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The Symmetrical Golf Swing/Motion by Thomas J. Patri, Jr.
PART I
Motion:
1) A proposal for action; Esp: A formal proposal made in deliberate assembly. 2) An act, process, or instance of changing pace: movement. 3) An impulse or inclination of the mind or will. 4) To direct by a motion.*
Symmetry:
1) Balance proportions. 2) The property of being symmetrical Esp: correspondence in size, shape, and relative position of parts on opposite sides of a dividing line or median plane or about a center or axis.*
Symmetrical:
1) Having, involving, or exhibiting symmetry. 2) having corresponding points whose connecting lines are bisected by a given point or perpendicularly bisected by a given line or plane. 3) being such that the terms may be interchanged without altering the valve, character, or truth. 4) capable of division. 5) Affecting corresponding parts simultaneously and similarly. 6) Exhibiting symmetry in a structural formula.*
* Definitions above taken from Websters Collegiate Dictionary of Words
Example of a good golf/swing motion
(Click photo to view video):
THE THREE 90° ANGLES OF THE BACKSWING
Checkpoints for Leverage and Structure
How many times have you seen someone make a practice backswing, stop the club at the top and look to check if the club is in position? While I’m sure leading tour professionals and club professionals alike know exactly what they are looking for, I often think the average club player simply mimics what he/she has seen a professional doing!
In this short tip, lets give you some specific direction as to what I look for in my students’ transition position. All you need to do the following exercise are three things: (1) you, the player; (2) a golf club and (3) a full length mirror. Position the mirror behind you as if your backswing were going to extend Into the mirror.
Take your normal set up and simply swing the club to the top and stop.
The first of the three 90° positions I’d like you to check is that of your right arm. Your right arm should find a 90° fold at the elbow joint. This 90° fold should be the forming structure of the extension of the left arm. If the right arm should fold behind the 90°, say to 110° or even120°, the left arm would lose its “extended” position. Your backward arm swing would, therefore, lose its structure, therefore, lose its if you will – width, I feel, is a vital component of your backswing.
Now turn towards the mirror so you are standing chest towards it. Again, set up and swing the club to the top and stop. Look into the mirror and first check the rotation of your shoulders. They should have turned 90° from where they started in the address position. You can check this by finding your right shoulder behind your head (not visible to you) and your back facing in the direction of the intended target.
The third and final 90° angle of the backswing is checked from the same position relevant to the mirror. Again, set up and swing to the top and stop. If you have achieved 90° position No.1 (width/arm structure), as well as 90° angle No. 2 (rotation of torso/shoulders), then the third position I’d like to see achieved is a 90° angle formed between your left arm and the club shaft.
There you have three very specific positions you can check at the top to assure that you have reached a levered, as well as a structural sound backswing position. NOW let IT GO!
Interview Archive, Golfer Magazine (1998): Tom Patri, 1998 Metropolitan PGA Section Teacher of The Year
PART V (Conclusion)
Continued from blog entry – “Interview Archive . . . PART IV”
The Three 90° Angles of the Backswing (Checkpoints for Leverage and Structure):
How many times have you seen someone make a practice backswing, stop the club at the top and look to check if the club is in position? While I’m sure leading tour professionals and club professionals alike know exactly what they are looking for, I often think the average club player simply mimics what he/she has seen a professional doing!
Lets, in this short tip, give you some specific direction as to what I look for in my students top of backswing position. All you need to do the following exercise are three things: (1) you, the player; (2) a golf club and (3) a full length mirror. Position the mirror behind you as if your backswing were going to extend into the mirror. Take your normal set up and simply swing the club to the top and stop.
The first of the three 90° positions I’d like you to check is that of your right arm. Your right arm should find a 90° fold at the elbow joint. This 90° fold should be the forming structure of the extention of the left arm. If the right arm should fold behind 90°, say to 110° or even 120″ the left arm would lose its “extention type” position. Your backward armswing would, therefore, lose its structure, therefore lose its WIDTH if you will! Width, I feel, is a vital component of your backswing.
Now turn towards the mirror so you are standing chest towards it. Again, setup and swing the club to the top and stop. Look into the mirror and first check the rotation of your shoulders. They should have turned 90° from where they started in the address position. You can check this by finding your right shoulder behind your head and your back facing in the direction of the intended target. The third and final 90° angle of the position relevant to the mirror, again, set up and swing to the top and stop. If you have achieved 90° position No. 1 (width/arm structure) as well as 90° angle No.2 (rotation of torso/shoulders), then the third position I’d like to see achieved is a 90° angle formed between your left arm and the club shaft.
