“Swinging left”

This is kind of my spin on what “swinging left” (right for a left handed golfer).

It’s the anti-inside/out and what I am working on indirectly right now. If you are stuck and/or swinging too far inside/out, this video will be very helpful.

It will also help if your shoulders turn too vertically through impact and/or your lower body doesn’t turn very well.

Basically, all of the problems I have…LOL.

This is why golfers aren’t getting better.

I would say 95% of all golfers get info from friends (real life and internet) and pros who haven’t the faintest idea what they are talking about.

Spewing cliches and ideas without the understanding of what they mean or any empirical evidence as to why they apply or if they apply.

“Keep your head down.” ROFLMAO, that is still my favorite. Maybe that is what Haney told Tiger.

There are opinions and there is drivel. I have heard opinions I disagree with, but find them valid for many golfers…I found some serious drivel this past weekend.

On a message board a young high school golfer asked how to generate more speed and if the release of the hands should happen after the body turns. Here are two responses…

#1—-“Yeah if you want to hit it 100 yards left. IMO the best release is not one, or if you have to, do it as much past impact as you can.”

(SHANK YOU VERY MUCH)

#2—-“I would get a weighted club or grab 2 clubs before you play and swing them for more club head speed. As for releasing the club
you want to hold that angle coming down as long as you can. make sure you get a nice shoulder turn.”

(THIS GUY MUST BE AN ORTHOPEDIC SURGEON AND IS TRYING TO CREATE A PATIENT)

At least #2 added to have the proper grip pressure and allow centrifugal force to release the club.

The moral to the story:

I am not saying I know everything and everything I say is right for all golfers. I have been clear that is not the case at all.

Be very careful who you listen to and what you try. Put aside the fact that your golf game might get worse, you can seriously injure yourself.

Tomorrow I am going to have a post and video on “Swinging Left.” I think you will find it informative. (It would be “swinging right” if you are a left handed golfer)

The five stupidest ideas in the history of golf

5. Stephen Ames calling out Tiger’s driving accuracy before their match. Did he even tie one hole?

4. “Links style golf course.” There is no better way to build a crappy golf course than to get a computer generated blueprint of a great links course in the British Isles and transpose it on the side of a mountain in a western desert with canyons on both sides of every fairway and around every green…and elevating all of the greens with a pot bunker short so the ball can’t be run up.

3. Stepping off the distance on putts. Let’s take the part of the game that most requires feel and touch and insert as much mechanical thought as possible. I am all for walking around and getting the lay and feel of the land, but when no player in the history of the PGA Tour has done something, it’s probably not a good idea.

2. Forcing as much lag as possible as the main focal point of the swing. I think everyone knows where I stand on that. Lag is good, forced lag is the second worst idea in the history of golf.

1. Tasteless joke deleted.

I’d say this post has divided readers into three categories. Those that I have offended, those that think I am an idiot and both. 😀

PS-Sometimes jokes are tasteless, but the world would be a better place if we stepped back and examined the intent and context before attacking the originator.

Ridiculous equipment changes

Most equipment changes are an incredible waste of money and are equally ridiculous.

If you want to buy new clubs because it’s fun…I am all for that as I like new clubs just as much as the next guy. However, if you continually make equipment changes thinking the new driver from company “X” is going to increase your driving distance 30 yards and cure your long standing slice…I have some Amway products for you as well.

Here is the most egregious equipment change I ever heard. Several years ago there was this real scratch geek at my club. He would spout everything straight out of Golf Digest as if he invented the game. He was about a 10 handicap, which is solid, but he lived by the old adage…talk 60’s, dress 70’s, shoot 80’s.

One day he shows up at the driving range ranting and raving about how “pure I am now.” He had his Rifle 6.3’s changes to 6.2’s and now his draw was working perfectly as he was having trouble blocking it before.

In other words, he spent $300 to pay for a new set of stickers on his shafts (I would be willing to bet large sums of money that’s all they changed when he left the clubs). You can change the shaft frequency .1 by changing to a different grip, adding half a piece of lead tape to the head, or taking a huge divot and not cleaning your club. As a matter of fact, if you tightened the vice that held the club into the frequency meter in those days, you could change the flex .2 or .3 sometimes. The way you let go of the club head would sometimes oscillate the club a slightly different frequency.

They also did a study that PGA Tour players usually needed as much as .3 or .4 difference to notice and most amateurs needed almost a full point before they could.

