Don is on the road to recovery and he wanted to make sure that everyone knows he appreciates all the kind words and prayers that he has received. It's truly amazing to see the bond that exists in the Surge Nation. Not surprisingly, Don is still passionate about helping you improve your game and can't wait to get back to full strength.
The great thing about Don is his vast library of content that is virtually unmatched anywhere else online. Along with thousands of quick tip videos, he has also shot a number of full length instructional videos, all of which are available in Surge's Shop.
One of Surge's favourite videos is "Situational Shots: Around the Green" with his son, 2-time PGA TOUR Winner DJ Trahan. Don and DJ don't just tell you how you should approach different shots from 50 yards and in. They walk you through each step and demonstrate it right on the course!
As you can tell from today's video, Don is very passionate about his techniques. If you want to become a short game wizard, this video is a MUST HAVE!
Click here to own Situational Shots: Around the Green
Keep it vertical!
Swing Surgeon Golf
Comments
Around the green
Thanks for the reminder about this great teaching tool Surge.
Of course I own this video and it has always been an excellent way of learning lots of ways to get up and down. One of the best lessons in this series is why and how to get the ball rolling on the green as soon as possible. Those who don't have it should, it's worth every little dime that it costs.
BTW, I know there are over 200 of you out there that sent loving comments to Don after his surgery announcement. That was greatly appreciated and all of our well wishes and prayers have been a blessing I'm sure. Now Don is in bed recovering and has lots of time to go on line and keep his mind active as his body recovers. He has time to read and consider all of our thoughts here too. The two ways we can continue to help him now is one, comment on the blog here. Yes about golf and how we can improve or our experiences. And secondly, buy the situational videos recommended if you don't own them.
Now while there were over 200 of you that sent well wishes in we know there are 1000's more who generally remain silent. Now is your chance to speak up and help Surge heal faster. He lives, eats and breaths golf so any and all your thoughts added here will help him come back faster. Also your thoughts on healthy living and other life thoughts are good too. Many of you have decades of life and lots to offer here. Food for thought.
Golf on!
Agree
Agree about the videos - I have both the Trahan video and the one with Kenny Knox. Have had great success with Kenny's method. Like to watch both.
Agree also about Surge - It is great to be a part of this group, to see us all rally around Don. Need to get healthier myself, hope this wakes me up.
Hope you are playing well. Played sat at Copper Ridge - tough 6300yds. Shot 92 had a lot of good holes but too many bad ones. Played Michigan Meadows sun afternoon. Shot 87 with a triple and a double. Two birdies, one on a stroke hole for net eagle. All phases are coming together - just need to eliminate the 2-3 brain cramps that pop up :). Playing 36 at Timberwood wed (playing hooky er vacation day).
Hit em well friend,
Jerry - Warren, MI
Situational Shots
Great Video, Surge! Just what I needed to help my game! Get well soon & Thanks again for all your help!
Greg Hill
Stay Healthy
I know you are getting an overwhelming amount of support from students from all over the world. You nicknamed me the "Milkman from Arizona" because I kept re-gripping. You may be pleased to know that I stopped doing that. Anyway, I am praying for you to fully recover. Get well soon my friend.
Hal Hubbard from Arizona
Glad you're back
I was one of the unfortunate customers who lost access to your site and videos for the past few years. I can't tell you how happy I was to receive the e-mail giving me back my access. My game has slowly deteriorated to the point where I can barely shoot in the 90s whereas I had been consistently in the mid 80s while watching your training videos. I can't wait to get started again and watch as my scores get better. Glad you're back and hope you stay healthy!
Hybrid
Hi,
I purchased your Foundation series, and the The Surge swing has greatly improved my irons shots, but my hybrids went the other way. I either top the ball or it shoots to the right almost horizontally. Help!!!!
Hybrids
jorjmarie,
Surge has done several videos on hitting hybrids.
Here you go;
https://www.swingsurgeon.com/daily-video-tips/how-hit-hybrids
https://www.swingsurgeon.com/daily-video-tips/correct-ball-position-hybrids
https://www.swingsurgeon.com/daily-video-tips/cant-hit-some-your-hybrids-well
Those three should give you some ideas to practice. Though I still prefer my 4 and 5 irons I do occasionally put one or two of the several hybrids I own back into play. Many Surgites swear by them. I find that two things cause miss hits for me when using a hybrid, one, if I put the ball too far forward as if it is a 3 or 5 wood. I need the ball slightly further back (in the same position as my 5 iron. Remember hybrids are normally several inches shorter than my woods), and two, I seem to have better solid results if I don't over swing. In others words let the technology of the hybrid give you the distance and don't go after it too hard. Just take your normal swing. The ball doesn't know what club it is. Just set up and go at it as you would with your 8 iron or 5 iron. That's been my experience any how. Good luck and I hope the video answers from Surge will help you. Let us know what works!
