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.
Saturday, October 2, 2010
Wednesday, August 18, 2010
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.
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.
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