We've all heard the old saying,
"Mother knows best" ... eh?

And "Uff-da" ...
Us fellas tend to have to learn that THE HARD WAY!
Not sure if you were anything like me, but instead of listening to my Mom's sage advice as a kid, I liked to go out and "do my own research." Natural consequences...and the school of hard knox became my teacher. Listening to my mom would have been much EASIER!

Without fail, I would go out and do "my research" and then once I proved her theories, I would have to sheepishly walk home...
eventually ride my bike home...
& finally now to this day drive my car back home...

Back to the house. Find mom, she's usually near the kitchen. And now that I think about it, our house was so small you were ALWAYS CLOSE TO THE KITCHEN! One nice perk of a SMALL HOUSE!

Our small house was on the "Rainy River"  which empties into the famous walleye fishing hole, "LAKE OF THE WOODS." I spent many summers sitting on a dock all day.
Just me, the water, my tackle box, a bucket of bait purchased from the next door resort bright and early at 6am. And of course, fish'n pole and a line in the water!
Usually a nice haul of fish by days end too.

I digress,
Once I came in and found mom, I would tell her all about my mis-adventures. Once I was finished,  I would "get to" hear the most-cliche-mom-thing EVER,
"See, I TOLD YOU so!"

But the best part about my mom...
is that I never felt uncomfortable coming back to her and telling her all about "the research" that I had been doing. Cause as many times as I would get that "Mom Look" ... and a few times a little MORE
(well deserved)!
I quickly learned, you don't mess with MOM! Kinda like that, "You mess with the Bull, you gonna get the Horns" saying. You know what I'm talk'n about? Seems like something people in Texas would probably say. But Up North people are kinda tough like that too. We are the kinda people that would respond to Texas saying, "Don't Mess With Texas"... by saying, "I'll Mess with Texas!"  I'm serious! That was on an Up North friends t-shirt! I swear to GOD!!

Bulls, horns, moms...probably not the best illustration that I've ever come up with, but I am sure you get it. Especially if your mom was more "old school" like my mom. 90's moms were pretty bad ass, eh? You other 90's kids can relate to that! 

I can only imagine what my Grandma, my mom's mom was like. She was a bad ass grandma though, I know that and luckily got to EXPERIENCE it!

Gramma Nellie we called her.
Her and my mom are ALOT alike.
Irish. Gramma Nellie raised the coolest sons too, my uncles. I loved em all cause they had the best stories, hearts and they laughed ALOT. To me they seemed kinda like rebels without a cause, but in a good way! But now responsible adults. Their stories of the younger years were the best to hear.

My uncles would take you fishing and tubing and let you play cards with them while they were gambling and drink'n! Those kinda uncles!

Now, My dad became one of the pastors of a local church in Northern MN. About the time I was supposed to get to have fun in life like my uncles used to do! So lets just say, I got cut off pretty quickly from sitting around the table and gambling with my uncles. I mean, it was just for dimes and quarters...but I'll never forget the first time I played with 'em, I WON BIG! They were mad...I wasn't. I was rubbing it in and considering a life of organized gambling crime!

I think my mom saw my eyes widening and my excitement growing! Not hard to do, because I was blabbering on and on about how good at gambling I was! So, I got cutoff pretty quickly from the life of gambling and crime that I was dreaming of.

Probably a good thing, cause clearly I didn't have much of POKER FACE! :)

So in conclusion,
When Mom would have to "give me the business" she always did it with a little smile and twinkle in her eye. You know what I'm saying? She would always sit me down at the kitchen counter, get some popcorn out and make me some of the fruit punch kool-aid I liked...you know the old school kind? Little tiny packet of powder, had to pour all the sugar in yourself (ALOT of sugar if I remember). But then, she would listen...like really WOULD LISTEN...and maybe ask a few questions. Or give a little gentle feedback. But mostly my mom would give ya just TONS of ENCOURAGEMENT. You would leave the time with her thinking you could CONQUER THE WHOLE WORLD...

I'm thankful that I got to talk to her for over an hour yesterday... on HER DAY...Mother's Day.

I stole her away from everyone else via the phone. And she let me talk to her for over an HOUR! See, she really is the best listener! Instead of the kitchen, she was in the playroom at my sisters house. Thankful that someone else took care of all the food and meal prep for her.
She was with my sister's 2 daughters and playing with them, just like she used to do with me and my 2 lil sisters way back in the day! 

Mom's are great!
Hope your MOTHER's DAY was amazing whether you were, like me celebrating the mom's in your life, or if you happen to have the WORLD's HARDEST JOB TITLE of "Mom!"

