Scott Young

Scott Young has been a AAA rated PGA member for over 20 years, initially spending 10 years traversing the globe as a touring golf professional, ultimately creating the SSWING platform to improve a golfer’s ability to consistently shoot lower scores and improve golf specific movement.

I spent seven years on crutches and was confined to a wheelchair as a kid because no one found solutions for my joints that ironically had too much mobility with literally no stability.

Upon finding my own solutions, and picking up the game at 18, I reduced my handicap to a one handicap in a year and then enjoyed a decade traveling the globe as a full-time touring golf professional.

Combining life on the road, my history of medical complications and ultimately self diagnosed solutions, plus receiving the constant feedback that golfers do not understand, nor have control of their golfing journey, SSWING was born.  It provides the platform that hands control of improvement back to the golfer and delivers fundamental improvement across every facet for the greatest game one can play.

Continue to fundamentally change how golf improvement is delivered to golfers — specifically, explaining and improving individual human movement and its relationship to ball control, distance and lower scores

I played in 86 full tour events, spending 10 years living out of a suitcase shooting a variety of scores from 66 – 86. But the swings/mechanics all felt the same to me — for I didn’t understanding the process. The process starts with the body — for the body holds the club, the club hits the ball and the ball defines success. Explaining “The Process” — as I coin it — of how the results are produced is the inspiration behind developing and building SSWING myself – both on the tech and bricks and mortar side respectively.

We categorically deliver improvement in golf performance.  Every experience at SSWING is geared to create a path to improvement.

From your vantage point what’s the percentage level of quality teaching taking place today?

I base the answer on metrics., In 1960, the average golf score was 100 — in 2017, it was unchanged.

Golfers who want to learn and improve are my customer – ability being irrelevant. I’ve been teaching here in New York City for 15 years and initially we relied on word of mouth referrals but now we are actively using targeted digital ads via collaborations and social media to promote the vision of SSWING.

Finding the right teacher is a daunting process for any golfer — outline briefly the key steps you recommend to those on this pathway.

Data is key, metrics don’t lie. A great teacher is one who can lead a player to the solutions without being technical but can leverage metrics to quantify improvement.

Let me provide a simple example a golfer comes to a lesson starting the top of the swing with shoulder rotation — not hips — causing a steep outside to in path. The ball usually starts left –after improving the process – said golfer drives into impact from the inside but continues to open the face through impact via a past habit. A good teacher understands how that individual processes information.

I always ask what sports my golfers grew up playing — if that golfer suggests a level of baseball or cricket. After we change their path to the inside — a technical lesson — I may pivot and ask the golfer to “feel like they are hitting the ball to 3rd base” or “over square leg umpire.” Being able to pivot and deliver information in a variety of styles makes a great coach.

Golfers are always searching to improve themselves but how important is it for total candor to be front and center when teacher and student intersect — specifically on the work it will take to attain such goals?

I rely on metrics to define improvement and improvement can be immediate. I believe golfers stagnate their improvement when they lose the control of either face orientation, path or a little of both. So to answer the question a little differently, if a golfer doesn’t improve or doesn’t take the improvement to the course they are not taught correctly.

If you could change one thing in golf unilaterally — what would it be and why?

Eliminate the barriers to play – cost and access. SSWING is working on the creating accessibility, I truly believe you can practice and work on your game indoors and take to the course.  Our mantra at SSWING is: The future for your on course golf enjoyment starts indoors at SSWING.

Success is defined by the ability to pivot – in all manner of situations — Guy Raz NPR Journalist