Earn Your Golf Balls

Dick and Robert :

Very Interesting! -- I used to play in best ball tournaments with a partner who was "long and wrong". But he always asked me to partner with him, even though I had "give up" about 3 or 4 strokes to meet the team handicap differential requirements.

He seemed to like having me in the fairway and near the green all the time, almost guaranting a bogie (net par for us on most holes) because it "freed him up" to do the "Mickelson thing" from the trees and rough,etc. Jim frequently pulled it off and saved par or made birdie, but when he failed it was a real "crash and burn, down in flames".

Keep hitting them STRAIGHT and LONG

Amos

Robert,

I like this and do pretty much the same thing, except that I line my heels up with the flat surface of the wall. I find that helps me get my forward arm on the toe line. If I hit the wall with my back arm (right), I know I have gone too far. Of course, it could have to do with how close I stand to the corner. If I were to stand far enough away so that my hands cannot touch the wall, what you say seems to be accurate. I should have figured this out before I scratched the hell out of my right arm ;-{

Thanks for the tip.

Kevin

I think like anything, if you're switching from an ingrained system to a new system, it's going to be problematic, but Don's swing is pretty simple once you understand it. And DeFrancesco is flat out wrong about it involving wrist cock, and flat out wrong that DJ is not using a Swing Surgeon Swing. Are there variations between DJ's swing and Don's? Of course, because DJ is 5 inches taller and a lot more limber because of his youth. You find any two players on Tour, even if they've learned from the same coach, and you'll find the same kinds of variations, and often larger ones. But it's the same swing theory that makes both Don's and DJ's swings work, and it's different in specific ways from the "traditional" rotational swings out there. Limited hip and shoulder rotation; wide, flexed knees over a narrow stance rather than braced knees in a wider stance; keeping the hands and club in front of the ankles and lifting vertically rather than on a 45* plane at the shoulders; lateral movement with the hips and knees toward the target to transition into the forward swing; finish facing the target rather than trying to point the back shoulder at the target at the finish.

My golf partner and I usually play as a twosome, so we're always getting hooked up with another twosome who we don't know, and we make it a point on the first hole to let them know that we play ready golf. For me, the worst thing to see on a golf course is four guys playing behind me, standing in the middle of the fairway, each one of them with their hands on their hips, watching me lob chip after chip over the green, while my partners are politely standing on the green, refusing to putt until I'm on. It only makes my mortification worse.

Surgites.

What a difference a day makes!

Saturday was my first "live" application of SSGS. Good shots, bad shots. Tempo off, swaying. Too many three putts. Three (3) OBs! Bad alignment ? First 2011 round...105! OMG. Apparently I was used to perfect lies in a dome!

Monday was a different story. Started with a 7! Ended up with 43 on front including a birdie and a couple pars. Shot 46 on back, including Snowman on final par five for 89!

Why? I believe I concentrated better on set up, alignment and tempo. No OB's. Limited my 3 putts. Starting not to like bogies!

Thanks Surge, Doc an fellow followers of SSGS!

Phillip

KJ Choi, [EDIT: I recalled incorrectly, not sure who I was thinking of--if I recall correctly, is a stack-and-tilt player. Completely different swing theory]. There is exactly 1 player on the PGA Tour that uses a Swing Surgeon Swing, and that's DJ Trahan. Steve Stricker uses a swing with a number of similarities, though. You can read about an analysis of his swing from Surge by typing Steve Stricker into the Search box.

Correcting myself: looking at http://www.golf.com/golf/galle... shows that there are some distinct similarities between KJ's swing and a Surge Swing, and some distinct differences. KJ turns much more and uses the more traditional leg and knee positions. He does, however, lift a lot and gets that right arm up into a position away from his body with the upper arm parallel to the ground at the top of the back swing and very flat left wrist. In fact, if you reduced KJ's turn by giving him a stance with outward pressure on the knees rather than inward braced knees, that position at the top of his back swing would look like an almost perfect Surge Swing position.

Steve:

NO - I am not advocating killing anyone. You have to know your game though.

The people I am referring to are those (like me) who could not hit the ball 225+ yards if they teed it up again, let alone with a FW or hybrid.

