Class is in: Rob Akins found

from Tee Times July 2020

Easy living: There’s no shortage

Rob Akins knew early on he wanted to teach

By Gregg Dewalt Tee Times Editor

Playing golf is hard; teaching golf is even harder. But seeing a student’s results from the teaching aspect is so rewarding. That’s part of the gospel according to Golf Digest Top 25 teacher Rob Akins, whose academy at Spring Creek Ranch in Collierville, Tennessee is one of the tops in the state. Akins, who lists former PGA Champi- on David Toms among those who have sought out his tutelage, should know, too. He’s been teaching the game ever since he was a teenager in Louisiana. “It’s hugely hard to teach somebody how to play golf and how to swing ver- sus just swinging,” Akins, who is No. 3 on the Golf Digest list of Top 10 teachers, said recently. “It’s always a challenge. As long as you can make a person hit a ball better than they did before, every hour you get rewarded with that. They turn around and are amazed, and that’s really what keeps a teacher going. Be- ing there for that critical element when things come together and seeing them achieve something they never thought they could achieve, it makes it all worth- while.” Akins, who has been featured in Golf Digest and on the Golf Channel for his instruction, was interested in teaching almost from the time he began playing. He started playing when he was about seven years old. It became his focal point

when he was 11. Shortly thereafter, he began his path to teaching the game. “I got an opportunity to do a junior golf school in Louisiana and it grew to where we had 125 kids,” he said. “I did that for five years. I didn’t know what I was doing, but I was reading all I could. That got me started teaching.” Like most kids, Akins dreamed of making it to the PGA Tour. But that got pushed aside when he realized how much the instruction side of the business appealed to him. “I knew early on that I enjoyed the teaching part, so I switched over when I got married when I was 21,” he said. “So, the rest, I guess, is history.”

Akins has a list of those who have influenced his teaching, starting with Harvey Penick. “As far as teachers, Harvey Penick. I found out about him when I was about 11. He had a lot of influence,” Akins said. “There was an African American man I spent a lot of time with as a child. His name was Nathan Vaughan. He didn’t talk to me about the golf swing, but he talked to me about how to play the game. Probably the biggest influence is a fel- low by the name of Tom Ness. He lives in Atlanta and was my mentor about 20 years ago. He was with the Golf Digest schools and Bob Toski. Tom did a whole lot about teaching me how to get better.” Others have influenced Akins as well. When he had players on Tour, he became friends with some of the greatest teachers in the world. “I am so blessed to have had so many

TENNESSEE 1.) Joe Hallett, Vanderbilt Legends C., Franklin 2.) Matt Killen, Troubadour G. & Field C., College Grove 3.) Rob Akins, Rob Akins Golf Academy at Spring Creek Ranch, Collierville 4.) Brian Lackey, G.C. of Tennessee, Kingston Springs 5.) Nancy Quarcelino, Gaylord Springs G. Links, Nashville 6.) Virgil Herring, Ensworth Golf Center, Nashville 7.) Henrik Simonsen, The Honors C., Ooltewah 8.) Matt Walter, Vanderbilt Legends C., Franklin 9.) Ben Pellicani, Westhaven G.C., Franklin 10.) Walt Chapman, Fairways and Greens, Knoxville 11.) Brad Redding, Target Golf Practice and Training Facility, Knoxville 12.) Jake Reeves, Fox Den C.C., Knoxville 13.) Gaylon Cude, Golf House Tennessee Learning Center, Franklin 14.) Jex Wilson, Old Fort G.C., Murfreesboro

