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Richard’s Quick Tip:
Beat the Speed Trap
Too many golfers swing too fast, when the whole idea is to swing
as slowly as possible. Bobby Jones once opined that it is
impossible to swing slowly enough. And, it is said, the South
African star of the 1950’s Bobby Locke, worked on slowing his
tempo by doing everything slowly from the moment he woke up on
the day of a tournament. He would get out of bed slowly, brush
his teeth slowly, get dressed slowly, and so on.
You won’t have to go to such lengths, but it is in your best
interests to slow down. And the best way to achieve that is to
pause at the top of your swing: Count “one” on your backswing,
“two” as you pause, and “three” on your downswing.
Swinging fast forces you to start the downswing before you’ve
finished your backswing. The pause ensures that you keep the two
movements separate, improves your tempo, and slows you down
immeasurably.Richard’s Quick Tip:
Through the Bag
A key to good chipping is to get the ball rolling on the green as
soon as possible. And as you’re likely to face chips of varying
length during a round, it’s a good idea to practice your chipping
with as many different clubs as possible. Rarely, though, do you
see golfers doing this. In fact, many golfers don’t practice
chipping at all.
All you need is a practice green that isn’t too crowded. Drop a
bunch of balls by the green (just let them fall, so you end up
with different lies). Now hit different shots to different
holes, beginning with the sand wedge and working your way through
to the 5-iron.
You won’t have the luxury of hitting to different holes once
you’re out on the course. Here, then, is a good rule of thumb
for club selection: Take the club with the least amount of loft
needed to get the ball to the edge of the putting surface on its
first bounce.
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Comments from subscribers:
Dear Richard.
A very happy and blessed thanksgiving to all u folks in the
USA. We in South Africa of course do not have a thanksgiving day
to celebrate. Thank you for a entertaining weekly news letter. It
have more or less been 2 years since I started recieving your letter and it
has been wonderfull. A lot of golf happening in SA at the moment with the
Nedbank challenge. (We call it Africa's major)comming up in December at
Sun City and the Nelson Mandella invitation starting on thanksgiving near
my home town Port Elizabeth.Have a wonderfull Christmas and a happy new
Year.
Johan
HAPPY THANKSGIVING to YOU and YOUR FAMILY
The golf news is just great.....
J. W
Richard,
I've only purchased The Power Driving DVD thus far, but I was on
a 24 handicap going nowhere. I decided change was in order. I'm
on step four now, I broke the DVD down into 8 steps for I find
that easier to accomplish over practice sessions. Well yesterday
I had a 39 on a par 36. then we got rained out on the back nine.
This might help others who try to do the whole instruction at one
time.
Takes Tiger a whole season to change his swing, so I thought
perhaps that philosophy might help me also. Keep up the great
newsletter and will order more DVDs when ready. I think the DVD method of learning
outweighs any lesson. You forget 90% of what a golf lesson session teaches you.
Each time I watch the DVD lesson, my notes increase, one more
smalll detail comes thru.
All the best,
Maverick in New Zealand
Hi Richard,
I also face intermittent SHANKING problem and it is usually when
I swing too hard. The thing I found was that when I get tired, I
just place the irons on the ground behind the ball and whack it.
My way of curing it after many many trial and error is....Always
take a practise swing and look at where your club's location on
the point of impact. Then bring that to the ball. Position the
ball impact area a little further outward on the club face. that
should at least cure shanking problem for the most part under
most circumstances...just my 2 cents worth since I have been a
terrible and unpredictable shanker!
Shanko Jack
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Quote of the week
"The victory of success is half won when one gains the habit of
setting goals and achieving them. Even the most tedious chore
will become endurable as you parade through each day convinced
that every task, no matter how menial or boring, brings you
closer to fulfilling your dreams."
Og Mandino
1923-1996, Author and Speaker
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Golf quote of the week:
Why do I wear a red sport shirt on Sundays? Well, if I play bad
on the last round of a tornament and cut my throat, it blends.
Lee Trevino, early in his professional career
=================================================
Questions and Answers by Teaching Pro Mr Joe DeLorenzo
THANK YOU
for taking your time to answer these Joe.
Joe is also available for private lessons. "For private or group
lessons in Chicago's northwest suburbs, contact Joe at
golfwithjoey@yahoo.com
You Make The Call:
After marking his ball with a coin, Hale Irwin accidentally drops
his ball onto the coin, causing the coin to move. What's the right answer?
A - Disqualification
B - No penalty, being clumsy is penalty enough.
C - One stroke penalty
D - Two stroke penalty
(answer is below)
Joe,
All I want for Christmas is the single most important move a
golfer can make during a swing.
