Short Game Wizard

Fri, 06/24/2011 - 21:51 -- Don Trahan

Here'€™s a guy who beats the field by 11 strokes. No, it'€™s not Rory McIlroy. His name is Don Addington. He broke his age by 13 shots!

Don Addington is 80-years old. He won the John Kline Super Senior Championship a few weeks ago in Houston in the 75-79 division. Remember, he'€™s 80.

I just wanted to give Mr. Addington a shout out. He is what we all want to be, golf wise, when we grow up. Other than keeping healthy, taking his vitamins and stretching every day, he credits his success with his short game. He said he just made putts to get to the finish line.

Here'€™s the ultimate example of what I'€™ve often brought up. Become a shot game wizard. Practice from 50 yards in. Sharpen your putting so you never miss. Focus on your strengths.

The video says it all. My Surge cap goes off to Don Addington.

Keep it vertical,

The Surge!

If you can't view the YouTube video above try CLICKING HERE. You must allow popups from this site for the link to work.

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Comments

Robert F's picture

Submitted by Robert F (not verified) on

Yes. He may not even have to win. See these two exemption categories:

18. First 2 USPGA TOUR members and any USPGA TOUR members tying for 2nd
place, not exempt, in a cumulative money list taken from the USPGA TOUR
PLAYERS Championship and the five USPGA TOUR events leading up to and
including the 2011 AT&T National. Blank entries will be made on
behalf of players qualifying in this category. (THE PLAYERS
Championship, The Memorial, St Jude Classic, US Open, Travellers
championship and AT&T National).19.
19. The leading player, not exempt having applied F(18)
above, in the first 5 and ties of each of the 2011 AT&T National and
the 2011 John Deere Classic. With the exception of ties for first
place, which will be determined in accordance with the Conditions for
the tournament concerned, ties will be decided in favour of the highest
OWGR player at the commencement of the tournament. Blank entries will
be made on behalf of players qualifying in this category.

Robert F's picture

Submitted by Robert F (not verified) on

Hey Steve, I keep meaning to ask what sort of laser pointer you use. I've been trying to find something that would work, but it's tough to know what's going to actually do the job. Most of the pointers I see are too fat or otherwise not functional.

Boogm's picture

Submitted by Boogm (not verified) on

Great tourney for DJ this week, Congratulations on 4 sub-par rounds and that awesome 62. It's always good when your 72nd hole is a closing birdie, leaves a nice feeling to build on.

dgaines's picture

Submitted by dgaines on

I know we would all like to see DJ more and the TV announcers and crews do a poor job of spreading out the air time, but,

They did show DJ make a couple of nice holed putts around the turn. They mentioned he had only missed 6 GIRs all week (atleast twice), That he was #1 in hitting greens and #4 in fairways and #29 in putting. (or numbers very close to that, memory slippage.  lol)

Certainly much more airtime than he usually gets. More solid rounds like the ;last 2 days and we will be seeing more and more of DJ.

Good luck to DJ.

Steve Smith's picture

Submitted by Steve Smith on

Ha ha ha ha ha!
You haven't gone to very many tent revivals have you? (Just joking). As the son of a preacher I have heard that said many times.
It means you were doing better and then had a regression. My "regression" was forgetting and neglecting to get the club head to the toe line.

Edit: Ha ha! I guess YOU could say that but I never heard it from the pulpit.

richard in the uk's picture

Submitted by richard in ... (not verified) on

well done dj !! unfortunately live@ pga.com ran out time just as he was  approaching the 15th which was  one of the holes they were covering but i must say it did seem odd that they never even mentioned him.

Boogm's picture

Submitted by Boogm (not verified) on

MIke, I'm thinking of strapping one to the inside of my left ankle so I'll know where the proper position is for the ball :)

Boogm's picture

Submitted by Boogm (not verified) on

Roger, congratulations & very nice playing. Continued success as you play for the Cup!

Doc Griffin's picture

Submitted by Doc Griffin (not verified) on

Thank you and now for the offering! LOL (you just knew I'd have to put that since the post thanking us again for not using it and it wasn't from Karl) You have stated what I was trying to say and rather well might I add. I remember the conversations back some time ago about Steve and the arms and I tried to verbally explain what the laser has shown as I knew then that he wasn't rotating the arms from what he was describing but I didn't do such a good job. The laser aide is a great idea and I encouraged Steve to do a video demonstrating how it's done. Hey, you both could do one. Now I understand what Steve was saying about getting to the toe line. Heck, I'm thinking people that flip to the inside even get to the toe line. In my mind I'm thinking going past it to get inside means that they are getting there. I wasn't thinking about the club being taken outside the line and "not getting to the toe line" before being taken up which we know will cause the club to be rerouted and come too much from the inside in a laid off position. Thanks for filling me in and for your patience.

