Tom Tomasello was one of the early Authorized Instructors of The Golfing Machine. I first met him in the early '70s at the Canterbury C.C., then a semi-private club just outside Marietta, Georgia. He had retired from the Marine Corps and was in a second career in the golf business; I was finishing my studies at Georgia Tech after a four-year stint in the Air Force. To make a long story short, in 1979 we began studying The Golfing Machine together, and it was from his living room in 1980 that we made that fateful long-distance call to Homer Kelley asking him to explain Hinge Action to us.
Over the next few years, we were both very active in the TGM movement, but then our roads 'diverged in the wood.' I went my way -- setting aside TGM to devote full-time to my financial career -- and he went his. In 1989, Tom's road took him to Australia at the invitation of the Australian PGA and Peter Croker. Over a period of four weeks, he conducted a series of workshops that introduced TGM to the Land Down Under.
Near the end of that run, a tape was made that capsulized the Australia Experience, and our own Delaware Golf generously has made it available to us. Lynn Blake Golf does not agree with all the information as presented. However, we do think the tape is important, both in terms of its historical significance to the TGM movement and its preservation of Tom's memory and approach.
We have divided the tape into nine chapters with our own subtitles and will post one per week over the next two months. Each will have its own thread for comment and debate, and we expect and encourage lively discussion. However, I will say up front that these threads will be vigorously monitored to insure that the discussions remain true to our purpose and respectful of the memory of Tom Tomasello.
Letter From Peter Croker To Lee Detrick Re: T. Tomasello
To learn more of the history of Tom Tomasello's Austrailian Experience, I turned to our own Professional Contributor Lee Dietrick ( http://www.lynnblakegolf.com/LeeDeitrick.htm ). Lee has worked extensively with Peter Croker, and since 1996 has been Director of Quality Assurance for his Path To Better Golf Program. Lee contacted Peter who graciously responded with the letter I've reprinted below. Thanks, Lee and Peter, for providing this 'missing link' to an important part of TGM history.
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Dear Lee,
Tom was here in 1989 and he was here for 4 weeks. Paul Hart was already a GSED and Bryan Ferguson was motivated by Tom’s trip plus work we did to go through the test. Paul Hart was a great help to Bryan.
Paul Hart organized Greg [McHatton]to come out in the 1991 (I think)
I had just enough participants to cover expenses with Tom. Tom was the best thing I ever did. He was a great teacher! My educational experience was worth the effort. Without Tom I would not have had the understandings of The Golfing Machine to allow the breakthroughs that have now been made.
Hybrid Mode
