June 26, 2002

The No B.S. Golf Newsletter

This newsletter is by subscription only. The only way you could have received it is that you requested a subscription. If you wish to unsubscribe please scroll to the bottom and follow the simple instructions.

I would like to extend a Warm Welcome to All of our new subscribers and say \"Thank You to everyone for your continued support. If you have any suggestions or comments that could better help us improve our newsletter, we look forward to hearing from you.

Just wanted to remind you that a new No B.S. Golf Tip is added to the website every Monday. Go to www.thinkandreachpar.com and click on the tips link that is on the right side of the front page.

We have changed the look of the website and changed to a new easier to use shopping cart. I hope that you find everything okay, if not please email Richard@thinkandreachpar.com

Had Sensei Mark Anthony here in South Carolina last week shooting 5 new golf videos. It is The Body Golf series. A total system for your golf game. From fitness and flexibility, swing, short game, trouble shots, and slice busting. Five videos in all. Will be out soon.

TIRED OF FRIENDS LAUGHING AT YOU?? \"Tao of Golf\"
video will teach you the pro\'s secrets. Eliminate your swing
flaws, learn the secret to accuracy and ball control. Increase
flexibility, strength, health, and perfect your swing...all in
one video!!! Eliminate your slice for good. Just 3 minutes
per day!! GUARANTEED
Go to www.thinkandreachpar.com/tarp/tao.htm

Have a few comments from subscribers that I would like to share with you:

Hi Richard,

I do so much enjoy every article you send. I am anxious to get out and try
each idea to improve my game.

I ordered the \"Tao of Golf\" video and instructions and just received
yesterday. Now to sit and study every evening then get out and put into
practice one idea at a time.

Again, great newsletter and keep up the wonderful effort to inform the
average golfer who just loves the game for what it is - - down right
enjoyable and frustrating each.

And everyday I play I love to try and improve my game. At 62 this is an
effort but love to keep on trying. Never Give Up!!!!
Great questions and answers this week e-mail about \"Tao of Golf\" concept.
Thanks,
Bob Turner

Also:

Enjoyed the golf article\'s and have put them to good use. I\'m 75 yr..old and shot my age the other day using your good advise. Followed that with a 78, 79, 76, 82. 80 and feel I\'m playing better than I did 10 yrs. ago. (These scores were all from the white tees) At my age I cant or don\'t feel like I have to play the blues anymore. Db


In last weeks newsletter Ed wrote in and asked Sensei Mark Anthony a question about the Tao of Golf Swing and the Natural Golf Swing. Clarance Grey the National Director with Natural Golf, receives this newsletter and replied in email to me. Sensei Mark Anthony of Tao of Golf was down here last week shooting some new video\'s and he also wanted to reply to Clarence\'s email. To make a long story short, and to be fair to everyone, I am printing all emails from start to finish. You will have to make up your own mind and come to your own conclusion.

From Last Weeks Newsletter:

Hi Richard,

I\'m enjoying the par golf series, however, recently I\'ve converted to the Natural Golf System and am trying to learn it\'s concepts. I\'ve struggled with the conventional system for years and have gotten alit better at times only to fall back into the doldrums and high scores, so I\'m making a switch at this late stage.

My question to you and Joe is: Are any of the concepts that you\'re teaching similar to Natural Golf or are they strictly for the conventional golfer?

Thank You for all the help,

Ed Kodatt
**********************************************************************************************

Ed,
This is Mark Anthony, founder of Tao of Golf.

You asked if any systems on thinkandreachpar.com are similar to Natural Golf.
My answer is no. However, if you were to try Tao of Golf, I think you\'d do well with a \"conventional\" swing.

If you would go to the Tao page on the site and read the \"Tao Tips\" and \"Why Tao Works\" articles, you\'ll get some very good information AND an insight as to why \'conventional\" teaching of the \"conventional\" swing is so confusing.

Quickly summarized, Tao of Golf is the simplest-to-learn swing training system EVER put together.
The reason is this. There are no positions to look for. There are no complicated theories to know. There are no mechanical things explained in detail. There are no swing components broken down to learn separately. Its all one system for a WHOLE swing, not parts.

