Hello,
I recently bought a DVD that claims that thru Neuromuscular exercises will help us in our swing. The theory is by watching a perfect swing over and over again with different clubs should give you a good tempo swing. I observed that the guy is swinging with his left heel off the ground during his backward swing. The guys on tour do not seem to swing like that. Is there a concern? Even Mark Sensei (Body Golf) doesn’t swing like that. Should I stop seeing it before I swing like a cockadoo? :) I also noticed that he is hitting with a very old wood, steel shafted. Ball flight is amazingly good!
Thanks
Jack
Hello Jack,
If you have ever seen Bobby Jones swing, you will notice that his heel comes way off the ground, and since Bobby Jones was one of the greatest golfers who ever lived, it is logical to say that this is only a mannerism, not a fundamental. If you try to copy every mannerism from every video, you will fry your brain. Mannerisms are minor differences in appearance that are not as important as the fundamentals that you must do to improve. Most mannerisms occur during the backswing (like Jim Furyk) and follow-thru (like Arnold Palmer), most fundamentals, the important things, occur from the top of the backswing to the point of contact. Watch the downswing, how the pros move their weight to the front foot, watch the position of the back elbow, and watch how they delay their wrist action until the last possible instant before contact. If you can imitate those things, then it won’t matter if you look like a cockadoo (whatever that is).
Joe
Friday, June 11, 2004
Hello,
I am a beneficiary of the advice given in your newsletter. I have a question for you...a pro measured me and told me to use Ping green dot clubs which, when I checked on the Ping web site, meant that these are 2 degree upright clubs. My question is which all companies make such clubs. I play with Lynx blade irons and the heel of it some times is above the ground and I have to readjust the club. I do not intend to buy some thing very expensive here in India as choices are a bit limited. Thanks for being there.
Admiringly
Anand (dr.A.V.Pathak)
Hello Anand,
Many golfers are not aware that they need more upright lie angles, and that is part of the reason why their shots are pushed or sliced. I assume you feel that the Pings are too expensive for your taste. The least expensive approach is to try to get your Lynx irons bent more upright, but you must understand there is some risk of cracking the club. If you intend to purchase new clubs, you can usually search the internet to find out which companies in India offer clubs made to your specs. If you can try some “demo” clubs, make sure you use “striking tape and board” to see where the tape gets scuffed when you swing down on the board. The tape should scuffed in the middle of the sole if it fits you properly.
Joe
I am a beneficiary of the advice given in your newsletter. I have a question for you...a pro measured me and told me to use Ping green dot clubs which, when I checked on the Ping web site, meant that these are 2 degree upright clubs. My question is which all companies make such clubs. I play with Lynx blade irons and the heel of it some times is above the ground and I have to readjust the club. I do not intend to buy some thing very expensive here in India as choices are a bit limited. Thanks for being there.
Admiringly
Anand (dr.A.V.Pathak)
Hello Anand,
Many golfers are not aware that they need more upright lie angles, and that is part of the reason why their shots are pushed or sliced. I assume you feel that the Pings are too expensive for your taste. The least expensive approach is to try to get your Lynx irons bent more upright, but you must understand there is some risk of cracking the club. If you intend to purchase new clubs, you can usually search the internet to find out which companies in India offer clubs made to your specs. If you can try some “demo” clubs, make sure you use “striking tape and board” to see where the tape gets scuffed when you swing down on the board. The tape should scuffed in the middle of the sole if it fits you properly.
Joe
Wednesday, June 09, 2004
Tuesday, June 08, 2004
Joe, my local courses are either too crowded, or too expensive. The only courses that are affordable and uncrowded are the shorter par 3 courses, but I like to hit my woods someplace else besides a driving range, and I don’t like traveling long distances to get to other courses. Any ideas?
Abe
Hello Abe,
Years ago, Jack Nicklaus was looking into the future and he saw this happening. His idea was to make a new ball called “half-golf” which would allow the construction of more short courses for people to play without consuming so much real estate. Jack’s idea did not catch on, but another company has come up with a similar idea. In my opinion, this is an idea whose time has come. I recently visited a website ‘almostgolfball.com’ where they have designed a new ball that travels about one-third as far as a real ball, but it is dense enough to allow chipping and putting, unlike most practice balls. It also hooks and slices just like a real ball. If you try these on a short par 3 course, it suddenly plays like a full sized course. At first it might seem like it will mess up your distance judgment, but just change the ‘yardage’ to ‘footage’. Since the ball travels only one-third the distance, and a 100 yard hole is 300 feet, the hole will play like 300 yards if you use the “A-Ball”. You already know what club to use for yardage with a real ball, so that translates into FEET for that same club with the A-ball. That same website also has a lot of other interesting information, check it out. For example, they have tournaments and Happy Gilmour style driving contests in any open field. The A-Ball is safer also, you are not likely to be hurt if you are accidentally hit by one. These balls are available on line, and also at some of the larger golf stores like Golf Galaxy.
