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
If you can't view the YouTube video above try CLICKING HERE. You must allow popups from this site for the link to work.
Comments
DonGreat video and reminder
Don
Great video and reminder to accelerate through the ball.
The audio was so great when I hit the play button I thought it was going to blow my speakers had to turn them down real quick.
Lots to speculate on from
Lots to speculate on from that one short comment. ;-)
Nobody is going to be able to say how far you should hit your driver.
That depends on too many things that none of us can know:
How good your swing is.
How physically fit you are: (Strength, speed, flexibility).
Whether your driver fits you properly: (Length, flex, kick point ect.)
Conditions of your golf course. (Firm and fast or soft and slow).
Second part:
Your height is not a good way to estimate how long your driver should be. Some of us have long legs and short arms for our height and others have long arms and short legs for their height.
If you get a wrist to floor measurement you can get a decent estimate for a starting point for driver club length from a chart thatÃÂ I can look up and add to this reply if nobody else has it handy.
Next part of second part:
Even though it is a vertical swing it is not a swing that is directed straight at the ball from a vertical point above the base of the neck. The hands should fall toward the toe line letting the club approach from the inside before squaring up on the target line while the hands themselves are returning to anywhere from the original address position for very skilled players to slightly more toward the ball for the rest of us. The closer you come to returning your hands at impact to the address position (like DJ often does) the longer a club you could get away with even in relation to your wrist to floor measurement.
I would feel fairly confident in saying that if you gave DJ club a couple of inches too long he would still be able to hit it fairly well and if you gave me a club a couple of inches too long I would struggle much more with it because I don't have as much skill at returning my hands to close to the address position.
The further toward the ball the hands are at impact the more likelyÃÂ a club would bottom out and hit the ground behind the ball if it were too long, unless you also set up incorrectly with the hands extended at address, which would cause an entirely different set of problems trying to make a vertical back swing.
Hate that I couldn't be of more help but with no more information to go on that's about the only thoughts I can give.
I'll look up the wrist to floor chart and add it to this reply.
http://www.swingsurgeon.com/Ho...
Second chart down.
Dick, my old friend, the
Dick, my old friend, the weather yesterday, today and tomorrow is pretty frigid down our way but coming back around latter part of the week. Good to see you back on posting, good luck with tomorrow's round and I look forward to the AAR.
Distance comes primarily from
Distance comes primarily from a properly executed bump, whihc is all about timing and tempo.ÃÂ Big-hipped women dominate onthe LPGA tour for that reason--the more body mass you have moving towards the target, the better chance you have of translating that moving mass into the golf ball and creating distance.ÃÂ The Surge stresses the only real golf instruciton out there.ÃÂ Thanks, and keep it coming.
Delighted to see Surge refer
Delighted to see Surge refer to cricket and the batsman and pitcher. Now you're talking my language, as a Kiwi. I have always translated the 'catcher's mitt' into the 'keeper's glove', with which I am more familiar, which helps me with my visualisation.ÃÂ
Playing at Pupuke and Whangaparaoa in Auckland the next two days, and I'll do my best to put the Surge swing intoÃÂ effect once and for all, especially for my brother-in-law who is having real back problems.
Praise God, we might get a day or two with not too much rain - at last. Thanks, too, to all the contributors for your insights and suggestions which round off Don's great videos. You're a great team. Now, if I can just remember to swing the feel and not try to HIT the ball.
Mr. Trahan, I have been
Mr. Trahan, I have been watching, studying your very helpful training vides over the past year. I am 76 and have increased my driver distance more than when I was 50.
I typically hit approximatel 170+ and down the middle. Thank you for the help/
I do have a suggestion that will make watching your videoa easier on us old guys.
when you film, you are using a very distracting wooded backgroer und and in deep contrasty shadows. It is very hard to see all the fine details of your instructions. I suggest a simpler light background with more front lighting.
Thanks.
Donald Ross Hill.
Yes, I was named after that Donald Ross.
Regards.
Hope it's a great new year
Hope it's a great new year for us all, Dick!
Hey Dick,Hit "em" good
Hey Dick,
Hit "em" good tomorrow and send some of that weather our way!
Marc If that is the case how
Marc
If that is the case how does Michelle Wie, Lexy Thompson to name a few get there distance if you have to have big butts / Hips to get distance.Besides with me having a big butt/Hips I should be hitting drivers well over 300 yards if that is the case.
