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Posted

Day 33 (13 Dec 25) - Worked on weight shift and resetting the left heel during downswing (after listening to a discussion on Golf School this morning on PGA Tour Radio).  It centered on how Jack Nicklaus lifted his lead heel and how long driver champs do as well.  Taking cues from that discussion, worked an exaggerated feel of the left heel working doing some swing drill in the backyard using the 7i.  Wrapped up the session by hitting a few low bump and run shots in the backyard - keeping the process slow and exaggerated.  

Ping G400 SFT 10deg  R flex
Ping G410 3w R flex
Ping G400 3h and 4h R flex
Taylormade SLDR 5i thru PW graphite shaft R flex
Cleveland CBX wedges - 50, 54, 58 or 52, 58 (depending on my mood)
Odyssey Versa or White Steel #5
Srixon Q Star

Awards, Achievements, and Accolades

Posted

Day 19: did my drill on the deck for a while. Filmed to check and send in. 

-- Daniel

In my bag: :callaway: Paradym :callaway: Epic Flash 3.5W (16 degrees)

:callaway: Rogue Pro 3-PW :edel: SMS Wedges - V-Grind (48, 54, 58):edel: Putter

 :aimpoint:

Awards, Achievements, and Accolades

Posted

Day 34 (14 Dec 25) - Got outside for a few moments to work on bump and runs with the 4h (again using the exaggerated weight shift reminder of the left (lead) heel). Finding that it helps keep the downswing arc extended.  

Ping G400 SFT 10deg  R flex
Ping G410 3w R flex
Ping G400 3h and 4h R flex
Taylormade SLDR 5i thru PW graphite shaft R flex
Cleveland CBX wedges - 50, 54, 58 or 52, 58 (depending on my mood)
Odyssey Versa or White Steel #5
Srixon Q Star

Awards, Achievements, and Accolades

  • Administrator
Posted

Day 440 - 2025-12-14

Lots of flop shot practice with the Junior Elite Program golfers. I had one player get to 78.4°! Multiple 70° launch angle launches. Many, many in the 60s.

Erik J. Barzeski —  I knock a ball. It goes in a gopher hole. 🏌🏼‍♂️
Director of Instruction Golf Evolution • Owner, The Sand Trap .com • AuthorLowest Score Wins
Golf Digest "Best Young Teachers in America" 2016-17 & "Best in State" 2017-20 • WNY Section PGA Teacher of the Year 2019 :edel: :true_linkswear:

Check Out: New Topics | TST Blog | Golf Terms | Instructional Content | Analyzr | LSW | Instructional Droplets

Awards, Achievements, and Accolades

Posted

Day 124 12-14

Flow drill and skill work. Worked on shaft awareness for skill work. Hit foam balls. 


Posted

Day 20: mirror work today. Focused more on backswing stuff. 

-- Daniel

In my bag: :callaway: Paradym :callaway: Epic Flash 3.5W (16 degrees)

:callaway: Rogue Pro 3-PW :edel: SMS Wedges - V-Grind (48, 54, 58):edel: Putter

 :aimpoint:

Awards, Achievements, and Accolades

Posted

Day 125 12-15

Half swings with flow drill. Focused on rhythm, loading trail side then getting to lead side correctly. Hit a few foam balls but mostly drilling without ball. 


Posted

Day 35 (15 Dec 25) - Short session today focused on exaggerated weight shift using left heel trigger.  Hit a few pitches using the process to help capture the feel. 

Ping G400 SFT 10deg  R flex
Ping G410 3w R flex
Ping G400 3h and 4h R flex
Taylormade SLDR 5i thru PW graphite shaft R flex
Cleveland CBX wedges - 50, 54, 58 or 52, 58 (depending on my mood)
Odyssey Versa or White Steel #5
Srixon Q Star

Awards, Achievements, and Accolades

  • Administrator
Posted

Day 441 - 2025-12-15

Worked on the backswing with foam balls before a long day of lessons. Traveling a little bit here soon.

