Coaching Philosophy
Tyler and Josh | Corrales Punta Cana Championship 2018
Golfers looking to take their game to the next level need to learn to trust themselves and develop a sound method for improvement. Josh will teach you how to manage yourself and your game on the golf course. You will learn drills that will improve your touch on the greens, make you a wedge and short game maestro and hit full shots with abandonment. Josh will teach you how to play the game of golf and help you realize that working on your swing is just part of the formula. Simple fundamentals plus mental toughness have been the formula for the greats all along. Once you learn you have what it takes inside, you are able to believe in yourself, trust your instincts and let it go!
Mind, Body, Golf
McCumber Family
Josh has been fortunate to be raised by two dynamic and unique parents.They have shaped his philosophies on life and personal development. Josh's mother Joy is a concert pianist and he learned to play the piano at the age of 3 and the violin and viola at the age of 10. His father Jim started McCumber Golf Inc., a golf course design and construction firm, and was a main influence on his brother Mark McCumber's career. Jim and Joy were a great team in raising Josh, his brother and sister. Before they could go out to the course or play other sports we had to practice their musical instruments. The discipline he learned at an early age has guided him throughout my life. The culmination of these experiences bore his mind, body, golf approach to peak performance. When the three are addressed together and the student learns how one affects the other they are able to minimize mistakes, have smaller ups and downs and maximize their performance when their game is on and in the zone.
Mind
Josh has spent countless hours reading and learning from the best sports psychologists in the game. He will share mental game principles that he developed from personally working with Dr. Deborah Graham, Dr. Gio Valiante and Dr. Bob Rotella. In addition to the top golf minds, he enjoys learning about peak performance in sport and how those principles can be applied to golf. The art of proper breathing and meditation go hand in hand with top flight performance. He has practiced these skills for a number of years and reaped the benefits and enjoys sharing them with his students.
Body
Josh also has been fortunate to train with leading fitness professionals. Joey Atlas was his first trainer after college and taught Josh about functional training and golf specific exercises. He met Mark Avens during his time spent with Joey and was introduced to the Titleist Performance Institute and their certification program. Josh was certified in 2010 as a TPI Golf fitness professional. John Knight of Playfit Enterprises worked with Josh for a year and his philosophies continued to shape his view on the body and the proper balance for training and golf performance. When he was the assistant golf coach at the University of Florida he was exposed to Pilates and Yoga. His Yoga practice became a staple in his routine and something that Josh found gave him a great peace of mind when having to compete. During his quest for personal development and peak performance Josh found Tai Chi, which he believes takes the benefits of Yoga and breathing and gives a golfer an excellent low impact exercise great to do when on the road before and after competition. Another important component often overlooked when talking about the body is proper rest and what is put in your body. Josh was raised with a health conscious mother and grandmother. He learned excellent eating habits at a young age. As Josh matured and started to develop as a golfer he realized the value that proper nutrition and hydration play on peak performance. Josh also witnessed firsthand how when athletes over train and do not get the proper rest their focus wanes and one actually does more harm than good. Josh looks forward to sharing his thoughts on what he found to be good ways to stay hydrated and energized on the course. His knowledge of the body will help advise his students on the best practices being used on TOUR and at top college programs today. He will be able to help you choose a great trainer and program to follow.
Spartan Fit
Continuing to study the best peak performance methods, Josh came across the book Spartan Up and it inspired him to run a Spartan Sprint. The book details the journey of Joe De Sena and how by challenging his body to limits he didn't know were possible it challenged his mind in the process. Golf being a static sport where golfers hit a stationary ball there is a lot of time to think and the most successful players think the best and are the toughest. When you challenge your body to push through your comfort zones you stregnthen and toughen your mind. The earlier in a players development they implement these principles the more successful and resilient they become.
Golf
Josh was born into a golf family. As was mentioned at the top of the page, his father started McCumber Golf and was a big influence on Mark McCumber's golf career. Josh witnessed the best players in the world up close from a young age. He pursued the PGA TOUR for over 10 years and during that time observed the best players and what made the difference from winning on TOUR or struggling to make a living. It is a fine line, one that is often immeasurable. He believes in great fundamentals and the ability to be able to trust your swing when you're playing your most important round. There is a time and place to work on your golf swing and mechanics. Ultimately though, you have to shift your focus to your creative side and become an artist. He will help you develop a sound routine for all of your golf shots and assist you in becoming a great wedge player and putter. He will then teach you to understand your tendencies and the right way to practice, so you will be able to work on trusting and believing in yourself, which will give you the best chance to reach your potential and meet or exceed all of your dreams and desires. Josh looks forward to helping you along your journey.
