Carland

I played or practiced 5 days and used the Whippy. The results were mixed but I still like it. The bad: If you focus only on feeling the weight of the clubhead - especially at the transition, you hit shots that feel solid but don't go very far. On the course playing regular clubs, my drives went shorter and sometimes if I lost the "feel" I was very crooked. Shot 84, 79 and then 89 using this feel thought. The good: As I got used to the Whippy, I could hit it well by using my normal swing without focusing on the clubhead. For me that means getting to a full finish position as quickly as possible while staying in balance. When I went back to those thoughts I hit the Whippy and my regular clubs better. Shot 81 and 85 but hit the ball more solidly. I am going to keep working on trying to swing the Whippy aggressively while still trying to hit the ball squarely. Here's what the web site says about that: http://www.tempomaster.com/ . The good (II): The Whippy pitching wedge forces you to stay in rhythm. I hit some good pitch shots on the course after working with the Whippy. When I practiced, I hit better pitches with the Whippy than my 58 degree wedge.

wolverine318: Knowing the improvement you experienced with the Momentus power hitter, do you think it's worth getting? As for the Whippy, I am going to Florida over the holidays and will get some sense whether it helps me although there probably won't be enough golf to give it a fair measure. tm22721: To hit a ball solidly with the Whippy, I definitely have to feel the clubhead or try not to make the shaft bend. It basically ends up being the same feel throughout the swing. It doesn't necessarily slow down your swing so much as make you more aware of the club as it's moving. So I am not thinking of swing positions. Is that consistent with your idea of not teaching muscle memory?

wolverine318: How did the Momentus Power Hitter help you become more accurate -- by slowing down your tempo? Did you start to hit it any farther? I ask because I am seriously considering it on the theory that, if you can hit a ball solidly with an unusually heavy club, you should be able to swing a regular club well too.

I think the Whippy will be helpful and I don't think lessons aren't always the answer for me. Here's why. First, the Whippy. I have always liked Jim Flick and his concept about swinging the clubhead, although I never really tried it until this summer when I started blading tons of chips and short pitches. Death for your score. On a recent Golf Channel show, Flick had two top junior students (a guy named Phillip who is now at UCLA and the top girl from the AJGA) hitting Whippys to demonstrate his swing concepts. It was not an endorsement for the product. In fact, I don't think Flick ever mentioned the product by name. So it made it more credible to me and piqued my interest. Also, in one of his books, Harvey Penick wrote about hitting golf balls with a club made up of a grip and a metal chain for a shaft. Penick also wrote about feeling like you were swinging a bucket of water without spilling. Seems like the same swing concept to me. Second, why I'm not sure lessons are always the answer. About five years ago, I got noticeably better going from about a 10 to a 6 after taking regular lessons at GolfTec for about 9 months. However, at GolfTec, we never got past working on my backswing plane. So, when I played my best, it was due more to staying in rhythm and getting up and down. In fact, on a 5-day golf trip I took, I shot about 90 the first day. After that, I abandoned all lesson thoughts, focused only on being in balance and scored in the high 70s or low 80s the rest of the trip. So I wonder whether playing more often had more to do with the improvement than the lessons. I have little kids now, play less and predictably my scores have gone up.

I've been chipping a lot with the Whippy at home. I'm afraid I won't be able to give it a fair assessment until next Spring.

I agree about the Medicus, but am curious if anyone used and saw improvement. I have a Momentus 7-iron from about 10 years ago. I always thought of it as a golf conditioning tool, not necessarily a swing aid. But now there's a Momentus heavy driver you can hit balls with. So it would be interesting to hear if some has used it and seen improvement. Since I have the Whippy clubs, it would be interesting to hear if someone who has used them a lot thinks they actually improved his or her swing.

Have you used the Whippy? The Whippy web site says that Vijay and Azinger both use them. I like how it feels. It definitely makes you slow down during the transition into the downswing but, due to Chicago weather, I can't measure whether it's really improving my swing.

My original post got no replies, but I am interested because each of these training aids tries to teach you to "swing" rather than "hit." Think the centrifugal force of a pendulum versus leverage. An example of the swinging motion is how a child is propelled on a playground swing. The kid slows down at the top, gravity takes over and the swing basically falls or drops with the kid moving fastest at the bottom. There is no quick or jerky actions if the kid on the swing is going to move fast. It seems the Whippy Tempomaster, the Momentus heavy driver and the Medicus driver are all trying to promote the pendulum action. I bought the Whippy clubs and have success when I think of this image or think of keeping the bendable shaft from flexing. To hit the ball squarely, I have to be smoother at the start and at the top and I have to stay more centered over the ball. But this is all golf dome practice. I have not yet seen whether it will improve my play on the golf course. Has anybody tried these swing aids and had any noticeable successes or failures?

Has anyone used or compared these swing training aids?: Whippy Tempomaster; Momentus heavy driver and the Medicus driver. I bought the Whippy Tempomaster 3-wood, pitching wedge and putter and like the results so far. Has anybody used any of these products and made a real improvement in his/her game?

