Ji Kim - Eight Minutes to Better Golf: How to Improve Your Game by Finding Your Natural Swing

Copyright 2016 by Ji Kim

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Library of Congress Cataloging-in-Publication Data is available on file.

Photos by Craig Johnston.

Cover design by Tom Lau

Cover photo credit: Craig Johnston

ISBN: 978-1-51071-1142-6

Ebook ISBN 978-1-5107-1143-3

Printed in China

To my wife, Kimberly

CONTENTS

INTRODUCTION

My Journey

I was born in Pusan, Korea, in 1968. This was during the restoration after the Korean War. At that time, there was little structure in my hometown. It was a time of rebuilding our country. During my childhood, my main focus was athletics. I was very involved in tae kwon do. I started training in it from the age of five and trained very hard every day to become one of the best at tae kwon do. It is what I remember most about my early childhood in Korea. By the age of nine, I had joined the Korean National Team. I remember my last competition was a tournament against the Japanese National Team. It was a lot of fun competing for our country. We could hear chants from our team parents and supporters. I became addicted to competing and winning even at such a young age!

Due to the fact that my parents always worked long hours at my grandfathers manufacturing business, I became very independent. Ultimately, my parents wanted me and my siblings to have all of the opportunities that America had to offer. So, the day I turned ten years old, my mom, sister, and I moved to America, on December 10, 1978. We landed in Palm Beach, Florida, before driving to Stuart, Florida, our new hometown, where we lived for almost fifteen years.

After coming to America, it was like a rebirth, starting over in a completely foreign land. I remember desperately seeking consistency in my new life. I did not speak one word of English. I had no idea what anyone was saying for months. I attended Parker Elementary School in Stuart. My experience in an American classroom came as a big shock. Children were talking in the classroom and doing things that never would have been allowed in my classroom back in Korea. The language barrier was such a challenge for me. Since I didnt know what anyone was saying, I thought they were making fun of me, even though that was probably not the case.

But I soon began to acclimate to my new environment, thanks in large part to my teacher, Mrs. Brado, who was my first English teacher and who took a special interest in me. She took her teaching profession beyond the classroom for me because I was the only foreign student at the school, and she treated me like I was one of her own children. The first time I ever had fried chicken was at her house. Boy, did I love Kool-Aid, fried chicken, and mashed potatoes. I was in heaven! One night I ate so much of it I got sick all over their table.

The Brados would have me speak English when I was at their house. I would tell them stories about the fishing adventures that I had with their son Bert while we were on summer break. Mrs. Brado was very instrumental in teaching me to speak English without an accent. I am forever grateful that she cared to go the extra mile for me so that I was able to learn to speak English so well.

In my life, Mrs. Brado is the one person I will never forget. In a small way, I try to repay her by taking an interest in my golf students the way that she took an interest in me. I hope one day I can make a difference in someones life the way that she made a difference in mine.

I guess you are wondering how a kid from Korea, new to America, wound up taking up golf at such a young age. Well, it all started with my sister, Kim, who was at Martin County High School at the time. Her math teacher asked her to join the ladies golf team. The PGA of America gave her her first set of golf clubs. When she came home with that bag full of clubs, I was intrigued. I followed her to the driving range the next day, and the rest is history.

Even though golf was not very popular at the time, I had found a sport that I could again train for day and night! I practiced all day on the weekends. Since I lived in Florida, I could practice every day after school all year round. I truly loved the game and still do. Golf gave me a great deal of satisfaction, and it became my new passion.

In the ninth grade, I met Clark Collins. We both loved golf. We played all the time. His father was a lifetime PGA professional. At the time, he was one of the best teachers in the Metropolitan New York section. One night, he saw me practicing on the range. He came over and told me that if I could practice the way that he was going to show me, I would be a high school state champion one day. He was right! In 1987, our varsity golf team at Martin County High School became state champions. This led the way for me to chase my dream to play professional golf. I wanted nothing more than to play on the PGA Tour.

During my teenage years, I had many great friends (some my age and some quite a bit older) who loved golf. One of them was a man named George Cisar. He was from Chicago but spent his winters in Stuart. When I was about fifteen years old, Don Padgett, who is a past PGA president, introduced me to George, who was probably in his early seventies at the time. When he was young, he was the Chicago amateur champion. His influence in golf in the Chicago area is legendary. I never knew this until after he passed in 1993.

George taught me so many wonderful things about the golf swing. One day, I was struggling with my ball striking. He gave me a tip in a song. He was whispering and singing, You hold with this, you hit with that! I wasnt shifting with my hips. I was using my hands too much. He was trying to help me remember to get my hips into the shot before I made contact. Remembering to do this made a great difference.

George used to say that my golf swing reminded him of Arnold Palmers. He also commented that I was more of a hitter of the ball than a swinger of the club (as someone like Jack Nicklaus was). I remember many conversations with him over cups of hot chocolate in the mornings before playing golf together. He taught me many things about life and the golf swing.

After high school, I turned pro. I was so fortunate to have the opportunity to pursue my dream as a player on the PGA Tour. But after three years on the mini tour, I decided to take a break from the tour. I took my first teaching job at Precision Golf in San Antonio, Texas, under the direction of Jim Barker. This is where I found my true calling in life as a golf instructor.

I have had the great fortune to work under some of the top teaching professionals in the business, including Jim McLean, Craig Harmon, and Hank Haney, just to mention a few. It is my greatest passion to share with you my philosophy and instructional methods to help you achieve the level of playing that you desire.

My Philosophy