Saturday at Bay Hill

Hi, Robert. I went to get my driver and one of my irons to read the shafts. However, I have no knowledge about how different shafts compare, like some of the other golfers seem to know.

My irons are off the shelf (smack me on the head) Adams A3OS hybrid irons, the shaft says 65 grams, Lite flex, high launch. Two fitters recommended this set for me when I started, if I was going to buy off-the-shelf. All I know is that the clubs feel sweet from the 7 iron though pitching wedge. Not so sweet with the 4-5-6 hybrids.

Driver has a Graphalloy ProLaunch 60A shaft that also feels sweet.

I'm sure that these shafts are at the simplest end of the complexity of graphite shafts. In my tennis, I have enough experience to feel the differences between racquet stiffness, balance, weight, and balance, but I have no such experience in golf. But I will.

Charlie

That is great news pal. It is 4 AM here. I was just getting ready to go to bed. I am worn out and my brain is hurting from a long message I just posted about all the crap that has been going on with the blog. I was a little bummed out. I decided to check for new messages before I hit the rack. Thank God I did. Your post has turned it all around for me. I hate being in any hospital. All the noise and commotion drives me crazy. No bed sleeps like mine. I like being home. Heck, that is where all my stuff is.

Guess you will be back on the course before you know it.

Thanks for sharing the great news with all of us. I know the folks in the Surge Nation will all be glad to see your post. Make sure you keep us updated.

You remain in my prayers,
Dick

There seems to be a lot of that stuff going around. Haha.

Here is how I look at depression and the possible cure. Even if a brownie or a piece of cake does not help my depression, it can't hurt it, and it might just be the cure. I am just not willing to take the chance of missing finding the cure. Hope that came through loud and clear. I am sorry, I was typing with my mouth full.

Dick

Oh, come on. I'd much rather be compared to Tom Selleck or even the golfer from way back, Jay Don Blake.

The best I can come to funny stories about states is what the University of Hawaii coach told on TV. When he went to recruit players in the northeastt, it seems that Hawaii was out of their mind set. The most common questions he got were, "What is the exchange rate between the United States and Hawaii?" and "On which coast of Florida is Hawaii located off off?"

Robert, Yes, I can recommend graphite in your irons. I have used graphite in my irons for my last four sets, which is about 15yrs now. Two were sets i assembled myself in my early days of club assembly and the other two are my most recent off the rack through ebay, Cobra Humb shaft irons, and Ping I-3OS irons. I am planning on having the new fitted set built with graphite as well. I am using the ping presently.
I have mentioned my hand problems before, but i also use to have a lot of problems with both golf and tennis elbow pain years ago. I switched to graphite to see if it would help and it most definitely did. It was at that time that i also switched to OS grips 1/8" over in a softer or more cusioned style. My first over size grips were the brown chamois jumbos. I presently use the winn 1/8 over. I feel that both of these changes help considerbly with my hand and forearm problems. I also have the largest Never Bend putter grip on my putter. Never bend is a brand name and can be googled or bought at Golfsmith or other golf stores. I hope this helps. If there is something more specific i can answer about the graphite, ask and i'll do my best to answer. Cheers and Good morning.

If DJ needs to get some putts to fall, maybe he should view E. Harvey Wards video that is Dad is pushing on his site. I order the same video on Feb 8th of 2011. I thought I was fetting the hard copy of the video. When I called back on Feb 25th I was told that I needed to pay $20.00 for the hard copy. Which I did on that same day and now its the 28 of March and its been over a month since I paid full price for the HARD copy and I still haven't gotten it. DJ I hope you are part of this so maybe I can get a solution by appealing to your honesty.

Steve

I really feel your pain pal. I have that problem all the time. I hate it when the weight just falls off me during the winter and my summer clothes are too big for me. Who the heck does that? You my friend are a freak of nature. Do any of you other guys on this blog have the same problem as Steve?

I learned a long time ago to not throw away clothes. I know I will be back to them some day during the winter and summer cycles.

Now I am depressed. When I get depressed, I eat more. When I eat more, I gain weight. When I gain weight, I get depressed. Do you see where this is going? You are going to cause mass depression all across the Surge Nation. I hope this does not hit Lynn, T, or Robert too hard.

