To Build a Better Golf Swing: Winter Edition

[GolfSpy Dave]

To Build a Better Golf Swing: Winter Edition

Golfspy Dave's Handicap Reduction Program

 

What to do During the Golf Off Season?

A few weeks ago I started a thread in the MyGolfSpy forum asking what forum members do during the winter months to stay golf-fit during the off season (HERE). There were numerous suggestions. Some of the suggestions, like heading to the gym or putting in the basement, were helpful. Other suggestions, like living in a place where you can play golf all year, were not really applicable to everyone. Regardless, the replies in that thread really got me thinking about what I could do this winter to improve my game.

 

My initial thought was that I would take lessons. Although the weather in Northern California would probably support outdoor lessons, I decided that I wanted to pursue a lessons program that was based primarily upon indoor instruction. There were two main reasons behind this path. First of all, writing an article about taking lessons outdoors would be neither helpful nor relevant to golfers who live in climates where golf is not possible for weeks, if not months, this time of year. My second reason for indoor lesson curiosity comes from having a conversation with someone along my golfing path who did not believe that indoor lessons are effective at all. I remember that the argument was something along the lines of “how can you learn anything when you only see the first fifteen feet of ball flight”. I quote loosely there, but that was the general gist of the conversation.

 

So there in lies one of the central themes of this whole project, can indoor lessons be an effective way to improve your golf swing? Thinking about this made me realize that there are likely thousands of golf instructional facilities that teach completely indoors. This brought a few questions to mind:

 

• What if someone really can't learn a golf swing by hitting into an indoor net?
  
• Are these facilities and instructors just farming money from desperate golfers?
  
• Should a golfer just save the lesson money until outdoor lessons are feasible?
  
• Can quality golf professionals overcome the limitations of an indoor environment and deliver a quality instructional program?
  
• Do some of the components of an indoor program, such as FlightScope units and video analysis, actually allow golf professionals to address aspects of the swing more effectively indoors than outdoors?
  

Armed with these questions, and more than a bit of curiosity, I went out to find a local indoor teaching facility.

 

So is Curiosity About Winter Lessons Your Only Motivation?

In the spirit of full disclosure, I will have to answer that question with a no. Although curiosity and wanting to provide information about the lessons for the readers of MyGolfSpy are drives for this project, the main drive is my nearly all consuming desire to play better golf. Those of you who read my Pebble Project series last summer have a reference point for my desire to improve. How many high-handicap, amateur golfers would be willing to publish every scorecard for other golfers to see and critique? I think that I improved greatly over the course of that project and I felt very satisfied as I reflected upon my play after the round at Edgewood Tahoe last summer. Progress was made in my game.

 

The thing that I have come to realize over the past couple of months though is that the progress I made last summer is not enough. I always sort of figured that bogey golf would be satisfying and sufficient. It is not. Maybe if I were playing true bogeys-only golf it would be different. My bogey golf consists of bogeys, but also double bogeys and pars. There are low rounds where I get into runs of pars, and high rounds where doubles would be welcome. Inconsistency in the constant. There is a thought in my head that says if I can shoot two or three pars per round, why can't I shoot more? I want to be better and I am unwilling to accept that the swing I have now is the swing that I will have to play with for the rest of my life. I am motivated to improve, and you can rest assured that everything that I report back to you in this series will be coming from the perspective of the motivated student.

 

So What's the Plan Dave?

Last summer I ran into someone that I went to high school with, Bobby Siravo. This is relevant because in addition to being a fellow alum, Bobby is also a former tour player who owns a golf shop, iFit Golf in Folsom, CA. Bobby's shop seemed like the ideal setting for this project as it contains everything that you would find in an on course shop, excellent club selection, a putting green, club repair, clothing, footwear, and so on, minus an attached driving range or golf course. Lessons and fittings at iFit Golf are accomplished indoors in two Callaway Performance Studio hitting bays. I bet that iFit Golf looks quite a bit like the shops that you can find near you, thus making it perfect for this project.

 

 

After agreeing to participate in this project, Bobby introduced me to Kevin Estrella, the director of instruction at iFit Golf. As you can see from his website, Kevin has vast experience as a player and as an instructor who has been trained in the methodology of the Titleist Performance Institute and is an authorized instructor for The Golfing Machine. I found one of the statements on Kevin's website to be very intriguing,

 

“As a certified golf fitness instructor Kevin will help you understand how your body affects your golf swing in order to help you find your most efficient swing- one that produces consistent, desired results”.

 

As many of you are aware, I came to the game of golf later in life than some, picking up the game at thirty-nine. My long-term goal is to play golf well into my senior years. I'm very interested to see what kind of swing Kevin can get my forty-two-year-old body to produce.

 

The Scope of the Project

Over the next few months, Kevin Estrella and I will be working together to:

 

• Assess my current golf swing
  
• Assess my current physical strength and flexibility
  
• Develop a plan to improve any areas of physical concern that could be affecting the swing.
  
• And finally, to develop my “most efficient swing- one that produces consistent, desired results”
   
  

I will be reporting my progress and lesson details on a weekly or bi-weekly basis, depending upon the specifics of the lessons. I will also be posting all scorecards like I did last summer during the Pebble Project.

 

In addition, there are a couple of new features that I think will make this project even bigger and more interesting to follow than the Pebble Project. First, I am going to include as much video as possible. Not really all that excited about this aspect, but video is a major component of most indoor lesson strategies. In addition to video, Kevin also will be using a launch monitor and simulator to track my launch conditions (i.e. ball speed, spin rates, launch angle, and shot dispersion). Also, through the use of a 3-dimensional motion capturing system called the K-vest we will be able to measure my swing efficiency via the kinematic sequence and use visual and auditory biofeedback to train and improve every aspect of my golf swing including set up, backswing, top, downswing, and impact. All of these feedback mechanisms will give you a concrete reference for how my swing is changing and improving (fingers crossed).

 

Secondly, we are also enlisting the assistance of a physical therapist, Greg Parry, to help with my strength and flexibility assessment and to help me get into my best golf shape. I don't remember reading about another lesson program that has included this aspect. Greg is an excellent golfer and Titleist Performance Institute trained as well.

 

Another interesting addition will be that the other parties involved in the project, Kevin, Greg, and Bobby will also be adding commentary to the articles. I promise not to edit what they bring in any way so you can see what is happening from the different perspectives. I am looking forward to reading these sections perhaps even more than you are…

 

Finally, while my motivation for the project is to play better, Callaway Golf has generously volunteered to add some additional incentive for me to improve. Callaway Golf has committed to donate one junior set of golf clubs to the First Tee of Sacramento for each handicap point that I drop between now and the end of the Sunday round of the Master's tournament in April. If I can improve, some young golfers will get brand new clubs. This is a huge motivation factor for me. I don't want to let down those kids…

 

Coming Next: Initial Assessments

Next week, I will be posting the details about the initial assessments of my swing and physical condition. It may be ugly, but it will give us a place to move forward from. Until then, you can find out more about the people involved in the project by following these links:

 

Bobby Siravo, Owner of iFit Golf in Folsom, CA (LINK)

 

Kevin Estrella, Director of Instruction at iFit Golf and Kevin Estrella Golf (LINK)

 

Greg Parry, Owner and Physical Therapist at Parry Physical Therapy and Athletic Enhancement, Inc. (LINK)

 

As always, I welcome your comments and questions. Both directed toward me and also toward the other participants in the project. I can't wait to hear what you think as this project progresses along. See you next week!

