Check for gum on your shoe!

Last weekend our kids attended a golf clinic from Sigette Golf School at Royal Golf Club in Lake Elmo.

We signed them up for multiple golf programs this summer and were hoping a one hour clinic would help get the season kick started.

The session started with the coach talking to them about the green including the special type of grass used, how to fix divots, and etiquette on the green.

Then they shifted to putting where he taught them to remember the two D’s, distance and direction. After talking about it, they practiced putting, with reinforcement of what he taught them. To make it fun he kidded with them about talking to your ball and held a knockout competition that ended with the two Grom kids in the final pairing each round.

To close out the clinic, they moved to the driving range to practice hitting their drivers. Coach Brandon highlighted three things to remember when driving - “cut off the ponytail,” “check for gum on your shoe,” and “3 Mississippi.” He showed them what each of these meant and when they started hitting balls, he called out when they followed the mnemonics or missed the mark.

What are mnemonic devices?

While Jack has shown more interest in golf and at almost 9 seems like he’s on a track to be a good golfer, Hannah was the one that started crushing each drive she hit down the middle. My jaw dropped and I felt a sense of fatherly pride watching her excel including the little smile on her face showing that she was pleased with the outcome.

Coach Brandon’s mnemonic devices to teach keys to putting and driving were hugely impactful in the moment! To reinforce their learning, I asked each of them independently to share what coach told them the next day. They both remembered and Jack even reminded me of the one I forgot - “check for gum on the bottom of your shoe.”

Thank you to coach Brandon Sigette for helping my kids with their golf game and reminding me of the power of mnemonic devices in learning.

Maybe a mnemonic device will help readers of this post think about learning like I do?!? When you think about learning, think about “the Force” in Star Wars.

Quoting Yoda, "My ally is the Force (learning), and a powerful ally it is. Life creates it, makes it grow. Its energy surrounds us and binds us. Luminous beings are we, not this crude matter. You must feel the Force (learning) around you; here, between you, me, the tree, the rock, everywhere".

Learn in the flow of life

Jason