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Friday, September 18, 2020

Fit as a Fiddle Friday: Deceleration with Tom Kite

Lucy,

On Stay Whole Tuesday, I shared how Hall of Famer, Tom Kite has helped me at T4TG, the world's best gym. Tom saw me doing a drill taught by Jon Tattersall (Fusion ATL, another excellent gym) as shown in the first video below. It reminded him of a different drill, using a long stick or pole. In the second video, I am demonstrating this move. (Queue funny comments about my grunts and my lack of speed. But hey, I'm working on it!)

Tom's drill was to hold the pole as seen, go to the top of the backswing and then rip the pole down trying to make the non-handled end shake as much as possible. This drill teaches the proper 'deceleration' of the hips, so your upper body can 'catch up' and benefit from the thrusting of the hips. I had to reengage Tom the next day to make sure I understood. I told him the word 'decelerate' was confusing to me, as I thought the club needed to be accelerating into and past the ball. He quickly reminded me, "I didn't say anything about the club. I'm talking about the hips."

Here's my question for you, Lucy: How would the term 'deceleration' apply in the business world? I've learned in sales there is a cadence to every deal. Sometimes you push, sometimes you pull. Sometimes you slow down and wait for others to catch up. Or perhaps you might back up and come at it from a different direction. But stay present, stay focused, and keep trying; and eventually, the trophies come your way!

Above is Tom holding the 1992 US Open trophy, a defining moment in his amazing career. We are blessed to have Tom at Austin CC and he is so generous to share his knowledge of the golf swing.

Be fit,

Dad

P.S. Blast from the past #1: Sadie Englemann now a freshman on Stanford golf team! Tom Kite Parent Child

Blast from the past #2: Good times helping Tom and my friend Chuck Munson replace their lost NCAA Championship rings. Rudy's 360 boys with Tom Kite - two time NCAA champion!



Letters to Harvey from The Kingdom:

Other 'golfy' scribblings:
"Millions of people were charmed by the homespun golf advice dispensed in Harvey Penick's Little Red Book, a sports classic that became the best-selling sports book of all time. Yet, beyond the Texas golf courses where Penick happily toiled for the better part of eight decades, few people knew the self-made golf pro who coaxed the best out of countless greats -- Tom Kite, Ben Crenshaw, Betsy Rawls, Mickey Wright -- all champions who considered Penick their coach and lifelong friend." - Kevin Robbins, author of Harvey Penick: The Life and Wisdom of the Man Who Wrote the Book on Golf.
"And if you play golf, you are my friend." - Harvey Penick

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