February 05, 2003

Special Notice

We have put up another free golf training book on the website for your use and enjoyment. The name of it is Golf Simplified and it has many good tips and a lot of good information in it. You will have to use acrobat to open it and the print is real small, but you can print it out and read it without any problem. Hope you enjoy it. Just go to the website and click the link “Golf Simplified” that is on the left side of the page.


Richard ==Can\'t say enough about how all 3 of your programs have helped
my game= this ole 70 year old is having the time of my life==\"
Thanks again
- E. Williams, N Little Rock, Ark.



Special Notice


For Women Only: Have a new e-book on the website Golf For Women that can be down loaded free of charge. GOLF FOR WOMEN is a complete instruction guide for women golfers. Here is a must read book for every woman who has been, is, or wants to be, on the course. Hope you enjoy it and let me know how you like it. Go to www.thinkandreachpar.com and you will see the icon to click on to download.


How A Bona-Fide \"Hacker\" Turned A 40 Handicap into an 8 in
one season with two simple swing drills and can show you
his secret in minutes. \"It\'s so simple, it\'s embarrassing,\" he says \"and he INSISTS he can quickly teach his simple secret to you\" and show you how easy it is to swing a golf club, and add up to 70 accurate yards to every tee shot you hit for the rest of your life.
www.thinkandreachpar.com/tarp/bodygolf.htm



Special Notice

Don\'t forget that we put up a new golf tip on the website each week. Also the newsletters for 2002 have been listed on the website.

All of the Body Golf videos are now available in PAL for all of our friends in Europe.

If you like this newsletter, I would appreciate it if you would forward a copy to your friends and ask them to subscribe…it’s a free gift!!

Quote of the week:


\"You look at any giant corporation, and I mean the biggies, and they
all started with a guy with an idea, doing it well.\"

Irvine Robbins

Co-Founder of Baskin-Robbins Ice Cream
Enjoy the little things, for one day you may look back and realize
they were the big things.

-- Robert Brault

Golf Quote of the week:

I use to go to the driving range to practice driving without slicing.
Now I go to the driving range to practice slicing without swearing.
Bruce Lansky


Question for Sensei Mark Anthony:


I\'ve been playing golf for over 50 years and studying it for a couple decades (I\'ve started a book also, but haven\'t made a lot of progress). Play to a handicap around 10, give or take depending on how often I get out.

I enjoy working with people who need some basic help. I can usually help the critical care player to solve one difficulty, guaranteed; thus my start on a book. I also have a methodical approach that I feel can help the non-practicing player be somewhat consistent; tips that give check points for mechanics when a person can\'t take the time to develop \"feel\".

Anyway, Your emails have been of interest, and I want to try all of it soon. This lesson had a point I don\'t understand...turning the right heel \"out\". My usual method has been to square my right foot to the line to help my direction, or to turn my heel in , and toe out, to increase my turn, and in either case to focus my weight on the inside of my foot so I can push off, instead of rolling to the outside of my foot and swaying.

Is your tip just as it sounds? Turn the right heel out, that is shift it away from the direction of play? Like pigeon-toed?

Tom
Calhoun GA

Sensei Marks Reply:

Tom,
The lesson is clear in the book, (which I have and have read)
When he says to turn the heel out, he\'s saying that your toes should be out and the heels in.

This opens up the hip and lets you have a better turn. I\'ve included this in Body Golf and Tao of Golf as well. To illustrate, try this. Stand with your feet about shoulder width apart, feet parallel as if you were on railroad tracks. Turn to your right as if you were doing a backswing. Note where your hips stop your turn.

Now...open your feet up so that your heels are in and toes are out. Now do yoru turn. You\'ll note that you\'ll ba able to turn back further.

So although it\'s a bit confusing, that\'s what he means. Turn the toes out with the heels in. The OPPOSITE of pigeon-toed.

Hope that helps!
Take care.

Please stay in touch and let us know how you do.
Sensei Mark Anthony Montaquila\"…


Underground Golf Pro releases the amazing, secrets to curing your slice...in less than three minutes!! Finally...what the big bux equiptment companies \"Don\'t Want You To know\" about Power, Distance, Accuracy, and...Instantly vaporizing a Chronic Slice. Cwww.thinkandreachpar.com/tarp/bodygolf_special1.htm




I was shocked at how easy it was to follow and understand the drills presented in The Body Golf Full Swing Video. After practicing the drills in my garage for four days, I went to the range and was able to swing the club without thinking of what I was doing! The ball just \"got in the way\". At the course I amazed myself with how I hit twelve of the fourteen fairways with my driver and proceeded to hit a career best 44 for the front nine and shot a 91! (I usually shoot 102). This is by far the best video I own (and I own many, many tapes where only a professional could understand and emulate.)\"
- Jim M. Petaluma, CA


Joe DeLorenzo’s Weekly Article


Is there only one right way to chip?

Different people have had success with different
methods, so you may hear or read some conflicting
advice about which method is best (most methods agree
on proper setup, so we will skip that). They all have
one thing in common. No method will work unless you
keep your hands ahead of the club head at impact. If
you can do that, then the main issue becomes distance
control.

Here are 3 chipping methods for distance control, find
the one that works best for you.

Method 1 – use the same stroke and tempo, knees to
ankles, for all distances, just change the club to
adjust for longer or shorter shots. This usually
works best for those who have enough confidence in
their stroke that they never hit it fat or thin, they
can hit the sweet spot every time.

Method 2 – use only 2 clubs to chip (one for minimum
loft, one for maximum loft) depending on the amount of
loft needed to clear the taller grass. Use the same
backswing, but vary the tempo or acceleration
depending on the distance desired. This usually works
best for those who have a good sense of touch.

