Tom Watson Lessons of a Lifetime II DVD Series

In 2010, world famous golfer Tom Watson released his DVD lesson series called Lessons of a Lifetime. It sold over 70,000 DVD sets in 5 languages in over 40 countries. When surveyed about the content of the DVD series, 88% of those surveyed said the program had improved their game and 79% rated it as excellent.

Lessons of a Lifetime is a first-class video; produced by Terry Jastrow, Producer/Director at ABC Sports for 24 years. Mr. Jastrow has produced many epic sporting events including Super Bowl XIX; 68 of golf's Major Championships including the U.S. Open, British Open and PGA Championship; the Indy 500; and ABC's Wide World of Sports. He has also served as President of Jack Nicklaus Productions for the past 12 years, and has worked with many golf greats including Jack Nicklaus, Arnold Palmer, Greg Norman, Curtis Strange, Tom Kite, Phil Mickelson and Butch Harmon. Now he adds Tom Watson to an already impressive resume. The series was filmed at The Greenbrier Resort.

Of course Tom Watson needs no introduction. Many will recall his stellar performance at the 1982 U.S. Open at Pebble Beach where he chipped in for birdie on number 17 and followed it up with another birdie at 18 to steal the title from rival Jack Nicklaus. Video of "The Shot" is included in the DVD series and Mr. Watson even does a chapter where he recreates the event. Darned if he doesn't almost make it again!

Recently, Mr. Watson has released Lessons of a Lifetime II, which can be purchased separately if you already have the first series, or as part of a 3-CD set. When I first was asked to watch and review Tom Watson's latest update on his Lessons of a Lifetime DVD series, my first thought was "I better watch the entire series". Subsequently, a conference call with Mr. Watson made me glad I did!

The original series is perfect for someone who has never picked up a golf club in their life. It starts with a glossary of golf terms and then moves into the basics: grip, set up, stance and alignment. It then goes into the takeaway and back swing to the transition and follow through. I'm glad I watched as it made me realize a few things I could improve on. After a quick trip to the range to confirm the changes were for the good, I got back to watching the video to see what else I could learn!

From there, the series covers such topics as: chips, punch shots, bunker shots, chipping and putting with multiple lessons on each. Just about every type of chip shot and bunker shot is discussed.

Lessons of a Lifetime II offers more than 20 lessons that give further instruction on not only how to pull off all the shots discussed in the original DVD, but dives further into the mental part of golf. By his own admission, it is a more "advanced course" in golf instruction.

The instructions Mr. Watson gives for someone that is new to the game are easy to implement and easy to replicate. Produce Terry Jastrow has done a marvelous job with the use of graphics throughout the tutorials, making each point easy to follow.

The first segment I watched was on the 40-yard wedge shot, you know, the one that most players dread. Each "lesson" is no more than 3 - 5 minutes long, which is nice. Not a whole lot of fluff; just the facts. Armed with the information Mr. Watson gives on how to successfully execute the 40 yard shot, I immediately headed to the range. Admittedly I was somewhat skeptical, but, I took the lesson to heart and to my amazement, it worked. From 40 yards, I was hitting chips within 3 feet of the flag on a regular basis. I was once again hooked on this videos.

I went back to the beginning and decided to watch the series from start to finish. After questioning several of the points he was making and at the same time getting tired of hitting rewind, I found a pen and a paper and started taking notes. Eventually I plan on creating a sort of "cheat sheet" that I can keep in my golf bag, but not until I learn a few things. Right now, the cheat sheet would be the size of an encyclopedia!

Next, I watched the tutorials on putting; about the adjustments to make when you're hitting everything on the low side. Being a cross-handed putter, I didn't pay much attention. After speaking with Mr. Watson and taking another look, I decided to give it a try, just so I could say I did so. And what do you know, putts I routinely missed were now going in the hole. This may just make me rethink the whole cross-handed putting thing.

Outside of the basics, some of the other lessons of interest were The Goal Post method (aiming the ball), keeping the "crease" at impact, advice Tiger's dad gave Tiger at the National Amateur Championship , teaching kids and seniors and a tribute to his longtime caddie, the late Bruce Edwards. Both the opening introduction and the tribute to Bruce Edwards bring back a lot of memories and some tears.

The DVD series can be purchased online at www.TomWatson.com. It's also available through Amazon and select golf and sporting goods retailers and many golf superstores. Both sets can also be purchased by phone at 1-800-993-5589. A portion of the proceeds from all sales will be given to the Bruce Edwards Foundation for ALS Research.

The entire series (3 discs) is $49.95; if you only need Lessons of a Lifetime II, it's $24.95. Each DVD contains a booklet which is more or less a syllabus of everything discussed in the video. Look at it as an investment in your happiness. After all, shooting a lower score is a lot more fun.