Erik J. Barzeski —  I knock a ball. It goes in a gopher hole. 🏌🏼‍♂️
Director of Instruction Golf Evolution • Owner, The Sand Trap .com • AuthorLowest Score Wins
Golf Digest "Best Young Teachers in America" 2016-17 & "Best in State" 2017-20 • WNY Section PGA Teacher of the Year 2019 :edel: :true_linkswear:

Check Out: New Topics | TST Blog | Golf Terms | Instructional Content | Analyzr | LSW | Instructional Droplets

Awards, Achievements, and Accolades

Posted

Day 21: did a stack session. 

-- Daniel

In my bag: :callaway: Paradym :callaway: Epic Flash 3.5W (16 degrees)

:callaway: Rogue Pro 3-PW :edel: SMS Wedges - V-Grind (48, 54, 58):edel: Putter

 :aimpoint:

Awards, Achievements, and Accolades

Posted

Day 126 12-16

Back swing and rotation work today. Didn't hit any balls. Focusing on rotating and getting to lead side. 


  • Administrator
Posted

Day 442 - 2025-12-16

Got some swings in at an indoor academy a little south of Erie.

Erik J. Barzeski —  I knock a ball. It goes in a gopher hole. 🏌🏼‍♂️
Director of Instruction Golf Evolution • Owner, The Sand Trap .com • AuthorLowest Score Wins
Golf Digest "Best Young Teachers in America" 2016-17 & "Best in State" 2017-20 • WNY Section PGA Teacher of the Year 2019 :edel: :true_linkswear:

Check Out: New Topics | TST Blog | Golf Terms | Instructional Content | Analyzr | LSW | Instructional Droplets

Awards, Achievements, and Accolades

Posted

Day 36 (16 Dec 25) - continued the exaggerated left foot weight shift trigger adding some easy low flighted pitches with the 5h and a few putting style bump and runs with the 5h as well.

Ping G400 SFT 10deg  R flex
Ping G410 3w R flex
Ping G400 3h and 4h R flex
Taylormade SLDR 5i thru PW graphite shaft R flex
Cleveland CBX wedges - 50, 54, 58 or 52, 58 (depending on my mood)
Odyssey Versa or White Steel #5
Srixon Q Star

Awards, Achievements, and Accolades

Posted

Day 22: mirror work for a while. Working on my elbow in the downswing - keeping it in a better position. 

-- Daniel

In my bag: :callaway: Paradym :callaway: Epic Flash 3.5W (16 degrees)

:callaway: Rogue Pro 3-PW :edel: SMS Wedges - V-Grind (48, 54, 58):edel: Putter

 :aimpoint:

Awards, Achievements, and Accolades

Posted

Day 127 12-17

Backswing and flow practice. Took advantage of the 60 degeee weather(it was 20 degrees Sunday)


Posted

Day 37 (17 Dec 25) - nine hole round with my good friend.  We got paired up with a couple of the men’s group regulars as part of their shootout.  Started off with a wonderful quad bogie and then a dbl on three to be six over thru three holes.  Game went 180° over the next five as I shot one under (including a chip in birdie on hole six and four up and down 1 putt pars) for a net finish of five over. What could have been a really tough nine became a solid finish due to staying in the moment and not checking out.  Great day in course management and keeping perspective .

Ping G400 SFT 10deg  R flex
Ping G410 3w R flex
Ping G400 3h and 4h R flex
Taylormade SLDR 5i thru PW graphite shaft R flex
Cleveland CBX wedges - 50, 54, 58 or 52, 58 (depending on my mood)
Odyssey Versa or White Steel #5
Srixon Q Star

Awards, Achievements, and Accolades

  • Administrator
Posted

Day 443 - 2025-12-17

Made a few swings in testing some things out at another academy. Might pop up on someone else's podcast in a few weeks.

