Yen and Yang

Hogan called this pronation and supination and believed it to be fundamental in his golf swing. Some people call it fanning the club. Every tour pro does it and almost every amateur does not. (HuMM)

I do it naturally right handed only and get a shot quality that I want. The thing is that I don't do it completely with both hands on the club. If I don't do it on the backswing or takeaway than I cannot do it on the downswing into impact through release. This is the way I get more feel of the clubhead.

You have to fully embrace that you cannot guide the ball with a clubface. It is only square at impact for and instant. The rewards of understanding this is more effortless power and consistency through better angles.

I'm to keep this Post simple and short. Go out and try this with 30 yard shots and they will probably go 60 and I'll leave it up to your feel to decide if you want this feel in your more full golf swings.

F&G,

DC

The Secret to Power

ok-

This is a longer video so expect some loading time. The goal is to feel the club--especially the whip and power crreated and released. When you understand and master this you can move into bigger swings keeping the same feel in mind. Key concepts here are:
1) Loose hands and creating and releasing angles help you to feel the club.
2) If you create the angle and move your arms back to the ball--the reaction/releasing of the club will be powerful and moving down on the ball.
3) The transition at the top of the swing has to be lightly gripped and smooth and rythmic.

This is action and when you feel/trust and understand this it can happen all the time and the sky is the limit. This is the only thing that has to happen to hit zippy powerful shots. Anything swing thought or awareness that does not compliment this action is a waste of time.

Just to be clear...

I recognize that I got a lil wordy when all I'm trying to say is most backswings get you out of balance and do not allow you to get into the right position to allow you top clear your hips levely and fully. So if you learn to face the ball and make a little angle and lil backswing just using your armswing and keep your hips mostly sqaure than you be able to clear your hips properly. If you don't believe me go back and look at how quiet my hips are on the backswing in all three videos.
As you get good at this skill and feel it and understand it we will then work on getting it into your golf swing. Feel free to send me a video clip when you think you have mastered this lil horizontal drill and I will look and see.

F&G,


DC

B before A

To me: this is one of the most exciting posts YTD. I want to thank Brenda and Frank, Steve and Eleanor, John and Diane and Diane for giving me the support and fuel to write this. We are going to look at the golf swing from the golf balls perspective. The golf ball wants to soar through the air. The golf ball wants to travel a mighty distance--high above the tree line so it can enjoy the panoramic view at 4 to 5 thousand RPS's (revolutions per second) . Why--because the GB Nation over the past two Centuries has gotten a bad rap. They are not the mean and nasty bunch that most people think they are. Actually, they are a proud dependable lot and they have a lot to say about the abuse they have been taking. I have gotten to know ODO (Golf Ball Nation Citizen) and I have found him, although at times unpredictable, to be exceedingly simple and yet remain very interesting at the same time. Odo told me, "They want to feel the clubhead moving downward with a lot of speed right through the clubs sweet-spot". They are a little demented at times but they know what they want. They know what will make them happy and the things that will give them the best chance for a fulfilling ride. I've even learned they are the most excited when they are allowed to do their favorite trick...To slightly over-shoot their landing zone and sneak up on their target from behind.

In this article I want you to marry three thoughts. I would like to thank Doc Abel from Ft. Pierce, FL for the first two thoughts which I heard in 1987 while playing golf for the IRCC Pioneers.

These three thoughts shall be joined together in GB Nation Matrimony:

1) "Good players seem to face the ball a long time."

2) "Good arm swing creates a shoulder turn"

3) "B before A"

To understand this third concept, lets break the golf swing into three basic parts:

A) The Backswing

B) The Downswing

C) The Follow-through

The golf ball only cares what the clubhead is saying at impact--all the rest is pomp and circumstance. So I got to thinking that maybe we learn the golf swing in the wrong order. Maybe we should learn B (the downswing) before A (the backswing). Maybe the only thing important about the backswing (A) is that it allows us to do the downswing (B).

