Rotational swingers swing around their bodies and get the club laid off. They swing into what I call the "sacred burial ground." You can stand in it, but if you swing in it, you're dead! Because the club gets laid off, it becomes a heavy club. It's a lot easier to swing a light club than a heavy club. But, how can you determine if you're swinging a light club?
Ray Otte was able to improve his swing with the help of a daily video I published titled, "Plane Check with Tee in End of Grip." In that video, I discussed how you can check if you're laid off by using a tee. This ties in with swinging a light club, so today I'm going to revisit how swinging a heavy club can inhibit your improvement on the golf course.
Dear Surge,
This tip is one of the visual clues most helpful in making sure the club stays vertical at the top of the swing. I have tried your method for three years now with limited success and now realize that I have been laying off the club most of the time. That's the curse of being an old rotary swinger. Thanks for the question and your response.
Ray Otte
Hampton, VA
To get the feeling of a vertical swing, the club has to be light. You don't need to feel the weight of the club because if you do it means you're probably laid off. To check your position, you can stick a tee in the bottom of your club and see where it points at the top of your backswing. If it points at the ball, you're swinging a heavy club and getting laid off. If it points down toward your toe line, it means you're swinging a light club. Light is right, so keep it vertical!
If you want to play successful PPGS golf, which is a 3/4 limited turn, vertical swing, don't be worried about not feeling the weight of the club. You want it to be light, because light clubs fall straight down in harmony with gravity.
Keep it light!
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.
Comments
Shadows
The one problem I have with the shadow is when I can see it on the tee and I notice my left knee kick in as I start. Nothing good is going to happen after that. ;-)
Looks like a cut made
DJ shot a -1 69 today and will be playing for a decent check and finish over the week end. The cut is projected at -1 and he's there. That back nine seems to be a bear on that course with most of the birdie holes on the front. DJ's 31/38 is indicative of that and many of the other players are like wise struggling with the holes 10-18. It is a par 70 34/36. Nice to see Tom Watson doing well playing with the youngsters as he is -3 after 68/69.
Lovely Weather
Did I see that correctly, that Lost Wages in the 115-117* range the week prior? Tell me you don't go out when it's sauna time.
Bet a cooler 101* would be so welcomed.
And my all-time favorite words of comfort....
"but at least it's dry heat." Really? Oh, thanks for that.
Windy, fry-an-egg hot, but at least it's a dry 117*. LOL.
Curious to hear from you how you manage when it's that hot....
and the hottest temps you've played in. The "why" question,
of course, is at your option.
Temps
I always loved going out to play golf on afternoons in Vegas when the temps were over 112*. That kept most people off the course and I could easily get in 18 in 2 1/2 hours. As for the dry, my joke is always that "so is a convection oven; ask the pizza how it feels."
Temps
Robert,
Personally, I'll take 110 to 115 and very low humidity over 95 to 98 and high humidity, any day!!
But when the temps are over 105, then an EARLY tee time is GOLDEN or maybe even PLATINUM!!
keep hitting them STRAIGHT and LONG
Amos
Weather
How'd you know what the weather was like today in Dallas, Amos? :) 98 degrees and 50% humidity. Perfectly comfortable on the range. I did a lot of work on my distance and ball control today. When I tried to hit a low bullet with my 3 iron to land 80 yards out and pegged the 80 yard flag a few inches from the base, I decided I'd done enough work for the day.
Weather
Robert,
50% humidity is "doable" -- I was thinking of the muggy Mississippi/Alabama regions where 98* and 98% humidity is common -- THAT is the real killer for me. I can play paly in it, but when I finish I always feel like my rear end is about 4 or 5 inches above my feet!!
Amos
dry sauna
Or a steam bath. Yes hot is hot. Yes we still played two times during the 117 and
Three times this past week ( plus two morning rounds). How do we do it?
First you need to start with the premise that we are golf fenatics and being wise and skipping golf based on weather rarely is a factor. As Robert F. says it is actually good because fewer jackrabbits
( slow bad golfers) are on the course.
1. Lots of water
2. Shade when possible
We have umbrellas that attach to our push carts.
3. A cool wet towl around the neck.
( periodically re wet it with cold water)
Focus on golfing:)
dry sauna
Robert:
Complete agreement on how to handle the heat, except that I normally carry two 32 oz Gatorades in my bag -- One frozen solid, the other chilled in refrigerator. I drink the chilled one, and when it is about 1/2 gone, I refill it with ice water form the on course coolers.
We have two or three places on the course with lots of shade - conveniently at the 10th, 14th and16th tee boxes - and just off the 18th. when playing alone, and no one pushing me, I tend to take a 3 to 5 minute break at each of those places -- else I would finish in about 2 1/4 hours -- I am generally leaving the 18th green at about the 2 3/4 to sometimes 3 hours mark (If I have some difficulty on the last 3 holes)
Keep hitting them STRAIGHT and LONG
Amos
Dry Heat
I'm one of those that love dry heat, rarely need to drink during a game, no matter what the temperature, as I don't sweat. Last year when I had an all day
coaching lesson with Derek at "Old South" in Carolina, i had to drink gallons
of water, so the humidity does have an affect. My son-in-law calls me a cyborg, ie no soft tissue, LOL.
Cool
That's good info. Never thought of the heat helping to manage the jackrabbit population, but sounds like it does. Funny game, this thing called golf. Otherwise pleasant, "normal" people, chasing the ball around the lawn for hours on end and under some of the craziest conditions.
What can you say? We golf and we go with it. If someone is waiting for perfect, they may be waiting a long time.
Last hole
Going philosophical on ye SG. Never know when your last hole is coming.........
The other day on our LAST HOLE I fluff chunked my green side chip about 4 feet which left me another 6 feet short of the green still and 12 yards to the cup. After a characteristic self cussing fit I gathered myself and chipped it perfectly above the hole and Cindy and I watched it gently roll into the hole for a par 4.
She said, "Of course".
We humans can rarely plan our end unless we take our own life or have assistance but if I could plan it it will be having the 'big one' on the golf course while playing one last round of golf. Rain, shine, freezing or boiling, I'll be fine regardless. We never know when our "last hole" will come. At the end we won't recount how many times we played too much but rather the days we skipped.
Get After It
Robert...great thoughts.
Yes, enjoy the moments, drink it all in,
And get after it.