[GolfSpy WD]

Looking forward to this. I've taken indoor lessons at GolfTown and a free lesson at GolfTEC. The GolfTown lessons (5-pack) used an aboutGolf simulator. The GolfTEC lesson used sensors on the body and a launch monitor (probably the same thing as the K-Vest). I can easily say the GolfTEC lessons were far superior due to all the data points, the capabilities of their facilities, and their customized set of drills you get after each lesson. In comparison, the GolfTown lessons were useful, but it was more geared towards quick fixes rather than fundamental fixes. Your lesson plan sound a whole lot more like the GolfTEC approach than the GolfTown.

 

Callaway Golf has committed to donate one junior set of golf clubs to the First Tee of Sacramento for each handicap point that I drop between now and the end of the Sunday round of the Master's tournament in April. If I can improve, some young golfers will get brand new clubs. This is a huge motivation factor for me. I don't want to let down those kids…

 

This is just awesome on Callaway's part. Kudos to them and best of luck to you!

[Matt Saternus]

This sounds like a great project, Dave, and I'm excited to read about it. Good luck in bringing that handicap down!

[finalist]

I took several lesson from Kevin last year. He blew me away!

 

I've taken lessons from several local guys over the years and they all seem to push the latest tip from Golf Digest. I always leave thinking, I already knew that!

 

Kevin is way beyond those guys. He broke down my swing into motions of chain reactions and got down to the absolute root. He taught me mechanics that I never read about before (I'd like to think I read everything), nor has anyone from a CSUC coach to a former PGA Tour winner to several PGA instructors taught me.

 

A while back the Sacramento Bee did an article on Kevin and what initially intrigued me was that he is TPI and TGM certified. I felt these certs would point out my bio-mechanical qualities and lack of abilities rather than the more generic based instruction found on the local courses. I was right. His instruction was easy to understand and more importantly what I discovered is how many layers of faults he peeled back on my swing until we got to the root problem.

 

He is gold. I'm actually excited to see where your game goes.

[Jgolf]

This is great! One of the most exciting topics I have seen on this forum in a while

 

Good luck!

 

+

 

 

Callaway just went up in my book... That's an amazing gesture.

[RoverRick]

I was one of the smarta$$es that said I lived in a warm climate and could play year round. Actually, today it was 39 degress with a 25 mph wind and I went and worked on my short game for an hour and a half. But it was 60 yesterday and will be close to 70 this weekend. I think if I lived in a place where I could not go out and play regularly, and since I do not live near a big city, 80 miles from Dallas. I would invest in an OptiShot. That is about the cost of a new driver, or what you may spend on lessons. I have never had a lesson so I have no idea how much they cost. But I think the Optishot is like $400. That might be a relatively cheap way to play year round indoors, but I have only seen the commercials.

[Phana24JG]

 

A while back the Sacramento Bee did an article on Kevin and what initially intrigued me was that he is TPI and TGM certified. I felt these certs would point out my bio-mechanical qualities and lack of abilities rather than the more generic based instruction found on the local courses. I was right. His instruction was easy to understand and more importantly what I discovered is how many layers of faults he peeled back on my swing until we got to the root problem.

 

He is gold. I'm actually excited to see where your game goes.

 

My only concern with TGM guys is that some of them tend to be book literalists. TGM is great, but science has already disproven many of Homer Kelley's major theorums, especially the concept of clubhead "lag" and the release.

[GolfSpy Dave]

To Build a Better Golf Swing Part 2: Initial Swing Assessment

 

It is what it is...

I think that it is safe to say that this is the section that I looked forward to the least as I thought about this project. It is one thing to know that your golf swing has flaws and it is a whole different thing to have someone tell you what they are. Perhaps having a pro diagnose a swing fault makes one's “could be” thoughts about the faults reality rather than speculation. I think that the best way to describe it for me is that it feels a bit like when you head to the dentist. That little soreness in your bicuspid may just be something stuck under the gum, but it may also be the harbinger of a root canal. There is some soreness in my swing, for certain. I think that we may be looking at that root canal, or maybe even dentures...

 

Meeting with Kevin Estrella

Before we ever met over a golf club, Kevin and I met over coffee. Part of the motivation for this was to discuss the scope of this project, but I think that the meeting also allowed Kevin to gain an understanding of my perspective on golf. What I think that this allowed Kevin and I to do was to come to an understanding about what my real goals are as a player and whether or not they are realistic based upon the other commitments in my life that can take away from golf practice. Those silly things like work and family... Anyway, after talking to Kevin for an hour or so, I told him that I was playing in a few days at one of the local courses, Campus Commons Golf Course. Kevin said that he would meet me there and record some video so we could get started.

 

At Campus Commons GC

My friend Pete calls Campus Commons GC “the home of golf in Sacramento”. He is probably not too far off as many a golfer sank their first tee on this course. It is a little nine-hole course whose trees actually make some holes quite difficult to score on. I met a couple of friends to play with and Kevin said he would meet me a hole or two in. We actually met on the third hole, one of the two par 4's on the course and Kevin had me step up and swing. There may have been some nerves involved as I initially teed up the ball in front of the tee markers. After taking some grief from Kevin and my “friends”, I fired off a beautiful high, right spinner out into the adjacent hole. Kevin then had me hit two more balls, this time with a 7-iron, while he filmed me first from the side then from the back. One of those 7-iron swings went almost 45° to the right, directly off the toe of the club. Three video sequences, the abominations of the golf ball. Kevin took off at that point and I tried to convince myself that it was good that he filmed bad swings because that would show us what we needed to work on. I didn't really convince myself of this and I even emailed the scorecard to Kevin after the round to show him that I did score ok on some of the following holes. Maybe I thought that I could convince him (and myself) that the swings he filmed were aberrations and not my usual swing. I know, huh...

 

Swing Analysis At Kevin's Studio

Much to my surprise, Kevin's next email was not about canceling this project but rather setting up a time to meet at his studio. Kevin's studio is located in a small office building, sharing space with an architectural firm and I think attorneys and maybe a state representative office. It couldn't look more different from the on-course shop at Haggin Oaks GC where I have previously taken lessons. I don't mean anything negative in either direction with that statement. The setting is just different.

 

Kevin's studio is divided into three areas, the entry foyer, the computer and video area, and a hitting area featuring a large mat and net. If I could add a “golf room” to my house, Kevin's studio would be a great model. Although I was perhaps more than a bit nervous going in, his studio and disposition were both very calming. My initial impression was that this was a place where one could journey to learn the golf swing. Think the opposite of the 30-minute quick fix lesson that you might get at a big box store. As a teacher myself, I appreciate it when someone creates an environment conducive to learning.

 

OK It's a Nice Place, What About That Swing?

Perhaps I am stalling a bit. Take that as a way to empathize with my reluctance to watch the video. Judging by the output of that swing, there was likely nothing worth celebrating.

 

 

There it is. 1:49 of awful. Maybe future video installment should come with nausea disclaimers. If you are thinking “that is an awful swing”, welcome to the article. This series is not intended as a showcase for my golf prowess. It is an adventure in improvement, or maybe less-awfulness. Anyway, there are a couple of things in this video that have plagued me as long as I have swung a club:

• Swinging over the top on an out to in path.

• Early release of the hands; i.e. no lag

• Lack of balance due to poor weight shifts during the swing.

