What are your "indisputable truths" about golf?

[georgep]

What "truths" do you find most important (and indisputable) about golf or the golf swing? The Sept. 7 "Trap Five" article offers five. What do you agree or disagree with?

[Sherpat]

First of all, I enjoyed your Trap Five monograph. Very well written. Good luck to your buddy!

I've only taken up the sport this year myself, but already I've discovered:

1. The basic tenet my dad taught me when I was a kid learning to race motorcycles and complaining that all my buddies had better machines than me applies to every other sport I've taken up since, including now golf: "Technique beats technology". Always.

2. Golf is about penis size, not golf. Go read the " How Long Is Your Average Drive ?" thread in these here hallowed forums if you need confirmation. On the course itself, I have yet to play with anyone other than myself who will safely punch a shot out of the woods to the middle of the fairway rather than try for a death defying shot to the green through a 4 inch slot between two trees 50 yards away. They all think they're Moe Norman. (But to be fair, I play with bigwigs at my company who are used to having large figurative penises. It must carry over.)

3. Despite my adament assertion in #1, technique is often not enough. Sheer dumb luck has thwarted (or rewarded) me more than once - like during my last round where I hit short into a pond....right onto the back of a turtle! The ball ended up carooming onto the green, coming to rest 10 feet from the hole.

4. Again, despite my firmly held conviction stated in #1......it's great having nice equipment anyway. Hey, we've all got an id that needs feeding, right?

Tom

[Ringer]

Start well + finsish well = Swing well

[Rynofskie]

My "Indisputable Truths" of golf is:

1. It's the greatest game ever played.

2. It will test your patience at every level.

3. You will stay awake late at night trying to figure out how you managed NOT to hit the ball straight.

4. You will cry at least once becasue you suck so bad.

[Everardo]

Here's a link to the article
My (Nearly) Indisputable Truisms of Golf

[goose]

during my last round where I hit short into a pond....right onto the back of a turtle! The ball ended up carooming onto the green, coming to rest 10 feet from the hole.

hahahaha sorry i had to!!!

[Sherpat]

hahahaha sorry i had to!!!

Apologise to the

turtle , not me!

[lamebums]

Hmm, well, the only thing I halfheartedly disagreeing with is stepping on it. At least for pitch and chip shots. I have an annoying tendency to TC it if I accelerate too quickly through the ball and into my follow-through.

[Fourputt]

Hmm, well, the only thing I halfheartedly disagreeing with is stepping on it. At least for pitch and chip shots. I have an annoying tendency to TC it if I accelerate too quickly through the ball and into my follow-through.

Well I don't know what "TC" means, but I don't see how you can dispute the need to accelerate through impact on every shot, even the shortest putt. You control the power by the amount of backswing you take, not by controlling the acceleration. A good golfer has the same tempo for virtually every shot in his bag. When I warm up for a tournament, I do so by going to the chipping green, rarely do I hit balls on the range. For me, it's easier to get my tempo dialed in by hitting short pitches and chips. The tempo is the same as it is for my full shots, just a shorter swing.

If you don't accelerate on those shots, you will chili dip it short, or skull it over the green, or otherwise just lose distance control. Decelerating also causes pulls and pushes too... it allows too much handsyness, not enough arm and shoulder.

[lamebums]

Well I don't know what "TC" means, but I don't see how you can dispute the need to accelerate through impact on every shot, even the shortest putt. You control the power by the amount of backswing you take, not by controlling the acceleration. A good golfer has the same tempo for virtually every shot in his bag. When I warm up for a tournament, I do so by going to the chipping green, rarely do I hit balls on the range. For me, it's easier to get my tempo dialed in by hitting short pitches and chips. The tempo is the same as it is for my full shots, just a shorter swing.

TC = Two Chip. It's when you hit the ball, and then hit it again during your follow-through. It happens when I accelerate too fast through the ball every so often, so I'm treading a fine line between to fast and too slow.

[iacas]

TC = Two Chip. It's when you hit the ball, and then hit it again during your follow-through. It happens when I accelerate too fast through the ball every so often, so I'm treading a fine line between to fast and too slow.

Most "double-hits" occur when you make bad contact that imparts well below the normal amount of ball speed to the ball. You usually have to yank it left, too, since your club should be swinging left of where the ball is going.

[powerfade]

I thought he meant TC, as in TC Chen it...the double hit.

1985 US Open leading by 4 shots, TC Chen double hit a shot out of the rough and took an 8 and eventually lost the tournament. Ouch!

[lamebums]

Most "double-hits" occur when you make bad contact that imparts well below the normal amount of ball speed to the ball. You usually have to yank it left, too, since your club should be swinging left of where the ball is going.

That's possible, I do miss more than my share of chips to the left.

I thought he meant TC, as in TC Chen it...the double hit. 1985 US Open leading by 4 shots, TC Chen double hit a shot out of the rough and took an 8 and eventually lost the tournament. Ouch!

Yeah, that's what I'm talking about.

[DRuzicka]

The Bible says the fear of the Lord is the begining of Wisdom, for Golf I would say Hitting down on the ball is the begining of Shot making. If there was one thing I would want to teach a begining golfer it would be to hit down on the ball. It is the basis of iron and wedge play and the short game. HIT DOWN ON THE BALL


Dan

[Harold]

I thought he meant TC, as in TC Chen it...the double hit.

You mean Two Chip Chen ;) ?

[itzzzberny]

game of opposites
- using strength to hit a ball may lead to slice,hooks and loss of yardage.
- when (in the action of) putting you don't look at the target.

this is a game that is learned not bought....

[DRuzicka]

Hit down ball goes up
Swing up ball stays low
Swingpath left ball goes right
Swingpath right ball goes left
Swing easy Ball go far
Swinghard ball go no where

[CheeseWedge]

My indisputable truth is... When I hit my first hole in one, I will be the only person within five hundred miles of the green.