February ’08 Golf Magazine

This month's articles

Sergio’s Power Lag—Lag happens. It’s not something that we need to add to our list of things to do. Look at what happens when you throw a ball over hand. At the end of your throwing backswing you will find that your wrist has flexed. As you start your forward swing of your throw, you will find that the wrist stays flexed. It continues that way until you arm is near parallel to the ground. At that time the wrist un-flexes and the hand, forearm, and arm form a straight line. You did not hold the lag nor release the lag. Instead it is a function of the motion. The same is true with the golf swing. Now do this experiment. Make a forward throw and try to manage the lag. Hold it for as long as you can and release it when you think it would be best. Did this help you throw further? No! Nor will attempting to manage the lag during the golf swing. The only thing that you can do regarding lag is to interfere with it. You can do this in one of two ways: 1) have your wrists so stiff that they cannot release (ball goes low and right), or 2) use your hands (hand action) in an attempt to try to hit the ball with the clubface (the prematurely diminishes the lag (see photo on page 107).

Lag it to tap-in range—I never hit a lag putt. I want to give myself a chance to make every putt. Peter’s drill will not help you get the ball closer to the hole. It will help you identify as to whether your swing plane is parallel to the target line.

Hit a reliable draw—There are two fundamentally different ways to draw the ball: change the swing, or change the setup. Jim is a proponent of the former. Heartland is a proponent of the latter. If you want reliability I think it is a no-brainer to believe you could better manage making a setup change than making a swing change.

Create more clubhead speed—In no way will ankle action increase your clubhead speed. What Paul is actually saying (re-read the article) is that his prescription will inhibit a forward sway (inset photo). Or, you can simply not sway when you swing and leave your ankles do whatever it is they do.

Add yards to your irons—Shifting your weight does not make your swing longer. Check it out for yourself. It does do a great job of making your contact much less consistent.

Straighten out your hybrids—The shaft angle on all clubs is the same. That is to say when you have the club soled properly so the club face has its correct amount of loft, the shaft will not be leaning forward (toward the target) or backward (away from the target). This is why all clubs are played from our center.

Quit hanging shots to the right—I like Rod’s objective, but there is a better means to check if you are rolling the clubface open during the backswing. Here it is:
From the address position swing the club back till the shaft is parallel with the ground. Now look at the clubface. Are the grooves pointing vertically toward 12 o’clock or are they leaning toward 1 or 2 o’clock? Next, finish the backswing so the shaft is parallel to the target line. Without changing the orientation of your clubhead and keeping it parallel to the ground, shift the club so the shaft is perpendicular to the target line. Then (without twisting the shaft) set it down in the address position. If the clubhead has the same orientation as it did before you began your backswing, then you did not turn the club on the backswing.

Putt with the Edge of your wedge—Brady’s instruction about the use of the wedge is functional. However, when you have this shot, rather than using the bottom edge of the wedge, try using the bottom edge of your putter. You’ll be much more comfortable making a putting stroke with a putter and the outcome will be more predictable.

Chip it close from an Uphill lie—Ok.

Stop leaving it in the sand—Rick says that a player leaves the ball in the sand because, “Your bunker swing is too shallow.” However, his 3 step solution makes no change to the “shallow-ness” of the swing.

Create Perfect putting impact—Perfect impact would be contacting the ball with the center of the clubface and the clubface square to the target line. Robert’s instruction addresses neither. Instead what this drill does is promote a de-lofted putter face working against the design by the club manufacturer who puts 3-5 degrees of loft in the putter.

Make a smoother stroke—When you count, make the cadence even and the volume of each number the same. Be aware if you say the word “three” louder than one or two. Also don’t setup the putter wrong. Chuck has the putter sitting on its heel instead of properly soled.

Fix pop-up slices—Disregard this article. If you have this problem, a sure fix is to observe the shaft and clubhead during the first four feet of your backswing. Spend some time training yourself that your forward swing should retrace that portion of your backswing.

How to dominate Par 3’s—I like Retief’s thoughts strategizing about these holes (comments 1-3). With regard to shaping shots, while Retief relates body movements to such shaping, remember it is club movement that shapes shots. Disregard his swing tips.

