amac

I've go two pair of FJ Icon's - one all black and one with brown croc saddle. They are both excellent shoes and pretty comfortable. I walk when I play, so no problem. I will say in the heat of summer, they do feel heavy at the end of the day! As a result, I just ordered a pair of Adidas Crossflex . I am hoping they are comfortable. They have a waterproof, mesh upper that is supposed to breathe. They have a tennis shoe look and construction, but it's the soles I'm curious about. For $69 and a 90 day comfort guarantee, I figured why not. For the record, if FJ made a mesh upper shoe that looked good, I would stick with them. Their shoes fit my foot very well.

Another thought on lofting up. According to TM's engineering and reivew... "If 1.5 degrees of additional loft is added, the face angle will close 3 degrees ." So, if I go from 9.5* to 12* in loft, I'm closing the clubface 5-6*? In your SLDR fittings, how has the ball flight been affected, if at all? The above quote was taken from a review of the R1. The adjustable face technology was designed to counter the above affect of lofting up. Why is this no longer needed?

Good info from TM iacas. Surprising to hear that TM made such a marketing blunder. It seems to me that with an edge in one category, something is missing in another. Meaning, what are the downsides to placing the COG so low and close to the face? Someone posted about forgiveness and shot dispersion. Not a problem for a touring pro, but how about 10+ handicappers? I'm definitely intrigued by the SLDR concepts and wonder if my R1, with the right shaft to head combo , can/could produce similar results? Also, if the SLDR technology was the end all, be all for drivers, then wouldn't every manufacturer follow their lead? In the end, sounds like I'll be taking my driver to my local shop for some comparison testing.

I've been using the VDR's for several years. I get about a year out of them before they slick up. Living in the hot, humid deep south, my hands get pretty sweaty also and the VDR's have never let me down. I did just regrip my clubs this week and went with Golf Pride's Tour Velvet BCT Cord . I grew up using all cord grips, but found they were too harsh on my hands. GP has re-designed the cord to be softer on the hands, so I'm going to try again. The BCT has the highest rating for weather management, feed back and surface texture. They are now offered in WHITE. I purchased them in Mizuno blue. You may want to give them a try.

Why all the buzz about the SLDR this year? This driver came out last year and some local golf shops said it wasn't getting the traction on tour that TM hoped. What changed? As for lofting up, is this targeting the 90% of golfers who don't break 100? Do swing mechanics prevent high HC's golfers from getting drivers airborne? I'm not a great golfer, but I hit a fairly high ball. I fight the high launch due to the wind and soggy nature of my home course. I swing an R1 set at 9.5u. After reading all the posts, I feel compeled to get on a track man and look at what type of spin numbers I get. I'm more willing to tinker with what I've got and consider a new shaft before eating a loss and ponying up another $400. As for Pro's lofting up, they have a distinct advantage of knowing how to flight down their shots. Most amateur's don't. I'd hate to have a 12* setting and then be looking dead into a 15mph wind and launch a baloon! On a side note, I did notice that all the TM guys have switch to the SLDR. And Luke Donald dumped his Mizuno driver and 3 wood for the SLDR and a Rocketballz 3 wood.

Agreed. Today's pro's carry the ball way further then 40 years ago. New technology. New fittness routines. New game. My million dollar question is how to "learn" to swing faster? I asked my teaching pro at my last lesson and he wouldn't give me a direct answer. The hook to keep me coming back. Club manufacturers are promoting LAUNCH as the medicine for carry. But if my swing creates undue backspin, then high launch will balloon and my ball will go nowhere. So many elements at play, but how would one train to swing faster AND under control, with the driver?

You're both hopeless. Thing is, to each their own. Good luck (if you believe in that sorta thing).