 

No surprises there, but knowing they exist and seeing they exist are two different things. As we watched the video, Kevin used the associated video analysis software to draw some lines on the video, leading us into a discussion of plane in the golf swing. I have heard of 1-plane and 2-plane swings before and I think that I have an understanding of what swinging on plane means. However recognizing an on-plane swing and performing one are two different animals all together. I'll leave the specific analysis to Kevin, but it is no understatement to say that there are a lot of issues with my swing.

 

Initial Instructional Components

Kevin used the V1 video analysis to break down my swing and used some PGA tour players as models to illustrate and give me an understanding of certain concepts of the golf swing. He stressed it's important to understand and be able to visualize what we are trying to do before we actually put things into motion and try to do it.

 

Swinging to Low Point

Currently, I rarely take a divot and if I do, it starts at my right toe and is the result of swinging fat. Kevin explained to me the concept of “low point” in the golf swing. The club should reach low point when the left arm is extended and pointing at the ground (the left hand even with the left shoulder). Prior to this point the club is descending; after this point the club is ascending. Therefore, if the ball is anywhere behind low point then I should be hitting the ball with a descending blow. The club head continues to travel down until it reaches low point. This produces the divot in front of the ball. Sometimes people (i.e. ME) do things they shouldn't do to alter low point. For now, Kevin told me not to even worry about the ball- just swing to low point.

 

I don't take divots because I never allowed the club to reach the proper low point. I swing out to in. I flip through the impact zone just hoping to make contact with the ball. My left and right arms are fully extended and my wrists are un-cocked way too early in the down swing. As my left wrist bends (the dreaded flipping of the hands) prior to impact my club head is already beginning to ascend (again, before impact). I don't stand a chance of allowing my club head to reach the proper low point and make a divot in front of the ball. Kevin said one of the absolute keys to good golf is to hit with a FLAT LEFT WRIST.

 

Swinging On Plane

The club path of my golf swing is chaotic and definitely not on the correct plane relative to the target line. As we watched the video I was starting to wonder how I even make contact with the ball at all. As we watched the one that shot off the toe, Kevin pointed out that I actually did almost miss that one completely. I take the club back too far inside, I rotate the clubface open during the backswing, I rotate my shoulders to initiate the down swing which then necessitates casting, and so on. My swing is a PhD project in how to swing off plane. How can I hope to make good contact with the ball when the only time I have the club in sync with the target line is at address? The concept he wants me to have to swing on plane is that either the tip of the shaft or the butt end of the shaft (whichever is closest to the ground) points to the target line at all times except when the club is parallel to the target line.

 

Basic Motion

With so many things to work on, I found it interesting that the first thing that Kevin and I worked on was “Basic Motion”. Basic Motion represents the golf swing through the impact zone. Think about two feet behind and two feet in front of the ball. For now, he wanted me to think of Basic Motion as representing the movements that initiate the golf swing and also the swing at and through impact. Before even embarking on any sort of practice we watched some swing videos to catalog the characteristics of a good swing at impact. These are some of the things that stuck with me from that analysis:

• Left wrist is flat at impact

• Right arm is bent at impact

• The swing has not yet reached low point.

 

I had heard about the left wrist component, but the right arm was a surprise. I think that I have always focused on the left arm when I watch videos, “knowing” that I want to keep that arm straight. It was enlightening to see that regardless of the tour pro or the club, that right elbow was still bent at impact. Kevin explained to me that during impact (and basic motion), the right arm basically functions like a piston, moving back and forth on a linear path.

 

This led us to some Basic Motion practice. Kevin had me take a golf stance and grab my left wrist with my right hand. Keeping my left arm straight, he told me to move the left arm back and forth by bending and extending the right arm. After some tweaks on elbow path, I had the basic feeling for the piston-action of the right arm. He then put a club in my hands and had me make the same motion. It did not feel natural at all. I took this as a good omen as what feels natural for me is actually awful.

 

While I could feel the piston action, I could not readily make my swing get to low point. Kevin manipulated me into “impact preview” position. In other words, how I would be configured at impact. Once we did this, my ability to get to low point improved somewhat, but doing so really was a struggle of brain vs. body, where body has other ideas about what we should be doing. After practicing this for a while, we finished that session with my homework assignment being the practice of Basic Motion featuring swinging to low point with a flat left wrist.

 

I left knowing that we were beginning on a path that would take me to a different and significantly improved golf swing. However it was a bit demoralizing to know that we essentially have to trash everything and start over. Welcome to Golfspy Dave's humility project...

 

Kevin Estrella's Initial Assessment

 

I always like talk to new students for awhile to get to know them before I just “start the lesson.” To gain additional information from Dave, I also had him fill out a questionnaire prior to starting the lessons just so I could begin to understand how he thinks about the golf swing and what he tries to do when hitting a ball. A copy of the questionnaire can be found here (BELOW). The questionnaire constantly gets modified and updated. Here are some questions I try to get answered prior to the first lesson or very early on during the lesson process by either talking to the student or reviewing their completed questionnaire.

 

 

• What does the student want to get out of the lessons? What are the goals?
  
• How does the student describe their current “misses”?
  
• How long has the student played golf?
  
• How often does the student play golf?
  
• What does the student do to be active?
  
• What is the student's understanding of how to swing a golf club? What is he/she trying to do?
  
• How has the student gained their golf swing knowledge (e.g., friends, golf periodicals, golf telecasts, instructional videos, previous lessons)?
  
• Are there any existing injuries or related health concerns?
  

 

I use the information gathered above to help me understand my students, to make connections with them, and to help me communicate effectively with them.

 

My first impression of Dave is that here is someone who is truly interested in understanding and improving his golf swing. He is not someone looking for a magic “golf tip” that will enable him to play better golf. I'm not too keen on working with someone looking to take one lesson thinking he/she will be cured from that one meeting. In talking with Dave he seems to be aware of his swing flaws but doesn't know how to correct them. I'm sure that sounds familiar to many people.

 

Watching Dave Swing

 

When I first saw Dave swing, the first thing that jumped out at me was:

 

• His hands would flip during impact causing his left wrist to bend and his left elbow to bend

 

• He has difficulty swinging in balance and his left foot “spins out” during impact and into the follow through

 

• His hips would move toward the ball during the down swing (early extension) causing him to lose posture during impact

 

Watching how his body moved during the swing I immediately suspected some hip flexibility/mobility issues, which certainly could lead to the swing faults listed above. If that's the case, then those hip issues need to be addressed before any real change can take place. For any student's swing fault(s), the underlying cause(s) could be any of the following:

• Student doesn't know the correct technique

• Student is using the wrong equipment

• Student has physical limitations

It's important to tease out what is contributing to the swing fault. Early in my teaching career I always jumped to that first bullet point and assumed the student just didn't know the proper technique relative to any particular swing fault (i.e., “Here's what you are doing…Do this instead…”). Many times, it's just not that simple or clear cut.

 

Using some of the physical screens I learned while at the Titleist Performance Institute I could see that Dave had some challenges with his left internal hip rotation. Coupled with what I saw of the movement pattern of his body while watching him swing and studying his video, I decided to refer him to a sports physical therapist, Greg Parry, for more extensive evaluation and/or correction. I pointed this all out to Dave and he found it intriguing how something physical can potentially be causing many of the swing faults of which he was already aware.

 

As for the initial plan of correction, in addition to the referral to the sports physical therapist I wanted to start educating (or in some cases re-educating) Dave on the following:

• What it means to have a “square” club face during the swing

• What it means to swing on-plane

• Where “low point” is in the golf swing

• How to use his hands through the impact zone. TIME TO STOP THE FLIP!