Erik J. Barzeski —  I knock a ball. It goes in a gopher hole. 🏌🏼‍♂️
Director of Instruction Golf Evolution • Owner, The Sand Trap .com • AuthorLowest Score Wins
Golf Digest "Best Young Teachers in America" 2016-17 & "Best in State" 2017-20 • WNY Section PGA Teacher of the Year 2019 :edel: :true_linkswear:

Check Out: New Topics | TST Blog | Golf Terms | Instructional Content | Analyzr | LSW | Instructional Droplets

Awards, Achievements, and Accolades

Posted

Day 23: weird day, and only had a little bit of time. Just did mirror work again, working on where the elbow is in the downswing 

-- Daniel

In my bag: :callaway: Paradym :callaway: Epic Flash 3.5W (16 degrees)

:callaway: Rogue Pro 3-PW :edel: SMS Wedges - V-Grind (48, 54, 58):edel: Putter

 :aimpoint:

Awards, Achievements, and Accolades

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  • Posts

    • Hey guys what’s up.    I just ordered some new SM11 wedges and I want to sell my old ones that 3 of them are in great condition. Does anybody knows a good place to sell them?  
    • Day 53: 2026.03.02 Easy swings in the garden working on raising right arm in backswing.
    • Just some clarifications.  Something to try out. It is something Rory does. He extends his left knee, which closes his hips a bit, but it also shifts him right. It was something we were trying. It could help be a trigger for the backswing and get me shifted right. Also help with my left knee flexion.    More focus on this^. I have to nail this, or the downswing will just be dead.  Less of this^ Got clarification from @iacas that the numbers might be over what they actually are. So, this was much closer to A or A- rather than like B or B-. Something to keep an eye on, but much better now. Anything associated with me overturning/swinging needs to be monitored, lol.  Focus on this^ Drills. Slam the medicine ball down and behind me. Going to search Amazon for a soft medicine ball I can throw. With it being like 5lbs, it is not that physically demanding. It definitely gets the feeling of how to throw the club down behind you with the arms.  Staying tall, similar to the medicine ball, but swing the club down hitting the ground way behind the ball. Not 100%, but don't be afraid to thump the ground.   Not much of drills for the left leg. Just a lot sooner. Because I have tons of knee bend going from A3 to A5, it is probably going to feel like I don't load the left leg that much but just extend it. Might incorporate some medicine ball exercises for this.  On a side note, I been thinking of this since the last lesson (January). The final swing for me is going to probably feel superfast/quick. I went and looked at an older GEARS swing. The backswing was like 1.3 seconds, and total time of 1.6 seconds.  A long backswing, a quickish downswing (0.3-ish seconds). A 4.4 to 1 tempo (PGA Tour is 3:1)  On the swings where I was doing the downswing stuff on Sunday. It went to 1.4 seconds (13% reduction), and the downswing went to 1.1 seconds (15.2% reduction). A 3.9 tempo. Getting closer to 3:1. I could tell the swing was going to be shorter/quicker when the torso turn runs up against hips that restrict the turn. Especially when I do the right arm stuff much better. It was like, "Oh crap, I stopped turning".  If my swing was closer to PGA tour averages, 0.75 second backswing and 0.25 second downswing. That is about 30% quicker than the baseline swing. Which will probably feel like 50% quicker. I might play around with a metronome. Just so I can get use to how fast I have to do this. I may need to speed up the right arm stuff. Not going to try that now, just maybe for later. 
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He coached the county team once a week and was quite a technical guy, which fits my way of thinking. Year-end handicaps continued at 1992 - 7, 1993 - 5, 1994 - 6, 1995 - 5, ran into my first coach at an event he was playing in. He asked me what my handicap was. I said 5. He said "it's too high. Get it down". He was right too. 1996 - 4, 1997 - 2. 1998 summer I was 1, then started working full time and taking my mind off golf a bit actually helped and I got to scratch in 2000. My best on the old UK system was +0.5, which I got to in late summer 2001. Then the wheels fell off. My new coach had moved on too and I was without help. Really struggled with my driving. Got a little yippy thing going on and I managed to go from +0.5 to 1.9 in 27 rounds, which means missing the buffer zone 24 times in 27 rounds. Languished around 2 or 3 for a good long while and didn't have access to a coach I trusted.  Moved to the US (NYC) in 2007. 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