Center of Gravity, Center of Swing

 I sure wish I could send it somewhere else. It's still raining here and the radar over Ohio is nasty looking. Another day of no golf.  Work on the Ark continues.

 Dragonhead,  thanks for this great poem which has raised my spirits after a very disappointing day at golf !!  Keep up the good work.
Jack

 T, the official unofficial archivist, you da man!!!!

Dick,

Sorry to hear about your setback. Hang in there. I have everything crossed for ya, pal.

 Dick Lee:

    I am surprised at YOU -- LOL -- any ex-Marine should know "That that does not kill me only makes me STRONGER" --- lol

   I too agree with you and Steve regarding the "waste of vital organs"

   Amos

Surge,

Great clarification! The "centers" are now crystal clear. All I have to do now is get the two more stable. I do pretty well at keeping the center of the swing (the base of my neck) stable; however, I tend to get the bottom of the spine (the center of gravity or the body) moving a bit too much. That part is a "very slowly moving" work in progress. I think your tip for today, combined with the ski drill Dave discussed, may just increase the speed (pun intended) ;-D

Kevin

Hi T Medley,
Thank you once again for replying to my queries.
Regards,
Eric 

Agree, Some folks are just a waste of good vital organs.

Janet,

Once you've had a chance to see what a properly fitted driver does for you and get the feel you will quickly get rid of the "potential" part of love of your life.  Solid and straight off the tee has had me smiling a lot more than my old driver ever did.

Good luck playing hooky.  We'll cover for ya. ;0)

Wow, Dick, sorry to hear about your back, and especially sorry it happened *before* you played.  I've done the same thing - tweaked my back in the perfect spot to make breathing difficult for a couple days.   What did your doc say? 

Hope you're doing better today. 

Why can't they have a LOVE! button? ;-) Thanks, Dick. Good luck with Dad and his posse today.

It does it every time for me on either, but here is a good link that works for me the first time. I'll edit/erase the other post.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v...

Coach:  Thank you for having such a great filing system.  It certainly works, just like the Surge Swing!  Hit 'em straight!  R2  

Lynn:  I hear you about the stupid rain.  I taught some lessons this morning but the rain started and they are saying Salt Lake City is going to be wet for the next 3 days.  Lots of flooding around here too - and this is suppose to be a desert!  lol :-) R2 

Janet,  His last post is showing as 6 May, with Dave's first bump video. Hopefully everything is fine and he is just busy or on vacation. Keep him in your thoughts and prayers folks.

 R2, If I had to rely on my memory, it would be a wash out. I just developed a good cataloging and filing system for various lessons and videos that seem to be helpful with common problems and questions.

Hi Mr T Medley,
Thank you once again for answering my questions.They are great videos that you referred me to.I have seen them before & had saved them in a folder but they were definitely worth looking at them again.Correct me if I'm wrong but there seems to be some leeway in the vertical position. the way I read it is that the surge swing is somewhere between true vertical & 11 o'clock when viewed from the front with the clock behind.the person.
When Don was explaining this in one of his videos he said that when the shaft is in the vertical position you should be able to let it go & it should slide down into your hands. The closer the shaft is to 11 o'clock the harder it is to do this, but as Don's shaft is already vertical with the shaft parallel to the ground on the backswing, & he then lifts up surely the shaft must approximate the 11 o'clock position? 
I still can't see how after diligently studying the two videos how in the vertical position that the swing is on the same angle as thewagon wheel plane which I feel is approximately 45 degrees from the vertical. Sorry to be so dumb but this still really confuses me. Can you help to explain it to an old man (79 but very fit)

I wouldn't trade a back porch moment for anything, I like the homey feel, like your  neighbor or an uncle,whom you've  known for years is imparting his wisdom. I just respectfully listen and try to keep my mouth shut.

 Roger:

    I feel your pain Brother!  Weather delays are no fun.

    I don't have that problem; my winter "off season" is financial.  When you play golf in a "winter tourist" area, the green fees tend to  nearly double (and occasionaly triple) for about 4 months. With a fixed, moderate income, that means less golf.

    On the other hand though, If you can stand the heat, week day golf is very cheap for about 6 or 7 months.

