Tell us something meaningful about the first time you met Stan.
Paige: “He said, I always thought your brother would call me first.” (Paige’s brother Brock plays the Nationwide Tour.)

Stan has an “aw shucks” demeanor and delivery. When you first met, did you think he was just a good ole country boy?
Paige: “Wait, I still think he is…”

Everyone remembers the best shot they ever hit. What was yours?
Paige: “A skinny 3-iron for a hole-in-one when I was 13. It was 139 yards. Just goes to show that everyone needs a little luck now and then.”

What is the one thing that Stan tells you every time you see him?
Paige: “You are a great putter.”

He is indeed a great encourager. But enough about Stan, this is shaping up to be your best year on tour. Congratulations. To what do you attribute the success?
Paige: “Confidence. In myself but also the process. I worked really hard on a lot of changes in the last 3 years without immediate results, but stuck with it because I had faith that it would pay off. I think it has…or at least started to.”

You’re a Washington Husky. How did you end up in Scottsdale?
Paige: “I knew that I wanted to stay on the west coast and I had heard they have great summers…I mean winters.”

Most people ask what is the most played song on your iPod. We want to know which song causes you to immediately hit skip?
Paige: “Why would I have it on my iPod if I was going to skip it? But radio, almost all Lady Gaga songs…I hate that I like her latest.”

Yeah, we apologize. That was a lame question. Apparently we’ve downloaded songs that we really don’t like and thought everyone did. Paige…? Where did she go?

First, while my earlier books focused on specific shot dynamics…putting, pitching and other parts of the short game, this one encompasses all of those PLUS covers one major factor that makes these things work…the sequence of the swing itself.

The other thing that’s important in this new book relates to technology. I really appreciate some of the benefits that technology has brought to the game of golf. Titanium, space age composite materials, graphite & steel derivative products and other interesting materials have all enabled good players to play better.

But, the technology I’m talking about here is different: the Internet, small HD digital cameras, super slo-mo techniques, visual overlays, Smartphones and a whole bunch of other technologies that I can’t hope to fully understand, but which are useful in both teaching and learning.

Take My Teaching Techniques to the Range

When Matt Rudy and I began talking about writing The Art of the Swing, we both realized that writing the book was not going to be the hard part. We also agreed that the concepts in the book could be demonstrated through sequenced photos, but even well-done photos might not quite convey the new ideas in an easy-to-understand form for the readers. Video was certainly the ‘a-ha’ solution, but do we put a CD-ROM or DVD in the book? Or, could we sell the book and separately price a DVD that you could purchase after reading the book? We kicked those ideas around and finally came up with a very unique solution…and, it’s another technology that is changing things in a big way: Microsoft Tag.

If you’ve ever seen a bar code on a can of soup in the supermarket, then you get the basic idea of what scanning these codes is all about. Computers at the check-out stand accept the bar code scan and interpret these codes and ring up a price. Microsoft Tags embedded on some of the book’s pages will allow you to scan the tag with your Smartphone and then you can play a video at home, at the office (don’t tell the boss!) or on the practice range right on the phone. These video instructions are part of the book’s price, so you don’t have to pay extra for the video tips!

We’ve shot over 25 short sequence videos in High Definition (HD), each about 90 seconds in length. The videos are hosted on the Internet and can be downloaded and played after you scan the Microsoft Tag on the page. We believe this is the first time this technique has been used in golf instruction book publishing, and we’re very excited about this “extra” benefit for my readers who are really serious about improving their golf games and increasing their fun on the golf course. If you’d like to see what one of these videos looks like, click on this video link and then let me know what you think.

We are set for a May 12, 2011 publishing date through my publisher Gotham Books, an imprint of the Penguin Group. The book will be available at your local bookstores, or you can pre-order on the various electronic book buying sites. A list of the online buying sites are shown below.

If you buy the book and use the videos, please don’t hesitate to give me your feedback on the website or on my Facebook page. And, if you see improvement in your golf game, then I’d like to share some of those stories with others as well.

First, the beneficiary was Floating Hospital for Children at Tufts Medical Center. The Child Life services group does wonderful work with kids by healing them and also making them feel like kids – not just patients.

Enjoying Time with my Playing Partners

The event also was very creative in how they used my time there. I gave a short clinic to their Host Committee and played eight holes with folks from their Gift Sponsor, Bennett Electrical. That was fun, but the real creativity was in the raffle. At registration, they sold raffle tickets to win a chance to play three holes with me throughout the day. There were three different winners and I got to spend time with each of the three groups. I got to help at least one player in each group improve significantly. And that is always the highlight of my day. Also, Ed Pitts from Tufts Medical Center was a terrific host as he chauffeured me around and introduced me to the different groups throughout the day.

Chatting with Attendees

Finally, I can’t say enough about Salem Country Club. This Donald Ross classic has hosted multiple USGA championships and it is truly a treat to visit.

Thanks to my friends at Huron and the folks from Tufts Medical Center for including me. If you’d like to learn more about the Floating Hospital Golf Classic, visit Floating Hospital for Children Golf Classic

I am grateful to Gotham Books for the chance to deliver my fourth book to you, The Art of Sequencing Your Swing, which will hit bookstores later this year. I’m really excited about it for a couple of reasons. First, I was able to get some thoughts on paper that I believe will really help anyone trying to shoot lower scores regardless of their fundamentals. And you should know that sequencing applies to every shot from putter to driver.

Equally as important, Matt Rudy and I – he’s helped me with all four of my books now – incorporated some new technology that offers you the chance to see video of all the concepts in the book. It’s called Microsoft Tag technology and many of you may know about it from reading Golf Digest or other magazines. You’ll be able to use your smart phone and take a photo of a “tag” in the book and you will immediately be directed to a video tip right on your phone. For a small-town Missouri boy, it’s one of the coolest teaching tools I’ve seen. We’ve incorporated about 25 tags in the book which means you’ll get 25 video lessons along with the book.

I’ll let you know when we get a firm availability date for the book. I really hope it helps you shoot lower scores and enjoy golf more.

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.