Finally-- A Repeatable Swing--Part I

A Long Time In Coming


I realize I haven't posted here since early October--but there is a very good reason for that. I promised I would not post anything here that I was not sure worked, worked well, and worked well consistently. I CAN FINALLY KEEP THAT PROMISE. The shortened swing I described in my last post was the first step in a fundamental shift away from the old grip it and rip it school. I have indeed regained the vast majority of my pre cardio melt-down swing, gained more accuracy than ever on a consistent basis, and will easily be a full 2 and a half to three clubs longer than I was just a couple of years ago. So what exactly is this new swing besides just another rehashing of the old "Shorten your backswing"----""9 o'clock to 3 o'clock"----"Make the back swing an 'L' and your follow through an "L"--string of cliches that everybody seems to be tossing about too liberally, or re-packaging and re-working in yet another attempt to sell another entrant into the seemingly endless stream of internet golf books.


The X and Y Axis---A 3D Approach

Why Feel and Ball Flight Aren't Always Enough

Well the one thing that kept me convinced that all those rotten compensations I was putting into my post cardio melt down swing were correct was the fact that the aforementioned cliches, and the vast majority of books and magazines present both them and the modifications thereof in a rather 2 dimensional fashion. "Make an L" is close to a great analogy, but without the proper 3D viewpoints that are often only available from live instruction (which I now strongly encourage as long as you get a good swing coach) it can be easily misconstrued, and has been by many golfers--including professionals.

   If you"... draw he club head straight back ..." as many of us were instructed to do in the old"Square to Square" instruction methodology,  and you are in the midst of learning to "...flatten your swing..." and "...widen your swing arc..." you are going to enter the impact zone from so far from the outside that you simply won't be able understand exactly how far off plane you get from the very start of your swing. By the time you are at that "9 o'clock 'L' position..." you will be so far outside the plane, that your only hope of hitting it straight will be to come over the top and start unconsciously closing the face of the club before impact. I know these things empirically, and now that I've corrected it, and am aware of what I was doing, I am actually shocked at the amount of golfers I see on the range who are unwittingly making these same exact compensations to varying degrees.
 My swing never stood a chance of squaring the face at impact as it was actually starting off plane from the very beginning by going "Straight Back". As I was rocking my shoulders to accomplish this, I was fairly sure I wasn't swaying, and the old "Square toSquare Methodology" a methodology that was once adopted as the official methodology of The USGA Professionals assured me that I was starting my swing correctly. I had actually learned to subconsciously close the face at impact and get a ball that started straight, and had a strong draw to it. I was absolutely certain, from the shape of my shots alone, that I was perfecting my old swing. Unfortunately, the more and more I started to "...widen my swing arc..."---the more and more I started to get mystery slices that were actually the effect of a strong--but still glancing blow. In order to compensate, I flattened out my swing a bit with a slightly wider stance and an even further reach back. Soon, when I wasn't slicing, I was hitting snap hooks from hell. Sound familiar?---Time to read on then.

 Rationale


   There's a dirty little secret regarding those "Swing Tips"most Golf Mags don't tell you, and one you need to remind yourself of every time you think of incorporating another one of those "Magic Tips." It's simple, actually. Any move in your golf swing has a direct effect on one of two things. Whatever movement or movement change they have you doing  backwards and/or forwards, no matter what the promise, it can only make your swing arc narrower or wider--"The X Axis", or Flatter or Steeper--"The Y Axis." This is important to note for several reasons. If you're currently getting the ball flight of a Pitching Wedge from your 6 Iron--that is-- higher and softer than what you need and desire---then you are obviously too steep. Now the phrase "...too steep..." may dredge up pictures of fat shots, and lost distance, ,and before you know it--your entire system of band aid type quick fixes has kicked in. Pretty soon you're ....."looking more at the front of the ball",  or "...setting the ball back a little further in your stance in order to insure clean contact" or any of a hundred or so such quick tips we've all heard and read  literally thousand of times.------Just remember this---"Too Steep = Too Much Emphasis On The Y Axis."So before you add yet another one of those "magical quick fixes" to your swing---you must realistically ask yourself ..."does this tip/advice have an effect on my "Y Axis-- and --is it flattening or steepening of my swing?......or is it having more of an effect on my X Axis --and if so--is it widening or narrowing my swing arc. " This is important, because if you are already "too steep" the last thing you need to do is start putting the ball further back in your stance and continue to compound the problem. Doing so might turn you're 6 Iron, which already looks like a Pitching Wedge shot into one that looks like a Sand Wedge shot. --As you can see--this can become an unending cycle that goes from bad--to worse--to bad again, and the cycle of tips just keeps you going round and round in circles.