Great reminders, Roy.ÃÂ It
Great reminders, Roy.ÃÂ It's what I call getting out of my own way.ÃÂ Enjoy the "more to come" and stay warm.
since one of Surges New Years
since one of Surges New Years resolution for us is to find other surgeites to practices with rodgerfromKy what part of KY are you from please email at russmikes@hotmail.com
Good lesson Surge. ÃÂ Don't
Good lesson Surge. ÃÂ Don't become ball bound! ÃÂ It reminds me of how much bogus advice, that is out there being propagated by gurus of the rotational swing. Hit down on the ball....look at a dimple on the ball...look at the inside,outside,front,and or back of the ball. ÃÂ All of these ideas encourage the swing to stop at or before the ball. ÃÂ No wonder my follow through was often to short and the distance was shortchanged with this kind of advice.
Your lesson can also apply to chipping and pitching, as I have been finding out just lately. ÃÂ Chips and short pitches can be better ( with or without wrist action in the backswing ) if the follow through after impact is relatively short ( with no wrist action ) ,but there has to be acceleration through the ball. ÃÂ This can all be ÃÂ much easier to do ,if the target for the swing is the forward mitt instead of the ball.
By imagining this forward mitt as the intermediate target it's easier for me to setup and to hit straight chips with less chance of the dreaded deacceleration before impact.
Boogm
Boogm
Thanks pal.ÃÂ We have been doing great this winter so far.ÃÂ Looks like at least one more great week before we could get our first slop.ÃÂ I am going to try to get all of the golf I can before it gets here.
Dick
My thoughts precisely Rodger.
My thoughts precisely Rodger. How about all the tiny girls fro Asia that dominate the LPGA? Many female pros were chunky years back but just like the PGA and other tours the trend is fitness from head to toe. Laura Davis is probably one of the last of the great big girls.
Dick, you old rattlesnake,
Dick, you old rattlesnake, good to see your pretty face again!
I was thinking Dick must be enjoying this while I watched the OSU/Stanford game the other night.
I'm playing in aÃÂ tee shirt today also.ÃÂ Welllll, sorta, I'm having trouble seeing the line and getting the speed right on my living room carpet.ÃÂ And the cat is NOT a real big help. ;0)
Enjoy your round today and keep it vertical, straight and long.
Happy New Year.
I had a similar problem. I
I had a similar problem. I was focusing so much on the basics that I wasn't getting much distance. Someone pointed out that I was using all arms and no shoulders. I now concentrate on turning my shoulders first which in turn causes a bump before the swing... at least for me. I gained a lot more distance after doing this.
Right on Roy!
Right on Roy!
Steve
Steve
You know I would if I could pal.ÃÂ I was out in a short sleeve shirt on the 31st hitting balls.ÃÂ Come on up and warm up a bit.
Dick
Ha ha ha ha!!!!Imagine how
Ha ha ha ha!!!!
Imagine how far Tiger Woods, Alvaro Quiros, Bubba Watson, Sergio Garcia, and Jamie Sadlowski would hit a ball if they had a bigger butt.
Beats the heck out of
Beats the heck out of shoveling snow in Ohio. Have a good round.
PMG
Are you saying that you turn
Are you saying that you turn your shoulders in the forward swing before the hip bump?
Sort of like Harvey Penick's
Sort of like Harvey Penick's primary tip. Always take dead aim.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v...
PMG
I think it would be warmed up
I think it would be warmed up here by the time I got there. ;-)
Robert, and how about Bubba
Robert, and how about Bubba Watson who with his slim figure drives normally well over 330 yards and at the end of his shots his back foot isnôt even pointing to the target !
Enjoy your grand weather
Enjoy your grand weather while you can Dick. Close to 70 and clear blue here in Las Vegas. Be hitting the fairways over the next couple of days :)
Mike O'Shay
Mike O'Shay
I don't know if you have access to a Swing-rite trainer, but it helped me with the same problem. Also, the Surge setup emphasizes "pre-loaded heavy right" I found through use of the Swing-rite that I was not transferring my weight to the left side during the swing. Correcting that issue improved my distance significantly.
Love Ireland, you are a lucky man to be able to play there.
Good lesson /surge!!!ÃÂ
Good lesson /surge!!!ÃÂ this reminds me of the most important lesson I received from you ---the follow thru. as you get to the ball with your club really explode and follow thru all the way down the line -this completely eliminates the right push and a better chance to hit the ball straight.ÃÂ ÃÂ
we work so hard on all of the other stuff in the swing(set-up, up the mitt, etc.) and most of time we talk about the follow thru but don't describe how CRITICAL it is to explode at that moment straight ahead and then all the way to the ear.
