“The Struggle is Real”
Nike, My Own Struggles & Finding a Wild Adventure of your own...

Just like Phil Knight, I am struggling. But, I need you to start struggling too, and here is why...
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All the good stuff happens in “The Struggle”. This blog and the thoughts and ideas in it are Inspired by one of my all time favorite books, "The Shoe Dog" - A Memoir by the creator of NIKE.

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Have you ever heard of a guy named Phil Knight? If not, I’m sure you have heard of the shoe empire that he built. It also happens to be my personal favorite clothing and shoe brand, just a "little teensy tiny brand" ... called NIKE!!! ;)
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​ The Swoosh, Jordan & Tiger
Nike has it all, the best athletes, the best ads, the best logo, the best branding, the best motto - "Just Do It," the best teams spanning the entire globe, all are wearing the "swoosh!" Most importantly they have JORDAN, my all time favorite athlete..sorry TIGER...you are great, but not quite JORDAN.

Jordan is a brand of its own within the brand. And his "Jumpman" logo is just as iconic, maybe even more iconic than the Nike Swoosh.

Today, Nike is everywhere you look, but it wasn’t always that way…

PS:

Here is my Dream:
I’m on a journey to be the “World’s best Coach.” By best I mean, most positive, most encouraging and most IMPACTFUL.

I’ve got a long way to go … and I’m still in the lab in many ways.

However you need to know this,
We are almost done with something we created in “The Lab” and I can’t wait to show you some of our “Secret Sauce”… it's coming soon!

How can I help you?
Text me at 651-216-4539 and I'll do my best. 

Want to train with us?

2 Ways to Train:

1 - The Academy (my favorite):
https://www.wwigolf.com/academy.html#/

2 - Private & Semi-Private Lessons (most popular):
https://www.wwigolf.com/lessons.html#/

Contact me via text message at 651-216-4539 and we will get you the help you need ASAP!

December is a great time to reflect on your past year on the golf course. What are a few of the memories that first come to your mind?

Unfortunately, for most of us it is so much easier to get caught up on the bad things that happened...the embarrassing shots, a terrible round, and all the low-lights of the past year. We need to be careful because this thinking can lead us down a defeated path that is destined straight for Loserville, instead of taking the fork in the road and finding the victorious path leading us to Titletown!

So, let's start to catch ourselves, IMMEDIATELY, when we start down that wrong path in our minds. We have all done it, one bad shot...leads to a bad decision...and BAM we have ourselves a double or triple bogey or WORSE! Not the end of the world, but then a bad hole, can quickly turn into another bad hole and before we even have time to realize it we find ourselves with the wheels starting wobble and about to fall off on our round...

Can you relate?

Sometimes for me, I can be pretty negative as early in the round as the hole #1 tee box! How silly is that? There is so much golf  that is left to be played over the 18 holes still left on the course.

The tour pros on the other hand, have a totally different mindset. They have trained and learned to accept mistakes and then to simply let them go. Now they are fully committed to the NEXT SHOT. They have learned to think this way before they even hit the first shot of the first round. Ben Hogan once said, "The player that misses the best...wins the tournament!" What a funny, but TRUE way to think of golf as a "game of misses". Get better at handling your own "misses" and your scorecard will thank you in the NEW YEAR.

We want to help you shift the focus to the positives as we wrap up the 2023 golf season. Focus on memories of your golf highlights, your best rounds, and your strength areas from this past season. We might not swing quite like the pros, but we can learn to think more like a pro. With better thinking, we can build on your strengths and gain some serious momentum going into 2024. 

So, take a moment and look back in the "rearview mirror" to find your top 3 highlights from your golf season. We will use them again as we look forward into the "windshield" for the upcoming 2024 golf season. 

Create a mental highlight reel, do this right now as you are wrapping up reading this blog article.

Take a moment now to...

Stop...

and think...

Question:
What were your top 3 highlights on the golf course that really stand out from 2023?

Homework aka Home-FUN:
We want to hear from you!
​Send us your top 3 golf highlights from 2023 below.

We will be sure to email you back encouraging you on your journey to better golf...