There you have three very specific positions you can check at the top to assure that you have reached a levered as well as a structurally sound back-swing position.
NOW LET IT GO!
Interview Archive, Golfer Magazine (1998): Tom Patri, 1998 Metropolitan PGA Section Teacher of The Year
PART IV
Continued from blog entry – “Interview Archive . . . PART III”
CWGM: You are a NCAA National Champion, Director of Instruction at one of the finest golf facilities in the Northeast and the Metropolitan PGA Section Teacher of the Year. What is next?
TP: I went to college to play college golf with no one expecting me to win the NCAA in any division. I came to Westchester Country Club through the good graces of John Kennedy and got elected Metropolitan PGA Section Teacher of the Year. I am grateful for all those things. What ever happens next, happens. I am very happy at Westchester Country Club. It has become my home. I have never had a job as teacher anywhere that has lasted as long as here. Being a golf professional and playing professional has shown me that golf requires a vagabond lifestyle, constant travel. So being at Westchester Country Club for eight years is certainly a record for me. I do not have any plans for going anywhere. I have a business at Orange County National in Orlando, Florida that keeps me busy during the winter months. When I return to Westchester Country Club each Spring I am pretty fresh and ready to get right into things again.
CWGM: For our readers whose swings you may never see, give them your best golf tip.
TP: Most everybody plays golf out of balance. Commercials and advertising tells you that the long drives, oversized clubs and added distance are what is important. All this implies that golfers do not have to be in balance and that the golf swing depends on quality contact and certain other things without being in balance. Most people start out of balance in their set up and proceed to stay out of balance in their golf swing. Based on my teaching philosophy, I believe balance is a fundamental and keeping people in balance in set up and showing them what a balanced finish looks like is essential. If you do not finish your golf swing in balance, you started your golf swing out of balance and you should check that.
Interview Archive, Golfer Magazine (1998): Tom Patri, 1998 Metropolitan PGA Section Teacher of The Year
PART III
Continued from blog entry – “Interview Archive . . . PART II”
CWGM: Should more golfers become students? And what is your opinion about buying expensive golf clubs?
TP: Turn on the television and watch any of the golf tournaments. Take a look at players like Fred Couples working with Paul Marchand, Tiger Woods with Butch Harmon and Davis Love III with Jack Lumken, each talking with the other and constantly tutoring areas where these professionals need help. What makes any golfer who plays once or twice a week, who does not know enough about their golf game or what happens in a golf swing not need help? A very small percentage of the golfing population takes golf instruction, which includes any kind of coaching. In my opinion, it’s an absolute joke to expect to improve your golf game without qualified eyes watching you. Most people do not have a game plan. It is mostly chaos. That is pretty common, but that is what we see.
This section of the country is so rich with good instruction. On Long Island you have instructors like Mike Hebron and Jeff Warne. Throughout the entire area golfers have a pretty deep group of PGA instructors to call upon for help with their game. If you are going about your business on the golf course, without qualified help, I think you are crazy.
As far as purchasing golf clubs, when you are in a store to buy a suit, you are measured for that suit. When you are buying a pair of shoes, you are measured for size and you try them on to see if they fit properly. Yet people still buy golf clubs right off the rack. In a day and age when people have been educated about club fitting and 100% of the PGATOUR players have fitted clubs because they know how important it is for their clubs to be properly fitted, it is absolutely incredible to me that the golfing population still buys golf clubs off the rack when they can easily be properly fitted. Fitting should be done at a greengrass facility and outdoors. It does not happen in five minutes. It takes about an hour to be properly fitted. Most of the people I see still come to the tee with clubs not right for them.
Interview Archive, Golfer Magazine (1998): Tom Patri, 1998 Metropolitan PGA Section Teacher of The Year
PART II
Continued from blog entry – “Interview Archive . . . PART I”
CWGM: How do you define the difference between coaching and teaching golf?
TP: I do both. This is something Bill Strausbaugh had a lot of influence in clarifying for me. I want to teach my pupils for a short period of time and coach them for a lifetime. I can sit down with anybody I teach and tell them all they need to know about the golf swing in two hours. From there on it is time to coach. It will require me to tweak everything that is already in place.
People come to you with a lot of different expectations when taking golf lessons. You have to define these expectations and make sure they are realistic within a specific time frame. People have job restraints and families. They do not have eight hours a day to work on their golf game. You have to communicate with them and define exactly what it is they are trying to do. It is critical to make sure that they really think about their expectations. Once you have clarified the expectations, you can set a game plan that is attainable for them.
