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Good morning all,

I'm absolutely loving @Tom Saguto's program, but I'm feeling a little lost on how best to work my way through it.

Little background on me: I started playing golf close to 20 years ago, but played VERY rarely(3-6 times a year) up until last year when I decided to dive in! I now play at least 4-5 times a month, but I'm still pretty bad.. currently sitting on a 24.0 handicap. I have improved "some"(was probably close to a 30 handicap when I got serious back in early 2021) but I still feel I have so far to go to be what I consider a decent player. My initial goal is to make it to a single digit handicap, with no real time frame, but I'd rather it not take the rest of my life, haha. I'm about to turn 40, married with kids.. busy, but I have some extra time to dedicate to my golf improvement.

I enrolled in Tom's program a couple months ago, and have "tinkered" with it since then, but now I'm ready to get serious. I'm curious how you guys work your way through it? For example, I've completely finished watching chapter's 1 and 2 of GSS, should I continue watching until I finish the entire program, or focus on a certain chapter for a while?? I feel like I could spend the rest of my life just trying to get my foundation "perfect" but then I'd never move on to actually moving the golf club, haha. In other words, what does a week in the life of a typical beginner, intermediate and expert Saguto Golfer look like? Are you always progressing through videos.. or do you go back over the same stuff over and over to ingrain the lessons better? TEACH ME YOUR WAYS

Also, Tom talks about about watching yourself on video.. so I'm curious what your software of choice is? I can video myself with my phone easily, but I'd like something that allows me to draw lines, measure angles, etc.. I've used the V1 software before, and it seems decent, maybe even better if I took the time to learn it better. I'd love to make the free version work... unless you think it's a real benefit to use the $$ version.. or is there another platform you prefer? Bonus points if you know of one that I can use on a PC..

Whew, that's a lot.. thanks in advance.

OH, one more thing. At the beginning of the video series, there is mentions of a "Tom's Golf Survival Guide." Where might I access this?

21 comments

21 Comments

ric26oishi

Jan 20, 2023

I just started the program. I have been following the videos and doing the drills for hours a day (for 5 days). I usually shoot between 88-94.

It’s only been 5 days but I can’t hit the ball. Not even the little chip drill with the stick. This swing is very frustrating for me because it’s completely different from what I am used to. Has anyone else had to go through these growing pains and how long did it take for things to click? Any advice would be appreciated.

Tom Saguto

Jan 22, 2023

Replying to

Welcome to the school and to this great forum community, @ric26oishi!

Piggybacking on @burkholder.ronald's excellent advice in his reply to you, Please allow me to share some preliminary guidance to help you get off to a good start:

1) Regardless of a member's skill level, this swing necessitates a complete reboot for someone transitioning from a shift & lift swing (which is typically the case), and therefore it is imperative that one take sufficient time to ensure that the fundamental components are mastered. From the ground up there is nothing superfluous in the Stack & Tilt swing - in other words, everything with a purpose, and a purpose for everything. (For example, contrary to shift & lift where you may be taught to keep your trail foot perpendicular to the target line as a means of "creating resistance" in your trail side, in S&T we flare both feet out 10-20 degrees in order to facilitate a free flowing, inclined hip and shoulder turn.) I cannot emphasize this enough, as frustrations predominantly occur when students jump ahead in the curriculum without properly dedicating themselves to the foundational base upon which our consistently repeatable, powerful, low maintenance swing must be built. Chapter 1 of the Golf Swing Simplified program (GSS) and Part I of Get Out & Go Play (GOGP) both address this.

2a) GSS: One of the many great things about this swing is that you can achieve solid ball striking even at the most basic levels. This is why I oftentimes will suggest that students park themselves on Chapter 2 of the GSS course for an extended period of time after locking down Chapter 1's foundational elements. Chapter 2 reinforces the body motions and the weight-forward component, and it culminates with what I call "The Best Golf Swing Practice Drill of All Time". Work yourself sequentially and gradually through the chapter, and then commit yourself to that drill in Lesson 2.8. Learn it. Practice it. Master it. You can even use this partially abbreviated swing on the course and play quite well with it as it will provide plenty of distance. (It actually is the full swing minus just a couple of power accumulators.) Once you've got that down, you will be well prepared to move forward in the curriculum and well on your way towards taking ownership of YOUR swing!

2b) GOGP: This quick-start program is exactly as it sounds - it is designed to fast-track you out onto the course so you can have fun - and success - playing as you learn! Should you choose this path, everything in #1 above still applies, and as implied above in 2a you will still want to work through it sequentially and gradually, mastering each lesson before moving ahead to the next one. In this program, Drill #5 - The Flying Wedge is the one you'll want to park yourself on and nail down.

3) Also, as you progress always keep in mind the V1 Swing Video Analysis, an effective and inexpensive service that I highly recommend to everyone in the school. I liken it to bringing your swing into the shop for a tune-up or minor repair. Scheduling one on a quarterly basis for preventive maintenance will do wonders for keeping things humming along nicely, and it's also a great tool for pinpointing and resolving any issues that arise. The process involves downloading the free V1 app and then submitting two videos to me through the app - one down-the-line (captured from your stance line, not the target line) and the other face-on. You'll find more information about the V1 Analysis halfway down this page on the Saguto.Golf site.

I look forward to assisting you through the school’s structured lessons and drills towards building a consistent, low maintenance, powerful, body-friendly swing that will bring your enjoyment of this great game to a new level!