DBeane

There is a ball, I believe, made by Dave Pelz called "almost golf", they are yellow. Also, Calloway has some out. They are a relatively soft material yet heavy enough to where you can feel the shot on the club face and it behaves similar to a real ball. These are great around the house or if you use a hitting net in the back yard. -Beane

LOL, Amen. Minnie tours and drug usage, it would be easy to decide who to test, it would be the guy whos Mom was following him around in the fairway screaming "what pawn shop did you take my silverware to this time!!!" -Beane

Thats great!! She puts a pretty good move on it. Get her into a single digit handicap and hello scholarship. -Beane

I would say tilt your head back with the angle of your spine. I believe the body has a tendancy to orient itself based on what the eyes are telling it. In other words if your set up properly with the correct spine tilt at address, yet your head is straight up and down, during the swing your back/spine will have a tendancy to want to straighten up. This can cause a lot of excess movement that will lead to ball striking problems. Try setting up 70% Left Foot 30% Right Foot, yet keeping your head behind the ball. Many people (I believe) get confused with the term spine "tilt", and they end up leaning back of their right foot at address. -Beane

I dont think this will ever be a problem on the PGA tour. I just dont know of a drug that would be beneficial to a golfer. Golf is such a balance of power, touch, creativity, good temperment, coordination...I dont know of a drug that would enhance all of these. -Beane

I would say a correct swing plane is better. I am still a fan of the old Hogan plane of glass image. Your swing plane will vary with set-up and height (or height of the player). I believe I heard Jim Flick say one time that a goal of many students of the swing is to figure out ways keep the blade square while in the hitting zone the longest. Its seems to me that this is best accomplished with a shallower approach to the ball. So...I prefer flat to upright, it just seems like there is less room for error the more upright one gets. -Beane

I guess I am going to have to read up on the Stack and Tilt so I can chime in on these discussions. I do think its funny that many of the swing "methods" that come down the pipe all point towards Hogan and say "look he did it", from the 1 plane, to the 8 step swing, I saw an infomercial talking about some "two cheek" swing, to "the final missing piece", all claiming too pull some new hidden secret out of Hogans swing. I guess people are always looking for an easy way out....it doesnt exist. Just by looking at the S&T; swing, it does appear that it would take some strain off your back. Also, it seems like it would be easier to teach & consiquently to learn. The pivot out of the 5 lessons can be confusing, and I do believe that most players dont have the time to develop it properly. Its off the the library... -Beane

Congrats, you do some things well that are hard to teach. If your miss is a pulled shot (or it starts left of the target), you may want to add some spine tilt at address. At address move your hips slightly towards the target. This will create the tilt necessary to give you more room to approach the ball from the inside. Remember to keep your head still. Good luck, Beane

Go buy Hogans book "Five Lessons, The Modern Fundamentals of Golf". -Beane

Not to sound sarcastic. A good swing shouldnt break down that easy. True, your head can cause problems, however a good swing and solid ball striking builds confidence, confidence leads to good or improving trips to the track. I would get a second opinion from a different instructor. An instructor saying "its between your ears" to someone struggling to break 90, is like a preacher saying your sick because you don't give enough money to his church. Good luck, -Beane

As long as your not conciously cupping your left wrist you should be fine. There are success stories with both positions. I prefer a flat left wrist to a cupped one, I think it eleminates a variable (however there is a big but with that statement...). If you are blocking the ball (i.e. it is starting right of the target and staying there). The first place I usually look is the finish. You could be hanging back on your right side. Try this: The next few swings you make, try folding your left arm up quicker after impact (the ol' swing left of the targer or shake hands with the target idea). This should get the ball moving back to the target. If this fixes the issue, great. If not, tell your instructore you need to work on your finish. If thats not it, then it is a swing plane issue. Good luck, -Beane

I remember being in the buisness, and the only time I would play is late in the day. The mowers have been gone for 12+ hours so ants have time to set up shop. Gnats, flies and mesquitos all seem to get worse late in the day. -Beane

I have to agree. I have never been a fan of the ol' "release the club" thing. I have always thought the squaring of the blade was a result of good grip/arm/body work. If I'm asked, I usually tell people that if your conciously having to roll your hands or forearms to square the club then you are doing something wrong. -Beane

I have always thought (and strive for) a swing that allows me to use both left to right and right to left shots. I dont know where the term originated, if I had to guess I would say you could probably credit Jack with the term. The left to right shot I have heard called many names; cut, fade, cunny thumb, power fade, tumbling fade (this seems to be the new one). I suppose that what you call it is personal preference. I usually say cut shot or fade. -Beane