Steve Smith's picture

Submitted by Steve Smith on

Yesterday would have put the US Open to shame. They've never had pins THAT  close to the edge. The players would throw a fit.

BrianF's picture

Submitted by BrianF (not verified) on

Silly me, I was getting ahead of myself. A bit of wishful thinking!!
I've just clicked on the camera and found it was his approach shot to the 17th which stopped in its' pitch mark a few inches from the hole.
As I've said before, we can learn something new every day on this site.
Cheers.
Brian

Ronel202's picture

Submitted by Ronel202 (not verified) on

the only way they will show DJ is if he f*** up . After all he doesn't have a swing that will destroy his back. God forbid he could convince someone to try something other than rotational swing that they will never master.

Robert F's picture

Submitted by Robert F (not verified) on

On the way up. I think of the laser in the butt of the club as an "up the tree" drill. I don't look at where it goes on the way down except that sometimes when I do the drill and complete the swing I watch it as I'm getting up to the T-finish. From the bump to there, though, is so fast I couldn't tell you if it wandered off to pet my dogs.

T Medley's picture

Submitted by T Medley (not verified) on

FYI, Another major change with DISQUS, If you have ever answered a reply to you, From your regular Email notification process. Be aware, It will cause your Email address to be posted along with your comment. This has just happened to me, with two replies, before I realized it, and edited it out.

T Medley's picture

Submitted by T Medley (not verified) on

I hear you, Then they can't understand why play is sooooo backed up. They make stupid course rules to try and speed up play, when they could just put a little more thought into how they set the course and holes up for public play.

Steve Smith's picture

Submitted by Steve Smith on

Maybe a "goal" but today it would have been better described as a "pipe dream". Ha ha ha ha!
I think I was just tired (at least that's my story and I'm sticking to it, wink-wink).
We played 18 holes before our game started and I played OK on the first 18 and then OK on the first 9 of the game and then the wheels came off and everything that could go wrong went wrong.
I think I dragged the rest of the team down with me too as we all fell apart at the same time. Even Mike didn't play very well and had 6 birdies but 6 bogies (probably a record number of bogies for him).
We were playing 4 man teams with the two lowest scores counting on each hole. Our downfall was that we were 6 under par after 3 holes (Heck we thought we had it made). We all got progressively worse after that start and finished the front at 4 under for the team score and only finished 1 under par on the back.
We did win the 9 hole scramble after the round and went eagle, eagle on the last two holes so at least we walked away with a little dignity and a little money.

T Medley's picture

Submitted by T Medley (not verified) on

Yes, Click this link for almost fool proof instructions.

MEASURING WRIST TO FLOOR PROCEDURE

                   http://www.angelfire.com/pa/TW...

I'm trying to make it as easy as possible for you, but, you'll have do help a little.   Good luck

Robert Bgolfer2 Meade's picture

Submitted by Robert Bgolfer2... (not verified) on

Congratulations to DJ. 4 rounds in the 60's. 12 under and it looks like he'll finish tied for 16th. That's two good tournaments in a row. Really striking the ball well. Way to go.

Doc Griffin's picture

Submitted by Doc Griffin (not verified) on

Please tell me you aren't trying to keep the club on the toe line when you go up.

Robert F's picture

Submitted by Robert F (not verified) on

Thanks Dan. Since he mentioned putting, I assumed he meant pitch marks on the green, but fairway divots are also important to properly repair. If you like to play on a well-maintained golf course, remember to do your part to help maintain it (general statement to everybody, not directed at Dan - ;-) ).

Calvin Howe's picture

Submitted by Calvin Howe (not verified) on

Everybody likes the Surge but I know I miss the Golf Course as his teaching site.  What a shame he now has to teach us from as he calls it "the back porch".  Surely there is a Golf Course near his back porch that would love to have him as a spokesman and teacher of golf at their course.
Just a thought.

dgaines's picture

Submitted by dgaines on

Last night the Golf Channel did show the list of low rounds of the year (62's) along with Cantlay's 60. DJ's name was listed and they mentioned DJ by name.

Lob wedge - I hit mine quite well, but I don't use it for more than 30 yards. For tight lies on grass and sand, pitching and chipping. Drained a birdie 2 from the sand this week with it. I love it for 2 -5 shots per round.