 

 

Whatever we are working on in a lesson here are the questions that will serve as a template:

➢ Do I understand the concept?

➢ Can I visualize it? Do I have a mental picture of what it should look like?

➢ Can I put it into motion? Can I feel it?

➢ Will my body allow me to do it?

 

 

I want Dave to practice with short swings (basic motion- 2 feet back and 2 feet through) in order to minimize the need for a pivot while we get that hip looked at in more detail. This will allow him to focus on the piston action of the right arm (i.e., bending & straightening) and the flat left wrist.

 

The drill for Dave was to lay a club between his feet perpendicular to the target line in the center of his stance, leave a space 8-10 inches where an imaginary ball would be then place a club across from the other club, again perpendicular to the target line. This gives him a frame of reference for him to swing to low point. All he does is set up to the imaginary ball and swing the club two feet back and two feet through by bending and straightening his right arm down and through low point. I want him to start from the impact preview position (i.e., hands a little ahead of the imaginary ball, left wrist flat, and slightly more weight on left foot vs. right). If he hits the ground (or his carpet in his living room) “in front” of the clubs lying on the ground and his left wrist is flat as he holds his finish, then it's a successful swing.

Yes, the drill is that simple and very necessary for Dave. Once he gets comfortable doing it without a ball then he can do it while hitting a ball.

 

Now, let's go see Greg and get that body evaluated!

 

That's it for this week. Remember you can find out more about the players in this swing drama at the following sites:

 

Bobby Siravo, Owner of iFit Golf in Folsom, CA (LINK)

 

Kevin Estrella, Director of Instruction at iFit Golf and Kevin Estrella Golf (LINK)

 

Greg Parry, Owner and Physical Therapist at Parry Physical Therapy and Athletic Enhancement, Inc. (LINK)

 

Let's hear those questions and comments. I can take it

KEG Swing Concept Questionnaire.pdf

[JBones]

It's not THAT bad. You're setup and posture look great, you just have to maintain it (I know, a lot easier said than done). Swing plane is what I have always struggled with the most also; I always have taken it back too far inside and really have to flip my hands at impact to get the clubface square.

[CCGolf]

This is awesome! Dave is in good hands on all counts. Kevin, Greg, and Bobby are all great guys who happen to be VERY good at what they do. I can't wait to hear how Dave progresses!

[GolfSpy Dave]

It's not THAT bad. You're setup and posture look great, you just have to maintain it (I know, a lot easier said than done). Swing plane is what I have always struggled with the most also; I always have taken it back too far inside and really have to flip my hands at impact to get the clubface square.

 

 

This is awesome! Dave is in good hands on all counts. Kevin, Greg, and Bobby are all great guys who happen to be VERY good at what they do. I can't wait to hear how Dave progresses!

 

Thanks for the encouragement. Posting swing videos is not really my idea of fun at this point. Id os feel confident that future videos will be easier on the eyes though.

[finalist]

When I had lessons with Kevin we covered the piston move a lot too. Now that it's been over a year I can really see the change with my irons. Distance and height are up with a swing that feels like it is slower moving and less aggressive.

 

We should all get together and play a round.

[GolfSpy Dave]

When I had lessons with Kevin we covered the piston move a lot too. Now that it's been over a year I can really see the change with my irons. Distance and height are up with a swing that feels like it is slower moving and less aggressive.

 

We should all get together and play a round.

Great idea as soon as my "transition swing" stabilizes into something I can play with

[CCGolf]

Great idea as soon as my "transition swing" stabilizes into something I can play with

Do I smell a Sacramento MGS outing? When Kevin gives you permission of course....

[GolfSpy Tim]

Sacramento? I could be convinced to drive up and get out with you guys!!!

[GolfSpy Dave]

OK so regardless of my swing at the end of this, we will do a MGS NorCal meet-up/golf outing this spring or summer.

[GolfSpy Dave]

To Build A Better Golf Swing: A Trip to the Physical Therapist

Initial Physical Assessment With Greg Parry, MA,PT, CSCS

 

Please Turn Your Head and Cough…

Why is it that every time I head into the doctor for a check-up, I immediately flash back to being a high school student, standing in line with my teammates, waiting for my turn in the parade of physical examinations. Most of us have blocked out those memories, sorry for bringing it up again. Thinking about it, I am not sure that the examining doctor even changed gloves during the process. Sorry about that thought as well.

 

Anyway, after the first lesson, my new golf instructor, Kevin Estrella, decided that my swing was so bad that there must be something wrong with me physically. OK so that is not really how he put it, but after watching the video it did seem that there may be some issues with my hip rotation that could be limiting my range of swing motion. With this in mind, I made an appointment to meet with Greg Parry, owner of Parry Physical Therapy & Athletic Enhancement, Inc.

 

Thankfully, this will be my first experience with physical therapy. No car accidents or anything that truly mangled my body, with perhaps the exception of lots of golf. Going in to see Greg, I really didn't know what to expect. I think that I am in good physical health. I eat right and don't smoke. Occasionally I may dive into the land of hoppy adult sodas, but even that is mostly in moderation. Still, who really wants someone to point out what is wrong with him or her physically. I can honestly say that I wanted Greg to tell me what parts of my body are in need of work. I'll be 43 in a week and I know that it is getting harder and harder to stay in shape. My physical goal is to be healthy enough to keep playing golf until they putt me into the hole many years from now. So while laying my physical self out there for Greg to assess did make me a bit anxious, it was for the greater good of this golfspy.

 

At Parry Physical Therapy and Athletic Enhancement

Greg's office is a cross between a doctor's office and a small gym. There are treadmills, weight machines, a whole bunch of elastic bands, exercise balls, and other training/torture implements. Greg led me into one of the private exam rooms where he asked me about my diet and exercise strategies. I do eat well and I hit the gym a few times a week as well as the golf course. I don't have any set program at the gym. I did do a cycle of Cybergenics about twenty years ago if anyone remembers that program. Outside of that, not much structure in the gym.

 

During the assessment, Greg pulled and pushed at my limbs and joints, measuring both strength and flexibility.

 

Here are some of the findings:

 

• Not a shock #1: I need to work on my core strength. I readily admit that my six-pack is currently protected by a nice layer of belly.
  
• Shock #1: My hamstring tightness is not unusual for someone my age. I was sure that this tightness was a problem and spoke to some larger issue.
  
• Not a shock #2: The hip rotation issue identified by Kevin was confirmed my Greg. There was 10° less rotation in my left hip compared to my right. Nice to know that the pain I get in my lower back, on the left side, has a reason.
  
• Shock #2: I have “the shoulders of a fourteen-year-old girl”. Yep, that's in quotes. Thanks Greg. My shoulders can rotate beyond 180°, which is not common in men, but is common in, you guessed it, fourteen-year-old girls. When I asked Greg if this was good or bad he said neither. He did propose that if I ever had a shoulder injury that it would likely be a dislocation rather than a rotator cuff tear. I guess that's good...
  

 

 

The upside of everything in the assessment was that Greg thought that with a couple of weeks of work, some of the severity of the limitations would decrease and my strength in the weak areas would increase. How you ask? Why stretching and exercising of course! Greg walked me through a series of stretches and exercises that I was to start doing daily at home. I have attached the PDF of the exercises. How clever is that to take a photo of me doing the exercises and stretches so I can reference them when I am at home. Genius. With that I made an appointment to come in the following week for additional instruction and guidance. “Instruction and guidance” sounds better than 90-minutes of physical torture, but more on that in the coming weeks.