First of all...RIP UP YOUR RESOLUTIONS! That might be extreme, but most people fail by the end of January. Is there a better way? YES! Instead of making a vague resolution to lose weight, get in shape, play better golf, etc...DO THIS:
1) Make Commitments for 2021:
Here are mine as an example: 1-Increase Swing Speed with Super Speed Training, 2-Compete in 5-10 tournaments in 2021, 3-Compete in a Marathon (I just turned 40)
2) Create a Training Plan:
For each of my commitments above I have a training program to make sure I stay on track throughout the year. Super Speed Training I get swings in each week and measure progress. I have a 26 week marathon program that starts out with just walking and eventually will work up to running 3 miles straight (used to be easy...not so much anymore!). By the end of the program I will run 19 miles before the big day!

What's the most important golf commitment you can make?
In our experience it is this, get 100 swings in per day! Our best players have created a habit out of this and do it naturally now. As a coach, I do it everyday as well. Sometimes its on the course, sometimes its in a simulator, most of the time it is without a club and in front of a mirror or while taking a break from work. You can do it! Start small, you don't have to do 100 swings a day, but after completing our 30 day FREE plan, you will have started a great golfing habit! 

​Make your commitment here today...

Here are the 2020 Western WI Players of the Year and All Area Teams. Join us in 2021 for your chance to be at the top of the leaderboard...

We had over 1,000 players learn, play and compete in our programs in 2019! These players came from over 30 communities in Western WI and the Twin Cities. One of our core programs is the Western WI Golf Tour which provides a fun atmosphere to try competing in 9 hole events and a few 18 hole "Majors". This has been a great way to prepare players to compete on HS golf teams, College Golf teams and BEYOND.

Below you will find the top players in each division of our Junior Golf Tour in 2019. Ranks were determined completely off of season long scoring. The more tournaments competed in, and the better your performance, the more likely to rise to the top.

Scoring for each 2019 event was as follows:
9 Hole events: 1st place 10 points, 2nd 9pts, 3rd 8 pts....10th 1 pt.
18 Hole "MAJOR" events: 1st Place 20 points, 2nd 18 pts, 3rd 16 pts...10th 2pts 

Make sure to join our tour in 2020 using our easy: 3 Step Sign-up System
*New in 2020 will be adding Elementary and College / Adult divisions to our already existing Middle School & High School divisions.

Congrats to all of our area players on an outstanding 2019 season! We hope to see everyone back on tour in 2020! 

​Register for the coming season today at Western WI Golf

...Guess how much it costs? You got it. It is FREE. I can guarantee it will be one of the best golf events you are ever a part of.

The Drive Chip and Putt contest is one of the most fun and well run junior events that I have ever witnessed. The event looks as professional as a pro tour event from the moment you arrive on site, to the warm-up time (free range balls), to the fun contest, and finally the awards ceremony. The kids are treated like royalty with an incredible free gift and usually some snacks are involved. I would highly recommend that you register your golfer, even if they are just starting out with the game. The junior golfers that we train are of all abilities / ages and also look forward to it each year. My own daughter gave it a try at age 7 as a total beginner and I would say it was a big part of her enjoying the game more and wanting to improve today. She will be trying this year again now as a 9 year old. So, register here using the link to the Drive Chip and Putt Website..and if you want, continue to read our story below:

First Year (7 Years Old) = "Give it a Try"
Why we gave it a shot and you should too. Now, you might think with me being a golf coach that my daughter gets a ton of instruction. Not TRUE at all! First of all when I try to coach her I usually get the, "I can do it DAD!" response. Second, when I'm not working or coaching we tend to go to the course to just relax and unwind. Maybe a few tips here and there, some fun games, but not a lot of intense practice or lessons. So, my daughter is not a young prodigy by any stretch of the imagination. This background sets up our first year of the Drive Chip and Putt at the beautiful Eau Claire Golf and Country Club.
We went in with an "let's give it a try" approach. I could have gone on the website and studied all the different rules, regulations and points, but we were going to have fun and went in only with the knowledge that they would have a "Drive" contest, a "Chip" contest and a "Putting" contest.

