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S&T Defector! Good Luck with That!!!

So I was talking to a guy who bought the S&T book, followed Tom's videos, as such he was (or what I thought was) a real student. But now he's defected to TopS****golf. Apparently there's some drill on that site that purports to "increase" swing speed, thus he enthusiastically told me how great the drill is, a "game changer". If you saw this guy's swing, the last thing he needs is to try to increase swing speed. His fundamentals leave much to be desired. He moves off the ball, shifts his weight to the right, his club is almost laying on his back at the top, his left shoulder travels to the right (flat) vs. down on the backswing, he swings off his right side, etc. Thus, he isn't even close to performing S&T fundamentals. But he's off to the races with "more speed". LOL.

So I played with him after he practiced those "drills". His swing has all of the issues noted above, same distances, same misses, and I outdrove him by some 50-70 yards with S&T. He still shoots in the higher 80's, low 90's, or right where he was a year ago.

My point is I know far too many folks who say they want to learn S&T, but in reality they're looking for a quick fix, meaning they pick and chose what suits them for a quick fix. They think S&T is a series of "tips" vs. a swing methodology. Stick with the program! He's a great guy, but WAY off the mark and will only get worse. But hey, that's why golf handicaps have not improved despite all the new tech in the last 20 years.

6 comments

6 Comments

GolfLivesMatter

Dec 31, 2021

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How about Rick Shiels? He shot +41 after 3 rounds in a Pro-Am Tourney in Spain. Maybe Rick should book a lesson with Tom? LOL. In reality, everyone, no matter how much they try, are going to have bad rounds, bad shots, etc. Plus, not all coaches are the best players, and often times the best players make lousy coaches.

Tom Saguto

Dec 31, 2021

Excellent follow-up points, @GolfLivesMatter & @Patrick Anlauf. So many promising golf futures have been tossed to the curb because of a temporary setback or frustration over not hitting it like a Tour pro within the first couple of weeks.

Patience and dedication rule the day...and provide for a lifetime's worth of crispiness and real golf enjoyment.

Tom Saguto

Dec 30, 2021

Your last paragraph is spot on, @GolfLivesMatter, and it's something that is regularly dealt with by instructors. Just like a get rich quick scheme, everyone is looking for that magic elixir, that one tip that will have them inside the ropes in a matter of days. And yes, there are a great number of catchy video titles and thumbnails that has so many folks hunting and pecking and hoping to stumble upon their easy path to greatness. Guess what, it doesn't exist.

When you embrace S&T you embrace a complete system for playing consistently good golf and playing it well to a ripe old age. S&T is not a series of ongoing tips and fixes that relies on constant maintenance nor requires the flexibility of a Romanian gymnast.

PS: I'm ready to welcome your buddy back whenever he is...

GolfLivesMatter

Dec 31, 2021

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Replying to

So true Tom. For example, the hardest part for me is staying over the ball, or stacked at the top, or not moving off the ball on the initial takeaway. Oddly enough, in front of a mirror I can stay stacked without any thought. But on the course there's a weird brain twitch that wants to revert back to shift and lift. The good part is the moment I see a shorter, or more left to right shot, I immediately know I've meandered into the old swing.

There's a large swath of folks who start off with good intentions to learn S&T then crumble after about 2 months. Oddly enough, they see immediate improvements in the first 2 weeks. But as soon as they hit a few "bad shots" they start to over-analyze and question if S&T really works....despite their obvious early success. They don't understand that pro's hit lousy shots too...no matter their swing type, but for some reason they set lofty expectations far too early (S&T is maybe not "easy enough" for them?). Then they wind up with a blended swing which is 90% old swing and 10% S&T. Then off to other websites for quick fixes. Rinse and repeat.

To the above extent, I had fun with a couple of guys on the range last week who claimed S&T "didn't work" for them. I asked both of them to do their "normal" swing, then their S&T swing. Guess what? There was zero difference between their two swings....zero. But in their mind one swing was "very different" than the other. I didn't say anything other than "yeah, I can see the difference" because saying otherwise would not be popular! LOL.

Patrick Anlauf

Dec 31, 2021

Replying to

@GolfLivesMatter You are right in your comments. S&T is like having a new job with promise, however, every job I had required some training and becoming a professional in my own right. First training, then months/years developing skills, experience builds, salary increases, bonuses build, retirement at the end. It is a process and takes effort and is well worth it in the long run. So, it is falling, failing, and getting up and giving life a one-two punch. Set the goals and go for it with passion!

Patrick Anlauf

Dec 30, 2021

Trying to take short cuts and follow one's own golf journey. Sad to hear this guy has evaded the fundamentals.