To Build a Better Golf Swing: Winter Edition

[GolfSpy Dave]

Today's Round: Those First Tee Kids Don't Really Need Clubs Do They?

 

So it was a beautiful day out on the course today. Check out these photos:

 

 

I was warned at the start that it was going to be slow. The course was especially full because the greens on the other course had been punched and sanded earlier in the day.

No problem. It's Spring Break, 70°, and Master's week. All is well.

 

As a single, I got paired up with another single and a father and son. The single had some game, but the dad and son were not so good. The son was new to the game and easily frustrated, but pleasant. All in all, nice guys to play with. The starter actually paired me with them rather than having me join the threesome ahead so that I wouldn't have to play with the "DB" in that group. Again, a good sign.

 

Before we get to the scorecard, did you notice the location that the photos above were shot from? Is that fairway? No, it is not. And thus begins the odyssey of today's almost unbearable round. Here is the card.

 

Good side: It felt like a total blow-up and I scored 43. How I made that number I am still not sure. Putting and chipping was solid today. Irons came around after two 9i El Hosel shots on holes 1 and 2. Total shanks, but I regrouped, went through the mechanics that Kevin Estrella has hammered into my head, and mellowed out. Not as accurate as last week, but at least back to the ballpark of online.

 

My driver started out OK, splitting the fairway on #1. This is always welcome when I play with strangers. Bricked the 9i approach, chipped close, putt for PAR. After waiting more than a bit for the fairway to clear, I topped the ball all of 40 yards off the tee. What? Where did that come from? Good 5i followed by shank 9i. Chip/putt bogey.

 

Par 3-3rd: Top hybrid so hard off the tee it leaves a 14" scar in front of the ball. Totally loving golf at that moment.

Par-5-4th: Top driver again for about 40 yards. Frustrated? A bit. Maybe a bit more than a bit. I was ready to bag the round and head to the range/bar. But I kept at it. In sake of fairness to Callaway, if they are going to give those kids clubs based upon my scores then my scores must be honest. Good or bad. Sorry last kid on the list. There's another bogey.

 

Hit the fairway and made GIR/Par on the 5th. Funny how that works out.

 

Par 4 - 6th: Big slice into the right trees, take my medicine chip back to fairway. Good 8i in that just leaks right. Chip to 9 feet above hole. Just burn cup, double.

Par 4 - 7th: Big slice into right edge, but have a shot. PW misses left from about 120. Chip, miss, bogey.

Par 5 - 8th: Hit the fairway with an awful, short ball off the tee. Hit 5i to 90 yards. SW drifts left. Miss 20' birdy by a foot left. PAR

Par 3 - 9th: Miss 5i a bit off the tee, chip runs past hole, miss 9 footer, bogey.

 

The score ended up ok, but I did not play well today at all. This round was a struggle. I need to figure out a routine with the driver. Something concrete that puts me into the correct mental and physical set. The driver was on fire in past weeks, but that muse seems to have left me. Maybe Kevin has a drill that will click with me.

 

As punishment, my driver will be wearing the following headcover until it stops being a "donkey".

[GolfSpy Dave]

Masters Weekend Update: A Lesson, A Beatdown, and Some Redemption

 

The Lesson

So when we last left off, my driver was excusing itself from my golf bag. Frustrating, as driver play was strong for a number of rounds/weeks. Just not sure what was going on. Thus it was with great joy that I headed to Kevin Estrella's studio after my Wednesday morning PT session.

 

After describing my play since our last lesson, Kevin had me hit some balls while he watched what I was doing. Here are his observations:

 

1. Tempo is still off. I need to spend more time with the metronome. After some discussion of app settings, I am set to be more vigilant with this.
    
   
2. Kevin noticed that I am taking the club back way too far inside now, causing my iron hooks and big problems with the driver. Kevin explained that this is the classic “getting stuck” move that happens to tour pros and amateurs alike. I think that this comes from overcorrecting for my over the top move of old.
   

The fix for this move is going to require some reimaging of my swing. My hands need to be closer to my body on the downswing, with the club more parallel to the target line rather than inside of it. Kevin took me through some slow-motion swings to show how it should feel and also that the grip should be parallel to the target line when it is over my right foot. I also need to work on the “bump” to the left and the dropping of my right shoulder timing during the swing. It feels wrong to me when I do it, but as always, feels right is not right at this point.

 

After Kevin's, I went to the range and hit a small bucket to try and groove in this swing change. Small bucket is not enough, obviously, to make such a change, but I did get it synced up here and there. Hope springs eternal...

 

The Beatdown: Morgan Creek Golf Club

 

 

While at the range, I ran into a friend who suggested that we play Morgan Creek on Thursday. I had never played there before and all I knew about the course was that it was difficult, very difficult. So of course I said sure, I'm in. I did wonder if that was a good idea or if playing this course would cause some kid at the First Tee to go without new clubs after I put up a big number. Honestly, I was curious to see if my skills at my easier home course would translate to this tough track. How did it go? Here's the card.

