Minnesota Golfer - Fall 2020 - 22

GOLF T ALES
MICHAEL TURNB ULL
in Huntington Beach, got to know folks at the famed Bel-Air CC
and even took some lessons from up and coming Hank Haney
before becoming head golf professional at Balboa Park GC in
San Diego.
Ultimately, Turnbull returned to the Twin Cities and began
teaching at the University of Minnesota, and then Baker
National GC. He had compiled a long list of golfers, PGA
pros and instructors as friends and mentors along the way,
which comes as no surprise to those who have met the affable
Turnbull-he's always quick with an entertaining anecdote, but
even quicker with a boisterous laugh. He says there is something
from all these golf instructors in him, but it was a student's
statement ( " you can't fix a swing you've already taken " ) that got
him thinking there must be another way.
" Everything changed for me back in the '90s, " he says. " I had
been teaching for 20 years and I could see that my students
would become dependent upon me-for praise and instruction.
But the goal of the teacher is to increase the independence
of the students-to increase their confidence so they can learn
on their own. You provide the spark. "
Turnbull attended a seminar by Timothy Gallwey, who wrote
" The Inner Game of Tennis " and the other Inner Game books
(including Inner Golf), and it opened up a new path for him. He
worked with Gallwey for a time and combined that approach
with the swing theories of Ernest Jones from the 1920s, eventually
creating Mindful Golf, which is based upon swinging the
clubhead and collecting information from that swing.
Turnbull rejected the " fix this, fix that " methods of swing
mechanics that he had been teaching for 20 years.
" I still see students from that period and apologize to them
for what I taught them, " he says.
Instead, he carved out a teaching approach that includes
swinging the club with your eyes closed, swaying a driver
between two fingers like a pendulum, and even teeing the ball
up throughout the entire course for beginners.
" I have a league of 36 new players (34 are women). It's very
successful, " he says. " We don't keep score and I give instruction
while we play. Three or four of the nights it is mandatory that
they tee up every ball. You go out there on the other nights and
everybody is rolling the ball on the ground. But for four nights
they are playing in the air. They're having a blast. If you ever
see tees in the fairway or the rough, you'll know some of my
students have been there. "
Turnbull's instruction is unconventional and therefore not
likely to show up in any weekend instruction videos on television.
But that's not his intention. He hopes to catch young
students before there are too many swing techniques banging
around in their heads and show them the joy of a well-struck
shot.
" The stuff that I do can't be measured, " Turnbull says. " I just
know that I have students who play longer and enjoy the game
more. I am not going to guarantee they're going to shoot well.
I won't guarantee anything-but I will say that I will help them
hit the ball more solidly. That is the key to enjoying golf. "
For the past 15 years, Turnbull has been teaching at Brookview,
" I am not going
to guarantee
they're going to
shoot well. I
won't guarantee
anything-but
I will say that I
will help them
hit the ball more
solidly. That is
the key to
enjoying golf. "
-Turnbull
where running a lawn bowling court also became part of his
duties. But numerous health issues have caused fits and starts
throughout his career. He has had diabetes for most of his life,
contracted emphysema, COPD, H3N2 flu, developed congestive
heart failure and even had A-fib once during the middle
of a lesson. His health problems brought about his retirement
three years ago, but he still teaches at Brookview a few times a
week despite arthritis in his hips and neck, limiting his ability
to swing.
So, why continue?
" I still want to keep my hand in because I want to intercept
all these new players before they get into orthodox teaching, "
Turnbull says with a chuckle.
Turnbull is indeed a consummate PGA teaching pro. He
enjoys learning from his students as he continues to instruct
them. He takes several precautions to continue teaching during
the COVID-19 era because his passion for teaching and the joy
it brings him remain.
" Looking back, the best memories I have-and they continue-is
that I see some of my new students continue to play.
They haven't quit the game, " he says. " That's the best thing any
teacher who specializes in new players could hope for. "
22
MINNESOTAGOLFER Fall 2020
mngolf.org
PHOTO BY MATT SEEFELDT
http://www.mngolf.org
Minnesota Golfer - Fall 2020

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