Bryan Siegel, the Chairman and CEO of Josie Accessories, Inc., has been working on his game at The Bridge Golf Learning Center in Harlem. He recently fielded some questions from Co-Founder and Executive Director Farrell Evans.
FE: This fall, you have been a regular presence at The Learning Center. What’s your practice routine?
BS: After some brief stretching and warm-ups, I get on the TrackMan and work through the bag from wedge up to driver. I hit no more than 10 balls per club. That swing count gives me enough feel for how I am managing the club to my practice goals. If I don’t see the results I’m looking for, I will go back to the wedge for a few swings.
TrackMan is an amazing tool for focusing my sessions. However, if I look at all the data points it can be a little overwhelming. I concentrate on two or three metrics per practice session.
FE: Both you and your teenage son, Ben, are taking lessons with Brian Hwang, one of our teaching professionals. What are you and Brian working on right now?
BS: While swing speed is a significant factor in distance, Brian’s been teaching me that less effort with better contact can yield the same results. Right now, I am shortening and slowing my swing and keying in on a full follow through. Hopefully this will shore up some core fundamentals. We have also been working on weight transfer and balance, both essential foundations for an effective swing. At the end of each lesson, we take a few minutes together to review the session, and we set goals for the upcoming week.
FE: What do you hope Ben gets out of his lessons with Brian?
BS: Living in New York City can be a challenge for young golfers, but Ben jumps at any chance to get a club in his hand and play. Ben comes to The Learning Center with an eagerness and enthusiasm to reach a higher level of performance. He will be entering high school next year, and now is the time to start focusing on competitive golf. I hope Brian will mentor Ben through these upcoming challenges. Together they will work on basic swing improvements and control, but they will focus equally on mental preparation and practice routines. Brian is a great teacher for Ben because of his past experiences as a junior golfer. My hope is that Ben’s hard work this winter will have him ready when tournament time comes this spring.
FE: When did you first take up the game, and how has your interest in the game developed over the years?
BS: I grew up playing with family and friends, but never for a consistent amount of time. For many years I played a few rounds a year, some summers playing more than others. Ten years ago, after our third child, I said to my wife, “OK, now I have a golf foursome, and when they are all old enough, I’ll take them out and give you six free hours!” She laughed and thought the day would never come, but now they are all old enough, so we joined a country club right outside New York City and I have been playing obsessively ever since. The Learning Center is an incredible asset as well. It is convenient to get to, the facilities are amazing, the staff is supportive, and I can continue playing throughout the winter.
FE: What are your long-term goals as a golfer?
BS: As a beginner, I like setting mini-challenges for myself during each practice. I also like marking each week with an improvement in any aspect of my game. Long term, I want to play a consistent game with solid course management skills. Soon, I would like to enter one of my club’s tournaments. As my kids get older, it would be fun planning family golf vacations and playing courses all over the world.
FE: What’s your dream foursome and on what golf course?
BS: 1. Michael Jordan: his trash talking and golf gambling stories are legendary. It would be a blast hearing them firsthand. 2. Bill Gates: The richest person in the world with a rumored high handicap — we need someone in the foursome I can possibly win a few wagers from. 3. Jack Nicklaus: Besides the obvious, Jack has also designed more than 400 golf courses. I would really like to hear his hole-by-hole strategy and design commentary. The course would be Augusta National.