Becoming your own favorite person on the course

So we end 2009 on kind of a sour note as far as the sport of golf is concerned. Yes, I am very upset that Tiger behaved the way he did and as a parent of a child who would some day want to be like Tiger, I have to second guess who the real role models in this world are. Well I’ll tell you what finally happened to me as far as role models are concerned; I became my own favorite person out on the golf course. Let me tell you why.

First, I can now say out loud that all my hard work putting together not only a great book on how to do The PowerSlot Swing is finally complete with short game included, but every word in the book is all you need as far as mastering the great game of golf. The golf season of 2009 for me was my time to experiment with my own swing, trying to find that magic bullet of information making The PowerSlot Swing the easiest swing to play golf with. And you know what I discovered? There is no magic bullet except for your own belief that the swing will work for you as long as you are ready to embrace the simple rules of the swing as your new standard of play. My last few rounds, I was lights out with only one swing thought going through my head…SWING!!! The game finally became that easy and because of that, I am proud of myself.

Second, though I set a goal for myself to become a 6 handicap by the end of the season, I ended at an 8.5. I can only say and be proud of the fact that I did my best amidst my experimentations and unfortunate life chaos (got let go from my full time job in Pharmaceutical Sales, which I had been doing for more than seven years). It was a rough season in many ways especially with the thoughts of every time I hit a bad shot that my future book reader – you – would not accept me or the swing. But again, I fought through it all and ended at an 8.5. But as the “life-waters” around me calmed, my golf game certainly did improve as well and if the computer had allowed me to put in my final six scores that I put together in November, I would be down to a 7.5. So regarding goals and the capacity to do your best even though you did not achieve your desired outcome, I realized there is nothing wrong with that especially if you are looking forward to doing even better the next time.

So my goal for next season is to get down to a 4 and pass my PAT (PGA Player Aptitude Test). A 6 is way too easy at this point and with my renewed confidence in myself and my game, it can only get better.

Lastly, I was proud of my students. For not only believing that The PowerSlot Swing works but that they too can improve and finally find joy in a game that once tortured them. I loved hearing comments like, “no thoughts necessary,” “that’s all I have to do,” “you fixed my hook,” “this is boring, can we go home now (that was from my wife who never plays golf and after hitting the ball straight as an arrow for fifteen minutes, she said that out loud. Only if she know how good she had it).” I’m proud of all you who gave it a try because regardless of anything, golf is a hard game and we all want to be the best we can be and I am so glad you all tried to make it easier by doing it my way.

So, in 2010, I look forward to leading myself to better golf and to a better life. Oh, and to give you a little tease, I look forward to bringing my putter to market as well because just like the swing, the putter makes both the same simple-sense of the swing and golf a whole lot easier. Happy Holidays and Happy New Year to everyone, and I look forward to the upcoming season. I LOVE GOLF!!!

PowerSlot Swing catching fire

This past Wednesday, I went to the warm up round of the U.S. Open being held at our nation's greatest public golf course, The Black Course of Bethpage. What a course!!!

To anyone who has any questions about what it is like to play The Black ... and I know the course well because it is where I taught myself how to play golf nearly 20 years ago ... if you are not long and precise with your driver, then game over.

The course can be forgiving to those who hit it long and stay away from the rough. Trust me, a bad round at The Black is like going 18 rounds with Mike Tyson. You most definitely feel beaten up.

But I’m not writing to talk about the event, but more importantly, what I witnessed on the practice range Wednesday. There was a pro golfer, on the range of arguably the greatest golf tournament, using a training aid. That’s right, a training aid, that you and I can purchase at any golf store, in hopes of improving our game. Was I seeing things? Nope. Was he hitting well with the aid? Yup. And was his teaching pro right there making sure he was using the aid correctly? Yup. But one provoking thought came from this amazing sight.

Why is golf the most instruction-laden sport? Think about all sports that are played. You never hear that Roger Federer is using a training aid to help his backhand. You never hear that A-Rod is now working with a different swing coach to help him hit the ball further. You never hear that Kobe Bryant has been working on his jump shot technique with a coach. So why do we hear stories like this all the time in golf?

