One of the lasting hallmarks of the 24th West Michigan Golf Show has been the quality of its headliners and presenters. For the price of admission, show patrons are rewarded with a wealth of lessons, instruction and insights by the leading experts and topflight PGA teaching pros in the game. This year the Fidelity Seminar Stage features two distinct presenters, tempo expert John Novosel Jr. and putting guru Mike Shannon, both of whom are appearing at the Show for the first time on Feb.10-12 at DeVos Place in downtown Grand Rapids.
Representing Tour Tempo®, the fast-emerging teaching and technology company that has revolutionized the understanding of tempo in the golf swing, Novosel will explain and demonstrate how a 3-beats-to-1-beat timing ratio between the backswing and downswing is the bedrock equation of a sound swing. His seminar is entitled: “Tour Tempo: Golf’s Last Secret Finally Revealed.” Although it may sound esoteric, Novosel’s seminar promises to deliver results for everyday golfers. “Unlike certain Tour swing fundamentals, a good tempo is easily within the grasp of the average golfer,” said Novosel, a past presenter at the PGA of Sweden, the PGA of the Netherlands and the World Golf Fitness Summit. A long drive champion, Novosel lives in Overland Park, Kansas.
Also on the Fidelity Seminar Stage will be the celebrated putting guru and PGA teaching professional Mike Shannon, ranked recently by Golf Digest as #40 in its listing of “America’s 50 Best Teachers.” Part of the highly touted instructional team at Sea Island Golf Learning Center in St. Simons Island, Georgia, Shannon counts PGA Tour star Matt Kuchar as one of his many short game students. “I’ve worked with Matt on his putting for the past two years and it’s gratifying to see his success,” said Shannon. “Recently, we’ve worked on Matt switching over to a belly putter.” Shannon’s seminars are entitled: “What Great Putters Have In Common” and “The Evolution of Putting (and what happens when you don’t evolve with it).”
Providing added local and state support to these headliners are a number of well-respected golf teaching professionals. Blythefield CC’s Patti Butcher, the 2010 LPGA National Professional of the Year, will be on stage Friday with “Diva Golf: Be Comfortable on the Course and Play Better Golf, for ALL Skill Levels.”
On Saturday, Boyne’s Director of Instruction Brian O’Neill’s will cover “Getting the Most of Your Practice Time.” Later, "Your Short Game" will be addressed by Brian Natzel, Director of Instruction at Swan Lake Resort.
And on Sunday, Kevin McKinley, Director of Golf at Treetops, will share “Best Lessons of the Treetops Golf Academy.”
