Road to the World Am, Episode 3: Jason Miller

This year, the Myrtle Beach World Amateur is following three golfers as they pair up with top golf instructors from across the country to improve their game leading up to the World Am. Jason Miller, from New York, N.Y. and originally from Columbia, S.C., is a 7-year veteran of the World Am and is training with Michael Breed to improve his golf game. Watch as we follow Jason through his process of preparing for this year’s event.

Jason Miller:
Hi, I’m Jason Miller from New York City. I think this is going to be my seventh year for a while. It’s been pretty fun. My Dad and his buddies, a bunch of military guys in South Carolina have been playing it for over a decade, and got me to go with them. And I think my second or third year they started the gross division and started playing in that. And it was just a great group of guys. Fun, all ages from college to guys in their 50s out there banging it.

My best finish was a handful of years ago, I think I finished fourth. I was in the final group, didn’t have a great round. But looking to do better. The best part of my game I would say is chipping. It usually comes back pretty quickly and can save a lot of rounds.

Kyle Oland:
I saw you just hole one over here.

Jason Miller:
Yeah, it doesn’t … I try to use the same club. I’ve got a 58 degree. I try to use it. I use it a ton, probably use it as much as my putter, unfortunately. I’ve never had a lesson. So it’ll be interesting. I’m hoping to just sharpen up things that I don’t get to work on regularly. Living in New York, I don’t get to go to the range and have a regimented session that often. I was pretty stoked when you called me. I was kind of surprised. And then when you said, “Hey, July 3rd, let’s do this.” I got a little nervous. But I’m really excited to see what he has to say. To hear insights from someone like that is going to be pretty darn valuable.

Jason Miller:
Hey, Jason.

Michael Breed:
Hey, Jason. Good to see you. Did you smile for the camera? Okay. Good. All right, let’s talk a little bit about you. By the way, welcome to the doorstep.

Jason Miller:
Thank you.

Michael Breed:
Tell me about you. Ooh, you got blades. Ooh, C-Tapers.

Jason Miller:
Yeah, I love those things.

Michael Breed:
Okay. So most people don’t get into blades and C-Tapers without having some game. Tell me about your handicap.

Jason Miller:
It’s rising. It’s up to a 1.1.

Michael Breed:
Okay. So you can play.

Jason Miller:
Sometimes. I was telling Kyle mostly my chipping keeps me in –

Michael Breed:
So you’re not worried about the chipping part of things.

Jason Miller:
Nah. Nah.

Michael Breed:
What is … What’s the … You love your 8-iron there.

And you practice a little bit with your 5-iron. You don’t clean that thing very well. But that’s a different issue.

Jason Miller:
I was out here Saturday, late yesterday. I didn’t clean them after.

Michael Breed:
You were? Where’s home?

Jason Miller:
I live in Manhattan.

Michael Breed:
Really?

Jason Miller:
Yeah.

Michael Breed:
And you’re going down to the Am, the World Amey?

Jason Miller:
Yeah, I’m from South Carolina originally.

Michael Breed:
Really?

Jason Miller:
Yeah.

Michael Breed:
Where?

Jason Miller:
Columbia.

Michael Breed:
I love Columbia. It’s a good spot. It’s hot down there.

Jason Miller:
It’s nice [inaudible 00:03:39] Clemson.

Michael Breed:
So did you go to Clemson?

Jason Miller:
I went to Clemson, yeah, a long time ago.

Michael Breed:
Okay. So as you go through your game, what do you think is preventing you from being a zero?

Jason Miller:
Well, I mean I was a plus one last summer.

Michael Breed:
OK.

Jason Miller:
But I’ve never really gotten below a plus two. And it’s, I think, it’s my accuracy off the tee, and probably accuracy on the green. My distance control is pretty good. It always has been. But I’ve never been one to flag it. It’s, let’s hit the green. Let’s hit the right number when it’s in the right spot.

Michael Breed:
I want to see the … All right, 6-ron, I want you to hit it at. It’ll go past that. But, I want you to hit at this flag, the second flag.

Jason Miller:
Just straight over it, right?

Michael Breed:
Yeah.

Michael Breed:
It’s okay.

Jason Miller:
That’s more my [inaudible 00:05:07], right?

Michael Breed:
Oh, this is going to sound absolutely nuts. But here’s what I would tell you. I could help you more if we sat in a classroom and discussed strategy, than standing on the lesson tee. And talk to you about how to hit a golf ball.

Jason Miller:
Yeah.

Michael Breed:
Now that doesn’t mean that all facets of your game are great. But I’m not going to do anything with your golf swing.

Jason Miller:
It’s good to know.

Michael Breed:
Okay? So what I would tell you is that draws and cuts, those are important things. What you’re doing with certain shots, how you approach a certain shot, hitting a 150-yard shot to a hole that’s on the right-hand side and in the back of the green. What club do you use? And how do you approach that? How do you attack it?

Jason Miller:
Yeah.

Michael Breed:
That I can help you with. And it won’t do anything except make you more functional when you’re bad.

Jason Miller:
I had no idea what to expect. I never had a golf lesson before. So I didn’t know where we were going to start. I didn’t know what he was going to think about the way I hit the ball. The feedback was positive. And I was, yeah, I was laughing when I was hitting some of these shots, especially with my driver. He started straightened me out with just a little movement of the ball and a little thought.

Like, “Hey, swing left because you … If we started over there and you’re bringing it back right, you can’t possibly get in trouble, right?” And it just, did it build confidence in it? I felt like I was even … It felt like I was releasing the club better, which something so small to make that big of a difference in 20 balls was … I’m looking forward to the next one.