Throughout my career as a golf instructor I have written three instructional books (The Art of Putting, The Art of the Short Game and The Art of Scoring) with the most recent, The Art of Scoring, coming out last year. Out-of-the-blue last month, the publisher called me up and said that all three of my books will be promoted in all the Border’s bookstores across the country in the front of their stores in a sports theme table from April 20^th through July 11^th. I was completely speechless; I thought to myself, “Could that many people really want to read what I have to say about the game of golf.”  I guess so. The publisher will go back on press for the three titles to supply the Border’s store promotional efforts.

Long story short, I am completely thrilled about this news and I owe it all to my fans and those of you who have supported me throughout the years. Without you none of this would be possible. I only hope that the folks that do purchase my books reap the benefits and play better golf. After all, I want you to have more fun on the golf course!

What a contrast in geography, temperature and architecture over the last week. I’ve gone from the arid deserts of Arizona, to the lush, green high humidity of South Florida, to a significantly colder region of the world that has yet to emerge from winter. You’ll note the photo I took out my window of the Hotel Tylösand just outside Halmstad. That’s snow on those sand dunes! But, the people here are just like those in The States…warm and friendly! Over 80%  of Swedes speak English as a second language (along with 2-3 other European languages they speak with ease), so getting around has been very easy for me during this trip. While we talk about the history of the United States going back 250 years or so, and over 300 years since America was discovered, Halmstad is truly ancient by comparison. The city celebrated its 700th birthday in 2007.

Why am I in Sweden? For those of us lucky enough to be in the golf business, and more specifically the golf teaching business, the thirst for game improvement knows no language or geographic barrier. The PGA of Sweden annually conducts an educational conference for its members so they can learn more about changes in the golf industry…rules, equipment and teaching methods. I was invited to the conference by Johan Hampf of the PGA of Sweden to provide insights into how I coach tour players and amateurs alike, as well as to participate in various other activities during the conference.

On Friday morning, I spoke for a couple of hours about The Art of the Short Game, and then had another 90 minutes in the afternoon to cover The Art of Putting. I had fun conducting a live short game lesson on Saturday morning with Henrik Lundqvist, a top golf teacher in Europe. Henrik has coached Swedish and Belgian national teams, and is involved with the PGA of Norway. Saturday afternoon, my panel had a lively debate on the future of the game. Everyone had a point of view, and the discussions covered a wide range of opinions from the panelists…some like me from inside the golf business, and others who are academicians and industry consultants working for years around the game. What I noted is little different from many of the opinions I hear in Phil’s Grille at Grayhawk. We all agree that we can’t agree on where this business will be in 5 or 10 years. But, the passion for the game and helping people enjoy golf probably united all of us on the panel.

I arrive back in Arizona this week for Spring Break with my family.

I’m really proud and privileged to live and work right here in Scottsdale. We are fortunate to have a top-notch organization dedicated to filling hotel rooms, conference centers, restaurants and all our other venues including our golf courses. And, we’ve got lots of great golf courses in Scottsdale, such as my own home course at Grayhawk Golf Club.

A couple of months ago, the Scottsdale CVB decided to shoot some video and photos as part of story about what I do for a living here in Scottsdale. Well, as you know, I don’t like talking about myself, but what I do love talking about is what excites me every day…helping golfers of all stripes learn to play the game better. If you play better, you have fewer frustrations and a lot more fun on the course. So, I focus my time and energy on that part of the game that can make the difference between playing golf…and playing GREAT golf. The biggest improvements you can make are in the range of 80-100 yards and in, plus putting. Focus a lot of your drills and practice routines around that part of your game, and you’ll be amazed how easily you can knock off a couple of shots a side.

If you are interested in reading the short article, you can click on this link (“Stan’s Got Game“) to read it. I’ve also included the short two-minute YouTube video that appears on the site with this post.

So, come on down to Scottsdale for great weather, terrific relaxation and maybe a round or two of golf. If you feel the need for a lesson while you are here, drop me an e-mail and let me know!

Way to go, Jay! Keep piling on the victories, and keep scoring low!

A number of years ago, the greens at East Lake were almost unputtable. As a result, tournament officials at the Tour Championship decided to eliminate the Wednesday Pro-Am to limit the number of footsteps on the green prior to tournament play which began on Thursday. Taking the place of the well-received Pro-Am event were a series of clinics packaged with breakfast/lunch/dinner with participating TOUR pros.

Stan Utley, Kevin Na and Steve Marino

Tournament sponsors Southern Company and Coca Cola hosted friends, clients and various VIPs to a one and a half hour breakfast, lunch or dinner, and included was a short game and full swing clinics. The concept has been such a success that to this day the clinics still take the place  of the Wednesday Pro-Am at the Tour Championship. At this year’s event, I handled the short game clinics, and David Leadbetter took the swing clinics. The meals had great participation, as Tiger, Phil, Padraig and other tour pros sat at tables with the sponsors and clinic participants. Tiger was gracious and fulfilled every request for an autograph.

Yesterday, I had some terrific PGA Tour guys lend me a hand. Hunter Mahan, Kevin Na and Steve Marino all put their short game skills on display throughout the day and really enhanced the amateurs’ experience. Thanks for all the help guys:  “score low” this week.

I have posted several more pictures from the clinic at Eastlake on my Facebook Fan page. Fans can view those pictures at www.facebook.com/stanutley.

I often get a chance to visit with various PGA and LPGA tour stars while they are at tournament sites. Since we have a working relationship, I’m “on call” and can usually get to the site during the practice days leading up to the tournament.

Most of the tour stars arrive at a tournament site on either Sunday night or Monday morning in order to have at least two if not three solid days of practice on the course prior to the start of competition play. In addition, they’re usually committed to playing in the Wednesday Pro-Ams that support local charities and golf programs.

During the week prior to the LPGA’s Safeway Classic at Pumpkin Ridge Golf Club in Oregon, Paige Mackenzie gave me a call and asked if I could take a look at some of her short game techniques and putting stroke. Since I was “on call”,  I shifted my schedule around and made plenty of time to spend some quality one-on-one time with her and her shot game. We were able to make some wonderful long-lasting improvements.

Now, I’m not sure if it was just a coincidence or my instructional ability (I like to think of it as the latter), but Paige finished the tournament shooting a 66 on the final day. Her three-round total of 207 was good enough for a T-8 finish, which ties here career high best finish and netted her a great week’s pay for her performance.

I know I have said it before, but it’s moments like these that are most meaningful for me and are really the reasons why I do what I do.

By the way, Paige is quite the social media communicator, too. You can follow her exploits on and off the LPGA Tour on her Facebook and Twitter pages.