Thus the Title of this Article is "B before A". I feel like most people make such a contrived backswing that they fall of the tracks. I feel that they are in such a challenging position that making a good efficient downswing is next to impossible. Remember, the golf ball doesn't care how pretty your backswing looks. Odo told me while out getting drunk their secret. They only care what the club is doing at the point of contact. This same night ODO and I were getting trashed and he told me how GB nation makes fun of people that try to manipulate the club right before impact causing all hell to break loose- he was in stitches over that one. He went on and on, story after story, finally coming to a point of clarity saying, "Don't we know that it's too late at that point for corrections?"

So now for the Marriage. In the video I demonstrate what feels to be a little backswing where I create a good angle (the function of a proper grip) and hopefully you will notice that I face the ball and the appearance of a shoulder turn is only that. (It is moreover just good arm swing) This is where the marriage of facing the ball and good arm swing creates a shoulder turn comes into play. I do this drill 5 times a day at least for 50 swings. What I am doing in this drill is training the feel of my body-hips-legs in a coordinated effort creating my downswing although I do it horizontally because it is easier. This is a skill you will develop and the goal of this video drill is to learn how to get real, consistent, coordinated power on the downswing. You want to feel that the body (torso,hips,legs) is initiating the turn through and the hands and arms are reacting to this. Our torso's and hips and legs are much more powerful than our arms in this rotary way. I want you to learn to trust this mechanism to deliver your strike. This is what GB Nation has observed and what they have shared with me. It's really a win/win for GB Nation as they have the opportunity to have a lot of fun while being proud of us and get the opportunity to shed their bad reputation.

The reason I call this the Lil' horizontal drill is because I want the backswing to feel little (Lil', small,short) so you can understand the concept of facing the ball on the backswing. If you accomplish this you will be able to feel true connected rotary power on the downswing which is the goal of this Post. Now lets go on to the second word-- horizontal. I want it to be horizontal so you can fully understand the power you are capable of generating. I also want you to feel like you are facing the ball for the backswing--this will keep you in position to create true coordinated power. The third word is drill meaning that you have to do this a lot and get involved with it and good at it.

If none of these words made any sense than just imitate what you see in the videos below and learn that you can create a ton of effortless power. It will be healthier for your body and you will decrease your probability of injuring yourself while increasing your efficiency.

Summary:

If you want to be powerful thru the ball than you have to be in the proper position to be powerful on the downswing. This needs to be your goal. Too many backswings fail to do this!

There is nothing Lateral going on here--notice the head stays centered and the angle of the left leg on the downswing into impact in all the videos. We are learning to have a simple armswing while facing the ball more and due to being in the proper position have the ability to clear through the ball. This feel has to be developed 1st.

Most of us will find this easy to do. If you watch exercise infomercials you can call this type of drill your Golf Zumba Dance. Do it at least 250x per day.

Later in this series we will look into translating this feel into a more vertical golf swing. Remember to keep it more horizontal to start. You guys will be great at this and will be surprised how much power you are capable of generating in your golf swing.

Brighter ball striking days are ahead--Odo Guarantees it!

Therefore...rather than learn a backswing, let's learn to create clubhead speed efficiently on our downswing and learn how to let our bodies and natural athleticism lead the way. BB4A

Fairways & Greens,

DC

PS..

If you are wondering at this point how to create good armswing I do have it labeled out in a 4-step drill in a previous blog post. --(see superfluous motion Post)

The Ultimate Gift

The best gift that I can give my Blog followers is not about how to hit a golf ball better. The Ultimate Golf Gift to me is a perspective/attitude about the game of golf.

I have recently challenged my playing partners to recall their favorite shot of the day after the round as we are sitting down for a drink. My favorite shot is usually not a drive. Although the drive is one of the easiest and most important shot of each hole. If you lay 2 hitting your 3rd shot from the tee (OB or lost) than the rest of the hole is most likely going to be a double or higher. My favorite shot is where I was challenged by a tough lie or hit a great long putt that just rolled by the hole or basically anything I visualized, felt and trusted and then I somewhat achieved the type of shot I was attempting. This is what is fun about golf to me. The reason I ask players what was your favorite shot today is because I get tired of hearing all the negative self -destructive recounts of all the failures of the day. Golf is not about failures, it is about successes!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

The facts are: the game of golf is difficult.