See what you have done with one single little post? I hope you are happy sir.

This could cause a run on food and cause food prices to shoot up.

Good Lord man, think these things through before you post something like that next time.

Keeping it vertical, and eating everything in sight, in Oklahoma
Dick

Steve:

It is ALWAYS the caddies fault!!

Amos

Doc

You never cease to amaze me. Do you have an external hard drive for your brain? Where do you keep all this stuff stored. You are right, as usual. I kiss your ring. Pardon me if I don't bend over all the way to kiss your ring. It has been a long cold winter and I have put on a bit of weight. My kilt is too tight and riding a bit high. If I bend over too far, the folks behind me might catch a glimpse of the promised land.

Thanks for sitting me straight. Now if only I could hit it straight.

Dick

DOC:

Thanks -- that is a suspicion confirmed. The club in question was intended for Senior/Super Seniors with very slow swing speeds. The club worked well for my friend -- he has graphite shated "everything" -- I think his longest iron is a 6 or 7.

On another note -- I seem to be gaining a little club head speed -- Last year the 5 iron was getting to be a very "iffy" club -- frequently did not get airborne nearly enough. this year, s ofar at least, it is flying high, long and true -- approaching my "good old days" distance of 145 yds-- but still about a club short of that. I must get to a launch monitor in a few days and see if I can verify that suspicion.

Keep hitting them STRAIGHT and LONG

Amos

Nice job DJ! I get the feeling we'll be seeing some wins in the near future! Your attitude and play are a great inspiration.
But enough about DJ, Ha Haha! I need same help from the Surgites.
First I'm sorry I don't have a video of my swing to share before I ask for your help. My Swing Surgeon Swing is only a year old and I'm afraid if you saw it there may be too much wrong with it for me to handle to try and fix everything all at once. And I know enough from all that Don's lessons have taught me and from what I have learned from all of your great comments here that some of my problems may be equipment related. But I am going to have to wait until my swing matures before I make an appointment with The Doc for a fitting. So with that said....
My problem is with ball flight. I think I am getting too much loft and too little roll out with most all my clubs at the sacrifice of more distance. For example, a good drive for me with my 9.5 degree driver is 220yds with what I would guess is less than a 10yd fade.
Could you please give me 1 or 2 things I could work on that might help me keep the ball down?
Any help would be greatly appreciated. I hope all is well with all of you and your families!
Jim

Hi, T Medley--like your story. Reminded me of the southern guy who had ony initials for first and middle name. He was R.B. Jones. People always asked him what R.B. stood for, and he got tired of saying that that's it. Then one time, the wrote R(only) B(only) Jones, and when they called his name, they called for Ronley Bonley Jones.

Charlie

That is a great story. Have you ever heard Jeff Foxworthy do one of his routines about how us rednecks talk. He does a great job of capturing how we talk, and sometimes even how we think. As I have traveled around this country and the world, I have always enjoyed watching people and listening to how they converse. Each area has their own way of speaking their language. My folks tend to shorten words or phrases. It saves time. If someone wants to ask if you have eaten yet and you answer them, it might sound something like this. "Ja eat yet?" "Na, ja want ta?"

Remember, hire rednecks, we are fun to watch.
Dick

T

I have always been a night owl. I spent most of my public service career working the 4-12 shift. Which meant I got home at 12:30 am. I was up till 3am. Then I could sleep as late as I wanted. I don't usually schedule my first job until around 10am. I love to sit out on the patio at night with my laptop working on my report and going over the lab results, reading the blog, eating short cake and strawberries, and every once in a while post a comment to the blog. Forgot to mention that I like to finish my inspections by 4pm so I can still get in a round before dark.

Now you can see why I feel so blessed all the time.

Hope you had a great time bowling. I miss that almost as much as I missed golf before I found Surge. Can't bowl any more because of the shoulders. One game and I wouldn't be playing golf for a year. I wonder if there is a bowling coach out there like Surge is to golf. If I could bowl without pain and damage, I would go try to find an open bowling alley tonight. Wait, who am I kidding. I live in Oklahoma now. They roll up the sidewalks and turn off the traffic lights at 6pm

How did you get a black and white video of Doc singing. Doc, you are pretty good.