There’s an article about The PowerSlot Swing which can be seen in “Golfing Magazine,” that is distributed both regionally and nationally and it came out just in time for this year's U.S. Open. It has generated interest and there are golfers who want to take a lesson with me.

So after I left The U.S. Open, I met a man at a nearby range and taught him the PowerSlot Swing. He loved it! In just one lesson, we ran the whole gamut, from the short game to the driver. Toward the end of the lesson, my phone rang and it was a number I didn’t recognize but answered it anyway. After introducing myself, this gentleman, with a thick Long Island accent said, “Yeah, I saw your article in the magazine and I’m hear at the range … I got to tell you something crazy is happening here. I’m hitting the best shots of my life. Everything is going where I want it to go.” He wanted me to give him more explanation so I put him on the phone with the student I was working with and they began to talk like two excited 10-year-olds who just came out of their first Yankee game.

This is the point, The PowerSlot Swing truly does not need intense instruction. All you need is the decision to take the leap and give it a try. Now that contraption that the pro golfer was using may help him become a better golfer, but I promise no bells, whistles or gimmicks. Just a great swing that will work for you. Wait, now that I think about it, that contraption might work for the PowerSlot Swing. I’ll get back to you on this…NAH!!!

How Can I Improve The Swing?

So here is where I pause to ask any of the The PowerSlot Swing skeptics to do me a favor. And believe me, I have had many arrows slung my way where both golf teaching professionals and seasoned golfers have said, “The swing does not work.”

Any person reading this who has nothing nice to say (and by the way, if you have nothing nice to say, don’t say it at all) about the swing, give me your best physiological reason why the swing does not work. Instead of simply discarding something because it may look different, go against the grain or whatever your reason may be, intelligently tell me why.

Actually, your physiological reason could be helpful to me for it may give me improved insight as to how I can improve the teaching of the swing. But if you cannot do it, and all you can do is simply be negative, then maybe you should ask yourself why you don’t think the swing works or why the swing itself is something that is bothersome to you.

Once you can come up with your best answer, please e-mail me and maybe we can work together to bring The PowerSlot Swing to any and everybody who wants to improve their game. Because as I always say, and I will say it until the best reason why I should no longer say it is presented to me, “The Swing Works.”

The Next Best Thing

This is written as a letter to the golf industry:

Dear Golf Industry,

The other day, I taught two people The PowerSlot Swing and to their delight they found instant success. Before meeting with me, they said they would go to the range maybe twice a month because all they had ever felt was discomfort trying to find success using the conventional swing. However, one of the students said something I think you need to hear; “I will now come to the range two to three times a week to practice this swing because I am finally hitting the ball the way I knew I always could.”

Most important for this letter is having you hear this student say, “two to three times a week.” Why is this important for you to hear? If our overall economy is doing poorly, just imagine how the golf industry is suffering. If The PowerSlot Swing is able to get more people to say they find golf to be an easier game than they originally thought, I believe more people will begin to spend money again to play more golf – just as witnessed with this student I worked with – and hopefully, the golf industry will thrive, even in this poor economy.

Now I’m not being so presumptuous to say that The PowerSlot Swing is the cure to the golf industry’s downturn, but every little bit helps. So what I am asking the golf industry to do is embrace The PowerSlot Swing as a vehicle which will add interest in learning how to play golf, improving one’s golf game and most importantly, having people spend time and money to do it.

So in conclusion, to all in the golf industry who are looking for that next best thing to help bring people to your golf ranges and courses, embrace The PowerSlot Swing because I am confident to say that it is the next best thing.

Sincerely,
Andy Kossowsky
Inventor of The PowerSlot Swing

How Good Do You Think I Can Get?

I'm sure there are readers of my Blog who are wondering, “How good is Andy since inventing The PowerSlot Swing?” Before I tell you how good I am, I wanted to tell you a story.

Not so long ago, I played golf with someone I never met and he told me he had the chance to have a sit down lunch with The King, Arnold Palmer. This gentleman said their time together was short for he was at a table with other people who were taking up much of Arnold’s time. However, he was able to ask him one question; “If I play golf once a week, how good do you think I can get?”