grips
Surge ~ so relieved to learn the surgery went well and you are on the 'putting green' to recovery. Before I make my comment on my grip, I have to say that I am a fully committed Surgite and adopted your vertical swing method years ago with great success. I'm 70 now and routinely shoot in the 80's using your methods. So, I had no reason to change anything. But...I was surfing around the golf videos on u-tube and stumbled upon a Moe Norman semi-instructional video. I semi-instructional because he is not teaching like you do; he is just explaining what he does. Well, he explained his baseball-like grip where he grips the club in the fleshy-part of his right hand and does not hinge his wrists (like you recommend) and he doesn't hold the club in his fingers. Being a long-time baseball player years ago, I thought I would try it out just to see what happens. Well, wow! I got spectacular results, hitting it both straight and longer. And, what a difference it made in short pitching and chipping. I had much greater feel for the distance and it went consistently straight. I always have hit the ball straight with little fade or draw; but this grip even narrowed down the dispersion of the ball flight to almost zero. So, my question is, if I retain all other aspects of the Surge Swing, is it permissible to use the Moe Norman grip and still be considered a Surgite. Thanks a million and I look forward to your full recovery soon. We miss your dailies.
Grip
risnor,
Though Surge recommends taking the club in the fingers more and not up the meaty life-line Moe Normon style, he does have great respect for the late great Moe Norman as seen from this video;
https://www.swingsurgeon.com/daily-video-tips/natural-golf-similar-peak-performance-golf-swing
So I don't know sir but unofficially I would say that you can still belong to the "club" with your new found grip if much of the rest of your set up and swing are Surge-like:) Truth is, many of us have our own adaptations that may not be spot on PPGS. Each has his own abilities and liabilities when it comes to golf. Personally, I prefer the grip more in the fingers as Surge teaches. For some, gripping with a more base ball style grip gives their grip more strength and success. If a more base ball like grip gives you better results than see how it goes. Down the middle is good.
Golf on!
DJ
Glad to see DJ back in action this week after being with his father during the surgery. Hopefully since Dad is OK DJ can focus on playing well this week and get his season turned around.
Play well DJ,
Jerry - Warren, MI
GPS vs RangeFinders
Hey guys, while Surge is resting I thought I would ask a golf, but not PPGS, question. I have moved and am playing courses I haven't seen before. The yardages seem to be a little inconsistent and I am wondering which yardage tool is the most used and why.
I was all set for a Bushnell laser V3 when I played one course with many dog legs a laser couldn't see around. So now I am leaning GPS.
What about y'all?
Leednc
Laser and GPS
Leednc,
I started with a gps. Works great and might be all you need. I later bought a laser too a couple years later. Both are good. The advantage of a laser is specific yardage and it is a good means to measure distance to all markers and pins when you practice on a driving range. This way you can gradually figure out how far you hit each club. Most gps's offer a tool where you can mark the point where you first tee off and or hit a shot and then when you pull up to the ball you can see exactly how far you hit it (ie., how far you hit your drive). This can be a shocker when you get the reality that the 300 yard drive you thought you hit is 225- lol!! At many of the courses I play now a days they also have a gps on the cart. So how specific do you need to be? I play often and well enough now (on most days) that I want to know exactly how far I am from the flag, especially from 200 in (and even more so as I get closer. I want to pick the right wedge for example that I can take a full swing where ever possible. (pw,gap, sw or lw). Again, up to you. I go through phases where I will use both in the same round and other days when I am so familiar with a course that I can guess within 5 yards any way. Bottom line is that over all the gps is easier and gives you pretty accurate distances to bunkers, and the front , middle and back of green at a quick glance. The laser takes a little more work to zoom in on the target but will give you exact distances to flags, bunkers, trees, ect.
Surge uses a laser. the couple of times I played with him he would use a laser first thing and then pick a club and set up.
If you are leaning toward a gps that will be fine for most of your needs and give you more than enough info in most cases. Again I like both and switch back and forth depending on where I'm playing so both are good while the gps can be quicker.
One cool thing about a gps is the front, center and back yardages. If the wind is into me I'll often use the back yardage as my goal and if it's from behind I will consider the front of the green distance as my target.
Have fun!
GPS & Laser
Thanks Robert. At my old course I knew the distance, or at least the club to hit, from the big oak tree on one, the bunker on three and whether I could reach the water on #10. Now I am still guessing, part of the learning curve, right?