This is givin that you understand what it is you are trying to do in a golf swing. Most people do not even know that. One of my favorite sayings from my old boss at Tedesco CC goes like this. "Most golf information is transferred from player to player and the problem with this transfer of supposed golf knowledge although well intended is that they don't really know what they are talking about and they don't really care." You would think that your golf knowledge at the Country Club level would start from the golf pro and that it branches outward but it does not.

I hear people talking about how many birdie putts they missed that day and how they
should of ' could of' may have' and must of. Here are the facts on putting. The best putters in the world on the PGA Tour make about half of their 6 ft putts in competition on Thursday thru Sunday and the conversion rates get worse the further you get from the hole. We can thank Mr. Pelz for these great statistics. So if the best putters in the world convert only half of their 6 footers as a group average than why would you expect to make all of your 10 footers for birdies. If the best ball strikers in the world who all they do all the time is play and practice golf, hit on the average 14 greens in regulation then why do you beat yourself up if you miss a green.

The facts are that golf is a difficult game chocked full of challenge and this is assuming that you know how to hit a golf ball: most of you do not. I'm not trying to be mean in saying this. The good news is the bad news is wrong. It is not that difficult to learn the basics of grip, posture, alignment, and then creating motion in your clubhead. The problem is very few people are asking, thus condemned to their own swing thoughts. 10 percent of my golf lessons are people telling me how to hit golf ball and I question their motivations for a lesson. Thus, the quote in my favorite quotes blog. "If you are paying someone for their opinion then shut up and listen".

Golf is not a game of rush-rush and and hurry-hurry and finish. It's not about worrying about what the group in front of you or behind you is doing or not doing. Pace of play is incredible over-focused on at the Country Club level. One perspective I would like my blog followers to embrace is: Enjoy your round, enjoy your playing partners and enjoy the challenges that this day of golf will present. Don't get lost in the mentality of why is this group ahead of us so slow or what are they doing and why don't they let us play through. I suggest that if you fall prey to this mentality each time you go to a golf course that you are playing too much golf and need to take a break. Get in pace! Whatever it is, play the game.

Carpe diem

Boxing, Baseball and Golf

This is a post about consisting of some further thoughts on power. Tiger says he feels like he is throwing a big right uppercut. The Golf Channel describes it as keeping your right arm bent on the downswing until impact. Jim Hardy describes it as baseball homerun hitters are pull hitters. He further explains that power is created when the arms stay closer to the body. I'm going to describe it as a powerful right hand punch starts with your upper right torso (shoulder). Pull your arms in tight and bent like you are a boxer--hands up. Now make a punch with your dominate hand. Hopefully your shoulder will rotate back and your arm will stay bent as you powerfully move your shoulder forward and then the last thing that happens is your arm extending outward towards the target. Compare this motion in a power sense to only extending your arm with no shoulder involved in that same punch. This is the same difference in power you can have in your golf swing. This is why every right handed tour pro ends their swing with the right shoulder being their closest body part to the target. Compare this right shoulder action to your horizontal swing and become more aware of the role your right shoulder can play in your golf swing.

Catch and Release

I'm 41 and have been playing golf since I was 10. For the longest time I never really understood what a release was. I heard people talk about it but if you had asked me to define it on paper I would have failed. Here is what Dictionary.com has to say:

To free from confinement. To be free of anything that restrains.

Without getting into what it is exactly that the hands, arms or body do in a release, let's put a definition to how release applies to a golf swing. If the goal of a golf swing is to create motion and translate it to a golf ball, than a release could simply be defined as the non-hindrance of that motion. I think it is a little more than that though.

In past posts I have said that release and lag are inter-related. The better/deeper your lag the better your release.

You can experience this by swinging horizontally. With a good golf grip: create an angle which is the natural result of a good grip and then as you are swinging back and forth continuously create a deep lag on your down swing/forward swing and notice as your hands get to where the ball would be how the centifical force takes over and your arms will actually slow down while the club whips through. If you tie the words "catch and release" you might start to understand how lag and release are inter-related.

Become aware of the horizontal nature of a golf swing. Thanks to a friend of mine Jon B. who let me watch a tape made by Jim Hardy called "The Plane Truth for Golfers" I have become more aware that golf is a 'Side-line' game. Jim likens golf with Baseball and Tennis where the ball is to the side of us and contrasts it with 'In-Line' games like Bowling, Darts or Billiards.

