Today's tip comes from a question that Mike O'Shay, of County Limerick in beautiful Ireland, posed to me a few weeks ago.
"Hello,
I have totally bought into the Surge Swing and am getting into the Catcher's Mitt, Up The Tree, Bump, into the Forwards Mitt, and Up The Tree. I am hitting my 5 iron 120 Yards, HELP! HELP!. My 8 iron is going about 100 Yards. Its killing me in distance, what can I do to get my distance back, I am only 42 and am getting out hit and out driven by seniors. HELP!
HELP!!!"
Mike, you didn't give me much else to go on, so I am going to hazard an educated guess on what your problem is. I say "educated" because, after teaching golf for over 35 years, these symptoms are ones that I've seen fairly often. In a nutshell, I think you may be over focused on the individual steps in the swing and thus you aren't really letting yourself swing with controlled power and explosiveness. I've mentioned this before in past blogs, where people are swinging with arms that look like cooked spaghetti, all noodly and soft. People with this mindset often think about "placing the sweet spot on the ball" in the mistaken belief that if they can do that they will hit a solid shot.
Think about it--what do you do when you "place" something on a table, for example? Is it a fast, explosive movement? No, it's usually a slow, smooth and very deliberate move. Does a cricket batsman, who is trying to hit for six, think about "placing" his bat on the ball? I think not! Almost without thinking, he's swinging really hard in order to take the bowler's pitch and drive it over the boundary. That's the way you need to approach your golf swing.
When you put too much focus on the process steps your arms and muscles tighten up and that will rob you of power. To get the feel of how much power you should be generating, here's a drill I often use with people who are merely waving their club at the ball. I ask them to place a ball on the ground and then reverse the club so that they are gripping the shaft just forward of the club head. Next, I ask them to set up just as they normally would, with the reversed grip-end of the club pointing at the ball. I want them to swing fast enough so that they can hear the club swoosh through the air at, or just before, the grip points at the ball. If they can do that, then they will be swinging at their maximum swing speed while maintaining their balance and control.
Keep it vertical!
The Surge
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Comments
If you watch Lexy Thompson
If you watch Lexy Thompson hit driver she has that trade mark Laura Davis move at impact being up on her toes she knocks the stuff out of the ball.
Mike - had a similar issue
Mike - had a similar issue when I started this swing years ago - keep with it. My yardage went down for a while, bottomed, and is finally not only returning but getting longer than it was 10 years ago. I am almost the same age as you at 47. Last round I hit a 5 iron 225 and a 7 iron about 185 uphill - and I do mean with little conscience effort regarding distance.ÃÂ
Stick with what the Surge has said above - keep working until you can do it with out conscience thought of each position, and you will be fine. The swing speed will come back and, because you are accelerating into the ball (instead of de-accelerating like so many) so will the distance AND now you will have consistent accuracy as well.ÃÂ
What helped me along this process was to become target focused at the course and not keep 10,000 swing thoughts going. I have a few simple keys to remember, I shortened my pre-shot routine, and I focus on what the game is about - getting that little white ball into that sometimes very small appearing hole : -)
Have a great day and keep it down the middle,
Jon
Tell me what your clubhead
Tell me what your clubhead speed and launch angle are as well as the type of ball you are using, and I can tell you how far you should hit your driver.ÃÂ Age, handicap and height don't matter.
I have a feeling that's not the type of answer you were looking for.
Your second question is a better one.ÃÂ Chances are, the shaft needs to be shortened to around 42-43 inches.ÃÂ My advice is go to a professional club-fitter and have him check you out on a launch monitor and take some measurements such as your wrist-to-floor measurement.ÃÂ That should help determine the proper length and lie angle.
You may also find that with your swing speed a senior-flex shaft is best.ÃÂ Only a proper fitting can tell you these things.
Back again to your first question.ÃÂ If you get properly fitted, use the correct ball for your swing and follow the Surge's lessons as closely as you can, you will maximize the combination of distance and accuracy FOR YOU.ÃÂ That's all that matters.
Marilyn, we're in the same
Marilyn, we're in the same weather pattern down here in dixie. I think we topped out at 36 this afternoon, going into the lower 20s tonight but warming up nicely the latter part of the week. I hope to get in round while Josh is in school around Thursday. Happy golfing, Ma'am
DH:ÃÂ What a way to get a
DH:ÃÂ What a way to get a birdie - that was a fun story and thanks for sharing it with us!ÃÂ By the way, I REALLY like your idea of swinging with your eyes closed - I've been doing it ever since you suggested it and boy, does it work well!!!ÃÂ Take care, have a great new year and as always, GBSAPS, PMGASÃÂ and hit 'em straight!ÃÂ R2
Surge:ÃÂ Another greatÃÂ
Surge:ÃÂ Another greatÃÂ lesson - thank you much!ÃÂ I've found that as the mechanics of the swing become more "ingrained", it becomes easier to focus on the finish and the target.ÃÂ A few months ago, you said something about our swing thoughts that has really made a difference in my ball striking: "Where there is a target, there can be no mechanics, and where there are mechanics, there can be no target".ÃÂ ÃÂ It is just so much simpler to focus on the target and "let the swing do it's thing" - the results will speak for themselves.ÃÂ ÃÂ I've had a chance to play two rounds this week (with more to come), and when I walked onto the course, my only swing thought was to focus on the target.ÃÂ ÃÂ When we get caught up in the mechanics, our swing becomes just that - mechanical.ÃÂ When we focus on the target, we can start to actually "feel the swing, then swing the feel".ÃÂ Hit 'em straight!ÃÂ R2
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