I like that the GPS can measure shots and track club averages; the scorecard functions don't matter to me. I am concerned that it may be hard to hold the rangefinder steady, particularly on long shots. Has that been a problem at all?
steady gps
Glad to share my experiences with you. No need to be concerned about holding the gps steady. It performs accurately regardless. Some are designed so you can clip it to your bag and or your cart or pull/push cart. It doesn't have to be held by hand or in any certain position. You just need to be able to look at and understand the numbers and information it shows. The most important info which is your distances are normally easy to read. So no need to worry about a steady hand. Again you don't have to 'hold' it at all.
Be sure and do your research and even go to a store like Golf Galaxy or Golf Smiths (or another sporting goods store) that has a variety of choices for you to look at and consider. I do much of my golf shopping on line now a days.
There are tons of choices even ones you can where on your wrist like a watch. What ever is simple and clear might suit you best. Lots of choices out there. I got the Golf Buddy a few years ago. It still works great but many others have come out since. Always a good idea to read some of the reviews too. Some will mention 'ease of use' which is an important category. after all we mainly want some accurate numbers so we can pick a club and hit the ball. I do find that it becomes a quick process after using it a couple of times and then you never have to guess again.
Here's a few choices to consider
https://www.google.com/?gws_rd=ssl#q=golf+gps+reviews&tbm=shop
Rangefinder
Robert, I like following your comments. On one point though, I think you misread leednc's comment. He wanted to know about holding the (laser) rangefinder steady. I have the same problem with my buddy's Bushnell, trying to keep it on the flag long enough to get an accurate reading.
Rangefinder
Opps,
Right you are Kevin. I thought he was talking about the gps. My misread. I have the Leupold and yes the laser does take a steady hand. Mine has a lock on system that makes it a bit easier but of course the gps is easier to use from that stand point. Thanks for the correction Kevin. Much appreciated.
Just remember that GPS
Just remember that GPS accuracy depends on a lot of things. And GPS accuracy typically doesn't get better than 7.8 meters unless the GPS unit uses other sources. GPS receivers are highly important in the quality of the position data. A good handheld GPS will set you back at least ~$250. The cheaper GPS's don't have as high of quality receiver and antennas. A GPS that also has a WAAS receiver in it is the best because then you get down to accuracy less than 1 meter. The Garmin 62 series of GPS's are some of the best handhelds you can get. http://amzn.com/B0055NQWZO
For what you are trying to do on the golf course, accuracy would be extremely important. Most people don't really need that type of accuracy and 8 or 9 meters off isn't horrible. That said, I would be skeptical of a GPS that was made specifically for golfing because that means they sacrificed something to make it golf friendly. I took a quick look at the "golf" specific GPSs and not a single one of them I looked at had WAAS capability. If you want something to give you good data I would choose something like the Garmin 62's
USG info on GPS accuracy provided to citizens.
http://www.gps.gov/systems/gps/performance/accuracy/
I was an Avionics Engineer for seven years on transport aircraft...
Also some GPS units have
Also some GPS units have GLONASS receivers in them which is the Russian satellite system. This can also help with accuracy because it's another source of positional data.
Interesting fact. A GPS does not tell you where you are, it tells you where you were. GPS is based of of time calculations and by the time it's computed, you have already moved (rotation of the earth). High speed aircraft cannot use GPS for navigation because of this fact.
Interesting stuff
GPS tells us where we were. Cool thought Brady. Sometimes we forget or don't appreciate how fast we're moving through the universe because we don't feel it.
As you know we are rotating at a speed of some 1,000 mph on our axis.
http://imagine.gsfc.nasa.gov/docs/ask_astro/answers/970401c.html
And around the sun?
http://curious.astro.cornell.edu/question.php?number=356
A similar 67,000 mph
And as part of the group of our solor system through the Milky Way?
http://solar-center.stanford.edu/FAQ/Qsolsysspeed.html
BTW, it's over 447,000 mph. (another source says only 440,000 mph)
Okay, I had to look it up......
How fast is our galaxy moving in our galaxy cluster?
2,724,666 mph (give or take a few hundred thousand:)
After a brief search I did not see a suggested answer as to how fast our galactic cluster is moving within the entire universe. It may be unanswerable because our local cluster is part of yet another cluster that is part of a yet more giant cluster...........
Wow, got a little carried away but this stuff is beyond fascinating to me. I don't think about it very often because it is too mind bending.
I first heard about that some 35 years ago while listening to a program about our amazing universe. Love that kind of stuff. I never finished college but am a studier and still enjoy anything about the Earth and everything beyond us. Puts things in perspective.
I guess one of the differences between High speed (aircraft over earth) calculations and gps calculations from earth point to earth point is that that they don't move relative to each other (if they are fixed points,ie. from the tee to the flag). I have occasionally used both my gps and laser on the same hole (out of interest and fun while not holding any golfers up) and found that my Golf Buddy (by Bushnell) seemed fairly close to accurate to the center of the green when the flag was center (compared to the laser). The flag is rarely in the middle (or back edge or front edge) and so that is why I prefer my laser rangefinder in most cases. That said, again both are good depending on ones preference.
