mgresh

Found this interesting post...looks like it may apply here. http://www.tourspecgolf.com/forum/t27356.html

I have an old M1-X that I got back in the early 90s that I played and loved for many years. I think I only stopped playing it because the epoxy joining the shaft to the head came loose and I never repaired it. Now that you mention it...I may have to get that one out of the garage

Assuming you're a righty, there really shouldn't be a whole lot of grip pressure in the area where you got your blister. You're left hand should be most firm in your last two or three fingers so you might just try lightening the grip pressure on the finger with the blister, as well as the fingers of your right hand where the overlap is, and see where that goes. An old drill is to grip the club in your left hand between your last two or three fingers and the heel of your hand. You should be able to lift the club up, fairly comfortably with your left arm, with only those portions of your hand touching the club. If you can simulate this feeling with the full grip, and maintain fairly consistent pressure through the swing, then your dishwasher hands theory may be all your suffering from.

What I'm referring to mainly is that the idea of the "hinge and hold" is very similar to what Utley is wanting to happen with the hand/arm action. Phil even says in one part of the video something about he's able to take the clubhead well back but his arms have hardly moved at all (because of the "hinge"). This is almost exactly what Stan teaches as well as the delofting of the club through impact by lagging or "holding" as Phil would say it. So, you make the hinge and hold that angle through impact by pivoting. If you watch Phil, he may not say this but his action is showing it. Utley is definitely more "around" in his method especially in the area of tucking the respective elbows back and through (right and left for a righty). This produces a more pronounced open to closed motion but to me still similar in look as Phil's.

Einstein said everything should be made as simple as possible, but not simpler. I think that applies perfectly to golf in the sense that I try to hit what the circumstances call for and what I can realistically accomplish given my level of ability. If I'm just out dorking around I'll try all sorts of things but if I'm worried about my score in competition I try to keep it simple and within myself. That said, when I feel my creativity on the course is a bit stifled, I'll go out and play 9 or 18 holes with just one club (my last was with a 7 iron but any mid to long iron will suffice). Talk about some "specialty" shots

I'll start by saying that I thought the video was good overall. I haven't had a chance to take it to the course yet but the foundation element is the "hinge and hold" and is loosely similar to the Utley method but with an open stance and club face. I did notice that there isn't a lot of talk about what is going on in the lower body other than weight distribution which may confuse some folks as to what to do with that part. There is very obviously a "pivot" going on but Phil doesn't really talk about that, as Utley does, so my advice is to get the Utley book on the short game and follow what goes on with him from a lower body perspective while incorporating Phil's alignment principles. I loved Phil's dialogue. It adds an element of humor that is sorely missing in many of these videos but may rub some folks the wrong way. Having grown up playing some high school and junior golf with Phil, I recognize that this is just his personality but the comment at the end where he tells people that now they have all the shots he uses and not to ask him how he hits them anymore may come off as arrogant to some.

My first experience in competition was a 9 hole stroke play event when I was 8 years old (1980). I played a cut down set of women's Patty Berg irons donated by the boys club, a mish mash of my great grandmother's reject laminate woods, and the only new club I'd ever had which was my very own bullseye putter. I think I shot about 10 or 11 over par and came in second. Didn't feel any pressure because at 8 years of age I don't think the concept exists

I couldn't agree more with #2. It is a great drill to do in practice and some folks even use it during play.

I hit a guy once back in high school after sculling about a 30 yard pitch shot over the green. The tee box for the next hole at this particular course was right behind the green (brilliant design), I yelled fore and he ducked. Well, the ball hit the edge of the cart path he was standing on (on the fly) and bounced directly up into his cheek and left a huge bruise. I felt absolutely horrible and thought for sure he was going to come back there and kick my ass. However, he was very sympathetic when it was all said and done but I've been extra sensitive about yelling fore ever since though I don't think that could have been avoided since I yelled in plenty of time anyway...just bad luck.

First piece of advice I'd give is to get on a swing monitor and try a some drivers. Then when you've narrowed it down to a few, take them out on the range or course and see what works best for what you're looking for. There are all kinds of variables that affect trajectory and (to overly simplify) a setup that's relatively low for one person may be high for another and vice versa.

Zeph...not criticizing...just answering the question on whether my divots are straight or not but putting it in terms that are relative to what "straight" really is.

Hey guys, Zeph, you're right about this having been discussed at length in previous posts but the way that I've been taught and found most evident in reality is that if you draw a line through the ball to the target, at no point should your club ever go "outside" that line. It should move inside going back, touch through impact and move back inside on the way through. I tend to cross this line from the inside to outside at impact typically producing what you would term a "natural" draw, with divots which angle right of my target and foot lines but a clubface square to these. My goal of course is to have each of these square to square at all times and just adjust my target and foot lines right or left depending on the shape desired. It seems to me the best ball strikers don't have a lot of movement one way or the other as far as shape goes...Sean O'Hair comes to mind...his shots just sort of "fall" one way or the other. I know this has to do quite a bit with equipment these days but this has been the case in my observation. Again, there is another thread that debates this in detail with article references, physics lectures, etc. but for my purposes and having played, studied and taken lessons for 30 years this works the best for me. I will tell you that $2.00 alignment sticks, or whatever folks want to call them (they're really just driveway markers), are the best investment from a practice aid perspective I've made for golf as there are numerous drills for this very topic that they can be used for.

That's very interesting and a refreshing point of view from Mr. Moore. I applaud him.

Pelz vs. Utley maybe

I'm with that thought totally. I'd never been too good at these shots until I started employing some of the Utley technique. Now, I can achieve this shot with my 58 relatively easily...just have to make sure that left wrist is bowed at impact and the ball isn't too far back.