In the spring of 1889, continuous, strong winds almost drove Van Gogh mad and may have induced him to cut off part of his left ear. His antagonist was the great wind of southern France, the Mistral (in French, it means "Master"), which sometimes blows at 55 miles per hour.
My ears are still intact, but after two days of blustery, gusting, sometimes powerful winds, I could imagine the maddening effects of the Mistral. In my little practice area in my backyard, I could hardly tee up a plastic practice ball before it was blown across the flagstones. Comic relief defused my frustration whenever I hit a ball out far enough that the wind took it and swept it to one side. Hard as it was to assess how well I was hitting the ball, the Mistral didn't stop me; it did test my patience, though.
In other respects, including the blustery winds, Vincent would have loved this afternoon: an azure sky, completely clear of any clouds, intense sun, and intensely illuminated foliage. The light alone reminded me of the way the Impressionists taught us how light affects what we see. Brilliant light, brilliant shadows tune our perceptions to a fine pitch. On a day like today, our senses are hyperactive. We seem to see every distinct thing in our range of vision. This accentuated vision may be what enabled me to see the rotation in KJ Choi's swings on YouTube. In this Impressionist landscape, I had a very productive practice session.
Watching KJ carefully, and comparing it to the model golfer in the Arnold Palmer video, I noticed how the hips turn, but also how the left shoulder suddenly rotates to the top of an arc right at impact. I've noticed this before, and read before about getting the left shoulder up as quickly as you can. Now, in the receptive mode I found myself, I could see the logic. Moving the hips quickly and bringing that left shoulder up quickly both would combine to propel the swing of the clubhead through the ball. For me, this is a break-through understanding. Suddenly, I realized how the pros hit the ball so far.
As I worked out these swing subtleties, I wanted to go out and see how they would contribute to way I could actually hit a ball, on the range. So I wrapped up my practice, ignoring the Mistral, and headed for the range.
I shouldn't have been surprised, but I was. The Mistral was blowing harder here than it was in my backyard. I quickly realized that this multiplied difference only made sense. I've noticed that all weather conditions are accentuated here on the range at Mohansic. It must have something to do with the elevation. The range is at a high point and faces a long expanse, stretching towards the Hudson River, with nothing to block any weather patterns moving from West to East. Today, the range seemed like some of the Adirondack outcroppings I've climbed to: cold, windy, and completely exposed. Now and then, the wind blew over one of my clubs (even though it was in a club stand) and blew a ball off the tee. The wind seemed, for the most part, to be blowing from right to left, rather than in my face. This seemed fine to me, since I thought I could hit right-to-left shots and use the wind as an aid.
As I think I've indicated, I was working on rotating my hips and lifting my left shoulder right at impact in order to get the most clubhead speed that I could. Naturally, many things went wrong. I was trying to do too many things at once. But now and then, I felt as though I was getting a good hit on the ball. And my goal here was to see how far I could hit the ball. That was my measure of success. Finally, on one stroke, probably using a real ball, not a range ball, I hit one that I hooked to the left, but deep, and when it landed, it flew through the tree branches at the far end of the range, at the 250 yard mark, flying through a branch and sending a few leaves fluttering to the ground. I've never hit a ball that far here. It was only one ball, but it gave me an indication that my swing was improving.
That shot was probably about 255 yards carry, slightly downhill, and compared well to a drive that I saw Villegas make on the Golf Channel where his carry was 264. His swing speed was 116, which means that mine is probably around 110 or so. That means I'm OK. And I'm really just beginning to swing the driver with thoughts of distance. The best is yet to come.
After this session at the range, I went out the tenth hole, thinking I would hit a drive or two or three, then hit a couple of approach shots, and then do my short game practice around the green. The first drive I left way out to the right, long gone. The second went right along the line I had planned, and the third followed the second, just a little bit right.
When I came up to me balls, I hit the first perfectly, with a 4-hybrid, just short of the green, and hit the second, over a short pine tree, right of the green, but long, into a greenside trap. Here's where the short game comes into play. When I chipped the first shot, I chunked it, hitting ground first. I had it hit a few practice balls afterwards in order to get the right feel. Then, on my second shot, which ended up in the bunker on the right, I hit a good shot and landed on the green, rolling toward the hole.
All this tells me that I can play this game in a reasonable manner. Shooting in the eighties is what I ought to expect. To break eighty, I need to play more and tighten up my game. The plan now is to continue working on the swing arc and to go out as much as I can to play a few holes, practice various shots, and practice the short game and situations around and on the green to build up my skills and confidence in chipping, pitching, bunker play, and putting. Future posts will describe my progress.
In the video below, you can see how my swing is improving, with more width, more turn on the backswing, more hips, and the right arm straighter and longer than before. I can tell by the way I'm hitting the ball that the swing arc is getting better. Tomorrow's practice will isolate the release of the left arm, training the arm to slow down while the left hand supinates and the right hand throws the clubhead past the hands. This very sophisticated combination of actions, which are measured in hundredths of a second, is the key to a good swing. This is where the clubface is squared up and where clubhead speed and power are generated, the most difficult and the most exciting part of the swing.
