Just over a week ago, I had some time to talk to Michael Breed, the instructor who leads the Golf Channel’s The Golf Fix program that appears on Mondays. Breed was in town for a Titleist seminar on golf ball fitting and spent some time in the cold and high winds trying to demonstrate how you properly fit someone for a golf ball. It was interesting, especially the notion that the whole focus is really on ProV1 — and that Titleist believes everyone can play either the red or the black ball. Also worth noting is the marketing has changed around the ball — now it is about how it performs from 100 yards and in, as opposed to simply about being long.
Anyway, I thought Breed would be a frenetic mess. But Acushnet Canada president Ted Manning had insisted Breed was actually very impressive — and so I thought I’d give Breed the benefit of the doubt. Despite saying he is “definitely ADD,” I found Breed to be interesting and thoughtful. Oh, and really busy.
Here’s what he had to say:
G4G: How long did it take to get the Golf Fix on air?
Breed: Six years after I presented the idea, they took me up on it. What the Golf Channel was looking for has changed. It is more new wave, younger and not so stagnant. It just so happened the show gravitated that way and married into what they were looking for.
G4G: It must be tough keeping fresh for the show, especially considering you have a regular gig as head pro at Sunningdale Country Club in New York?
Breed: I prepare for the show every single day I give lessons. There isnt a question about the golf swing that I havent been asked or dont know how to solve. And Im always kind of thinking ahead of where were going. My mind works quickly and that works with the show. You come up with new things every day, but you have to remind yourself that not every person is watching every week. The truth is there is always something to talk about. Theres going to be something that comes out like a new philosophy. Theres no telling the direction that things will go.
G4G: What’s your take on Hank Haney’s decision to split from Tiger?
Breed: Hank was in a no-win situation. Tiger is physically not up to par, mentally not up to par and hes not playing any golf. It is a bad situation. And everyone is examining Tigers swing and the ball is going all over the place and they say Hank has done a bad job. But to criticize Hanks performance for the three tournaments Tiger has played in this year is kind of silly. Is it good for Tiger to make a change? Yes. If Im Tiger and think that I make a change to a new instructor, well then I can start a new swing and my expectation levels will be lower. Maybe thats not a bad idea. There are a thousand different ways to look at this scenario. The truth is Tiger is searching for his life both mentally and physically.
G4G: What do you hope to accomplish with The Golf Fix?
Breed: Im not looking to get anything out of it. Im hoping to help people play better golf and whatever little I can do to grow the game and help people love the game and get it into a different light. A lot of time you do things in your life that arent about you. And for me, I get to come up to places like Toronto and share some thoughts. And I get a lot out of that.
