Joe Jetson

Absolutely makes sense, Howard. I think my yardages per club are about 10 yards less. Which just means I go one club higher. One other thing I have noticed is because my irons are struck more squarely, they generally have more backspin when landing on the green, and don't roll off the back like my old fade shots would.

In the book, Dante starts the wrist break/backswing with a short forward press. He cites different motions for the press- 1. Slight forward movement of the hands and then start the wrist break. 2. He also mentions moving the hips toward the target, like Gary Player does. (I like the hip forward press, it works better for me than the wrist press.) In either case, the movement is very small, just to get some rhythm into the start of the backswing. This eliminates a "jerky" start. The backward wrist break is the first "magic move". When this motion is completed, you transition into the second "magic move", the shoulder turn. If you do the shoulder turn correctly (a 'turn', NOT a 'dip') the motion flows from the wrist break, it is not two separate motions. I was having problems with the shoulder turn until one day, I happened to be wearing a red shirt and as I turned my shoulders, I clearly saw my front red shoulder as I made my shoulder turn. I hit a good drive so I started watching for that red shoulder as I made my turn. It worked surprisingly well as a checkpoint. The main point Dante stresses with the backswing is to keep the backward wrist break position throughout the backswing. If done correctly, you will feel a definite tightness, which goes against a lot of teaching, where we're taught to relax. That's why Dante teaches a tight grip with the left hand (for righties). As far as "how far do you turn on your backswing" he says 90 degrees is a full turn. I'm 68 years old so I can't get to 90 without my shoulder or spine fracturing, so I just go back as far as I can, it's not that important to me. I have found if I hit the ball squarely I still get decent distance and I hit it straight. So that's the second "magic move". The third 'magic move' is the transition into the downswing. Again, Dante insists on maintaining the tight backward wrist break throughout this motion. He describes the transition as being started by moving the left hip toward the target. Again this move flows from the backswing, it's not a jerky movement. I tell my wife the transition is like the rhythm similar to 'dancing'. She understands dancing rhythm and timing, so it makes it less of something she has to think about and something she can just do naturally. That brings you to the fourth 'magic move' which is simply maintaining the wrist break position and having the hips pull the rest of the body through the hitting position. Dante stresses that the motion of the hips towards the target brings the arms and wrists back to the ball in the perfect position. There should be no need to think about "swinging the arms" or "turning over the wrists". He says that as the hips move toward the target, they will naturally turn by themselves. He is correct here. Try it without a club- as you move the hips to the left, they turn as well. So as you approach the hitting area with the maintained wrist break, you have stored up much power to be released at contact. I have been using Dante's "Magic Moves" for about a year and it has been a great experience. Before I started using this information, I was a lifelong slicer who tried every method and YouTube tip to fix my swing. It was like putting bandaids on top of bandaids. This book is presented in a logical, easy to understand sequence. It does, however, require some "stick to it-ness" and time to replace and overwrite the old habits. For me, it has been worth the time spent reading, practicing, re-reading and practicing some more. But it has paid off for me. I hit the ball more solidly and much straighter that I ever did in 45 years of golfing. One of the best benefits of this system is my mishits are usually at least at the target. Far fewer penalty strokes than before, significant lowering of handicap. As much fun as it is to hit solid drives, I find the most rewarding shots are approach shots flying directly on line at the flag. Overall, I highly recommend Dante's "Four Magic Moves". This comment barely scratches the surface of all the information in the book itself. Dante takes care to clearly explain the why's and how's of his system. I recommend reading it and re-reading it after you try it and practice it. And then re-read it again. It worked for me.

I've always had a problem with coming over the top and cutting across the ball. I would make a beautiful inside/out swing on my practice swing, but then get up to ball and come over the top. Finally, I just said to myself: Tee it up high Go out and get it ...and I started hitting much more solid, straight shots. But it didn't seem complete. Then, I remembered the advice Navin Johnson (Steve Martin in 'The Jerk') got from his father when he left home. So now, my full swing thought is: Tee it up high Go out and get it See a doctor and get rid of it.

That is funny. Can I use that? My brothers and I live about 100 miles apart and use Golfnow.com regularly to find somewhere between us to play. This joke will bring a little humor to a humorless situation. Thanks. I vote MAGA- Make America Golf Again!

