Joe, last week you said if someone else from another fairway hits your ball and you cannot find yours, that it should not be a penalty for recreational golf. It really is a lost ball, you have to go back and tee it again. Also you said if you and your buddy are betting money and you are not sure who wins on account of this to just forget to sign the scorecard so both of you are DQ'd and give the money to charity. Instead you should just withdraw from the match. I do think the time has come for a separate set of recreational rules, but that has not happened yet, so we should all play by the same rules or else we will not know where to draw the line, like mulligans and foot wedges, etc.
Bob
Hello Bob, thank you for the feedback, I agree with most of what you said, for example in formal competition, no question, a stolen ball is a lost ball, we both said that. However, in a personal bet with your buddy only, and nobody else involved, you suggested (a) go back to the tee and hit again, which is against local Pace rules which could get you kicked off the course, or (b) withdraw from the match, which is pretty much what I meant by saying tongue-in-cheek to give the money to charity. Not signing the scorecard deliberately was only my poor attempt at a joke. We both also said maybe the time has come to have a new set of recreational rules that avoid unnecessary penalties for things that have nothing to do with cheating. Somebody else stealing your ball is not deliberate cheating on your part. You cannot put that in the same category as the mulligan and the foot wedge, both of which are deliberate actions by the player, not by the ball thief. That’s like saying if somebody steals your car and gets a speeding ticket then it is your fault and you have to pay the fine for that speeding ticket. I am also glad to see your statement that there are several other rules that we both feel should be changed or discarded altogether, and that you are becoming more of an advocate for two sets of rules, one for tournaments and one for recreational golf. That makes you a fellow patriot, just like our forefathers who, instead of meekly giving in to old British tax rules forever, finally objected and eventually got their way. Good thing they did or else we would all be having our daily tea and crumpets and speaking with a jolly good accent. And, since purists insist that a rule is a rule and reform is a no-no, we would also still be playing with hickory shafts and gutta-percha balls. Anyway, my intention is not to offend purists with my tongue-in-cheek remarks, I just like to have a little fun by stirring the pot and watching the fur fly. Thanks again for the feedback Bob, and keep it up.
Joe
Thursday, January 20, 2005
Joe,
FROM TIME TO TIME I SLICE RATHER BADLY.I HAVE DISCOVEREDTHAT WHEN I DO IT I PLAY FROM "OUT" TO "IN". WHAT IS THE SIMPLEST WAY OF COUNTERACTING OUT TO IN SWING PATH?
MANY THANKS
KAS
Hi Kas,
Since I have never seen you swing, I can only guess that your outside in swing has a root cause. I have seen this in other people where the cause is the flying back elbow. I would recommend going to the top of your backswing and stop. Then bring your back elbow as close as you comfortably can to your other elbow, and that will help your downswing to go on an inside out path. Remember, as your body is turning during the downswing, the path of the club is also turning, so you might think you are swinging down the target line, but you are not because the body turn brings the club outside in by the time it arrives at the ball. That is why you must try to swing inside out, because your body turn will bring the club back to square without you realizing it.
Joe
FROM TIME TO TIME I SLICE RATHER BADLY.I HAVE DISCOVEREDTHAT WHEN I DO IT I PLAY FROM "OUT" TO "IN". WHAT IS THE SIMPLEST WAY OF COUNTERACTING OUT TO IN SWING PATH?
MANY THANKS
KAS
Hi Kas,
Since I have never seen you swing, I can only guess that your outside in swing has a root cause. I have seen this in other people where the cause is the flying back elbow. I would recommend going to the top of your backswing and stop. Then bring your back elbow as close as you comfortably can to your other elbow, and that will help your downswing to go on an inside out path. Remember, as your body is turning during the downswing, the path of the club is also turning, so you might think you are swinging down the target line, but you are not because the body turn brings the club outside in by the time it arrives at the ball. That is why you must try to swing inside out, because your body turn will bring the club back to square without you realizing it.
Joe
Monday, January 17, 2005
Joe,
How can clubhead speed be increased?
Cindy
Hi Cindy,
This can best be illustrated by using a ping pong ball and paddle. If you swing very hard with your arms, but with no wrist action, the ball will not go very far. If you swing with all wrist action, but no arms, the ball still will not go very far. So obviously the answer is the combination of arm and wrist action. However, timing is most important. If you use the wrist too soon, you end up with only arm action at the point of impact, hence the term “hitting from the top”, and you get poor distance. You can send the ping pong ball the farthest by swinging your arms first, and delaying the wrist action until the last possible instant. This timing of the wrist snap is most important because it does not just ADD arm speed plus wrist speed, it actually MULTIPLIES them. Think about swinging easy with the arms and hard with the wrist at the last possible moment. Try this with the ping pong ball and paddle and you will see how this will increase distance, then use the same idea with a golf club. Watch the slow motion replays of the pros on TV, this is exactly how they get great distance with a seemingly effortless swing.
Joe
How can clubhead speed be increased?
Cindy
Hi Cindy,
This can best be illustrated by using a ping pong ball and paddle. If you swing very hard with your arms, but with no wrist action, the ball will not go very far. If you swing with all wrist action, but no arms, the ball still will not go very far. So obviously the answer is the combination of arm and wrist action. However, timing is most important. If you use the wrist too soon, you end up with only arm action at the point of impact, hence the term “hitting from the top”, and you get poor distance. You can send the ping pong ball the farthest by swinging your arms first, and delaying the wrist action until the last possible instant. This timing of the wrist snap is most important because it does not just ADD arm speed plus wrist speed, it actually MULTIPLIES them. Think about swinging easy with the arms and hard with the wrist at the last possible moment. Try this with the ping pong ball and paddle and you will see how this will increase distance, then use the same idea with a golf club. Watch the slow motion replays of the pros on TV, this is exactly how they get great distance with a seemingly effortless swing.
Joe