Eddie
Hi Eddie,
OK, but you will have to wait until Christmas for it.
Joe
Joe,
I think belly putters should be illegal because it anchors the
end of the club, let's go back to the original rules of the game. What do
you think?
Ernie
Hi Ernie,
If we go back to the original rules, then you also must play a
plugged ball as it lies, even on the green. Can you imagine using a wedge to
chop the ball out, making huge divots on the green? You also were not
allowed to clean mud off your ball, even on the green. Try to putt with a
wad of mud stuck to your ball and maybe you will understand that sometimes
the rules really do need to be changed, otherwise it becomes more of a game
of bad luck instead of skill. Belly putters have saved the careers of
several pros, and they also have given new hope to recreational golfers who
otherwise were going to quit the game because of the Putting Yips. However, if
you really do not like belly putters, you can still get rid of those Yips by
pinning your front elbow to your torso firmly (simulating the anchor you
mentioned) and using the "claw" grip like Mark Calcavecchia, which
reduces
unwanted right hand motion, and use your shoulders to make the stroke
instead of your hands.
Joe
Joe,
How can we keep nerves and pressure from affecting our shots?
Wayne
Hi Wayne,
I like Hal Sutton's advice on this. He says the smaller muscles
will twitch and therefore they do not work dependably under pressure, so use
your bigger muscles to swing, hips, shoulders, and arms working together as a
unit. In other words, a wristy swing is more likely to break down under
pressure than an "body" swing (hmmm, Body Golf, I think I've heard
that term
somewhere). This is especially true for putting, chipping, and pitching,
where many people get "The Yips" because they depend too much on their
smaller muscles.
Other ideas to reduce pressure that might be worth trying are a
consistent pre-shot routine such as a "waggle" or a "forward press",
or
taking a deep breath and exhaling half way before you begin your stroke.
Joe
Joe,
Why is it that I can get my old persimmon fairway woods up in the
air more easily than today's metal headed fairway clubs? I have tried
several metals but I can't seem to get them off the ground consistently.
Monty
Hi Monty,
I have noticed the same thing, and I think it is due to the metal
plate on the bottom of the persimmon woods making the center of gravity
much lower than today's metal fairway woods. The metal woods that seem to
work the best are the really thin ones like Tight Lies, because they are so
thin, the center of gravity has to be lower than the center of the ball. I
think the idea of bi-metal or tri-metal might help if the metal sandwich
has the heavier metal on the bottom to lower the center of gravity.
Joe
Question for the Evil Twin:
Jody, will it help to get more expensive clubs?
Answer: A club is just a stick with a hunk of metal on the end.
It either happens to fit the way you swing or it doesn't fit. That means
there is no guarantee that an expensive set will help unless you get it
custom fitted to the way you swing, otherwise it is possible that you could do
just as well or better with a cheap off-brand set from a rummage sale if you
are lucky enough that set just happens to fit you better. Sometimes you can
get a set for less money than a single round of golf, so that is pretty low
risk, and if it does not work for you, can always re-sell it and get a
different one until you find a set that gives you better results. People who
do
not have a lot of money might enjoy experimenting with this while others
think it is too much of a hassle, so if they have the money, they just go
ahead and pay the big bucks and get custom fitted top of the line clubs. I had
to laugh at one of my buddies who paid a hefty price for custom fitted clubs,
played OK for awhile, and then made some swing changes, and then played
worse, so did the new equipment only fit his old swing and not his new swing?
If so, does that mean he needs to get re-fitted again? Could this be a
never-ending cycle? Are we all doomed to mediocrity? (note from Joe ....
Jody, stop, you are scaring me)
Answer to You Make The Call (above)
The answer is C- it's a 1 stroke penalty; this has also happened
to John Mahaffey, Andy North, and Jesper Parnevik. Maybe that's why they
make ball markers with a peg to keep them from moving. However, these ball
markers will either put a hole in your pants or give you a cheap thrill
when you sit down, depending on which way the peg is pointing.
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Golf Potpourri
by
Mac Stevenson
Helpful Hints for Santa
If you have a friend, family member, or spouse who is next to
impossible to buy a Christmas present for, your problem is solved
if that person is a golfer.
Many individuals are hard to buy for because they’ve reached a
station in life where they buy all the grown-up toys that they
want. Golfers are different, never having all the equipment they
think they need.
