Alternative Form Of Practice

Yes, we ran off together and are living happily ever after on the Revolution golf site.  Haha.  Have you guys heard from him at all?

Marilyn:

 Keep the faith and remember the 41. We all have bad days, it's inevitable. If I had actually thrown my clubs in the lake as often as I'd felt like, I'd be a much better swimmer. The sun will come out tomorrow.

Good luck and PMG

Boog: Isn't it just amazing how we can create our own problems just by letting these "little things" creep in and screw up our swing?  As you say, it is SO nice to have all the basics available to "find and fix" things on our own!  This is the only swing I've ever, ever seen that allows self-repair!  We just need the tools :-)  Hit 'em straight!   R2

Yes, I know, I will be there next week and now two or three players won't be???

Kinda like my golf,,,  just not easy some times,,but keep at it...

thanks,
mw

Thanks all, but, still feel like,,,,,,,will think about it all night, well, did have a few good shots, the mind does do strange things to us!!!!!   Now, they say rain tomorrow, so, will wait and see.  

Thanks for all of your help,

marilyn

DH:

 You just did, and I fully agree.

PMG

I here ya on the kicker.
I was surprised to see that their is 6 teams from the SEC in the top 25. Well maybe I'm not.

 

Janet, great to see you, you've been missed. I hope all is well with you,Ma'am.

It's nice to be missed.  Everything's great.  I've just been busy, and a little schedule change keeps me off the computer. 

RM:  Glad you made it home safely!  I want to see those Disco moves so when you get them posted, give us the link.  Have a great week and if you get the chance, hit 'em straight!  R2

Thanks, Surge, for the mental practice reminder. I've been doing this since hearing the POW story years ago. I usually practice this way while laying in bed before going to sleep. I mentally  practice your vertical swing technique and also the good shots/holes I played that day.

Yes, wonder what makes us rushing,,,,darn,,,my body turned before I hit  the ball it seemed, way to fast...then when you try to stop, you don't????

Slow Down Yes,,,,

Thanks,
m

Whenever I can't get to sleep, I play golf in my head.  It's great -- the sun is shining, the fairways and greens are perfect, and every shot is perfect -- except that I still miss putts!  Can't explain that one.

How are y'all doing? 

Hi Surge,
Been working with the 14 drills series and for me, the #5 has been an absolute breakthrough.
The concept of playing the shot with the butt of the club pointing into the naval has been amazing.  It felt good on the range, and works fantastically on the course.  I think this is the best slice stopper ever.  The club comes through absolutely square and assists in brings the toe up square into the T finish, helping me to turn through too.
Well done Don, that drill is amazing and I think you should focus a video on it.  I am not sure it is widely understood.
Thanks,
Trevor

Great idea.  How long will you be here? 

Likewise for me yesterday Maralyn. R-U-S-H-I-N-G was the name of the game for me,ie, too quick to bump.......etc. Then the light went on. Smoked the 5W consistently on the 14th-18th. The wedges, my go to in trouble clubs were terrible. Chipping and putting were fine. All of a sudden the distances on the wedges and short irons was off the clock.So back to basics again. Tem Po and Ti Ming. No rushing. Keen to get out there and smite the wee spherical beastie, is no excuse for rushing. Today is another day.
Visualize, absolutely.One thing I do possess, is a vivid imagination heh heh heh. So why don't I visualize on the course?
Good Luck with the next round M. Slow down. SCOOOOT-LAAAND' Slowed me down a few minutes ago.
Australian Open on, online this week 2pm-7pm our time, yeeeehaaa!
PMGAS

Marilyn, [apologies for not spelling your name correctly on my first note : - [   Out today under overcast skies and the weather was, in the end beautiful. Yesterday almost a thing consigned to history for ever. A couple of holes today were not so good. On the whole though a huge difference from yesterday.The holes that were not so good, were the ones where I went through the ball like an express train at full steam ahead. As soon as I slowed down to a nice easy cadence, it all came back. Didn't rush, but we finished 18 full holes in 3hours exactly. Not rushing, but the balls were going where they were aimed. The big difference, was: I left the driver at home. Teed off on the first hole with the 5W.Straight down the middle. It performed sterling service the whole round. Chipped and putted like a good player. Pitches and even the longer irons [4 and 5] were doing a good job. On one 3W I quickend up and pulled the shot left behind a tree line. For the next shot I had very tall trees to negotiate. Sensible would have been to just chip through and then have a go at the green. Instead I took my PW and sailed it over the trees to about 15feet off the green. Chipped right up to the flag with my 9iron and tapped it in. Under overhanging tree branches just in the rough, with two small trees and a gap. Took my 5iron and ended up slightly short of the green off the right hand front corner of a sloping two tiered green. Chipped again up past the pin and the ball rolled back off the slope towards the pin, stopping about 6-8' above the pin. One putt, big smile and onward. Now what a turn around. Salvation was Mr Tem Po and Mrs Ti Ming : - ] IMHO. As soon as I slowed down the in the mitt and up the tree, it all just happened.
Now if I can do it anybody can.
Chin up and keep at it. Take your time and savour the beauty of the shots which will eventuate.
Go get 'em girl.