 

 

Overall I left Greg feeling like the path to getting fitter was possible, but it was going to take work and dedication on my part. These exercises are not easy and I ache when they are finished. But I know there is a purpose to them. As I get fitter, my game will get better. If I get better, the kids get the clubs. I keep telling myself this as I grind out the sets, all the while my body twitching and internal monologue punctuated with expletives.

 

From Greg Parry, MS, PT, CSCS

As is not uncommon, Dave walked into our clinic not really knowing what to expect – after all, he started out looking to improve his golf swing and ended up in a physical therapy office. If I do my job when working with a golfer, that disconnect doesn't last very long, and therefore Dave and I started our session with a conversation about his goals, habits and history and how they might relate to his physical performance.

 

This initial conversation with a new client generally tries to clear up what we are evaluating and why - I'd like to see how he moves, to see what kind of a golfing “athlete” he is. His body, after all, and how strong or flexible or explosive it is or isn't, may limit

 

1) the likelihood that he can accomplish the golf swing that he and his golf professional want

2) his ability to perform to his highest capacity (eg. generating good club head speed) or

3) his potential to play golf without injury or pain.

 

As it would turn out, even though Dave came to us because his pro Kevin suspected that a lack of hip mobility may be affecting his golf swing, the other items were concerns as well.

 

In our conversation, Dave described some fairly common characteristics of a 40+ year old golfer: he typically gets to the gym a couple of times a week to do exercises that he picked up from different sources, he plays golf when he can afford the time and he has experienced low back tightness and pain and left shoulder soreness with golf. Although his symptoms were not recent, the shoulder and back issues are something that we'll need to evaluate, as will the effectiveness of his current exercise routine.

 

There were a lot of findings, which I suspected were significant during the physical exam included

 

· Limited hip mobility (particularly left hip inward rotation)

· Poor balance, particularly on his left leg

· Poor strength, particularly throughout the trunk

· Limited mobility throughout his mid back

· Limited hip flexor flexibility

· Moderate postural deficits (including altered scapula positioning)

 

Every one of those items can limit a golf swing so the next step, and often times the most challenging step with golfers, is evaluating why the deficit exists and assessing if the deficit can actually improve. A good example is Dave's lack of hip rotation, which Kevin first identified. The limit could be caused by an alteration in the position of his femur, a limitation in the mobility of the hip joint or a limitation in muscle flexibility. A change in the position of the femur is not something that can change and we would be talking to Kevin about modifying Dave's swing. The good news for Dave is that most of what we identified is “addressable,” – it has a good chance of improving if we address it adequately. Fortunately this includes Dave's deficits that are frequently linked to back pain (limited hip mobility, limited hip flexor flexibility, limited trunk strength, limited mid-back mobility).

 

Dave and I settled on a program that would bring him to our facility once a week while leaving the remainder of the initial exercise and stretching responsibility for him to do at home. His initial exercises were geared to address his hip and spinal mobility deficits and we provided him with a gym ball to start working on his trunk strength. And he left with this warning - his program, in fact most anyone's golf program, is much more likely to be effective if the focus is on the quality of the exercise. To a large extent, inefficient exercise is at best a waste of time, at worst harmful. As I explained to him, his trunk is unstable enough that doing more advance exercise at this point would be like throwing a baseball while standing on a rowboat – we need some stability before we can generate any power!

 

Next week: Kevin and I Fight the Flip and Find the Right Path (Hopefully!)

exercises.pdf

[GolfSpy Dave]

To Build a Better Golf Swing: Fast Forward to the Present

 

 

So What's Been Going on Dave?

The last time that we got together, I shared with you the details about my initial physical assessment at Parry Physical Therapy and Athletic Enhancement. This physical analysis, combined with the initial swing analysis from Kevin Estrella, established the starting point from which the training and lessons would progress.

 

To recap, here are the physical and swing issues that need to be addressed if I am going to improve:

Physical Issues

• Increase the range of internal rotation for my left hip.

• Increase core strength.

• Increase strength in hips.

• Improve balance.

Swing Issues

• Stop coming over the top (i.e. swing on plane).

• Stop flipping through impact.

• Maintain balance throughout the swing.

• Swing to low point.

 

Physical Progress

I am very happy to report that there has been some physical progress. Quite a bit of progress actually. As Greg mentioned in his write-up, my previous gym routine was a hodgepodge of exercises that I have picked up over the years. Having a very focused exercise program over the last few weeks has definitely paid physical dividends. Most of the improvements have come in the form of increased competence with the various exercises. Greg increasing the intensity of the workouts rewards most of these advances, but that means that I am improving and getting stronger. My flexibility in my hips has increased, as has the strength and balance. My core strength and architecture has improved. I would even say that my typical one-pack abdominals are now more like a two-pack. Getting pool ready baby!

 

Perhaps the most important thing that I have come to realize from the program at Parry Physical Therapy is that my core matters. Increasing the strength of my core muscles and engaging those muscles more has altered my day to day life as much as my golf game. This revelation came one day while doing what I call the “lawnmower exercise” where I balance on one leg and pull a cable from the ground level, up to my waist. I was wiggling all around my hip and really struggling to maintain balance.

 

 

At some point, I remembered that I should be engaging my core while doing the exercise. Sure enough, as soon as I flexed my core, I regained my balance and I completed the sets without nearly as much wiggle. Engaging my core led to control of my balance and body motions. This was a true “ah ha” moment and it affected my body perception and usage from that point forward.

 

Swing Progress

Before we get to my swing, I want to share with you a couple of shots from Kevin's studio so you can have a better reference point for where this has all been happening.

 

 

Going through the PT program has provided me some comfort in the knowledge that this forty-three-year-old body can be improved, but this whole project is really about improving my golf game. Let's look at our key issues in a little more detail.

 

Swinging Over The Top

I have always done this. My first lessons that I ever took identified this issue. I have played this silly game with an out-to-in path for as long as I can remember. I have tried numerous things to stop this. I have put a headcover on the ground outside of the ball, built a PVC bar that I would have to swing under (smashed with PW, btw), stood backward to the target while swinging, and so on. Nothing could get me away from my “natural” move from the top. Kevin tried multiple approaches for getting me to feel the in to out path. Nothing was working, and I was getting frustrated and fatalistic about the whole prospect of getting better. Then Kevin had me balance on my left foot, with my right foot straight back behind, touching the ground with my toes. Placing an alignment stick on the ground in front of me and behind me, Kevin told me to swing so that my club followed the in to out path of the sticks.

 

Low and behold, after a bit of work, I could actually do it. Kevin showed me on video how the shaft of the club was now over my right bicep on the down swing, rather than projecting 45° in front of my arm. The huge deal was that I could feel the difference between the correct and incorrect path. My homework at this point was to hit balls at the range in this stance. I was to hit three balls with the right foot back, and then one in normal stance. As the path consistence increased, I could switch to two back/two regular, one back/three regular, and so on. Over the next two weeks, I spent about $150 in range balls and repeated this drill over and over, forcing my body toward a new “natural” path. I am happy to report that path is now far more likely to be correct than incorrect.