-----More on this later in Part II-In the meantime, please read this link which I have posted elsewhere.

http://www.shopping.com/guides/berniez40/Developing_A_Repeatable_Swing_Part_II_Turning_With_The_6_Iron/856788

A Little Coaching Goes A Long Way

Harvey Pennick said it best when he said, "If I give you golf advice that equates to, 'Take an aspirin.', for G*d's sake, don't take the whole bottle." My current swing coach had a hard time getting that through a rather thick- sculled person such as myself, but once he was successful, he didn't stop. The race to lower my handicap before the season comes to its final close is on. Josh had a hard time at first because every part of my swing was a massive over-compensation in a rather misguided attempt to regain the distance I had lost since the heart attack and the subsequent spinal collapse due to a rather nasty reaction to Crestor. I wanted that distance back in the worst way, and I was truly over exaggerating every distance trick in the book in order to try and get there as quickly as possible. That is all behind me now, and I have actually regained a large chunk of that lost distance, and without the aforementioned caricature of a Long Driver's Swing . Better still---I haven't been this accurate since the bygone days when clubs sported  weaker lofts and shorter overall lengths. I promised not to post anything till I was sure it worked, worked well, and worked consistently. Here's part one. --a shorter swing.

SHORTEN THAT SWING!

      Now a lot of us have heard this advice. Funnier still, there's tons of gurus out there hawking a shorter swing as if it's a totally new concept. They go by many different names such as, "The Perfect Swing." "The Perfect Connection.", etc..It's not new, it's just not been in style since the days of Grip it and Rip It came into vogue.The  first thing Josh did was shorten my rather massive shoulder turn. It's nice to be that flexible, especially  after what I've been through. The trouble was, there is no need to go past parallel, and that is especially true when you've lost swing speed. A longer back swing can actually cost you several MPH on your down swing. It has a lot to do with the simple dynamics of having more ground to cover and more area in which to come off plane. Due to the fact that I had developed a swing that is much more upright than my former swing, this past parallel move was actually costing me 5 MPH worth of speed and 20 Yards worth of distance. The good news was that I had regained my flexibility. The bad news is that I was overusing it, not monitoring that use carefully, and sabotaging my own golf game. The prescription.

     We shortened my back swing by 35%. That would translate to 20-25% for most of you, as my swing was beginning to make John Daly's back swing look like short of parallel. That shortened back swing actually proved to me that gaining swing-speed is often counter intuitive. The hard part for most of us is realizing that a 90* shoulder turn is nowhere near as large as it sounds. Remember, full circle is 360*. A 90* shoulder turn is only a 1/4 turn. If you are actually getting a successful engagement of the initial weight shift back on your right side, that 1/4 turn is in and of itself, more than enough. If you can keep your eye on the ball while rotating your shoulders, and keeping the shaft lined up with your forearms then you have accomplished more than most golfers will accomplish in a lifetime of swings. The problem is, so few of us realize that it really is that easy. Instinct tells us to whip that club back as far as possible. But, in actuality, if we turn the club back and keep the lower body steady, the 90* turn builds up plenty of tension, and the shorter downswing allows us to accelerate all the way through the ball with much greater ease.