people share their knowledge with me,” he said. “They were able to pass down a lot of things to me.” Akins and his craft continue to evolve. He said he has surpassed 70,000 hours of individual golf instruction for his career. “Some people say it takes 10,000 hours to be good at something,” he said. “For me, I didn’t start having a lot of success until I had about 25,000 hours. Gradually, at about 50,000 hours I realized how ignorant I was at 25,000 hours. I continue to learn and grow and hope I continue that the rest of my life and be able to become a better teacher.” Swing theories and methodology are a dime a dozen these days. Everybody, it seems, has a way for players to add distance, make more putts and knock strokes off their game. Akins admits methodology is constantly changing for teachers. For him, three things are imperative in the swing: the clubface, the swing plane and the lag or drag. “The first two things control direction, and the third thing is what smashes the ball,” he said. “Your grip controls the clubface, and then how you build your body and moves your arm controls the plane. Once you get those two things down and learn how to hit it straight, you can learn how to compress the ball harder. “I kind of stick to those three things – they are the only three things the ball cares about,” Akins continued. “Not that those wouldn’t be in (Ben) Hogan’s book, but it is much more precise than what is in it. That allows people to have different styles of swings and fit into that model.”

Akins agrees that in these days when technology is king and launch monitors and Trackman are pervasive among teachers as tools of the trade, it’s easy to get information overload.

Rob Akins

Even though he thinks he was the first pro in Memphis to have Trackman, he doesn’t rely on it. He explains why. “I have used it,” he said. “It’s great to show somebody that they can hit it farther and sometimes it’s great to show somebody how their dispersion has gotten tighter. But Trackman gives you a millisecond of information at impact, but it doesn’t tell you what the story was. It may tell you that you were out-to-in and your clubface was 4 degrees open, but it doesn’t tell you that your grip is weak and you had a bad takeaway. I don’t think Trackman has really furthered golf instruction a lot because people who are trying to fix impact without knowing the

Continued on page 23

How to pick the right teacher

By Rob Akins

As a young man trying to learn how to teach golf, there was an enormous amount of stuff I had to wade through to find out what was really effective. There are so many different opinions and so much stuff, if you are looking for a teacher, I’d say try to find someone who has really helped their students win junior tournaments or club championships. Obviously, the Tour players I worked with were already great. I didn’t make them great. They were already on the PGA Tour when I started teaching them. If you can find somebody who has taken some kids from the very beginning and became college golfers or state champions, that’s a good insight that that person has spent some time learning how to teach people.”

Sneds Tour continues pattern of growth

The Tennessee Golf Foundation’s (TGF) junior golf tour began in 1995, originally named the Tennessee PGA Junior Tour. The tour has changed names numerous times through the years, adopting its current name, the Sneds Tour, in 2015. “Sneds” is the moniker of Nashville native and 9-time PGA Tour winner, Brandt Snedeker. Brandt and his wife, Mandy, were looking for a way to give back to the junior golf com munity in Tennessee, and fittingly chose the tour Brandt grew up playing on. The partnership between The Snedeker Foundation and the TGF began in January of 2015, taking junior golf to a new level in the state of Tennessee. TGA Director of Competitions Rob “The partnership has been incredCherry and Clarksville’s Patton Samuels ible over the years and has brought at the 2019 Tournament of Champions. a lot of excitement to the tour,” TGF (Courtesy photo) Director of Competitions Rob Cherry said. “The juniors love having Brandt and Mandy at events; they have been so supportive with both their time and resources. The special ‘swag’ his sponsors (Peter Millar and Bridgestone Golf) have generously provided at events is also a fun surprise for the kids every year that bring a smile to each of their faces.” The Sneds Tour is comprised of both boys and girls between the ages of 4 through 19. A junior is eligible to play on the Sneds Tour until they begin their first semester of college. The tour is open to any junior golfer, regardless of their residence. The tour is comprised of 15 differ

