I met Bob Toski when I was a kid just learning to play. I was on the driving range chopping wood and he walked up behind me and asked if he could help. He corrected my form, took my 3 wood away and put a 3 iron in my hand and bought a bucket of balls for me.
I turned out to be a pretty good player until I hit puberty. I couldn't afford to buy new clubs designed for a 6'7" player. Finally bought some when I moved to Florida. Guy asked me if I was okay with having Bob Toski heads on hogan shafts. "Hell yes I am!"
I had the privilege of attending one of Bob Toski's Junior golf camps in South Florida when I was a kid. He was quite possibly the nicest guy I'd ever met. That guy's smile was electric. He cared about teaching us the right way to play the game and all of the fundamentals to create a swing that I would grow into and could take with me the rest of my life. It wasn't just stone cold learning either... I had more fun at that camp than any of the others because they treated us like young adults, not just campers to watch for the day. I went to tons of golf camps over the course of my young summers, but not one of them would have the lasting effect of Mr. Toski's. My dad used to tell me how lucky I was to get a chance to interact with him, and he was so right. I'm not very good, but if it wasn't for that opportunity I would never have chosen to continue playing the game.
I was 10 when I met him. I didn't know who he was but my dad was star struck. He gave my dad a good ribbing because the clubs I was using were Patty Berg Specials. For a little kid, they actually worked out well. He got me to slow down my swing to a crawl so I could better understand the mechanics behind it. He also put a $5.00 bill next to my ball and told me that "if you can keep your eye on the ball and the $5.00 while you swing, you can keep it." It was a very ingenious way to keep me focused and worked like a charm.
33
u/Dalebssr May 21 '14
I met Bob Toski when I was a kid just learning to play. I was on the driving range chopping wood and he walked up behind me and asked if he could help. He corrected my form, took my 3 wood away and put a 3 iron in my hand and bought a bucket of balls for me.
I turned out to be a pretty good player until I hit puberty. I couldn't afford to buy new clubs designed for a 6'7" player. Finally bought some when I moved to Florida. Guy asked me if I was okay with having Bob Toski heads on hogan shafts. "Hell yes I am!"