Joe,
I copy many of the lessons and save them in a "Golf File" Subject Request. Equipment: Are there advantages with "Name Brand Equipment" ? I love building clubs, but have no data as to best shafts for me, frequencing, etc. What Skill level should a golfer consider custom made clubs?
Thanks for considering,
Byron L. Sanders
Hello Byron,
Getting custom made clubs is not so much a matter of skill level, it is more of a matter of how much improvement is expected for how much cost. I am seeing more and more technology improvements every year, and yet the average golf scores have not improved for many many years. There is a lot of competition among the many golf club manufacturers, so you will always hear the techno-geeks jumping all over the detailed specs of a club. Now there are so many variations to consider, that you can never be sure which combination of which variables will be best for you. It is like saying if your current clubs are 98 percent perfect fit for you, and yet you are still going to seek 100 percent. If you do the math, how many strokes does that gain you (remember less than half of your shots in a round are full swings)? How did the old timers manage to shoot under par with comparatively lousy balls and clubs that were not much more than a stick with a hunk of wood or metal on the end? Anyway, to answer your specific questions, I prefer stiff/low torque shafts because they reduce variables and should make your shots more accurate. The only danger of getting shafts that are too stiff is that you might lose a little distance and your shots may go lower, but hey, Ben Hogan said you should try to hit your shots lower anyway, and it is hard to argue with anything Ben said. If you can afford the name brands, go ahead and get custom-fitted because they have put a lot of research into their designs and their quality control is probably better than lesser known brands. If you cannot afford name brands or custom fitting, you can still get good results with lesser known or off-the-shelf brands. Try to attend some free demo days to get a feel for the best shaft lengths and lie angles for you, and then you will have a better idea of what to buy off the shelf.
Joe
Friday, March 19, 2004
Joe,
Why is it a penalty if you accidentally have a double-hit?
Randy
Hi Randy,
This is one of many rules that seem unnecessary. Rules are supposed to to prevent cheating or gaining unfair advantages. Aside from putting, I think it would take a lot of skill to do a double-hit on purpose, and even if you could, I don’t see what advantage you could possibly be gaining by deliberately doing that. I hope some day the overriding question to any Ruling is "Was there any advantage gained by an unintentional infraction?". If the answer is clearly NO, logic says there should be no penalty. Scores should be determined by shot-making skills, not by technicalities. A double hit is not something done on purpose to gain an advantage, it was an accident, and it is never a good thing. The golfer was only taking one swing, not two. I had to shake my head while reading a magazine that suggested that a shanked shot is a double hit, once on the hosel and once on the clubface. Geez, isn’t a shanked shot bad enough, and now you want to add a penalty besides? Just shoot me instead. I’m not sure that people who like these rules should be allowed to reproduce. We need a new set of rules for the 21st century, and let the archaic rules of prior centuries go the way of the archaic equipment like the hickory shaft and the gutta-percha ball.
Joe
Why is it a penalty if you accidentally have a double-hit?
Randy
Hi Randy,
This is one of many rules that seem unnecessary. Rules are supposed to to prevent cheating or gaining unfair advantages. Aside from putting, I think it would take a lot of skill to do a double-hit on purpose, and even if you could, I don’t see what advantage you could possibly be gaining by deliberately doing that. I hope some day the overriding question to any Ruling is "Was there any advantage gained by an unintentional infraction?". If the answer is clearly NO, logic says there should be no penalty. Scores should be determined by shot-making skills, not by technicalities. A double hit is not something done on purpose to gain an advantage, it was an accident, and it is never a good thing. The golfer was only taking one swing, not two. I had to shake my head while reading a magazine that suggested that a shanked shot is a double hit, once on the hosel and once on the clubface. Geez, isn’t a shanked shot bad enough, and now you want to add a penalty besides? Just shoot me instead. I’m not sure that people who like these rules should be allowed to reproduce. We need a new set of rules for the 21st century, and let the archaic rules of prior centuries go the way of the archaic equipment like the hickory shaft and the gutta-percha ball.
Joe
Thursday, March 18, 2004
Joe,
Please advise me as to a solution to a problem of freezing over the ball (esp with the driver and long to middle irons). This problem began about 6 months ago and has gotten worse. I am fine on the practice tee and can make a practice swing on the course with no problem but when I get over the ball to hit it, the freezing starts. I have played golf for over 40 years and have played well (5 handicap until this problem began). I can chip and putt and hit sand wedges with no problem also. Please help!
Bill Coons
Hi Bill,
Many people have had this problem, including myself. We are just trying to be too careful to start the swing correctly. Some people develop a “waggle” as part of a pre-shot routine, like 3 waggles and GO. When I tried that it was 3 waggles… and… I’m still not ready yet. What finally worked for me was to realize that almost every time I froze over the ball, I would hit a bad shot. So a mental strategy is in order. You must convince yourself that you will guarantee a bad shot if you freeze over the ball. Try a “trigger” or forward press with either the hands or the back knee, or both. This has worked for me and for many others, because it seems to lock everything else into place, so there is no further need to worry about how to start the swing.
