To the Max!

"OK. You're booked with The Max at 5:30 on Thursday." So did the staff member in the pro shop at Mohansic confirm my appointment for a lesson with Max Galloway at Mohansic Golf Course in Yorktown, NY. I wanted a progress report and a check of my putting. In my last lesson, Max gave me a great tip about using my left arm as a fulcrum that levers the club through the hitting zone. In my early practice, doing the 8-to-4 drill that Max gave me, I could tell that this tip was a great revelation for me. I could see that this movement of the left arm against my upper ribcage was how I could generate power that I never knew existed before. I think Max told me about this last summer, when I was taking a series of lessons with him, but, at the time, either I forgot about it or didn't understand it and then forgot about it. But now, it was a tip that came at the right time to a receptive audience.

This is a good example of what I've learned about taking lessons. I go to Mohansic for a lesson to take golf "To the Max!"

So I did the 8-to-4 drill every day for two weeks, feeling the benefits, and then decided that I had made good progress and could use an evaluation. At the same time, if Max could do it, I wanted him to look at my putting, which I also thought was looking much better.

The lesson went very well, and Max was very encouraging about both my swing and my putting. He had one comment on my swing, which was about the takeaway. He thought I was moving my arms back independent of my upper body. Immediately, I knew he was right. I've been conscious, lately, about my takeaway and the image of keeping the clubhead outside my hands. To do that, I'm sure I've been consciously using my arms to get to the position I wanted. Max was talking more about momentum. That would get me there and would continue and get me to the top of the backswing. Once again, Max pinpointed a discrete tip that really helped.

A few days later, at the Mohansic range, I videotaped my swing to see where I am. Here are the results.

As I watched the video a few times, I watched it and took notes.

1. Steeper backswing
2. Keep right leg flexed and reduce hip turn
3. Drop right arm at top -- straight down
4. Keep spine angle (I stand up)
5. Lower body -- legs -- rotate first and let arms follow
6. Hands stay back (my arms start moving too fast and too early)
7. Arm angle is pretty good on way down
8. Keep working on opening hips and holding lag
9. Keep right toes grounded
10. Do something with the follow-through so that the clubhead is on the swing plane

Because of rain today, I cancelled a tee-time with my son. Now that I've studied the state of my swing, I see that there is no rush to go out. Maybe in September.