I ended buying the LT2 from a Taylor Made retailer who still had a set. I didn't want to take the chance of getting a fake. I think it was well worth it.

Thanks for the toolhaus.org site. The seller that I bid with has an overall good rating but about 25 negative reviews (mostly for slow delivery or mis-described equipment). No claims of counterfeit merchandise. The "mutually withdrawn" reviews are fishy because there's no explanation about why the negative review was withdrawn. I guess eBay is a leap of faith. In the past, I have had success buying a brand new but older model Ping Anser putter that I really like. I was hoping to do the same thing with the TaylorMade rac lt2 irons. We'll see.

Has anyone purchased any equipment from "thegolfhabit" on eBay? I am concerned because several posts warn about counterfeit TaylorMade equipment. I have bid on a set of TaylorMade rac lt2 irons. There are still several days for bidding but I don't want to buy a set of fakes. Thanks.

I like "Personal Lessons With The Pro" best -- depending on who the pro is giving the lesson. I had missed it over the last month or so but parts of this week's show with Tom Watson. It wasn't bad, but he spent a lot of time talking about his game. I think the show is better when the pro spends his time fixing the amateurs' games.

I didn't realize that an article had been posted on the "secret" until after starting this thread. I tried to use the "secret" while playing 9 holes on Sunday and played the worst I have all summer - 46 on an easy course. By focusing on rotating the club through impact, I hooked or pulled 5 shots in the first 4 holes resulting in three double bogeys. Good bye secret. I agree with what others have said. It is a given and not a secret that the toe of the club must rotate through impact. I even focused on that thought with little pitches, usually one of my strengths, and lost the ability to judge distance. Makes me feel silly for trying it and sillier for not being able to put out my own video that 100,000 people want to buy.

After reading your book, I looked at Dave Stockton's "Putt To Win." Although Stockton advocates standing bow-legged and holding the putter more in the fingers, is your approach similar to his? You both advocate 5 degrees of loft in the putter, hinging the right wrist a little on the backswing then holding that angle and keeping the putterhead low after impact. Have you ever spoken to Dave Stockton about putting?

I agree that it's not much of a "secret." Coincidentally, though, when I try a "one plane" swing, I sometimes fail to release the club and hit a block. I didn't hit any blocks or hooks last night when I focused on closing the toe through impact. So I figure it's not a horrible swing thought. Of course, a lot of tips work for a short time then soon prove ineffective.

The latest edition of Golf Magazine has an article concerning A.J. Bonar's "secret" to better golf. The gist is that the toe of the clubhead must rotate through impact faster than the heel. To accomplish this, A.J. states that the toe of the clubhead should be pointing towards the target within 3 feet after impact. So you have to focus on rotating your hands and the clubhead through impact. Has anybody here tried A.J.'s methods and had any success? I tried yesterday for 9 holes and it seemed helpful. It didn't add any particular distance, but I did seem to hit a few more solid shots. I have been trying to use the Jim Hardy "one plane" approach by swinging my left arm in line with my shoulders and maintaining my spine angle. Can A.J.'s and Hardy's approaches work together? Thanks.

What differences do you notice in the putting of amateurs of different abilities versus touring pros? What areas do you work on most to help amateurs improve?

Two questions, one concerns lag putting and the other concerns pitches from tight lies. The mechanics recommended in the Art of Putting have helped me hit my putts more solidly but I tend to get wrapped up in the mechanics of swing the putterhead first/let the right elbow relax going back/finish with the putterhead low. A lot of my 15-30 footers finish way short. What do you recommend to improve distance control? I have been trying the same mechanics for short pitches: swing the clubhead first/let the right elbow relax going back/finish with the clubhead low. I still hit some of these shots thin, which gets pretty ugly. Any recommendations?

"Range Lessons" is a great idea for a show that could help a golfer improve. It's tough to take away anything helpful when a faceless caller asks a teaching pro on the Golf Channel for advice on fixing his slice or becoming more consistent. I would also love to see a show devoted to putting featuring some of the best putters like Crenshaw, Faxon, Roberts, Woods, Mickelson, etc. How did they hone their stroke and what do they work on regularly? In Crenshaw's book "Feel For The Game," there is a photo of him giving a putting lesson to Mickelson, who's standing on a billiards table. What were they working on? Tiger Woods says that his dad is the only one to teach him putting. What lessons did Earl Woods give Tiger?

I agree that there were a couple proud handicaps on one of the earlier shows. The guys on the latest Kathy Whitworth show could play to their handicaps though. She gave good tips on pitching -- don't forward press too much and don't be afraid to let the club swing.

I have enjoyed watching the "Personal Lessons" show on the Golf Channel the last few weeks wher touring pros follow average players during a round of golf. Rocco Mediate, Brad Faxon and Kathy Whitworth have made the show interesting spotting the flaws and giving playing lessons. Mediate gave good advice on chipping and pitching. Faxon helped one player with his full swing. Whitworth help one player with his set up and another with his pitching. Raymond Floyd was good but his advice did not seem specific to the players he was following. It seemed more like general course management tips. I hope the show continues. What a great learning experience for the students. I wonder how you get selected to take part in that show.