12
May 2020
TEE TIMES
www.teetimespaper.com
Moving on up: Will Wright overseeing Nashville-area GOLFTEC operations By Justin Onslow Tee Times Associate Editor
Last July, Will Wright assumed the role of Regional Manager for GOLFTEC operations in the Nashville area, which included oversight of GOLFTEC locations in both Brentwood and Cool Springs. Soon, he’ll have a third location under his care in the form of a new center in west Nashville. Wright began with GOLFTEC in 2014, fresh out of the Golf Academy of America. Then-owner Andrew Braley, who has since sold his Nashville locations back to GOLFTEC corporate management, hired
Wright as an instructor at his Memphis location, and Wright soon joined the team in Nashville. When Braley sold back to corporate, GOLFTEC wanted a regional manager to oversee Nashville’s operations, and they chose Wright as the man for the job. “They were looking for a regional manager, and because I had pretty much been here the longest and have some pretty good leadership skills and had worked at both locations here in Nashville, they felt I was the best fit for the job,” Wright said. It’s a role into which he’s settled nicely, especially considering how much the COVID-19 pandemic has disrupted
Wright’s Quarantine Tip for Staying Sharp By Will Wright One thing a lot of golfers don’t think about is shoulder tilt throughout the golf swing. At GOLFTEC, shoulder tilt is measured precisely in degrees, and we’re able to see from that data exactly how golfers should be positioning their shoulders at setup, the top of the swing and at impact. Generally speaking, Tour-level players have an average shoulder tilt of 11 degrees at setup, which we’ll call “11 degrees right” for a right-handed golfer. That means the right shoulder is set up slightly below the left.
At the top of the swing, that number flips to 36 degrees left and finishes at 39 degrees right at impact. Those numbers may vary slightly from golfer to golfer, but that’s a good benchmark when dissecting shoulder tilt data. Why is this important? For starters, shoulder tilt helps with the swing plane and how much a golfer is able to shape his or her shots. A golfer who keeps his or her shoulders fairly level throughout the
the flow of business. As of the time of publication, GOLFTEC operations in Nashville should just be getting back closer to normal. “Right now, we’re trying to get open on a limited-schedule basis May 4,” he said. “The governor has the stay-at-home order extended through April 30. Whenever the governor lifts that order, we’re going to open back up. “We’ll want to get in and clean and set our schedule books and contact our students to get back in.” It’ll be a few more days after that before GOLFTEC in Brentwood and Cool Springs begins bringing students back in, with
entirety of the swing is more likely to experience an outside-in swing path and all kinds of contact issues, from hooking and slicing to fat and thin shots. During this time of social distancing, when it’s not always easy meeting with an instructor or getting out on the range, there are some simple drills you can do to work on your swing and improve as a golfer. Here’s a good one to work on shoulder tilt. Start with placing a club across your shoulders, as Continued on page 19
Will Wright extra precautions in place for limiting the amount of people in each center at a given time. Wright says they may consider extending business hours so they can spread out appointments for lessons and club fittings. Not long after that, the new location will open in the Nashville West Shopping Center. Paul Brannon, who’s currently a golf professional at the Brentwood GOLTEC location, will be taking charge of that center with some help and oversight from Wright. “I’ll go over there a couple times a month or once a week to help him (Brannon) run the operation and sit in on lessons and provide some leadership and moral support,” Wright said. “Just to make sure everyone’s having fun and enjoying their job.” While GOLFTEC instructors have remained in contact with their students throughout the shutdown – including remote lessons – Wright expects there to be a steady flow of appointments once the centers open up in earnest. It’s golf season, after all, and now’s the time to take advantage of everything GOLFTEC has to offer.