The point being, this guy was an idiot. The other point is don’t be so anal with your club specs, it isn’t good for you. Feel is more important than the perfect numbers a computer reels off. Different days you fell different and the temperature also affects how the club performs.

I understand that having a club that fits you is important, but there are too many variables in golf, your body from day to day and the weather to make “a perfectly matched set of clubs” relevant at all.

All of the Trackmanists are ready to throw empty beer cans at me now. 😀

Golfers are stupid

For those of you who did well on the SAT, I would like to add.

If all golfers are stupid and Monte is a golfer, then by the transitive property…

I continue to get emails telling me my idea of a gradual, earlier release and natural lag as opposed to the abomination of forced lag…is casting. So today’s videos are repeats to show this is not the case. The next few weeks are all going to be related to golfers being stupid. Something about a golf club that sucks the gray matter out of our brains and holds it in escrow till we leave the course.

Stories about golfers being stupid, Monte being stupid and such. All will have a moral to the story that will help your game.

If you watch these four videos below and still think I am promoting a cast…there is nothing I can do to help you. I hear “Flowers for Algernon” is a good book.

If you watch these four videos and still think you need to create lag on purpose by manipulating your hand action on purpose…please move to the South Pole and don’t talk to the Emperor Penguins about golf.

Letting other groups play through.

Why does it leave such a bad taste in people’s mouths to let other groups play through?

I have been lamenting this question for 25 years. Is it emasculating to men? Is it submissive for women? I don’t understand why it is such a big deal. If I am in a foursome and a cart with two 70 year old women is pushing my group with no one in front of us…

“Ladies, would you like to play through?”…and I am happy to do it.

I have been a single late in the afternoon with a foursome in front of me and open holes in front. Instead of just waiving me through, they grind for score and run to their carts.

It is not uncommon occurrence for me to be a single, finish a hole and get to the next tee before the group in front of me has teed off. They finish, all give me a dirty look and drive off. I then get an even dirtier look when I skip the hole they haven’t even hit their second shots to and go to the next tee.

What’s up with that?

A perfect example of what I am talking about. A few years ago I was playing with all my friends (by myself, in other words) at around 4 or 5 PM. I teed off about 20 minutes after a foursome and I caught them by the 3rd tee. They saw me and didn’t offer to let me play through. One guy was giving lessons (not a pro, a 10 giving lessons to 20′s) to two of the other players and I was not happy. On a 340-350 yard par 4 they finished putting and started getting putting lessons. I whistled and raised my hands when they looked back. They kept on putting for another 2 minutes. I got tired of waiting so I hit my tee shot and hit it in the green side bunker.

When I pulled up by the green, they were still putting. Mr. Scratch looks at me and says, “you in some kind of hurry?”

I decided to treat this in the manner that seem most appropriate to the situation. I said nothing, hit my sand shot to a few feet, took out the pin, putted in, put the pin back in, went to the next tee and teed off.

Moral to the story: If there is no one in front of you and there is a single behind you, let him play through. It might be me and I am hostile, combative, a jerk and I will hit into you. 😉

The “worst club” test

You want to know if something you found on the range or a tip you got from someone is an improvement or a band-aide?

Do the “worst club” test.

Take out the club that is the most problematic in your bag and hit a series of balls with your “new” way of doing things.

That is a perfect litmus test for whether or not this change you are making will help you long term, or just for the day…or is just terrible all together.

For me it’s fairway woods and hybrids. My new swing passed the “worst club” test at the end of last week and during Saturday’s round.

Let’s see if I can pass step 3 today (LINK for those who don’t know what step 3 is)

BTW-I have a story about the hotel I booked (don’t know what I was thinking when I did it). I pray I am able to relay the details as funny as they happened. I can only assume I was distracted by my son while I booked this place. I injured my lower back yesterday warming up and didn’t play a practice round because I couldn’t even get into a golf stance. Did all the usual stuff to help it, but I woke up this morning and could barely get out of bed. Nasty muscle spasms. I am not opposed to playing in pain and on over the counter meds, but if you can’t bend over at the waist…

I still have some funny stories from the weekend in Tennessee and I will have some of the details tomorrow. I obviously did not play in the qualifier, but I am really starting to play well, be more consistent and the old swing is having less of a hold. I will probably have to skip the qualifier next week too as I will need a few days off and don’t want to go if I haven’t practiced or played but one or two days prior.