Thursday, April 29, 2010
Wednesday, April 28, 2010
Sean of Arc
With that appellation, I wonder if Jeanne d'Arc ever played golf. Maybe she became famous for the length and arc of her swing. If she wasn't, she still stands as a paragon of a good golf swing. And she stands as an aide mémoire for me. My first name, Sean, which is John in Gaelic, is also Jean in French, not a far cry from the feminine, Jeanne. So I—Sean, John, Jean, Jeanne-manqué— am striving, in my latest practice sessions, to lengthen my swing so that I can produce the beautiful arc that we all see in the Arnold Palmer Somaxperformance videos on YouTube. Yesterday, I wrote how difficult a swing like this is. Today, I have good news to report.
First, though, a disclaimer. Because of my body type and age and many other factors, I'll never have anything remotely resembling the swing of the anonymous golfer who can drive the ball 375 yards with "effortless power," and I am aware of my limitations. However, or (as the current jargon has it, a locution that is entirely regrettable) "That being said," I can improve my swing by trying my best to imitate the Somaxperformance swing. Yesterday, I thought it was impossible. Today, I can see some encouraging improvement.
Let's start with the backswing. By looking in my patio double-door glass, I've been checking out my backswing, and I can see that I can get into a fairly good position, with my left arm fully extended and straight and my right arm underneath. When I perform the backswing, I'm learning to use the right arm to help draw back the left and heft it into position. Through practice, I've learned that I'm in the correct position because there is some sharp stretching discomfort in my left shoulder. If it doesn't hurt a bit, then I'm not quite there. I've also learned to feel the left hand bowed a bit at the top, while the right hand is underneath, supporting.
After two days of practice, I've learned to feel my progress in the middle knuckle of my right hand. That's the key to creating clubhead speed. It's also a key indicator for chipping and pitching, but I'll talk more about that later. Once I get back, fully stretched out—and painfully aware of that—I practice several movements or swing thoughts. One, of course, is starting with my left knee and then rotating my hips. Next is letting my arms swing down, as a result of the rotation of my hips, into the hitting area. At this point, my weight should be on the left heel, or pretty close to it. Then I arrive at the "cast point," where I start to let the left hand release and the right hand starts to throw the clubhead. For me, this has been a deadend. For some time, I've felt that my swing really ended here. And in my latest practice, I've been determined to get beyond this wall and continue the swing all the way to its conclusion.
After many, many swings with plastic balls in my backyard, trying to get the feeling of extending my left arm straight to the top of the backswing and then coming through with the hips leading the way and finally the left wrist releasing and the right hand firing through, I started to get a new sensation. It was a feeling that both hands were acting as one. The left hand releasing and the right hand throwing felt as if they were happening together. Once I had this feeling of unity, it was easier to feel the two hands staying together to complete the swing arc over my left shoulder.
This was very exciting. And to test the efficacy of the swing, which I had been practicing with only the driver, I started hitting a few nine-irons now and then, just to see what would happen. To my surprise, the swings felt great. I could feel the left arm stay straight and then the right arm stay straight during the follow-through, just what anyone would want. I didn't even try for a full swing. A reasonable backswing and an abbreviated follow-through, where I could see my right arm fully extended, was all I wanted to achieve. The swing of an easy nine-iron to a green with a high degree of accuracy—that's all I was after.
Now the swing was starting to take on a completely new character. The hands were working more as a unit, the clubhead was starting to speed past the hands after impact, and I was beginning to feel as though I could finally control the clubhead speed. In the video below, you should see the left arm straighter than before, and the right arm straighter and longer after impact. As an added bonus, I've included a few chips with a nine-iron and a few full swings with a nine-iron. To me, these chips and swings are solid and repeatable. Of course, the true test is actual play. In the meantime, I can't wait to continue developing the swing arc.
First, though, a disclaimer. Because of my body type and age and many other factors, I'll never have anything remotely resembling the swing of the anonymous golfer who can drive the ball 375 yards with "effortless power," and I am aware of my limitations. However, or (as the current jargon has it, a locution that is entirely regrettable) "That being said," I can improve my swing by trying my best to imitate the Somaxperformance swing. Yesterday, I thought it was impossible. Today, I can see some encouraging improvement.
Let's start with the backswing. By looking in my patio double-door glass, I've been checking out my backswing, and I can see that I can get into a fairly good position, with my left arm fully extended and straight and my right arm underneath. When I perform the backswing, I'm learning to use the right arm to help draw back the left and heft it into position. Through practice, I've learned that I'm in the correct position because there is some sharp stretching discomfort in my left shoulder. If it doesn't hurt a bit, then I'm not quite there. I've also learned to feel the left hand bowed a bit at the top, while the right hand is underneath, supporting.