Joe
Please advise me as to a solution to a problem of freezing over the ball (esp with the driver and long to middle irons). This problem began about 6 months ago and has gotten worse. I am fine on the practice tee and can make a practice swing on the course with no problem but when I get over the ball to hit it, the freezing starts. I have played golf for over 40 years and have played well (5 handicap until this problem began). I can chip and putt and hit sand wedges with no problem also. Please help!
Bill Coons
Hi Bill,
Many people have had this problem, including myself. We are just trying to be too careful to start the swing correctly. Some people develop a “waggle” as part of a pre-shot routine, like 3 waggles and GO. When I tried that it was 3 waggles… and… I’m still not ready yet. What finally worked for me was to realize that almost every time I froze over the ball, I would hit a bad shot. So a mental strategy is in order. You must convince yourself that you will guarantee a bad shot if you freeze over the ball. Try a “trigger” or forward press with either the hands or the back knee, or both. This has worked for me and for many others, because it seems to lock everything else into place, so there is no further need to worry about how to start the swing.
Joe
Wednesday, March 17, 2004
Joe,
I have often heard that shifting of bodyweight is of great importance in the swing. I am sure that this is right. Anyway, isn´t it the move you make that result in the shift of weight and not the opposite. What should I focus on? Could you please clear this out for me?
Best regards
Christer Lindeman
Sweden
Hello Christer,
The most important part of shifting the body weight is on the downswing. You must finish with all your weight on the front foot. Of secondary importance is the weight shift of the backswing. At the top of your backswing, you should feel pressure on the inside edge of your back foot (this may be the “move” you are looking for), this enables you to push off as you start your downswing, and helps to get your lower body going forward on the downswing.
Joe
I have often heard that shifting of bodyweight is of great importance in the swing. I am sure that this is right. Anyway, isn´t it the move you make that result in the shift of weight and not the opposite. What should I focus on? Could you please clear this out for me?
Best regards
Christer Lindeman
Sweden
Hello Christer,
The most important part of shifting the body weight is on the downswing. You must finish with all your weight on the front foot. Of secondary importance is the weight shift of the backswing. At the top of your backswing, you should feel pressure on the inside edge of your back foot (this may be the “move” you are looking for), this enables you to push off as you start your downswing, and helps to get your lower body going forward on the downswing.
Joe
Tuesday, March 16, 2004
Joe, I have read many articles that refer to reading the green. grain, but they don't tell you what to look for and give examples. Up hill breaks, downhill breaks what to look for and where to putt to. Please help as this is the only weak part of my game. Thanks Royal III
Hello Royal III,
The first thing to do on every hole is to observe the terrain as you walk up to the green from 100 yards inward. Which way will water likely drain off the green? That is the way putts will break in general if you do not observe any further undulations while reading any specific putt up close. Try the “plumb-bob” method where you stand behind the ball and hold up the putter’s shaft so you can see the hole along the shaft. Does the hole look perpendicular to the shaft, or is there a tilt? The third idea is to aim at an intermediate target, rather than aiming at the hole. You should already have estimated how much the putt will break, so pick a discolored spot on the green along that line and aim at that spot, it is much easier to hit a spot closer than the hole. Find a practice green that has a lot of slope and observe the differing amounts of break on uphill or downhill putts along the same line. Only with practice and observations can you get a feel for this.
Joe
Hello Royal III,
The first thing to do on every hole is to observe the terrain as you walk up to the green from 100 yards inward. Which way will water likely drain off the green? That is the way putts will break in general if you do not observe any further undulations while reading any specific putt up close. Try the “plumb-bob” method where you stand behind the ball and hold up the putter’s shaft so you can see the hole along the shaft. Does the hole look perpendicular to the shaft, or is there a tilt? The third idea is to aim at an intermediate target, rather than aiming at the hole. You should already have estimated how much the putt will break, so pick a discolored spot on the green along that line and aim at that spot, it is much easier to hit a spot closer than the hole. Find a practice green that has a lot of slope and observe the differing amounts of break on uphill or downhill putts along the same line. Only with practice and observations can you get a feel for this.
Joe
Sunday, March 14, 2004
Joe,
Is it a good idea to use a 1-iron?
Ray
Hi Ray,
Lee Trevino says when there is lightning, hold a 1-iron up in the air because even god cannot hit a 1-iron. Jim Murray says the only time he ever used a 1-iron was to kill a tarantula and that took him 7 strokes. Someone else once said a 1-iron goes just as far as any other club, when you throw them.
When I tried it, I found that a 1-iron hits the ball about as far as a fairway wood when I hit the sweet spot, maybe with a little more accuracy, but the sweet spot on a 1-iron is very small, so when I miss the sweet spot, the distance is much less, so in my opinion it is better to use a fairway wood instead.
Joe
Is it a good idea to use a 1-iron?
Ray
Hi Ray,
Lee Trevino says when there is lightning, hold a 1-iron up in the air because even god cannot hit a 1-iron. Jim Murray says the only time he ever used a 1-iron was to kill a tarantula and that took him 7 strokes. Someone else once said a 1-iron goes just as far as any other club, when you throw them.
When I tried it, I found that a 1-iron hits the ball about as far as a fairway wood when I hit the sweet spot, maybe with a little more accuracy, but the sweet spot on a 1-iron is very small, so when I miss the sweet spot, the distance is much less, so in my opinion it is better to use a fairway wood instead.
Joe