Mom, 
You really are the best!
World's best Mom!!
#1 MOM!!!
A t-shirt message or printed coffee mug wouldn't be enough.
Thanks MOM! I appreciate you putting up with all the "research" that I had to do.
Your Whack-A-Doodle Son,
-Eric

The 2025 "Holen1Golf Playbook" is HERE...
Level 1 - Lesson 1: "Putt to the Picture"
TIger Woods learned to do this at just 3 years old!
This tip is why TIGER became the best putter in the WHOLE WIDE WORLD. He still uses this same simple tip today. He calls it his "KISS" - Keep It Simple Stupid system. You can use this simple concept to putt better NOW. 
Be sure you are signed up for FREE at www.wwigolf.com  to get the ENTIRE 2025 playbook and play MORE LIKE TIGER...more like a pro and less like a BAD GOLFER!

The "Spirit of the Game" is broken up into these 3 parts:
1-Personal Integrity - by being honest at all times
2-Consideration of Others - their safety, their enjoyment & not distracting them
3-Responsibility - by taking good care of the golf course 

In this article I want to take you quickly through what we talk about on day one of summer golf camp...

The 10 COMMANDMENTS of Golf
"Spirit of the Game" - Golf Commandments 1, 2 & 3:

The 1st Commandment–Integrity: Thou Shalt ALWAYS carry yourself with INTEGRITY & honesty

Question: How do I do that Coach?

Answer: Well....that is a GREAT question and it's not always easy, but golfers take pride in doing all things with INTEGRITY & HONESTY...both on and OFF the course. 

Golfers look like & do these 3 things when displaying Commandment #1: Integrity ...

 1) Golfers Work Hard & Study--do your very best to know & follow the Rules of golf!
There are ALOT of rules in golf and we will help you learn the basics. Don't be scared of them, you will learn many of them as you go and we are here to help you kids (and big kids) learn them from the very beginning. Honestly some of the rules can be kinda silly and you might disagree with some of them. But that is kinda like in real life too? Doesn't matter YOU MUST follow them, even if you don't like 'em. Our game depends on you doing your VERY BEST...you got this & we will help ya out.

2) Golfers are the player & the REFEREE too--You call fouls and penalties on YOURSELF in golf! 
You are the referee and the player...isn't that kinda crazy? It is, but I also happen to think it's kinda crazy cool. 'Cause no-one out there bossing you all around all the time. You get to be "YOUR OWN BOSS" in golf. You really don't even have a coach with you most of the time when you are on the golf course (in youth golf we do have coaches w/ the kids). So through golf you will learn to be a leader and to be responsible for yourself and OTHERS.

3) Golfers are HONEST--you learn to carry yourself with INTEGRITY & HONESTY in all aspects of playing the game at all times!
And golfers are great humans off the course too. But, it's really hard to do sometimes...even for us BIG KIDS (right adults)?!
It can be tough, because you want to play really good and shoot really low scores. So it's going to be tempting sometimes to CHEAT or bend the rules. But golfers don't do it, you must NEVER CHEAT! Because you will know what you did and it will make you feel really bad. So, instead of cheating, you must do the HARD THING, the RIGHT thing. You as a golfer will learn to ALWAYS play the game with honesty and integrity even those times you don't want to. Even when no one is watching and even when others are not doing it the RIGHT WAY!

This is the ONLY WAY to play our beautiful game & this is how we protect it and keep our game of golf special, different & UNIQUE from all other games and sports on the planet...you can do it!
​We believe in you and we are here to HELP YOU.

Peace, Golf Love, and Good Vibes your way!
-Holen

​​
Reach out to Coach Holen for help learning more about golf and how it helps your kids learn valuable life lessons and important character traits. We Coach Big Kids (adults) too...

Coach Contact Info - Text messages preferred, we can setup a phone call or meeting if need be.
Phone: 651-216-4539
Email: [email protected]
Website: www.wwigolf.com

My dad is a preacher, so you know where we were every SUNDAY MORNING, eh?
You betcha...
My buns were wearing a groove mark in a church pew ! If I'm honest, I didn't love going to Church every Sunday, ESPECIALLY in my teen years. However, now that I am in my over the hill-ish years...I am VERY GRATEFUL for those good old fashioned lessons!

So to this very day, my heart soul & mind are pretty well trained to spend time reflecting, reading, and mediating. This year I even added JOURNAL-ing to my repertoire! I know, I know, I'm growing up so fast! Now, don't get all impressed or nothin' ...'cause I'm a beginner here & still practicing this new skill.  But, if you are still impressed somehow, this should help clear things up: full transparency - I had to "ChatGPT it" how do you spell  "repetroire"... at least I was close! "Uff-da!"

Today I would like to focus on the topic of RELATIONSHIPS!
Probably one of the most important things we could ever get better at.  Don't take my word for it, here is what a much wiser expert had to say about this topic:
"The best way to predict your future is to create it."
-JOHN WOODEN
Coach Wooden as you know, was a true legend in the sports world & one of winning-est coaches of all-time.