 

 

So not the best number there. I have some excuses such as parenting issues requiring me to get to the course at tee time, i.e. no warm-up, no course knowledge, lost a bit on the way there, and so on. However, the foundation of the score was that my swing was just a bit off, likely due to the swing thoughts from the lessons the day before. The course, however, takes some blame as well. Here's the card:

 

 

Short list of things that punished me:

 

1. Fairway bunkers: Hit an OK ice-cold tee shot on #1 that went right into a fairway bunker. I have very limited experience with fairway bunkers. Got out, but the ball didn't go far. I just don't have that part of the game. Can't get pissed at that though. That would be like getting mad that I couldn't play piano because I had never played on before.
    
   
2. Lots of rolling topography: Not a lot of flat shots on this course. Again, I don't have a ton of experience with this type of play. Especially not when I am hitting the fairway.
    
   
3. Circus greens: The greens are somewhere between difficult and impossible at this course. Here are a couple of photos.
   

 

 

This first one has a huge saddle. My approach was on in terms of distance, but it funneled into the deep trough. I missed the speed on the putt and it didn't make the crest of the top. The ball then completed a full circle and ended up 2 inches from the original spot. This was about a 15-foot diameter circle. Made me laugh.

 

Here is the approach at 18.

 

 

Notice how there is really no place to miss the green safely? I ended up a bit off the front, but out of trouble. Then there is the green itself. While you can't really see it in the photo, the green is shaped a bit like a stingray. There is a narrow “spine” leading up to the “body” with the “wings” sweeping down at severe angles. The pin was up on the body part. You have about a 15' target to hit that level, with long/short or left/right taking the ball a long way from the cup. This pin position is just brutal. One of the guys I was with said that it is fun when the pin is low as the ball funnels into the cup. This one not so much. This really just shows the difficulty of the course. Maybe in the future I can deal with these elements, but my game is a bit too erratic to make the required precise shots. At least I kept it in the 90's and snuck a couple of pars in here and there.

 

 

Some Redemption

Yesterday, I had to take the wife's car in for some service and low and behold, the shop is right next to Haggin Oaks. How nice is that? I wanted to sneak in a quick 9 to see if Morgan had shattered my fragile skill set. Here's the card:

 

 

The course was packed and I got paired with some guys who were just beginning. This was the fourth time on a golf course for one of them. Nice guys who hacked a lot, but had great attitudes and enjoyed the fact that they were playing for fun. Obviously, my round was good for my standards. I did top the tee shot on the first hole, my favorite on a full course. I did put a 5W to the right on the green on the second shot to redeem myself. I was a chipping wizard and the putter was hot as well. Thanks you BB35 Boxcar Badass. Driver was OK, but I really just feel like I am not transferring power very well. Blew up on 17 after shanking the tee shot, shanking the 5i, good 5i, only poor chip, and two putts.

 

Last hole was textbook golf. Bomb the drive down right edge (somehow), perfect lay-up, GIR, just miss birdie, tap in par. What a nice way to finish. So nice to play the home course again.

 

OK so this is the last round that will count for the Callaway clubs. Check back this week and I will let you know where the index is at. I think that the First Tee of Sacramento will be very happy.

[SeeRed]

Dave, this has been a great read but the suspense is killing me (us). I guess index updates come out this weekend, so maybe you'll let us all know the result on Monday? Congrats on making such definite improvements!

[Phana24JG]

Dave, kudos for the work and the reporting. Couple of quick questions, then a few observations;

 

1) Do you actually work on swing mechanics while on the course?

 

2) Is there any reason there has been no mention whatsoever of video since your first lesson?

 

I learned (during a playing lesson), that the WORST thing you can do is to screw with swing mechanics on the course. It was suggested that I try to incorporate the move on practice swings, but when striking the ball in play, just relax and whack the damn thing. Unless I am trying to do something unusual(my laughable cut shot), or hitting a short shot where you actually have time to work something into the shot since the transition and swing speed is much slower, you really have little or no time to "adjust" anything; and any attempt to incorporate a new feel into a full swing is generally unproductive.

 

The reason I ask about video is twofold. When I need to work on a major swing overhaul, I find video(especially high-speed slo-mo) to be invaluable. When an elbow issue resulted in me becoming a "flipper," I was highly indignant and refused to believe it until I saw it for myself. I "knew for sure" that last swing was not flipped, but the video proved otherwise. During my last lesson I basically saw 60-70% of the problems before the instructor said a word. Fortunately, he had some better insight as to how to correct most of them than I did.

 

The other toy that I find to be useful with a major swing change is the Orange Whip. The weight of the OW and the ridiculous flexibility of the shaft make me take each swing smoothly and seems to instill the "new feeling" I need to achieve. It was not a surprise to go see Mike Jacobs on Long Island, and Kent Tarkleson (Tark's Indoor Golf) and see both instructors with an Orange Whip ready if necessary.

 

Keep up the good work and best of luck.

[GolfSpy Dave]

Dave, this has been a great read but the suspense is killing me (us). I guess index updates come out this weekend, so maybe you'll let us all know the result on Monday? Congrats on making such definite improvements!

