Every once in a while, I get a question from one of my students that shows great powers of observation and today's question from Paul D'Andrea of Chicago is the latest to cross my desk.
"A few times a week I like to view the YouTube video of you hitting every club in the bag. Just watching this video, especially before a round of golf or practice session really helps with my swing. To a devoted PPGS golfer like myself, watching your golf swing is a thing of beauty and your rythm "througout the bag" is something to strive for.
In the YouTube video, as part of your pre-shot routine you seem to make a slight adjustment with your hips right before you move the club away to start the back swing. It almost looks as if you are "closing" the hips very slightly relative to the target line. To me, it looks like you are pre-loading your hips and getting into the Forward Arm Dominant postion at the same time. I've been trying this myself, and it really quiets my lower body and helps produce very crisp contact and solid golf shots.
Can you give the Surge Nation more details on what you do during this move? I think it is a valuable key to successfully performing the PPGS."
Paul, I can't believe you picked up this move, partly because it is very subtle, and partly because I never describe it as a separate movement. What you have so keenly picked up on is my last-minute, pre-swing alignment check. I am sure most of you have heard me say dozens of times that in order to hit a shot straight with maximum distance, your feet, knees, hips, shoulders and eyes all must be in perfect alignment, parallel left of the target and square to the toe line. As I finalize my set up and begin to get Pre-Loaded Heavy Right, I check to see that my posture is properly bent forward at the hips and my spine angle is titled slightly rearward. I then mentally start at my feet and work my way up to get all of the body sections into alignment. That's where the pre-shot tweak of my hips occurs.
If you build this alignment check into your setup routine you'll help ensure that your body will clear out properly in the FUS phase of the swing, allowing you to get the club head on the aiming line square to the target for a solid strike.
Keep it vertical!
The Surge
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Comments
ÃÂ I typed the first line
ÃÂ I typed the first line below into the YouTube search box and the video came up. The second line below is the url when watching it. I downloaded the movie to my desktop for easy reference.
don-trahan-swing-examples-09-masters
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v...
Thanks. I find I can keep the
Thanks. I find I can keep the shoulders properly aligned as long as I remember to relax the right shoulder and droop that elbow. That pulls the shoulders square. The hips are a bigger problem.
See how far you can hit it
See how far you can hit it with a low trajectory shot off the tee. I know, no roll out, but that'll give you more practice with your wedges and short irons. Ron's just trying to help your all around game. ;-)
No way to know what you are
No way to know what you are capable of with new knees and a new hip at 69 but I'll give a check list a shot.
Make sure your clubs fit, including having plenty of loft to get the ball in the air and the right shaft profile.
Do what you can do to finish high. It would be hard for anybody to have a high ball flight finishing at waist high.
Make sure you don't have the mindset of hitting down on the ball. Remember that the back swing and subsequent drop from the top into the slot is to get in position to swing UP to the finish. The ball just gets in the way.
P.S. Also remember that none of us are likely to be as athletic as we once were. We can enjoy the game anyway.
A "10 h/c" after three joint replacements actually sounds pretty good to me.
Robert:ÃÂ If you want a
Robert:ÃÂ If you want a good pre-shot warmup drill to relax the hips and knees, try this one:ÃÂ http://www.youtube.com/watch?v...
It works for 19-year-old Michelle Jenneke, representing Australia in the 100
meter hurdles during the 2012 World Junior Championships in Barcelona. She won the event.
That is one of two options.
That is one of two options. Teeing it much higher is the other. On most of the uphill holes (which is every par 4 or 5 but 4) you truly can't get enough distance to compete with a low trajectory on that course against those players.
It's not all bad though. The way the course has been set up lately benefits me more than anyone else except Ron (as long as my short game holds up).
Here is another, with the
Here is another, with the audio, mentioning the club and loft being used of each shot.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v...
HA! That would be a sight on
HA! That would be a sight on the first tee. Especially since I do NOT have the physique of that young lady. ;-)
Wow. This tip has really made
Wow. This tip has really made a dramatic difference in my shots. I try all the tips, but have had real problems with consistency, thin, fat, push, pull, etc.ÃÂ
I tried the adjustment in this video and hit 5 of the best shots I've ever hit, right in a row.ÃÂ
Of course, all this is taking place in my apartment in NYC, so I only have about 15 feet of flight before the (foam) ball hits my living room wall. But the sound is great and the flight is straight.ÃÂ
I'm on vacation for 10 days tomorrow and let's hope this carries from living room to golf course.ÃÂ
Thanks, Paul for pointing this out. ÃÂ
Had my final exam in the
Had my final exam in the computer course this morning. A totally subjective project. Had to make an advertising presentation for a fictional theme park.
