I can’t think of a better way to introduce 92-year-old Bob Toski to those who may not have heard of him than by quoting Jerry Tarde, editor of Golf Digest (US), who in a testimonial on Toski’s website says, “…you ‘invented’ the Golf instruction school concept, that you were the last great player (in the footsteps of Tommy Armour, Paul Runyan and Claude Harmon) to dedicate himself to teaching golf. That you were the first of the modern tour guru, that you are to the teaching profession what Palmer is to the pro tour, That you wrote the best book I’ve ever read on golf instruction…”
To me, as someone who’s worked with a golf magazine for a few years, the last bit of that tribute is especially impressive: golf publications sell primarily on account of the amateur golfer’s insatiable appetite for instruction, and Tarde, as long-time editor, has probably read more instruction than all the pros on the PGA Tour put together.
The reason I’m putting this out is simply to submit that when it comes to the golf swing, Toski knows what he’s talking about.
Probably the finest golfer in his 90s, Toski won four tournaments on the PGA Tour in 1945—the only one to win during a season in which Byron Nelson won a record 14 events. He was one of the top players in the game in the 1950s; was considered one of the PGA Tour’s longest hitters; and had his big moment when he won the World Championship of Golf in 1954. That win brought with it an astonishing sum of $100,000 (at a time when most winners’ cheques were around $5,000) and took the edge off Toski’s impetus to ply his trade on tour. He quit the tour in his 30s and by 1960 was well on his way to a life in golf instruction.
More than half a century later, in the anteroom of the Delhi Golf Club, Toski parried questions from a young writer from a golf magazine. The great man, infinitely more interested in the peacock strutting about on the patio than listening to the writer’s theories on the golf swing, finally gave up trying to dodge the subject. Heaving a sigh (like someone about to part with a precious piece of information), he turned to me and said, “Move that bin to the other end”, pointing towards the far side of the room (keeping the bird still in view). After I complied, he handed me a crumpled napkin. “If you can chuck that into the bin in the next 30 seconds, I’ll tell you the only secret of the golf swing.”
Surprisingly, for an all-round maladroit, I managed to accomplish that task in the very first attempt. “Great! Now, do you know how you did that?” Toski asked. “Did you think about the line of your arm, the angle of your wrist, when and how you hinged it, or how you released the napkin?” I admitted that I hadn’t thought about it.
“That’s it son,” he whispered. “The first and last thing I’m going to tell you about the golf swing is that it’s in you. Your body knows how to accomplish something that involves motor skills and as long as you’re focused on what you’re trying to do, your body will know what to do.”
I admit I felt a bit disappointed at the time; 10 years back, I was completely immersed in golf swing technique and Toski’s tip sounded ridiculously simplistic. He probably knew that’s what I would think (which explains his initial reluctance). Therein lies the entire dichotomy of golf instruction: the reason why it doesn’t work on most occasions (and I can see the legion of coaches who’ve tried to ‘fix’ my swing over the years roll their eyes) is because most golfers think they know better. Who was it who said, “Truth comes knocking at your door, and you tell it to get lost because you’re looking for the truth.” Unfortunately, and this is true even more so for our hapless lot of weekend golfers—we must pass through the fire and refuse second-hand wisdom.
And so it is that more than a decade after Toski literally handed me the key, I’m beginning to use it. Not just me; this piece is inspired by a resurgence of instruction that advocates the use of ‘feel’ and natural body movements in the golf swing that are created by the hands. Coaches like Shawn Clement and Brandel Chamblee are having great success teaching a golf swing that harks back more to the freewheeling actions of Jack Nicklaus, Tom Kite and Tom Watson. And players like Bubba Watson, Louis Oosthuizen and Jordan Speith are showing just how well it can work. Even Tiger Woods has gone back to an old-style golf swing that involves lateral moves to protect his fragile back and knees.
Toski is often accused of not subscribing to the ‘big muscle’ method of the modern golf swing, but the litany of injuries that so many pros who use that has triggered concern. Contrary to what you’d expect, most great players in the last century had relatively long careers: Watson famously nearly won the Open when he turned 60.
And without exception, the most creative players have always used their hands in the golf swing; the late Seve Ballesteros famously remarked, “My hands are my computer.” Toski says we just need to reboot that computer, trust it to run. “Stay in the big picture, and don’t get lost in instruction trying to teach you what you already know. But you’ve got to trust that ability.”