ninetwothree

natural? what the hell is natural with golf? you stand like almost no other sport, swing in a circle like no other motion, and hit a stationary object to the side !?!? golf is not natural and it never will be. So therefore you must hold the club appropriately, stand appropriately, and have a swing style that follows science. i for one am tired of people coming up with excuses as to why they cant do something with golf because its not natural. most of the players on this site probably have motions that resemble an octopus falling from a tree, so the feelings they get of swinging on plane are 'awkward, weird, crazy' so they don't do it and refer back to their Shank N Crank swings and tell people that their swing instructor was awful and wonder why they aren't getting better. Read a book. do some homework. golf isn't easy, but once you set up in a way that falls into correct parameters, you'll be better able to follow some science. Good luck to all those "it feels bad so its wrong" players... i wish you luck and when i show up with a half set of 40 year old clubs and one golf ball, you best pay up

keep your hands on the club and improve your pivot

Why GOLF fitness? half of you guys are fat, out of shape, and have awful eating habits, so why not start with something thats basic and generic. Golf fitness is very yoga and pilates based, when a basic program and running, biking, or jogging should be your best starting point.

With a proper understanding of the pivot, strength and flexibility isn't as important as knowing what is supposed to happen. Dont' get me wrong though - it definitely can help. Shoulders turn in a circle and hips have to maintain their slant at address. The knees will help this and so will an understanding of the proper bending of the spine from left to right.

Are you looking for what other golfers think when they're a few under with a couple to go? This goes much deeper than figuring out 'what should I be thinking about' You'll have to search yourself to figure that one out. Its part of your personality and character.

The Direction Versus Distance Debate. It would not surprise me if BubbaWatson could hit his 9iron 185 yards with a towering draw, but he doesn't look to play that shot. Clearly if you are playing the game of golf to keep score, and you have an general understanding of how not to make Big numbers, then you are concerned with your accuracy over your distance, however, I understand that it is a fine line. And, to the OP who wants to make a comparison, I think that's healthy. We all benchmark our game against something. Right now, 125 on the pgatour hits 63% of his greens, 60% of his fairways and averages 282 off the tee. 1.64 putts per green (29.6 putts per round), as well as getting up and down 53% of the time when the green is missed. Does anyone have someone like Phil's yardages? Or how about Justin Rose, who's 123 on the money list, 124 on the fedex points list, and a scoring average of 72.00, which is 162 in scoring. I guess the only issue with benchmarking yardages is that it can get to you, mostly likely not in a positive way, and may affect a shot or two on the course... again, not in a positive way. TIGER'S CLUBS: Driver: 285 yards (of carry) 3 Wd: 265 yards (of carry) 2 Iron: 245 yards 3 Iron: 230 yards 4 Iron: 220 yards 5 Iron: 208 yards 6 Iron: 190 yards 7 Iron: 172 yards 8 Iron: 158 yards 9 Iron: 142 yards Pitching Wedge: 128 yards Sand Wedge: 106 yards Lob Wedge (60°): 92 yards Source(s): golfchannel.com, 2008 pshhh... I got him beat

Use the sticks for monitoring ball position, target line, toe line, and can be a visual to the path I'm trying to feel. Stick them in the ground on an incline to work on staying on plane, or you can put one in the ground just on the other side of your ball to monitor your pivot. You can monitor hip turn and slant by putting one in the 2 belt loops outside your buckle and make sure your arms don't hit the stick on the way down. You can hold on the stick and the club and trace the target line to make sure the shaft is on plane. I like putting it straight in the ground on my target line about 8 yards ahead of my ball. I try to work it left and right of the stick - mostly right though. Its amazing for perception on where the ball should be 8 yards after impact. For putting, find the fall line on the green so that you have a straight putt. You can use 2 and make tracks or use 1 and monitor the line outside your ball to the outside of the cup. If you can roll it parallel to the stick, you can make putts. This also helps with your eyes get used actually aiming at what your'e looking at. Again, you can stick one in the green and monitor head movement. Best $2 training aid on the market.

the ball goes as far as it goes. it is what it is and golfers should match their shot to the required distance, and not match a distance and require club. Dave hits his 8 iron 155 so that means I have to as well. Not so. I hit my wedge about 128, my 8 iron 153, my 6 iron 182, and my hybrid club 232. My driver flies 264 in the air with a draw and 270 with a fade. Those are MY numbers based on what I CAN DO and I can change the distances based on different shots and set up adjustments. There are too many golfers trying to match other peoples distances and I think it forces bad swing mechanics and tempo. why dont you try matching shoes sizes and then think about how silly it sounds?

I think his comment about phil and paring #15 leading to a win was awful, but that goes with everything I would expect from Johnny Miller. He was asked about what he thought of Glover winning and he started by talking about Phil, and the cinderella story with Amy and the 4 runner ups, and the rest of Johnny's own personal agenda. But that's MY take because some may like his personal opinion but I would take a Feherty/McCord day over any combo possible. Maybe throw in Faldo for some awkward humour because it would be over his head. Does anyone remember when Johnny's son Andy was playing on tour? he lasted about 18 months I think and in every broadcast and no matter who the player was, Johnny would start saying "My son Andy had this putt" and "my son Andy was in that grass" and Andy ended up quitting golf - and becoming a priest. not to say that the two were related, but if I played in the NHL and my father the broadcaster talked about the goals I scored on every particular goalie, it would probably be annoying and I would get some crap for it. I have to say that I am not impressed with Johnny as a broadcaster because of his smug, arrogant-like, over confident, living off my ball striking days shooting 63 at oakmont attitude which appears at unnecessary times and mostly in a negative fashion to players not on "johnny's USA ONLY list".