2 Hybrid (18*) - pulled my 3 wood from the bag to make room. I hit it much better (accurate) from the fairway and only loose about 10-15 yards from the tee. I would only hit a 3 wood off the tee for a long par 3. My driver is not long enough to get me in trouble. LOL I also have the matched 21* and 24* Callaway X hybrids.

Robert F's picture

Submitted by Robert F (not verified) on

That's the way I feel. For every pitch mark or divot that I fix that I didn't create, I earn myself one good bounce somewhere down the fairway of life. :)

And, in golf as in most of life, it's the folks who won't do anything about the problem who usually complain the loudest.

Boogm's picture

Submitted by Boogm (not verified) on

Calvin, no disrespect intended, but you just don't grasp what it is that makes us all Surgites.
Also, Surge isn't teaching from his back porch because he is down on his luck and can't get a course to teach from, he is doing that out of his love of the game & devotion to all his pupils that desire to play (again) without the tremendous pain that the rotational swing inflicted on their bodies. As a guy that has three bad discs in his back and truly loves this game, I will forever be grateful for his back porch tips and those of his team, that have allowed me the pleasure to once again play.
 For example today I was at Lynn "Doc" Griffin's place being fit, by estimation I hit 200 balls during the process. I have a little cramping problem in my legs due to loss of fluids now but absolutely no back pain!
Happy Golfing,
Booger

Robert F's picture

Submitted by Robert F (not verified) on

Our Muni is overall a pretty easy course, barely over 6000 yards from the furthest back tees, with water on exactly one hole. The major difficulty is hitting balls off the course onto the road or into some houses (I'm betting Steve with his ability to hook could join me as one of the few people to get a ball into Siegfried and Roy's compound). There's only one par 5 that's over 500 yards. But the quality of the average player on that course is such that "tricking up" the greens with ridiculous pin placements only makes them miserable and play worse. The greens are also in pretty bad shape to begin with (many of them are 60 years old and just really worn out).

Pete Peterson's picture

Submitted by Pete Peterson (not verified) on

Today's video stressed the need to lower scores by putting better.  I find that to many golfers forget to fix their divots.  I've never been told the proper way to repair a divot. Can you explain how?

T Medley's picture

Submitted by T Medley (not verified) on

Here's a link to an instruction site.

MEASURING CLUB LENGTH 
PROCEDURE

                   http://www.angelfire.com/pa/TW...

Steve Smith's picture

Submitted by Steve Smith on

For anyone interested in the "Replies To You" feature on the Dashboard page I got this reply from them.

Hi Steve,

We're working on some performance stability on our end and will re-enable that option soon. Just keep an eye out for it.

Boogm's picture

Submitted by Boogm (not verified) on

Steve, I sometime back in the late 80s I took a job at Cumberland Lake CC. My official duty was cutting the whole 18 holes rough off a Ford 360 tractor equipped with a flail mower. However, the Super seemed to trust me more than his regulars so I also got aerate the greens and herbicide & fertilize the fairways and set the pins for any tourneys. He always had me use a 10 foot on rule. I remember during the whole season he only had to change one of my pin placements. A "major" reality company in Birmingham leased out the course for their annual tourney & I had set the cup on the 13th green (which roughly resembled Mickey Mouse's head) in the right ear. I had it 10' off the fringe,behind a front guarding bunker and 10' in from the right edge. I thought I was helping the faders & cutters, little did I know that they decided that hole was to be their "closest to the pin" hole. I would have used one the 3 pars on the front both of which were straight on and into slightly elevated greens but Mr. Hays seemed to have better plans.

Robert F's picture

Submitted by Robert F (not verified) on

I'm guessing he'll also get a little more airtime today, as he's paired with the amateur Canltay.

DJ, show the kid how to make a Sunday charge and win a golf tournament! Fairways and greens and those putts will start falling like they did on Friday afternoon.

Steve Smith's picture

Submitted by Steve Smith on

Were the daily lessons ever from a golf course?
Maybe they were but not that I can recall in the last year and a half. They were a combination of written and audio tips for a long time and the videos were a step up from that as we can see what his motions are many times when it is relevant to the lesson.
As many of us have said many times the "dailys" are just tips and reminders that can be delivered anywhere and the porch is as good a place as any. Plus I'm sure it's convenient for Don. It's not like we are paying for any of them. Maybe it's just me but I think it's bad manners to receive a gift and ask for more.

Amos's picture

Submitted by Amos (not verified) on

Steve Smith:

    YES!!  That frequenly occurs at San Marcos.  They use a "rotating hole location" such at you always  see 6 front holes, 5 middle holes and 6 back holes.  