Our courses in Wisconsin have been closed statewide by order of our Governor. An online petition to open them, with several reasonable restrictions, has so far gathered over 60,000 signatures. I posted the information about the petition on our Neighborhood/Local website. I was surprised by the number of vicious, negative reactions and comments about it. The sad thing is that this isn't a bunch of strangers, these are my neighbors. it reminded me of an episode of The Twilight Zone, where neighbors turn against neighbors. Many people are consumed with fear, anger and paranoia about the virus. I replied in a respectful manner to a couple posts, hoping to have a honest discussion about the restrictions. The replies were neither respectful or honest. I gave up on the idea that dialogue was possible. The media coverage of this has preyed on people's fears, and whipped them into a near panic. Sad.

Golfer LLoyd Christmas: What are the chances of hitting these concrete columns, ricocheting back and forth a couple times, and then screaming straight back at us and hitting the camera? Cameraman Mary Swanson: Not good. Lloyd Christmas: Not good like one in a hundred? Mary Swanson: I'd say more like one in a million. Lloyd Christmas: So you're telling me there's a chance?

My favorite food on the course is large Pretzel Rods, the ones that look like a big cigar. I load them into a Pringles tube so they don't get broken and pull one out when I get a little hungry. You can actually swing the club with them in your mouth to keep you relaxed from biting down too hard. I saw a tip from Martin Hall where he said to put a cookie in your mouth to keep you from getting too tensed up. If you bite through the cookie during your swing, you're not relaxed. Same thing with the pretzel rod. Of course, if you're eating salty pretzels, don't forget some water.

I'm new to TST, and read in the "Rules" about "no politics". Then I started reading this thread, and it took until Page 3 to get to the first "pro-Trump" comment. Thank you, got a good laugh. You're 100% correct.

I just got an email notification from Two Oaks North in Wautoma, WI. They will open for play Friday and Saturday (weather permitting), 3/22 & 3/23. We played there in February in 2018 and there were a few holes closed, some wet and muddy areas, but overall if you kept it in (or near) the fairway, it wasn't too bad. I expect about the same this weekend. Forecast is 42* and sunny Friday, and 51* and sunny on Saturday. You can check their website for details and contact info. I'd call ahead just to be sure.

I had a couple of old drivers gathering dust, so as a retired guy, I started experimenting with them. I shortened one and found it much easier to control accuracy. Then switched one to a ladies' flex. I found that added some distance, about 10 to 15 yards. I had found some shaft pulls on Ebay dirt cheap, so it didn't cost much, mostly just the time pulling the old shaft and prepping the ladies for installation. I didn't really know much about club building, so it was fun learning. I finally re-shafted the Callaway Diablo I like, and now have a better driver for a small cash outlay.

I'm kind of new here, so I'm not sure how to do a "link", but if you Search "Biggest Secret Hip Slide" at the top of the page, it should be the top result. I think it's an older thread, but there's a lot of posts and some logical descriptions about "how's and why's".

Has anyone tried the "Nintendo Wii My Personal Golf Trainer With IMG Academies And David Leadbetter"? It's supposed to be a Training App more than a "Video Game". It supposedly analyzes your swing, balance, etc. and then gives you drills to improve. It's on the "Wii" platform, so it's not something you just play with the controller. You take your stance on the "Wii Balance Board" and swing the controller as if it's a golf grip. It then analyzes your swing and gives you some feedback. I'd try it myself, but I've read it is for Right Handed golfers only, and I'm a lefty. Is the "RH Only" limitation true? However, if it's worthwhile, I might get it for my wife, she right-handed. I've seen it on Ebay for about $40, which isn't too bad if it's legit.

March 5th, and will not reach 30's until this weekend in central Wisconsin. I've been reading a separate topic here about "Hip Slide" to start downswing. It makes a lot of sense and could possibly explain some recurring problems with casting. Can't wait for it to warm up so I can incorporate some of this information. Until then, I'll have to settle for watching the pros on TV.

If the weather ever warms up (March 5th in Wisconsin), I'm very curious to try the "Hip Slide" to start my downswing. After seeing several posts here explaining that "casting" can be the result of not sliding the hips, it helps to explain a recurring problem with my swing path.

Below zero this morning (March 5th) again in Central WI. We've had record cold for March so far, after having record snowfall for the month of February. The "funny" thing is that we had almost no snow on the ground up to the middle of January, and I was optimistic about having an early start for golf season here. Normally, courses open up around the week of the Masters, but we'll have to have a lot of warm days in a row for that to happen this year.