Don't know if the instructor will like my presentation or not but after re-watching it I would like to go to the park. Ha ha!
I have all As so I hope he likes it. He stopped me on the way out and told me it was a pleasure to have me in the class. Since he didn't tell anybody else that it's a good sign. I just hope he still feels that way after grading my presentation. ;-)
I have a game this afternoon if the rain holds off and I hit some balls in the net and I don't think I ever struck the ball better (knock on wood).
ÃÂ No pre-race routine
ÃÂ No pre-race routine needed if you use this technique. ;-)
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v...
Not quite on theme, but I
Not quite on theme, but I wanted to share this. First, I will admit to trying/using a variety of swings including Surge's. OK...I bought a club (a #5 hybrid) that I reluctantly was about to remove from my bag because it seemed to be a bit short (it shouldn't have been, since it was built to my usual specs). However, at this point I was not swinging really vertical (more along the lines of S&T, assuming most of you know what that is). Fortunately, before giving up on the club I thought I would give the Surge swing a try and..BAM, and then again BAM...and it is now a very accurate club for me. This got me thinking about how Surge suggests that vertical swinging might be facilitated by (a bit) shorter clubs. I had to find this out by trial and error (I don't have access here on the island to a real fitter), but it certainly got me thinking about the whole subject...to be continued :-)
Also available here: http:/
Also available here: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v... along with DJ through the bag here: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v...
Or, if you're an Inner Circle member, they're also in your Inner Circle Video section.
THAT'S my style.
THAT'S my style.
Funny how that works, isn't
Funny how that works, isn't it? Which island are you on? It may be possible to work with Doc on a long distance fitting, but depending where you are, the shipping costs can really add up. I used to live in the Caribbean, and I know the joys of trying to get things imported there.
I'm sure you did great on the
I'm sure you did great on the project. And hope the ball striking and short game were all your opponents could handle and more today.
I concur. Find a really good
I concur. Find a really good intermediate spot, and we're good to go.
The flag and cup have not moved, nor has the intermediate spot.ÃÂ
(I may have moved. LOL.)+++++
A caveat for me: a tiny last glance, at times, can be a distance check or perhaps pick up a wind gust. But I don't need to pick up my head and face to get that info. +++++It's funny too, on my putting....I really am not in a hurry see where it's going. I simply keep my head and left (dominant) eye on the contact point for a moment, turn slightly to see if I rolled over my intermediate target.At that point, I'm kind of done.ÃÂ Eventually I may decide to see where it went,note the speed and break, and ....what am I forgetting ?.... oh yes, I will check to see if it went in the cup.ÃÂ ÃÂ Putting, btw, is usually the best part of my game. How did I get so lucky?
ÃÂ I hope you are right and
ÃÂ I hope you are right and it was.
ÃÂ That is lucky! Of course
ÃÂ That is lucky! Of course Gary Player said "the more I practice the luckier I get". ;-)
I can roll the ball as well as anybody on my intended line. My downfall comes from bad reads. I miss too many putts on the high side and occasionally 3 putt from being too aggressive and going too far past.
Those two mistakes come from the two things that I hate the worst. Leaving a putt short and missing on the low side. I rarely ever do either of those. At least on putts that miss high I get a chance to root for them. Low ones are done as soon as they leave the putter.
This. Yes, this very much. I
This. Yes, this very much. I haven't had a chance to get out this week yet to practice or play, but I know that my hips (and sometimes my shoulders) have a bad tendency to edge open when I set up. I'm sure people watching me get a little weirded out when they see me wiggle a bit to free the hips up and get them back on line when I remember. ;-)
Hi E G . In addition to what
Hi E G . In addition to what the Nation has said, I would simply add this: it is really worth considering to hireÃÂ a top-notch physical therapist (and possibly a personal trainer) to help you assess your limits,+++++
There are several issues you have described, E G. And there is nothing quite like trusted and honest feedback from an qualified outside source.