After two days of practice, I've learned to feel my progress in the middle knuckle of my right hand. That's the key to creating clubhead speed. It's also a key indicator for chipping and pitching, but I'll talk more about that later. Once I get back, fully stretched out—and painfully aware of that—I practice several movements or swing thoughts. One, of course, is starting with my left knee and then rotating my hips. Next is letting my arms swing down, as a result of the rotation of my hips, into the hitting area. At this point, my weight should be on the left heel, or pretty close to it. Then I arrive at the "cast point," where I start to let the left hand release and the right hand starts to throw the clubhead. For me, this has been a deadend. For some time, I've felt that my swing really ended here. And in my latest practice, I've been determined to get beyond this wall and continue the swing all the way to its conclusion.
After many, many swings with plastic balls in my backyard, trying to get the feeling of extending my left arm straight to the top of the backswing and then coming through with the hips leading the way and finally the left wrist releasing and the right hand firing through, I started to get a new sensation. It was a feeling that both hands were acting as one. The left hand releasing and the right hand throwing felt as if they were happening together. Once I had this feeling of unity, it was easier to feel the two hands staying together to complete the swing arc over my left shoulder.
This was very exciting. And to test the efficacy of the swing, which I had been practicing with only the driver, I started hitting a few nine-irons now and then, just to see what would happen. To my surprise, the swings felt great. I could feel the left arm stay straight and then the right arm stay straight during the follow-through, just what anyone would want. I didn't even try for a full swing. A reasonable backswing and an abbreviated follow-through, where I could see my right arm fully extended, was all I wanted to achieve. The swing of an easy nine-iron to a green with a high degree of accuracy—that's all I was after.
Now the swing was starting to take on a completely new character. The hands were working more as a unit, the clubhead was starting to speed past the hands after impact, and I was beginning to feel as though I could finally control the clubhead speed. In the video below, you should see the left arm straighter than before, and the right arm straighter and longer after impact. As an added bonus, I've included a few chips with a nine-iron and a few full swings with a nine-iron. To me, these chips and swings are solid and repeatable. Of course, the true test is actual play. In the meantime, I can't wait to continue developing the swing arc.
Tuesday, April 27, 2010
The Swing Arc
As I related in my previous post, I'm working on keeping the left arm straight through the backswing and downswing, and then, after reviewing Hogan's Five Lessons, keeping the right arm straight in the follow-through. These long arms, creating the radii of the swing arc, provide the width that everyone who talks about hitting for more distance will tell you. It looks easy in any examples you find on the Web or in books or magazines, but it's very hard to do.
I did all my practice today in the backyard, constantly viewing myself in the camcorder or in my reflection in a patio sliding door. I wanted to see what my left arm looked like at the top of the swing. Even after some practice extending that arm and using the right arm to support the left, I found that when the club hinged, the left arm broke at the elbow. More trial-and-error showed that if I relaxed in my wrists in order to let the club hinge, I could keep my left arm relatively straight. But I could feel the exertion this required. Frequently, I felt like sitting down and resting, just listening to the traffic go by.
At the same time I was working on a straight left arm, I was also working on turning my hips and sequencing my swing. As I moved in slow motion, I could see how the swing is supposed to work. I could also see how the right hand throws the clubhead and straightens out in the follow-through past impact and remains straight way up into the finish. I can do this (sort of) in slow motion, but I can't do it in a real swing. It's all too much to manage. Although I couldn't put it all together, there were parts that I felt were starting to become manageable, and they were enough to induce me to go the range and try out my swing.
The results were pretty good. I concentrated on the driver, but the nine-iron and a 3 hybrid both felt good, too. With the driver, I was hitting the ball fairly consistently, but not any farther than I was before, even though I was trying my best to relax, stay wide, and turn my hips. I must say, though, that the drives felt good. If, in the end, I can carry a drive only 230 yards or so, I'll be satisfied. It feels good to see the ball go flying out there straight and clear the tree with the yellow "200" yard marker next to it.
Obviously, it's going to take quite a while to develop a swing like the Arnold Palmer video advocates. It's so seductive. "Hip Speed = Effortless Power." Who could resist that? Just study the video and do what Arnie does. Sure. And study Mariano Rivera and then try to throw a cut fastball like he does.
On the positive side of this problem, I think I'm in fairly good shape behind the ball. That is, I think my backswing is OK and my downswing is OK. Not great, but passable. As I already mentioned, I could use some more sophisticated sequencing, using my legs and hips to generate more speed in my shoulders and arms. But, for an amateur, and a neophyte as well, I'm in relatively good shape.
My main problem, and the goal of my practice for the foreseeable future, is allowing the club to follow the swing arc. My right hand doesn't really fire out through the ball at impact, and the left hand doesn't really supinate enough. As a result, I generate speed only during half the swing. According to Hogan, the swing reaches top speed just after the ball. In my case, I think my top speed happens before the ball, and nothing of consequence happens after impact. This has been a problem I've been aware of for quite some time, now. Solving it, needless to say, is more elusive.