Does It Really Work?

As someone who sported a much longer back swing, and swore by it up until now, I must say that it works beyond most people's wildest dreams.  I know most people think about gaining distance with a new driver swing,and equate that longer back swing with longer distance. If you have a shorter distance to cover, however, you have less room in which to decelerate, and more of us decelerate with most of our clubs, than accelerate through the impact point.  Since MPH = Distance, the ability to accelerate all the way past impact has helped me personally regain 20 of the 35 yards I lost, and I am just beginning the program. By the end of next season, I will be longer than ever. The shorter back swing also grants me consistency which I haven't seen in years. I'm hitting 66% of fairways now, vs 55%. Let's see now, longer...straighter.....hmmmm. Sounds like it works to me. But don't just take my word for it.

Boo Weekley, one of my distance idols on tour, had the following to say in a Golf Digest article last year," I have a much shorter back swing than people think. I make sure to keep my chin up so that I can have a wide swing arc, but the moment my left shoulder touches my chin, I'm swinging. To me, it's as simple as turn and fire." That certainly gives this swing style a resounding endorsement in the distance department, but is Boo really that accurate?--I'd venture to say that he's more accurate than either you or I, but just in case that doesn't give this swing enough credence in your book as to accuracy and consistency--consider the following.

Steve Stricker, Mr. Comeback kid himself, is a practitioner of this swing. His swing is also rated by several of the top 100 USGA Teaching Pros as--"The Swing That The Average Joe Needs To Copy." That's because it is simple to repeat, and it is consistent under fire. Oh yeah, it wins on tour too. If you need to see a good sequence of this swing go out and buy a September "Golf" Magazine. I don't usually tout any of the magazines, as they are often chock full of conflicting information, ideas, and conclusions, but Stricker's Swing isn't some 1/2 baked THEORY from yet another teacher that never made the tour. It's something you need to see and to try.It works for him, and it even works for a 15 Capper such as myself. I played to a plus 12 yesterday, so if that type of instantaneous improvement appeals to you, you need to give it a whirl.

The theory is also working for my other clubs as well, but we'll dissect them individually as the season goes on and my handicap continues to drop. I am very excited to be writing again, and even more excited to be offering advice that I KNOW FROM EXPERIENCE WORKS. I recently tested these theories in a local tournament, and guys that used to smoke me are inviting me to join their Flites for scrambles in order to add "CONSISTENCY" to their Flite's performance. That is the type of belief that I and others have in this shortened swing, and its real potential is just beginning to show itself. Easy distance, take dead aim accuracy, and built in consistency. This is, at least for myself and a few of the tour players, the swing of the future.

The Imporatance Of A Swing Coach

When I started this blog over a year ago, I had every intention of being that everyman 15 handicapper who reached single digit status over the next couple of years, and detailed that journey for all to see. I figured that, between the new techniques and equipment reviews, that the groundwork was layed to help myself, and many other golfers get better. Unfortunately, the heart attack last July put a major hitch in the quest for more distance off the tee box via a more powerful swing. Still, there was hope, as the acquisition of several amazing woods from the now defunct Advanced Golf Technology Company, as well as a set of rather long and extremely forgiving Wilson Staff Di9's in the irons department gave me back a lot of that distance, and maintaining the newly acquired finesse was still a strong possibility. Between these two factors, I had hopes of at least sawing off 5 of those 15 strokes.

Sadly- I suffered a severe reaction to Crestor, and the resultant muscle melt-down sent my spine cratering. This last little factor took away any hopes I had as to maintaining the finesse part of my game, as the ability just to stand upright, much less swing a golf club, had become a real struggle. Even a 60% swing was beyond my capabilities for a while. That was kind of the capper that made this last golf season a maintenance job rather than a summer offensive. Unfortunately, it was spent as much in physical therapy as it was on the course. Basically--maintaining a 15 handicap was the best I could muster. Still--in the now historically famous slogan of the long gone Brooklyn Dodgers---"There's always next year." Here's a good game plan that helped me maintain my handicap against all odds, and lay the groundwork for next season.