Private Lessons
Stay loose for more yards—ok
Reach the green from fairway bunkers—Ok.
How to shape shots by feel—Feel is related to how the body feels. Such feelings are one step removed from what shapes the shot—the club. Always work on being aware of what you want the club to do.
How to check for power leaks—Ok.
Use different clubs for chipping—Ok.
**I think this is the first time I’ve ever found most (let alone all) of these Private Lessons to meet my approval!

November 2007 Issue

November ’07 Golf Magazine Instruction Commentary



This month's articles

-POSITIONS “A”. Blah, blah, blah. Let’s cut to the chase. This is the next version of a long list of articles prescribing the “body positions” of pro vs. amateur. This may be one of the worst of the lot because it is based on one high handicapper and one pro. There is discussion of their body but not one word about the club. Not one word about the tool that determines ball flight. If golf was scored on style and body positions this would be a landmark article worthy of your study. Since golf is scored by and enjoyed for ball flight, this article is worthless.

-HOW TO MAKE LONG HOLES PLAY LIKE SHORT ONES—This is another in Dave’s interesting analysis of golf statistics. He’s good at this. I like Dave’s analysis but not his recommendation. The problem he suggests is that amateur golfers attempt to hit longer drives on longer holes and wind up hitting poorer drives because their added effort distorts their swing. The solution he offers is a band aid. Instead, learn to make your swing consistent regardless of distance.

-HOW TO HIT PIN-SEEKING IRONS—And why does this technique make you more accurate? This article describes one way to produce a knock-down shot but does not offer one word about why a knock-down is more accurate than a normal swing.

-HOW TO BLAST ONE FROM A BUNKER DOWNSLOPE—This is ok, but think twice about spending time practicing this versus making 3-4 foot putts.

-6 WAYS TO FIX EVERY BAD SHOT—David should have titled this “6 Ways to fix every bad shot that is caused by strange body movements.” Read the first ten words of each of the 6 problems. All of these are strange body movement problems. These solutions have not benefit for problems from things like a problematic grip or poor alignment.

-HOW TO ATTACK WITH YOUR SHORT IRONS—I want to ask you to look at Brian’s two photos on the left. Lean to the right at address and then sway to the left on the back swing? That’s a sure way to make a simple shot more difficult. Brian also offers that prudent advice to “hit down on the ball”. That’s icing on the cake.

-SWING YOUR BAG TO STOP YOUR SWAY—I want to see Peter use this with one of his students. He wins the “creative but silly” golf instruction award.

-MOVE YOUR LEFT SHOULDER, ADD YARDS—Why is the yellow arrow longer in photo #3 than in photo #1? Does Bob have an elastic collar bone? Notice that the butt of the club in photo #3 is 15 inches (approx) from the center of his body and the club 4 feet. What is the chance of the club head arriving at the center the same time as the butt of the club? Answer: Slim and none. It appears to me that this is a sure way to have the ball go to the right.

-HOW TO STRAIGHTEN OUT YOUR PUTTS—Anne offers a great alternative if you don’t have a golf ball handy. If you do, then use it. Stretch a string out on the green (or carpet), place the ball inch from the string, and then make the putt. If the stroke is good and the blade is square at impact, the ball will roll parallel to the string.

-STOP SLICES (AND HOOKS!) WITH YOUR FEET—The idea behind this instruction is that if I put the body in a strange position I can force the swing to be different. Here is an alternative: Leave the feet in a normal position (each foot perpendicular to the target line and the toe line parallel to the target line), then swing the club correctly.

-HOW TO TURN YOUR SLICE INTO A DRAW—(I’d be more impressed if Steve taught us to turn the slice into straight). Here is the first article in this issue that deals with the club. I can’t imagine how this works but it might be fun to give it a try.

-BENCH YOUR SWING—This article deals with the club also. Nice. When doing drill 1 use a 5 iron instead. An eight will probably hit the ball too high.

-4 EASY WAYS TO BE A MORE CONSISTENT BALLSTRIKE—Can the formula for “hitting everything better” be reduced to : 1)shorten your backswing, 2)back a bigger hip turn, 3)Swing slower and with more arms, 4)release with your chest? I don’t think so. Again this is all body stuff and doesn’t deal with the essential role the club plays.

