Academy Live Instructors: Rick Bradshaw, 2006 and 2004 North Florida Section and West Central Chapter P.G.A Teacher of the Year. Director of Instruction, Jim Dent/Rick Bradshaw School of Golf. Tim Petrovic P.G.A Tour Professional, 2005 money rank 44, winner of Zurich Classic.
Intro: How Tim and Rick met
Tim Petrovic and Rick Bradshaw first met in CT., through father Bob Petrovic
Rick speaks: Tim was already a very good player when I first met him with lightning quick hands, great touch and feel and a tremendous ability to score low. He set the course record at Yale Country Club in the NCAA championships 64 in his senior year at University of Hartford. I remember he had the most effortless swing I had ever seen. Tim has great hands, light and responsive much like flicking a tee off your palm with your index finger. The ball would just ignite off the clubface with virtually no force from his shoulders. Along with my long time partner Jim Dent who is also known for effortless power I was extremely fortunate to have two examples of the greatest natural golf swings to help evolve my teaching philosophies. It is these examples, years of study of the greatest teachers of the game and over 100,000 lessons that I have given that enabled me to impart this feeling of effortless power to my students. Tim and I worked together both in CT., and Tampa for about 8 years from age 22 to age 30 and have been friends ever since. Tim is a feel player and understands and knows the feel of his golf swing well enough to make subtle changes during the round and coach himself while out on tour.
When Tim was 22 we concentrated on the following fundamentals and feels of the golf swing. it was extremely important to me as an instructor not to interfere or create undue tension in what was already a free flowing natural swing movement We wanted to have a taut swing not tight. Like the ski rope pulling a skier is taut, but a Boa Constrictor is tight wrapping itself around its prey. We needed to create a well balanced pulling force of the club head swinging powered by a pivoting force (the body) opposing the club head.
Tim Responds: My idol is Bobby Jones I have a similar knee bump to trigger the swing, Other golfer from that influenced my swing especially with their effortless power are Freddie Couples, Payne Stewart, Ben Hogan and Jim Dent. Swings are shown on screen.Rick adds: you know Arnold Palmer has a relatively famous knee bump to trigger his swing even to this day. Jerry adds, so does Vijay. Rick adds how this trigger helps program and initiate the swing. Rick shows his famous LIGHT FOOT RIGHT FOOT drill. This drill is one of the key secrets and thoughts in getting your weight to your left side through impact and was shown on screen by Jones, Hogan, Stewart, Couples, and Dent. Getting to your left side and left foot is essential in achieving centrifugal whip and effortless velocity of the club head swinging.
Jerry asks Rick what we worked on first when Tim was 22 years old.
- We worked on the club head swinging naturally. Earnest Jones. (Tim had great hands so we did some drills to keep them in touch with club head).
- We also worked on connection for control. Percy Boomer (Tim�s backs wing used to be pretty long and a little loose).
- Tim's Grip - Robinhood right hand, Friar Tuck left hand. Wanted a more neutral grip with the finger action of Robinhood releasing the string on his bow.
Tim has club and is ready to hit into net as Rick goes over some of the principles.
Tim's great hands showed in his putting where he has the smoothest stroke and unbelievable distance control. He finished 3rd in world putt in 1997.
Tim makes a swing or two hitting balls into net with 7 iron.
Tim demonstrates LIGHT FOOT RIGHT FOOT DRILL and shows how his hips and shoulders work perfectly as a result of this drill.
(Rick�s drill from previous show „Feed the alligator not the giraffe drill” One hand long drive with left hand.)
Segment Two - The Secret To Effortless Power.
Rick Bradshaw - demonstrates the physics involved in producing great outer velocity of the club head with minimal inner effort. Rick explains the hows and whys of the Centrifugal Golf Swing.
- Ball on String, loading of potential energy and releasing it into kinetic energy. Perfect example of work (effort) versus no work(effortless) in physics. Rick will also explain his own personal meaning of balanced opposition to the club head swinging. In physics balanced opposition would be no movement at all but since we are creating power from a balanced pivoting motion turning over two pivot points; our feet, legs, and hip joints. I believe balanced opposition to the club head swinging is appropriate. Rick will explain clearly how to achieve this feel in your golf swing.
- Responsibility of body parts in effortless golf swing. Rick will give a clear and concise explanation of how you build potential energy is your back swing and release it into kinetic energy as the club head whips freely with explosive velocity through the ball. The incredible thing is there is no feeling of force of the shoulders pushing, forcing or steering the club at the ball.
- Rick Bradshaw will demonstrate a 2 lever one hand hit into net to show how both legs and left side work in the golf swing. In Alastair Cochrans highly regarded book „In Search of The Perfect Golf Swing This left one armed movement was as close as you could come to the perfect golf swing because their was no right hand to correct a complicated swing…” Quote Percy Boomer. As the club head arrives into the region of the ball our body because of its comparatively short degree of action has gotten into its opposing position with the left heel back on the turf, left side straight and firm, right hip twisted into the left one, the whole giving a secure brace to the whole body. By this time the arms are already half-way down but the wrists are still pulled back. But now owing to the forward pull of the hips and the gathering momentum of the club head something must happen and what happens is this. We can no longer keep the club head from flying past the ball. We have done everything possible to delay the club head and inhibit wrist movement but finally the club head gets out of control and flashes through the ball as if mad with rage, and we must see to it that we do not interfere with its ferocious passage through the ball. Rick will quote this from memory word for word while jerry holds Percy Boomers book, as Rick demonstrates the positions finally hitting a ball one handed into net to clearly identify and define distance through resistance of the left side with virtually no effort. Jerry asks Rick how the right side and hand works in the golf swing. Rick will demo throwing a baseball first over hand, then underhand demonstrating lag and the use of right index finger opposing the clubs grip as it is thrown back against it as the body and club changes directions from the back swing to the downswing. Jerry asks Tim to hit a ball into the net and describe the feeling. Tim has recently moved closer to the ball to enhance the feeling of body and arms working together as a more connected golf swing. Tim played very well in Miss., last tournament with that swing thought. (You can never stand to close to the ball).