People come to us in the springtime and say they have a 14-handicap and they want to be an 8-handicap. They expect to play once a week and hit a half a bag of balls once a week. I have to explain to that student, that if that is all the practice they can do, they are going to be very disappointed in October. At that point you need to develop a game plan that is attainable within their time constraints and make sure their goals are not unrealistic. That is coaching, not teaching. Once you have established mechanically what is wrong with their golf game, you can establish goals and practice routines for them that will help achieve those things. After that, it is all coaching.
Interview Archive (1998): Tom Patri, 1998 Metropolitan PGA Section Teacher of The Year
PART I
CWGM: What was it like to come to Westchester Country Club?
TP: After spending two years at Bellport Country Club, I realized I did not want to be a head professional. My real love was teaching and playing. I really did not like being indoors. When John Kennedy became Director of Golf at Westchester Country Club he offered me the job as Director of Instruction. He hired me to develop a more upscale teaching program. We had some immediate concerns about the existing program. Two key issues were that many of the members were leaving the facility to take lessons elsewhere and the junior Program was not as strong as it should be for this type of facility.
Since then, we have put together a pretty impressive staff and have created an equally impressive instruction program. Our staff includes John Kennedy; 1997 Metropolitan PGA Section Professional of the Year, Bruce Zabriski; four time National Player of the Year, Deb Austin; the 1977 LPGA Player of the Year and myself. I do not know of any clubs that have the National PGA Player of the Year, an LPGA Player of the Year, the Metropolitan PGA Section Professional of the Year, and Metropolitan PGA Section Teaching Professional of the Year all on the same staff. We have gone from a Junior program that had about 30 players in it to a program in excess of 200 Juniors. Our lesson activities have increased dramatically. Now, our members can get everything they need at Westchester Country Club.
CWGM: Westchester Country Club Is the home of the Buick Classic. What are your fondest memories of that event?
TP: When you win the NCAA Championship your dream is to play on the PGA TOUR. That dream ended for me in 1988. When I see guys who I competed against in college like Fred Couples, Paul Azinger, Mark Calcavecchia and Jeff Sluman it’s a lot of fun to rekindle old friendships and catch up with them. At the same time, it’s hard to watch them do things you wish you were doing. It’s a double-edged sword. It is definitely a dream for me to qualify for the Buick Classic one-year and play in front of my own club.
CWGM: What does your job entail as Director of Instruction?
TP: John Kennedy says I am second in command. When he is not here, I am the man responsible for the golf operation. However, when he is here, I help manage all the people outside the bag room and pro shop. My principle job is the instruction program. The instruction staff gives approximately 4,000 hours of individual golf lessons a year not to mention the short game schools and corporate outing activities. I teach about 12 hours a day, which keeps me fairly busy in our short season.
CWGM: As the 1998 Metropolitan PGA Section Teacher of the Year, what is your teaching philosophy?
TP: I am a fundamentalist. I have been only teaching since 1988. In that short period of time, I have been exposed to a lot of really talented people. People like Jim McLean, Mike Hebron, Bob Toski, John Elliot from Golf Digest, Hank Haney, Peter Kostis, Mac O’Grady, David Leadbetter and Bill Strausbaugh have gone out of their way to share their ideas with me. This has allowed me to think about teaching golf and develop my own thoughts. I am probably more old school by today’s standards. I think golf is severely over-taught and under-coached. I do not think we have to reinvent the wheel every time we get to the golf course. If I had to classify myself, it would be as a fundamentalist.
More Golf Specific Exercises…
Continued from blog entry – “Stretch ‘em Out for Golf and Life”
Roll the Head
Loosen the neck and shoulder muscles by rotating or rolling the head several times in each direction (see photo on the left). Just to save some time, as well as to make sure the muscles are warm, you can do this one in the shower every morning.
Stretch Upper Back
Holding a club and raise the arms, pulling them forward, toward your head, as far as you can (see photo on the right). Hold for a minute, then relax and repeat. This exercise opens up the upper back and shoulder region.
Develop Muscles for External Rotation
The upper body area – the shoulders, neck, upper back and chest – obviously is involved in the golf swing and needs to be developed and stretched just as much as the lower body.
These muscles deal with external rotation, the forearms swinging to the outside. They are critical to your ability to invert your forearm on the downswing so you can get the club on a shallower plane, coming from the inside. One big reason that golfers come over the top on their downswing is that their lack of external rotation prevents the club from shallowing out and coming from the inside on the way down. Essentially, they don’t have enough motion in their shoulders.
