PPGS Grip Tips

Surge, Thankyou for a homespun, backyard gem of a lesson. Two things you showed, which wonder of wonders I have close to hand. The grip trainer [but weighted with two weights, which can be removed individually or both can be unscrewed],with a grip like yours. Stopped the video when you pulled out the ruler and galloped into my golf room,where I grabbed my 50cm plastic ruler, and back to the screen in a trice! I had a club handy to start the viewing, but that was put to one side.
Yesterday I was paying particular attention to my grip on the practice hole at our course. It must have been correct because my iron shots were accurate and much longer. Retrieving balls already struck, I threw about 15-20 of them in the rough. Then with my 7iron, I effortlessly struck every ball with a nice sound. Lost them in the sun [now there's a surprise ; - ]. On walking to the green I was stunned to see every ball had reached the green all in putting distance of the hole : - ] I got all the balls just off the side of the green and on the spur of the moment, chipped the lot of them across the green to my stand bag on the first cut at the other side. Every ball stopped within a 2ft circle. I hit some high iron shots back down the hole away from the green over a high broad tree, only 3 of the balls snicked a twig and dropped into the rough below the tree. On retrieving them later, when I had a PW in my paw only yards from a deep [bald] greenside bunker, I played them as they lay, one of them in an awkward position to the right of the tree trunk. Down the shaft and dropped all three on the flag!!! : - ] Then before I finished I hit a couple of gentle "ONE and TOE" rythm shots with my 24deg Rescue and was stunned to see them leave the practice hole and land way up the fairway on the adjacent hole!!! No danger to anyone and someone benefitted from the balls I willingly gifted to them. Now all this in my ordinary shoes!!!hahahaha! So keen to get some practice in while the sun shone, I forgot my GOLF SHOES! So a great practice with thick soled, flat shoes with no grip~! Must have been just "DOING IT RIGHT" as Surge says. It is coming and again, can't wait for the next trip to the hallowed turf on Monday : - ) A Happy PPGS Camper, with his viewing accoutrements,ie, grip trainer and ruler. Have a great day everyone.
To R2, Googled the course you mentioned in Utah. A lovely looking place, looks a lot like the South Island here and parts of the Central North Island. I saw something that truly stunned me. A person's name!!! and photograph!!! Don't believe in coincidences ; - ) DH in sunny and warmer NZ

ok, I will stop lurking a bit to pass this on. I have been using PPGS for a long time now. I usually play 3 rounds a week. I attended a "Spring Tune up" in April with the Surge and Mike in Charlotte. My swing was not great but alignment wasn't bad. I have been working hard on swing, mostly just swinging to tempo and quit trying to KILL it. July was my best month ever.

When I started the PPGS, I was lucky if I could get down to 100. Since learning the basics, I could get into the 90's, just from better alignment. My goals this summer was to get to 80. In July I was pretty consistently hitting mid to high 80's , and after following Kenny Knox's short game and really working on that and putting, I shot an 80. The last 6-7 rounds, I was back up high 80-low 90 and i knew my alignment was still good, but why was I hitting so bad again?

dang it, over swinging like a wild man. I rarely get out and just practice because I am playing those 3 times a week with the seniors group in a dogfight.
I mowed an acre of my land and keeping it mowed just to have a place to practice swing in tempo without the pressure of a game. I won over $150 in July in dogfights, and my points went up. (stableford scoring and handicap).
Last night I just practiced tempo and a gap wedge,

Today I went to course and no dogfight because of tournament this afternoon, so I solo'd a round just to work on tempo on course. The first 9 I had a birdie a couple pars and 2 bogies and 4 worse. I played the 10th hole and had caught up with a foursome, had to wait for them to clear green, but got up and down for par. I caught them at 11th tee and they were waiting for a real SLOW foursome ahead. Turns out they were friends of mine and say, hey, it's slow, just play with us.

I hit the best drive in weeks, then a hybrid to 8 feet from the pin and made a birdie. They said they weren't going to let me play with them anymore.

I was forgetting all my normal swing thoughts and just going tempo, tempo.

Parred the next hole and the we got to a par 3 over water. Choked up on a PW and "tempo" click, and jarred it. My first "ACE" ever. not even a bounce, just clunk straight in. I shot the back nine in 2 over par. Glad they let me join them so I had 4 witnesses for the shot.

I don't care about other instructors or techniques. I know the PPGS works for me. I made my goals I already set for this summer, to shoot 80 and shoot an "ACE". Now my new goal is to break 80.

Thanks y'all for letting me ramble on again, haven't done so in a while. I will be back to just lurking and learning again.

to ALL:

Here in the Phoenix AZ area it is Monsoon season. The Bermuda grass sure seems to thrive on the Hot, Humid and Wet weather. The fairways at San Marcos are in the best condition I have seen in years, and the green are coming around, specially on the back nine.
Played in the early morning - scored 43 +40 = 83 -- 1 birdie, 5 pars, 1 1bogies and 1 double bogie. hit 2 greenside bunkers, got 1 sandy -- 10 one putts, 0 three putts for 26 putts used . Driving average was way down due to the lusher softer fairways -- 10 of 14 fairways hit with a 158 yd average. Fortunately I was "killing" my FW -- and sinking a lot of putts too.
The 83 felt so good, that being a "glutton for punishment", I decided to go around again. The first 15 holes felt good - but by the time I got 16 tee, I was feeling the heat and humidity -- finished double bogie, bogie, par (with a 25 foot par putt made) Anyway, I managed a 43+42 = 85 the second time around. I had 1 birdy, 4 pars, 12 bogies and 1 double bogie. 1 greenside bunker, 0 sandy. Again hit 10 of 14 fairways with 155 yd avg -- (maybe it was the heat and fatigue? ) 7 one-putts, 0 three putts = 29 putts used.