Keep hitting them STRAIGHT and LONG

Amos

Oh, Surge Web Folk, good to see the Certified Fitters and Instructors link back in the Academy tab. Now to find some pros here in Vegas who are interested in learning and teaching the Surge Swing.

Oh, I also admit to being amused that Hawaii is in the Central region. I guess that's because it's in the center of the Pacific Ocean, right? ;-)

thanks for replies robert f and t medley. i;m going to persevere. its not all bad i;m actually hitting a lot straighter but distance is a problem. now and again everything works. i get the right sound of ball on club but its repeating it, that is the problem. its starting the ' bump ' before the downswing begins that i can;t seem to master.

richard in the uk

Thanks, Doc. I love to follow DJ on tour and I want to see him accumulate FedEx points and money (I'm sure he does too!) so that he goes up in all the standings.

I've been playing around with this wall thing off and on for the last couple of hours, and I am finding that, as I do the "bump," my hands sometimes lay off from over my shoulder to about 3 inches behind it. I haven't figured out what that is in degrees or on a clock yet - maybe going from11:30 to 11:00 or even 10:30, as looked at from behind down the line. When I do that "lay off," I feel like I am sitting down on my right side, but I feel like that is too late in the swing. I get the impression that my timing with starting the bump is off somewhat. Any comments on whether I am early, on time, or late with the bump? I haven't been able to borrow my daughter's camcorder to make a video lately, so I am not sure.

Kevin

I am a one year convert to the 3/4 limited turn swing which has proven to be very effective for me however I have one problem. I learned the short game from Dave Pelz, each of my four wedges had three shots; at nine oclock; at elenen oclock and a full rotational swing. I was so accurate that I often ended within a three foot circle from the pin which helped me lower my handicap. Now with the Surge swing my eleven oclock and full swing are about the same and I have lost part of the distance from my old full rotational swing. Any suggestions?

Thanks Dick!

Keep hittting them down the middle..

Phillip

Barrowcloughr:

I agree -- learnig to "time" the bump properly and consistently is the hardest thing to learn in the Surge Swing. But hang in there and keep trying -- When you master the "bump" the distance will return -- probably with "dividends"

Keep hitting them STRAIGHT and LONG

Amos

Dick...... where are you? Pretty cool that Surge discussed his topic which is a good one, how we practice at the range. I see the same thing at the driving range. People just pounding ball after ball as quick as they can. I'll see a guy next to me pull up with two large buckets of balls and finish them in less than an hour. Personally it takes me an hour and a half at least to finish a medium bucket. Why? Simple, after warming up and hitting maybe 6 balls with an 8 iron, I set up with alignment sticks and of course have goal(s) and a target(or targets). I'll make a game of it and simulate the golf course as closely as possible. I'll hit driver then maybe a 3 wood or a hybrid. Then a middle iron and finally a wedge. Each club one ball each. Then I'll go back to a drive, maybe pick out a different target(the other corner of the range) then go through the whole proccess again, club by club, one ball at a time of course changing up which club I'll use. Additionally as I do this I go through the whole systematic set up proccess.ie., line up from behind, feel the swing for the shot as I pactice swing-'earn the ball' as Surge teaches, then step up to the ball looking at the target again and swing away. Takes a long time? Yes but it makes each ball count for something that resembles actual play on the course. It also ingrains the set up routine. Works for me.

Surge,

Very timely reminder. I carry a digital recorder with me for commenting about my shots, but I don't always listen to them as much as I should. I tend to do a quick analysis and then get to the next shot instead of making sure I know what I did wrong. Thanks again for a great video talk.

Kevin

And ain't one of you on the straight and narrow. ;-)

If you can afford the money and time, get to one of the golf schools. There's one coming up in Scotland, I believe. Other than that, keep going over the drills in the video set. For timing the bump, I find that doing the Door Jamb drill while you bump your chin with your forward upper arm can help to get that trigger for the transition ingrained. When the forward arm contacts your chin, that's like ringing the bell. The weight shifts from the back instep to the forward foot, shifting your knee and hip into the door jamb, while your upper body stays still.

Also, if you don't have a local coach or training partner, video of your swing is imperative. You have to see what you're actually doing. Also, if possible, practicing your stance and takeaway and so on in front of a full length mirror can help you ingrain the physical sensations that go along with correct movements. The first time you see video of your swing, you will likely be shocked because it won't look anything like what you thought you were doing.

