Today I’m having a sit down with Jeffrey Kern, author of Golf Made Easy.
Hi, Jeffrey, and welcome. Thanks for stopping over! Let’s get started!
Me: What books/authors have influenced your writing?
Jeffrey: The book Private Dancer by Stephen Leather influenced me greatly. Not so much for the genre or story line but for the compelling, true to life nature of the writing.
Me:How did you come up with the title(s)?
Jeffrey: It was quite easy, No pun intended. My teaching method to many is backwards compared to the traditional method but for me it just seems more natural.
Me:Are experiences based on someone you know, or events in your own life?
Jeffrey: Sort of. I took the frustration that I encountered learning the game and tried to make it as easy and enjoyable as possible.
What books have most influenced your life most? I cannot pick just one or two. I think that reading a wide variety of books throughout my life has helped influence the events in my life and the decisions that I have made.
Me: What book are you reading now?
Jeffrey: I am currently not reading but working on writing my second book.
Me: Are there any new authors that have grasped your interest?
Jeffrey: Not yet
Me: What are your current projects?
Jeffrey: I am marketing my current book “Golf Made Easy! A Backward Approach To Learning Golf….. Or Is It? I am also working on my second book that will be called “Breaking Par”. Between the two it’s a lot of work.
Me: Do you see writing as a career?
Jeffrey: No.
Me: If you had to do it all over again, would you change anything in your latest book?
Jeffrey: No its pretty spot on as it is.
Me: How did you get started with the writing venture?
Jeffrey: I just got so frustrated trying to learn the game of golf. I read many books about it that were so boring or complicated that it was impossible to learn. Then after becoming a professional golf instructor and also a certified club fitter I realized just how easy it really was. At that point I wanted the world to know how easy it is.
Me: Is there anything you find particularly challenging about writing?
Jeffrey: In my particular area no. It is pretty straight forward.
Me: Do you have any advice for other writers?
Jeffrey: Don’t give up! It can be very frustrating at times but in the end it is well worth it.
Me: Do you have anything specific that you want to say to your readers?
Jeffrey: Most people that are ready to learn a sport do not want to pay a lot of money for expensive lessons for various reasons. Starting out with a book is much easier. The problem with most how-to books is that they get carried away and make them to technical or to complicated. This causes people to lose interest and give up. My book was created with a “back to basics” approach that is both fun and easy. Once you grasp the basics you have a solid foundation to build on and progress in the sport.
Me: What were the challenges (research, literary, psychological, and logistical) in bringing it to life?
Jeffrey: The hardest part was the illustrations. In most of the how-to books I have read the photos are in black and white and look like they are from the 1920’s. In others, the photos depict a professional that you just can’t emulate because you are just getting started. In my book I have used brand new golfers, people who are just learning the game. I have done this because that is what people really look like when they are starting out.
Me: What genre do you like writing the most?
Jeffrey: How-to sports
Me: Do you ever experience writer’s block?
Jeffrey: Yes
Me: Do you write an outline before every book you write?
Jeffrey: Yes definitely. Without it as a guide I could end up all over the place.
Me: Have you ever hated something you wrote?
Jeffrey: Not yet
What is your favorite color? Black
What’s your favorite food? A well cooked deep dish pizza
Puppies or bunnies? Puppies
Chocolate or vanilla? Chocolate
Except: Golf, even during the teaching phase, should be fun, and new students want to see quick results. What is more
fun and shows quicker results than being able to putt the ball in the hole during the first lesson?
Students learn best when the methods are kept simple. What is simpler than the natural progression from a short
easy stroke to a slightly longer stroke to an even longer, more complex stroke to a full swing? Have you ever heard
the phrase “you have to crawl before you walk and walk before you run”? I consider putting to be the crawl, chipping
and pitching to be the walk, and the full swing to be the run.
The majority of new golfers basically just want to hit a big long drive like the pros. Once they have accomplished
this, their attention is focused there, and the rest of the game takes a back seat to the drive. When using the
reverse method, by the time they get to hit the big long drive they have already learned and practiced the rest of the
game.
The phrase “Drive for show, putt for dough” has been around for a long time. Why do you think that is? Probably
because putting is where the money is. So if that’s true, isn’t that where we should put our emphasis first?
But the most important reason to begin with putting is that putting accounts for 45–60% of your total score during
a round of golf. It is by far the easiest stroke to teach and learn and yet the hardest to master. Since putting
accounts for so much of your game, is so easy to learn, and requires so much practice to master, why would you
want to learn this last? It just doesn’t make sense.
I know that this approach will undoubtedly upset many golf professionals who strictly adhere to the traditional
methods of teaching the game. I am not trying to say that their methods are wrong. I am merely putting forth an
alternative method that follows a natural progression, makes good sense, and is fun to learn. I’m sure it will work
for you, too!
Blurb; The basics of golf are presented with putting being taught first. This goes against all traditional methods of teaching, where driving is the first thing taught. But since half the game of golf is putting, why not learn it first? Plus, it’s fun to be able to put the ball in the hole on your very first lesson!
Golf Made Easy! A Backward Approach to Learning Golf … Or Is It? contains all the basic knowledge you need to know about the game. This how-to book provides the A to Z for golf aficionados in a logical, simple, and fun way.
Where you can find Jeffrey hanging out:
Video Trailer: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=1ljyJ4mF9yk
Amazon author page: http://www.amazon.com/-/e/B00CU56SOK
Author Page : https://www.facebook.com/AuthorJeffrey
Book Page : https://www.facebook.com/GolfMadeEasy?ref=tn_tnmn
Twitter: https://twitter.com/GolfMadeEasy72
Linkedin: http://www.linkedin.com/profile/view?id=41788135&trk=nav_responsive_tab_profile
Author website: http://sbpra.com/JeffreyWKern
Love Golf? Intrigued by his book? Go to any of these places to buy it!
Amazon/Kindle: http://www.amazon.com/-/e/B00CU56SOK
Barnes & Noble/Nook: http://www.barnesandnoble.com/w/golf-made-easy-a-backward-approach-to-learning-golf-or-is-it-jeffrey-w-kern/1115115503?ean=9781625163677
Eddington Hook: http://www.eddingtonhook.com/display.asp?ISB=9781625163677
Author site: http://www.eddingtonhook.com/display.asp?ISB=9781625163677