Is it really "Good wrist action is no wrist action."? I like the concept of the vertical swing, the club head is on the target line longer and my misses are, at least on line.. that's a good thing! But, in the Foundations manual Don again states that there should be no wrist action. Ok... until you look at the photos. On page 96 in the "Down-the-line" photo, Don has about a 160 degree angle between his arm and club shaft (hard to get an exact protractor measurement). Then, on page 99 the "Face on" photo shows Don at the top of his swing with an exact 90 degree angle between his arm and club shaft! How do ya do that with no wrist action? Obviously, his hands have hinged up or the club shaft at the top would be at about 10:00, not 12:00. What should Surge swingers be attempting? 

Steve, I think Gary Danielson hit it right on the head and now that I'm trying to quote it, I have forgotten his words...ooops, but when Foster lined up for the  OT kick he more less stated ( and granted I know, it was a long one,due to the penalty and sack) ..he more or less said, He has no confidence. I'm with you, surely, somewhere on the campus they should have someone that could do it better than the two they have.I remember when all the schools went to this style of place kickers, the very first ones came off the school's soccer teams.

Started going vertical late last season. As you can imagine it took quite a bit of practice to unlearn my old swing. Last week - shot 44/40 - first sub 85 round and have to say - would have been a 39 but choked the putt on 18. This swing has changed my game - and don't overlook the chipping technique - very helpful to sticking them close!

So, you aren't just a figment of my imagination.  Well,  how is the fairway wood behaving?

Marilyn, May tomorrow's round be better for you! You can do it, Ma'am.

Good to see the McCloud Clan is peaceful. The Dragon has also stopped breathing fire after yesterdays day of horror on the course. A much better day all around. Life is indeed good again in the Dragon's nest. Have a great day Boogm

Hi Booger,

Glad to see that you and Terry are alive and well.  I saw a few posts from Dick a few weeks ago, but nothing lately.  Have you heard from him?  If you get to chat with him, tell him hi for me.

Bob

Is it really "Good wrist action is no wrist action."? I like the concept of the vertical swing, the club head is on the target line longer and my misses are, at least on line.. that's a good thing! But, in the Foundations manual Don again states that there should be no wrist action. Ok... until you look at the photos. On page 96 in the "Down-the-line" photo, Don has about a 160 degree angle between his arm and club shaft (hard to get an exact protractor measurement). Then, on page 99 the "Face on" photo shows Don at the top of his swing with an exact 90 degree angle between his arm and club shaft! How do ya do that with no wrist action? Obviously, his hands have hinged up or the club shaft at the top would be at about 10:00, not 12:00. What should Surge swingers be attempting?     

Another lifetime ago I was a competitive swimmer.  I guess my coach was ahead of his time, but he encouraged us too use visualization to improve the swimming stroke.  It certainly worked for me.  He suggested that we visualize the correct stroke while in bed just before going to sleep.  He said that the more detail you can imagine in the visualization the better the visualization would work...but, it had to be correct.  You can visualize the wrong thing too.  I don't see why this could not work for golf.  I'm glad Don reminded me.

The hinging as you call it (I call if flexing) is a natural occurrence resulting from the force of a weight on the end of a stick (golf club) being swung in one direction (back swing) and abruptly changed (transition) into another direction (down swing).  It is impossible for there not to be some reaction in the ellipsoid joint (the wrist) with that much force being put on it.  This angle that is created is also what you hold until just at impact (release) and gives you increased club head speed.  The key to the matter is that in this swing we do not set the wrists, bow or cup the wrists, or make any conscious movement of the wrist as takes place in other swings.  Is there some wrist movement?  Yes, but it is not a movement in the sense that it was something that we did but rather a movement that was a created as a result of another action.  There is a huge difference.

Please tell Dick, he is sorely missed. A good man.

Bob, I haven't heard from him in a couple of weeks myself but I will pass along your regards when I do.
Booger

Ted,

This question has been popping up a lot lately, particularly since Don started doing his daily video blog from his Back Yard Driving Range. What you are seeing is something scientists call "parallax". It's defined as "The effect whereby the position or direction of an object appears to differ when viewed from different positions, e.g., through the viewfinder and the lens of a camera".

