Jim McLean (golfer)

James C. McLean (born May 18, 1950) is a leading American golf instructor.[1][2] He is known for coining the phrase “X-Factor”, observing that the greater the differential between the hips and shoulders at the top of the swing, the more power the golfer can create.[3][4] McLean is CEO of the Jim McLean Golf School, which operates from eight locations.

For the Australian golfer, see James McLean (golfer).
Jim McLean
McLean in July 2018
Personal information
Full nameJames C. McLean
Born (1950-05-18) May 18, 1950
Nationality United States
Career
CollegeUniversity of Houston
Turned professional1973
Professional wins2
Best results in major championships
Masters TournamentT43: 1972
PGA ChampionshipDNP
U.S. OpenCUT: 1971, 1972
The Open ChampionshipDNP
Achievements and awards
World Teacher's Golf
Hall of Fame		2018
Pacific Northwest Golf Assoc.
Hall of Fame		2003
National PGA
Teacher of the Year		1994

Amateur career

McLean was Washington State Junior Champion two times. He also won The Seattle Amateur and The 4 States Amateur in Texarkana, Texas. McLean was an All-American at the University of Houston where he played for the golf team from 1969 to 1973. He had three college victories. He qualified for the U.S. Junior Amateur and the U.S. Amateur three times. His best result at the U.S. Amateur was fourth in 1971. McLean played in the 1972 Masters Tournament as an amateur, finishing tied for 43rd. He won the Pacific Coast Amateur in 1971 and was named first alternate to the U.S. Amateur World Cup team in 1972. McLean won 12 USGA medals for the U.S. Junior, U.S. Amateur, U.S. Open, and U.S. Senior Open.[5]

Professional career

McLean was a touring professional golfer for two years. He qualified for ten national club professional events, won the Westchester PGA Championship in the PGA Met Section, and won the National Skins Game held in Palm Springs, California. His first club professional position was as an assistant at Westchester Country Club.[6]

Teaching

In 1991, McLean became the Director of Golf at Doral Resort in Miami, Florida (now named Trump National Doral). McLean started to run golf schools in the winter at Doral. In 1993, he established The Jim McLean Golf School.[7][8]He has taught Tom Kite, Cristie Kerr, Liselotte Neumann, Lexi Thompson, Keegan Bradley, and Gary Woodland, all of whom have won professional major championships. Over 200 of his former assistants have become club head professionals or directors of instruction.

In 2017, McLean announced the relocation of the headquarters to the Miami Biltmore Hotel.[9][10] He has worked with Lucy Li, Lexi Thompson, Ben Crenshaw, Curtis Strange, Sergio García, and Gary Player among others.[11][12]

He pioneered the use of video for golf instruction and was one of the first adopters of radar technology used in swing analysis tools like TrackMan.[13] McLean's teaching philosophy is based on position teaching using detailed parameters, safety zones, and what he calls "The Powerline."[14] He is also known for The X-Factor and The X-Factor Stretch.

Books and videos
  • The Eight Step Swing, ISBN 0060958006.
  • The Putter’s Pocket Companion, ISBN 0060171898
  • The Power Game Pocket Companion, ISBN 0060958006
  • Ben Hogan. The Golf Swing, ISBN 0470876247
  • The Wedge Game Pocket Companion, ISBN 006270141X
  • The Jim McLean Golf Digest Ultimate Drill Book, ISBN 1592408451
  • Golf Digest’s The Drill System for Better Golf, ISBN 1416592571
  • The X-Factor, ISBN 0062701428
  • The Slot Swing, ISBN 0470444991
  • Golf School, ISBN 0385492871
  • The 3 Scoring Clubs, ISBN 1592401171
  • The Complete Idiot’s Guide to the Short Game, ISBN 0028638891
  • The Jim McLean System: Your Swing Solution, ISBN 1635763711
  • The Ultimate Guide to Trackman Swing Analysis (With Adam Kolloff) (2015).
  • 18 Ways to Become the Undisputed #1 Business in Your Category.
  • Build Your Swing. 2020.
  • Power Golf Pocket Companion. 2020.
  • Short Game Pocket Companion. 2020.

Recognition

McLean was inducted into the Pacific Northwest Golf Association Hall of Fame in 2003.[15] He is a member of the Pacific Northwest Hall of Fame, the MET PGA Hall of Fame, the South Florida PGA Hall of Fame, the Miami Sports Hall of Fame, and the Long Island Hall of Fame. He has consistently been recognized as a leading golf teacher and was inducted into the World Teachers Hall of Fame.[16]

McLean has won the following PGA Awards:

  • 1986 Metropolitan Teacher of the Year
  • 1987 Metropolitan Horton Smith Award
  • 1994 National PGA Teacher of the Year
  • 1996 South Florida Teacher of the Year
  • 1998 South Florida Teacher of the Year
  • 2000 South Florida Junior Leader Award
  • Golf Magazine: Top 100 Teachers in America
  • Golf Digest: Ranked #3 Teacher in America for 25 years
  • South Florida PGA Professional Development Award 2019
  • PGA of America Professional Development National Award 2020

"The Golf Swing: Ben Hogan" video has won 6 awards (3 Aurora awards in 2000 and 3 Telly awards in 2001).

Sports Illustrated listed The Eight-Step Swing as one of the top golf books of the 20th Century.

Amateur wins

Professional wins
gollark: Maybe incident reports should include a log of all the filenames you ran as well.
gollark: I should probably have smarter key handling, yes.
gollark: It's basically an extension of the disk signing system, but without the disks, see.
gollark: The disk signing one.
gollark: I could change it but then I'd either need fallback code or would break the various disks in the wild.

References
  1. "The Big 4: On demand". Golf Digest. Retrieved 2010-05-02.
  2. "The 50 Best Teachers In America - Golf Digest". Golf Digest. Retrieved June 3, 2018.
  3. "The Secret of the New X-Factor". Golf Magazine.
  4. "Fitness Friday: Is This X-Factor Good For You?". Golf Digest.
  5. "Jim Mclean Inducted to PNGS Hall of Fame".
  6. "McLean and Straub Tie For Westchester Golf Lead". The New York Times. June 26, 1979. ISSN 0362-4331. Retrieved June 3, 2018.
  7. "The List: Top 25 Golf Schools in America". Golf.com. Retrieved June 3, 2018.
  8. "Best Golf Schools & Academies". Golf Digest. Retrieved June 3, 2018.
  9. "Golf News | The Golf Gazette". Golf News | The Golf Gazette. Retrieved June 3, 2018.
  10. "Jim McLean Golf School moving to the Biltmore in Coral Gables: Travel Weekly". www.travelweekly.com. Retrieved June 3, 2018.
  11. "Lucy Li Turns Back the Clock on U.S. Women's Open Field".
  12. Khurshudyan, Isabelle (July 23, 2014). "How girls in their early teenage years can compete on the LPGA's biggest stages". Washington Post.
  13. "How PGA Tour players use the ground: Trends from BodiTrak - Scott Hamilton Golf Academy". 12 May 2016.
  14. "The master of swing: Interview with golf coach Jim McLean - Canadian Business - Your Source For Business News". 20 November 2006.
  15. "Hall of Fame - Pacific Northwest Golf Association".
  16. "The Best Teachers In Your State (2017-18)". Golf Digest.
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