Fit That Flat Stick

It's cheap to do. Most flat-stick fittings are well under $20, and it's putting that kept my score down despite the loss of distance. I may talk about the woods and irons, but it's the putter that has saved my game. Though far from perfect--I average 28-32 putts per round, and for a 15 capper--that's considered to be very good. In the meantime, the quest to maintain, and even improve my distance did indeed gain me some yardage off the tee box, but doing so w/out professional help after stepping out of physical therapy and directly onto the tee box, caused more problems than good. Sure I picked up a few yards, but I also picked up a few swing flaws that have cost me dearly, and could have easily been diagnosed by a professional. Thank goodness for a fitted flat-stick. Seriously, it helped stop a serious slide in my game that could have easily become a full-fledged collapse.

Mongo Like Swing Coach

My swing off the tee box had truly lost any semblance of finesse. In fact, many had said I should try out for a Geico commercial, as it looked like a caveman taking a swing at his dinner with his war club before it got the chance to run away. It quickly became obvious that I should have followed Jack Nicklaus' advice. He may be old school, but he still owns more major titles than you know who, and even to the very end, his swing always looked like--"His Swing." The Golden Bear always said that at the beginning of any re-tooling--be it after a long Winter's layoff, or whatever--"Go see your instructor, and start from scratch. What you already know will be quickly discovered and set aside, while any bad habits will stick out like sore thumbs. Best to take care of them before the new season begins."

Stupid me. I thought I was too good for that very advice even though I had read and re-read it several times, and even dispensed it to numerous golfers who have turned to me for advice. I finally bowed to that lesson as the results at the end of this season have come crashing down around my ears. The answers, thanks to professional intervention, are coming very easily too. I had developed a bad habit of aiming left in order to fight a weakened right hamstring in my right leg. As a converted lefty, it made pulling the ball left as if it were a draw very easy. The sad part is that it was technically incorrect, and like all compensations, the timing needed for repetition was vague. Pretty soon the compensation turned into an over-compensation, and you may as well have nick named me "Captain Hook."---Ahhhr Matey--I'm makin' them thar golf balls walk the plank stage left." It was getting ugly. Pretty soon, even my wedge shots are going wide left, and because I wasn't looking at myself on film, or in a mirror, I had no idea why I was so far left of target.

Next thing you know, I'm weakening my grip and opening up my club-face in an effort to get the ball to stop hooking. Sadly' it was actually going pretty much where I aimed it, and now even with a closed stance--I was serving up more slices than Tony's Pizza Parlour. How screwed up can you get? Well--I'll spare you the details. I hooked up with a swing coach who has helped the best, and he's basically doing it as a favor to me, and others who specifically requested his assistance for me.

At the first lesson he fixed my alignment, gave me an easy exercise to remember how to do this on my own, and reassured me that my grip is A-O-K. Next thing you know--I was soon hitting all my irons and wedges straight as a string with just a touch of draw spin. Still--my woods seemed to be dropping the ball with more than just a touch of cut-spin to them---until lesson 2.

Lesson 2 he showed me that the length of the woods is still having me come slightly outside the plane, as my turn still isn't optimal yet. He gives me one more little exercise to help me optimize my turn, and next thing you know--there she goes! The woods are straight as a string with just a touch of baby draw. This is really starting to scare me, as it's proving just a little too easy to fix my swing. Then again, it was awfully easy to screw it up too. I will keep a really good eye on this over the next year, and as things begin to work, I promise to keep you all posted.I will do my best to make sure that these shots become second nature before posting instructions-etc. Rest assured, that if you come back to this site, and it posts instructions--they will be darned good ones that have been proven to work----empirically> Thanks for dropping by.

