(Note: Due to all the delays and weather, video was out for today. But we'll be back tomorrow — The Surge.)
Surge, here. We have a question from Inner Circle member Mr. Derbs. He says, “I posted this in the 'Get confident with your ball position' blog the other day. I had a couple of responses but they all appeared to be based on individual preference. I am wondering if this can be definitively answered?
“Does the ball get placed in the same position in the stance when it is teed up as compared to hitting it of the ground? As an example and assuming I want the same distance, if I am hitting a 9 on the fairway, does it stay in the same position when I am on the T box with the ball teed up?
“I purchased the program several months back. I have found that my scores have improved, but, I have golfed more this year than I have in the last 2-3 years combined. What I have really noticed is that I only loose one or two balls a game now as compared to at least a half dozen previously being the norm.”
O.K., Mr. Derbs, it definitely seems like you're improving. It's obvious you're playing more golf. So the first question I would ask is why are you playing more golf? Very likely because you're playing better and hitting the ball better and scoring better. That gives you a desire to play more since you're seeing improvement and feeling good about what you're doing.
But getting back to answering your question about whether the ball stays in the same lace whether it's on the ground or teed up? The answer is “Yes.” Just because it's teed up a little bit, you don't want to change the bottom of your arc for that club that you've been practicing with and playing with consistently. As we say, even teeing up for irons on the tee, we don't tee them up. It just basically the top of the tee and the bottom of the ball would be just about the height of the grass so we could nip it off the ground.
I think this is a simple one for the Surge. You play it in the same place, off the ground or on the tee. Therefore you're making the same swing to get the same effect. We tee it up on the tee because it reduces the margin of error and reduced margin of error increases the probability of success. I've said this in the past. Mr. Hogan was asked ,”Why do you tee the ball up all the time on a par threes?” And he said, “Because I play for money.”
Even though you might not be playing for money, you're playing for better scores. If someone asks why you tee it up, it's because you're playing to hit better shots and shoot a better score. You tee it up on all par threes, we tee it very close to or just above the grass, provided they are cut pretty close. We play it from the same ball position so we can make the same swing to hit the same shot that we normally hit when we hit it well.
The Surge!