The Rob Cherry File

Current Position: Director of Competitions, Tennessee Golf Foundation Born: Nashville Education: David Lipscomb High School; University of Tennessee Miscellaneous: • Introduced to golf by his grandfather when he was 5. • Helped David Lipscomb High to its first boys state golf championship. • Also played tennis in high school. • Played 10 years on the TGA Junior Tour. • Earned Bachelor’s of Business Administration degree in Finance at UT. • Played on UT’s club golf team. • After graduation, spent two years with Tennessee Golf Association helping run tournaments across the state. • In his sixth year with the Tennessee Golf Foundation. Fond Memory: While growing up, Rob attended The Memorial Tournament each year in Columbus, Ohio. Career Golf Highlight: Being a starter on David Lipscomb High School’s only state golf championship team Career Low Round: (68) Montgomery Bell State Park

ent division levels, grouping juniors based on both their age and ability level. Whether a junior is about to play Division I college golf or just recently picked up the game, the Sneds Tour is open to all ability levels. The majority of the tournaments take place in Tennessee, with a few events held in neighboring states (Mississippi, Virginia and Georgia). Over the past six years, the Sneds Tour has seen consistent growth in membership, tournaments and rounds played. While the 2020 season has been uniquely challenging due to COVID-19, the Sneds Tour is on track to have a record year with currently 1,597 members this season. This season began the first weekend of March at Two Rivers Golf Course (Nashville) and will conclude at the end of October at Green Meadow Country Club (Alcoa). This season the tour is on pace for a record 149 tournaments, which equates to about 8,400 rounds of golf and surpasses last year’s record year by 1,200 rounds. For more information on the Sneds Tour, please go to snedstour.org. Junior Golf & Golf House Learning Center Lissa Bradford, PGA – Director of Junior Golf • Rob Cherry – Director, Sneds Tour & Tennessee Junior Cup •

Trevor Spathelf – Associate Director, Junior Golf • Matthew Johnson - Associate Director of Competitions, Junior Golf • Scott Flynn, PGA – Director of Golf, Golf House Tennessee Learning Center • Golf House Tennessee Learning Center •

Daniel Booker, Jr.- Golf Program Coordinator, Golf House Tennessee Learning Center •

Kendall Maynard tames Three Ridges to win Tennessee Girls Junior Amateur crown

Tee Times report

KNOXVILLE – What a difference a year makes.

In 2019, Kendall Maynard shot 17-over 233 in the Tennessee Girls Junior Amateur Championship.

Just a year later, Maynard, who is committed to Belmont University, hoisted the championship trophy after firing a 4-hole total of 5-under 211.

For non-math majors, that’s a 22-shot improvement. Maynard’s steady play – she went the final 40 holes without a bogey – resulted in a one-shot victory over recent Tennessee commit Kyndie Adams at Three Ridges Golf Course. “I would definitely say I’ve made a lot of improvement with my short game, and that has helped my scoring,” Maynard told tngolf.org of her one-year improvement. “My wedges and putting have got a lot better. I’m just really happy right now to see all my hard work pay

off. My goal was to hit fairways and greens and make as many pars as I could.”

The win was the second of the summer for Maynard, a Clarksville native. Earlier, she won a Sneds Tour event at Tennessee Grasslands by shooting 7-under 137 in the two-day event.

Maynard’s improved short-game play proved crucial when she got up-and-down from a greenside bunker for par on the final hole to avoid a playoff with Adams. Maynard led by one shot over Adams starting the final round. Maynard had rounds of 74-68-69. Adams shot 75-68-69.

“There were so many great girls playing this week and they played fantastic,” Maynard said. “It means a lot to be able to play just as well as them. Kynadie played phenomenal and I’m just happy to get the win.” Carthage’s Sophie Linder finished third with

Morris rewrites record book with 7-shot win at Tennessee Junior Amateur

Tee Times report

KNOXVILLE, Tenn. – Jack Morris made his win at the Tennessee Junior Amateur look quite easy at the Three Ridges Golf Course, thanks in part due to a 9-under 63 in the sec ond round. That helped him build a 6-shot lead going to the final round. He eventually led by 10 strokes before settling on a 7-shot win at 15-under-par 201 in the 54-hole tournament. Morris is a Franklin native and Lipscomb University signee. Shelbyville’s Evan Woosley-Reed, a Tennessee commit, played well enough to win most years with a 208 total, but he couldn’t keep up with Morris.

three straight rounds of 72.