To do this drill, hold the club in the palm of your right hand and the grip end in your left, the shaft running under your arm as shown (see photo “1.” on the left). Then pull back with your right hand. Chances are you won’t be able to get the hand back much beyond the shoulder. Hold the pull for as long as you can, then relax and repeat. This stretches the rotator cuff area and the pectoral or chest area. Eventually you’ll develop enough freedom in the area to swing the club the way you want.
Exercise the Rotator Cuff
Swing a club in a vertical circle a dozen times or so (see photos “2. and 3.” below). Switch to the other arm, then repeat. This exercise benefits the rotator cuff area. Once you have developed the muscles to some extent, try the same exercise swinging two clubs.
Stretch ‘em Out for Golf and Life
Part 2
A word of advice: Many individuals do stretching exercises that are great for the overall body but are not golf specific. They don’t activate the muscles that work in the course of a golf swing. The exercises on these pages do just that.
Exercise (1) stretches the quad muscles. Hook your toes over the back of a chair as shown and hold for a minute. You will probably feel the quads “burn,” and that’s good. Relax and repeat. Alternate legs.
Exercise (2) benefits the hamstrings. Set your heel on the chair as shown, grab your toe and pull until you feel the stretch in the hamstring. Hold for a minute or as long as you can. Do the same with the other leg. Repeat.
Exercise (3) is another exercise for the hamstrings. Lie on your back with one leg straight and extended as shown. Hook a towel over the front of your foot and pull down and toward your head. Again, hold it for a minute or as long as you can. Go to the other leg, then repeat.
Repeat all these exercises as many times as you can, gradually building up the number of repetitions.
Do the exercises here and on the next two pages when your body is warm. Do a few minutes on the treadmill or stationary bike to work up a sweat. Or take a hot shower before you begin stretching.
By the way, don’t limit your exercising to the off-season. This should become a year-around regimen, at least three or four times a week and especially important on the days you play golf. Once you establish that regimen, you’re on your way to feeling better and scoring better.
Golf-Specific Exercises: Stretch ‘em Out for Golf and Life
Part 1
Most people forget, or choose to ignore, that there is this thing going on called the aging process. The body doesn’t respond very well when you sit around all winter, then make a few light swings and think you’re ready to go. You’re not. You need to make your muscles stronger and more flexible. Strength training and golf-specific flexibility work complement each other. I certainly want you to get stronger, but when you make muscles stronger, they tend to get tighter, so you need flexibility exercises to stretch them and increase your range of motion.
I’m not going to get into strength training in this article. I’m not an expert in that area. But there are plenty of experts available, and I urge you to seek one out.
Most golfers come to me with back problems, usually in the area of the L4 and LS vertebrae. That aging process causes muscle fibers to become tighter and less elastic. So when you try to hit a ball hard, making a bigger turn to get more clubhead speed, the body says, “No, I’m not going to do that for you.” Something’s got to give. Often it’s the discs between the vertebrae and then comes the pain.
If you can elongate all the muscle groups around the pelvic area, you take a lot of pressure off your vertebrae. If you can elongate and build more flexibility into the quadriceps, hamstrings and hip flexors, it’s going to be of benefit, both in preventing injuries and in increasing the range of motion in your golf swing. Not only are you helping your golf game, you’re helping your life.
I’ve had students come to me in the spring, after going through a winter-long exercise program, who had picked up 30 or 40 percent in terms of lower-body rotation. I could do things with them that I’d never been able to before. I could get them to release the golf club. So instead of blocking or slicing the ball to the right, they could turn the club over through impact. Their bodies could rotate 15 or 20 degrees more to the left so the golf club could release and extend. They just couldn’t do it before. You can take all the lessons in the world, but if your body is not going to go there, the information is useless.
Don’t Forget Aerobics
The exercises I describe will help get your golf muscles in shape, but don’t forget your legs and heart. Some form of aerobic exercise is always important. I recommend using a stair master, treadmill or stationary bike indoors. Outdoors, brisk walking and bicycling are wonderful. They will build up your stamina and strengthen your legs, which in turn will improve your golf.
I do not recommend jogging or running on hard pavement or asphalt. That can cause all kinds of problems, especially in the knees, hips and feet.
Refurbish Your Gear Before the Golf Season
Take time during the off-season to get your equipment in shape. Start with changing your grips. Most Tour players I know change their grips at least twice a month. I don’t know any amateurs who change them twice a year. So put fresh grips on now, whether they need it or not (and chances are they do). This gives you a chance to start holding the club tension-free. If your grips get too slippery, you will tend to increase the tension in your hands and arms, which will deter a free armswing.