You may be swaying off the ball taking the club back. I have seen players that do this can sometimes manage to stay behind the ball and catch the flatter clubs clean. When you try and really stay down and through a short iron, if you are still hitting it thin, or the ball flares off to the right with no snap to it. Excessive lateral movement is usually one of the culprits. Focus on keeping your head steady, and make sure you get through the shot (or that your not hanging back or your right side). This should help clean up your ball striking. -Beane

I'm sure there is a practical side to it. For me its a pride thing, my deuce and three iron arent going anywhere. If Tiger ever starts carrying a hybrid then I will quit golf. -Beane

I was talking with an old pro out at Austin Country Club one time about wrist cock, and wrist angles, etc... He said there was to much emphasise placed on it, and that there was a lot to be said about "clean contact". I think Mr. stricker is the poster boy for hitting it solid. I think clean contact with a square club face will translate into distance. However I know plenty of guys that swing the club 120 mph that cant hit it out of their shadow. -Beane

Its telling that you mention the issue flares up with the longer clubs. Even though modern equipment and modern golf teaching re-inforces all the time to "let the club do the work". People have a tendancy to sway off the ball(I think almost instinctivly) to help get the ball airborn. Mats can be deceptive, the club can easily skid into the ball (especially with the bounce on some of the new irons). This can give you some skewed feedback. I found myself fighting this earlier this year (and I'm no slouch), completely ruined 2 tournaments I played in. I took one look at myself on video and the lateral movement of my head was the culprit. I couldnt believe I let such a rookie mistake creep back into my swing. I started working pretty hard on getting some flexibility back and doing some sit ups. Sitting behind a desk all day can be cancerous to a golf swing. I am of the opinion that one needs to be in decent shape to do some moves correctly. Getting one's set up under control and keeping ones head still is where all repairs start (my opinion). Good luck, -Beane

If I was a top touring pro celebrity, I would have at least one, maybe three. I think its a bit stereotypical to presume that having a beautifull blond bombshell wife is "shallow". Most of these chicks have graduated from major universities, contribute their time to charities, etc.. Something tells me if you had the choice between a 5 foot 6 220 pound, chain smoking red head (not that there is anything wrong with that), or Justin's wife, ol' bustin Justin would be going home alone. -Beane

I have alway thought the "spin out", was a symptom of a poor pivot. Keep your head still, yet make sure to get through the shot. You may try pointing your chin at your left foot at address (your a lefty correct?), try and keep it there until until your left shoulder brings it up. It is tough to spin out of a shot with this set up. The key is to keep your head still. If you are swaying off the ball or sliding through the shot, that would void out your set up efforts. Rememer to keep everying under control when you are working on a fix Good Luck, -Beane

High, short, right (assuming your right handed). These symptoms usually mean you are sliding through the ball. Your head is moving towards the target as you are going through the ball. Work on keeping your head still, if they are still going right, then you are excessivly "outside-in" with your swing plane. That isnt just day surgery, fixing that will require some effort on you part. Good luck, -Beane

I am a card magician, and I often spend hours in my back yard with a mower making it look like a minny golf course (I dont get to play as much as I need to). -Beane

Lots of interesting solutions out here. The "S" word, I have found, usually can be cured with some set up revisions. Particularly weight distribution on your feet at address. Sometimes I have noticed people are to far back on their heels at address. This causes some movement that can create that type of miss. Get your weight out towards the balls of your feet, also make sure your not crowding the ball. Anytime your trying to fix a miss, always start at address. -Beane

My thoughts: *Set up is critical. If your set up is off, that can throw you off the scent if your looking for a solution to a problem (especially a swing plane issue) *You seem to crowd the ball a bit. I prefer to see the hands more under the chin. If you look at Els and Hogan at address (I mention those two for height contrast). Both of them have quite a bit of air between the butt end of the club and the zipper on their trousers. This will give you more room to get back on plane. *I also prefer weight to be on the balls of ones feet. You can get into trouble if there is too much weight on your heels at address (this seems to cause some periodic movement with ones body that can be problamatic, I didnt necessarily see this in the video, but you mentioned some heel strikes). Conclusion, check you set up. I think you will find setting up a little better will make it easier to revise your swing plane. -Beane

To mini moes comments, thats all good medicine. Especially the notes on staying connected. When I think connected I think of guys like Elkington, Peter Lonard, Hogan. It is amazing to watch how (not simple) but tight and connected their swings are. Good medicine. -Beane