 

Flipping Through Impact

One of the most confusing things in the whole process has been the change from being a slicer to a hooker when I miss. Kevin and I have had many discussions about the orientation of the clubface relative to the target line. My flip through impact is likely the result of trying to square the clubface while on an out-to-in path. Now that my path was moving in-to-out, flipping the hands was causing the clubface to be completely shut relative to the target line. My misses were starting out on line, and then bending big time to the left. The flip that may have made my OTT swing manageable was now a huge problem.

 

 

Again, Kevin hit me with the arsenal of tools to combat this flip. He even had me slide a giant shoehorn like tool into my left glove to physically prevent the left wrist from cupping. Nothing was working. I was right back at the path place where it seemed like I could not make my body do what it was supposed to. I would start with my left wrist flat, but as soon as that arm was halfway through my backswing, the wrist was cupped. It seemed like as soon as it was out of my field of vision, it misbehaved. I couldn't really even feel it happening. I would just look right and see that my left wrist was no longer flat. Harrumph!

 

Then, like with path, Kevin tried something with me that finally clicked. Kevin had me do what he called the Pre-Set Drill. After setting up at an impact-preview position, I hinged my wrists without lifting my arms from their initial position. The goal here was to make this hinging motion without losing the flat left wrist. From this position, I would continue with a backswing-ish motion until my left arm was parallel to the ground. While I did this, I continued to watch my left wrist to make sure it didn't move (almost like the Weeping Angles from Dr. Who). From this position, I brought the club back down while keeping the left arm straight and left wrist flat. Some of you may know this drill as the “pump drill”. Nick Faldo mentions it in his book. Whatever you call it, while I did the drill, I could feel what was going on with my wrist and tell right from wrong. Currently, I pump a couple of times as a part of my pre-swing routine and I can definitely see the improvement. The massive hooks are showing up less often.

 

 

Balance Progress

After figuring out how engaging my core allowed me to stay balanced during my PT exercises, I experimented with engaging my core during my golf swing. I noticed a couple of things immediately. First, I was definitely more balanced during the swing. Engaging the core seemed to take a bunch of lateral movement out of my body that I did not realize was there. Once I stabilized my center, I was less likely to move away from my center of gravity and lose balance. Second, I think that engaging the core actually promoted better core rotation. This seems backward to me. How can making something tighter make it turn better? But it seems to be doing just that. Maybe my engaging the muscles, they work with the swing more rather than just going along for the ride. Engaging the core has also quieted my putting stroke. If I engage the core first, my ability to hit my target line increases. Maybe this is just an issue of improved posture. All I know is that it works.

 

One surprising benefit that has come from swinging with an engaged core is that I now feel like I may have a chance at controlling my tempo. I have always swung the club too fast. Every instructor has tried to get me slow my swing down, and I have always felt that was impossible. With the core engaged, I feel more in control during my swing and I feel like I can slow down the tempo of the swing.

 

Does this mean that my current golf swing features an in-to-out path, flat left wrist, in balance, and with appropriate tempo? Sometimes it actually does. What's even more encouraging is that I can feel the “sometimes” in the previous sentence changing to “frequently”. At this point, I can say with total confidence that the physical conditioning from Greg and the swing instruction from Kevin have enabled me to get to a point where I feel connected to the physical nature of my swing more so than at any point in my golfing history. There are still some issues, without a doubt, but I now feel hope and accomplishment whereas before there was fear and frustration.

 

Now I need to start recording some scores so I can get some Callaway clubs for the kids at the First Tee.

[Matt Saternus]

Keep up the good work!

[GolfSpy Dave]

It's Time To Score

So there is less than a month until the Sunday round at the Master's. In the realm of this project that means that I have less than a month to card some low scores and drop the handicap. Remember, each point dropped means a set of Callaway junior clubs donated to the First Tee of Sacramento. Nothing like adding a little pressure to the golf game…

 

Where I Started From

Those of you who are familiar with my last lesson series know that I keep score and golf stats using Golfshot for the iPhone. I am using the GPS version these days and while I still prefer the laser for yardages, the GPS works well when someone forgets to buy a new battery for the Callaway iQ. Oops.

 

Anyway, I have selected the round that I played at the Aviara Golf Club in Carlsbad really represents the transition point from old game to new. I think that the best way to show the improvement in the swing and scoring is to compare the rounds before Aviara with the old swing to the post-Aviara rounds that reflect the swing changes that Kevin Estrella and Greg Parry have made to my game. While this comparison may not be perfect, I think that it represents the true change in handicap better than just piling all the rounds together. There is no way that I can play enough golf in the next month or so to offset the three years of scores that are stored in Golfshot.

 

Let's look at the starting point stats:

Driving Accuracy:

 

GIR:

 

Putting:

 

Scoring:

 

and the one that matters...

 

Not much to be excited about there. The struggles with accuracy off the tee and the low numbers of GIR's basically explain the high index. Strokes pile up in a hurry if you cant hit the fairway or green. I am not excited to share these stats with the world, but now maybe you can see why I was compelled to start this whole program.

 

There are a couple of things that are worth noting about the stats and scores:

• Many of the rounds used for scoring are nine hole rounds. Jobs, kids, spouse, and such make it rough to sneak away for eighteen often.

• The score represents a limited number of courses, with quite a few of them being at my home course of Haggin Oaks.

• Even when I am truly sucking on the course, I honestly record all strokes, take all penalties, and play within the rules of golf.

 

My goal is to have the post-Aviara rounds represent these same basic characteristics. I'll play my normal courses, either nine or eighteen holes, and see if my scores are lower on Master's Sunday. In the mean time, I will be sharing my scorecards with you along with my take on the highs and lows of the round.

 

Here is my scorecard from last Friday at Haggin Oaks.

 

All in all this round felt shaky to me. I didn't feel like I played particularly well and yet when I looked at the card it was a 42. Not bad if that is going to be my poor round. I think that my negative view of the round came in two areas. I struggled again off the tee. Not terrible, but I had been driving the ball very well prior to this round. Long too as the day before I went driver/5i into the green on a 480 yard par 5. The driver came around again by the end of the round, but I still feel a little flummoxed there.

 

The real issue was putting though. All four of the holes I scored par on were tap in pars. I missed four birdie putts, some of them relatively close ones. The double and one of the bogeys could have been a stroke better if I could have putted better. The issue was one of speed mainly as I was the king of leaving the ball a ball short of the cup. This is the first time that I have had four birdie attempts in one round, which is great improvement. However, it made me mental that I didn't hit one of them. The reality of the situation is that I have spent so much time on the swing that putting has been neglected. Time to hit the practice green more.

 

Let me give you the run down of the last hole (Par 5 with two water crossings) as it was probably the most interesting. Off the tee, a massive bomb. Drawing toward the left edge of the fairway in the range of 290-300. The new swing and RAZR Fit/Kai'li combo are producing some huge drives. Totally happy at this point. Get up to the ball and it has rolled about three feet into the light rough, but right at the base of a tree. Man do I hate this game sometimes. No real second shot, but all I need to do is knock it up about 150 yards to reach the dogleg left. I hit it about 140, placing a tree right between my ball and the green. I had a shot, if I could aim at the right trap and draw the ball left. Took out the 5i, went through my pre-shot routine, thinking "hit a draw", and did just that. Ball started at the trap, and drew left, ending six feet from the hole. Golf Shot! I already said that I missed the damn putt, but the iron shot in was magical. You saw the stats above. That 5i shot was not part of my old golf game.