Because golf is a side-line game off he ground, we have to consider both the horizontal and vertical natures of the golf swing. Think about the horizontal aspect of the golf swing sometime when you are doing the 4 foot tee drill (swinging continuously back and forth horizontally) and let it seep into your golf swing.

I have stated that the biggest problem with golfers is 'flipping it' or that there is an element of "trying to help the club get back to the ball' which hinders your centrifical force. Helping the club to get back to the ball hurts your golf swing and shot results. It's not that you do not use your hands-they are on the club. Is is just that most golfers over-use them and they over-use way too early in the downswing. This is why Pro's are always asking you to relax your hands and arms . This is the biggest part of the counter-intuitive side golf. This is why most golfers hit it poorly. This is why on little swings that are not sitting up that they are hit either fat or thin.

The hands in the golf swing need to be used like they would be used to throw a baseball. When you throw a baseball a long way you hold it lightly and have a lot of body action and the hands are the last thing to react and are reacting to a lot of coordinated body movement. one of my favorite sayings in is: "When the body stops the hands take over--so... keep your body/arms moving".

Golf is a game of Opposites

I like the word opposite because it is catchy and implies there is a counter-intuitive side in the game of golf. A more accurate phrase though would be that golf is a game of action and reaction or cause an effect.

The biggest opposite is creating motion from non-motion. We stand at a ball completely still and than have to make an athletic move. Watch a NBA player like ShaQ sometime on the free-throw line. He can do so many things in motion that are fluid and athletic but when it comes to full stop on the free throw line in starts to look awkward. It can be challenging to create motion from
non-motion but it is just a skill that a golfer has to develop.

One way to achieve this is to look at the top of your backswing as the start of the swing. A big backswing does not necessarily create power. Balance creates power. Balance creates the ability to move athletically through a golf ball. No matter what you do eventually there is a change in direction of the golf club in a swing. So much emphasis is placed on the backswing that we forget to hit a golf ball. As a far as I know, the ball has never lied to me. It tells me exactly how good my action was on that swing. It tells me where my point of contact was on the club face and the direction of the club face at impact. The golf ball responds perfectly to all of the above information. I have never hit a golf ball on my back swing. I hit the ball on the downswing. My only focus on the backswing is to stay balanced and load the gun. I were to lose my balance and rhythm on the back swing than making a good athletic move on the downswing becomes more difficult. The goal of the backswing is to load the gun--not to shoot the gun. The shooting comes on the downswing. Visualize baseball players waiting for a pitch. The all have one thing in common--they are balanced on their back foot ready to create motion and be athletic when the pitch is coming.

Down is up. To get the ball up into the air the club has to move downward through the ball. The only way to get the ball onto the loft of the club is for it to be moving downward through the ball. There is no loft on the leading edge of the club. A properly hit golf ball off the ground would include a divot forward of where the golf ball was. This is the evidence of a properly hit golf ball off of the ground. If you cannot make a divot forward of the golf ball than you are a flipper. If you are a flipper than you have a lot of potential to hit a golf ball way better, cleaner and farther by learning to understand the nature of flipping. Why you do it and why it doesn't work. Flippers can get away with hitting shots if they are sitting up but crumble into the fat and thin world with shots that are sitting down.

The cause and effect of lag and release. Entire books could be written on this topic alone but if you want to experience this phenomenon than just swing a golf club horizontally and notice what happens. Notice how your hands just hold the club. Notice how you will naturally create lag on the downswing (forward swing) and then how your hands and arms respond to this lag. Notice how you athletically can sense no need to help the club to get back to and through a ball on a four foot tee. Learn to allow these same physics to apply to your golf swing.

Superfluous Motion

It is entirely possible to try to do to many things with your body while hitting a golf ball. It is possible to lose your natural coordination by trying to swing too big and too full and too fast. We have all hit those "zippy" effortlessly powerful shots and any reasonably competitive person has to ask them self. "Hey Self", How do I do that more often?

If you want to see efficient swings go to any PGA Tour event and be amazed at how much energy is transferred into a typical golf shot while the swing is fluid and apparently effortless. Sure you can always find a few slashers out there but the overwhelming majority of players hit fluid smooth shots most of the time.