The Number One Killer In Summer Golf

Well if there are any regular readers left, I want to thank you for your patience. This has not been my year to say the least. I've been out with a horrendous set of bulging discs--despite a disc friendly swing, and with summer here--it's high time I warn everybody against the number one danger of summer golf--DEHYDRATION! It's part and parcel of what put me where I am in this season's golf game--directly behind the eight ball. Here's what you need to know in order to beat this often deadly bit of nastiness that plagues all summer sports here in beautiful 100+ Degree North Central Texas.

Many of my readers know that last summer I suffered a heart attack after walking 27 holes in 103* heat. That's not usually a problem for me, golfing in the heat that is, as I know how to stay hydrated. The heart attack was actually more a case of my Chicken-Fried Everything Diet catching up with me. A clogged artery finally screamed--"Enough already you old fart!---We're going to the hospital, and you're going to learn to eat right. " Alas--I miss Popeye's Fried Chicken, and over indulging in Blue Bell Ice Cream, but hey, I've eaten enough of that stuff for 5 people. While I was in the hospital, I did learn one thing about staying hydrated, and that is-----make sure to bring along some electrolytes for your drinking water. Once those electrolytes are gone from your body, water alone can't save you. Here's some tricks besides that that you need to remember.

KEEP A BOTTLE OF WATER WITH YOU AT ALL TIMES

Preferably water with which you have added the aforementioned electrolytes. It is very important that you have that bottle with you for several reasons. First of all, you need to sip between almost every shot--if at all possible. Do Not Gulp the Water!!!!---It will weigh you down, and your shots will not come off as planned. It is harder on your muscles to wait for liquids they sorely need, and just as hard on your stomach, if not harder, when you gulp large quantities of liquids after long dry spells. Your body and your game will appreciate how much better off you feel and play if you keep your hydration levels constant.

HOW MUCH IS ENOUGH

If it's 90+ Degrees outside, and you haven't urinated within the past 30 minutes---you are not drinking enough water. That may sound extreme, but it's true. In hot muggy weather your body is pouring out every ounce of liquid it can muster in order to cool off. You need to track that amount without becoming pre-occupied with it. It's hard enough to keep score of your game, much less your bladder. Let's just say that if you aren't knocking off that pint bottle of water every 3 holes---you're still not drinking enough. Most courses have water and or a bathroom every few holes. Take advantage of both. If you don't, you may notice that your ability to hit good recovery shots is starting to fade like your favourite old pair of jeans, and that is not a good thing.

REMEMBER THE FOREIGN LEGION

Take along a face towel for a hydration rag. Wet this towel with cold water, and re-wet it at every watering can or fountain along the course. Stick the towel on top of your head before putting your hat on. Rotate the towel so that you can see out of the front, but allow it to drape over your neck ala Ye Olde Foreign Legion Cap Style. (Remember--"Beau Knows Heat!") This acts as insulation, and the moisture that gets drawn out of the rag and through your hat will act as the old-fashioned cooling towers of the 30's and 40's did. You will also notice that your neck no longer gets sun burned. It is advisable to remove the rag and wipe your hands with a golf towel before taking a shot. You'll feel cooler, and more refreshed this way, and you won't have to suck down as much liquid just to keep cool.

NOT JUST STANDING ON A SOAPBOX

After my heart attack the folks at the hospital must've pumped me full of more saline than an entire day's production at The Tyson's Chicken Plant. This just goes to show how much the heat can suck out of you-- even when you try to stay hydrated. Unfortunately, despite my good hydrating habits at the golf course, I had not been practicing such good habits out in the garden for several days beforehand, so that left me vulnerable. Basically, stay hydrated all summer long is the lesson I learned here. The heart attack cost me half of last season, and my late start to this season can be indirectly attributed to it as well. After the heart attack, Crestor was just another of the many new meds introduced to my diet. Unfortunately, I turned out to be that lucky guy that forced Astra Zeneca's Lawyer's to add the addendum, "on rare occasions Crestor can cause muscle deterioration." After the muscle deterioration, there was no longer enough critical mass in the Lats and Abdominal region to support my spine, so we've been working on rebuilding all of that. So theoretically, if you'd like to get technical--Dehydration can destroy your golf season, and that's only if it doesn't kill you first. I consider this a public service to all who read my blog, and I will be back to regular columns soon. I'd love to get back to writingonly about all things strictly golf---but remember--without your health--there is no golf season.