Robert

Surge could not have picked a better day to do this video. I will tell you where I was. I spent an hour and a half hitting a bucket of balls, chipping and putting. I did not play a round today. Nope, I played two rounds. After I was done putting, I hooked up with 3 young studs and played 18. I had a great game. We stopped at the club house and I had a burger. They were worn out and said they were all going to go home and hit the pool. I was not ready to call it quits yet. I did some more putting. I ran into one of the other guys I work with on Sunday at the course. He and a couple of friends were going to play. He asked if I wanted to join them. I said sure. He told me to go get a cart and my clubs and meet them at the 1st hole. I told him my clubs were already on my cart. They were floored when they found out I had just finished a round. I had another great game.

Then I came home to my loving wife and a great meal. I spent some time visiting with my wife until she was ready for bed. I went and got her up and she watched Surge's video with me.

Just think, I had not played a round in nearly 20 years. Week before last I played 6 rounds, last week 5 rounds. I played 2 rounds today, am going to play again in the morning, and dad and I are playing Wednesday. I can't wait to see what Thursday and Friday hold for me. I owe it all to Surge and the Surge Nation.

I do the same thing as you described about playing a mock game at the range. It helps me to not just keep hitting the same club over and over.

Keeping it vertical, and catching up for 20 years of missing golf, in Oklahoma,
Dick

I would take the extra practice swings if you need them, and if your club complains about it, tell them that you play faster when you hit good shots in the middle of the fairway than when you have to hunt your ball out of the middle of the woods.

Ya Robert, that is the former Saharah coutry club where I walked and watched my first professional golf tounament back in 1969. The 'Saharah Invitational'. All the greats were there, Jack,Arnie, Lee, Chi Chi, Miller Barber(Mr. X), Lanny Wadkins and you name em, all they biggies of the day. I got hooked on golf over that week end. Lanny Wadkins beat Arnie in a playoff that year. This year my wife and I have vouleteered to work the Shrinners open up in Summerlin. You should join us. Ypou can probably still get in, just go to their web site and look at 'voulenteers'. I signed up as a score keeper. Hoping to walk with and score keep for DJ.

I've got that one down pat too, Steve. On one course I used to play all the time, I could clear the houses that lined the course and land the ball in the yards of the ones across the street from them.

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Golf bags

Phillip

You got the rust knocked off pal. That is great stuff. I know what you mean about those darn 3 putts. Those just make me crazy. I would rather drive my cart into a lake than 3 putt.

Good going pal. It is only going to get better from here.

Thanks for the after action report. Great to hear you were able to get out there.

Dick

Thomas,

You are correct in wanting to do more practice swings until you get the feel right. The more correct swings you make now, the fewer you will need to make in the future as you get the swing ingrained. As far as your golf club goes, a lot of that is how much time is actually being taken. If you are playing by yourself and are playing within the standard of 4 hours for a round of golf, you should be able to take as many practice swings as you need.

What I see at most courses is that golfers will stand around waiting for the fairway or green to clear and then start taking practice swings. That definitely slows down play. The traveling league that I play in has a policy of "play ready golf." That means take all your practice swings while you are waiting so that when it is your turn to play, you can set up to the ball and swing away. One of the golfers in the league infuriates everyone else because he will not even get out of his cart and pull a club until it is clear in front of him. He then takes 5 practice swings on every shot. This routine takes him about 2-3 minutes and, if it is a "cart path only" day, it can take him up to 7 minutes per shot if he has to walk across the fairway.

As soon as I get to my ball, I decide what club I am going to use, pull the club, and start my practice swings while the others in my group are hitting their shots. It really speeds up play.

Keep it vertical and straight - fairways and greens!

Kevin

Hey Robert, I'm hoping to be able to get over to the Shriner's for a day this year to follow DJ, but know I won't be able to volunteer. My home life is a bit complicated.

PS - As for the old Sahara Country Club, now the National, it's certainly still got Tour quality rough. A few times I missed the fairway by a foot and almost had to declare a lost ball it was so hard to find down in that Bermuda.

scotland? i wasn;t aware that there were any surge swing coachs over here. thanks for tip. i might give that a go.