I believe that most of the power in the golf swing is delivered from the arms and hands. Sure the arm bone is connected to the shoulder bone and knee bone is connected to the thigh bone... We all know the saying.

Stand at the golf ball with a club at address and recognize that this is basically your starting position and your impact position. All motion you make in your back swing and downswing basically moves back into your address position.

The most efficient way to do this is to have a lot of arm/hand motion with your body supporting. I am constantly amazed how solidly it goes by just keeping your body still and hitting 70% shots using mainly my arms and hands and just letting my legs do what they do to support and my shoulders and torso doing what they do to support. It is this type of porportionality that makes a golf swing look smooth and is efficient.

Good arm swing creates a shoulder turn. To learn good arm swing --learn what each does naturally with only one hand on the club. Here is a four phase drill.

A) Swing right hand only back and forth with a club creating lag and release naturally.

B) Swing left hand only back and forth with a club creating a toe up position at waist height on both back swing and follow through.

C) Swing two clubs -- one in each hand duplicating what you just practiced with A and B one foot off the ground and one foot away from each other swinging harmoniously with each other back and forth continuously.

D) Swing two handed with one club back and forth continually re-creating the feels that you developed in A B and C.

This four phase drill will make you aware of arm swing and will most likely make you have a great shoulder turn while perserving your balance and centeredness.

Try this for 10 minutes a day and relate it to how you naturally swing horizontally and you might discover that they are very similar.

It is entirely possible to overuse your body and sacrifice all the natural athletic power available to you.

Whoosh equals club head speed and when I try to max out my whoosh horizontally I find that I do it with my arms and hands mostly with my body supporting all of this. This is precisely why I'm saying that most of your power in your golf swing should come from your arms and hands.

Creating Club Head Speed

Creating speed with your golf club is not a strength issue--it is an angle issue. The first thing I make beginning golfers become aware of is the whoosh of the club. I will have them swing the club back and forth horizontally listening for the whoosh (club head) and will gradually ask them to increase the sound of the whoosh (increasing their club head speed) . I rarely have to tell them how to do it because when it is done horizontally it is athletic and natural. The things that happen horizontally are the things that you want to translate into your golf swing. You will notice horizontally that your hands are just holding the club and your arms are relaxed. You will notice that creating lag and a deep angle on the downswing is natural and easy. You will notice that your hands rotate over one another where the golf ball would be if it were a four foot tee. A release is not something you force to happen. A release happens in response to good angles and good action on the down swing.

One of my favorite sayings is: If golf were played with 4 foot tees than I would not have a job because everyone would instinctively know how to swing a golf club. The action of the golf swing is exactly the same as the horizontal swing but it is a little more difficult to do on the golf plane which is more vertical due to the ball being on the ground.

I only said a little more difficult--not a lot more difficult. The main reason people don't create much club head speed in a golf swing is because they are thinking about anything but creating speed. Thoughts like 'keep your head still' or 'left arm straight' or some extraneous swing thought like pause at the top tend to take one away from creating club head speed.

Once you get over the concept that you can control the club and that you can guide the ball than you can start to just let the ball get in the way of good motion.

The problem with most golfers is not that they cannot do it. It is mostly that they are not trying to do it and are wrapped up in some swing thought that is control based and they are not getting any whoosh. Motion is inhibited. Trust me--control is an illusion. To hit it straight the club has to swing in a circle and the club head is only square for an instant.

It is easy to lose sight of the Forrest through the trees. There is so much golf talk and swing analysis out there today with your golf buddies and golf magazines and the Internet but I believe anyone can create good motion and good action by just becoming aware of it and sticking with it long enough to develop the skill.


Here is the drill to let what you already know how to do athletically get into your golf swing.

Stand at a teed up ball with your driver. Lift the club up horizontal to the ground and swing it back and forth creating your natural action and motion. Increase your whoosh each swing. Without thought or more than 3 seconds elapsing set the club down and hit it with the goal of translating the horizontal feel into the golf swing.

It is important to remember that their are things that are really important in the golf swing and things that are less important. This is just a guess but creating motion might be one of those things that is really important and deserves your athletic attention.