Also, get some fresh gloves to start the season. Throw away all the old, hard, shiny ones. This further gives you a chance to maintain control of the club and clubface.
Check the lofts and lies on your irons. Say what? That’s right. Even today’s investment cast clubs of harder steel can be altered, especially if you’re a frequent player or incessant practicer. This is particularly true if you’ve been using them on hard mats at a driving range. So have them checked on your pro’s loft and lie machine and have him bend them back to the correct settings if necessary. Then make a record of those settings on paper and keep it in a safe place. If you play and/or practice a lot, it’s a good idea to have your clubs checked again in mid-summer.
Take a look at your shoes. Today’s non-metal spikes can wear down pretty quickly and should be replaced to avoid slipping. And keep checking those grips.
Do the TV Drill with Your Grip
Working on your grip is the easiest thing of all, because you can do it in the evenings while you’re watching your favorite television show. Simply put your hands on the club correctly, take them off and put them back on, repeating this as many times as you would like – 100 times a night will find you eventually feeling comfortable with your grip.
But make sure it’s a good grip, so you don’t ingrain bad habits. There is a lot of leeway in the way various golfers hold the club, but all have one thing in common – a good grip should be unified with the hands not placed in opposition to each other. Your grip should allow you to swing the club with a great deal of freedom. Too many amateurs play with opposing hands – for example, the left hand too strong or turned too far to the right and the right hand too weak or turned too far to the left … or vice versa. Opposing hands stifle a free swing.
It’s not really important whether you use an overlapping or interlocking or 10-finger grip, but it is critical that your hands do not oppose one another, and that they are set on the club so they can swing and turn freely together.
Cure Those Short-Game Woes
Three or four months without a putter or a chipping club in your hands is a long time, and expecting to get your touch back quickly is unrealistic. Fortunately, keeping (or developing) your short-game touch during the winter is pretty easy. Stay active with a chipping or pitching club. Chip shots into a pillow (1), making sure your left wrist is flat and your right wrist is bent through impact.
If there is no snow on the ground, try to do some pitching in your back yard or wherever you can find adequate space. And those indoor and heated ranges aren’t just for drivers. You can pitch and chip shots off the mat, too.
I’ve been a professional for 21 years, and I’ve never heard anybody say, “Hey, pro, I’m making too many putts.” So I’d like to see a putter in your hands a lot during the off-season. Stroke some putts for distance. Even though your living room carpet is undoubtedly slower than the greens on your course, you’ll get some feeling for speed control. Practice using a two-by-four board (2). This lets you work on face and path position during the stroke and making good contact. Work on extension of the stroke down the target line, making sure the back of your left wrist and the clubface match up. Working on the fundamentals indoors like this helps you build a better technique.
Work on That Critical Setup
I walk down the range at the Buick Classic every year, and I don’t see a Tour pro who doesn’t have a wonderful opportunity, based on his setup, to hit a good shot. I walk down the practice tee with my members and I see hardly anyone with a possibility at a good shot. Yet the first thing that most amateurs do when they come out in the spring after a long winter is grab that driver and whack it. Instead, your spring – and your swing – always should start with attention to grip, stance, posture, ball position, aim and alignment. If it does not start there, you really don’t understand the golf swing. A good setup predicates good golf shots.
Most higher-handicap players have too much knee flex, bend too much from the hips and stand too far from the ball. You need only enough flex to unlock your knees (1). Your buttocks go out, your chest comes slightly forward and your arms hang down from your shoulders. Your chin is up so your head is in line with your spine. Your weight should be evenly balanced on the center of your feet, neither toward the heels or the toes. About 60 percent of your weight is on your right or back foot, by virtue of the fact that your right hand is lower than the left on the club, which tilts your weight toward the right side (just the opposite for lefthanders, of course).
You should feel as if you’re in an athletic position, a springlike effect in your legs, ready to move either way, like a football quarterback (2) under the center, a baseball shortstop getting ready to field a ground ball or a tennis player waiting to receive a serve.
Work on this over the winter with a mirror and the T-Tech aid. Walk in and walk out of your setup position so it becomes ingrained and you eliminate the guessing game, creating a routine that will enable you to set up to the ball correctly when spring finally comes.
Next up: Cure Those Short-Game Woes!
by Tom Patri with Fry Dennis
The American Junior Golf Association
Dear Junior Golfers and Parents
I received the below correspondence recently from the AJGA and wanted to pass it along to everyone.
