An Effective Alternative To Help Learn The Vertical Swing

Before I begin my regularly scheduled tip, I just want to mention that today's post is #1,000 in the series that began over three years ago. We've come a long way from written posts in the beginning, to a combination of written and audio posts a little later, and then the conversion to the format we have today, a video with a written synopsis. We've also progressed from doing the tips from The Back Porch, where I couldn't actually hit a ball, to my new Back Yard Driving Range where I can.

That's a lot of changes, but the one thing that has been a constant has been the widespread support for my Surge Swing by the people who frequent this space. I am in awe of your collective and individual commitment to improving your game, and to helping each other do the same. The Surge Nation is not just a fancy moniker penned by the Marketing department. It is a worldwide fraternity of men and women who are serious about golf but who also genuinely enjoy the give and take that takes place on these pages every day. My hat's off to you, ladies and gentlemen!

And now to "today's regularly scheduled programming".

As I mentioned yesterday, the tip I posted on November 23rd, the day before Thanksgiving here in The States, titled An "Almost" New Swing Drill really got the Surge Nation buzzing. While there was a general level of enthusiasm for the drill that uses driveway markers along the rear and forward toe lines to help us find our place in space, I must admit that there were a few comments similar to one from frequent contributor Terry Medley. Terry was responding to a comment from another Surgite when he wrote:

"I'm wondering the same thing, Roger. Tell you what, why don't you try it and let me know if it's safe or not. I think the principle sounds good, but it wouldn't be the first sound principle to blow up on somebody I am at least curious enough to try some experimenting with it. Very slow, at first though.

If you've watched the tip, you'll know that I did caution everyone that this was a drill where you need to start out slowly so that you don't have the type of problem Terry and others are concerned about. And I certainly wouldn't recommend you hit balls with the markers in place.

As is often the case in life, things seem to happen for a reason. Two days after I posted that video, my brother Ken and I went to our warehouse to search for something we needed for an upcoming golf school at Old South. What we discovered was a few boxes of my Original Plane Trainer that I developed in the early 90s as an aid to help keep rotational swingers from sucking the club way inside during the backswing as they were taught to do. This simple device keeps your arms out in front of you while giving you a good sense of where your toe line is as you swing into the Catcher's Mitt and Up The Tree on both sides of the ball. It is also good for visualizing how much you are turning as well as whether your finish is level and square to the target.

Watch today's video for more detail on how to get the most out of this simple training aid. If you are so inclined, buy yourself one from Surge's Shop on the website. We priced the ones we found at just $14.95 in the hopes that we can quickly get the few we have into the hands of those that want them. Once our supply is gone, I'm afraid that will be it for this product since the molds needed to make them have been lost over the years and the cost to make new ones may prove to be prohibitive.

Keep it vertical!

The Surge

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