 

Things are looking good. I am going to get some Callaway clubs for those kids. Time to get out and play, even if this is what is in front of me this week…

[GolfSpy WD]

I'd be happy being disappointed with a 42! 2 putts on every hole isn't bad on paper at least.

[GolfSpy Dave]

I'd be happy being disappointed with a 42! 2 putts on every hole isn't bad on paper at least.

I know huh. Guy I was playing with had a great quote as I was getting pissed at my putting.

"If you got points for hitting the rim, I would play in the NBA."

 

Close to the hole is OK, but it has to drop to be good.

 

Now if the rain will just stop I can go and practice...

[GolfSpy Dave]

To Build a Better Golf Swing: Rainy Day Tuning

 

Right When Things Are Coming Together, RAIN, RAIN, and RAIN!

I wish that I was posting a scorecard and analysis for you today. After the improvements on the course last week, all I want to do is go and play. Gotta post more scores so I can drop that index and score the Callaway junior sets for the First Tee. Unfortunately, Mother Nature has decided that Northern California was owed a bunch of rain and she decided to pay it all back through a weeklong deluge. Next person that says we need the rain gets a punch in the gut. Anyway, precipitation perturbations aside, unfavorable conditions outside are excellent for another lesson inside with Kevin Estrella.

 

Timing is Everything

 

After some discussion about the state of my game since we last met, Kevin had me grab an iron and hit some shots. The first swing that I take in front of Kevin still makes me a bit nervous, but I realized that I was not as nervous as I was during previous sessions. Playing well last week has actually got me believing that I can play well. No longer is my internal golf monolog laced with f-bombs and frustration. I know that missed shots (putts) still piss me off, but I think that it is because I now know I can make those shots.

 

After warming up a bit, Kevin fired up a metronome app on his iPhone and demonstrated how he wanted me to time my swing to a four-beat cadence at a 1/64 tempo. Here is the sequence:

1. Look at the target.

2. Look at the ball.

3. Start the backswing.

4. Start the downswing.

 

1-2-3-4, 1-2-3-4, 1-2-3-4, 1-2-3-4, and so on. This was a little trickier than it sounds. I was good with 1 and 2, but I tended to be a bit late on 3 or early with 4. Kevin then had me say the numbers out loud and hit balls. As I started to get the hang of it, Kevin asked me what I was thinking about. The only thing I was thinking about was 1-2-3-4. The other swing thoughts were pushed aside by the 1-2-3-4 mantra. Low and behold, I still hit good shots. Maybe now Greg Parry won't be able to give me grief about my 5-piece takeaway…

 

When I was telling Kevin about my play earlier in the lesson, I mentioned that my fairway play off the grass was awful. Topping the ball, directionless garbage. No clue why. After hitting the irons with the metronome, Kevin handed me my 5W and I went through the 1-2-3-4 cadence again. Boom, boom, and boom. 3W went the same way. Man this game is confusing. I told Kevin that my hitting the ball better was probably also due to me not being attached to the outcome. Kevin just kind of smiled. If I set-up and swing correctly, the ball will go where I want it too. I need to let the swing dictate the outcome, not the outcome dictate the swing. (or something like that…)

 

K-Vest

 

At this point, I was feeling good about the tempo training. Good contact with the fairway woods by keeping the 1-2-3-4 tempo. One app download and I can practice that on my own and really groove it in. Awesome. Kevin then had me put on the K-Vest. The K—Vest is not really a vest, but rather a couple of belts with sensors. One sensor ends up on the upper back, one at the hips, and another attaches to the left hand/glove. The purpose of the sensors is to track the position of the upper body, hips, and hand during the golf swing. Ultimately, this allows for the tracking of sequence during the swing. So all strapped in, I fired a 7i and this is what we found.

• My hips rotate too far during the back swing. This is something that Kevin had observed previously. The value recorded was above the recommended range and as a result of this rotation, my shoulders were also rotating too much.

• My K value was 6 at impact. What that means is that my hips and shoulders are basically lined up together. A better score would be something near 40, with the hips being open relative to the shoulders at impact. I think that this may be that left internal hip rotation coming to play again.

• The score of 6 means that I am leaving some power on the table. It is not impossible to score with that value. Kevin said that the guy who had a lesson before me is about a 6 and shoots scratch golf.

• I need to lead my downswing with more with my hip rotation. I think that I am doing this more than I was a few months ago. I can only imagine the K score for my old OTT swing.

 

It was cool to use this tool and see this data, but it was a bit of overload. I think that working with the K-Vest has the potential to truly tune my swing. However, for right now, I am going to focus on the 1-2-3-4. As soon as the rain moves on.

 

Here is a link to more info on the K-Vest system: LINK

Here is a link to the metronome app I downloaded: LINK

[GolfSpy WD]

I'm going to have to try the 1-2-3-4 next time at the range. It's simple enough that if I can get it down, I'll try to teach my son.

[GolfSpy Dave]

The Rain is Away, TIME TO PLAY!!!

 

Game On

So after a week of rain, I was finally able to get in some range time and also get out to play this week. Making up for lost time, I actually got out for three nine-hole rounds this week. I probably would have skipped the third round, but the forecast is for another week of rain, beginning today. Had to play that extra round to post another score. The Masters is rapidly approaching. Lets take a look at the three scorecards:

 

Round 1

 

Round 2

 

Round 3

 

42: Three Different Rounds and the Same Score

These three rounds may be the reason why I play golf. As you can see, I shot 42 each time out. The funny thing is that the rounds couldn't be more different. Round 1 featured some struggles off of the tee and "questionable" putting. Honestly, the putting wasn't horrible, but I guess that I expect to make everything from every distance. The only really bleak spot came on the par 5 where my drive was short (~210 yards), followed by a topped 3w (1-2-3-4 not quite there yet). topped 5w, SW on and a lucky 10 footer as the second putt. Still made bogey, but I had high hopes for the fairways.

 

Round 2 was overall the best of the week. That day was fairly windy as well. Probably gusting into the 20-30 mph range. With the wind, I was super long. Hit PW 140 into one green. Into the wind, super short as shown by my 70 yard AW. So I was about +/- 20 yards depending upon direction. Not too bad. Had some birdy chances, but still nothing dropping. The 9th was a bit frustrating as I am really trying to play w/o any doubles. I was hitting 5i off the tee and my solid iron swing escaped me. I topped the ball about 60-70 yards. It was the weirdest feeling at impact. The swing felt normal, but obviously something went wrong. Hit AW to the back fringe, chipped, missed 8 footer to tap in for double. That one was frustrating, and a bit confusing.

 

Round 3 was the one that I was going to skip. My low back was sore, right in the spot that flares up due to hip rotation, caused by the golf swing. Maybe I should just rest. Knowing that the week of rain was approaching, and that it was 65° and sunny, I went to play. I got paired up with another two singles, one pushing and one riding. I was striking the ball very well, especially at the beginning. I am really loving where my iron game is right now. The other thing that came to play was the fairway play. I hit a great 5w on 11 and a huge drawing 3w on 13. Both were great. My focus this time was to think about swinging to low point with the woods. Worked twice. Hopefully this will continue. The 14th was a mess. I hit 5i into the wind and it faded a bit into the trap. OK, one bad iron shot and it wasn't that bad. The problem was the trap. Not only was there barely any sand, but my ball was also in a tire track. Yep, someone drove through the trap. I probably should have moved it, but I played it as it was. So I hit it thin and rocketed it through the green by 40 feet into deep unplayable rough. Coming back to the green, I had to hit under trees and under the cart of the guy driving. On in four and a two putt. I was pissed at the lack of sand and at myself for not playing that sand shot like a hardpan chip.

