Derek Ingram: Why Canada has more players than ever on the PGA Tour

We sit down with Derek Ingram, the head coach of the national amateur and Young Pro Teams for Golf Canada. We talk about the keys to developing elite level players from practice plans, key stats, and swing technique training.

The number one reason I would say those guys are where they are, is they just have better habits and routines than other players

Simple example… When Derek calls Corey Conners at 9:01 in the evening to talk about his round, he won’t get an answer or a text message.

It doesn’t matter what day of the week he’ll be in bed sleeping. His sleep habits are, are like an Olympic athlete.

He’s also deliberate with his workout routine. It’s layering good day after good day after good week after good week, and that’s been going on for eight years.

There are two stats that stand out above the rest when first going through a students data.

Stat #1 – Mistakes off the tee.

This includes any tee shot that leads to penalties or straight sideways chip outs. You can be short off the tee and still play on the PGA Tour because every player in the PGA tour average is under par from the fairway.

So if they put it in the fairway, they’re good. They’re really good. All 200 guys average is under par from the fairway.

Obviously being long is huge, but if you’re making mistakes off the tee, it’s tough to score.

All 200 guys average is under par from the fairway. So, um, obviously being long ski, but if you’re walking and making mistakes off the tee, it’s tough to score.

Stat #2 – Putts inside 10 feet.

The second thing is putts from 3 to 10 feet.

You’re not going to gain a ton of strokes inside of three feet because most players are similar from that range and don’t miss many at the elite level.

The difference between a good putter and a bad putter is somebody between 0 and 10 feet. And then the difference between guys who win on tour is the guys from 11 feet, 20 feet.

The guys who win are generally the best ball strikers who happen to have hot weeks from 11-20 feet on the putting green.

ABOUT DEREK INGRAM:

Follow Derek on Twitter here

Derek Ingram, the head coach of the national amateur and Young Pro Teams for Golf Canada, is a two-time recipient of the PGA of Canada’s Teacher of the Year Award (2003 and 2007).

He has spent two years as Women’s Head Coach for Team Canada. Prior to being named Women’s Head Coach at the end of 2009, Ingram served five years as Men’s Assistant Coach for Team Canada.

A seven-time winner of the Manitoba PGA Teacher of the Year Award, Derek has been involved with Golf Canada’s High Performance Program for over 10 years. He has been selected as one of the top-10 coaches in Canada by the National Post, Golf Digest, and Golf Magazine, and a Top-50 Teacher in North America by Golf Range Magazine.

He also competed on the Canadian Tour for two years and was twice named Manitoba PGA Player of the Year (2003 and 2008). A recent inductee into the Manitoba Golf Hall of Fame, Ingram has also co-authored two books on improving golf mental skills.

A devoted family man, Ingram is married with two young sons.

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