Lynn Lim of Gallatin was fourth (71-74-72–217), followed by Kingsport’s Isabella van der Biest at 78-71-71–220).

Rounding out the top ten were: Claire Hen- son of Jackson (75-76-72–223), Anna Heck of Memphis (77-72-78–227), McKinley Cunningham of Clarksville (76-71-80–227), Sadie Pan of Clarksville (79-75-74–228), and Madeline Simcox of Bristol (78-77-75–230)

“It’s an awesome last (junior) tournament to have,” Morris told tngolf.org. “It gives me a lot of confidence and hopefully I can carry it in to this fall. All my friends were playing, so it was awesome to play with them. It was a great feel. It’s nice to see all of my hard work pay off.” His second-round 63 tied the lowest score shot in the tournament, which was being played for the 61st year. Among the records set by Morris were:

• Lowest score for 54 holes, 201 (previously 202, William Nottingham 2016) • Lowest score to par for 54 holes, -15 (pre viously -11, Chris Stutts 1990, Keith Mitchell 2010, Grant Daugherty 2011, William Nottingham 2016) • Lowest score for 18 holes, 63 (previously 63, Davis Shore 2014, Brandon Skeen 1999, Will Pearson 2008) • Lowest score to par for 18 holes, -9 (previously -7, Davis Shore 2014, Will Pearson 2008, Brandon Skeen 1999) • Lowest score for 9 holes, 30 (previously 31, Davis Shore 2014, William Nottingham 2016) • Lowest score to par for 9 holes, -6 (previously -4, Davis Shore 2014, William Nottingham 2016) • Lowest score first 36 holes, 132 (previously 132, Chris Stutts 1990) • Lowest score to par first 36 holes, -12 (previously -12, Chris Stutts 1990) • Lowest score final 36 holes, 132 (previously 133, Davis Shore 2014, Joe David 2008, Will Pearson 2008, Cayman Ratliff 2013) • Lowest score to par final 36 holes, -12 (previously -11, Davis Shore 2014) Morris shot a final-round 69 despite a bogey and double-bogey. He offset those with four birdies and an eagle. Morris made 18 birdies and two eagles in 54 holes. Knoxville’s Carson Kammann shot 6-under 66 in the final round to finish tied for third at 211 along with Cameron Tankersley and Knoxville’s Lance Simpson – a Tennessee commit – East Tennessee State commitment Jack Tickle ended up in sixth place (70-70-72–212), followed by William Rieck (71-70-72–213), Patton Samuels (70-74-70–214), and Mark McDearman (73-74-68–215). Three players tied for 10th: Jackson Skeen (71-76-69–216), Aidan Collier (73-71-72–216) and Conner Brown (74-71-71–216)

Around Nashville Fairways

Wayne Evans Superintendent of Sports/ Golf Clubhouse Operations

McCabe getting new greens; Shelby remains closed

We have lots of things going on this get these installed at McCabe. month in our golf facilities. While the course is closed, our practice McCabe Golf Course is currently closed range is open Tuesday through Sunday until early September for the installafrom noon until 8 p.m., so you can still tion of new greens. work on your game. We have had great success in the past Shelby Golf Course is still closed due few years with the TifEagle/ultrad to the severe damage it received from warf Bermuda grass greens that were the March tornado. It sustained heavy installed in consecutive years at Two damage to trees, the irrigation system, Rivers, Harpeth Hills, and Ted Rhodes. and cart paths. We are hoping to reopen These have provided an outstanding Shelby sometime this fall. putting surface that holds up well to Our other courses have been exour high amount of traffic as well as the hot temperatures we experience here in our summer season. Our golf main tremely busy during this time. They have not only picked up additional play from our facilities that are closed Hours of Operation new faces at our courses. The Covid-19 pandemic tenance staffs are working diligently to temporarily, but we have seen many Tuesday-Sunday Noon - 8 p.m. has limited some of the things we can offer, and has changed how we do things. However, one positive during this coronavirus era is that we have seen that many of the people who have always said that they would like to pick up the game if they had time, have now had the opportunity to do so with so many going through shut downs, furloughs, and working from home the past few months. Hopefully, they become hooked on what we think is the best sport around. We hope you all stay well, and we look

No. 9 green on the South Course, sprigged and top-dressed forward to seeing you at our facilities.

on July 9, just 5 days into the process - Wayne

We Love Our Golfers!!!