    Several of the gren hava a "pinched" or "wasp waist" center due to the bunkers on either side of the green.  This can produce a situation that unless the pin is in the exct center of the green, there is only  4 or 5 feet of green frome the edge to the hole.  Even if the hole is in the exact center of the green, it makes it a difficult shot to pitch a LW over one bunker, onto the green and stop it before it rolls into the far bunker.

    And also - some days you find one or two holes cut very near the front or rear edge of the green -- like 4 or 5 feet at most.

    The back pin is not so bad, but the front pin location guarantees a downhill putt on a slick green.

     Keep hitting then STRAIGHT and LONG

     Amos

Steve Smith's picture

Submitted by Steve Smith on

Hey Mike,
It's a never ending battle for sure and it never hurts a thing to go back over all of the fundamentals.
I had my worst 9 holes of the year today on the back nine. Just didn't have any fundamentals at all in any aspect of the game.

Robert F's picture

Submitted by Robert F (not verified) on

I'd been struggling recently with my right wrist and arm breaking down too much, and in many of my videos I could see that my club was getting too laid off. My first slow-motion test swing the laser almost ran the target line rather than the toe line. Firming up the right wrist better brought it more into the area of the toe line but still in that nebulous zone. When I focused on the sensation of the swing starting with the right shoulder being pulled back, and lifting with my arms, the laser swung straight back along the toe line. I have to be careful though as in some of the video I took of doing that, my wrists started to get a bit overactive (allowing the 7 iron to get all the way to parallel despite only turning 70*.

EDIT: My little laser has the same ball thingy on the end. I think I'll try that with a bottle cap. Have you had trouble with yours popping open and spilling out the batteries? I had to superglue mine shut. :)

Steve Smith's picture

Submitted by Steve Smith on

Hey Robert,
I'm sure there are many different ones that are much better than what I use. If I ever happen to be in town (which is MAYBE once or twice a year) and if I happen to think of it (unlikely) I am going to look for something better. I think they even sell things pre-made that would work for that purpose.
All I have right now is one of those that resembles an ink pen that are sometimes by the checkout line at the store. Not the best because all I rigged up was to stick it in the end of an old lob wedge and had to carve out the hole in the end of the grip so it would fit.
We bought it because we were "dog sitting" my son's dog and he liked to chase the little light around the room. LOL

While I'm thinking about it I may look on Ebay and see if there's anything on there that might work better.
I would like to have something that would easily and efficiently attach to any club.
I haven't found anything better for putting your toes on a known line and holding the shaft vertically at the top of a back swing position and see where the laser is actually pointing. I just haven't done it in a while (but I will today for sure).

P.S. One thing I have found for sure (at least for me) is that I can get away with taking the club head past the toe line with very little effect as long as the shaft is vertical but if I never get it there every other thing in my entire swing rapidly falls apart, including making it almost impossible for me to "sense" where vertical even is.

Robert Bgolfer2 Meade's picture

Submitted by Robert Bgolfer2... (not verified) on

I found that the swingrite strengthened my grip quite a bit. I guess my grip was very weak for many years. All the guys that use the swingrite say that it gives us a nuetral grip. But it seems strong compared to what I was doing. In any case it has helped me have my hands in a better position for both the later release and it has done much to cure a lifetime of fighting a slice. So many of the lessons from Surge are taking on more meaning. It's kind of like starting over from page one. But in a good way. I carry no steel any longer. All my clubs are graphite. My grips are Jumbo Max(medium but still big compared to the large Winns I was sporting). All good for my arthritic, work beaten fingers and hand. So I have alot to adjust too. I've only had time to hit the range once and love 'em so far. Can't really give a full "report" yet. I have never been more positive about the future of my golf game. It's going to be a fun ride. I wish you the same. Now you have a few days to be both patient and excited. Oh boy!

CervezaFria's picture

Submitted by CervezaFria (not verified) on

Thanks Roy. I actually remember that quote quite well. However, the squeezing up I thought I was doing was in fact squeezing down. The squeezing for me feels more lateral than up/down. The good thing is, I know what it feels like and what the consequences are.

Robert Bgolfer2 Meade's picture

Submitted by Robert Bgolfer2... (not verified) on

That's me too Robert. I find myself filling holes(divots ) on the fairway and balll marks on the greens. It only takes a few seconds. On the green fixing ones own ball mark is usually pretty cool anyway because it normally means I came in nice and high and am on the green.

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