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ping deutschland

Kim

From my fingers to Surge's lips. That was so cool. I hope he knows how much he has changed my life for the better. God is so good. I am loving my life out here in Oklahoma. We have a great church, and I have a great loving wife, wonderful kids, incredible grandkids, and non stop golf. No body had better wake me up.

How was your first day at work? Hope it went well.

Your brother in the Surge Nation,
Dick

My tip for feeling what swinging up the tree should feel like is standing at the corner of your hose or garage with the building on your right (for a right hand golfer) and with your toes in line with the flat surface of the wall parallel with your toes. Now swing to the catcher's mit and up to the 3/4 top position without hitting the wall. If you're like me, this may feel wierd, as though you're swinging forward somehow, even though it is straight up. If this feels wierd for you, it possibly means you have been turning too much with the shoulders and getting into the SBG with your hands and club. This may be the reason your shots are not going straight as they should be. But what do I know? I'm a 30 handicap, 83 year old golfer who only heard of Don Trahan's golf swing last Nov. when the season ended here in Chigagoland and haven't even had a chance to try this new swing on an actual course yet. I'm really looking forward this week to try all this out.

hi.anybody here seen the wayne defrancesco video on youtube? he analyses Dons swing and to be frank he doesnt like it. he says its actually very difficult to do correctly, that it DOES involve wrist cock and that DJ is actually not really employing the surge swing. take a look guys and let me know what you think.

cheers richard in the uk

Heh. I can't quite do the 325 yard push, but last summer I did hit a house at the back of a par 3 tee box of #14, with my drive on #10 that was probably 300 yards. I think I got an assist from the cart path alongside the #14 tee box, though.

Robert Meade will know where of I speak. This was the Las Vegas National course.

Steve

I am a man of my word. You just let me know when we hit the road. We would be the only team on the tour where the pro and his caddy would go shot a round every day after the scheduled game was over.

We will make a great team. You work with the folks on hitting the houses on the left, and I will handle the ones on the right. We better look into some great insurance. We can get Amos to cover the boring stuff like Long and Straight.

I am still just me, having Surge do a video about my post won't make my head swell up. Heck, it is already a size 7 5/8 hat. I just tell everyone that when you have all the stuff saved up in there that I have, it takes a big hard drive to store it.

Guess I will have to start playing in a shirt with a collar now.
Dick

Robert F:

I agree 110% -- that is cmpletely my attitude -- I play much faster hitting good shots in the fairway )or near the green) than I do from the trees or the desert.

Keep hitting them STRAIGHT and LONG

Amos

It's old news, that's already been discussed several times in past blogs.

Robert

You are right on target. I hope I am still getting out there and chasing the little white ball when I get to your age. I think I will have to switch my two wheeler for a Harley trike by then.

Guys like you give me hope,
Dick

Kevin:

Good posting - and well said. Specially regarding "ready golf"

All too often I see people waiting for the green to clear when they are 225+ yards from the green -- after they have hit a drive of about 190 to 200 yards.

I particularly like your last paragraph - it is the way I have played for years.

Keep hitting them STRAIGHT and LONG

Amos

Thanks, Amos,

If I could actually play the game as good as I can talk it, I be on the Tour. LOL.

Kevin

Kim

Sounds like you got a plate full with the new job. I know you are going to do great at all of it. I would have never thought I would like going back to school at my age. However, I loved it. I enjoyed it so much I started teaching at the college level. My kids and grandkids have had a lot of fun with it all. My favorite line came from a little parody one of the boys did of me about my first day of class. It went something like this. "Good morning class. My name is Dick Lee. Yesterday I could not spell professor, and today I are one." Kids can be mean, especially when you are on web cam with them from a foreign country and can't whip them.

I know it might take a few days or even a couple of weeks to "get your sea legs", but you will get it all sorted out.

Thanks for the update. I know we are all rooting for you and wishing you well with this.

Dick

We haven't yet, but I'm hoping to work it out sometime soon. I do remember a funny time when my father (whose name is Mike) and I were paired with another father and son named Mike and Bob.

Great reminders, Surge. I all too often don't take the time to go back through my notes and work with a plan on the range. Thanks to your advice, I do keep a notebook in my bag, and try to remember to write things down as they occur to me on the range or course. I just need to remember to review them before I start hitting the next time.