You get the FEELING of a proper, powerful swing in the opening minutes that you\'ll take away for a lifetime. One of the first swing drills is so unbelievably simple, that you\'ll knock yourself for not thinking of it first.

After you see why and how I teach these drills, you\'ll recognize the components in every pro swing you see on TV and magazines. AND will not have to be looking to learn these components in pieces.

THAT is what is killing amateur golfers all over the world: trying to learn the swing in tiny incremental pieces.

Its practically impossible to do this without YEARS of coaching and supervised training.

Tao of Golf gives you the feeling of a correct swing and all of the components will come together naturally.

Try it and you\'ll see for yourself as people all over the world have. To verify that statement, take a look at the testimonials on the \"Tao Page.\"

Thanks Ed and good luck.
Sensei Mark Anthony.
Tao of Golf

Clarence\'s email to me:


Hi,

I enjoy reading your newsletter. So keep it coming. This is an unsolicited, gratuitous response to Ed Kodatt and I\'d be much obliged if you would pass this on to him.

One must have outstanding athleticism to play golf well using the conventional swing and for the top pro\'s that use it, exceptional athleticism. Such ability masks the problems of \"timing\" and \"pulling and losing the clubhead\" that plague golfers with average athletic abilities, while imposing unnatural stress on the spine. In my opinion, the Moe Norman version of Natural Golf is a decided improvement for striking the golf ball over the conventional swing and is one that I have used (including the clubs) and at one time recommended to others. But I have found another \"natural golf system\" that works better for me and thousands of others around the world. The system is simplicity itself: just hit that ball! Its is like hammering a nail. No timing problems. No twisting of the spine (as in the conventional swing--anytime one twists the shoulders and upper torso around a stationery head, back problems and back pain and visits to the doctor are predictable). That\'s why it\'s called \"Natural Golf.\"

Natural Golf (World Headquarters)

Australia

Clarence Gray


Sensei Mark Anthony\'s reply:


Mark,
the following message sent to me. Could you respond to it? It is basically saying that the \"conventional swing\" is dangerous to the spine. I know that you\'ve done extensive research and have studied body mechanics over your whole life through your martial arts training and that is how you came up with your swing method.

I have a question. Do you think that there is any validity to these statements regarding danger with the conventional swing?
**************************************************************************************************
One must have outstanding athleticism to play golf well using the conventional swing and for the top pro\'s that use it, exceptional athleticism. Such ability masks the problems of \"timing\" and \"pulling and losing the clubhead\" that plague golfers with average athletic abilities, while imposing unnatural stress on the spine. In my opinion, the Moe Norman version of Natural Golf is a decided improvement for striking the golf ball over the conventional swing and is one that I have used (including the clubs) and at one time recommended to others. But I have found another \"natural golf system\" that works better for me and thousands of others around the world. The system is simplicity itself: just hit that ball! It is like hammering a nail. No timing problems. No twisting of the spine (as in the conventional swing--anytime one twists the shoulders and upper torso around a stationery head, back problems and back pain and visits to the doctor are predictable). That\'s why its called \"Natural Golf.\"
**************************************************************************************************

Richard.
Thanks for asking. Here goes...
With regard for having athleticism to hit the ball, I think that you need some amount of hand-eye coordination to do it but what really makes you hit the ball long and straight is correct, efficient body movement.

First, what most amateur golfers have no idea how to move correctly in order to swing a club. They all think that they have to be \"strong\" to hit it long. NOTHING COULD BE FURTHER FROM THE TRUTH! I can pretty much guarantee you that I can hit it longer than all of my 300-pound-bench-pressing friends. It\'s all technique.

Now because most of these macho men think in these terms, they load their body with tension and try to swing \"hard.\" This does a few things and this is where the risk of injury lies. If you have no idea how to swing and have never learned, and swing with tension instead of the absence of tension, there WILL be a risk of hurting yourself.

I\'ll go a little deeper into the thought process of the high-handicapper...in every tip they\'ve received on TV, in magazines, books, etc., they\'re told to assume a wide stance for stability and power. Unfortunately, swinging with a wide stance and tenison, combined with improper technique forces the person into the \"twisting\" mode. In addition, these people have no idea how to \"deflate\" after a swing. They will usually jerk into the swing, try to muscle the swing, then tighten up and snap their whole body back to the start position when the process is finished.

