TMO

Agreed. This explains why a golfer like Charles Howell III can hit the ball farther than Lumpy. It is not the golfer you are throwing but how efficiently the golfer hits the golf ball. So here is my very, very brief take away (since Erik did one). 1. Swing speed is important (duh!) 2. Impact is important (duh, part 2) 3. Maintaining your swing speed through impact leads to the most amount of energy possible being transfered to the golf ball. 4. Thus, ball go far.

I love to see the debate here but I have to throw in something else. I won't say much but isn't the formula that you would use to figure the amount of energy transferred to a golf ball significantly more complicated. In an isolated system, yes, you can rely on energy to be transfered in a very predictable way. However, this isn't just like you are throwing the club head at the golf ball at a 100 mph. Where you add in a larger mass (golfer) that is providing the momentum to the golf club head then don't you have to account for not just impact but seperation as well? Sorry if I just made this more complicated for those of you that don't speak nerd.

Goodness. That's a hard question. I think that each golfer is different. I don't know about that 2-3K balls to adapt to a change though. I think the more closely you monitor your swing - video - the faster that you are going to be able to train your body. Personally, it takes me about 300-400 well monitored balls to make a major swing change and a couple hundred at most to make a minor swing change. Keep in mind, that assumes that what I am trying to do I actually am doing. If you are not, then the ball amount could be infinite.

Little confused with your stats. Can you add a few things. How many doubles, triples, or quads did you have? How many penalties did you have? How many 3 putts did you have? How many times did you try to hit a chip, pitch, or any other short game shot and not end up on the green? I am betting that while short game is a part of this that course management is a part of it too. But don't know without that information.

I agree with TMO. Hold on, I am TMO. Zeph has the right idea. If you want a simple way to think about it just think about maintaining your acceleration through the ball. Tour players do it better than amateurs. You get the most of your swing speed. I think that is simplified enough but maybe I made it too simple. If so, refer to my site :)

If you think that is funny, try doing it during a Monday practice round for a mini-tour event. Some of the other guys on the course thought we were drunk. We actually had a player from GT at the time who had qualified (not going to name names) ask us to wear skirts for the first round on Thursday. Too bad he didn't make the cut.

I've been considering going to top golf in Alexandria Virginia but it was just a pretty far drive. I might have to drop by based on the review. Looks fun.

I love mine but to each their own

I have a challenge for any golfer of any skill level. Next time you go out to the course play the women's tees. Ok, I'm going to stop the macho talk. I am saying this because when I was prepping for tournaments every now me and a buddy would play one of our practice rounds from the ladies tees. The basic idea was to get used to the idea of scoring low on the course. Between the two of us, our low was 63 so don't think it is just a stroll in the park. So next time you go play, try to convince your foursome to play the entire round from the reds. It can be really fun and if you are playing skins birdie is a must have not par. Enjoy and let me know how it goes.

I am probably the worst person to give advice considering I putting is what kept me from winning tournaments but something that helped me with the yips was practicing putting with my eyes closed. It helps you feel the club more so you don't get tempted to do some crazy kind of acceleration or deceleration. Again, I suck at putting so be warned.

I know this could spark some disagreement but I wouldn't change your ball position simply because that means that you are going to be changing your swing plane as well as a few other parts of your swing. If you want to hit the ball lower with the same swing plane, you can simply narrow your stance. The tension that your body creates will shorten your swing and allow you to maintain your lag easier. With more lag, you deloft the club hitting the ball lower. Again, just my opinion though.

Thanks. Hope you play well.

I am not struggling with hitting hooks or even having problems hitting hooks. This is more of a survey. I am just curious to see how different players approach hitting a controlled hook. Thanks.

I don't like posting my own article but since you did ask for an article with videos I suppose it is appropriate to post my own article. Enjoy. http://www.kinestheticgolf.com/2008/11/quiet-legs.html

I am going to say this as nicely as I can. The guy at golfsmith does not know your swing like your teacher does. If your teacher says one thing and the guy that was trained for a few hours on club fitting says another, I would go with your teacher.

Made me laugh too. Ok, my mild retort. Distance is something that I do feel that too many golfers focus on but let's be honest, it still is fun. When Tiger came on tour he was a game changer because he was a long ball hitter that was accurate (at least more accurate than John Daly). Hold on, who isn't more accurate than John Daly. Anyhow, a random person can walk onto a green and make a putt. Even hackers can knock a 7 iron onto the green every now and then. But hitting the ball 300 yards down the middle of the fairway is something that just isn't done by that many people, even with all the golf technology. So while I agree that perhaps the focus should be a little more on a combination of distance and accuracy, long drivers are still really darn fun.

Last match play tournament I played in I lost because I started thinking too much about the score. Honestly, what ever you were doing to get to up 4 is EXACTLY the way that you should play the rest of the holes. Only when you get down should you really press. By the way, if you do blow your lead (which I hope you won't) I wouldn't be too worried about it. Happens to everyone so don't psych yourself out over it.

Mats and irons don't mix. If you can avoid it you need to. I developed a ganglion cyst because of it and those suckers are painful. More importantly, most mats don't allow you to take a swing with a divot so you teach yourself a different swing. Not a good thing to do considering there aren't many turf golf courses.

I played MP33's for a year and loved them but I kept mine in immaculate condition. Based on the condition I wouldn't even consider them. Blades are meant to be babied.

Lag is what you are missing. With a SW you should have approximately 15 degrees of lag. It's hard to tell but it appears that your shaft is perfectly vertical at impact.

My understanding, and seriously it has been a LONG time since I played an event, was that it was part of the Tour rules that you must have a caddie and he or she must carry your bag.

Hybrid - Alidila Voodoo (graphite) Irons - Rifle 6.5 (Steel)

My summer reading is case law. I wish it was To Kill a Mockingbird. Good book, fun movie. Oedipus Rex = sick book, hope there's no movie. Good luck. With your school year.

My wife was 2 hours away. I drove to see her 3 or 4 times a week. It was a headache but worth it. Not to sound like Dr. Phil but considering your age I wouldn't worry too much about it. Put in the effort but if it isn't working out it isn't working out. There are plenty of fish in the sea if you know what I mean. You'll be ok.

I have been thinking about going to see a guy from TPI. I see him every now and then at the range and he can get me back in shape and can get me back on tour. Honestly, not in the cards for me unless someone gives me a few million to screw around and forget about my legal education but whatever. He seems nice but without having an MD in front of your name I am a little nervous when people start saying they can "fix" my back.