Brian Kelly

PGA Golf Pro
23

Brian Kelly

Head Golf Professional | Ohio State Athletics
Ohio State Athletics
Columbus, OH

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Be Athletic

Posted on: 21 Jul 2023

Poor posture can stem from a few reasons, but most of the time on the lesson tee the root cause is the student trying to keep their head down or still which results in poor posture. If you went to the gym and curled weights or held something heavy, you would have your head up […]

Check Your Plane

Posted on: 20 Apr 2023

There are lots of debates over swing plane. The truth is swing plane is rather simple. The club must travel on a more vertical plane versus horizontal. A simple drill and check for plane is as follows. From the setup position, with your elbows resting on you your rib cage, hinge your forearms up with […]

You Must Coil On Your Backswing

Posted on: 27 Jun 2022

The topic of sway has been a hot button topic for decades. I have observed an entire industry misunderstand Jimmy Ballard. He has been labeled as a sway teacher. The truth is that in any good golf swing there must be a Coil Behind the ball in the backswing. If you look at all the […]

How To Find The Right Teacher For You

Posted on: 06 Jun 2022

I have taken more lessons than most people. I always did my research prior to taking a lesson. I always wanted to know the instructors teaching philosophy and who they have taught. The most important thing for me was observing the instructor and listening/watching how they communicated information. You should be able to relate/build a […]

It's All About The Lie

Posted on: 11 Apr 2022

When teaching the short game, I am frequently asked what type of shot a student should be playing and my reply is simple. It’s all about the lie. If the lie is good, a golfer can play a variety of shots (hopefully one that they have practiced). If the lie is poor, then most of […]

Develop Your Pivot By Tossing A Medicine Ball

Posted on: 01 Apr 2022

Students always ask for a good drill or feel for developing a proper pivot in their golf swing. I show them an image while standing in front of a mirror with a basket of balls or medicine ball of what a proper pivot looks like. This requires a person to stand very athletic with their […]

Drive Your Trailing Hip Up To Hit Down

Posted on: 24 Mar 2022

Students ask me all the time…how do I hit down on the ball and take a divot? I always answer…why are you trying to do that…you will hurt yourself. The truth is that when a person is postured correctly their legs will work correctly. Good posture in golf is similar to curling weights in the […]

Hover The Club To Practice Good Tempo

Posted on: 10 Mar 2022

Tempo or the pace of a person’s swing is the glue that holds the swing together. A player can have great mechanics, but if their tempo is out of rhythm, bad things can happen. It is important to note that not everyone has the same tempo, but each player must operate within their normal tempo […]

Keeping the head down or still and arms straight. Both of these ideas are horrible and very unathletic.

Posted on: 25 Feb 2022

I have very rarely ever given a first time lesson and not had to break someone of the following bad habits: Keeping the head down or still and arms straight. Both of these ideas are horrible and very unathletic. Anyone that tries to intentionally keep their head down reverse pivots and most people that keep […]

Walk Through Your Shot On Downhill Lies

Posted on: 21 Feb 2022

I actually have my students hit downhill shots quite often during lessons. The biggest adjustment is getting a persons lines (shoulder, hip, knees) to match the downhill slope. Once that happens, hitting shots from downhill lies is fairly simple. The added step that I add is is to have students walk through (step through) the […]

Mentors Are A Must

Posted on: 12 Jan 2022

I have had a few mentors at various stages of my career as a PGA Professional. My very first mentor was Bob Jones/PGA Professional at Minerva Lake Golf Club. He inspired me to become a PGA Professional. He made this profession look fun! My next set of mentors were Brian Larson, Rocky Miller and JR […]

Stop Striking the Ball thin

Posted on: 16 Dec 2021

Golfers struggle hitting thin shots when the bottom of the swing (Spine) is behind the ball. This typically is the effect of golfers trying to keep their head down/and or their arms straight. When golfers are unathletic with an athletic motion required, off center shots occur. Players need to start with good posture. The ideal […]

Connect Your Elbows To Your Rib Cage

Posted on: 01 Oct 2021

I have found the setup no more difficult than gripping the club, checking my grip pressure and then bringing my arms in close enough to my body that my elbows are in front of me connected to my rib cage without any tension. This is the way I establish my radius to the ball the […]

Add Loft To Your Tee Shots

Posted on: 20 Sep 2021

If your having trouble getting tee shots in play, just add loft. Most people have more success with a 3-wood off of the tee due to the loft forgiveness factor. While many manufacturers are promoting drivers with more loft on them, players that choose a 3-wood off the tee often drive it better than they […]

The Clubface Mirrors the Grip

Posted on: 28 May 2021

The grip is the most important fundamental in golf because it is the only part of the body touching the club. The way a person grips the club and the pressure in which they hold the club go a long way in determining the outcome of a shot. I have never given a first time […]

Be Athletic

Posted on: 10 May 2021

Good golf shots begin with good posture and a good grip. Most people that top the ball have a poor concept, posture and/or grip. Most people have been told to keep their head down and arms straight…both of which have a tendency to lead to topped shots. If you want to stop striking the top […]

It all starts with a solid foundation

Posted on: 14 Apr 2021

I have never given a first time lesson (especially to a beginning golfer) and not addressed a grip and or posture issue. Beginning golfers try all the time to keep their heads still or down (which is total nonsense). Most beginning golfers also try to keep their arms very straight (which leads to very rigid […]

Justin Thomas wins the Masters

Posted on: 06 Apr 2021

Justin Thomas is my pick to win the Masters.

Putter must swing in a slight arc

Posted on: 04 Feb 2021

My favorite putting training device is the putting arc. I have always believed that the putter swings in a slight arc.

Get the toe of the club to the ball first!

Posted on: 10 Sep 2020

Anyone looking to hit a draw must first understand how the golf club is engineered to work. A person must be educated on getting the toe of the club around to the golf ball first. To hit a draw a person must feel like the toe of the club is wrapping around the golf ball. […]

Find the sweet spot

Posted on: 14 Aug 2020

While this is overly simple, most amateurs struggling with a lack of distance are not striking the ball in the middle of the club face. Most teachers that I talk with and learn from stress the importance of striking in the middle of the club face. I have never met a player who finds the […]

A basic fitting combined with instruction will make the game more fun.

Posted on: 19 Aug 2019

The greatest tools in the world will not make a person a skilled carpenter. That being said, new clubs are fun. New players need equipment that at the very least helps them improve. A basic fitting combined with instruction will make the game more fun. As players get better, the details of a fitting become […]

The Connection Strap

Posted on: 16 Jul 2019

My favorite full swing training aid would be the Connection Strap invented by Jimmy Ballard. The poor man’s version of it would be to put a small towel, glove of head cover under the upper part of the Lead Arm. The goal is to keep the object in place. This training aid has been used […]

The Backswing Fix

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