 

Sorry to drag this out a bit, but getting all the parts and players together for the grand finale it taking a bit of maneuvering. Soon, I promise.

 

Dave, kudos for the work and the reporting. Couple of quick questions, then a few observations;

 

1) Do you actually work on swing mechanics while on the course?

 

2) Is there any reason there has been no mention whatsoever of video since your first lesson?

 

I learned (during a playing lesson), that the WORST thing you can do is to screw with swing mechanics on the course. It was suggested that I try to incorporate the move on practice swings, but when striking the ball in play, just relax and whack the damn thing. Unless I am trying to do something unusual(my laughable cut shot), or hitting a short shot where you actually have time to work something into the shot since the transition and swing speed is much slower, you really have little or no time to "adjust" anything; and any attempt to incorporate a new feel into a full swing is generally unproductive.

 

The reason I ask about video is twofold. When I need to work on a major swing overhaul, I find video(especially high-speed slo-mo) to be invaluable. When an elbow issue resulted in me becoming a "flipper," I was highly indignant and refused to believe it until I saw it for myself. I "knew for sure" that last swing was not flipped, but the video proved otherwise. During my last lesson I basically saw 60-70% of the problems before the instructor said a word. Fortunately, he had some better insight as to how to correct most of them than I did.

 

The other toy that I find to be useful with a major swing change is the Orange Whip. The weight of the OW and the ridiculous flexibility of the shaft make me take each swing smoothly and seems to instill the "new feeling" I need to achieve. It was not a surprise to go see Mike Jacobs on Long Island, and Kent Tarkleson (Tark's Indoor Golf) and see both instructors with an Orange Whip ready if necessary.

 

Keep up the good work and best of luck.

 

My pattern on new mechanics has been to try and groove whatever I am working on at the range through a few hundred balls before I head to the course. Not always possible and there are definitely rounds in the set where I went to play right after a lesson and flailed a bit as I tried to perform the new mechanic. The Morgan Creek round above had a bit of that. I have also mixed in some "no score nines" where I went out by myself when the course was empty and hit a bunch of shots from different places, practicing what I had learned from Kevin.

 

As for video, we have used it more than was posted in that first video. I will definitely be adding some "after" videos to the final write-up. Still got some ugly parts in the swing, but with the video, I can see what Kevin tells me I am doing rather than just listening to his words about it. Huge value to video for me. I think that golf instruction can be effective for some without video, but for me, being able to see myself was key. It's funny, but as a result of having watched the video of myself and my swing faults, I tend to watch other golfers at the range now and try to pick out where their swing is amiss. I wouldn't ever go up to the stranger and offer advice, of course. I do think that this change in perception is a result of Kevin really helping me understand the golf swing.

 

Sorry for the delay in results. I'll give you a hint though, the kids are getting some nice, new Callaway clubs

 

Any guesses as to my final index and to the number of sets for the kids?

[Matt Saternus]

I think the kids are going to have to buy Callaway a couple sets

[Phana24JG]

I think the kids are going to have to buy Callaway a couple sets

 

Damn, this is a tough audience.

[Matt Saternus]

Damn, this is a tough audience.

 

All in good fun. I've enjoyed reading this thread as much as anyone, and I think it's awesome that Dave's willing to show the world his scores, good or bad.

[sparnar]

i really enjoyed reading through this thread.

 

were the results posted elsewhere? would like to know the outcome.

 

great job, dave! your putting stats are very good in my opinion, that is my single biggest problem area right now. last time round i had 43 putts over 18.

[GolfSpy Dave]

i really enjoyed reading through this thread.

 

were the results posted elsewhere? would like to know the outcome.

 

great job, dave! your putting stats are very good in my opinion, that is my single biggest problem area right now. last time round i had 43 putts over 18.

Thanks for the kind words. The results will post on the main blog page in the near future. It all turned out way better than I expected, and I am playing better golf

[Matt Saternus]

Results are up now on the front page.

 

Awesome work, Dave. Those are HUGE improvements for 3 months!

[GolfSpy Dave]

+1 on Matt's comment..HUGE and the dual reward is fantastic!...Dave, I'm curious, to what degree did the work with the trainer help your hip flexibility & did you find a noticible difference in your swing?....I noticed all of the initial physical issures were either directly or indirectly related to your hips...

 

I'm sorry if you stated it and I missed it, though did you gain any distance on your driver and/or other clubs.....

 

Great job!.....

 

Fairways & Greens 4ever.....

I really think that the PT and swing instruction worked in tandem. I learned how the hip should be rotating and then the PT helped me to accomplish the turn.

 

Distance is still a bit inconsistent at this point. My irons went to hell a few weeks ago and I had to "reset" myself using the drills from Kevin. Once I got the swing back online, the distance and flight path improved again. I did hit some bombs this spring though. There are a lot of holes on my usual course where my approach shot is much closer in. On one of the short par 4's I now hit 3H in rather than driver. Makes for a better approach distance.

 

At some point I'll get on a trackman and compare the numbers to the ones I had at the TrueAim fitting back in December. I would bet that I am longer with the driver.