May 2020
www.teetimespaper.com
TEE TIMES
9
Hallett continues run as Tennessee’s top teacher Vanderbilt Legends Club Director of Instruction tops Golf Digest Best Teacher List again By Justin Onslow Tee Times Associate Editor Joe Hallett is no stranger to the accolades that come with being one of the best golf instructors in the country and, officially, according to Golf Digest’s 2019-2020 rankings, the top teacher in the state of Tennessee once again. That makes three consecutive years for Hallett, who holds the post of Director of Instruction at Vanderbilt Legends Club. “I’m going to tell you that their ranking system is flawed and it’s been flawed for the last three years,” Hallett jokes when asked about retaining his ranking. “It’s pretty cool. I’m not going to deny that, but it’s more humbling than cool.” Being humble is part of what makes Hallett the instructor he is. In order to be an effective golf teacher – or any teacher, for that matter – ego can’t play a part. Hallett has no ego to speak of. He’s also the kind of golf instructor who borders on historian, who can recall all the great swings he’s seen over the years and instantly recollect an incredible quote from a golfing legend or a tip he once heard that’s perfect for a given situation. Hallett is a learner, plain and simple, and he’ll be the first to tell you exactly why that’s an important trait to have as a teacher. “This is from Davis Love: He used to have a saying that those who cease to learn have ceased to teach,” says Hallett. “You can always be learning. Every player I work with, from a 30-handicapper to a player on the Tour, always has something that they do very well, whether it’s a chip
TENNESSEE
shot or a 300-yard drive. I always give the player homework after I know their game: ‘I’ll teach you a shot, but you have to teach me how to do that.’ “If you’re not learning from your students, you’re missing a great source of information.” It’s in learning as much as he can that Hallett is able to adjust his teaching strategies and philosophies and tailor them to his individual students. After all, he’s been learning about golf since he first picked up a club, and a huge part of his knowledge base is knowing what not to do, too. “I’ve hit every bad shot in golf,” Hallett explains. “I’ve hit every shot they’ve hit and I’ve hit it under pressure when it counts. Not only was it frustrating, it was also embarrassing and an ego crusher, so I know at every level how that frustration creeps in. My failures in a way have hopefully let me be a success with others.” It’s easier to communicate instructions when the instructor has been there before, but communication itself is inherently difficult, especially in golf, and especially when the game is taught so differently by so many different people. One man’s cure for the slice is another man’s recipe for disaster, and just trying to explain that to a student can be enough to start the wheels coming off the tracks. Hallett’s remedy for that? “Learning to convey a lot by saying a little, and learning
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
to find the simplicity,” he says. “The thing that makes great instructors great is the simplicity with which they say things and the ability they’re giving the student to make a gradual, lasting change.” Hallett is then left with his own conundrum when considering his recent string of awards and national recognition: Give the simple answer or the incorrect one? According to his own philosophy, the simple answer is simply that Hallett is an incredible golf instructor with a penchant for the relationship side of the business and a mind for detail – detail of mechanics, detail of memory, detail of seeing the bigger picture from the smaller parts. He’s a man who has worked hard and spent most of his life honing his best skills: golf and teaching. Just don’t ask Hallett to tell you that himself. “Butch Harmon said ‘I don’t teach golf. I teach people to play golf.’ I never went into this with the purpose to be the
Joe Hallett
Teacher of the Year or be the best teacher in the state,” Hallett says. “I went into it because I love what I’m doing, and if I can make one person happy and that helps a lot of people, I’ve done my job.”