Golf Swing simplified

Remember that the goal of golf club manufacturers and golf magazines is to sell you their product. Try not to be confused by all the rhetoric.

They say a picture is worth a thousand words. Imagine how many words are used by the 10,000 experts in the world of golf and how they would describe what happens in a golf swing. Next, imagine all the rest of the golf world trying to explain to their buddy's what they do and what they just read in "x" publication. Its important in today's world to be able to filter information.

I believe that it is more important to get good at a few things and develop them rather than fish for a swing thought that fixes everything.

The first thing is to look at your golf club as a tool, like a hammer or screw driver, and figure out what the tool is designed to do. The second thing you have to do is recognize that golf is a skill and it needs to be developed and practiced so that you can have a level of consistency when playing.

This is what I do...

I swing right handed and hit little 10 yard chips. I let they club do its job and I pay attention to the ball flight and the solidness of the shot. When the shot starts going like I want: I pay attention to the feel of the shot. After doing this right handed for a while I then use both hands and then try to get the same solidness and feel as I had achieved with only the right hand. All action is the same in solidly hit golf balls whether it be a little swing or a big swing. The feel of the action through the ball just happens more quickly on bigger swings.

Repeat as necessary.... until you can shoot the score that you desire anywhere.

Caution:

Of the 500 or so lessons I have given in my life about 95% of he people have "flipped it" to some degree ranging from extreme to a little. Flipping it is the overuse of the right hand in an effort to help the ball get up in the air or to get the club back to the ball. The evidence of a flip is either a fat or thin shot. The hands are on the club and are used in the golf swing. Most people tend to over use them unfortunately. The hands in the golf swing are more passive than active. A properly hit golf ball requires the club to be moving slightly downward through the ball, leaving a divot forward of the ball. If you cannot make a divot forward of the ball: you probably flip it. The palm of the right hand should feel like it is facing the ground on the downswing before impact.

Skills that are required to hit a solid right hand little shot are:

1) Learn that the golf club has to be working downward through the shot.

1.5) Learn that in the race back to the ball (on the downswing the ball is a finish line) between the club head and the handle. The handle wins every time.--Eddie Merrins

2) Learn to just hold the club--not squeeze it

2.5) Learn to let the loft of the club get the ball up in the air--not your right hand helping it up.

3) Learn to feel comfortable with your right palm facing he ground on the downswing.

4) Learn to allow the club to swing. This includes the right wrist being relaxed and the right arm free to rotate.

5) Learn to hit through the shot and let the right arm follow through.


This is only an attempt to share what I do and how I look at a golf swing after playing for 30 years. I caution myself not to become paternally righteous about this concept. (If you do what I do you can hit it like me) Maybe you can or maybe you cannot. I don't know...

This is just a simple concept I wish to share. Start small and build up.

Communication does not always have to be a competition

It truly is a practiced art to listen more than you speak. In Japan, they say that speech is silver but silence is golden. I have heard somewhere that you have two ears and one mouth and conversation should be kept in that proportion.

The more valued results of communication are connection and sharing. As far as men and women go: men want to solve problems and women just want us to listen. I have recently learned from a friend the value of dialoging. A good dialog is like a good volley in Tennis. Thoughts bounce back and forth and one is in response to the other. The result being much greater than if you are just dumping on someone. Often, what develops is something greater than you could do alone.

A BLOG is so much more when there is dialog so I hope that site we can achieve this.

This is not a news letter--even though the current 6 followers do not necessarily know one another, you will be surprised with the things you have in common other than me.


My golf thought of the day is that it is more important to get really good at a few really important things than to be confused by a lot of things that you will undoubtedly hear or read about. I am still working on my balance and hitting down and through the ball.

Favorite Sayings/Quotes

"Hood it, Trust it" ---Buddy 'Love' Surette

"Friends are people who know you and still like you". ---Bob Green, Tedesco Country Club Golf Head Professional

It took you that long to that bad of a shot.

Golf is a game of opposites, to hit the ball up in the air the club has to be working downwards through the ball.

When the body stops moving the hands take over so keep your body moving.

Golf is played on one foot.

"In the race between the club head and the club face to the ball the handle wins the race every time." ---Eddie Merrins, Bel-Air Country Club

If you are paying someone for their opinion, shut up and listen.