Round 1 - Local Qualifier at Eau Claire Golf Club
First, we arrived at the course and registered. This is also where the kids get a free gift, and a really cool one by the way. Next we headed to the practice range and then the short game area. From there it was time to get shuttled down to the Drive Contest. She did better than I thought and scored a few points. Next was chipping, this was a struggle but still picked up a few points. Last was putting and went okay as well. Nothing spectacular but she did alright.
After finishing up we stopped for a free snack (always a nice touch in junior golf). Last stop was on to the awards ceremony. While there, we found out that only 3 girls showed up in her division to compete out of the 7 or so that had signed up. I thought I had read somewhere that the top 2 advanced. As scores rolled in it looked like she was going to be in 3rd place. I was bummed, but figured we made our goal of "giving it a shot". As they announced awards they mentioned that the top 3 will be moving on. That was a really exciting development. Even though she did not play great she got to continue her experience at the next level...SentryWorld Golf Course!

Round 2 - Sub Regional Qualifier at SentryWorld
Our first season ended in Sentry World with some stiffer competition and only top 2 advancing to the next round at Whistling Straits. If you are the winner at the Straits you get to go to Augusta National (Home of the Masters Golf Tournament). Every dad's dream right? We ended the day with a nice lunch at Sentry World, which is the best way to wrap up a good day of golf in my opinion.

2nd Year (8 Years Old) = "A Good Lesson"
Year 2 was interesting. We had a really busy summer. I was coaching lots of junior golf and had a busy lessons schedule. My daughters were interested in other summer activities. We kept putting off getting our golf prep in. We worked to cram a few sessions in before the big day but it was too little too late. The event was just as awesome, she even performed a little better due to being a little stronger and a little more experienced. But, with more girls in her division she ended up finishing 1 spot out of advancing to the next round. I actually think that was the best thing that could have happened. She learned that you can't just show up and win and realized that she would have to practice to improve for year 3. She also told me that someday she wants to be like Nancy Lopez, so dad can keep dreaming I guess. :) The season ended there with the other players heading to Sentry World. We had a good lunch, which is the best way to wrap up a tough day of golf in my opinion.

3rd Year (9 Years Old) = "Day 1 of Training"
I told my daughter that registration opened up today and asked her what we had to do differently this year. She replied right away "PRACTICE!" We went through what went well and what needs work and agreed her driving is a strength, but chipping and putting need the most work for this summer.

Hopefully our story helps inspire your family to "Give it a shot!"

Our New Plan:
After the first year of gaining experience, we now have observed and studied the format as well as the points systems to help teach all of our junior golfers how to compete in this great competition. We now have specific drills, games and tips to help our golfers get ready and feel prepared. We know that preparation is the best way to build confidence.

If you would like to have your junior golfer prepare for competing in 2020 through the Drive Chip and Putt or local Pitch Putt & Drive contests we would be happy to help. This is especially a great way for Elementary age golfers to start enjoying the game of golf.

You can also contact me for help learning to practice and play our great game at
[email protected]

Check out our 2020 lesson packages to help train for competition here:

I recently presented at the Western WI Golf Clinic and led attendees through the process of constructing their personalized Mental Toughness routine. I've attached the Mental Toughness Map worksheet we used below. As always, let me know if you have any questions. 

Duane Jourdeans
Director of Performance Psychology
Western Wisconsin Golf
[email protected]

On the course, one great weapon is your mind. Within, the idea of being solution-focused will shave strokes off your score...especially when things don't go your way. Being solution-focused means you  are just that: focused on solutions rather than problems. As humans, we are really good at seeing problems; in fact, we are wired to see them. So rewiring our brain is key to maximize our potential. 

The One Key Question That Will Improve Your Game (and your life):
"What is the one thing I can do right now to make my situation better?"

This question will forces us to refocus what we are thinking about. Instead of thinking about your ball in the bunker, you can focus on things like

• what you can do to get out
• taking a deep centering breath to relax and regain focus
• thinking about other times you got out of the bunker and visualize that triumphant situation
• changing your mindset to view it as a great opportunity...because hey, some of the best stories are ones where people overcome great obstacles 

Regardless of what you choose, choosing to focus your mental energy on how things can be immediately better will keep you calm and confident. As you work through tough situations, be sure to store them in your mental highlight real...you can definitely use them again and again. 

Duane Jourdeans
Director of Performance Psychology
Western WI Golf