All The Best

Bernie

I apologize to my regular readers for the rather lengthy time frame since my last posting. This has been one of the more vicious Texas Winters I can remember, and since 3 of the 4 courses in my regular rotation reside just below the flood plain, it has been hard to get a good round or two in over the past several months, let alone the several rounds needed to affirm, and then re-affirm what will be in the bag for the season. Well, after regaining 15 MPH of my former swing speed since this summer's heart attack, the bag is finally in some semblance of where she needs to remain for the season. Here we go.

Driver--9.5* Aurora with Accuflex Stiff Shaft. This club is an absolute distance monster thanks to the legendary "Aurora Driver Head" made of forged Aermet Steel, and forged at none other than The Kobe Steel Works in Japan. The Accuflex Shaft is phenomenal, and now that I have rediscovered my swing plane--it's only a matter of time until I'm splitting a few down a sun- baked Texas Fairway for 285-300 yards.

Safety Driver--This is a 10* club with the length cut to 43.5". It comes in at 330cc's vs the 440 cc's of my driver. I hate hitting 3 woods off of the tee, and this thing is darned near as long as the driver. It ought to be, as it too is an Advanced Golf Technology Club manufactured at The Same Kobe Steel Works, and it too is made of forged Aermet Steel. When I step up to the tee, and need The World's Easiest 200 yards down a narrow fairway, I pull this baby out and give her a nice even tempoed 75% swing.

3 Wood--This is my first 15* 3 Wood in many moons. I have almost always played a strong 3 at 13*. With the Safety Driver now an integral part of my bag, my 3 wood no longer has to do double duty. Besides, this 15* Monster is just as long as an old 12* 2 wood I used to carry around, but it's so much easier to hit. It too is an Advanced Golf Technology Club made at the Kobe Steel Works and forged of Aermet Steel.

My long irons have been replaced, but I no longer carry a 5 or 7 Wood. Instead I have 3,4, and 5 numbered hybrids. They are the Adams A4 OS Models with the Graphite Design YSQ Hi Launch Shafts. These are great clubs from 185 on in. I can't tell you how many strokes I've sawed off of my game by swinging one of these at 60% instead of flailing away with a long or mid iron. It's the best move I've made in sometime, and it feels good to go pin-seeking from long distance again. A word of warning though--unless you are playing a 3 piece urethane covered ball, you'd better launch it high if you expect it to stop from 180 out on these hard winter greens. Springtime or not--they haven't softened up yet, and may take another month or so to do it.

I still carry a 7 Iron, as that is one easy club to hit. Besides, it's a Wilson Di-9, so it really plays like an old school 5 iron. From there I jump to Pitching Wedge, Approach Wedge, and Gap Wedge--these are all steel shafted Wilson Di-9's so they play at least one club stronger than labeled. I personally like the feel of these particular Wilsons, and though they were bought as stop gap clubs after my heart attack, they may actually end up staying in my bag for at least 2 more seasons.

My 54* Sand Wedge, 58* Lob Wedge, and 62* Flop Wedge are all Nickent Arc Wedges. One of the first things John Hoeflich did after leaving TaylorMade and attempting to save Nickent Golf was to take this very good design, and regrind the soles similar to the soles one sees on tour. These Nickent Arc Wedges are about the closest thing to a tour van wedge you will find in an off the rack version. If you have a club fitter or do any of your own sole grinding you will see what I mean. Sadly, they are already obsolescent thanks to the new rules of competition, but I plan on keeping them for at least 2 more years, whereupon I will probably upgrade to the new Clevelands, The new score lines between zip grooves pattern works exceptionally well for my swing.

