Golf Fitness Class (cont'd) September 30, 2010 at the Ogden Clinic's Physical Therapy and Sports Medicine and a certified golf fitness instructor by the Titleist Performance Institute, has been invited to speak at the World Golf Fitness Summit this November. "I will be speaking in the junior section," Rhodes said. "What we have found is that there are certain windows of opportunity that tell us what we should be working on at each stage of development in order to help develop a great golfer. We call this accelerated adaptation." Rhodes said accelerated adaptation refers to critical or sensitive periods in a child's development that they respond faster to a training stimulus. He will speak about his experiences teaching kids ages 13 to 16 how to improve their swing by being physically NICK SHORT/Standard-Examiner Students wait for golf class to begin at Toads Fun Zone in Marriott-Slaterville. and mentally fit. He said after four months he saw significant improvements in the hips, shoulders, hands and swing movements of his students. "If you make them run fast, they hit farther," Rhodes said. "We take them to the gym and work them for about 45 minutes before they go out on the course. If they are physically fit, they get stronger and work harder and as a result we are seeing a better golfer." Rhodes teaches Crown Junior Golf Club members every Thursday night at Toads Fun Zone in Ogden. Some of the activities that help kids become better golfers include balance skills, muscle tone, dexterity, agility and hand-eye coordination. Rhodes grew up in Kaysville where he played both football and basketball in high school. He said because he got hurt a lot playing sports, he frequently ended up in rehab. "I remember the physical therapists who worked on me and it looked like they were having a good time so I decided I wanted to go into the field myself," he said. After serving a mission to Australia for The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter- day Saints, Rhodes obtained a bachelor's, masters and doctorate degree from BYU, University of Colorado and Regis University, respectively. He began golfing after college and has competed in many state amateurs, including the 2009 Utah State Amateur. Some of his clients include the Weber State University golf team, BYU golf team and senior PGA Tour golfer Bruce Summerhays. Rhodes said he's excited to have been chosen to speak and make a presentation at the summit this fall. He said he hopes more kids will start golfing at a young age and go through the physically fit regime that will make them better at the game. "I think it's a great opportunity for kids to have somebody local that has tour knowledge," he said. "If you were to go anywhere else you would pay thousands of dollars to learn the same thing. Our kids aren't just golfers. They're athletic golfers and our program makes all the difference." To learn more about the program or to sign up go to www.crownjuniorgolf.com. 206