By Tom Patri, Director of Instruction, The Hawthorns
If you want to get confused go chase the latest and greatest, if you want to improve find an old school fundamentalist. The fundamentals that built this game 100 years ago are still relevant today!
The Set Up as many of you call it ( I prefer calling it The Launching Pad ) is perhaps the most under taught, under coached, and undervalued aspect of golf instruction today. You see TRACKMAN, K Vest, and other dynamic feedback resources don’t really address a multitude of aspects of the “static start”!
The late and great Coach Bill Strausbaugh Jr. (National PGA Teacher of the Year) drilled into me over and over that I had to both be aware and preach a pre-shot routine that keep my students both TARGET AWARE as well as in his words his/her dance step alive. In other words employing a waggle or a little precise footwork never allowing except for a brief instant just before “lift off” the player to come to rest. STATIC ALLOWS THE CREATION OF THOUGHT THEREFORE TENSION INVADES vs ATHLETIC ACTION / REACTION!
Along with the development of the pre-shot precision based dance step, fundamentals such as grip, stance, aim, posture, ball position, and spacing are nothing short of vital. You see I firmly believe a mediocre golf swing coupled with a world class pre-shot routine and a fundamentally sound set up can play wonderful golf. Conversely an undisciplined pre-shot routine and a poor set up coupled with a world class motion FAILS every time!
Please keep in mind a proper pre-shot is essential for every golf shot hit from putter to driver! Ponder this, Jack Nicklaus arguably the greatest player of all time had nothing even close to a technically perfect golf swing (a flying right elbow and a pretty clear lateral leg slide in comparison to today’s more rotary modern motion). That said he had an ultra-disciplined pre-shot routine. This kept Jack target aware and in the moment! It kept Jack free and away from the clutter of being mechanically ball bound. Jack’s record speaks for itself. Jack’s golf swing is not studied as one we want any of our players to emulate today. I’ll take Jack’s pre-shot and wish it on every player that comes to my lesson tee!
Proper pre-shot is the drug to cure so many swing cancers! Build a precise and proper pre-shot routine and begin your journey to radical game improvement.
Think that over carefully, I’m here when you need me.
Tom is a former Met PGA Teacher of the Year as well as a former South Florida Teacher of the Year. Tom is The Director of Instruction at The Hawthorns May – October in Fishers, In. and teaches at The Esplanade in Naples, Fl.
Contact Tom for lesson time at: tpatri@mindspring.com