When I first read his quote, I didn't think of it as a "relationship" quote. How about you?
I thought of it more selfishly and more along the lines of  MY own FUTURE & MY personal SUCCESS. And THAT is my PROBLEM. My tendency is to get so focused on ME, MYSELF & I...that I forget WHY I am here. WHY I get to DO what I DO. Really I'm here to serve YOU, to serve my players, to serve OTHERS. John Wooden knew this very well and it is why he was so SUCCESSFUL. He was a legend in coaching, because he mastered the art of RELATIONSHIPS. He came at it from a unique angle and perspective, as all great leaders, coaches & parents tend to do.

While this quote is often used in reference to personal growth, it really applies to RELATIONSHIPS—encouraging us to invest in and shape the future WE WANT through our actions...our COMMITMENTS and not just our WORDS.
As a coach myself,
I often struggle with that. Coaches have to talk a lot. It's just part of the JOB...but if I am "ALL TALK," I will eventually lose the respect, trust & ultimately the RELATIONSHIP with my players. That would truly be a LOSING record. People are what matter most, in life. We can take this off the court as well and apply Coach Wooden's lesson to our personal relationships. Just like on a team, all of our personal relationships will thrive with effort, intention, keeping commitments & our ACTIONS over our words!

We have all heard this "GOLDEN RULE" of wisdom: "Your actions speak louder than your words," eh?

But "UFF-Da" that ain't easy...it's a simple idea but it takes a lot of PRACTICE.

That wraps up the short version...
&
If I have still kept your interest this long, you can stick around for the long version, if you like.
​2025 Golf Journey...
You would think it would start to get old after awhile. But honestly, as we head into this new season, I've never felt this EXCITED in all the past 21 years. I believe something BIG is on the horizon this YEAR. This season is gonna be good! I can FEEL IT...I JUST KNOW IT!
(Sorry, It's a coach thing. Our gut just tells us stuff sometimes!)

Most important, we are glad to have you be a part of it! This season we will be embarking on the golf journey of a lifetime. There will be amazing adventures, interesting CHARACTERS, some of which will become your new FRIENDS! Golf has this unique tendency to attract an "interesting" array of people...and I mean that in a GOOD WAY! You will love the people you meet along the way. 

In addition to our lively characters, we will have wild adventures on the golf course(s)! You will be sure to visit some old favorites, find hidden gems and play new, undiscovered courses as well. These action packed golfing adventures will be good fuel for stories and tall tales when you return home.

Sound like a plan? Great! Pack your bags, because we are about to venture across the Western WIsconsin Golfing lands...and BEYOND!
(I Feel like Buzz Lightyear, all of a sudden) 

Our History - "Let's Change The WORLD"
At the ripe old age of 23, I decided to do something CRAZY. Go out and CHANGE the World! Cause that's what 20 year-olds like to think they can do, right? 
So I did, with lots of help of course...
I was coaching HS Varsity golf & basketball at this time. In small towns you also "get to" run the youth booster program.  Right away I noticed a big problem! Basketball had tons of opportunities for kids. Golf? Almost NOTHING! Kids would come out for our HS GOLF team and had never played in a golf competition! Can you imagine a player doing that in: football, basketball, hockey, volleyball baseball / softball?
It would NEVER HAPPEN...So I decided we need to change that!

Ok, OK...at least CHANGE our little corner of the WORLD!
We went right to work that very first summer. We didn't have much for funds or supplies. So we just
"Did the best we could, with what we had, right where we were at."
(One of my favorite quotes)
A few kids, a few coaches gathered together on a rural Wisconsin school yard. We had the very basics and a few bare essentials. Some old donated clubs, golf balls, our home made training aids & targets. It didn't take long, and word of a "Youth Golf Program" started to spread to other communities, we  began to grow and had to start meeting up at local courses.
(Fast Forward 22 Years)

Western Wisconsin Golf Today
Is one of the largest and most reputable golf programs in the entire Twin Cities / Western WI area. That is genuinely humbling & still blows my mind! Players and families will drive 1-2 hours (or more) to be a part of the WWiGolf experience. We are so grateful for this and it must mean we are "doing something right" to attract these incredible people and amazing families!

Before we go,
We want  to share one last thought with you as we wrap up. Our WHY. Our WHY, wakes me up every morning. I wake up ready to SERVE others through the game of golf. Each day I look forward to the new adventures and opportunities that are sure to come my way. Each morning, I am "fired up"..."wired up" (that might be the coffee)... and "READY TO GO!"

Our WHY called us to "GO FOR IT", even though it seemed crazy in 2003!
Our  WHY has me just as "FIRED UP" for our 22nd season here in 2025...

Our WHY?
...YOU are,
...YOUR family,
...YOUR people,
We do it all for YOU, to serve up a little joy and a lot of smiles through the wonderful game of golf!
...usually "a few colorful words" get sprinkled in there too, I suppose :)

Welcome to the Team! 
-Coach Holen

Please let me know how I can help,
Phone: 651-216-4539
Email: [email protected]
Web: www.wwigolf.com

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]