The answer was quite surprising to me because it is the perfect description of the type of golfer I am. Arnold’s answer was, “If you play once a week, and you are a 10-handicap, consider yourself to be a great golfer.”

To all who are reading this, I am a 10-handicap and unfortunately, I only play once a week. Though my goal for this season is to get down to a 6, I realize it is going to be fairly difficult considering my five-year-old has a busy schedule, my working wife needs all the help she can get and my full-time job will become more interesting as the summer moves along.

How good do I think I can get using The PowerSlot Swing? I always say, give me three months where I can play nearly every day, practice my short and putting game and have someone from time to time look over my swing, I think I would be a low single digit to a scratch. I know it. But once a week golf just does not help me get to that level.

I often wonder if Tiger or any professional golfer only played once a week would be able to compete at the same level. Actually, think about any sport and regardless of comparable talent, put a once a week athlete up against a player who hones their competitive skills every day, you know who I am betting for.

So to conclude, some may think that being a 10-handicap, “is not that good” - though I did not use this time to tell you that since inventing The PowerSlot Swing I have shaved 6 strokes off my average score - but if The King said out loud that a person who plays the amount of golf that I do is someone he considers a great golfer, then who am I to argue.

I am proud to say I am a 10-handicap playing as little as I do, but the competitor in me knows I can and will get better. I hope that sounds a little like you for you know you can get better as well. Trust me everybody, the PowerSlot Swing works.

Starting With A Clean Slate

In March of this year I was given the chance to meet with an associate editor for a major golf magazine and give him his own private lesson. We originally met a couple of months earlier in Orlando at the PGA Merchandise Show. After showing him that people found success with The PowerSlot Swing, his interest to learn more was evident. So, in March I flew from New York to meet him at his golf club in California.

Before the lesson, I was told that he had been using the swing successfully but he only used it on the practice range so as to not receive any criticism from his fellow golf mates. After spending nearly 45 minutes with him on the range and giving him all the instruction needed to successfully master the PowerSlot Swing, the two of us went out on the course.

For me it was still very early-season golf because the New York winter had been one of the coldest on record and the time to practice real golf was fairly non-existent. Nevertheless I still managed to hit every fairway throughout the 12 holes we played together. However, and more importantly, an amazing thing happened out on the course with my student.

After playing two holes where he used his driver off the tee, he played his third drive very similar to the previous two where he hit the ball perfectly straight, but it went to the right. I asked him if he realized the mistake he was making and he said that the reason why he aimed to the right was because with his conventional swing, he had what he called a, “natural hook,” and to compensate for this hook, he aimed to the right to help bring the ball back into the fairway.

So I asked him to re-tee his driver but this time, aim in the direction where he wanted the ball to go. He then said something I will never forget. “Wait, I can aim at my target and the ball will go where I want it to go?” I said that we shall see so let’s give it a try.

Well, you can guess what happened next and for the remainder of our time together, he did not miss a fairway as well and was beyond happy with the results The PowerSlot Swing offered his game.

So I am ending this blog with one thought for you to consider. If you’re going to begin using The PowerSlot Swing and you’ve experienced trouble with your old swing, whatever the issues may have been, forget them and realize you are starting with a clean slate. In a way, you are like a new golfer with no mistakes to worry about because if done properly, just as I witnessed with the associate editor who has been playing golf for more than 40 years, you will find new success.

I Want You To Close Your Eyes

When I’m at the range practicing The PowerSlot Swing, it’s impossible for me not to notice when a person is struggling with their conventional golf swing. As the inventor of The PowerSlot Swing and knowing that any and everybody who gives the swing a try has the chance to dramatically improve their game, it’s also impossible for me not to approach that person and ask, “Would you like to learn a new way to play golf?”

One night my wife gave me a free pass to go to the range, and I found myself in a typical situation where the person hitting next to me was having a hard time with their swing. I approached him and he said he would love to give The PowerSlot Swing a try.