Dick:ÃÂ Great to hear from
Dick:ÃÂ Great to hear from you, and looking forward to the AAR.ÃÂ Hope you have a super 2012!!ÃÂ Hit 'em straight!ÃÂ R2'
Marc,
Marc,
For those who do not get or read Golf Digest magazine. The Feb issue, (already out in late Dec), has an interesting swing tip on page 94, in regards to achieving Longer Drives with Longer Clubs. It reads in part as follows.
"One way to do this is with your hips. Before starting the club down from the top, move your lower body laterally toward the target. This will feel like a hip bump or slide, giving your lower body a head start."
I know I've heard that before, somewhere. PMG
http://www.swingsurgeon.com/Ho...
Thanks Surge,Good reminder to
Thanks Surge,
Good reminder to keep the zip and zing in our swing!
Lots of golf and keeping it vertical in 2012!
PMG!
Russ
Russ
I am about 5 minutes from Cincinnati.
Will do and thanks much Lynn
Will do and thanks much Lynn.ÃÂ Hope your new year is a great one! R2ÃÂ
Booger:ÃÂ Sure some crazy
Booger:ÃÂ Sure some crazy weather we're having this year!ÃÂ All our snow melted fastÃÂ and we've been in the 40s and 50s for the past few days here in SLC.ÃÂ I actually played rounds on Monday and Tuesday, and it looks like we'll be able to play the rest of the week :-)ÃÂ I'd put my clubs away for the winter - shame on me!ÃÂ Hope things warm up down your way - keep us posted.ÃÂ Hit 'em straight!ÃÂ R2
When I got my swingrite I was
When I got my swingrite I was amazed at how relaxed my swing was and how much you have to, wellÃÂ 'go get it' to release the club. on its highest setting it is easy to get used to but start to lower the setting and it becomes evident what you have to put in! Even 7-8 was a struggle at first!
Really bad audio!!!!!
Really bad audio!!!!!
R2, great reminder of one of
R2, great reminder of one of my favorite dailies!
ÃÂ
Don have you tried viewing
Don have you tried viewing the videos in full screen mode it helps to see better. In the bottom right hand corner of the video player above there are a box with four arrows just left click it with your mouse and that get full screen mode. Help that helps.
Mine too, Boog.ÃÂ Makes the
Mine too, Boog.ÃÂ Makes the game just a little bit simplier :-)ÃÂ R2
Well howdy doodee Dick Lee. A
Well howdy doodee Dick Lee. A Happy New Year to you and yours in Oklahoma. Here in New Zealand the weather has been wet and wild, but the pastÃÂ few days has started to behave itself. Out the last three times in shorts [sunglasses a must for those anywhere near me, otherwise the flash of white flesh would send them blind hahaha]. You have been sorely missed mate by many of the Surge Nation, me included. May your round tomorrow be blessed with success. You are my conscience darn it. Bought the home version of Dragon Speaking Naturally. Got started on it and then Christmas, kids visiting etc,etc.You know the usual excuses heh heh heh.
Look forward to your after match report after tomorrows game.Stay well, stay safe and above all stay HAPPY. From a fellow Surge National. In warm and sunny Wellington New Zealand. Go get 'em Dick!PMGAS
How about JJ.http://www.lpga
How about JJ.
http://www.lpga.com/content_1....
Thanks Surge, that is me
Thanks Surge, that is me sometimes, thinking to much and not giving all of my swing,ÃÂ hope to get out Thursday, Friday and Sat, will see what I can do!!!
The weather the last couple of days was not good!
Hope I do well!
Thanks,
Marilyn
Hi in the north, Remember
Hi in the north, Remember Pupuke for the best Birdie on a Par 3. On the tee pulled my tee shot. The ball was headed for someones back garden.In said garden was a 'For Sale' sign.The ball hit it and bounced back into bounds onto the green for a tap in Birdie,hahaha.Love this game. The last time I drove out to Whangaparoa, it was a work in progress, so never played it. You are blessed in the Auckland area with a host of good courses. Had an email from a Kiwi mate from Whangamata day before yesterday,who is a member at Pupuke.
