Today we present a new segment that will feature visits with noted golf instructors from various parts of the country. Our man in the field is Josh Koch and he will visit with those instructors and pose a list of questions to give us a little insight about them and how they teach the game.
First up is Dana Dalquist from Long Beach, California. Dana has been teaching for 16 years with students ranging from beginners to PGA Tour professionals. Some of his tour students include Charles Howell III, Daniel Summerhays, Eric Axley, Grant Waite, Brad Faxon, Tim Wilkinson and Carl Petterssen. Dana also works with Daniel IM from the European Tour, Tain Lee from the Web.com Tour and Anna Rawson from the LPGA.
How old were you when you received your first golf lesson?
DD: Four years old and ironically, the teacher was named Jamie Mulligan.
Who inspired you to begin thinking about becoming a golf instructor?
DD: When I was 15 Mike Van Sika asked me to run a junior camp at his home course.
Who helped you most on your journey to where you are today?
DD: Mac O’Grady. I learned about swing matchups from him and how they relate to one another.
How old is your youngest student:
DD: Youngest is age eight.
How old is your oldest student:
DD: I have one that is 75!
What is the hardest concept to grasp for beginners?
DD: That would be ball flight identification, being able to interpret what the ball is doing and actually understanding why it did what it did. Typically players tend to misdiagnose their swing flaws.
What is the easiest concept for beginners to grasp?
DD: Easiest is understanding ball flight laws.
Which current PGA Tour player’s game to you like the best?
DD: Rory McIlroy.
Why?
DD: His swing is free-flowing and I also like guys who are grinders especially Charlie Beljan and Kevin Na. They understand their games and how to get the most out of what they’ve got.
Best golf swing of all time?
DD: I have to go with Mickey Wright. She had tremendous rhythm and timing. I believe she had a better swing than Sam Snead. Another swing I’ve always liked was Jodie Mudd’s.
Your favorite PGA Tour stop?
DD: I’m a bit biased on that but it’s the L.A. Open because it’s the first one I ever went to when I was a youngster.
Dana Dahlquist teaches at the El Dorado Park Golf Course in Long Beach. He also has started an online academy and that can be found at his website: danadahlquistgolf.com
Doglegnews readers can receive a discount to Dana’s online academy by entering the code:
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