The Mighty Mouse
Bob Toski.
Old school? no way!
illustrated by Bill Knowles
Thanks to the kindness and generosity of Kevin Battersby PGA, I was able to gain access to the legendary Bob Toski and put together this new section. The thoughts and wisdom of the teaching Hall of famer will accompany swing film, photography and art.
Hope you enjoy it all.
Robert Algustoski
(1926 - )
Toski at 40
Toski at 40
Toski at 80
Toski at 90
The three swings from different eras are perfect examples of the Toski longevity.
The first video is of Toski over 50 years ago while still making rare Tour appearances. In the second video, Bob Toski is in his seventies demonstrating great swing speed and flexibility. The last video is Toski at 96 years old and still going strong. What a swing!
The wonderful swing Bob Toski made was based on a natural use of the hands and arms.
He gives much credit to his brother for his short game skills, and tells how he was forced to learn the short game first when only five years old. Even today Bob feels that it is a relevant way of teaching, as the short game connects the beginner with the target from the beginning.
Judy Rankin's lesson
with Bob Toski.
When Bob Toski starts talking about his past pupils and tells stories from his diary and scrapbook it is brimming with accounts of how he helped many great tour players and amateurs who competed over the last four decades of the former century. One pupil/teacher story that stands out is how Bob helped a struggling Judy Rankin realise her talents and become one of the greatest legends the womens game has ever seen.
In 1964 the struggling Judy Rankin was sent to Bob Toski by the famous golf agent Mark McCormack. Already tired of the poor effects instructers had on her, Judy was very cautious of yet another teacher who would say the same things she knew would not work for her. Yet she was also aware that she had been given the choice of going to Toski or being dropped from the list of top clients that McCormack managed at the time.
From the beginning Bob knew he had to treat his pupil with great care. The fact was that not one teacher could look beyond Judy's grip as the cause of her woes. Ultra-strong (twisted excessively to the right) meant the rest of Judy`s swing was in a fight to keep the clubface from closing.