Here\'s why. It\'s most likely that this person has no idea how to move the weight through the point-of-impact and will swing flat-footed. Swinging with a flat-footed finish is where the danger is and should be avoided at all costs!!! (For those of you reading this, go to Thinkandreach.com, then the Tao of Golf page and then click \"Tao Tips\" article. There is a great freebie there and will show you how to hit it long with one simple swing drill.)

Because these people have no idea what they\'re doing and swing with tension, anxiety and a results based attitude, they\'re doomed from the beginning. I\'ll give a tip here that is probably the biggest secret and one of the most difficult things in golf to practice but once you feel it, you\'ll thank me for a lifetime.

EASE INTO the swing and EASE OUT of the swing. Swing as if you\'re dancing to a waltz. Don\'t believe me? Watch you tour heroes launch tape-measure drives with this technique. Look at Ernie Els, Fred Couples and some of the other smooth-as-butter players and you\'ll recognize it right away.

As far as athleticism goes, you have to train yourself to make contact without being panicked about where the hell the ball is going. I\'ve personally have seen many good \"athletes\" hack up a golf course and shoot in the 100s because they had no idea what they were doing. No program can train hand-eye coordination like my video Tao of Golf.

There are some specific drills and practice principles contained in it that when done on-the-regular, (Yankee term for every day) will help greatly. I have one caveat on that...The only thing that will make you a better ball striker is REPETITION. On the upcoming Body Golf series, you\'ll get a RARE glimpse of yours truly hitting balls LEFTY!!! Why? I\'ll tell you.

A couple years ago I wanted to test my program and pretty much put-my-money-where-my-mouth-was, so to speak. I thought about it for a while and decided that my best experiment would be myself. I started doing the Tao of Golf program as a beginner. How you ask? By turning around to the other side of the ball and learning to swing left-handed.

By doing the swing and contact drills in Tao of Golf, I learned how to hit the ball lefty and, can actually hit a driver a couple hundred yards!!! hehe. Call Richard and ask him if you doubt it. We had some time together this past week and he can verify it with his own eyes.

That wraps up this session kids. Thanks for reading and see you next time.

Sensei Mark Anthony


Control
Winning professionals prove it every weekend: to lower your scores and have consistency with each shot, you must learn how to take control of your inner mind... the same way you trained it to type or drive a car. This same control will also take care of first tee jitters, putting yips and obsessive negative thoughts.
How would you like to learn how to take back that control? How not to lose it in the first place? It\'s really quite simple, once I teach you my special techniques that can be incorporated into your pre-shot routine. And don\'t worry about looking unusual. No one else will have any idea of what you\'re doing -- because you\'ll be doing it all in your own mind. www.thinkandreachpar.com/tarp/jennifer.htm
Received this from subscriber last week: \"Since June of last year, I had no fewer than two-dozen opportunities to
break 80, and each time I managed to screw it up. Last Friday I was able
to break 80 and found myself on the back nine very much \"In The Zone.\"\"
R. Peterson, Tempe, AZ
Jennifer Scott\'s Own The Zone two CD\'s work. Try them: www.thinkandreachpar.com/tarp/jennifer.htm
One other thing:


As you have probably noticed by now, I never accept outside advertisers for my newsletter. The advertising that you do see, is for products that I personally sell on my website, and most of those I own exclusive rights too.

Well folks, this time I have to make an exception because I think this offer is something special and I think you can save a lot of money on a game we all love to play. What I am talking about is the called the Forever Golf & Travel Savings Club. When you go to www.forevergolf.com/membership2.asp, you will find amazing discounts on golf and travel all rolled into a very affordable package. The Forever Golf & Travel Savings Club offers their members discounts up to 50% off green fees at over 3000 courses nationwide. I checked the state that I live in, South Carolina, and they have over 80 courses listed, and many of these courses I play on a regular basis. They also have great discounts on equipment, golf vacations, hotels, and more!

Now, I don\'t like the idea of sending you away from my site, but when you get a chance, go to www.forevergolf.com/membership2.asp because I think this savings club can save you the most money all year round!


That\'s all for this week. Until next week...good golfing!

Richard
www.thinkandreachpar.com