Never hit a shot trying not to do something.

"I'll never do that again." ---Margaret Costa

"I finally got it - again." ---Anonymous

Hitters hit, swingers swing,
Its much more fun to be a swinger.

There is no such thing as a one fix wonder. You just hope there is.

A big back swing does not necessarily create power.

Trying to keep your head down and left arm straight is a good way to make an awkward looking golf swing.

Believe it, the club marketers are correct. A new driver will make you hit it better.

The last thoughts you should have on any putt should be about distance or weight, not the line.

Don't worry about the grass, it will grow back. A solid shot and a divot ahead of the golf ball go hand in hand.

When in a bunker if all else fails just hit it fat and hard and get it out.

Bear Hill Reference Letter BLOG

A private golf club is like a big family. I would like to thank the members of Bear Hill for making me feel welcome and allowing me to be a part of your family as an Assistant Professional.

In a relatively short period of time we created a culture of learning that was fun and rewarding. I enjoyed my time at BHGC and learned much from you all. I look at each of you who asked for advice on how to play better golf as a compliment and was honored to help. I take these requests very seriously. Thank you for showing me the rewards of helping others and making me feel valued.

If you have any comments or stories to share about your experience with me as an Assistant Professional at BHGC than please share as I will print this Blog and use it as a reference letter.

Please click on the green "Bear Hill Reference Letter Blog" (an underline will pop out as you move the cursor over it) and type in the box and hit post comment if you feel moved to do so.

Best of luck with your on-going relationship with your golf game and thanks for letting me be a part of your BH experience. I look forward to receiving your comments.

Fairways and Greens,

Doug Comstock

Driving Range vs. Golf Course

Why do I always hit it better on the driving range than on the course?

Do you mean beyond the obvious fact that you are hitting the same club over and over rapidly from a perfect lie on level ground?

Yes..

OK

Maybe you just feel like you are hitting it better on the range because you don't have a target in mind and are just hitting it solidly and this is what you are remembering.

Maybe you do have a target but are not as hard on yourself on the range. Seven yards to the right is an ok miss on a range as there is no lake or OB or "oh shit" you just short sided yourself result.

Maybe the driving range focuses you on line and the distance you hit the ball gets pushed to the back seat. (Distance control takes a front seat on the course) It is hard to focus on your distance on a range for many reasons.

Maybe it is related to relaxation as there are no consequences on a driving range. You are not required to go hit it again on the driving range.

Maybe it is because you are by yourself and not in a playing group or competition.

Maybe it is a combination of any and all of the above mentioned or something I have not thought of in the above mentioned "Maybe's".

On a golf course, we hit the ball once every 5 minutes or so and always with a different club from different lies and stances. On the course there are real targets and consequences and real emphasis is placed on line and distance. Then, we have to go hit it again which brings emotion and self evaluation into play.


Bottom line:

They are two completely different things and to compare the two is not apple to apple. The driving range is a great place to practice and see what you are capable of and work on drills but that doesn't necessarily mean that you can "take it to the course". Let me give you an example of the "I got it" mentality that is prevalent in golfing circles. A typical tour pro will hit one shot like he wants and will devote countless hours and 1000's of balls to be able to "take it to the course" and then maybe hit the shot he wants on the course. A typical amateur golfer will hit one shot or a group of shots on the range like he wants and thinks "I got it" then rarely practices and expects it to happen on the course all the time. Who has the correct perspective on how to "take it to the course"?

Swingers vs. Hitters

As far as golf goes, it is much more fun to be a swinger. Swingers swing and hitters hit. To embrace and feel the golf ball just getting in the way of the club is the feel for which we should be searching. You cannot guide a golf ball with manipulations of your hands at impact. This sucks energy away from the club head as the very act of using your hands in the downswing takes away from your centrifical force.

I love to watch people swing the golf club as a baseball batter would. There is rarely tension in the hands as we instinctively/athletically know how to create good angles, lag and a system of the body moving first to create club-head speed.

When the body stops moving the hands take over so keep your body moving. We don't hit at a ball we hit through the ball.

If golf were played with 4 foot tees, I wouldnt have a job. the problem is it is just more difficult to swing like a baseball player in a good golf posture/position.