Dick

Already covered it. Graphite is good for less vibration (less shock) and it's good as it can be made even lighter than the lightest weight steel so it's good for slow swingers. Graphite is not as low in torque rating as steel for for good hard swings, it's not as an accurate material as steel. With me slow club head speed and bone spurs in the thumbs, graphite in my irons works well.

Robert Meade:

If one can not be long, then one MUST be Straight and have at least a "decent" short game. Most of the one putts result from a very good chip or short wedge shot that give me a putt from "inside the magic 4 foot circle".

Keep hitting them STRAIGHT and LONG

Amos

Dick, Good morning from chilly Ohio, it's about 26* right now, but it's going to get all the way up to 38* if the sun stays out. The morning weather just said we're gpoing to have a cooler April than normal this year, aren't we the lucky ones. Where's all this global warming at that's supposed to turn the Great Lakes area into the tropics again.
On a golf note, the guys and gals i play with are a nice bunch. When we are just playing in other than league events, we often, after a bad shot, will drop another ball, and hit what has come to be called a confidence shot, (just to prove to ourselves that we can actually hit a better shot than the one we just did), we still play and count the first one and pick up the second confidence shot, but we all do and allow it, to helps relieve frustration and bolster our confidence. Unfortunately, very often the second shot is just as bad or worse than the first. In either case we always keep score based on the first original shot. When ever I play a round by myself, which is not too often anymore, i always use it as practice and will often hit two, three, or more on each shot for practice. If a group comes from behind, i'll either let them go through or speed up my play depending on the line behind them. I think hitting two or three balls on the course during actual play and course conditions is an excellent way to practice, with all of the various lies and conditions, and can give better results than just banging balls at the range.

DonW&Robert F- Since when is asking about a golf shaft and wishing DJ the best an "ego trip"? I didn't post my message to make the Left Green Box and could care less if it were chosen for that purpose.
Ray Gawlak

Jack,"style of player" is the key you say? Thanks. I will find out at the time of my fitting through experimentation and recommendation at that time, however I understand that they can be less"whippy" now a days and have come along way from just a few years ago in technology.
Thanks for your input.
Hands are coming along thanks. Just had my stetches out today and am getting range of motion and scare tissue massage.

Amos

I'm jealous. Cold and windy here today so any round would have been a good round to me. You actually got it sorted out about 3 holes earlier than I do. By the 19th hole I'm usually all set for the tour. That's MY story and I'm stickin to it.

LynnF

Steve

Ok, I give up. I think I am losing my mind. Not that it would be a big lose. With all the initials and capital letter flying around on the blog for the last couple of day, I think I am back working for the government. They have them for everything. What the heck is an TEF?

Dick

Yes please call (888.847.9464) or write to customer support (support@swingsurgeon.com) to get that fixed ASAP! Always feel free to find me as well if you need something.

Dragonhead--thanks for your note. I hope things are ok with you and getting better. I missed the discussions that you must have posted and only linked up when people were commenting after the fact, so I don't know if you were out for awhile or just busy. Whatever the case, I hope things are going well with you.

Ball Flight
Hi Surge Have been useing your method for a few months
with great results and you have made my game so much more enjoyable.
Two areas that have me a little bewildered is that I have lost
distance with my driver somewhere in the region of 25 yards. I use a
King Cobra 12 deg with a 43 inch reg flex shaft. I have great accuracy
but lost distance. The other concern is that I just cannot get any
height to my iron shots. This is most noticeable when useing 8 thru to
4 iron. My 7 iron distance approx 150 yards with only 130 yards in the
air. Also my 19 degree hybrid suffers the same sorry low flight. I am 6ft 2in 66 years old and play of a 13 hcp.
Please help get it up higher. Thanks Colin (from New Zealand)

Dick

Pulling the plug for tonight. I think I caught a cold today because you insisted I get off my backside and go play...lol. Anyway, that's not all bad, it's a built in excuse and we all need those. If the weather cooperates and gets to 50 tomorrow I may take on the long course. Thanks for the cold and expanding my waistline . Pffffftttttt. That's my story and I'm stickin to it.

Night all, hit em long and straight tomorrow.

Lynn F

Robert.

Have always played steel shafts in irons. Attempted graphite. Felt too light.

