A great hour of work…
Tom, I just wanted to thank you for a great hour of work on Wednesday morning. —Kurt
I felt compelled to correspond with you and let you know that I not only agree with your teaching philosophies…
Tom, After reading your most recent publication, I felt compelled to correspond with you and let you know that I not only agree with your teaching philosophies, I admire you as a person. Far too many people in the golf industry consider themselves professionals due to their ability to memorize some fundamentals of the swing and…
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Thank you for the update on Kavan in your column…definitely had a tear in my eye.
Tom, You’re a special guy. Thanks again for bringing childhood cancer awareness to your readers. I’ll be up to see him on the 14th and can’t wait to show him his pic in the paper. —Bill Parks
Although my granddaughter’s baptism was the highlight of the past few days, please know Merion and Pine Valley both exceeded my expectations.
This is a shout out to you. Because of your teachings handling both courses was pure fun. The only 2 balls lost the entire time were on the first three holes at Merion. Although challenging, both courses were never frightening. I was able to enjoy the experience without reservation, posted respectable scores, and had some…
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Stay Centered (by Tom Patri)
. When you putt, “stay centered,” that is, you should “feel” like your lower body is in cement from the waist down, absolutely no movement, and also keep your head dead still throughout the stroke well into completion. This will ensure much improved center face contacts and truer roll. . YOU CAN GET A FREE…
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Good Balance (by Tom Patri)
The principal of balance is, I feel, extremely overlooked–almost ignored. With a hitting surface (the clubface) as small as it is in golf, as compared to tennis, and with the amount of speed we create in our swings, the ability to make centerface contact is directly linked and vital to the player’s ability to balance…
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The 97th PGA Championship
Wow!! The 97th PGA from the shores of a lake that looks like an ocean provided both drama and enough story lines to write a fair sized book. Rory showed up and played well despite the fact he wasn’t and could not be as well prepared as he might have liked to have been. Rory…
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Cure a reverse pivot (by Tom Patri)
A reverse pivot at times occurs because your shoulders invert in your backswing rather than rotate level relevant to your address posture. To cure this, grip your club with the head of the club at knee level and make some swings. It may help to do this in front of a mirror. It will help…
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Irons are accuracy clubs (by Tom Patri)
Picture the green on each hole as a dart board, because, in fact, all golf is is a giant dart game. As in darts, you want to be able to accurately place your ball next to the hole, leaving yourself the shortest putt possible. I explain to my students that the short irons (7-SW) are…
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Fringe chipping tip (by Tom Patri)
. Next time you have a chip shot to hit from the fringe from a less-than-average lie, you might want to try a Hybrid vs. a 7 iron if you carry one. The design of most metal Hybrids’ leading edges will help you get down and through with little resistance. The length of the shaft…
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Play golf without fear (by Tom Patri)
. Students often say, “Well, I saw that out of bounds right and hit my ball dead left, and I was scared of the lake on the left and pushed my drive dead right.” I’ll answer by saying, “When you drive down the highway at 65-70 mph, do you look at the guardrail or do…
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The 2015 PGA CHAMPIONSHIP – Just around the corner
It’s hard to believe we are already into August. The summer is flying by and we are just a few weeks away from this seasons 4th and final major, The PGA Championship August 13th-16th at Whistling Straits in Kohler, Wisconsin. There are so many story lines developing for this event it would be hard to…
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Putting at the fringe (by Tom Patri)
. If you find your ball snug up against a deep fringe around the green, but not completely in it, and contact with any club is difficult; try this! Take out your putter and turn it sideways so the toe of the putter is pointing directly at the ball. Make a few rehearsal motions to…
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Produce less slices (by Tom Patri)
More amateurs than not come to me slicing their golf ball and one reason is a golf swing that is much too steep. That is, their arm swing is too vertical and needs to be somewhat more horizontal. The first thing I will do is take them to a sidehill lie with the ball several…
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Tom Patri Talks about The Open Championship – 2015
I don’t know about you folks out there in the golf world but The Open Championship sent me home from teaching each day glued to the evening replay of the day’s action! Here at Friar’s Head where I teach during the summer months we have a wonderful teaching/training center and in between lessons during the…
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Golf swing transition (by Tom Patri)
. . I call transition, that is, when the backswing ends and the downswing begins, “the fork in the road.” This, I feel, needs to be a very patient, quiet moment. This is the moment when most players try to add a little something to their effort and destroy the very fragile sequence that leads…
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The right arm in the backswing (by Tom Patri)
. . Swing your club to the top of your backswing. If your right arm (right-handed player) forms a perfect right angle, chances are your left arm is in a relatively extended condition. This is an example of a good back- swing radius. Radius, in fact, is a speed source. Try again, only this time…
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Build a good structured backswing (by Tom Patri)
.. . If you can build a good structured backswing, you can store a tremendous amount of energy to be unleashed in the forward motion. There are three 90 degree angles that if built properly, will make your backswing condition extremely powerful. 1) The right arm bend at the elbow should form a perfect 90…
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Tempo & Tension: Two Issues You Must Control!
Hey Folks – Please watch this wonderful analysis by Peter Kostis noted teacher and CBS commentator. I love the points he makes about the issues of tempo and tension. We all experience the difficulties of those two fundamental issues in our own games. We must first develop a cue to relax our upper extremities before each…
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Through impact (by Tom Patri)
. . . . Through impact the player should feel as if the clubhead is getting a long way away from his/her center. This is called extension. The player should also feel as if his/her body is pivoting to the left opposite the direction of which the clubhead is moving. Hence, the club swings right…
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