     Keep hitting them STRAIGHT and LONG

     Amos

 Robert

That is awesome pal.  I know we all look forward to your after action report.

If I'm going to have to live vicariously through all of your reports, it might as well be a really great course.
Dick

Thank you for explaining this to me. I will do as you say.
Regards,
Eric 

 Say good night Dick

Dick:  You made me laugh tonite, brother!!!!!  Awesome drive and way to hang it straight!!  I keep trying to teach my students the same thing - if you want to play good golf, just dial the power back to about 75%.  Works every time since it causes you to use your natural body rythum and helps you focus on your "optimum tempo and timing".   It really smooths out your swing and your body just glides thru it.  Anyway, way to go man!  We are proud of you.  Hit 'em straight (but easy)!  R2  - Heeeeers Johnnny!

 I've know I've been kind of out of touch, but I haven't seen Jackoz around.  Has he been posting and I've just missed it?

Jerry--you might check your connection speed late at night when your network's traffic is light. My speed often doubles. You could try to open a couple videos at the same time and download them with Real Player. I sometimes start the downloads and let them run while I'm sleeping.

Hi jebaroo, the Surge states that the centre of the swing near the top of the spine between the shoulders remains stable from the BUS right through the FUS until impact.  Keeping this centre of swing stable also keeps the head stable as shown in a critique video by Wayne Defrancesco.  Wayne drew box lines around Surge's head to see if it moved during the swing and sure enough remained within those lines until after impact (you can google this video, PPGS review, because I don't know how to copy and paste links using a Mac - if you're lucky the coach may post it).

In regards to the centre of gravity, near the base of the spine between the hips, the BUS starts with a PLHR setup which should remain "relatively" stable until near the top of the BUS.   However it is absolutely necessary near the top of the BUS and the start of the FUS to shift the weight from the PLHR to the forward foot laterally.   We bump the knees and hips toward the target and you could think of it as bumping the centre of gravity towards the target.    Regards, Craig S

Hey Roy and everyone, yes I have all the series. Thanks everyone for your reply and pointers... really appreciate it. I'll go back to the basic and go thru everything over again and give myself more time. Afterall, it's just my 4th game this year after a long freezing winter break here in Long Island. I'm not very bad at all, been consistently shooting 17-22 over, but just feel eager for a breakthrough. I won't give up!

 Dick, Sorry to hear about your back trouble. I hope you feel better by morning. Sounds like you might be back to no golf for a bit. I will pray for your speedy recovery.

Faceoff:  Don has talked about this several times.  The things you are seeing on his and DJ's swing videos are just part of their "set-up" routine.  One of Don's "Surgisms" is to "feel the swing and then swing the feel".  Don takes a "practice swing" so he can feel the swing he wants to make.  Hope this helps a little.  R2  

When I was at the PPGS tourny at Hilton Head, South Carolina last year, during one of our included learning sesions we all got to see Don and DJ hit several balls. Pure, trust me. then as he went down the line of players, patiently one by one, when he came to me he actually barrowed my club to illustrate a point about shoulder alignment and hit a ball too. Believe me on the portch and in person on grass with"the MAN" is two different things. That's why if you ever have the chance go see him in person,do. Secondly if you don't, we have hundreds of archived videos now with Surge swinging a club and or illustrating things on grass. So the portch only supliments all of that stufff we should all have on line and in the included archives here :)

Rock on a string analogy......
If anyone has a question concerning Don's head movement either up, down or sideways, take a look at his swing video.  Take a piece of paper and put it on the screen dissecting his head as he swings.  He is rock solid.  He really does hit the ball like a rock on a string.  Joe T.

Lynn42---thanks for your post.  The way you wrote it rang a bell in my brain that should have rang automatically regarding the "Happy Birthday" and "Here's Johnny" posts.  I have been using something simimlar, but only for my practice swing.  I never thought about trying to say it during the swing.  It might not work, but I'm going to experiment, only because of what happened on putts yesterday.  To correct a problem with a putting stroke that is too aggressive, I thought of cotton candy being light and fluffy.  As soon as I saying "cotton candy" during the practice stroke and the actual stroke, it smoothed out and putts started dropping.