That Arnold Palmer video, especially the model swing of an anonymous golfer at the end of the video who produces "an effortless 375 yard drive," is now the image of the swing I want to have. I need to continue working on the swing so that it continues to build up speed past the ball. As I've said before in these posts, my swing speed is really expended before it reaches the ball, the problem of most golfers. Nonetheless, I now have success to build on. My two outings on the course have shown that I have the potential to score well. To me, that means that I can also learn a complete, full swing—with good sequencing and good hip speed—that will give me drives of at least 250 yards carry. Once I start hitting that mark, I'll know I finally have a complete swing.
In the next few days, let's see what kind of progress I make.
I did all my practice today in the backyard, constantly viewing myself in the camcorder or in my reflection in a patio sliding door. I wanted to see what my left arm looked like at the top of the swing. Even after some practice extending that arm and using the right arm to support the left, I found that when the club hinged, the left arm broke at the elbow. More trial-and-error showed that if I relaxed in my wrists in order to let the club hinge, I could keep my left arm relatively straight. But I could feel the exertion this required. Frequently, I felt like sitting down and resting, just listening to the traffic go by.
At the same time I was working on a straight left arm, I was also working on turning my hips and sequencing my swing. As I moved in slow motion, I could see how the swing is supposed to work. I could also see how the right hand throws the clubhead and straightens out in the follow-through past impact and remains straight way up into the finish. I can do this (sort of) in slow motion, but I can't do it in a real swing. It's all too much to manage. Although I couldn't put it all together, there were parts that I felt were starting to become manageable, and they were enough to induce me to go the range and try out my swing.
The results were pretty good. I concentrated on the driver, but the nine-iron and a 3 hybrid both felt good, too. With the driver, I was hitting the ball fairly consistently, but not any farther than I was before, even though I was trying my best to relax, stay wide, and turn my hips. I must say, though, that the drives felt good. If, in the end, I can carry a drive only 230 yards or so, I'll be satisfied. It feels good to see the ball go flying out there straight and clear the tree with the yellow "200" yard marker next to it.
Obviously, it's going to take quite a while to develop a swing like the Arnold Palmer video advocates. It's so seductive. "Hip Speed = Effortless Power." Who could resist that? Just study the video and do what Arnie does. Sure. And study Mariano Rivera and then try to throw a cut fastball like he does.
On the positive side of this problem, I think I'm in fairly good shape behind the ball. That is, I think my backswing is OK and my downswing is OK. Not great, but passable. As I already mentioned, I could use some more sophisticated sequencing, using my legs and hips to generate more speed in my shoulders and arms. But, for an amateur, and a neophyte as well, I'm in relatively good shape.
My main problem, and the goal of my practice for the foreseeable future, is allowing the club to follow the swing arc. My right hand doesn't really fire out through the ball at impact, and the left hand doesn't really supinate enough. As a result, I generate speed only during half the swing. According to Hogan, the swing reaches top speed just after the ball. In my case, I think my top speed happens before the ball, and nothing of consequence happens after impact. This has been a problem I've been aware of for quite some time, now. Solving it, needless to say, is more elusive.
That Arnold Palmer video, especially the model swing of an anonymous golfer at the end of the video who produces "an effortless 375 yard drive," is now the image of the swing I want to have. I need to continue working on the swing so that it continues to build up speed past the ball. As I've said before in these posts, my swing speed is really expended before it reaches the ball, the problem of most golfers. Nonetheless, I now have success to build on. My two outings on the course have shown that I have the potential to score well. To me, that means that I can also learn a complete, full swing—with good sequencing and good hip speed—that will give me drives of at least 250 yards carry. Once I start hitting that mark, I'll know I finally have a complete swing.
In the next few days, let's see what kind of progress I make.
Monday, April 26, 2010
Late April Assessment
Shakespeare's birthday has just passed. April 23rd is widely accepted, and that date provides circularity to his life, since he also died on the same date in 1616. The Bard was no golfer, but thinking of his tragedies, histories, and comedies provides us with a rich reference as we study the game. As a neophyte, I have no tragedies to relate, but history and comedy constantly accompany me as I develop my swing.
Foreknowledge disarms us of extreme reaction. After a long winter of solitary practice from a flat mat in my backyard and from an occasional bucket of balls on the range, I knew that hitting on a course would be an entirely different experience. And I was correct. When I went out on my local public course in the evenings to try hitting a few balls from the fairway, the slightest variation from absolutely flat produced exaggerated results. For example, on the most convenient fairway for practicing after hours, the land sloped to the right, and that gentle slope produced dramatic pushes and slices. It took me several days of assiduous practice to correct this tendency.
Then, when I actually played two rounds, I found that I couldn't reproduce my practice swing. Apparently, too many swing thoughts overloaded my mental circuits, and my muscles were confounded. Chips and pitches and bunker shots that should be routine turned out to be disasters. They made me look as though I hadn't done any practice at all. Despite my history of assiduous practice, my short game was a comedy. Fortunately, I expected this outcome. I knew that my game needed actual experience on the course. I endured the ignominy of these shots, knowing that soon I would overcome them as I became more familiar with actual play.
