ClayB

Good to hear from you. I just responded. Play well!!

Hey Vinsk! Yeah, that's me, different company though. I just thought I would post and answer a few questions here and there if anyone wanted help. How's your game?

Awesome, thanks for postion amoline! How is your golf going? Clay

I hate to hear that about the wrist. I hope the change will work out for you. I am sure it will! You are definitely right about the nerves. It is a fine line to walk. If they get too high, they will affect performance negatively. If they are harnessed they can help. I like your practice regiment. Most players tend to hit the same shots over and over from the same place. Practicing like you mentioned above really helps to develop feel and new skill for all shots. I wish more players would take your approach. Good luck! Let me know how your lef handed swing goes after some more practice. I would like to hear about it. Clay

Sounds like you are in a pretty good place with your game Patch. I definitely still get nervous playing. Nervous may be a bad word to describe it, but we all know the feeling. The adrenaline is pumping and the palms get a little sweaty. I probably just used the wrong wording. I am sure you feel the same way. Nervous can mean a lot of different things in certain context, I guess. For me, that is the best part of the game. If I am not playing for something that will test me mentally and physically, it is tough for me to get excited about it. Even when I practice, I always like to envision situations where the pressure is high and try to recreate some of the same nerves. If I am practicing putting for instance, I will try to may 4-5 putts of different breaks and lengths to recreate coming down the stretch and out doing an opponent. For most people, this may be their best friend on a $5 bet or just for pride. That's also very interesting about playing left handed. I practiced left handed for a month a couple years ago. Driver was brutal! Really struggled off the tee. Inside 100, I was doing ok. I was able to break 100, but I am not sure I could how long it would take to get into the 70's? I had a lot of fun though. Like you said, it is great watching the scores go down every round. Good luck learning the new swing! Clay

Hi Mvmac, great backswing! I like your shoulder turn and spine angle. Looks great! I actually just got done posting in the member swing section. It's a little crazy in there, haha. Lot going on! Play well. I'll see you guys around. Clay

I would focus on two things in your swing. 1. I would work on slowing down the backswing a bit. When you start out pulling the club back quickly, as you are, the tendency is to get too tight with the arms. This will hurt your timing and your consistency. With a slower backswing and softer arms, you will have a lot more feel for the club face. 2. I would start your downswing by staying nice and relaxed with the upper body and shifting some weight to the left ankle first. This will let your hips start first and allow your shoulders to come second. Currently your shoulders are rushing to start the downswing and causing you to swing right to left across the ball. Imagine you are going to shift your weight first, then swing down to hit the inside half of the ball. That will be a great way for you to start. Good luck! Clay

No problem Phil. I am always glad to help anyone I can. If anyone has questions for me, I will do my best to help them. Glad to be a part of the forum! I plan on being involved as much as time will allow. I see you are a great player Phil! Hope your doing well in your tournaments! Clay

Hey Patch, thanks for posting. I agree 100%. If you know your own game, you can learn to play to your strengths and avoid weaknesses. If you realize that when you get nervous you hook. Take notice of when the nerves kick up and play a shot that limits your chances to hook, like a small fade for example. When we practice we can then address what is the cause of the hooks in the first place. The biggest improvement for me was to understand how to release the club properly and something I call the compression line. I used to slide my hips too far forward in the downswing. Six or seven years ago when I was playing, I was taught that was a good thing by a top pro. We were trying to get me more "stacked." Once I worked out that issue and fixed my release I started hitting the ball really well. I spent years practicing while I was growing up, working on the backswing trying to make it look perfect. Surprisingly most of the coaches I had talked very little about the downswing other than the basics. Once I worked some things out with the downswing, I really started to hit the ball well. I noticed the same motions with top players on tour. That is why 3 of the four motions in the Scratch Golf System are related to the downswing. How we deliver the club through impact is everything. Hope your playing well! How have you been doing lately? Clay

Thanks, excited to join. I have a Youtube channel named "Top Speed Golf" if you want to check out some of my free videos. If you ever have any question, just let me know. I am always happy to help any way I can. Thanks, Clay

Hi everyone. Clay Ballard here. I am a golf instructor and new member to the forum. I thought I would write a little about myself for anyone who might be interested in what I teach. I have always been impressed with the huge number of dedicated golfers on this forum. I figured I would sign up and start to chime in when I have some free time. You guys are awesome!! A little about me, for those who might want to know. First of all, I am probably the luckiest person you know. I get to do what I love for a living and help people enjoy this game. It doesn't get much better than that! I started playing golf at 12, played in college, and a little on the mini tours. I started teaching after I finished playing. I always had a lot of unanswered questions about my own swing when I was playing. Like many golfers, that is what drove my obsession with learning the game. Fortunately I have been lucky to figure out through thousands of hours studying the game, giving a whole lot of lessons, and always wanting to learn more, how to hit the little white ball pretty far, straight, and solid. (Most days, haha!) Even though I only play about once every few weeks, I usually hit the ball more solid and straighter than when I was practicing 8 hours a day. I like to think a big part of that is from what I have learned about the swing and applied to my own game. I definitely do not have all the answers, but I like to think I have uncovered a few. My teaching philosophy is pretty simple. 1. Give detailed instruction anyone can understand. 2. Simple is better than complicated. 3. Learn from every student you teach. 4. Fix the 1 thing that fixes 10 things. 5. Give everything you can to your students. At the center of what I teach is what's called the "Scratch Golf System." For years I noticed that almost all good players do a few motions the same. I also watched as thousands of golfers got frustrated trying to perfect their swing and chase one of thousands of tips on the golf swing. That is why I developed a step by step system for how to learn these key moves. I know a "system" isn't for everyone, and I am fine with that. But I don't teach the kind of system you are most likely thinking of. Jack Nicklaus, Tiger Woods, and Ben Hogan all have very different swings, but all fit into the system I teach. It isn't about creating an identical swing. Everyone has their own. It's all about doing the "Key" pieces correctly. Those few moves are where you will find your best results.