By Jim Barnes

“Forget about the ball,” said the golf instructor. “The last thing you want to think about right now is the golf ball.” And, he was right. The six of us in the clinic had just been filmed swinging at balls, and it wasn’t pretty. If we wanted to fix these ugly golf swings, we were going to have to start concentrating on our bodies, not the golf balls.

The instructor is Jason Guss, a young professional who spent 11 years working under swing guru Rick Smith at Treetops, with teaching stints in Florida and Australia. Golf Digest magazine is already featuring his lessons, and the buzz around the golf world is that he is one of the hottest, up-and-coming teachers in the game today. I’m here on a beautiful July day to preview the new Jason Guss Golf Academy at the Otsego Club in Gaylord, Michigan.

Jason is equipped not only with vast knowledge and experience, but with the best technology available today: the Trackman Pro swing and ball flight analysis machine is the technology all the pros are using, and V1 Pro video analysis software allows you to monitor improvements and even see your swing side-by-side with various PGA professionals.

Back indoors, watching our golf swings on the computer monitor, it was evident Guss would need great skill to fix them. But, after spending just five minutes filming each of us and reviewing the video, he now had core lessons and swing tips for everyone, which he succinctly explained to each of us. Now it was time to return to the practice tee and put Jason’s advice to work.

Amazingly, we all improved. His suggestions were spot-on, helping each one of us solve a key problem, be it weight shift, swing path, stance — he nailed them all. Starting us out with half swings, making us concentrate on our prescribed changes, we all began marveling about the solid contact we were making and how straight we were hitting. Now we could start concentrating on the ball. I pulled out my driver and hit the sweetest draw of my life.

I realized I was in the presence of a master teacher. Me hit a draw?!? Later that day, my new swing led to a tap-in birdie on a 180-yard par 3, after one of the sweetest 3 irons I’ve ever hit. Since then, I purchased a new oversized driver, and a week later carded my first eagle. I have a whole new attitude about my game and my swing. Do I owe it all to Jason Guss? Let’s just say I’m really glad I attended that afternoon clinic, and I’m totally convinced of Jason’s abilities. Yes, we are very lucky to have him here in Northern Michigan.

But wait, there’s more! Not only is Jason Guss an out-of-this-world golf instructor, the Jason Guss Golf Academy is located at an other-worldly resort, the Otsego Club, with its killer 25-acre practice facility, some of the most charming dining and overnight accommodations in the North, and also some of the best golf: The Classic course and The Tribute are both on site, and the affiliated, Tom Doak-designed Black Forest is a short drive away. (See a review of the Gary Koch-designed Tribute course HERE.)

A wide variety of Golf Academy programs and individual lessons are available, the most intriguing of which are the two and three day packages that allow you to getting totally immersed in improving your game, combining lessons, practice and playing, all day long. The room I stayed in was a totally charming, log cabin-themed room with a patio about 100 paces from the practice tee. Working on your golf game sure is fun when you’re in a beautiful setting with a relaxed atmosphere. With this great facility, Jason’s teaching skills, and the Trackman and video analysis there to record your progress, your game is sure to improve — and you’re bound to have one of the great golf adventures of your life!

Jason Guss Golf Academy Photos
(Click photos for slideshow view)

 
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