THE EYES HAVE IT! (by Tom Patri, Naples Club Life, 2002)

The more I teach golf, the more ways my clients are able to answer their own questions. So many of the people I work with, including more accomplished players, often become very bound to the results of the
golf ball.

Tom Patri instructs the 1955 U.S. Open Champion, Mr. jack Fleck. A long-time friend, Mr. Fleck stopped by
to see Patri on his way to play in some east coast PGA events.

I do agree, of course, that the final resting position of the ball is ultimately important. I also feel strongly, however, that the process by which you calculate results should be carefully examined. I often try to help students to be more conscious and feel exactly what a troubled area of their golf swing is doing, then manipulate the process physically into the feel they would want. I strongly believe you cannot expect someone to change a movement until they can clearly feel A vs. B. In the feel process, I’ve seen the best results when this is done in the dark, if you will!

I’ll ask a student to close his eyes and swing. Then I’ll ask him to swing again and only then to feel (focus on) a particular aspect of his golf swing. I ask the player not to criticize, simply to monitor the area. Then I’ll ask him, “Is this how you think it should feel?” If he doesn’t understand what I’m looking for in that particular area, then I’ll ask him to make another swing motion and in the motion, I will physically manipulate the position. I’ll then ask “Was something different? Why was it? What was it?” I repeat the process several times to give him every opportunity to FEEL the differences.

I then explain in some detail exactly what I was hoping they would feel and, more importantly, why. Some of the areas I do a significant amount of work in without the sense of sight are: balance, weight distribution, rotation and arm swing tension levels. Let’s feel our golf swings more and trust that if we feel the right things, the ball flight results will come. Believe me, THE EYES HAVE IT!!