Ozzie Carlson – The Making of a Teacher
Growing up I had a marvelous teacher, Jerry Bartlett , who taught me, using Percy Boomer’s On Learning Golf and Ben Hogan’s Power Golf and Five Lessons The Modern Fundamentals of Golf as our basis. I learned how to break the swing down into individual muscular feels and then to re-connect them into a rhythmical flowing motion, including putting – using Horton Smith’s The Secret of Perfect Putting. Through the years, I advanced my knowledge and understanding (80+ vloumns in my golf library) at the hand of Dr. Gary Wiren, Bob Ross Jr., Jack Lumpkin, Davis Love Jr. and many of the all-time greats including: Sam Snead, Byron Nelson, Paul Runyan, Arnold Palmer, Jack Nicklaus, Gary Player, Chi Chi Rodriguez, and Tom Watson.
The greatest influence on my maturing growth as a player/teacher came from the incomparable Sam Snead, who played almost daily as a member at Pine Tree (Boynton Beach, FL) during my tenure there. I was extremely fortunate to have Sam Snead take an interest in me, answering my daily questions about how to play most every type of shot in the game and reviewing my progress. Sam seemed to enjoy being my mentor, I guess because he’d found in me that rarest of students; a player who wanted to learn well enough to be able to teach others. I can never thank Sam enough for all the time and wisdom he invested in my understanding of the process of shotmaking for each facet of the game. Perhaps more than any other, I have benefited from his knowledge and understanding of how the game is learned and played. I can pay no greater tribute to Mr. Samuel Jackson Snead, and to my many mentors than to pass along to others what they taught me.
Our aim at Golfstruck is to effectively and successfully transfer to all our Golfstruck members, what I have come to understand about the mind of a champion, the process of shotmaking and the delivery of motion – so that you, too, can produce great shots – on command.
Golfstruck – THE Place to Grow YOUR Game!
Background:
As a PGA Apprentice, Head Professional and Director of Golf, Ozzie served at some of America’s finest clubs including Ridgewood CC site of the US Amateur, Senior Open, Senior PGA and the 2008 & 2010 Barclay’s; The Everglades Club in Palm Beach, The Pittsburgh Field Club, Pine Tree, Quail Ridge Golf & Tennis Club in Delray Beach, FL and the Royal Palm Yacht & CC in Boca Raton. Gaining recognition as a marvelous teacher wherever he went, Ozzie was selected to instruct at both the National and Florida PGA Junior Academies and was subsequently recruited by Golf Digest to be a member of their select teaching team.
From 1979 to 1995 Ozzie left golf to pursue a successful career as a Wall Street Investment Banker, serving as a Vice President and Managing Director for CS First Boston and Smith Barney, respectively. In 1996 he returned to his love of the game as a Senior Tour Professional. In 1998, he was a successful Regional Qualifier for the Senior PGA (Champions) Tour. Prolonged and multiple injuries have prevented, to date, his further pursuit of a career as a player. However, with the help of Scott Riehl, Head Fitness and Conditioning Trainer for the PGA Tour, Evan Chaite of the Elite Athlete Performance Institute and John Medonia, a Titleist Performance Institute trainer and specialist in motion development – near miracle workers, all – he has conquered the injuries, renewed his strength & range of motion and WILL play again!
Currently, Ozzie teaches all levels of players, coaches the (3) time NJ State Champion Ramapo High School Golf Team and is in the ninth year of writing a golf instruction column for the Bergen Record. Under the Golfstruck umbrella, Ozzie is developing game-value Golfstruck learning aids, the Golfstruck Video Curriculum, and authoring a series of golf instructional books and video booklets – each focusing on but one facet of the game: full swing, shortgame, putting, trouble shots and the mind of a champion – all in an effort to speed the rate of game improvement of our registered Golfstruck Members.
And finally, Ozzie expects, in the near future, to take on game improvement responsibilities for a small cadre of tour players, some primarily as their putting coach, and others as their mind, swing and/or shortgame coach.
Golfstruck – Better Golf – Right Now!