Tim demonstrates the feeling of connection as he hits balls into the net.
- Tim describes the feeling in his hands. Tim talks about feeling of club head in his fingers as it whips freely to the ball, much the same as a pitcher feels the baseball in his fingers when throwing it. Tim also defines the importance of lightness of feel, grip pressure as the clubhead is automatically and naturally thrown back against is right index finger on the downswing.
- Tim describes feeling of effortless power in his golf swing (hitting balls into the net)
Mental keys: You can never stand to close to the ball by moving in this does not allow the arms to lift and disconnect as easily and promotes a unified, controlled free wheeling movement through the ball. Freewheeling as Bobby Jones called it, a whip like action of the clubhead through the ball not a violent attack at the ball. Most golfers aim at or hit at the ball. This thought is totally destructive to an effortless swing. You must imagine that there is no ball and allow the natural acceleration of the club to propel the ball...
Segment three - The Secret to Balance in the Golf Swing
Bay Hill Tim Petrovic on Dynamic Balance System with Jeff Banazak (Tim�s strength and conditioning trainer and Greg Towne Teaching Professional and good friend of Tim�s)
Greg Towne and Jeff Banazak explain using the dynamic balance portable system. showing Tim is in perfect balance as a result of not forcing the club at the ball with is arms and shoulders. Tim by controlling and achieving balanced opposition to the clubhead swinging around his body is clearly detected on this system. Tim will hit a seven iron into net while standing on Dynamic Balance System. We will view results and Teaching Professional Greg Towne will tell the viewers what he would like Tim to achieve in a well balance pivot, and what Tim sometimes does in competition that causes errant shots. We will then relate these recommendations of Greg to use of the Dynamic Balance System as a way to help Tim visualize his balance flaws in his pivot and make corrections himself.
Segment three = continued on set - Secret To Balance in the Golf Swing
- Why you lose balance in the golf swing. Tim Petrovic, Rick Bradshaw, Greg Towne and Jeff Banazak demonstrate drills for achieving perfect balance in the golf swing. Rick and Greg show their favorite balance drills for viewers at home to practice. Ricks (left leg balance drill)
- Jerry asks Jeff Banazak what specific exercises would you suggest Tim to perform as well as our viewers to train your muscles for a well balanced powerful pivot.
- Rick Bradshaw describes how balance is really opposing forces similar to a hammer thrower in the Olympics. The secret in the golf swing is to sift into the right hip joint on the backswing and left hip joint on the through swing as your upper body rotates over each leg. Almost as simple, as walking. Feeling the opposition in your feet is essential to perfect balance. Jack Nicklaus always said he felt the swing in the feet. He also said if their was one word that best describes the feeling of the golf swing he would choose the word pull. (Centrifugal)
Bay Hill Drill: YOU PITCH AS YOU DRIVE DRILL - Rick Bradshaw and identical twin brother teaching pro Rob Bradshaw.
Rick Bradshaw - How to retain the power angle and deliver power in (you pitch as you drive drill. With the wedge, Rick demonstrates the secret to retaining the power angle through impact, with right hand only on club.). Then identical twin brother - Rob Bradshaw - demonstrates one hand right side whip drill driving the ball over 280 yards, again retaining the power angle and delivering power to the clubhead with only one hand on the driver.
Phone calls, Quick fixes and Conclusions - call Tim�s dad -Bob Petrovic, and Ricks partner - Jim Dent for short conversations.
Tim Petrovic - Ben Hogan slow motion drill, feeling the movements of the body very slowly throughout entire swing. Hogan would perform this drill over and over again. (we have video of Hogan doing this on computer) While Tim moves in slow motion blending in the movements to an effortless golf swing Rick will quote a rhythm segment from Percy Boomer book On Learning Golf, Percy Boomer was recently voted the greatest teacher of all time in may 2005 issue sports illustrated. Jerry will be holding Boomers book open to the page Rick is quoting. „Golf Rhythm is the delayed dragging feel of the clubhead, developed from the power of the legs, kept under control by the braced turning of the hips, then loosened into a free untrammeled movement of the arms outward and around the left side. If to this we add a sense of balance, a sense of unhurried calm, a feeling that there is lots of time to feel each movement blending into the others, we shall begin to feel the true golf rhythm. When children are lost in dark they hurry when we are lost in our swings we hurry, this rhythmic swing seems slow, seems to take a long time to develop. We must cultivate this feeling and see slowly and feel slow.” Rick has this memorized so no book reading is needed. This would be an extremely powerful and entertaining on set segment!
Final part of show Rick and Tim suggest the most important tips for golfers to remember when trying to swing. Rick suggests not hitting at ball, pretend its invisible and swing through it. Tim suggests LIGHT FOOT RIGHT FOOT drill.
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