Being a good golf coach (or medical/fitness provider) is as much about having the right resources as it is about having the right answers.  You don’t need to be able to tell a student exactly what to do to improve their body, but you need to be able to communicate with the fitness and medical professionals who can.