My Flatstick remains the Scotty Cameron Detour Mallet. This putter is definitely not for everyone. It was probably the only commercial flop in the entire Scotty Cameron line. Fortunately for me--it fits my putting stroke perfectly, so I own not only one, but 2 of these gems. I picked them up for $80 apiece, and thank my lucky stars that someone finally built a putter to fit my rather unorthodox pseudo pendulum/slightly arced at impact and follow through/ hybrid putting stroke.

These are all clubs I feel safe recommending. I have been experimenting with all the new balls this year as I am currently on the last 2 Dozen of my beloved "New and Improved" Wilson PX 3's that were discontinued here in The States roughly4 years ago, as well as the last 10 Dozen Bridgestone B-330s (Discontinued 3 piece version) Golf Balls in my inventory. This should carry me through the rest of this season, and the first half of next season, but I've already been on the lookout for the next ball to re-stock my inventory with. So far--the new Wilson FG Tour is the winner. I highly recommend that ball, as well as all the clubs, as esoteric as some of them may be, listed here in my bag. Have a great day--and thanks again for dropping by. Hit 'em long and straight.

Bernie

Opportunity Knocks During The Great Recession

• It's been 6 months since the heart attack. The Nickent Woods have paid their dues as I have slowly rebuilt my swing speed. Thanks to the recession, the Nickent Woods were bought for a song, and they came with the upgraded V2 Shafts no less. It's a shame when good companies go bankrupt, but it does give the poor beleaguered golfers of the world, such as yours' truly, the opportunity to acquire top notch equipment on the cheap. This is very handy when going through life changing transitions such as cardio rehab.
  
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• Since the heart attack, when my driver swing speed plummeted from 103 MPH to a rather meager 80 MPH, I have worked incessantly on width of swing arc, synchronization of hip turn, smoothness of transition, working on a "Turn Away" instead of a "Take Away", and just about anything necessary to try and regain lost swing speed. After six months, I have managed to get my swing speed back to 95 MPH. Because of that fact, the Regular Flex OEM shafts in my woods, which I desperately needed after the heart attack, are now a tad on the noodley side. The 3 Wood and 5 Wood are still in the bag for now, but the driver and 7 Wood have since been pulled.
  
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• The Driver, which was perfect for my swing 15 MPH ago, is now, due to a faster swing, A Duck Hook machine. Despite a weakened grip, the shaft is no longer resistant to a more aggressive swing, and the closed face it left the factory with has now become a hindrance rather than a help. I'm not complaining, as it was easily the best driver for the job when I desperately needed her. The 7 Wood was simply a helper club until I began building my swing speed back up past 90 MPH. I still recommend 7 Woods to those who no longer hit their mid irons as far as they used to, but don't care for hybrids. Both clubs have served their purposes well, but with the resurgence of a lot of my old swing speed I have moved to a driver with a stiffer shaft, and away from the 7 Wood and back to mid irons.

Meanwhile, the recession continues to create opportunities for those in the midst of transition. For those of us who have been playing this silly game for any length of time, the names Advanced Golf Technology and Accuflex should ring a bell. Both companies have taken the gas in the midst of this economic downturn and gone belly up. Because of this, I have been able to acquire several amazing prototype heads from "Advanced Golf Technology", and some of the best shafts ever built from Accuflex. The combination is one I am surprised I have not read about anywhere else.

I now have some of the longest woods known to mankind, and I am in the midst of reorganizing my bag accordingly. I may even put a Fairway Driver in there. I will update the blog shortly, but let's just say, between the 20+ wood heads, and numerous shafts I've managed to acquire for less than $100, there's a lot of experimentation going on. I'll post some results shortly. Let's just say--despite all the opportunity in the YARDAGE+ Category--7 of my 14 clubs remain Short Game Oriented. 6 Wedges and a putter. It paid off in yesterday's round, but like any other testosterone driven red-blooded American Male Golfer--I'm still looking for that magic "Extra 20 Yards" off the tee box. See you next time.