I can assure you that Don has a rock solid setup so trust what he SAYS in this regard. These daily videos are not meant to teach you the swing; they are there to serve as reminders of what is covered in our instructional videos and our 108-page Foundations Manual. Don does his best to get everything setup correctly, but the truth of the matter is that given the type of camera he uses (a high-end personal video cam) there is no way it can match the clarity and variety of camera angles of the $250,000 high definition camera system that we used to film the PPGS Swing Series. That camera, which was also used to film some of the Star Wars movies, was mounted on a long boom and a dolly and required a crew of TWO camera operators, a boom operator and several dolly grips. This allowed us to not only get perfect visual alignment from face on and down-the-line perspectives, but it also gave us top-down view capability to help illustrate important aspects of the swing such as ball placement.

Ted, I've corresponded with a number of people who have asked this question recently and I have invariably found that they are trying to learn the Surge Swing by just watching the daily videos. If that's what you are trying to do, and if you think Don's swing will transform your game just as it has for hundreds of thousands of others over the past 38 years, then I urge you to purchase at least the downloadable digital version of the Foundations Manual. At current exchange rates, it's a little over 12 pounds. It is packed with everything you need to know about the Peak Performance Golf Swing and is full of very precise and clear illustrations to show you exactly what you need to do. And if you would like to have the PPGS Swing Series instructional video as well as the manual, I can tell you that this morning I am finalizing a week-long sale that combines both products at a significantly lower price. If you are on our mailing list, you will get a notice of the sale when it goes public. If you are not, just check the Surge Shop (a tab in the nav bar above) and you will see the combo package once the sale begins.

Don offers an unconditional 90-day guarantee on every video and manual he sells so what have you got to lose other than a bunch of strokes off your game? And in the unlikely event that it isn't to your liking, simply contact Customer Support and request a refund. 

PMG,

Tom Jans
Director of Marketing

hi surge,

my name is don and i am 66 yrs old.  i am wondering if there are any stats that show what is the average distance that a person can drive the golf ball based on their age.  i know some 25 - 35 yr-olds can hit the ball 300 yds, not sure if this is an average.  but i'm wondering what is the average drive for a 50, 55, 60, 65, 70 and 75 yr old male golfer.  also what can you do if you are my age and want to keep up with younger players off the tee?

don

It's very comforting to know that for those of us who have bought into the PPGS & Surge, that when you notice a problem with the mechanical side of the swing, you have resources readily available to get yourself back on track. Be it from the manual, videos or fellow Surgites. As you can probably gather I have found the root of my grip problem and upon discovering it, I did call myself a dummy once or twice while sitting here with my 8 iron in hand, while trying to keep Honey calm. She gets keyed up every time I pull a club out of the bag,lol. I watched the original grip video and didn't really see my answer but upon checking the revised video I found it easy enough. Seems I had been laying my grip into the crimp of my left hand to much in a perpendicular fashion or as Surge says in the video "to square in the fingers, it must be diagonal". So after trying it on the 8 iron while sitting here in the chair ( and whispering to Honey not to get excited) when I squeezed up with the lifter muscles the face stayed square and didn't close. Life is once again good in the McCloud household.

Janet:

 Welcome back dear lady. I thought perhaps you had met up with Bill,  touched his magic shaft, and became lost in Wonderland.(I hope that wasn't too naughty)

 As to Dick, it has been a while since his last post. I have no idea for sure, but suspect he may be going through some personal trials. I ask everyone, Please keep him in your thoughts and prayers. 

PMG

Surge, thanks again for another interesting video today.Great discourse on mental practice and  practicing in this manner away from the range and course. Now I'm off to reread the manual and review the videos on the grip, I seem to have a milking problem of sorts and have spent quite a bit of time this afternoon trying to correct it. I don't milk the grip in the traditional sense like regripping the club at the top of the BUS or at the transition rather when I activate the lifter muscles at address. Because this action takes place so quickly before firing the BUS I hadn't noticed it but wondered why I had suddenly picked up a pure hook of late. So with some experimenting here in the house last night and outdoors this afternoon I noticed I shut the club face down about 15 degrees on my iron shots and would assume I also do it with my woods.That I can't confirm at the moment,however, since I don't have the space here at home to take any swings with my woods/metals. Anyway, thanks for today's video, it's a subject that definitely has my attention at the moment.
Stay in the Present!

Thanks Dh, It was nice to see your reply when I came back into the study after watching the last of the Highlander films on television. Trying to stay up a bit later so I can sleep a little more into the morning for my next boiler outage that starts for me tomorrow night.
Nice to know all is good again for the Dragon's in NZ.

