In this video Greg MacDonell, my chief Director of Golf Instruction, and I review some of the things we observed in last week's golf school at Orange County National in Orlando. This year we have spent a considerable amount of time talking about the importance of proper club length and, once again, we had several students who were playing with clubs that were too long for them. Fortunately, Bill Marshall, our Certified Club Fitter from nearby Lakeland, Florida was there to help. In one instance, he built a new 6-iron for one of our lady students that was a full two inches shorter than her store-bought club. The improvement in her shots once she had her new club were truly amazing.
We also had three guys, all recent converts from big rotational swings, that kept going deep into the Sacred Burial Ground. As a result, their hands were not in the correct position at the top of their swing and they kept slicing the ball badly. If you've been following the blog recently you'll know that my recent comments on how to properly make a vertical swing touched off a lively discussion among members of The Surge Nation. One thing I didn't touch on then, but do today, is the benefit you can get through using a swing plane training aid like the SwingTECH product we endorse. It is a fool-proof way of ensuring that you learn to feel what a proper swing feels like. It sure helped these guys to stop playing Banana Ball.
This was a great group of students who were there to really improve their games but they also had great senses of humor. They played a pretty good practical joke on me while another one made what has to be The Shot of the Year.
Keep it vertical!
The Surge
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Comments
Mike, absolutely agree about
Mike, absolutely agree about the camaraderie we have here. Some of these guys I've known for 3 years now. We are a cool golf family.
Agree too that that mental toughness is important. I lost my cool on my last hole this morning and it cost me two strokes.
Congrates on your eagle and bird!
PMG!
Hey Robert,Yes I was, on
Hey Robert,
Yes I was, on every shot under 80 yards. It still didn't make the shots against the grain a breeze but it was sure a lot better than what I had been doing.
I think on the one that caught the grain and came up short of the pin I may have taken the club head too straight back.
I found in the yard that for me at least for the best results I needed to almost act like I was sweeping something off of a sidewalk with a 4 o'clock to 10 o'clock motion. It seemed that was the path to the ball that cause the face of the club to catch the least grass and therefore the least problem with the grain.
I'm sure most people are thinking "what in the heck is he talking about?" but believe me it is really nasty and very easy to mess up even on what appear to be very easy chips. I'm not the only one to have that problem so if I can be the one to "fix" it I should have a pretty big advantage.
Don:When you are measured for
Don:
When you are measured for clubs the usual method is to measure from the floor to the wrist as you stand at ease. My question is should that measurement be from the ready position which is the shorter measurement but best represents the distance at impact with the ball?
Larry in Indiana ÃÂ
I've been known to forget how
I've been known to forget how to between shots on occasion,lol.
Driver is lighter than a 5
Driver is lighter than a 5 wood.
3 iron is lighter than a pitching wedge.
As shafts get shorter, the head weight gets heavier in order to cause the proper "load" of the shaft.
Ditto for me and the Alien
Ditto for me and the Alien wedge. I use it until my local course gets past the lush growth in spring and early summer and then revert to an old Haig Ultra All Purpose that is similar but a little lighter than the Alien but still has some heft. My local course has some steep slopes with bent grass around the backside of some greens and the Alien hacks right through it even when it's a little thick and long. If it weren't for that pesky 14 club limit I'd probably carry both.
Well, the "normal" bounce on
Well, the "normal" bounce on the majority of sand wedges played is 12*. This is kind of a common middle ground if you will.ÃÂ You can find some 10*, some 14*, and there is of course some that are lower at 8* and some higher at 16* though these are not common lofts.ÃÂ 6* is quite low for a sand wedge.ÃÂ You need to match bounce to the type of playing conditions.ÃÂ The harder, courser, and packed the sand, the less bounce is needed.ÃÂ The fluffier, looser, sugar sands requires more bounce.ÃÂ Tie lies require less bounce.ÃÂ Fluffy lies require more bounce.ÃÂ Class dismissed.
Hey T,Just for the record I
Hey T,
Just for the record I assume you and Doc are talking about sand as hard as concrete that is actually not as hard as concrete.
I was talking about as hard as concrete that is actually as hard as concrete. Ha ha!
Recipe for as hard as concrete:
Almost no sand to begin with.