I teach and coach my kids to be the very best junior golfers they can be and that would always include the best possible competitive arena ! The AJGA is that arena .
Sincerely in golf,
Tom Patri
GOLF MAGAZINE TOP 100 TEACHER IN AMERICA
Dear Junior Golf Instructor,
Since 1978, The American Junior Golf Association has been dedicated to the overall growth and development of young men and women who aspire to earn college golf scholarships through competitive junior golf. In 2013, the AJGA will conduct over 100 tournaments and qualifiers throughout the United States in order to help more players achieve this goal. I am sending you this email because you were listed as the instructor for a current or former AJGA member.
As a golf instructor to these young men and women, we wanted to reach out and provide you with some targeted information about the AJGA. Our effort is to assist you in being better informed about the AJGA and the types of events that are appropriate for your junior golf students. This information differs depending on the age and/or high school graduation of the player, as well as, his or her level of experience playing competitive junior golf.
For example, the AJGA conducts a series of spring tournaments, called the IMG Preseason Series. These type of events are specifically designed to provide high school sophomores, juniors and seniors their first playing opportunity with the AJGA, without regard to their prior performance. As an instructor to such players, you know their readiness level in order for them to be competitive in such an event, and to have the opportunity to break into this level of national Junior golf. A player who would like to take advantage of this entry point for AJGA would need to become a member and submit an application for the desired tournament prior to the application deadline. Application Deadlines for the IMG Series take place approximately 5.5 weeks prior to the event date and range from February 26 – April 23 for remaining events in this series.
This is just an example of the type of information that we would like share with you, if you are interested. It’s important to us, to keep the lines of communication open by periodically emailing you key information that you can use to better advise your students about the AJGA. We are also open to any suggestions that you may have about the type of information you deem important.
If you are interested in subscribing to this new communication vehicle, please reply and I will ensure that you will be included with other instructors in receiving the AJGA information. Should you have any questions, or would like to speak with any of us in Player Services, please do not hesitate to call. We are available Monday – Friday, 8:00 a.m. – 5:00 p.m. ET and can be reached at either (770) 868-4200 or Toll Free (877) 373-2542.
We look forward to working together to best serve the Junior Golfer.
Thank you,
Blake Brittain|Member Services Coordinator |American Junior Golf Association
1980 Sports Club Drive |Braselton, GA 30517|Phone: 770-868-4200 Ext: 1726 |ajga.org
Taking a Stand
Mark King had plenty of reasons to smile Thursday morning.
The affable CEO of TaylorMade-adidas Golf was up early for an appearance on Golf Channel’s Morning Drive. He shook hands with PGA Merchandise Show attendees, signed a couple of autographs, took some pictures, and even received a hug from TMaG brand ambassador Natalie Gulbis.
Minutes later, inside a private meeting room of the Orange County Convention Center a more serious King dropped a bomb.
During a very direct discussion focused on the proposed ban on anchoring, King said in no uncertain terms the following: the United States Golf Association (USGA) could become obsolete within 10 years; the PGA of America should step in, write its own set of rules with input from the PGA Tour then move beyond the USGA. He also said two sets of rules are coming whether the USGA likes it or not.
The New Season: Stay Ready To Be Ready In the Spring
(part 3)
The important thing is to have a game plan. Put your priorities in the proper order, develop a regimen and stick to it. When the snow melts, you’ll be glad you did …
Tip #3
Identify Your Ball Position
One of the most difficult factors in addressing the ball is establishing the correct ball position. Most of the golfers I work with have the ball either too far back or too far forward in their stance. You have to optically train yourself to recognize the correct ball position.
A training device that I find invaluable in helping you do this is called the T-Tech. It can be adjusted to ball positions from the wedge to the driver. Lay it on the floor and walk in and out of it hundreds of times over the winter so you can identify the correct position during actual play.
First, of course, you have to establish the correct position for the various clubs. A good professional can help you with this. Then work on it until finding the right position becomes virtually automatic.
The T-Tech folds up to fit in your golf bag. Or you can make your own with a couple of yardsticks or long wooden dowels.
The New Season: Stay Ready To Be Ready In the Spring
By Tom Patri with Fry Dennis
If you’re a snowbound Northerner, the best way to get in shape for golf in the spring is to stay in shape for golf all winter long.
The problem with most amateur golfers is that they put their bodies in the closet along with their clubs and forget about both for three or four months. They pay for it with a relearning process every spring.