On another directly related note, I just had cataract surgery yesterday on my right eye. General sight and certainly using a laser rangefinder had become difficult with the right eye gone foggy. I am typing right now with a clear right eye, yeah!!! As soon as I get out and play I'll be excited to be able to be right eye dominate guy I was and be able to use the laser again too. Playing one eyed is not fun, especially with the less dominate eye.
Thanks for the deeper info Brady. Perhaps it will spark further observations from our Engineer/science types out there:) Hey, we can talk about lots of stuff here. life is interesting........
Keep healing along Surge.
Have you read any of the
Have you read any of the Steven Hawking books? Like the "Brief History of Time"?
GPS
I have about the cheapest golf GPS you can buy (a SWAMI) and I have NEVER seen my reading come up more than a yard off from what my playing partners with range finders are reading...Except on those occasions when they are WAY off because they are accidentally hitting something beyond the green with the range finder.
Then I have to clear my throat and tell them they might want to check that again before they hit the shot.
I can stand on the 100, 150, and 200 yard markers at the course where I work and look at the GPS and it is right on the money every time.
If it was that far off it would be useless and I wouldn't own one.
If I ever start coming up 7 meters off on my reading with the GPS I'll pitch it in the lake.
Cosmos
Brady, I do not own any of his books, I should. I have read some of his stuff however and am guilty of being bookstore nut. I can spend hours reading both at home at book stores and libraries when I am not working or playing golf. I have owned several Astronomy specific books in the past and the one that I currently and frequently page through and read is called "Cosmos- A Field Guide" by Giles Sparrow. It takes it from the beginning to deep space. lots of mind blowing pictures too.
Hawking is awesome. You have inspired me though and am going to re-watch his series found on Netflicks starting tonight. I will buy "Brief History of Time".
Fascinating
Watched his series from 2012 called "grand design". Really deep stuff and a fascinating watch for anyone.
Where I believe differently from Hawking is it is obvious he lends toward evolution. I do believe that grand design takes a mind and a designer and a creator. And yes I would call him God. It always amazes me how most great scientist (physicists/astronomers ect.) talk about the creation and it's grand design but then created an unlikely series of mathamatically impossible combination of events that developed through evolution.
I also see that science and creation are not at odds but in harmony.
The Fabric of the Cosmos
Ah, some astronomy buffs in the blog! If you have any appetite for physics and astronomy, Brian Greene's books, like "The Fabric of the Cosmos" and "The Elegant Universe" are awesome books for layman - they bring quantum physics and string theory to a level that is almost comprehensible.
Astro buffs
Todd,
Thanks for the recommends:). I have been amazed since early childhood by the earth and sky. Mom got me my first 50X telescope at like 10. We are such a tiny dot in the universe. Yet giants compared to the micro world. Shall look into Brian Green's books.
Yes we golf too:) Have a great week end all!
No time like now. Here is some Brian Green;
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=UV_X2B5OK1I
Get well soon Surge
Glad to hear you are on the road to recovery, may it be a speedy one.
cheers
Todd
Best wishes, Don!
I hope that you are feeling stronger every day. Your website videos have allowed me to lower my handicap by 5 strokes in less than 4 months. I am 61 years old and have struggled with hitting fat iron shots all of my life. Your "outward knee pressure" comment that you made in the very first video that I watched started my transformation. Now I look forward to hitting irons into greens! You've made golf fun again. Thanks, Surge! Again, my very best wishes for a speedy recovery!
Only in my mind
I'm only going to be making more birdies and pars in my mind this year. I had my rotator cuff surgery two weeks ago and last week, my doctor informed me that I would be in physical therapy and rehab for 4-6 months. So, after my initial depression, I figured I would take a lesson from John McCain and play golf in my mind. It's fascinating; I can visualize rounds of golf I played over 30 years ago and picture every bad shot. I can even see what I should have done back then. This will keep me relatively happy until I can start swinging a club. The doctor told me not to even pick one up until he tells me. He knows I won't be able to resist it otherwise.
Rotator cuff surgery
Kevin,
Tough going pal, rest and recovery for another of our stalwart Surgites. I hope the recovery and rehab goes as well if not better than expected. Heal well my friend and you will indeed be back on the fairways and greens. I had cataract surgery last week and my right eye is now clearing up. Seems we all are under going one thing if not several as the clock ticks on. Life's challenges eh?
Hang in there Kevin. Seems you have a great attitude all things considered. Though it is a bummer to have your golfing life style interrupted it will be temporary. As the old saying goes, "this too shall pass".
Be well and though not playing I hope to continue to see your always astute and insightful comments here on the blog.