Joe
Abe
Hello Abe,
Years ago, Jack Nicklaus was looking into the future and he saw this happening. His idea was to make a new ball called “half-golf” which would allow the construction of more short courses for people to play without consuming so much real estate. Jack’s idea did not catch on, but another company has come up with a similar idea. In my opinion, this is an idea whose time has come. I recently visited a website ‘almostgolfball.com’ where they have designed a new ball that travels about one-third as far as a real ball, but it is dense enough to allow chipping and putting, unlike most practice balls. It also hooks and slices just like a real ball. If you try these on a short par 3 course, it suddenly plays like a full sized course. At first it might seem like it will mess up your distance judgment, but just change the ‘yardage’ to ‘footage’. Since the ball travels only one-third the distance, and a 100 yard hole is 300 feet, the hole will play like 300 yards if you use the “A-Ball”. You already know what club to use for yardage with a real ball, so that translates into FEET for that same club with the A-ball. That same website also has a lot of other interesting information, check it out. For example, they have tournaments and Happy Gilmour style driving contests in any open field. The A-Ball is safer also, you are not likely to be hurt if you are accidentally hit by one. These balls are available on line, and also at some of the larger golf stores like Golf Galaxy.
Joe
Monday, June 07, 2004
Hi,
I am still considered a novice golfer as I took the sport up 4 years ago. I try and get out as much as I can and truly love the sport and wish I had taken it up at an earlier age. I'm 44. I can hit my irons pretty well but have limited success off the tee. I find that most of the drivers available today have graphite shafts and that is where I have the most trouble. I've been told that you need to alter your swing to allow for the "flex" in the shaft. How is one supposed to do this without totally screwing up our normal method of swinging a club? Should I instead try and find a driver that has a stiff shaft so I can swing the same as with my irons?
Thank you,
Jeff J. Najduk
Hello Jeff,
I like your thought process, you should not have to change your swing for a driver or any other club, especially if you are hitting your irons pretty well. You should definitely find a different driver. Too much flex results in wildness. Too little flex results in loss of distance, but usually better accuracy. Many people are having success with graphite shafts that have “low torque”, which means it has flex without twisting. It is the twisting that causes wild shots. Also, most drivers do not have enough loft for the average player, so you lose distance when your ball has less hang time. That is why many golfers do better with a 3-wood. Try to attend demo days where you can try different drivers with different specs and see which ones work best for you. Some driving ranges also will let you try some of their demo clubs. Phone ahead and find out which ones will do that. Good luck, and let us know how it turns out.
Joe
I am still considered a novice golfer as I took the sport up 4 years ago. I try and get out as much as I can and truly love the sport and wish I had taken it up at an earlier age. I'm 44. I can hit my irons pretty well but have limited success off the tee. I find that most of the drivers available today have graphite shafts and that is where I have the most trouble. I've been told that you need to alter your swing to allow for the "flex" in the shaft. How is one supposed to do this without totally screwing up our normal method of swinging a club? Should I instead try and find a driver that has a stiff shaft so I can swing the same as with my irons?
Thank you,
Jeff J. Najduk
Hello Jeff,
I like your thought process, you should not have to change your swing for a driver or any other club, especially if you are hitting your irons pretty well. You should definitely find a different driver. Too much flex results in wildness. Too little flex results in loss of distance, but usually better accuracy. Many people are having success with graphite shafts that have “low torque”, which means it has flex without twisting. It is the twisting that causes wild shots. Also, most drivers do not have enough loft for the average player, so you lose distance when your ball has less hang time. That is why many golfers do better with a 3-wood. Try to attend demo days where you can try different drivers with different specs and see which ones work best for you. Some driving ranges also will let you try some of their demo clubs. Phone ahead and find out which ones will do that. Good luck, and let us know how it turns out.
Joe
