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| GOLF INSTRUCTORS, THE THRILL IS GONE |
FORT PIERCE, Florida - Played at a beautiful seaside golf course in Florida yesterday. It was an absolutely perfect day, lots of sunshine and an unusual abundance of pars. Everyone in our group had defining moments, it seemed. There was a battle for greenies on every Par 3, one guy after another knocking it closer to the pin. A rollercoaster match with many presses and pressed presses. In the end, it all came down to the junk-greenies, birdies and sandys.
Want to know the best part? My invite came from three members who learned the Over The Top Golf swing from my DVD. Imagine every member of a foursome doing the (almost) exact same golf swing, and an unorthodox one at that. Ah, the fruits of my labors-the REAL fruit. It's not the $25 checks that come in the mail. It's the happiness of owning a solid golf swing that these fellows got from me. Each of them has benefitted from this golf instruction, albeit in different ways.
I never saw their prior incarnations but through their descriptions a picture formed in my mind. Myron, at 70 years old, used to hit a weak slice with his driver. Used the driver on all Par 3s over 165 yards, in fact. His approach shots used to start too far left and wind up too far right. Current statistics, Myron's learned how to play from the middle of the fairway and hits one or two less clubs on his approach shots. Aside from pulling a few wedges, Myron was fairways and greens most of the day and a terror on every one of the par 3s. A career day, according to him.
Bill takes a huge rip at the ball. Before learning the Over The Top Golf swing his drives were long but consistently high and right. He carries no fairway woods or hybrids but I counted five wedges in his bag. He describes the change as the difference between hoping for a good lie in the rough to hoping his ball doesn't land in a fairway divot. Bill's handicap changed the most, went from a 15 to a 10 this year.
Doug turned out to be the most creative because, not only did he understand the mechanics of the OTG swing, he was well on his way to integrating it with his own strengths. Rather than use the center of his body as a fulcrum he took advantage of his right-hand dominant swing and was using his right hip as his launch point. With his right elbow almost glued to his right side, his shots were the most consistent. Now hitting a dependable draw, before learning this method the usual result of his tee shots was usually a low hook. Doug will be the greatest benefactor of a DVD I plan to make about putting though. So although he's the most giddy about his new swing, an improvement in his handicap is unlikely for the foreseeable future.
Afterward, I had the pleasure of sitting down with the club pro. I was impressed that he was impressed with his members' new swings. Although most pros who've seen the Over The Top Golf swing have been cordial and generally complimentary, they view any non-PGA teaching product with skepticism. Not him though.
I was sad to hear how rarely he actually plays golf any more. As he explained, it's "by design." Being a former touring pro, he displayed disappointment that he couldn't play as well as in the past and essentially hung up his bag. It's sad that when you're no longer satisfied with your game, the thrill is gone. Golf shouldn't be like that.
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Keywords for this article: golf, swing, over the top, lesson, instruction, eBook, five wedges, golf instructor, golf swing, high and right, mechanics, over the top golf swing, right hand dominant, satisfaction, solid golf swing, swing mechanics, unorthodox golf swing
Revised 09-03-2012