Hard pan clay underneath.
Add heavy rain.
Hard pan clay mix with what sand was there and pool up for a day or two.
Three or four weeks of bright sunshine.
Be sure of no bunker maintenance whatsoever during the cooking process.
Presto. There you have it. Good luck cutting through it.
Steep attack, off the toe,
Steep attack, off the toe, chunk and run. Been using that for 40 years*+ in the desert.
Surge, really like what this
Surge, really like what this video is telling. But I want to backtrack to your video the other day concerning proper take away with irons with the right point to lift the club. Went to golf course and put it to work and immediately started hitting the ball every time which included my tight lie fairway wood that I have really been having trouble with. Straightened right out and hitting ball the way I am supposed to. Thanks so much.
Gene Klefman
It is a great suggestion and
It is a great suggestion and I do use that technique some (along with everything else I can think of,Ha ha). That one works the best but still not foolproof. I need to go over there on a slow day and hit a lot of extra shots to get it down better. Nothing drains the life out of a round like hitting a great tee shot to 10 yards from the green and having what looks like an easy chip and end up with a par or a bogie.
Even with that technique it still sucks the club into the ground unless you really power through the shot, and of course when you do that the ball goes too far.
I used to have some wedges that I hated because the leading edge was so blunt that it was impossible to get the leading edge under the ball on very tight lies and I gave them away after a trip to Limestone Springs.
I wish I had them back at Lil Mole.
It is really the only course I have ever played where that grain influence is that great. And if the ground is wet underneath, forget about it. Better off to run a hybrid or something up toward the green.
You can't just sweep the ball off of the ground because there is grass to go through before contact.
Of course if it wasn't for the way they keep the grass the course would be too easy.
Edit: PS. The funny thing reading back about how I describe the grass on that course is that it might give the impression that the course is not well maintained and that's not the case. They keep the grass at that length intentionally and keep it well mowed at that length, and it's the thickest grass I have ever seen.
Oh, funny story about that grass.
One time one of the ponds got so full after a rain that the water level was above the fairway. the grass, root systems and all were actually floating on water but when I hit my ball in that spot I could actually walk on the floating grass like walking on a water bed and I hit my next shot off of that "water bed".
Forgive me Doc, for I have
Forgive me Doc, for I have Sinned. Have read on the blog about the benefits of getting fitted but no fitter. I got sucked in with all the hype about the latest driver from my favorate brand and bought a new one off the internet. Took the driver to the range to try it out and it didnt go well.New club has lighter shaft [46']ÃÂ and head than my old driver and a higher kick or stiffer shaft. My old driver seems to have a lower kick and suits me better as I was hitting it consistantly longer and straighter ,even after choking down a couple of inches on the new one to get a realistic length.ÃÂ ÃÂ ÃÂ ÃÂ ÃÂ ÃÂ ÃÂ So it turns out I am the complete and total idiot and wasted my money on a club that dosent suit me. If I can sell it , I would be better to do a long range fit with you . Unless you do trade ins?ÃÂ ÃÂ ÃÂ ÃÂ ÃÂ ÃÂ ÃÂ ÃÂ ÃÂ ÃÂ ÃÂ ÃÂ ÃÂ ÃÂ ÃÂ ÃÂ ÃÂ ÃÂ ÃÂ ÃÂ ÃÂ ÃÂ Just kiddingÃÂ ÃÂ Cheers Russty
SGW,Just read your exchange
SGW,
Just read your exchange with Steve. I too will practice that stiff wrist tech.
Thanks.
Nine before 8am report;A bit
Nine before 8am report;
A bit more special today because joining me was none other than Mr. Robert F.
It was a privelage and he has a nice swing. Now the report. Mixed bag. Had 4 pars,3 bogied and dang it! 2 doubles. The heart breaker was the last hole, par 5. Hit a decent drive down the middle right. Then a strong 3 wood down the right side just clear of the trees about 20 yards left over a trap pin 8 paces on. Chilly dip chunked my 58. This was followed by language very Tigerlike. My apologies again Robert. Pissed I was. Still chipped over the trap for a 10strong foot par putt. Missed it and missed the short one coming back for a double and a 43. Need to keep my emotions in check.
Thanks Robert. Let's do it again soon.