My first round matched my expectations. During the front nine, I flubbed every conceivable shot, except for drives, which, generally, I hit well. Actually, I was surprised that my score was as low as 54. It felt much worse. The back nine was a distinct improvement. Although I didn't finish, I was hitting the ball better, and more confidently, and was playing basically bogey golf. On one hole, which I've always dreaded, a 181-yard par three over a valley, with a steep hill on the right of the green and greenside bunkers on the right and left, I hit a 4-iron to within a foot of the pin, located at the rear of the green. A tap-in gave me an easy birdie. The six holes I was able to finish made me think that I needed just more experience with the short game and I would be OK.
Two days later, I played another round. This one happened one short notice. My playing partner from the first round called me up and wanted to play right away, and we were able to get a tee time forty-five minutes after my call to the pro shop. That meant that I had no time to warm up. And it showed in the front nine, where I shot 53, finishing with a 10 on the last hole. I hit some good shots, but a triple, a quad, and the last hole obscured two pars. Then my playing partners left me, and I joined the twosome behind me to finish the round. One of the players was a relative beginner, like me, and the other, a long-time player with a good game.
D., the good player, seemed to be a long hitter, but as time went on, I discovered that I could hit at least as far as he could and generally could hit more accurately. On the tenth hole, he hit a beautiful drive about 290 and made the green with his second shot, while Joe and I hit off to the left of the dogleg left and had long shots to the green. Mine followed a tree line on the right, but I had a nice wedge onto the green, and two-putted for a bogey. D., who was on the green in two, three putted. Realizing that I could drive as far as he could, I suddenly thought that with a good drive, I could reach this green in two also. This was a thought that never would have occurred to me last year, a measure of how far I have come.
During the rest of the back nine, I generally had the honors, getting four pars and a birdie on a par 4, for a total of 41. This was the kind of evidence I was looking for, proof that I could not only break 90, but also reasonably think about breaking 80. Experience was the only thing I was lacking.
This back nine also reminded me about the importance of the short game. I hit some really good chips and pitches, and I designed my practice, after that, to work on the game around the green. Each evening, I went out to the tenth green and hit chips, pitches, putts, and bunker shots. Over and over, hitting from different lies, including the most difficult ones I could imagine. That short game is getting better, but that repeated practice also taught me how difficult it is to achieve consistency. I can see that I'll be taking my shag bag out there many evenings.
In addition to this practice on the course, I've also been studying my basic swing. Initially, I was looking for more distance. Then I came across this Arnold Palmer video on YouTube. It showed me several aspects of the swing that I haven't appreciated enough until now. One is the hip turn. After watching this video, I realized that I never really understood the role of the "lower body," as Hogan puts it, in another YouTube video. The other aspect of the swing that I have misunderstood is the role of a straight left arm. All along, I've been bending mine in my effort to emulate the image of the pro golfers who have the club parallel to the ground at the top of the backswing. What I didn't understand was how important a straight left arm is to achieving maximum clubhead speed during the downswing. The Palmer video made me think of the Iron Byron videos I've seen on YouTube and how the straight left arm is crucial to the maximum release of the clubhead at impact. Now, I've started working on changing my swing in two fundamental ways. First, I want to move my hips to start the downswing. That will allow me to clear the left side and bring my arms into the hitting position. The second is to keep the left arm straight during the backswing. This is difficult, and requires the support of the right hand. But after studying this Palmer video, I'm sure it's the right way to go. So far, I've just practiced the swing without hitting a ball. These changes require so much practice and concentration that it will be a while before I can actually hit a ball this way. The next post will describe the results.
Foreknowledge disarms us of extreme reaction. After a long winter of solitary practice from a flat mat in my backyard and from an occasional bucket of balls on the range, I knew that hitting on a course would be an entirely different experience. And I was correct. When I went out on my local public course in the evenings to try hitting a few balls from the fairway, the slightest variation from absolutely flat produced exaggerated results. For example, on the most convenient fairway for practicing after hours, the land sloped to the right, and that gentle slope produced dramatic pushes and slices. It took me several days of assiduous practice to correct this tendency.
Then, when I actually played two rounds, I found that I couldn't reproduce my practice swing. Apparently, too many swing thoughts overloaded my mental circuits, and my muscles were confounded. Chips and pitches and bunker shots that should be routine turned out to be disasters. They made me look as though I hadn't done any practice at all. Despite my history of assiduous practice, my short game was a comedy. Fortunately, I expected this outcome. I knew that my game needed actual experience on the course. I endured the ignominy of these shots, knowing that soon I would overcome them as I became more familiar with actual play.
My first round matched my expectations. During the front nine, I flubbed every conceivable shot, except for drives, which, generally, I hit well. Actually, I was surprised that my score was as low as 54. It felt much worse. The back nine was a distinct improvement. Although I didn't finish, I was hitting the ball better, and more confidently, and was playing basically bogey golf. On one hole, which I've always dreaded, a 181-yard par three over a valley, with a steep hill on the right of the green and greenside bunkers on the right and left, I hit a 4-iron to within a foot of the pin, located at the rear of the green. A tap-in gave me an easy birdie. The six holes I was able to finish made me think that I needed just more experience with the short game and I would be OK.