Method 3 – use only 2 clubs to chip depending on the
amount of loft needed. Vary the length of the
backswing for distance control, and keep a consistent
tempo. This usually works best for those who do not
have enough confidence to rely on touch.

Joe DeLorenzo

The Best Way to Practice in Early Spring
by
Mac Stevenson
Daylight is gaining on darkness by two to three minutes a day. The sun is moving closer and early spring is fast approaching.
On the first semi-warm day, most golfers want to bundle up in several layers of clothes and go out and hit a full bucket of practice balls. That won’t help your game much; in fact, it can be counterproductive.
It’s easy to develop bad swing habits when you practice with too much clothing during cold weather. Under these conditions, most golfers have a tendency to shorten their backswings and their rhythm isn’t natural.
And even if you catch a nice day or two and hit a lot of practice balls, the benefits will be fleeting because cold weather is sure to return and put you back indoors for several days.
After laying off for a week or even less, it’s like you’re starting from square one again. You wouldn’t think a one-week layoff would affect your game, but timing and swing thoughts disappear like a morning mist after a prolonged period when you don’t play. Any swing groove you start to develop will vanish after a three- or four-day layoff.
Another caution: It’s easy to overdo after a long period of inactivity. Your enthusiasm is high and you can’t wait to get to the driving range and then the course.
Take it easy. Many golfers are somewhat dormant for two or three months during the winter, and the muscles and tendons used in the golf swing lose their tone and elasticity. Golfers with a history of back problems should be particularly cautious; make sure you stretch and loosen up before you play. And don’t let your back get too tired because that’s when it can go out.
Relax and enjoy the early games without overdoing the physical part, and don’t worry about your score the first few times out.


Any off-season conditioning work you do will be of great benefit when you start playing during the first days of warm weather. Here again, exercise within your limits depending on your age and physical condition.
What you can work on in the early spring is your short game. It won’t hurt anything if you’re all bundled up in warm clothing. Also, if you practice your short game for a half hour or so before one of your first games of the new season, it will produce immediate and positive results.
Chipping and pitch shots and putting can be honed close to the clubhouse where you can take a break to warm up. If cold weather forces a week’s layoff, you can continue to chip and putt at home--insuring that the stroke developed while practicing outside doesn’t go AWOL.
Working on your putting after a long layoff can be particularly beneficial; that’s especially true for long approach putts that require a certain feel.
The time to begin hitting full shots on the driving range is when the spring weather stabilizes to the point where no long layoffs appear likely, and you don’t have to wear heavy clothing that restricts your swing.
If you concentrate on your short game during the unpredictable early spring weather, you’ll be way ahead of your fellow competitors when warm weather arrives.
One final thought as we prepare for another safe and fun season of golf: Let us say a prayer for our many thousands of young people who won’t be playing golf this spring of 2003, asking for a swift and successful conclusion to the dangerous mission they are about to embark on--for us--in a faraway place called Iraq.
Richard’s Thoughts

Here in the South, when we do not want to do something, we have a tendency to “put it off”. That’s just the Southern way of saying “procrastination” or to “defer action”, which rarely serves us well.

How many times have you said I will buy those golf videos or books later; when I can get- around -to -it? Or I will watch that video and practice my swing when…All of us do it to some extent, but some of us are worse than others. So let’s see what you can do to get-around-to-it!

Delaying things take time and energy-because when you know that something needs to be done and you’re not doing it-sit stays in the back of your mind and silently drain you.
Procrastination is only a habit and habits can be changed. The first thing to ask yourself is whether procrastination is a sign that you need to change something fundamental in your life, or if it’s masking fear, lack of self-confidence, self-esteem etc.

There are many ways to tackle procrastination and you can use different strategies for different situations.

Many of us live our lives full of obligations and things that we don’t really want to do. But with some creative and imaginative thinking we can convert the ‘have tos’ into the ‘want tos”. We can make these changes by thinking beyond the immediate task and focusing on the wider benefits of completion. For example, lets say that you don’t want to spend the investment to buy the golf training videos…just ask yourself what are the benefits of a better golf game and lower score. Think about how much better it will make you feel if you had a lower handicap. Think about how much better it will make you feel to golf as well as your friends or maybe even better than your friends.. Just concentrate on the benefits of what you want to achieve.

Prioritization

Do the thing you least want to do when you have the most energy to do it. You can always find the energy to play golf, but you need your energy level to be the highest when it comes time to practice your swing, putting, or whatever. So, if you’re at your best in the morning-then tackle the practicing then, clear out your clutter and vice versa if you’re an afternoon or evening person.

Do it in pieces

The difficulty with procrastination is that the task may seem overwhelming because it has been avoided for so long. It has grown in size and taken on a life of its won. Bring it back down to earth and start working on it in bite size pieces. This is true of anything, not just practicing your golf. How do you eat an elephant? One bite at a time!!


Develop a System

This means that you can nip procrastination in the bud. It takes time and energy, and you can find yourself on the defensive as things catch up with you. Let’s say you want to want to exercise more and follow the directions in the Body Golf Fitness and Flexibility video. Purchase the video, put it in your vcr, and set your clock thirty minutes earlier in the morning. Before you go to bed tonight, white on a bland piece of paper…I will wake up in the morning and will be ready to do my fitness and flexibility exercises. When the alarm is sounded, get out of bed and follow the direction in the video.

After you have completed what ever task you accomplished, always award yourself when you have broken thru and achieved something.

Dealing with procrastination is one way of taking back control of your life and game, and the ultimate reward is having more time to really enjoy your life.

Good luck, and until next week…good golfing.

Dr. Richard Myers


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