Could help you due to your hand issues though.

Demo a set for a few rounds and advise!

Phillip

Charlie, Good morning, Good to hear your treatment is going so well. I hope you are actually feeling better also. I was hoping for a little warming this week, to start hitting balls, but, it's not going to happen. Maybe next week !

Good day T,Dick and Phil,
26* in Ohio? Now I'm glad to be in Las Vegas. It's gunna be 78*,sunny and perfect for golf today. Still can't play. Get my stiches out in an hour. I like to play 2 ball two. Interesting, Bubba Watson says that's how he does most of his practice, on the course. One, he doesn't like to spend to much time on the range and two, he just wants to have fun. Sounds like a cool guy. Of course hitting the ball a mile and making millions per year having fun while playing golf would tend to make each of us cool too! LOL!

Thanks alot Terry. 15 years with graphite eh? that's a strong recommendation. I understand that they are miles better than just a few short years back. I also use oversized soft Winn grips. I think the graphite will help my hands and the switch will do me good.
Thanks for your input. Lots of the guys have put in a word and I deeply appreciate it.
Now let's see if we can get you out of that deep freezer soon. Never Bend? I will look that one up,
Cheers

Dan

That is a good idea. I will have to see if dad wants to try that.

Keep the faith pal, it is coming. It won't be too long now.

My swing looks great in my mind too, if only I could get it to translate to the green stuff.

Dick

Robert: I played Graphite shafts in my irons and really liked them (I have a slow, 75 mph swing speed). They have a softer feel and less vibration than steel. In fact I would still be playing them but they got stolen a year ago and so I went with the 1-Irons/steel shafts. I like the 1-Irons, but like Doc said a few months ago, there really isn't a lot of distance difference in the 1-Irons, especially at the speed I hit them. So, Doc has built me a hybrid set of 5,6,7 and 8 irons (which should be here Tues or Wed). For now, I'm keeping my 1-Iron steel wedges but will transistion over to graphite wedges as the funds become available. For me personally, I prefer graphite shafts - they swing much easier and are accurate (for me). Hope this helps a little. R2

HA HA HA HA I had to ask that too. It's Tennessee Ernie Ford. For some unknown reason, the brothers think I favor him!! I just don't see it. LOL LOL LOL

Dick: Thank you for the reminder. You are 100% correct. I made the mistake of getting caught up in the soap opera. But, no more!! From now on, I will focus on the positive things, and try to be helpful to those asking for help. By the way, I really enjoy your comments - they are spot-on !! Have a great day and hit 'em straight ! R2

Brilliant tournament DJ,
a tough field on a tough course and you finished really positively, all of us surgites are really proud of you. Take that great attitude with you to Houston and i'm sure lady luck will be with you and you'll start getting the results you deserve.
I would just like to thank both Don and DJ for not only giving me a highly affective, repeatable swing which I can rely on, but also a great new attitude towards the game which is keeping me positive through good and bad rounds and tournaments,

Thanks you guys, GO DEEJ make Houston yours we are all right behind you.

Lynn

Get a grip on yourself man. There is no crying in golf. Hope you get some good rest so you will be raring to go tomorrow and can tackle another round.

You don't need to thank me. I would and have done the same for several other people. My doctor told me that I will probably never have an ulcer, but, I might be a carrier.

Night pal.

Dick

Good showing, DJ. If not for that 6th green yesterday, you'd have had a top 10 finish, but tied for 12th is still damn good. You're putting the right distance and on your lines. That's what's most important. When you get on some greens that roll truer, those 8, 10, 12, and 20 foot putts will start falling a lot more often.

Thanks Ronnie. $$ will be part of the equation.

Thanks Steve,Doc and Philip. It is something I'm looking at because of my hands. Have read several good reviews on line and understand that they can be comprable to steel in performance and and have come a long way in the last couple of years. I'll continue to look at it and try some asap. Thanks guys.

That's not a shaft issue in fact it's just the opposite, it's a head weight issue. The club you were hitting was obviously made with a light swing weight by the manufacturer. You can take a head and build it with light weight graphite and MOI it or swing weight to the player and what he needs. That's one thing I like about my 50gr shafts. I can really feel the head through the swing.