-USE YOUR TRIGGER TO INCREASE FEEL—Control of the putter results from: having a correct grip that squares the club face, swinging the club, have the putter aligned so the swing rolls the ball to the target. Forget the finger.

-IMPROVE YOUR CHIPS FROM THE ROUGH—Ok

-CURING WRISTINESS—Ok

-RELAX YOUR RIGHT ELBOW—Ok

-STAND TALL FOR A BIG TURN—At address, anything more than a slight knee-flex will restrict your back swing. The only knee flex that is appropriate is that which is necessary to sole the club.

March 2007 Issue

This month's articles

-BLAST FROM DEEP BUNKERS—This instruction is ok but learning how much to open the face and how big the swing should be takes practice. This shot requires no change in swing but does require some experience from practice. It’s an unusual shot, so put it at the bottom of your practice list. P.S. You don’t need a 64 degree wedge. You can rotate the face of any wedge to achieve maximum trajectory.

-WHY DO I STRUGGLE FROM UNEVEN LIES—This is ok except for Fix No. 3. Choose a club with more loft. If the downhill is gentle, align your shoulders to the slope of the hill. If the downhill is step, play the ball back in your stance and align to the left of the target. Like the bunker shot above, these situations need to be practiced so you can have experience from which you can draw.

-ESCAPE CLEANLY FROM DIVOTS—When the ball is in a divot, the lie is different than when it’s sitting on the grass in the fairway. Accept that. Then accept that the club will contact the ball just below its equator. This will result in the trajectory of the shot being lower. That’s ok, you can still make it go straight and all the way to the green. No swing change is necessary.

-HOW TO PUNCH UP YOUR POWER—The club is on the ball for .0003 of a second. Anytime anyone suggests that you “time your swing” thank them and then forget anything you heard. When you swing the club always gets square to the target line directly below your center-the swing times itself. Second, Martin’s idea is to “punch” or put linear energy into the ball. This will prompt you to flex your muscles but will slow down your swing. The swing is circular—keep it that way.

-HOW TO PLAY ON-TARGET CHIPS—Carefully read “The Solution”, notice that it says at set up to keep the shaft in line with the left arm. No take out a straight edge (you can use a business card) and lay it along the shaft of the club in these pictures. Do you ever see the club aligned with his left arm? No. Turn the page on this article.

-GET IT CLOSE BY GETTING WRISTY—Read the warning at the bottom of this article.

-How to control your turn—Let’s make this quick. Look at the club in the photo in the top right corner of page 61. Note how it is not pointing to the target but is pointing to the left. Now look at the photo No. 3. Note how the club is not pointing left but instead is parallel with this toe line. Same turn but two different positions at the top. We are not interested in controlling the turn. We are very interested in controlling the club. Forget this article.

-TRY A FORWARD PRESS FOR SMOOTHER PUTTS—Michael needs to watch the high speed photos taken of a ball coming off a putter face—it has backspin. Since all clubs have loft (even the putter), every shot leaves the club with backspin. You cannot put topspin on a ball unless you contact it above the ball’s equator. Regarding the forward press, look at the full length photo of Michael at address. Look at the putter face relative to the yellow line. See how the putter face is out of square. This putter face will send the ball to the right of the target line. Forget the forward press. The putter has been designed to put its best roll on the ball with the shaft vertical not leaning forward.

-COPY THAT—I like the idea but the devil is in the details. Annika swings the golf club. An uninterrupted swinging motion will turn your right side to the target. Don’t make this happen by trying to turn. Let it happen as a result of an uninterrupted swing.

-OPERATION DESERT ESCAPE—Too complicated. No swing change. No grip change. When you setup begin by hovering the club directly above the ball. Center and balance yourself to the club. Now relocate the clubface to just behind the ball and resting on the ground. This setup will make the lowest part of your swing right under the ball. Therefore the club will contact and propel the ball before the club reaches the sand. In other words, play this like a fairway bunker shot. The ball will travel on a lower trajectory.

-LOW DRIVES FOR LOW TEES—The driver face has “roll”. It is not flat. It has more loft higher on the face and less loft lower on the face.