LOL! I'll take that bet. In fact, lets make it $20,000! Your twin will piss his pants on the first hole. LOL. Look, you are downplaying something that you probably do instinctively - visualize your shot, perform a pre-shot routine, have a designed shot shape of each hole. All that is part of the mental game. You have belief in your swing and that translates to mental toughness. And then it gets much bigger. Adam Scott experienced your "thin edge" when he bogied the final 4 holes in the 2012 British Open to loose by one shot. Jean van de Velde walked on the edge when he tripled bogeyed the 18th at Carnoustie in '99 (he birdied the 18th on Fri and Sat). And Greg Norman knows a thing or two about mental lapses. Oh, you must think his swing caused him to shoot 78 on Sunday in '96 to loose The Masters and yet blow another Major Championship. And lets not even bring up Tiger Woods. He's only known for his golf swing, not his mental edge. Yes, iacas, there is SOMETHING to having a mental game. To the OP, based on your last post, you may want to work on your swing. It sounds like it is failing you before or after you have a flawless nine. : ) Or, read the short article by Dr. Rotella and see if anything in there can help out. Let us know what works best. cheers

I'll leave you with a few quotes from atheletes and about atheletes. You can choose to believe what you want. We can agree to disagree on the relevance of the mental game. I feel that hitting specific shots -- playing the ball to a certain place in a certain way -- is 50 percent mental picture , 40 percent setup, and 10 percent swing . [Jack Nicklaus with Ken Bowden. Golf My Way. New York: Simon & Schuster, 1974] IF I COULD BE LIKE MIKE: Jordan's Mental Edge by Jeff Janssen, M.S. Peak Performance Consultant University of Arizona Think of some of the all-time greatest athletes in sport - Joe Montana, Bille Jean King, Muhammed Ali, Cheryl Miller, Hank Aaron, Wilma Rudolph. As you think about these people, reflect on the characteristics they possessed that made them so legendary. While most likely these athletes were physically gifted, I'll bet it was their mental approach to the game that truly made them outstanding . For example, one such superstar we all are familiar with is Michael Jordan. While Jordan was blessed with quickness, jumping ability, and height to help him excel, Michael's biggest strength was his mental game. Jordan held a decisive mental edge over his opponents throughout his entire career. It was his mental toughness that propelled him to numerous individual awards as well as six NBA championships. One of the most important components of playing well is controlling your emotions and your mental game. How much time and energy do you put into this EXTREMELY important element of the game? How many times have you had a good round going only to make a bunch of bogies near the end the round. Your good round has once again turned into just another average round. We have all done this, but why does it happen and what are you going to do to stop it from happening again? This tends to happen when you start to get out of “The Moment” and start thinking about the end result. We have all heard about getting into “The Zone” and being super focused. This is simply focusing all of your thoughts and energy on the shot at hand. If you are still thinking about how you bogied the first few holes or missed a couple of short putts, you are focusing on the past. If you are trying to calculate what you could shoot, and you are thinking that this could be your best round ever, you are focusing on the future. Either way your thoughts are not in the present where they need to be. It is important to come up with a plan so when your mind starts to get out of the present, you can bring yourself back and get focused on what you are doing. Having a clear mind before you execute your shot is pivotal if you want to perform your best. Start with a deep breath and a vision of how you are going to play your next shot. Take a practice swing with the same feel that you will need for the shot you are about to hit. Step into the shot and just let it go – totally trust that your body knows what to do . To keep it simple – Relax, See it, Feel it, Trust it. by Mark Anderson Of Course, Dr. Bob Rotella is biased... Having said that, I believe it's impossible to overestimate the importance of the mind in golf. There is no such thing as "muscle memory." Your muscles have no capacity to remember anything. Memory resides in your head. Therefore, no matter how long you practice a golf swing, no matter how skilled you become, your muscles alone can't remember it and execute it when the need arises on the golf course. Your muscles and the rest of your body are controlled by your mind. Unless your mind is functioning well when you play golf, your muscles are going to flounder. If your head is filled with bad thoughts, your scorecard is going to be full of bad strokes. Read More http://www.golfdigest.com/golf-instruction/mental-game/rotella?currentPage=1#ixzz2tnAvwyaT Teach what you want, but Dr. Rotella has the insight on the power of the mind game. How much time do professional atheletes dedicate to the mind game? I bet every practice session, they are mentally focusing on what type of shot they want to hit, where they want it to go, how they want to execute the swing, etc... So they probably unconsiously put as much mental practice in as they do physical. What's more, every golfer is aware of positive mental picturing before each shot. Read above, the body will do/try to do what the mind perceives. FWIW, I dont put enough time towards my mental game. After this thread, I will make a conscious effort to increase/strengthen my mental game and mental awareness and see if my game improves.