Harpeth Hills 2424 Old Hickory Blvd. • 615-862-8493

McCabe 46th & Murphy Rd. • 615-862-8491

Percy Warner Forrest Park Dr. • 615-352-9958

Shelby 20th & Fatherland • 615-862-8474

Two Rivers Two Rivers Parkway • 615-889-2675

Ted Rhodes 1901 Ed Temple Blvd. • 615-862-8463 VinnyLinks 2009 Sevier Street • 615-880-1720

Nashvillefairways.com

Courses seeing new, familiar faces during pandemic

Welcome to the new normal, if such a thing exists! As we try and deal with this ever-changing pandemic, we are seeing some changes in the behavior of our citizens. One of the unintended consequences of this awful situation is that people are looking for ways to get outside in the fresh air, and quite logically one of the places they want to go is to the golf course.

We have seen some folks that we haven’t seen in years. Some are taking the game up again, or now have the time to bring their children or grandchildren out to introduce them to golf and the great outdoors. Believe it or not golf could benefit from this terrible situation, along with other sports and outdoor activities that have been put on the back burner of life. It seems that people may be tired of sitting on the couch watching television while their kids play video games all day. Outside in the fresh air is good.

We are grateful to be able to keep our golf courses open during these trying times, but we would also like to remind everyone to be aware of social distancing for themselves and our staff. We understand that everyone might have a different outlook on the present situation, but we ask that you are respectful to our guests and our staff at each of our courses. If you want to wear a mask when you enter our clubhouses that would be great—your call. If you don’t feel well for any reason, please don’t come to the course. Let’s look after each other and get through this together. While we are talking about staying healthy, please go to our Tennessee State Parks website (State.Parks@tn.gov) to see our Healthy Parks, Healthy Person App. You can actually earn rewards for having fun. Try it! Hopefully, we might have some major golf events coming soon that might have

Gutta Percha Ball (The Guttie)

In the mid-19th century, most people could only dream of playing golf. There were at the time fewer than 20 golf clubs around the world, with just three being outside Scotland. But that was not the only thing that prevented most people from playing golf. The high cost of golf essentials, especially of golf balls, made the game pretty much inaccessible to ordinary people. But that was soon about to change. The invention of the golf ball that was about to trigger a revolution is traditionally attributed to the Scottish divinity student Robert Adam Pater