Bernie

First Few Birdies of the New Season

Fishin' Fore Chips

I've been braving the cold wet weather we've been having here in North Central Texas lately, hoping to finally reassert some sort of semblance of a grip on my game again. The soap box I stood so proudly upon in my last post has become my new battle cry.---"If you want to go low, go short." The ability to judge my chip shots by a matter of feet rather than yards has improved my score immensely. We won't talk about how bad my game got after the recent heart attack, (I was actually struggling to break 100 for a while there--but I digress), let's just say that my picture was in the dictionary next to frustration, and even served as a back up shot for "high-handicapper". The ability to chip within a few feet of the cup from several locations and 1 putt not only saved many a par, but even led to a few birdies this last round. I enjoyed my first single digit (8 over) round in 2 years, and I had a total of a mere 28 putts. After going over my bag something stood out loud and clear---1/2 of my 14 allowable clubs are short game oriented. Pitching Wedge, Approach Wedge, Gap Wedge, Sand Wedge, Lob Wedge, Flop Wedge, and Putter. Fact of the matter is--as weird as that may sound, once I get within 110 yards, I have at least one club I can use for almost any distance, and that each club (save the putter) has at least 2 (if not 3 or even 4) different swings I use regularly. This virtual panapoly of shots has helped my game more than anything since finally settling on a make and model of ball I can stick with for more than one season.

One Make and Model

Now a lot of us will jump at the chance to play a tour level ball. If you have the club head speed for that sort of thing and a nice fat wallet I say--"Go for it!" I used to have a much faster swing, and a little bit fatter wallet. At that time I played the then 3 Piece Bridgestone B-330 S which fit both my swing and my short game. I cannot emphasize enough how important it is to stick with one make and model for both your practice and your game. If you chip with range rocks on the practice green--you should know that they are going to release as much, if not even more so, than your average 2 piece ball. If you're out on the real course hitting a 3 or 4 piece tour level ball it's not going to release anywhere near as much. Why this matters is for the very reasons I was talking about earlier---if you can't judge your chip shots to the nth degree of yardage (which you won't be able to do if you're constantly practicing with a different ball than the one you're playing with) than good luck sticking one close when you've short sided yourself off the green. Good luck judging how that ball is going to react to the green when it comes flying out of that bunker. Good luck judging the distance on that putt-----(Well--you get the idea.)

Now I'm not here just to beat up on 2 piece balls. Lord knows that immediately following the heart attack, and the tremendous drop off in swing speed from that point that I was back to 2 piece balls just to get some distance back in my game. But the fact of the matter is that I practiced with the same ones I played. As my speed came back I found a good 3 piece budget ball that fit my new in between swing--and the Wilson Staff Zip actually ended up fitting my game better than either the Srixon Tri Speed, The TaylorMade Burner TP LDP, or The Top Flite Gamer. All of these other 3 were very fine balls mind you--just seems that The Wilson Zip fit "MY" swing. As my game gets better and better I'll eventually be looking for a new tour level ball for next season. (One that fits my swing and one I can afford to practivce with as well as one that fits my swing.)

Three Courses

I realize this isn't always practical for most people--but I recommend it if at all possible. Find a course that challenges you for distance, one that challenges you for shot shape, and one that you feel challenges your putting. If you only have one course you can get to time and again--hopefully it will be the one that challenges your shot shape. After all--you can always move back another set of tees if you need to work on distance, and as far as putting goes, just playing on any course is a challenge in and of itself. Distance and speed are everything, and the greens I'm putting now will be different than those in the summer---even on the same course. I like the three or four different courses in my usual rotation as they stop me from getting too complacent. It's important to get to know a course, and a home course is something we should all have, but familiarity can breed mediocrity if one is not careful. Personally--I'm just glad to be back after it at all. Have fun----and hit 'em long and straight.