Rinker’s Golf Tips John Bierkan Top 40 Teacher under 40 December 7th I asked John about what he learned from his father, who is a PGA Member, growing up in Connecticut. “More than anything, as much as I’m passionate about teaching and helping people with their games, just about being a gentleman. My father is a gentleman and a very hard working loyal person with integrity, so more than anything he taught the value of hard work and to treat people the way you want to be treated.” As far as what john learned from his father about teaching John said, “Keep lessons simple, make it fun, and really try to make a difference in their life.” When John was in high school one of his father’s assistant pros was playing in Texas, and had become friends with Chuck Cook, so his father brought Chuck Cook to Connecticut for a couple of summers to do golf schools and “that was my first exposure to real high quality instruction and someone who had dedicated his life to teaching. I saw that in action and it really got me excited,” said John.
One of the first Top 100 Teachers that John got to work with was Dr. T.J. Tomasi. John said that T.J. is one of the brightest minds in golf, and he taught him the value of communication, choreographing a lesson, and building a blue print for students. T.J. also told him, “Concepts cue motor behavior,” and a big part of golf instruction is to give students the correct concepts for their game. A lot of misconceptions in the golf swing. We had a caller call in and ask about “keeping his head still” and John said, “That’s the number one misconception in golf. David Duval, Annika, and Stenson all move. Allow yourself to be free and athletic. Half of our job is the clear up misconceptions. It’s a team effort for the instructor to figure out what works for you and that can’t happen in one or two hours of instruction. Build a game plan and stick with it. Have to put in the time to get to the next step. Little mini-practice sessions are great even if they are just 15-30 minutes.”
John also worked with Jim McLean and three things that he learned from Jim were (1) As a teacher really keeping an eye on the path and club face, (2) Not trying to be a strict method teacher and appreciating the idiosyncrasies among golfers. Tour players have their own swings, and (3) Build a system as a teacher that is going to be both good for the recreational golfer as well as the Tour Player. “Have to teach people to play the game. Develop kids as golfers so they can manage the golf course and get the ball in the hole. Have games and contests for juniors to help them develop skills,” John said. John has a successful junior program in the summertime with 150 juniors at the Aronimink Golf Club and he is also the Director of Instruction at the Quail Valley Country Club in Vero Beach, Florida during the wintertime. For more information on John visit his web site at www.JohnBierkan.com