Weekend rounds report.
Weekend rounds report.
Tournament Saturday shot 88 should of could of been better. I had a lot of shots into greens yesterday that flew the greens . Example hole 18 is a par 5 and if you hit it down the left side of the fairway with a 3W there is a lake that you cant reach with 3w but you have about 210 to the center of the green all carry over water and a bunker on the left side of the green or the fairway slightly dog legs right you can hit driver and then lay up I hit driver down fw on the right side laid up with a 9 iron left 109 to the flag I hit my gap wedge which I generally hit 110 -115 I hit it was all over the pin in there air but it landed 10 feet over the back of the green which was 20 - 25 yards past the pin. I had 5 shots like thatÃÂ yesterday.
Today we played our home course shot 75 par 70ÃÂ hit 9 - of 13 fairways with the driver I think I only over flew 1 green today but I am hitting my irons 10 yards longer now, greens were not mowed today and were a little fuzzy and slow missed 3 - 4 footers for par due to the greens but all in all a good score . I guess I will have to waite til next week to try to bust the 70 mark.
I certainly wouldn't consider
I certainly wouldn't consider myself a "bomber" with the driver (wish I was) but with irons for some reason I can hit them much farther than I should be able to hit them, and I'm not even trying to.
I just hope that soon I will reach more of an even keel and know my distances a little better.
Edit: Oh, I wouldn't say that the "odds are" that I'm going long. Ha ha!
I would just say that it happens just enough to cost me a stroke or two. One of the short par 3's is giving me fits. It usually plays at about 135 yards and if I hit a pitching wedge it's about as likely to fly over the green as not, and if I hit a gap wedge is has a good chance of spinning back off of the green.
I did hit that green today with a very easy pitching wedge so maybe the jinx is off.;-)
For one thing, that distance
For one thing, that distance will vary from club to club.
Robert T:ÃÂ Thanks for
Robert T:ÃÂ Thanks for sharing this with us.ÃÂ I think it is interesting to see what different golfers use in different situations.ÃÂ Keep hitting 'em straight!ÃÂ R2
Russty:ÃÂ Try selling your
Russty:ÃÂ Try selling your new club on eBay.ÃÂ I have sold most of my "non-Doc" clubs that way.ÃÂ You won't get what you paid for it, but at least it won't be sitting in the back of a closet collecting dust. :-)ÃÂ Please, please try Doc's long-distance fitting program.ÃÂ He is a genius at building clubs that will fit you, even if you are 5000 miles away - really!ÃÂ ÃÂ He has built me a driver andÃÂ 4 hybrids, and they are, very simply, the BEST clubs I've ever owned!ÃÂ He is now inÃÂ the process of building me 4 new irons.ÃÂ ÃÂ ÃÂ The cost is very comparable to whatÃÂ your local golf shops charge for their name-brand "junk", but there is a HUGH difference in what you are getting from Doc Griffin.ÃÂ He builds some of the veryÃÂ best clubs in the world - and they are true custom, individualized clubs just for you ; that is why he is a top 100 International fitter/builder!ÃÂ And, no, I don't work for him, but I have 100% absolute confidence in his knowledge, skill, wisdom, ability and the validity of his long-distance fitting program!ÃÂ Personally, I will never, ever again use a golf club unless the Master Fitter has built it for me.ÃÂ ÃÂ Have a great day and remember, better golf is just a fit away - really!ÃÂ R2
I agree with you and R2. We
I agree with you and R2. We basically need to experiment with the wedges and various bounces. My new 58 has 12* and it has proved fairly versital so far. Then it's practice, practice..........and practice .
Ha ha! Sounds like you had a
Ha ha! Sounds like you had a good time even if a few shots could have gone better. That's the story of most of my rounds as well.
I've seen a lot of people curse their ball after hitting it and I have yet to see it help anything. LOL
I'm glad Robert F was able to get out on the course.
I'm sitting here debating with myself whether to go down and play in the game at Desoto.
It's a hard decision because lately they have only had enough for two teams so the most I could win is $10 and it costs $25 to play.
Same song different verse
Same song different verse Roger. I have been battling flying over greens all year. Every time I think I have the distances figured out I have tweaked my swing a little and everything except the driver goes farther.
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