Agree with you on the rain. Have had more than our fair share of the wet stuff,but the past few days have been very pleasant. At the moment overcast and windy, ho-hum!
Hitting at the ball? Try my cure for that. When you practice off the course, practice, once you have taken your GBSAPS, swing the club with your eyes CLOSED. It is surprising the difference it makes not gawping at the wee white breastie. Good Luck with your rounds PMGAS
Jon, Nothing like a little
Jon, Nothing like a little target orientated golf to simplify your swing thoughts. It so happens that I use that approach on the range and course as well. Amazing what your subconscious can give you, once you give it something to key in on.
Stay in the present, Booger
Thanks RM.ÃÂ Have a great
Thanks RM.ÃÂ Have a great 2012 and as always, hit 'em straight!ÃÂ R2
Front nine today, average. It
Front nine today, average. It was on the back nine I realized what I was NOT doing. As soon as I rectified it, bingo! long and straight.I was going in the mitt and into the SBG. As soon as I lifted properly, it all fell into place,ie, for a runt 200yards effortlessly with the 24degree 7W Rescue club. Straight as an arrow. So now I know, it has to be honed in. A slight change as to how I take my grip has helped I think. Still use a neutral Surge grip. Start off with my left hand naturally by my side and with the bottom lines on the club square I take my grip and add the right hand. It seems to make my shots more consistent. Weather warm and sunny, with a fairly brisk wind, which was fun at times. Happy with the day. PMG folks and Succeed. Wished I had seen this video before today's round. Very sensible and relavent. Nice one Surge.
Marc
Marc
I do not disagree with the part it seems that bigger hipped ladies on the lpga hit the ball far but IMO it has to do more with proper technique and it seems that some people just hit the ball further than others kinda like you either have it or you don't.
Surge, great video.ÃÂ The
Surge, great video.ÃÂ The ball should be hit accelerating which means that maximum speed is achieved just after striking the ball, near the forward mitt.ÃÂ This is whyÃÂ the swish in the videoÃÂ is heard just after the grip (of the "upside down club") passes the ball position.ÃÂ ÃÂ Acceleration through the ball willÃÂ result in improvedÃÂ distance.ÃÂ
Happy New Years Surge Nation
Happy New Years Surge Nation
Been away from the little black box for a few days.ÃÂ Hope you all had a wonderful Christmas and great New Years weekend.
The weather up here in Ok has been so much different from last winter.ÃÂ It was 60 today.ÃÂ Looking another great day tomorrow.ÃÂ Got a 1:30 tee time.ÃÂ I will give you an after action report when I can.
I was able to watch the last week of daily videos this evening.ÃÂ It is helping me get back into the vertical swing and making it work right.
I hope you are all doing well.
Talk with you soon.
Keeping it vertical, and playing golf in a tee shirt in January, in Oklahoma,
Dick
Hey T:ÃÂ Don't know how you
Hey T:ÃÂ Don't know how you do it but you are just so amazing at finding specific videos that apply directly to the topic at hand!!!!ÃÂ And you just keep doing it and getting better at it.ÃÂ Loved this video - somehow me thinks every Surgite needs to see it!!!ÃÂ It really sums up what the Surge is trying to teach us.ÃÂ Anyway, thanks for the link - you ought to send it to Tom Jans and see if they might be able to use it - it is that good!ÃÂ And have a great new year in 2012.ÃÂ Hit 'em straight! R2
Don you are reading my miind
Don you are reading my miind again. I've been putting together a vertical swing since my bicep surgery and have been feeling kind of depleted as there was no power as I was 'swinging by number" (kind of like painting by number). Lately, I've decided the parts are all there so I have decided to trust that the partsÃÂ are in place and swing--IÃÂ just firmed up my lower body and thenÃÂ justÃÂ turn backÃÂ ÃÂ fromÃÂ my (right)feet/right hip/right shouder.ÃÂ The result has been round after round with my furthest drives on ÃÂ hole after hole. I just finished 18 holes on my home course and had FIVE carreer drives onÃÂ a course I've played many times (pre and post injury/surgery), including an uphillÃÂ 260 yd,ÃÂ straight from the parking lot,ÃÂ drive on #1. So yes,ÃÂ I agree Don: "know your place in space", and then justÃÂ SWING at the ball like an airplane taking off/accelerating. That's how you impart your spirit into the swing, into the shot. And, wow, thatÃÂ makes for a profoundlyÃÂ satisfying round of golf.ÃÂ
Pages