12
Aug '11
Five Questions: Get to know Kate Tempesta
By Swingpal.com staff
There are plenty of outstanding young teachers in the golf world these days but few are blazing a trail the way that Kate Tempesta has thus far in her blossoming career.
The New York native has been named as one of Golf Digest’s top young instructors and by Golf Magazine as one of the top 40 most influential people under 40. Additionally, Tempesta founded Kate Tempesta’s Urban Golf Academy and her work with junior golfers has earned her numerous awards and plenty of praise from her peers.It was a coup for Swingpal to land Tempesta as part of our instructor team and we spoke with her this week to find out more about her teaching philosophy and other subjects for this edition of Five Questions:
SWINGPAL: How would you describe your teaching philosophy to a potential student?
TEMPESTA: I think the biggest part in teaching is listening and communicating to the student and using their points of reference rather than projecting your own. For the most part I keep things simple and work on bringing a fundamentally sound set up to their game. I am a big believer that the body is the MOST important tool in your bag and first and foremost I will address any physical concerns I see. My students tell me that they can hear me saying "posture, posture, posture" when they are out playing. Beyond that, HAVE FUN doing this!
SWINGPAL: What would you consider to be myths about golf instruction, meaning things that most average players believe to be true but in actuality are not?
TEMPESTA: Dealing with hundreds of junior golfers, I get to hear moms and dads say all of the time, "keep your head down." This is one of my favorite myths, as there are all sorts of reasons as to why their head may not be "down." Another big myth I see day in and day out , and I address it as such -- a myth, is that one must swing fast to hit the ball far. I demonstrate almost everyday to golfers young and "not young" that more important than speed is balance and tempo with the body working together as a whole or in sequence. If balance and sequence can be achieved then by all means swing fast. But if not, you may just "pick your head up."
SWINGPAL: What aspects of the golf swing do you find that your students most typically do not understand when they start the lesson process?
TEMPESTA: Pure and simple, that a consistent and fundamentally sound set up is the most important factor in good and repeatable ball-striking. Understanding pre-motion concepts, such as holding the club, stance and posture, doesn't come easily to most beginners.
SWINGPAL: What are a few common traits, both physical and mental, that you generally see from the best players that you work with?
TEMPESTA: Best players … relative to what? Some of my best players couldn't break 100 but they are out there everyday practicing, playing and truly, truly enjoying the sport. My best "ball strikers" are commonly those that have a significant amount of athleticism under their belt. Being an athlete carries numerous mental and physical traits that bode very well in the game of golf. Having a sense of humor and a true love for what they are doing I find is a common recipe for success.
SWINGPAL: You obviously do a lot of work with juniors. What advice would you give parents who have children who have expressed in interest in golf?
TEMPESTA: The four pillars of teaching, introducing and retaining junior golfers in my mind are: 1. Keep them safe, 2. Keep instruction simple, 3. Keep them successful, and 4. Play games within the game.