Two days later, I played another round. This one happened one short notice. My playing partner from the first round called me up and wanted to play right away, and we were able to get a tee time forty-five minutes after my call to the pro shop. That meant that I had no time to warm up. And it showed in the front nine, where I shot 53, finishing with a 10 on the last hole. I hit some good shots, but a triple, a quad, and the last hole obscured two pars. Then my playing partners left me, and I joined the twosome behind me to finish the round. One of the players was a relative beginner, like me, and the other, a long-time player with a good game.
D., the good player, seemed to be a long hitter, but as time went on, I discovered that I could hit at least as far as he could and generally could hit more accurately. On the tenth hole, he hit a beautiful drive about 290 and made the green with his second shot, while Joe and I hit off to the left of the dogleg left and had long shots to the green. Mine followed a tree line on the right, but I had a nice wedge onto the green, and two-putted for a bogey. D., who was on the green in two, three putted. Realizing that I could drive as far as he could, I suddenly thought that with a good drive, I could reach this green in two also. This was a thought that never would have occurred to me last year, a measure of how far I have come.
During the rest of the back nine, I generally had the honors, getting four pars and a birdie on a par 4, for a total of 41. This was the kind of evidence I was looking for, proof that I could not only break 90, but also reasonably think about breaking 80. Experience was the only thing I was lacking.
This back nine also reminded me about the importance of the short game. I hit some really good chips and pitches, and I designed my practice, after that, to work on the game around the green. Each evening, I went out to the tenth green and hit chips, pitches, putts, and bunker shots. Over and over, hitting from different lies, including the most difficult ones I could imagine. That short game is getting better, but that repeated practice also taught me how difficult it is to achieve consistency. I can see that I'll be taking my shag bag out there many evenings.
In addition to this practice on the course, I've also been studying my basic swing. Initially, I was looking for more distance. Then I came across this Arnold Palmer video on YouTube. It showed me several aspects of the swing that I haven't appreciated enough until now. One is the hip turn. After watching this video, I realized that I never really understood the role of the "lower body," as Hogan puts it, in another YouTube video. The other aspect of the swing that I have misunderstood is the role of a straight left arm. All along, I've been bending mine in my effort to emulate the image of the pro golfers who have the club parallel to the ground at the top of the backswing. What I didn't understand was how important a straight left arm is to achieving maximum clubhead speed during the downswing. The Palmer video made me think of the Iron Byron videos I've seen on YouTube and how the straight left arm is crucial to the maximum release of the clubhead at impact. Now, I've started working on changing my swing in two fundamental ways. First, I want to move my hips to start the downswing. That will allow me to clear the left side and bring my arms into the hitting position. The second is to keep the left arm straight during the backswing. This is difficult, and requires the support of the right hand. But after studying this Palmer video, I'm sure it's the right way to go. So far, I've just practiced the swing without hitting a ball. These changes require so much practice and concentration that it will be a while before I can actually hit a ball this way. The next post will describe the results.
Sunday, April 18, 2010
Rhythm and Release
Realizing that I was making important progress on the swing, I went right back to practicing, studying some YouTube videos to help me out. One video in particular helped me with the rhythm of the swing, which you'll see in the video below.
As I practiced that drill, I came to understand a new subtlety of the release: how the follow-through traces the same plane as the downswing. I know this sounds obvious, but all along, I thought that the follow-through would take care of itself. As I practiced the rhythm drill and felt the relaxation in my arms, I started to sense how the club wants to return inside the target line during the follow-through. For some reason, I had never paid much attention to this before. But as I practiced the swing in slow-mo and thought about what probably happens, I began to think that when the left hand releases, the clubhead naturally wants to follow the arc that has already been established during the downswing. That arc takes the clubhead inside the target line. However, that's not all that happens. What also happens is that as the left arm snaps the clubhead through the hitting zone, the right hand, after throwing the clubhead, finishes on top of the left and both hands finally swing through, away from the target, and swing around the head, or top of the spine, as the swing concludes.
This is what I was seeing in the side-by-side video of Ernie Els and Michelle Wie. Finally, I started to understand how their beautiful follow-throughs happened. The left hand actually snaps the club through the hitting zone, quickly moving from a pronated position to a supinated position. Now, I have known about pronation and supination ever since I first cracked open Hogan's Five Lessons book, but until now, I never understood what he meant. The movement is so fast that deliberate control is impossible. The best I can do is think about where in the swing I want this snap to happen and then try to do it at some visual point in my swing. It's pure guesswork. If I get it right, then the shot is perfect. If I miss by a little, then either I block the shot right or I pull it left. So that release point is crucial. And I think it's the same problem for every golfer, even the pros. It's all about timing. Sometimes you're right on, but other times, you miss by a little. And that's why the pros find themselves in the rough or in a greenside bunker. This release point isn't the only fine point that my practice today revealed.