By the way, I thought of "happy bumping" as a substitute for "happy birthday,"

If you think the plane from the ball through your shoulders should be at 45*, then your clubs are too long and you're standing too far from the ball. Personally, I prefer to focus on the plane that the arms travel through, rather than an imagined plane from the club head. Your arms basically swing along a plane from your toe line through the nape of your neck, pretty much completely vertical. If you swing your arms around the nape of your neck and keep your palms perpendicular to the ground throughout, then the club head will do its job automatically.

Surge, Most excellent video session today, thank you so much taking the time to keep all us, Surgites,  moving in the journey that is this game we love & play.
Boog

Hi Dick-

I will join this community of kind-hearted people in wishing you
a successful recovery. My prayers also are for you.

SG

PS-gotta love your fighting spirit...."I would have kicked their tales" ....
muttered, presumably, while you were laid out....hang in there, bro.

 Janet

We were just talking about Jack the other night wondering where he was.  I too hope he's okay.

Surge Nation to Jack, come out, come out wherever you are!
Dick

Hi Steve,
As of now I have forgotten Ben Hogan's pane of glass. Don's swing is far simpler.
Thanks & regards,
Eric 

Surge Nation

I had to get some air today to get my head to stop spinning.  I went out to the course and hit some balls.  I tried Dave's "tee it up" drill and worked in the stuff from the Bump 2 video.  Then, I stole something from our brother Steve.  Due to my injuries I find it hard to do the BUS at times.  I started lifting my left heel about an inch off the ground while doing the BUS.  It worked like a charm.  It also helped me with the bump and FUS.  I was hitting every club 20 yards longer.

Dad called me and invited me to play with him and his posse tomorrow.  That was all the incentive I needed.  Like I needed a reason.  LOL.  I grabbed a cart and headed out to play 18.  I have a complaint, and so do the 4 guys who were playing ahead of me.  I kept hitting it over the green on my approach shots.  I have never had that problem.  It took me a couple of holes to recalculate my distances for the sticks.  Remember I am not allowed to go all out yet.  I got cleared by the doctor this morning to hit at 70-75%.  In fact, I am putting myself on a permanent 75% restriction.  Roy told me the other night when he read my after action report that I need to remember how good it feels to hit the ball properly at reduced %.  I am listening Roy.  I was tearing it up.  Dad and the boys ain't going to know what happened to them tomorrow.  I was hitting fairways and greens like crazy.  We have a little par 4 listed at 298 from tee to center of green.  I got to the tee just as the group ahead of me was walking onto the green.  I put the ball on the tee, found a spot on the ground a foot ahead of the ball to use for alignment.  I did a couple of practice swings.  I stepped up to the ball.  "Heeeeers Johnny", and it was gone.  The ball never got more than a 100' off the ground.  No slice, no draw, just straight down the middle.  For you none believers, it is possible to hit a golf ball straight, even for me.  The ball landed about 25 yards from the front apron of the green, rolled across the whole green, right thorough the middle of the 4 guys standing on the green and stopped about 6" onto the back apron.  I got up there before they left for the next tee and apologized for hitting into them.  They told me I was crazy for apologizing, that I should be bragging.  I chipped it to about 18" and finished it off for a birdie.  The real funny part is all 4 of them are other guys who work at the course.  By the time I got to the clubhouse at the end of my round, they had already told everyone who was working about that drive.  The managing pro came over and told me that if I kill or injure anyone who works there, I have to cover their shift.  I told you guys before he has a dry sense of humor.

As Steve is apt to do, I did not bother to keep score as I was just fooling around and playing solo.  I only missed two fairways by less than 10'.  I did not have any of those Es, but I did have a bunch of pars and 5 birdies.  It is all coming together, and that short game work for the last couple of weeks is paying off.

I will let you know how it goes tomorrow and will post the body count in my after action report.

Hope everyone who is playing tomorrow has a great round.  I look forward to hearing all about them.

Keeping it vertical, and trying to keep my head on straight, in Oklahoma,
Dick
.

John:  Do you have the manual and videos?  Do you understand the set-up and the swing basics?  Both problems you mentioned (slicing and fading) can be corrected with proper set-up and execution of the swing.  Let us know a few more details so we can help you.  R2 

Drogonhead

Absolutely superb. Thank you for that. I'll copy it if I may.

Cheers

BrianF