Bryson DeChambeau

some different drama added to the normal equation. Question? If Bryson DeChambeau (like him or not at the moment) wins one or two of the three majors that will be played in the next few months, do you think the USGA will make a long-anticipated move to limit the distance the golf ball travels? He has added about 20 to 30 yards to his tee shots in the last few months, and as of this writing has not finished outside the top eight in months. This has not happened since the gutta percha came into being. son (1829-1904). Some authors, however, have questioned the story about a poor golf enthusiast who is looking for ways to be able to enjoy the game, which would eventually lead to the invention of the gutta percha ball or the guttie. The widely accepted story goes, that one fine day in 1843, Paterson’s fa- ther received a package that contained a statue of Vishnu which was protected by shavings of gutta percha. Young Pa- terson played with the blackish-brown material of same name Malaya tree until he one day rolled it into a ball. It didn’t take long for him to find it a purpose. He painted it white and tried it out in the herbage of the St. Andrews Old Course. For instance, the last time anything came remotely close to this was in 2003 when the ball really changed drastically. In a 12-month period surrounding 2003, the best players in the game, who were trying unsuccessfully to beat Tiger Woods, gained some real yardage. Ernie Els, plus-18 yards. Retief Goosen, plus-17 yards. Phil, plus-16 yards. Vijay, plus-15 yards. Tiger only gained seven yards. These yardages were on average over 12 months. They still could not beat him but they sure did gain an advantage on all of the other players of the day. Since this is basically an opinion piece, here is mine. We don’t need 8,000-yard golf courses, simply put, it’s just too ex- pensive for the operators. We could at least stop the distance the ball travels as of today—that would help some. Most of us are happy to see golf back on television, even without the fans, and we look forward to what might be in store for us for the rest of the year. As usual, I am selling hope. And it is my hope that each of you stay healthy and come see us on the Tennessee Golf Trail very soon. Logistically, we still have a few things to deal with regarding the COVID-19 guidelines, but we are here for you. We are open, and we will do what we can to make sure you enjoy your day on the TGT. We look forward to seeing you soon.

- Mike After a few strokes, however, Paterson’s gutta percha ball fell apart. Not willing to give up just yet, he made more balls and tried again. But the balls disinte- grated very quickly this time as well. When young Paterson completed his studies, he emigrated to America. But before he left, he told his brother about his gutta percha “experiment” who thought it was worth giving it another try. And he did. In 1846, he sent the improved version in London but there was almost no interest in the novel golf ball. Little by little, however, the guttie was taken up by a growing number of golfers and by the early 1860s, the featherie practically became “extinct”.

Breen Wins Tennessee Senior PGA Professional Championship

NASHVILLE, Tenn. – After two days of beautiful weather at the Nashville Golf & Athletic Club, Bill Breen, PGA of Harpeth Valley Golf Center secured his fourth Tennessee PGA win in a row this year at the Tennessee Senior PGA Professional Championship. Round one of the tournament brought clear skies and plenty of birdies to go around. Breen clocked in four birdies and only a single bogey on the 18th hole to make his round one score threeunder, 69. Oak Ridge Country Club Professional Glenn Hudson, PGA and Ted Rhodes Golf Course Professional Audie Johnson, PGA tied one stroke behind Breen at two-under, 70. Hudson sunk two eagles and two birdies to bring him to the runner up position. Johnson finished the round with four birdies securing his number two spot on the leaderboard. There was a three way tie for fourth place between Bear Trace at Tims Ford Professional Jared Melson, PGA, The Honors Course Professional Henrik Simonsen, PGA and Vanderbilt Legends Club Professional Buddy Harston, PGA. Melson finished the day with two birdies, Simonsen with four birdies, and Harston

with seven birdies to put the trio at one-under, 71. With the top six players all within a stroke of each other, the competition was high for the second round. Breen kept his momentum high and had three early birdies in a row on the 3rd, 4th, and 5th hole. Melson played it steady with all pars and a single birdie on the front nine but he fought hard and sunk three birdies on the back nine to finish runner up at four-under, 140. Fairways & Greens Golf Professional Walt Chapman, PGA had a bit of a rough start with a bogey on the first hole but that was his only one as he finished at third place with four birdies at two-under, 142. Johnson fought hard to stay in the top six with three birdies and finished at fourth place with one-under, 143. Fox Den Country Club Professional Jake Reeves, PGA was determined to get a top spot as well and went from seventh place to a tie for fifth with Simonsen after three birdies in the second round. Simonsen finished the day with two birdies for the pair to finish even at 144. Breen had another three birdies in a row on the 13th, 14th, and 15th holes totaling eight birdies for the round which put him in the top spot at eleven-under, 133. This year, the top 6 finishers will represent the TNPGA at the 32nd Senior PGA Professional Championship at the PGA Golf Club in Port St. Lucie, Florida. Good luck to Breen, Melson, Chapman, Johnson, Reeves, and Simonson at the National Championship.