Bob's Introduction to 'Boldt from the Blue'

By: Bob Boldt


I started my golf career in college at the University of California, Berkeley, after a knee injury ended my basketball hopes. I was very fortunate to play amateur golf with such legends as Ken Venturi, Tony Lema, Bob Rosburg, Dick and John Lotz, George Archer, Harvie Ward and a host of other Northern California amateurs who later made it to the PGA Tour.

For over 50 years I have been playing and teaching golf as a club professional while also playing the PGA and senior tours. My students have included beginners, juniors, college All-Americans and PGA winners. I have played and competed with most of the legends that will be featured in this forthcoming book. I was the driving distance leader on the Champions Tour and held the 18-hole scoring record for a par-72 course, a 62 at the MONY Classic in Phoenix.

I created a newsletter in 1989, called "Thunderboldts," in which I wrote about my tour experiences. This memoir, featured in an ongoing series in Cybergolf, offers experiences, tips and stories from - and about - over 30 of the most famous legends (and non-legends) of professional golf. I have been lucky enough to play with, compete against, learn from, and entertained by them.

I am particularly pleased to be able to present my recollections of George Archer's short-game techniques. George never had a book, or wrote any of his wizardry down, so I'm privileged to be able to pass along his ideas. I learned almost everything I know about the short game from George.

Also included are proven facts - not tips - about gaining up to 40 yards on your drives, tips on the short game never revealed, tidbits on drug and alcohol use on tour, and some stories about the history of the PGA and Champions tours, and some opinions about what they're like today.

The Diaphragm Thrust

Every golfer - amateur or professional - has a passion for hitting the ball farther. Hundreds of tips abound in every golf magazine, video and instruction book on how to gain up to 50 yards. Some of the theories include: X Factor, Lag and Load, Stack and Tilt, V-Shape vs. the U-Shape, Ignition Factor, Bump your Left Leg, the Diaphragm Thrust Methodology.

You name the technique, and up to 50 yards plus are "guaranteed."

The most bizarre theory I've ever been introduced to occurred during the Japanese Fuji Invitational, which also involved the Epson statistical winners on the Senior Tour as well as Japanese Senior Tour players. I was the driving-distance stat winner in the U.S. and was paired with one of legends of Japanese golf, Hideyo Sugimoto, a 5'10" 200-pound former judo champion and winner of the Japan Open.

Sugimoto was an icon in Japan because of his length off the tee. The first drive that Hideyo hit came with a loud roar from him at impact. At first, I thought he might have had something caught in his throat. Little did I know that this was the result of an exhaling theory similar to a judo chop or the grunts of professional tennis players emanating in their follow-throughs.

As the round continued our drives were about equal. And then on one par-5, Hideo exploded with a loud roar at impact and his drive flew 30 yards past one of my best drives. Now I was impressed. I figured that if I could perfect this diaphragm-thrust explosion I'd gain another 20 or 30 yards.

So I immediately started practicing the diaphragm thrust and found that if I exhaled just right at impact I could hit the ball 20 to 30 yards farther. What I didn't realize was that if you don't exhale just at the right moment in the impact zone the club either decelerates or accelerates unpredictably.

I practiced effectively with this technique. But when I put the thrust into tournament play it was a disaster. I decided to use it on the first hole at the Transamerica Senior Championship at Silverado Country Club in Napa, Calif. - which was basically my home course.

I had earlier won the Northern California Open at Silverado by a record number of strokes and wanted to impress my local fans with some newfound length. I exhaled with a loud roar - and then proceeded to chunk the ball 20 yards in front of the tee. I was shocked. And the gallery was wondering if I had an aneurism or something caught in my throat, like I had wondered about Hideyo the first time I saw him.

I didn't know what to do except try to get out of there without chunking another shot and never used the thrust method again.

So unless you somehow have it perfected, the diaphragm-thrust is just another of the many gimmicks that have been touted for gaining more distance. There is, however, a method for gaining up to 50 yards on your drives that was proven by one of the more obscure legends who gained late-career success on the Champions Tour.

Next Up: Rocky Thompson

Bob Boldt turned 77 in September 2014. Married for 31 years to Patricia, the father of two – including two sons, Rob and Jason, who are golf professionals and excellent players – played on the PGA and Champions tours for dozens of years, earning multiple victories in his amateur and professional careers.

Boldt, who attended Cal and became the Bears’ men’s golf coach, is a long-time native of Northern California and currently the director of golf at Vintners Golf Club in Yountville, where he is one of state’s most recognized golf instructors. He received the Northern California PGA Section Junior Golf Leader Award in 1999.