 

At this point, my back was getting sore and it started to affect my tee shots. I was really feeling out of sync with the driver. The misses to the right on 16, 17, and 18 were not huge misses, but they were misses into the right rough. I had to take some medicine on 16 and 17 because trees blocked the green on both second shots. Not horrible though. What was interesting though was that this was the point in the round when the guy in the cart decided to start giving me lessons. First he told me that the Callaway Iz that I was playing was too hard for me and I was losing distance off the tee. I did not share that internal hip rotation was limiting my drives. By the 18th tee, he was trying to fix my swing tempo. He was an OK player, I would guess about a 10 or so. Not all that consistent though and very vocal about his misses. He had a great quote, "If I had hit that how I wanted to, it would have been in the fairway." That was breathtaking insight. I have never really run into a "golf expert" on the course before. He told me all about ball fitting, club building, his son's 350 yard drives, and so on. On the last hole, I was on in 3 after a wondrous approach shot. I did leave myself a steep downhill, right to left putt. I eased it down the hill, leaving it about 2 feet to the right of the hole. Tap in par. This guy hit his downhill 12 footer about 10 feet past. "If it wasn't so downhill, I would have made it." Shake hands, move on...

 

Anyway, three 42's with room to improve. Not just room to improve, but areas where I know I have the skill to shoot lower. Hopefully the driver swing recovers with the body and is not a case of muscle memory lapse.

 

PT Update

In addition to getting out to play, I have also continued my weekly PT appointments with Greg Parry. A week ago Friday, Greg really put me through the works. I swear that he comes up with things just to see if I can do it. Picture this one. Put a exer-disc under your low back. Think exer-ball but smaller and flatter. With Greg standing on my feet, I assumed and held a crunch position, core engaged. Now just holding this position for any length of time would hurt, but Greg added some catch playing with a 4 lb medicine ball. One hand supporting the neck, the other catching and throwing for twenty reps each side, then repeat. This coupled with other diabolic activities led to a very sore weekend. I am not going to lie, I whimpered each time I coughed over the weekend. It's working though. On the following Tuesday, we upped the weights on most of my exercises. Better, stronger, faster...

[Phana24JG]

Kudos Dave, I was contemplating such a program, but my L-5 decided it did not want to participate. You have obviously put a lot of work into it, and you will see the rewards. I sense a bit of frustration on your part with respect to scoring. Relax, once you can do it on the practice tee, it is just a matter of getting enough rounds in, the scoring will come.

 

I must also admire you diplomacy. Were I playing with anyone ignorant enough to offer constant unsolicited advice, at the next three-putt or drive into the woods, he might be visiting his oral surgeon to get a putter/driver removed from his mouth.

[GolfSpy Dave]

Kudos Dave, I was contemplating such a program, but my L-5 decided it did not want to participate. You have obviously put a lot of work into it, and you will see the rewards. I sense a bit of frustration on your part with respect to scoring. Relax, once you can do it on the practice tee, it is just a matter of getting enough rounds in, the scoring will come.

 

I must also admire you diplomacy. Were I playing with anyone ignorant enough to offer constant unsolicited advice, at the next three-putt or drive into the woods, he might be visiting his oral surgeon to get a putter/driver removed from his mouth.

I must admit that the guy did take me out of my head a bit. However, I just decided that for some reason, he needed to feel like he was helping. I just slipped into the same mindset that my 12 year old does when I am lecturing him about something. ......Static.....Yes Dad......Static..... <_>

[Phana24JG]

I must admit that the guy did take me out of my head a bit. However, I just decided that for some reason, he needed to feel like he was helping. I just slipped into the same mindset that my 12 year old does when I am lecturing him about something. ......Static.....Yes Dad......Static..... <_>

 

Enjoy the 12-yr-old mindset while you can. Soon it will turn into an argument that you are far too old and stupid to even begin to understand the subject. You will temporarily regain some degree of intelligence when he needs money, the car, approval to attend HIS choice of college, etc., but you will rapidly regress as soon as the desire is acquired. Around age 23 and/or a year into the workforce, you will magically regain your mind.

[GolfSpy Dave]

March 30th: Played Some Golf Today

 

Finally broke through the 42 barrier. I smashed that barrier with a round of 41!

 

Unh, double-up, unh, unh!

 

It's funny, but that one stroke makes a difference. Still left some strokes on the course too. Here is how it went.

 

• 10th: Ugly tee shot to middle of fairway, 157 to blue flag, 8i flushed for about 165. POW! The course was fairly wet and so my chip did not release like I thought it would. Miss 15 footer, tap bogey.
  
• 11th: Sliced/faded 5w to right of green with trap between ball and green. Chip to 6', made the putt, PAR
  
• 12th: Big drawing drive, 9i to 15 feet, two putt PAR
  
• 13th: Push drive to the right into trees, stroke a 5i through opening to 165 out, 6i on. Meh lag putt to about 3 feet left. Rush the 3 footer and ride the rim around and out. Stupid. That one made me mad at myself. Sigh, three-putt bogey.
  
• 14th: I seem to forget that my natural ball flight with my irons is now a draw and as a result, I miss just left. Like on this par 3. Pin high left with a 6i. Then my 20 yard chip decided to explode to 40 yards or some far past the hole distance. Almost redeemed my self with a solid putt that missed about 6 in right. Tap in bogey.
  
• 15th: Miss into the grass to the right edge. Aim at flag, draw 9i to the left edge (duh), lame lag to 5 feet, make the 5 footer with the mower guy sitting there waiting for me to finish PAR. Glad I made that one with the gallery watching. OK so my galleries are not as big as those on tour. Greenskeeper did have a giant Golfspy Dave head that he waved around after I made it though. Well....
  
• 16th: Missed the narrow fairway right. Had to punch out for shot 2. Pushed approach to the right edge, two putt bogey
  
• 17th: Solid draw drive to the middle, 6i into the wind to about 10 feet, miss bird, tap PAR Tried the birdy putt again and hit it like I was not scared of it and it dropped middle cup. Ah mental game.
  
• 18th: Dreaded double water crossing dogleg left. Slice drive. Sigh. Find ball under edge of bush. double sigh. I addressed the ball and although my head was in the bush, I could swing the club. What the hell... 6i to perfect spot at corner of dogleg. Still laughing now. Great ball out of garbage. Had about 162 in and into a decent wind. Went 6i again and pured it to the back left second cut. Forgot the draw again and hit too long. Dicy chip down a steep green ends up 5 feet left. Miss the par put. Re-load and miss again, and again. Made it on the 4th attempt. It was a nasty right to left break that I just couldn't quite get my head around. bogey
  

Got lunch and a beer and felt pretty good about the morning.

 

Reflections

 

• I feel very confident in my irons. They have been right in the neighborhood of dead on, if I remember the draw.
  
• Driver play is so-so. I don't have the same pre-shot routine with the driver that I have with the irons. Maybe I can ask Kevin about this...
  
• Woods are still not go-to at all, but I have hit a few nice ones recently.
  
• Putting is average in scoring, but below what I know I can make. I need to transfer the practice green mindset to the course. While I am very happy with my GIR percentage increasing, I would really like that to translate into a birdy here and there.
   
  

One more week to drop the index...

[Matt Saternus]

No doubles...very nice!