When he had the club across the line early on, he felt a bunch of pressure on that finger on the way down and it was all about the callouses. Since he went to Haney and has it on the opposite side of the line, it holds pressure rather than throws it. superstitious sounds about right...

I find that is the Dangling of the Carrot to us. A golf doc can't get into unique and individual advice in a novel aimed at the masses, so these books explain why things happened they way they did. For instance, most books will tell the reader the education and science behind a particular 'mental breakdown' and all the reasons for it, but there are few that give you tools and habits to make sure this doesn't happen again. There are books by Dr. Gio, Dr. Cohn, winters, rotella, graham, and the list goes on but if you are looking for what makes YOU not do it again, you have to see them... 1 on 1.. and find out whats up with YOU. I don't normally advocate products online but I found the most comprehensive self education tool is the gamebook pro by golfpsych.com. For a simple approach that will require some self reflection, I recommend reading all the books by the doc's listed above and create your own idea.... then share with us all here!

That's awesome about a certified facility. There's alot of good information in the S&T; guys. When you address the ball and you look at a picture from down the line, the hips are slanted down... you can see the belt of a player on and angle where the buckle points to the ground. If you turn your hips level to the belt, your right hip has to get higher to trace UP the cirlce, or the belt...... and if you turn your hips level to the ground, you're coming out of posture. The right hip higher is great feel and visual for the proper hip rotation. They should turn level to their address position and Not the ground.

the bobby knight approach to golf lessons. my first coach used to walk around me in circles muttering why I could not figure it out. Was he saying it wrong or did I not know how to accept his information? the best part about the student-player relationship is the communication. The teacher has to be able to teach you the info in a way you need to learn it, and not accept it the way the teacher knows how to explain it. If you had to make an analogy about a tv show, you will have to find a show that can relate to what the student would watch and not what the instructor likes. If the student's needs come first and the teachers information second, they will both come out on top.

I see and thanks for the other post. I didn't know S&T; had certified teachers? There are so many different ways to swing it as long as you know what works. If a swing can be described like a puzzle, with certain pieces fitting in certain places, and yours is a picture of a ferrari, don't add a piece from a porsche. Good to hear you are making positive changes and not ranting like another disappointed student. If you're working on moves like hogan, you're crushing that can into the ground. nice model to choose from too!

Good move to S&T.; Keep us posted on how you're finding it! I worked on what the S&T; guys call the elk drill, which is raising the right hip and extending the right knee at address to get the feeling of the proper hip slant. The feeling of high will match the pictures of rotated. Crush the can and hold the wedge!

I chip with the club that will produce the right shot - sorry if that sounds a little too easy. When I practice, I do 2 things: 1. chip with the same club from the same spot to different targets 2. chip with different clubs from the same spot to the same target. My coach tells me that the setup positions determine the shot flight, so after I have setup to make sure I am ready to hit the shot, I try to get the feel of how I'm going to do make the swing. Hitting an 8 iron to a short sided pin is all about feel and how you think the ball will go through and bounce off the grass. He just sent me this video, which helps me with my setup plan. I hope this helps. When I play golf, I focus on my setup, then get the feel right. This is my only focus for the summer and my scores are dropping each week.

its been said: you are unwinding from the top down, and not from the ground up. There are many ways to get the club tracing a different path but it's a complete change to your pattern. Get the weight on your front foot early, get your right elbow tucked to your side sooner which will help keep your right shoulder from going out (it should go down), and learn to get the feelings of swinging to first base, rather than 3rd.

for the 9 to 3 drill, the focus is normally on speed and your ball contact. look for good feelings and the sound of contact and a consistent flight will come.

Try Stack & Tilt. My father had a hip replacement and he has never played better.

Someone wrote about the body stalling. That's your key. If the inside stops the outside speeds up. Try hitting it far with a punch shot action. If you're snapping it, the clubface is rotating too fast so you need to slow that down. Also try the drill below. I was hitting draws because my weight was too far back so I was given this drill:

It was tough to watch Stricker almost hand it to them. Clark hit it great this week........chalk up another good ball striking day for a S&T; guy. I wish he had of made a putt coming down the stretch.

I agree. Not maintaining your spine angle so you're getting taller. Try a drill where you stay in your posture for the whole swing. Look at these: and

The last time I went to the range I practice 2 things: my preshot and my target practice. I like to go the range and work on mechanics so this is already tough for me. In my preshot routine I pick a yardage and then I stand there and try to think about what the shot would look like. Then I hit it before I lose the thought. The target practice is fun because I never hit the right club. I'll hit 6 iron to 150 instead of 8... lots of pw inside 100 yards.

Even closer to tour. 3 out of 5 greens with 1.72 putts per green. That's solid.

I ordered it and havent got them yet. I had a short game school last weekend that was fantastic and helped alot. I think the pro is going to put some video up from the clinic. Can anyone compare this video with the UTley book?