Golfingdad, I think you're totally missing it. I've had the very experience the OP is talking about - more than once. I've played with other golfers that went from hot to not. Afterwards, they admitted the thought of shooting their best score ever got in their heads and that was it. You don't need a tournament to feel pressure. Any weekend game will do. Iacas, i am speaking metaphorically, but you're way off with less than 9%. I'll take the wisdom and experience of athletes like Michael Jordan, Peyton Manning, John Elway, Mike Tyson, Muhammed Ali, George Forman and Wayne Gretzky and many other atheletes including Olympic gold medal winners that stress the high level of importance on their respective mental game. Further, golfers like Jack Nicklaus, Arnold Palmer, Gary Player, Tiger Woods and Phil Mickelson have all said golf is 90% mental. Teach what you want, but more accomplished experts on the subject agree golf is 90% mental.

I don't fully agree the solution is just a swing fix. I can recall several occasions playing in high school tournaments where I would open with a 43 and close with a 33. It wasn't because my swing changed. It was my state of mind changed. Same home made swing, different mental approach. After blowing my round, I relaxed and began to play like I was capable. If you and or the OP have similar experiences, then how will a better swing prevent you from not mentally cracking? Sure, even a 15 handicap can occasionally shoot a good score on nine holes. But I am willing to bet that either the next nine they blew up and shot 50 or they shot 50 on the front nine. Same swing, but how you handle the pressure and how your swing performs under pressure is everything. As a 8.2 handi, I say you have game. Anyone capable of shooting under par on nine holes has "some" game. I'm not saying the OP is ready for Q school, but he probably has sound fundamentals. I hit the ball great while on the range, but when I get on the course and have to execute the shot, why do I mess up? Pressure. The mental aspect of the game is one reason why Pro's play on Sunday for millions. They know how to bring their range swing to the course and don't let the thousands of spectators and tv camera's affect them.

Re-read the OP's post. Clearly he has game. He is struggling with keeping it together for 18 holes. If he can shoot 1 under on the front nine, why is he blowing up on the back? Because the mental pressure of maintaing the level of play is too great. There is a breakdown in his mental game. I don't care how good Adam Scott's swing is, if he can't handle the pressure, he will certainly choke under pressure and shank it, duff it, dump it in the water, hit it OB, etc...

Please explain.

The game of golf is 90% mental and 10% physical. A very popular quote used by all the best in the game, for a reason! I know how you feel. Putting it all together for 18 holes is tuff. You are certainly applying pressure to yourself and then tensing up over the swing. My thought is you need to take note of how you feel/felt while shooting the good 9's - more relaxed, not thinking about score, enjoyable playing partner, light conversation, lower/no expectation for outcome, etc... and then try to apply that mind set for all 18 holes. Easier said then done. I'm in a similar situation right now with inconsistent scoring and letting certain holes get into my head. One way you may approach your round is to divide the holes into 3, 6 hole segments. You can break it down further if you like, but the idea is not to focus on the traditional front vs back. Break the course down in smaller segments and have scoring goals for each. The point is the focus. Once you start looking at the end number, the tension creeps in. Once you complete a segment, focus on the next, but don't look back and don't look ahead. My best scores come when I don't know how many over I am until I sit down in the clubhouse. Outside of this, there are dozens of books written about this topic. I'm thinking of reading one myself. I'm a 10 handi and think I should be a 5. Gotta get my mind right to make that move! Stay relaxed. Stay focused on one shot at time. Don't let one bad shot dictate the day. Don't look ahead. Don't look behind. Have fun. This is my mental check list before each round. Hope this helps.

Right. Maybe I didn't phrase this very well. The question I'm asking pertains to swinging down vs up on the driver. My swing teacher is having me work on a move left that promotes swinging down on the ball at impact. This move seems counter to what I thought about the angle of attack for a driver. However, I see pro's make the same move left with a driver as they do with an iron. So, is the swing the same, but the ball placement that makes the difference? Or do I need to make a subtle swing arc change that catches my tee'd up ball on the upswing? One swing or two?