After 10 minutes of going through the basics of the swing and having him look back at me in utter amazement every time he hit a great shot, I asked him to take out his driver. For the next 10 minutes, I would say that 90 percent of his shots were on target and hit with fantastic power. So after working with him for a total of 20 minutes where he was finding incredible success, I asked him to do me a favor.

“For this next shot, I want you to close your eyes.” He looked at me and said there was no way he could hit a ball without sight. I explained I wanted to prove to him that the PowerSlot Swing is so fundamentally sound that he could still hit a great shot with his eyes open or closed. He agreed to give it a try, got in his set up position, closed his eyes, and “BOOM!!!” Not only did the ball go perfectly straight, but it was probably one of his longest drives of the night as well.

I’m not asking you and do not normally suggest you practice your swing with your eyes closed; however, I am asking you to see (no pun intended) for yourself that once you have made the proper connection with the golf club in your set up position, the PowerSlot Swing should and will take care of itself.

“That Was The Best Shot I Have Ever Hit.”

I had been working with an 82-year-old man trying to get him to use The PowerSlot Swing. When we were together, he would hit the ball amazingly well and he actually said out loud, “That was the best shot I have ever hit.” I had a convert, right? Wrong! I say this because every time I would go to the range, he was back swinging in the conventional way and although he agreed when we worked together he would hit some of the best shots of his life, he still felt more comfortable using his old swing and said he would continue to try to master the game on his terms.

Two provoking thoughts come from this experience. First, if you are satisfied with the way you are playing the game, then honestly, don’t change. Golf is a difficult sport and what is most important is you feel comfortable with the way you’re swinging your club. If you’re comfortable with your swing, then golf should and will be a great, challenging experience that you will hopefully enjoy.

However, the second thought is, “Change is easier for some than it is for others.” Just from my own experiences using The PowerSlot Swing, it took me a couple of years before I made the commitment to truly understand why starting in The PowerSlot Swing’s set-up position made sense for my golf game. Especially when golf has been played for nearly 200 years and one conventional set-up position had been firmly established as the one and only way to play the game. Believe me when I say this, but going against the grain of history is not an easy thing to do.

But after leaving the range today and realizing that my former 82-year-old student was going back to his old way of playing, I came to grips with the fact that change is easier for some than it is for others. However, I didn’t leave the range feeling totally deflated.

One stall over from the 82-year-old student, another student of mine who has been tinkering with the PowerSlot Swing finally made the ultimate decision to fully commit. After spending a mere 10 minutes with him and giving him the information that made sense to his swing, he said he would take the PowerSlot Swing out on the course and give it a go.

I can’t have them all but if you embrace that change can sometimes be a good thing, then you will hopefully see that The PowerSlot Swing is the swing for you.

The Definition Of Insanity

Someone once defined, “Insanity,” as the act of repeating the same action over and over again expecting different results. I don’t know about you, but if you have been using the same golf swing, taken countless lessons, read various golf instruction books and still have not seen much or any improvement in your golf game and are still driving yourself insane hoping for different results, then maybe it is time for a change. An unexpectedly easy change that I know will produce not only greater ball striking, more confidence while staring down your target and most importantly, a happier golfer that will leave the course or the practice range satisfied with the results; then welcome to The PowerSlot Swing.

Now some people call me insane for starting my swing in what seems like such an unorthodox position, but here is how I want to start my first blog.

The next time you are at the practice range, after you have squared your club head behind the ball to establish your aim, place yourself in the PowerSlot set up position making sure you keep your arms hanging naturally in front of you with your club face pointing parallel to your feet line and give it a rip. Give it a couple of shots so you can see for yourself that starting your swing in The PowerSlot set up position is not as crazy as you would think and maybe you would see that a change for the better is about to occur. And don’t be surprised if you immediately start hitting some of the best shots you can ever remember hitting.

Welcome to my blog and thank you for your interest in learning more about what I would consider to be the easiest and most natural way to play golf. As the woman in the infomercial says, “Stop the Insanity,” and I look forward to your comments and giving you more information about how to truly master The PowerSlot Swing.