-TURN LEVEL TO STOP HITTING FAT—The number one reason for fat shots (9 out of 10) is the use of the right hand to make the club face “hit” at the ball. Use the arms only.

-STOP DIPPING TO STOP PUSHES AND HOOKS—Isn’t this silly. For a million dollars and hitting a thousand golf balls don’t you think you could find a way to dip and still hit it straight? Yes. That’s because pushes and hooks have to do with the club not the body. Fix ball flight by fixing the club’s motion not the body’s.

-HOW TO FIX THREE BACKSWING KILLERS—Let’s make this simple. Keep your balance.

-WHAT YOU CAN LEARN FROM A SNAPSHOT—Ok.

-HOW TO BE CLUTCH—There’s a difference between focusing on what worries us during a round and focusing on what we want the club to do. Focus on what you want not on what you don’t (that works well off the course too).

-HOW TO TURN KNEE-KNOCKERS INTO TAP-INS—If this works for you great. But, for tap-ins the arc of the swing is so small it appears as though the putter head is tracking the target line (i.e. straight back straight through). Be careful that this tip doesn’t ruin your swing with the putter and degrade it into a straight-back straight-thru pushing motion.

-TRUST YOUR ROUTINE—absolutely.

-HOW TO BUILD A REPEATING SWING. Get ready this is going to be wild!
PRE-SWING—Keep your spine straight….your spine was made “S” shaped. You cannot (and better not try) to keep it straight. Look carefully at the photo. The yellow line is straight is is back? No.
Three-point stance—Just sole the club correctly and that will position you correctly.
Climb a ladder—the top yellow line is 3 inches below his shoulder.
TAKEAWAY—Move the shoulders and nothing else…look at how the shaft is in line with his left forearm. Now look at the front view of the setup on the preceding page. See how the club shaft is not aligned with the left forearm. So when he says the shoulders move and nothing else, he is not doing what he is saying.
-Key Checkpoint—club shaft, and hands are in line with your belt buckle. Look at the last photo in that series of four—again he isn’t doing what he is saying.
-TO THE TOP—“its not how far back the club is at the top”…huh? The further back it is the more time for acceleration before it contacts the ball. (take a look at Tiger on P. 79). It’s much less as to “how” you take it back but “where” you take it to. You want as full a backswing as is easy for you with the club on plane at the top.
-TRANSITION—don’t drop your arms (that’s a linear direction). Swing them (that’s circular).
-DOWNSWING—Ok.
-Key Checkpoint—“…mostly arms”—ONLY ARMS!!!
-IMPACT—Uh-oh. Look back to the previous page. Notice step 6 where he says, “You’ve done it right if, once again, the club, shaft and your hands are in line with your belt buckle. Now look at the impact position on page 124. He’s not doing what he told you. The reason he isn’t is because he can’t. The reason he can’t is because he “gets shifty” That left wrist is bowing. When it does the clubface gets deloft and/or out-of-square.
-Balance—“…stay balanced”. You can’t “get shifty (i.e. shift your weight) and stay balanced.
-Release—Ok. Release is something you “let” happen, not “make” happen.
-THE FULL SWING—
1) ok
2) ok
3) ok
4) the shaft is not perpendicular to the ground and there is no reason why it is better to have it stop short of being parallel.
5) ok
6) ok
7) the shaft is not perpendicular to the ground because he shifted his weight
8) ok
9) the shaft is not perpendicular to the ground and doesn’t need to be

-ADD WRIST ACTION ON EXTRA-LONG PUTTS—This is disastrous instruction. If you are tossing a ball (underhand) is there ever a distance where “wrist action” would be helpful? Use the same swing, just make it bigger.

-DIVIDE YOUR BALL IN TWO—focusing on parts of the ball guarantees you nothing. Keeping your balance will keep you behind the ball. If you want the ball lower setup with the ball further back in your stance (or choose a lower lofted club).

-LET YOU POSTURE DICATE YOUR PUTTING STROKE—this is almost correct. The lie angle of the putter defines the angle of the swing plane. The flatter the lie the more flat the swing plane. This has nothing to do with your posture.

-FOR MORE LENGTH, LENGTHEN YOUR TARGET—go to the range and find out how far you carry your wedge, 8, 6, and fairway wood. Once you know these you can deduce the rest.