I mentioned in another thread that I've recently taken a lesson from my club teaching pro. Now that I've had time to work on the lesson's, I feel more comfortable with the new swing thoughts and moves. I went in for a check up lesson last Friday and we worked on the same move, but exxagerating the concept of moving left at the start of the downswing. Actually, my pro feels the move left should begin just before you finish the backswing. Anyway, one of the affects of this move (for my swing) is to steepen my angle of attack. Trackman says I'm coming in very shallow with my irons and Brian feels if I get far enough left I HAVE TO come down steeper at the ball. I proved him wrong! LOL My question is how this relates to the driver swing. As I understand it, one needs a bit more upswing at the ball with a driver to promote higher launch. I am sure the philosophy of rather to hit driver on the downswing vs upswing is subjective and argumentative, but I find myself struggling with my driver while incorporating this new move. I didn't think to ask Brian when I had my lesson and will ask at our next. In the meantime, does anyone have any light to shed on this thought? Should I have two swings - one for my irons and one for my driver? thanks

They used to give out a Bronze medal. Must have been too insulting. Agree, the big OEM's dominate the show. Callaway has some interesting stuff, for sure. Waiting for it to hit my local shops. The new driver technology seems to be dumbing down adjustability. Hybrids are on my purchase list for 2014. Saw some good ones.

I've been thumbing through the latest Golf Digest Hot List of drivers for 2014 - dangerous stuff! My takeaway is that manufacturers are going for less/easier adjustments and promoting forgiveness and high launch. Do we really need 86 ways to screw up a driver? I find it frustrating how quickly the focus of new technology changes, leaving me feeling out of date. Kind'a like Apple hyping an iProduct and then releasing a slightly better version 2 weeks later! After reviewing the hot list, I'm developing a new thought about "custom fitting" a driver - would I be better off building a driver to my specs or getting fit (lot's of swings at golf shop into net and choosing which one I like the best) and buying off the rack? Here is a list of thoughts about a driver head that would suit my needs... 1. minimal adjustability - I made on adjustment on my R1 - loft, everything else is stock 2. square to slightly closed at address 3. medium to large sized head for workability and some forgiveness 4. COG designed for medium ball launch and low spin 5. face construction that will last? I'm concerned that my R1's adjustable face technology may result in the face going flat sooner than others. As long as I have something that's "hot" and durable, I'm good. 6. prefer black in color with some alignment aid 7. feel and sound at impact is personal. I like the sound of Titleist, my R1 and my former Ping i15. All have/had a solid feel and somewhat muted pop at impact. I purchased an R1 at the end of last year. I don't plan to make a driver change (thoughts creeping in), but a shaft change may be in order. Afterall, isn't it the shaft that makes the club? I talked with a club fitter and they informed me good aftermarket shafts will easily run $300! With new drivers costing $300-$500, how good is the shaft? What am I paying for - the head or the shaft? If it's the head, then how cheap is the shaft? This particular fitter lead me to believe stock shafts are very budget oriented - maybe worth $75 - $100. That means low tech compared to the $300 model, right? Armed with this information, I'm opening myself up to considering building a driver. Driver heads are abundant and used ones can be purchased somewhat inexpensively. Hard part will be finding somewhere that has a large inventory of shafts. First, the driver head... any suggestions, old or new, that would fit my specs/needs? Thanks amac

Way better. New move has been easy to adopt. I have a follow up lesson this Friday.

Mvmac, you are spot on. I will spend more time in front of a mirror rehearsing the arm separation move. Your swing on the left reminds of me. Especially the early release and high left shoulder. I had a 2 hour range session this morning working on most of the lessons. It's going to take some time. The move left is easy. Staying closed will take getting used to. The turn and thrust finish is harder than I thought. I've got a bob in my follow through instead of just locking out the left leg. So many things! Thanks for the post.

Not really complaining. Just expressing my frustrations. I honestly thought my swing was more sound than Brian. I had a lesson about 3 months ago with another guy using track man. He didn't go after the same things as Brian. Brian knows what's going on. I fully trust his teachings and will be back for more.