One interesting think did occur -- both birdies were on the same hole - the 13th -- a short par 3 over water that is usually a "feast or famine" hole for me. Today it was FEAST!!

Keep hitting them STRAIGHT and LONG
Amos

Mike:

I have heard that stat before -- only 10% of all golfers can break 100. I think it may be true, if you play "strict rules of golf" -- no Mulligans, play it as it lies, no "gimmies" on the greens, etc. The main reason in, my opinion, is that most golfers are not wiling to "pay the price" in terms of practice to develop the necessary skills -- specially true in the short game.
I once heard the great Warren Spahn say "You don't learn to pitch until you lose your fastball" -- In golf, it would be "you don't really learn the short game until you lose your long drive". It constantly amazes me how many people can hit the long ball, but are totally lost when they are near the green or in the bunker, etc . An old geezer like me can usually keep up with them due to a very good short game - but I may have play from the seconds tees to do it! lol I usually play from the seconds tees anyway.

Amos

Surge, I know you keep reminding us about the manuals, but seriously the most efficient methodology in learning any game is by way of "one on one" coaching with the aid of videos.
Takes me back many years when I took up cricket later in life and hadn't a clue about any bat/club ball game. Bought a heap of books and read them over and over in the off season. Became an extremely defensive player, could stay for long periods in the niddle, but never put big runs on the board, ie I gave myself the wrong messages. Sure, manuals are a good start but if you didn't have a sporting background as a kid and really want to achieve in this game, then get yourself some PPGS coaching with videos.

I emailed Don about a week ago with a take on his "notebook" drill, but using a yardstick instead. Just like using it for grip, it quickly shows you faults in the backswing. When I used it, I immediately realized I had been over-turning my hands (rather that keeping perpendicular) to the toe-line, because, as Surge said, all of a sudden the yardstick wasn't straight up and down. AND I also discovered, that I was actually not turning my shoulders ENOUGH in but BUS! When I quit turning the club inside, and checked the line of the butt end of the club, it was barely to my toeline - hence the causes of my persistent slice. (Dave corrected this in my lesson last year, but I had failed to maintain it). You can also see what the wrists should look like at the top with a " square" clubface. I did a LOT of practice with the yardstick, progressing to a full swing. Lots of reps and lots of mirror checking.
Regarding the manuals: WHy read them? Here's why: I was going through mine, and pp. 13-15 jumped out at me. I asked Don to address this in a daily because I have not seen it: the BUS starts not with the "forward" (arm and shoulder muscles) but with the "back" (torso and hip) muscles. I have for years started my swing with the left shoulder. I thought..hmmm.what if I try starting the swing with my left hip? OMG. The difference was amazing. All of a sudden I had this true one piece take away, with NO excess tension in the arms, and could get "in the mitt and up the tree" SO easy. So I did a LOT of work on that, too, and the combination and the results in the shot improvement was amazing. LONG, STAIGHT, teeny draw!
My keys: "Post" (PLHR and set the knees - NO sway), "turn" (start swing with hip and torso and get to the arches with butt of club) and then GO!
LONG and STRAIGHT!. WHOO HOO. So THAT's why you need the manual!
And the yardstick. And the mirror.
And I know exactly what I did and need to work on to be sure I can keep making those great shots, too! Doesn't get much better than that!

Thanks to Surge!

Question for the Surge Nation:

Has anyone out there used Anatabloc yet and if so have you noticed any positive results?

Anatabloc uses 2 grams of a substance called anatabine to reduce pain symptoms associated with arthritis and inflammation. It is a lesser plant alkaloid similar to those in tobacco and peppers among other plants. In fact the chemical structure is nearly identical to nicotine. I have researched anatabine because I was considering using it in the anti inflammation component of a Nitric Oxide supplement that I have formulated. The body of evidence supporting its utility is quite impressive in both lab and animal studies. Two reasons that I did not use it is the lack of human clinical trials and its expense. It would cost twice as much as necessary for me to use it. There is a human clinical study scheduled to see if anatabine reduces anti inflammatory markers in humans. My guess from the anecdotal and other research data is that it will. The study listed below intends to use only 1 gram of anatabine. If a lower dosage works or if demand is high I will formulate a more comprehensive and definitely less expensive anti inflammation supplement for Surge Nation.

Official Title: A 12-week Multi-site Trial of the Dietary Supplement Anatabine (RCP006) to Determine the Effects on Peripheral Markers of Inflammation in Patients With Elevated Levels of C-reactive Protein (CRP)

What is your opinion of the new golf training aid called TOURANGLE144°?

Anyone got thoughts on the elbow position after correct grip is taken? (I know not directly related) But do the elbows point at the hips at address or at the front and back toe line ....?

Taking Surges advice that we can practice our grip even while sitting on the couch I did just the last night while we watched a movie. I have the Swing Rite Trainer that includes the training grip that Surge demonstrated. So I also had a wedge and my driver handy. I then alternated between each going from the training grip to normal grips. Then after the movie I went to the 'back yard driving range' and hit balls with the practiced grip. I didn't realize how far off I had become compared to the grip hold on the trainer. Every time I use it I feel like my left hand is cranked over in a much stronger position and that the right hand is more on top. But that is suppose to be the correct grip so I will once again do my best to replicate it while playing in the coming days. I'll need to once again bring along the Swing Rite while playing and grip it briefly before taking my actual club again. We'll see.

Here is the Swing Rite and also the driver Doc recommends and builds in person or long distance. Of course he can actually build you an entire set of clubs long distance.

http://www.thegolfstop.net/Products.html