alfriday

I regularly grill frozen steaks. When lighting the grill, I lay down a sheet of aluminum foil. When the grill gets to 400 degrees, I put the frozen steak down on the foil. For an inch and a half thick ribeye, I go 5 minutes, flip, 5 minutes, flip, 5 minutes more , flip and 5 minutes more. Remove the foil and finish over the flame until the correct internal temperature. Finishing over the flame gives it the charcoal taste/carbon scoring but cooking from frozen seals in the juices.

It's interesting you bring up Ron Sisson. I watched his 8 part video just before Christmas. His before /after video is enlightening. I think for absolute beginners, his approach is right on. I rewatched the videos today after your post. His approach and Shawn Clement's are very similar. They both emphasize feeling the club head and swinging the club with out worrying about positions and individual body part manipulations. The main difference is Simmons talks of the club head contacting the ball as the key focus that directs everything, while Shawn talks about swing to the target as the key focus. The body responds to the goal. What I like about Shawn's approach is he has practical drills that help to improve the swing overall--the feet together drill, one leg drill, walking drill etc. These have helped me to stay centered while swinging fully. Sisson's videos present a basic philosophy, but don't really go much beyond that. He talks about things he does with more advanced golfers that help them to improve. These steps he calls the "icing on the cake." I view Shawn's videos as that icing on the cake.

This is why I really like the teaching method of Shawn Clement on Youtube.

My mental focus is on the target. Specifically, the imaginary line from the ball to my intermediate point such that I swing on that line and to the target (the flag, middle of the green, tree in the distance...). I look at the ground between the ball and the club head with the intent to swing through the ball catching ball first, grass and ground second. If I focus on a part of the ball, I then make the ball the target and all sorts of bad things happen.

I have the orange whip. It is effective if used correctly. I use it primarily for tempo. It helps with the "pause" at the top of the backswing. It helps with timing. But, and there is always a but, if I start to swing it too quickly, it actually messes up my swing. It's a good work out, but not great on timing when you get it going too fast. I have to be very careful to swing slowly and wait on the whip at the top. I found the video that was posted in the OP interesting. It looked like what I feel when I'm "doing it wrong"--especially at the end of the video.

I used to spent hours working on my serve in tennis. I would toss ball after ball getting it to the correct height. The ball would go up, "pause" at the top and fall back when gravity took over. My goal was to hit the ball when it was stationary in the air--it had run out of upward momentum, but gravity had not yet started pulling it downward. To me, the backswing in golf is the same basic movement. The club is taken back to the top of the backswing, there is a 'pause" as the club reaches the top and then gravity takes over pulling the club downward. If I have the sensation of the club starting to fall, I know my transition will be smooth. I accelerate the club somewhere after the club stars to fall. If I don't let the club fall, I will jerk from the top and all sorts of bad things happen. (Of course I don't actually try to think about this in the swing. But I can recognize when I jerk the club after the shot.) I use the phrase "to the target" as my swing thought and timing aid. I start the swing with "to", the top of the back swing is "the", the club starts to fall and I start accelerating (hopefully from the ground up) on the hard T of "target." The swing is over by the time I get to the last T in "target." If I feel like I'm starting to rush my swings, I do the Shawn Clement swing the club like a child on a swing drill to get the timing back. Gravity isn't just a good idea, it's the law. It's constant, so why not use it. Here's a video by Shawn that talks about timing and using gravity. The child on a swing part starts at 1:00.

I wonder if there was this much consternation when the rule giving a two stroke penalty for hitting the flag stick was implemented in 1968?

OB again, You sound a lot like me. I took lessons for years, had my swing videotaped, measured, analyzed and picked apart in every way possible. The lessons helped some; they led to short term, but not sustainable improvement. Nevertheless, the lessons were overall ineffective because they concentrated on body parts, positions, etc. The lessons led to bandaids and compensations, not a fundamentally sound, natural swing. The left elbow problem you describe is probably caused by something happening earlier in your swing. It is not something that can be corrected by hand action or consciously trying to keep the elbow in. It is a symptom, not a cause. As billchao mentions, you probably aren't turning your body. I suggest a sea change in thinking about the swing. My sea change occurred when I found Shawn Clements videos on youtube. I generally shy away from on line tips, but Shawn has an integrated approach. I recommend you spend some time with his videos and his approach to learning to feel a good swing. Start with the feet together drill and feet together perpetual motion drill. The perpetual motion part is to do the swing back and through and repeat over and over with out stopping. If you have a flying left elbow, you will not be able to maintain balance and swing back to the right. You have to stay balanced and turn completely to do do the drill. Other drills that help are the one leg drill, one leg perpetual motion and feet apart perpetual motion. As for the arm motion, check out his swing the sword videos, kettlebell drill, toss the club and toss the farm hammer videos. I know from experience, it is nearly impossible to throw a hammer forward to a target with manipulations in the arms or hands. I have found Shawn's teaching very beneficial. But, you don't have to buy completely into his approach to get a lot of benefit from the drills.

I follow Shawn's method for finding distance to the ball. Take practice swings back and forth next to the ball. (I do this with my feet together which helps make sure I am in balance heel to toe, not just side to side.) Find where the club goes through the hitting area. Put your club down on the line of your swing and then tip toe forward so the club creeps forward until it is behind the ball. You are now the right distance from the ball for that club. Whenever I get off in my swing, I will do this on the course to reset.

"I have a hard time getting putts to start on line which makes it hard to make short ones. The putter tends to go all over the place on my backswing." It sounds like you are manipulating the putter backward and forward, instead of swinging or letting the putter swing. Try this: Set up to the side of the ball like for a practice swing. Do your swing, but keep going like a pendulum on a clock. Back and forth in a smooth, easy motion with relaxed arms and hands. (Best relaxation video voice.) Let the putter swing back and forth naturally without manipulating it with the arms. Back and forth. Back and forth. The putter should settle onto a line a certain distance away from your toes where you can swing straight through without manipulating it. Stop your putter on this imaginary line. Now tip toe forward, keeping the putter the same distance from your toes until it is behind the ball. Now take your stroke using the same motion you just practiced. If you don't tip toe forward, you will have to reach with your arms which will force you to manipulate the club to keep it on line. Repeat until you find your natural putting stroke.

Big C is spot on. I started doing a kettle bell work out a couple of months ago on advice of my doctor. It has done wonders for my core stability. Lack of core stability is a common problem as one ages. Too many hours at a desk, sitting in front of a TV and driving a car are the main culprits leading to a weak core. Kettlebell swings, squats, and lifts are a great dynamic workout and they also help with balance. Maximum benefit in the least amount of time. Round out with yoga or pilates. I no longer get sore playing or practicing. My back problems have improved dramatically.

My wife and I belong to a club that has Friday Night Couples Two Balls. Three couples to a team. The events are alternate shot between men and women. Often, the event will be a best shot, three women hit, take the best shot, then the three men hit. We can arrange a team to play, or we can just show up and get placed on a team. Most of our couple friends take part. It is a low pressure way to start playing. A bad shot is no big deal. The one rule for most couples is to have fun and not get too serious. Albeit, there are a few couples and groups that are out to win. My wife had never played golf the first time we played in the two ball. She made an 8 foot putt for longest putt on the hole and won $5. We still have the $5 in a scrapbook. After a few months of playing in the two balls, my wife started playing with me at night and with her friends in the mornings.