Hello my name is Thomas Pranio and I am a golf professional. A few years ago I took a course in Neuro-Lingustics Programming, learned how to communicate using the learning strategies of my students.
Tom’s Story: When I was a kid of 13 years old I fell in love with golf. The first time I made contact with a ball I was hooked. I played golf with my buddy Steve everyday the entire summer of 1974. I broke eighty after only three months. They said I was a natural.
The pro at where I played suggested to my dad I take a few lessons; about 15 bucks a pop, allot of money at the time. I was even more hooked. The golf pro kept the lessons simple and to the point. Thanks Charlie Tatz. But then we thought it would be good if I saw other pros.
I began a series of over a hundred and fifty lessons from various Golf Professionals. I wanted to be a tour players. I have the work ethic. I was talented so…
I hooked up with one pro that taught me everything he knew about the golf swing but nothing about golf; e.g., how to hit out of different lies, how the club worked, in other words, how to play golf. He only taught me mechanics. His Mechanics. Mechanics that were forever changing. I became obsessed with perfecting a swing just as my pro had taught me to do. I was addicted.
When I played, i.e., if I hit one poor shot I’d immediately go into the database of mechanical fixes that would certianly work for a few swings but then I would either lose the thought or feeling and be worse for it. It absolutely ruined my confidence. I was no longer playing golf.
So it took me three months to break eighty without a golf lesson and another three years before I broke it again.
Once I made the decision to stop taking lessons and remembered to play golf again I had gotten my handicap down to a plus 3 (for those who do not know that is three shots better than scratch and close to my goal of tour player) I won the 1989 New Jersey Public Links, became a Division III All – American although soon after developed the yips and quit competitive golf. As a result of my love for the game I became a golf instructor.
Since then I have become an Neuro-Linguistic Programming Practitioner (NLP) and have written several books concerning how to use what we already know to play better golf; Golf for Baseball Players and UnEven Ball series. I have also written a book called, Beyond the Ball that explains where most if not all swing faults emanate from…It’s the ball.
