Tom Sullivan
Head Professional
Wyantenuck Country Club

Contact: PGASully@aol.com; 413-528-3229

Affiliation: Head Professional at Wyantenuck since 1999

Family: Wife: Kathy; Sarah (6); Ryan (4)

Residence: Sheffield, Mass.

Career highlights: Monday qualified for the then-Greater Hartford Open on the PGA TOUR in 1995, where he made the cut, the only club professional to do so in nearly a quarter century

Low Round: 60

Tip to amateurs: Work on your balance and tempo. Take enough club on your iron shots. Know how far you hit each club. For some practice some time, go out and take one more club than you think you need; you’ll probably hit more greens and still never hit it over the green.

Most memorable lesson: The one that stands out most is a lesson I gave in 1994. The Police Chief in the small town I lived in came by for a lesson. He had been playing for about 15 years and he was about a 18 handicap. He also swung the club left-handed. After watching a series of grounders, pop ups, pitchouts, and other missiles I couldn’t identify, I asked the chief what other sports he played lefty. He said none. He didn’t ever write lefty. The only reason he played golf was lefty-handed was that those were the clubs that someone gave him. So just for the heck of it, he tried to hit a few from the right side.  The difference was amazing. Within a few lessons, he was hitting the ball a lot straighter with a lot less misses. His short game improved a lot, but most of all, he was having fun playing with his friends. Sometimes lessons aren’t always about mechanics. Sometimes, it’s just about observing and adjustments.