I also started to see how the left arm supinates from impact into the follow-through. It's an instantaneous kind of movement. At one milli-second, the left hand is pronated, but in the next, it's supinated, with the right hand seeming to ride on top of the left. I spent the rest of the day working on this feeling. At the range, I felt great. I could shape shots and hit with reasonable consistency. Now and then, I could feel my left arm working properly and whipping the clubhead around the swing arc. But I had too many swing thoughts: a relaxed swing rhythm, bowing my left wrist, letting the clubhead lag, coming through and throwing with the right hand, supinating the left hand and letting it go freely into the follow-through—all this was too much for me. But I know that I'm on the right path. More practice in the next few days will give me the results I'm looking for: a rhythmical swing with accuracy and distance.
As I practiced that drill, I came to understand a new subtlety of the release: how the follow-through traces the same plane as the downswing. I know this sounds obvious, but all along, I thought that the follow-through would take care of itself. As I practiced the rhythm drill and felt the relaxation in my arms, I started to sense how the club wants to return inside the target line during the follow-through. For some reason, I had never paid much attention to this before. But as I practiced the swing in slow-mo and thought about what probably happens, I began to think that when the left hand releases, the clubhead naturally wants to follow the arc that has already been established during the downswing. That arc takes the clubhead inside the target line. However, that's not all that happens. What also happens is that as the left arm snaps the clubhead through the hitting zone, the right hand, after throwing the clubhead, finishes on top of the left and both hands finally swing through, away from the target, and swing around the head, or top of the spine, as the swing concludes.
This is what I was seeing in the side-by-side video of Ernie Els and Michelle Wie. Finally, I started to understand how their beautiful follow-throughs happened. The left hand actually snaps the club through the hitting zone, quickly moving from a pronated position to a supinated position. Now, I have known about pronation and supination ever since I first cracked open Hogan's Five Lessons book, but until now, I never understood what he meant. The movement is so fast that deliberate control is impossible. The best I can do is think about where in the swing I want this snap to happen and then try to do it at some visual point in my swing. It's pure guesswork. If I get it right, then the shot is perfect. If I miss by a little, then either I block the shot right or I pull it left. So that release point is crucial. And I think it's the same problem for every golfer, even the pros. It's all about timing. Sometimes you're right on, but other times, you miss by a little. And that's why the pros find themselves in the rough or in a greenside bunker. This release point isn't the only fine point that my practice today revealed.
I also started to see how the left arm supinates from impact into the follow-through. It's an instantaneous kind of movement. At one milli-second, the left hand is pronated, but in the next, it's supinated, with the right hand seeming to ride on top of the left. I spent the rest of the day working on this feeling. At the range, I felt great. I could shape shots and hit with reasonable consistency. Now and then, I could feel my left arm working properly and whipping the clubhead around the swing arc. But I had too many swing thoughts: a relaxed swing rhythm, bowing my left wrist, letting the clubhead lag, coming through and throwing with the right hand, supinating the left hand and letting it go freely into the follow-through—all this was too much for me. But I know that I'm on the right path. More practice in the next few days will give me the results I'm looking for: a rhythmical swing with accuracy and distance.
Friday, April 16, 2010
The Release Revealed
The hiatus between my last post and this is easy to explain. My swing continued to improve daily. That meant that any video or daily narrative would be rendered "History" by the next day's revelation. As days went by, I thought about this blog, but I was moving along with no defining moment to talk about. Now there is.
Basically, over the last month or so, I've been working on the final piece of my swing: the follow-through. What happens after impact has become my focus. Until I arrived at this point, my swing thoughts ended at impact. All my thoughts, all my practice were grounded in one outcome: a relatively powerful propulsion of the golf ball down the fairway towards a target. After impact, my swing really looked like a spring flower wilting in strong sunshine.
I knew it was a problem. My first strategy was to treat the problem as a lack of momentum. I started doing gravity swing drills and trying to use my left arm to whip up speed. That wasn't the answer, but it did serve a purpose. It did show me how fast a swing can be. Generally, the pace of my swing is fairly safe. As my son once told me, my swing looked good, but "it's slow." In the last few days, I worked on that left arm—trying to swing it as fast as I could and finishing high over my head and letting the club come down over my back. That helped, and I felt as though I was getting more distance. The mental image of swinging up high like that also reminded me of the way some of the seniors swing, Nicklaus in particular, and that similarity encouraged me.
When I went to the range, however, I could see that I had a problem. Too often, I was pushing the ball right, blocking it. If I got the timing exactly right with my hands, I could hit the ball where I wanted to, but this effort was unreliable. I had noticed this tendency out on the course, where I practice hitting off the turf in the evenings. Lately, I've been practicing the second shot on one fairway where the ball is slightly below my feet, usually producing a push or slice. I thought it was that kind of lie that was my problem. I thought that once I learned how to hit that shot, my troubles would be over. But pushing the ball at the range, too, showed me that I was wrong. The problem was with my swing.