There are many things you can do indoors over the winter to keep your golf muscles in shape and to maintain your touch and feel for the game so you don’t have to start all over when warm weather arrives. I see two major areas of neglect among my students: One is flexibility work and the other is the short game. You can always make both better over the winter, and I’ll show you how on the following pages.
Winter can and should be a time to check your fundamentals – your grip, posture and ball position – and check your equipment, which is something few amateurs do even during the season.
If you can, try to get away for a few days in early spring to a warmer climate. Hit some balls and play a couple of rounds before your course opens up north. If you can’t do that – or even if you can – seek out an indoor or heated driving range and use it once or twice a week.
The important thing is to have a game plan. Put your priorities in the proper order, develop a regimen and stick to it. When the snow melts, you’ll be glad you did.
Tip #1
Swing a Fan, Weighted Club
One of the best ways to prevent muscle atrophy over the winter is to swing a weighted club and a swing fan at least three times a week on alternate days. Start easily with 25 repetitions each, gradually building up to as many as you can handle. If you can build up to 100 or more a day, so much the better.
The two exercises complement each other. The weighted club builds strength and increases range of motion. The fan is more of a speed tool that creates more lag in the downswing and strengthens the forearms. I’ve never had any student, female players especially, who didn’t benefit if they used them. They pick up more swing speed and more yardage, up to a couple of clubs with the iron game.
Or you can make your own weighted club simply by applying lead tape to an old club or slipping on a weighted “donut” available in most golf shops. Don’t buy either if you’re not going to use them. They don’t do any good sitting in the closet.
More to come!
Tom Patri: Thoughts on Tiger, Phil, Rory … and the Champions Tour
NAPLES — Well, here we go again. Tiger wins going away, Phil lights it up,and Rory changes equipment for a zillion dollars and misses a cut looking like a 7 handicap. And Augusta is still two months away.
Wow, Peyton Place was never thisgood. Is Tiger back? Will Phil put Humpty Dumpty back on the wall? Has Rory made an error aside from his checking account?
This is by far the most interesting multi-dimensional start in a few years. Then throw in the USGA and the anchored putter “potential” ruling, and we have a full-blown crapshoot. Now all we need is trapeze, an animal act, and Barnum and Bailey. Oh oh I forgot Vijay and Ray Lewis are sharing there Deer Antler spray!
Remember when Jack, Arnold, and Gary mixed it up? The most exciting thing was Billy Casper’s diet of buffalo meat. I guess it all makes for good TV, but it sure would be nice if the most important thing was “The Game” itself. Imagine that.
All that being said, the old guys on that thing called the Champions Tour will be here next week. Just a bunch of graybeards who can flat out golf their ball.
No fuss, no muss, just plain old great golf. Ho-hum, how boring. You know what? I can’t wait to see them … Come bore me, boys.
Augusta, two months and counting. It should be quite a build-up. Stay tuned.
Tom Patri gives lessons at the Quarry on Immokalee Road, and is at Friar’s Head in New York from May-December. Patri is a Golf Magazine Top 100 Teacher. Visit Patri’s website at www.tompatri.com, www.facebook.com/TomPatri or email him at tpatri@mindspring.com.
Come Experience Tom Patri, Pro Golfer
Thursday, February 14th, 2013 at Twin Eagles during The Ace Group Classic Pro-Am
Visit the Cadillac Booth on the driving range to sign up for a 10 minute lesson with Tom Patri and great giveaways!
9-10am: Sign up for a 10 minute lesson
10 am: Open clinic/demonstration
1-2pm: Sign up for a 10 minute lesson
2pm: Open clinic/demonstration
3-4:30pm: Sign up for a 10 minute lesson
The Bookends: The Launching Pad and Finish Condition Can Fix The In-Between!! – Part 3
A lesson from Tom Patri:
Continued from prior blog entry – Part 1
When working with a student in front of a mirror, I’ll ask them to align themselves as if hitting a shot into the mirror. I’ll ask them to set up in their launching pad position. Once in their launching pad, I’ll ask them to simulate an impact condition (i.e., club shaft leaning left, flat left waist, slightly rotated hips, relatively square shoulders, right foot moving towards instep side, etc. From this condition, go directly to the finish condition, without any backswing. We do this drill in this manner to allow the student to deal with how to get from impact to the fully released finish condition. When they reach the finish, I’ll ask them to physically hold the condition while I tweak it (make any position changes). By doing this, they can both see (in the mirror) and feel the change. It is my experience and therefore my firm belief that if a student solidifies their launching pad conditions, as well as their finish conditions and they apply a work ethic that is repetitive along with attention to detail, they can effect long-term change to their dynamic swing. Please understand that I do work on my students’ dynamic motion with them, that is, I do work on backswings, downswings, and throughswings, but only after their bookends are fundamentally sound and repeatedly consistent. It is very difficult to make a bad in-between motion – from a sound launching pad – and swinging into a sound finish. Good luck with your bookends!