Marilyn

Keep the faith it happens to all of us. Trust me been there done that.

Bob,

I love your visualization comment.  The course I play most often has a long (for me) tough par 3 that eats my lunch.  It's 173 yards, 2 tiered green, well bunkered in front with a small brook running across the front about 10 yards from the front edge of the green.  For Steve it's a perfect 7 iron. ;0)  For me, it's the best 5 wood I've ever hit in my life or, depending on the wind a 3 wood (some of us geezer golfers are just a tad distance challenged) lol.

My last round it was windy and I just cleared the brook with a 3 wood and wound up in thick grass about a foot tall and partially buried on a 70* upslope.  My first thought was just take an unplayable lie and then I thought where's Seve when I need him. LOL.

I like a challenge, but normally don't go for hero shots.  The pin is in the back on the top tier about 20 yards away 10 feet above my head.  I took a couple of minutes visualizing what the best case outcome would be if I tried the shot.  I could actually see the ball flight I wanted in my mind's eye if I hit it perfectly, assuming I could actually get the club head on the ball.  I chopped it out, it took the flight I had visualized and rolled up to about 8 feet.  I made the putt and said to the guy I was playing with "just a plain dull normal par". ;0))

Sometimes if you can imagine and visualize it, you CAN do it.  We all need those shots that keep us coming back.

Thank you, Surge.     

Haven't seen him in some time.  I hope the the earthquake and twister they had in Oklahoma didn't come close, but maybe someone will hear from him. 

Hello Fellow Surge Citizens!

It's time for a PGCC update. 

I spent the weekend as a volunteer for a golf course grand opening and it was a terrific experience.  I worked hard as an outside services representative and carried about a thousand golf bags from the parking lot to the starter shack and met a lot of wonderful people.

One of the guys I met will be familiar to many of the old timers here.  His name is Bronson Wright, and he is a former PPGS certified clubfitter who still posts videos on the old site at revolution golf.  It also turns out that he is a graduate of the Professional Golfers Career College. 

I invited Bronson to stop by Surge Central, and he said he would do so in the next few days.

Today's subject is very timely, as we studied both the Vietnam POW case, as well as the basketball study in our Psychology class during the past few weeks.  An interesting fact was revealed to me which is absolutely fascinating.  Here goes...

The human mind cannot distinguish between a real event, and one which is vividly and repeatedly imagined.  Visualization as a practice and preparation technique is absolutely backed up by scientific study.

Another interesting fact from our psych class is as follows;  The human mind cannot focus on and re-enforce the negative of an idea.  For instance, when faced with a tough shot over the water, we often make the mistake of repeating to ourselves, "don't hit it in the water; don't hit it in the water!"

Sure enough, that is almost always where the ball goes, because we are actually re-enforcing the positive of the idea, "hit it in the water!"  An absolute revelation!! 

School is going great.  Look for me at the final stage of Q school later in November.  I'll be the guy with the sunglasses and the huge smile :0)

Hit'em Long and Straight,
Bob

R2, it sure is...Can't believe I let the "G" get away from me momentarily.I don't know who is more relieved that I was able to fix the problem, Honey or I, she sure was going nuts when she couldn't go fetch my shots from the neighbors pasture today. She did it a couple of times yesterday even while I was trying to call her back and got zapped a time or two. So today while I was trying to work on the solution she made sure to stay clear of the fence and I also made sure to move up farther on my side of the lane so when I did hook one it was past his pasture. The resources we have for the swing on here are wonderful and an unbelievable value.
Stay in the Present, Booger

Maybe this will help, face the ball until impact. Sometimes trying to stop something only makes it worse.

Janet,

You still miss putts?  I find that hard to believe since all of us never miss a putt, well, at least in our dreams. ;0)  Nice to see you again.  I was beginning to think you and Dick had run off together... lol.

Well, guess what, rain, but, I went out anyway way!!!  I think, there were only three people on the course.    But thought about everything all of you said, slow down, arms close under chin, back swing, up the tree and I love the six to twelve inches out, target...and my head on golf...played so much better, played nine, started on six, played it out, then came around and started on one, you can do that, when there are only three people out there, :o))))).  I felt so much better, still can do better, but NOTHING  like yesterday!!!    My putts were good too.   OK, I didn't keep score, but, I can remember every shot on every hole????  Rain tomorrow too, but, we shall see.    I love golf, wish I could have learn when I was young, but, at time it was not possible,. but this time in my life it is.   Thanks for all of your help, see what tomorrow brings, I will try my best.  57 today, not cold at all.
   Still what a mind game,,,,,

thanks,
marilyn

The guys soccer team might be a good place to start. They may not have to waste a scholar ship its the same kicking motion.