I found the solution the other day after hitting two hundred balls. My analysis was that during the release, my hands continued to move forward, even though I felt I was throwing the clubhead with my right hand. The result was that I never gave the clubhead a chance to square up at impact. I finally got the feel of slowing down the left hand to give the right a chance to throw the clubhead and get ahead of the left hand into the follow-through. This worked beautifully, adding a key missing piece to my swing. Naturally, I couldn't wait until the next day to do some more practice. That night, I dreamed about the right hand crossing over the left.
At the range the next day, my shots were perfect. Right out there straight, time after time. Having established that kind of consistency, I started experimenting with shaping shots, hitting slight draws and fades using the advice from the very helpful Johnny Miller video on YouTube. His advice worked perfectly. Now I felt as though I had made a significant advance in my accuracy. I could see that the next challenge would be to add more distance.
When I catch it well, I can carry a 5-iron about 175 yards, and a good drive flies about 230 or 240. To me, this is fine, but I feel as though I ought to be able to hit even farther with my new understanding of how the swing works at impact and in the release. I also realize that I'm swinging too hard to get these distances. Often, after a long drive, I'll lose my balance. In my next post, I'll probably be describing my attempts to develop better tempo to get both distance and accuracy. As much as my swing has improved, there is a world of difference when I look at a really good swing. It's way out in front, like the favorite in a horse race, and I'm like the young Seabiscuit, way back in the pack, but gaining.
In the video below, you'll see me rehearsing with my driver, working on a good coil and turning level left during the downswing and on my new release. I've been studying Els on YouTube and the video showing Michelle Wie and Ernie side by side. My full swing is an attempt to emulate what I see them doing. I'm also going through the motions of the release where the club whips through from parallel behind the ball to parallel in front of it.
Basically, over the last month or so, I've been working on the final piece of my swing: the follow-through. What happens after impact has become my focus. Until I arrived at this point, my swing thoughts ended at impact. All my thoughts, all my practice were grounded in one outcome: a relatively powerful propulsion of the golf ball down the fairway towards a target. After impact, my swing really looked like a spring flower wilting in strong sunshine.
I knew it was a problem. My first strategy was to treat the problem as a lack of momentum. I started doing gravity swing drills and trying to use my left arm to whip up speed. That wasn't the answer, but it did serve a purpose. It did show me how fast a swing can be. Generally, the pace of my swing is fairly safe. As my son once told me, my swing looked good, but "it's slow." In the last few days, I worked on that left arm—trying to swing it as fast as I could and finishing high over my head and letting the club come down over my back. That helped, and I felt as though I was getting more distance. The mental image of swinging up high like that also reminded me of the way some of the seniors swing, Nicklaus in particular, and that similarity encouraged me.
When I went to the range, however, I could see that I had a problem. Too often, I was pushing the ball right, blocking it. If I got the timing exactly right with my hands, I could hit the ball where I wanted to, but this effort was unreliable. I had noticed this tendency out on the course, where I practice hitting off the turf in the evenings. Lately, I've been practicing the second shot on one fairway where the ball is slightly below my feet, usually producing a push or slice. I thought it was that kind of lie that was my problem. I thought that once I learned how to hit that shot, my troubles would be over. But pushing the ball at the range, too, showed me that I was wrong. The problem was with my swing.
I found the solution the other day after hitting two hundred balls. My analysis was that during the release, my hands continued to move forward, even though I felt I was throwing the clubhead with my right hand. The result was that I never gave the clubhead a chance to square up at impact. I finally got the feel of slowing down the left hand to give the right a chance to throw the clubhead and get ahead of the left hand into the follow-through. This worked beautifully, adding a key missing piece to my swing. Naturally, I couldn't wait until the next day to do some more practice. That night, I dreamed about the right hand crossing over the left.
At the range the next day, my shots were perfect. Right out there straight, time after time. Having established that kind of consistency, I started experimenting with shaping shots, hitting slight draws and fades using the advice from the very helpful Johnny Miller video on YouTube. His advice worked perfectly. Now I felt as though I had made a significant advance in my accuracy. I could see that the next challenge would be to add more distance.
When I catch it well, I can carry a 5-iron about 175 yards, and a good drive flies about 230 or 240. To me, this is fine, but I feel as though I ought to be able to hit even farther with my new understanding of how the swing works at impact and in the release. I also realize that I'm swinging too hard to get these distances. Often, after a long drive, I'll lose my balance. In my next post, I'll probably be describing my attempts to develop better tempo to get both distance and accuracy. As much as my swing has improved, there is a world of difference when I look at a really good swing. It's way out in front, like the favorite in a horse race, and I'm like the young Seabiscuit, way back in the pack, but gaining.
In the video below, you'll see me rehearsing with my driver, working on a good coil and turning level left during the downswing and on my new release. I've been studying Els on YouTube and the video showing Michelle Wie and Ernie side by side. My full swing is an attempt to emulate what I see them doing. I'm also going through the motions of the release where the club whips through from parallel behind the ball to parallel in front of it.
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