Good advice. I'm not at a resort club. It's English Turn in New Orleans, LA. As a club member, the lesson's run $100 per hour. A pretty good deal for a highly rated teaching pro. He actually spent closer to 1-1/2 hours with me. And please don't think I was being snooty giving his credentials. I was just laying out the situation. I've taken plenty of lessons from club pro's that know how to swing the club. Personally, I'm looking for a teacher I can trust and connect with. I gave this guy a try because he is nationally recognized. Curiosity brought me to him. The fact that he screwed up my swing is gonna bring me back! LOL. FWIW, I did notice huge improvement in the video analysis by the end of my session. I believe he will get me on the right track. Thanks

Agreed. I can't believe he threw so much at me at once. But, the moves work together. Right now I'm trying to work in the lateral shift with hips and shoulders closed and the follow through. The arm thing can wait, mainly because I have no idea what he's looking for. Trying to be patient, but I have my first member golf association match next weekend and really want to have my swing manageable. Will see.

Sticking with my 2014 goals, I had my first lesson of 2014 with a new pro at my course. This is guy is a top 50 of the top 100 teaching pros as published in the latest Golf Digest magazine. I figured he had to know what he was doing, right? After the pleasantries and telling him about my limited golf background, past teachers and personal goals, I gave him three swings recorded on Track Man and then it began. Bad turn. Bad shoulders. Bad plane. Bad angle of attack. Bad, bad, bad. Man, he broke me down and shattered my image of my golf swing. I shot 79 last weekend and this pro was breaking me down like a beginner. Apparently, I've developed my own swing mechanisms to compensate for my badness! And I thought I was getting better. So, I went into this lesson looking for and expecting some fine tuning and I came out with a whole new swing. The new move may be familiar to many here, but it's the opposite of what I've been doing and thinking is the right thing. The only thing he didn't change was my address and takeaway. After that, oh boy. First, the move left. He emphasized the lateral hip move to the left while staying CLOSED. Additionally, I had to get my left shoulder lower than my right. My first move left was to drop my right shoulder and elbow - moving towards the slot. Not anymore. This idea wasn't hard to accept, but the synchronization of my swing has to adjust. As I make this move left, I'm now supposed to get my hands further from my body - create a wider arc. So, somehow, the hands begin to move while I shift down and left, keeping my hips and shoulder closed to my target (pointing somewhat backwards). My arms and shoulders want to move together, not anymore!? I don't understand this at all and have no idea how to incorporate this into my swing. I will definitely be looking for my info on this move and how to install this into my swing. It's on the back burner for now. Then, as I make the final approach and turn towards the ball, I am supposed to fire up and away? Hit the wall. Spin out. Thrust toward the ball/target, but stop moving forward/down the target line. Apparently, my swing before yesterday continued too far forward and left and thus zapped my energy/swing speed. Idea is slinging a club down the range with the left hand. Spin away, not down the line to create speed. Makes sense, but it's so different from what I've been doing. I spent a couple hours after my round today practicing this move. I placed a bag stand next to my left leg and made swings consciously not hitting the stand. It seemed to help ingrain the idea. He called me a tugger. My arms stayed close to the body and followed the shoulders. I thought the shoulders turn and the arms follow? If the arms are moving, shouldn't the shoulders also be moving? According to this pro, I need to learn to allow my arms to swing more freely. All of this is going to take some getting used to. I took these new swing thoughts to the course today to play with my regular group. I warmed up great. Made a routine par on 1, then all hell broke loose. I went on to shoot 90. Needless to say, I had a few things on my mind with every swing. As mentioned, I spent a couple of hours after my round working on the new swing moves and began to flush everything. I will return tomorrow and work some more. Anyone else feel as though lessons just screw everything up? I'm curious to hear from others that are familiar with the swing moves noted above. If you can elaborate on the concepts, I'd like to hear. Thanks and have a great 2014 golf season. amac

Putter has been sounding and feeling great ever since I had the tweak done! I've made more 5 footers the last two rounds that have lead to lower scores. : ) Also, I changed out my grip to one that closely resembles the old GP Pride Special. I love this grip. It gives great feedback and I believe has increased my touch on short putts. Previously, I had a Winn oversized pistol grip. I just couldn't get a feel for it. All of the foam padding between your hands and the shaft equals NO FEEL.