A free throw that doesn't
A free throw that doesn't reach the rim has zero chance of going in. But we've all seen some interesting things happen when you at least put the ball in a position to go in.++++
Chipped one recently that was supposed to land and settle on the low side, 2 feet away for an uphill tap in. Yeah, right. ÃÂ After way overshooting the flag, and now high side, it was going to be a tricky downhill putt.++++BUT...a funny thing happened on the death march to my double bogey..... Roll....pause.....roll....pause.....roll...Well, it didn't go in, but came very close. Would like to say that I meant to do that, a poor shot on the high side, as it it had a chance and almost dropped. +++++ ÃÂ And the rooting helped.
Is the utube piece of Surge's
Is the utube piece of Surge's swing of all the clubs Paul mentions in the dailies history?
Can anyone point me to it.
Thanks
Bill
Steve:ÃÂ Way to play!!ÃÂ
Steve:ÃÂ Way to play!!ÃÂ And I'll bet the farm you get an "A" for the course.ÃÂ Keep the pedal to the metal and enjoy the ride!ÃÂ R2
We had nasty pin placements
We had nasty pin placements last time I played.
Every hole on the course had the pin right in the front and on, or within an inch or two, of the false front. Any putt that even went an inch past the hole went off of the green. We were just as well off to miss the green short and have an uphill chip or putt from off of the green.
I had one tee shot on a par 4 that was even with the middle of the green but 30 yards left and the only option I had was to chip to the middle of the green and ease a putt down just short of the hole, tap it in and be happy with a par.
I also noiticed this subtle
I also noiticed this subtle move when viewing the swing video. When I'm playing my best, this becomes an automatic part of my routine. However, like you said, you can't overdo it. When I hit a plateau in my progress, a little hint like this one makes it possible to go back, and review, so I can continue to improve. These dailies are great, and the little facets of the swing that you have covered recently, have made some great impact on my game. Thanks for all you do.
When I grip the club whilst
When I grip the club whilst positioned sideways to a mirror I see in the mirror that my shoulders are slightly open.
I then let go off my right hand and see that my shoulders automatically move to the correct position .
I then simply put my right hand back on the club without moving my shoulders.
And voila thats all
Is Ron trying to make you
Is Ron trying to make you guys decide to quit playing there?
Dear Don
Dear Don
Help, Help. At 69 I've had two new knees and both working fine but last Christmas I had a new right hip and was back playing after six weeks. After years as a category 1 player I am about to give up the game. Now at 10 h/c my game is in tatters - nearly.
Chipping & outting still ok but the rest is simply awfull. I cannot even get off the tee.
All shots are low - no height or penetration. I've lost a lot of distance from every club but worst of all - the enjoyment of a clean stike which gave so much satisfaction. The enjoyment of the game is disapperaing fast. I've tried everything with suggestions from all around. I cannot get the ball in the air and even my follow through has now become waist height. I have been through the manual but to no avail. Can you please suggest something.
EGH
I meant to say something
I meant to say something about alignment and got busy and forgot it.
When Surge talks about the body opening up slightly while taking a look at the target I think he is definitely correct. There is almost no way around it happening, especially under pressure.
That is why I never take a look at the target. The last time I see the target is when I am behind the ball facing the target and finding my intermediate spot. True for all shots including putting.
Someone else mentioned the shoulders opening when placing the right hand on the grip. Also true, especially if the arms are extended toward the ball any at all (it's pretty simple geometry since the right hand is lower on the club).
That is more of a dilemma for me because my most comfortable address position is for the arms to hang straight down but have totally given up on returning to that position at impact. The logical thing to do under those circumstances is to extend the arms slightly at address to more closely mimic where I am going to be at impact, and just deal with the slight discomfort at address and the tendency for the shoulders to open.
I'm talking about very minute and subtle corrections here and probably almost unnoticeable.ÃÂ
ÃÂ He only invites some of
ÃÂ He only invites some of us to play and usually the course is set up conspicuously perfectly for one of the best ball strikers who can drop almost any shot within a few feet.
The one advantage he doesn't have is length and that's easy enough to take care of by letting the grass on the tee box be too long for any upward strike.
I don't blame him though. It's his party.