Continued from prior blog entry – Part 2
| Common Finish Faults | Common Errors/Ball Flights That Show Up |
| Align too far to the right. | Club is swung early in rerouted up, then over, producing pulls and pull slices. |
| Too much weight on left foot. | Club begins in the backswing motion on a very active vertical plane causing even more weight to hang left, thereby leading to a reverse pivot, a poor contact, often fat. |
| Poor posture, too bent over,Hand tucked into chest. | Sometimes a by-product of poorly fit equipment (too flat to lie angle, too short a shaft length). This posture makes it most difficult to make a good shoulder turn and have proper weight distribtution. It leads to huge loss of velocity and poor contact. |
| Poor ball position (too far back) | Often causes balls to begin off line to their right, unless the player makes a huge compensation which is most difficult to coordinate; poor contact and poor direction are likely to result. |
| Improper grip pressure. | Usually leads to an improper take-away motion; often a lift or early inside movement of the club. Both of these lead to serious manipulation of the swing plane and makes it most difficult to produce an on-line, crisp result. |
I hope you found this 3-part series helpful!
FREE HELP WITH YOUR GOLF GAME for QUARRY MEMBERS, Naples FL
February 1, 2013
Time: 1:00-5:00 pm
Dear Quarry Golfers.
Please Join us for this amazing opportunity to work with your entire PGA Professional Staff including Golf Magazine’s Top 100 Teacher in America, Tom Patri. The entire staff will circulate the practice faculty answering any and all of your questions and help you with things that are troubling you with your game.
This will include:
- Full Swing
- Pitching
- Chipping
- Bunker Play
- And Putting
Take advantage of this Completely FREE helpful afternoon and come get to know your PGA professionals.
We all look forward to meeting and helping each of you.
Yours truly,
Matt Russell
PGA HEAD PROFESSIONAL
THE QUARRY
The Bookends: The Launching Pad and Finish Condition Can Fix The In-Between!! – Part 2
A lesson from Tom Patri:
Continued from prior blog entry
Conditions of the finish include the following:
- A level shoulder condition.
- A level hip/pelvic condition.
- A vertical right foot.
- A right knee that finds a relationship with (touching and behind) the left knee.
- A vertical spinal column.
- A level head and level eyes looking level at the horizon.
- A feeling of balance dictated by your ability to swing at a controllable pace!
All of the above conditions for the club player usually need to be learned traits through, once again, the use of a mirror and many repetitions. I would usually start by taking some film of the student’s motion, and simply freezing the film at the point of their own full finish. Of course, by showing them the films in the studio at Westchester, I can go through a point-by-point comparison of their finish conditions and that of one of the world-class players hanging on the walls in the teaching studio.
| Common Finish Faults | Common Errors/Ball Flights That Show Up |
| Right foot not vertical, but, in fact, the heel of the right foot flopped over closer to the target line than the toe. | The right foot flop condition, as I call it, tells me that the body cannot possibly be in proper balance. For a golfer, just like a dancer, proper footwork allows other aspects of the motion to perform. Without proper footwork, you’ve got very little chance to be balanced. |
| Right shoulder finishing higher than left (not level). | This, usually tells me the club shaft has come well from an outside path, steep, and not balanced. Need I say more. |
| Upper torso finishing back behind lower body. Spin inverted.Reverse C! | First and foremost, as we’ve seen with many players lately, this causes back problems. Also a contributor to fat shots, right shots, and hand flips. Are those enough reasons for you not to do this! P.S. This is not a balanced condition. |
| Finishing with large gap between knees. Right knee points right. | I call this the sideways shuffle. The knees finding each other are, in itself, a mechanical absolute but rather a cosmetic telltale sign that the hips have not rotated properly or completely. I consider the rotation of the center region of the body one of the two true power sources of the golf swing, the other being the hands, wrists, and arm swing as a unit. |
| Finishing with head still down. | One of what I consider the two greatest false myths in golf instruction (the other being left arm straight. The head should stay relatively still (not perfectly still) until impact, then release/rotate in sequence with both the pivoting body and swinging arms into a completed condition. That is, level with the horizon and posting up over the left side of the body. If the head hangs back and to the right, it will inhibit the pivoting action of the body and not allow a full distribution of weight to the left side. |
To be continued …