Here are some gifts that are unique and certain to please:
•The perfect and unique gift for golfers--who are facing several
months of frigid weather--is the equipment to practice short
shots indoors. It isn’t expensive, but it’s original. You’ll need
to buy just three pieces of equipment: (1) a net mounted on a
stand, (2) a chipping mat made of astro-turf type material, and
(3) a dozen plastic practice balls. All of these items can be
purchased through a pro shop or in a golf shop. And they’re not
overly expensive; the net sells for around $15, the mat about
$30, and the balls $3-$4.
In addition to putting on the rug, golfers can practice chipping
and pitch shots indoors during the winter months. A word of
caution: Be sure you use proper fundamentals during indoor
practice or your efforts will be counterproductive.
The fundamentals for these shots are simple and available in
instructional magazines or videos. For chip shots, keep your
weight mainly on the left foot, choke down on the club (usually a
7-, 8-, 9-iron, or pitching wedge), place your hands ahead of the
ball, keep your wrists firm, make sure your head is steady, and
strike the ball with a descending arc.
The perfect time to get out of your easy chair and practice for a
few minutes is during TV commercials. You can set up this
practice area almost anywhere in your home.
•The perfect and unusual and appreciated gift. Your golfer will think kindly
of
you during every session on Most golf courses sell season
memberships to their driving ranges, and this will be an the
driving range. The PGA professional at your course can help you
with this one.
•A gift certificate for a series of lessons from the pro makes a
useful and unique gift. This is something the golfer in your life
might not buy on their own.
•If your favorite golfer owns a cart, you can buy a cover for
the winter weather. Playing in an enclosed cart during
less-than-perfect weather has become quite popular. Almost any
golf shop can help you with this.
•Golf balls are a common and rather blah gift. Don’t go this
route unless you know for sure what kind of ball your golfer
prefers. To do otherwise will relegate your gift into the same
category as the ugly tie or scarf.
•A gift certificate for a new set of clubs is sure to please.
With today’s prices, this is an expensive present. Here again,
you need to solicit the help of your club professional; it would
be a mistake to try and buy a set of clubs on your own. A lot
goes into the selection of golf clubs that are properly weighted
and shafted, particularly for mature players. You can meet with
the pro and set up a gift certificate that doesn’t show the
price; all that’s necessary is for the golfer to know they can
choose any set they like with the pros assistance.
•Some courses sell season passes for golf cart rentals. This is
a marvelous gift, but it can be pricey at some clubs.
•A subscription to a golf magazine or buying some instructional
videos is a nice gift. The videos are newer on the scene than
magazines, but either will make the winter a bit shorter.
Richard’s videos are excellent teaching aids and would make a
splendid stocking stuffer.
•An indoor, weighted warm-up club is unusual enough that your
golfer may not have one. They’re available at golf shops, pro
shops, or discount stores for about $15. This club is useful for
keeping muscles toned during the winter months or loosening up
before going to the course during warmer weather. These warm-up
clubs are short enough to swing indoors, so long as the ceiling
isn’t too low.
Of all these gift ideas, the indoor chipping and pitching
equipment and Richard’s videos are the most original. And when
the golfer close to your heart skulls a pitch shot and misses the
net, the plastic balls won’t break any windows.
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Richard’s Thoughts
I receive many emails from golfers that have golfers elbow.
Thought I would put together some info for you. Also a short
article.
Warming Up
Most bodies, like cars, take a little warming up to run smoothly
and efficiently. Not warming up properly results in stiff
swings, minimal accuracy, and sometimes injuries to your joints
and muscles.
The latest research in sport medicine tell us that stretching
those muscles before using them in earnest prepares them for
their task. The golf club makes a fine stretching aid. Bend you
body to awaken those big back muscles where your power lies.
Don’t forget to stretch your arms, wrist and elbows. Turn from
side to side, holding a golf club at both ends. Knee bends and
short jogs are also useful in getting your motor up to
performance levels.
What is golfers elbow?
This is a similar injury to tennis elbow only it affects the
inside of the elbow instead. It is more common in throwers and
golfers hence the 'nicknames'. Also known as flexor / pronator
tendinopathy this injury is seen in tennis players who use a lot
of top spin on their forehand shots.
Symptoms include:
•Pain on the bony bit on the inside of the elbow.
•Weakness in the wrist.
•Pain on the inside of the elbow when you grip something hard.
•Pain when wrist flexion (bending the wrist palm downwards) is resisted.
•Pain on resisted wrist pronation - rotating inwards (thumb
downwards).
What can the golfer do about it?
First reduce the inflammation by using an ice pack and holding on
the area of pain for 20-30 minutes 2-3 times a day (wrapping a
bag of frozen vegetables in a towel is just as effective). After
two days use heat and use a heat retainer. Also a good sports
cream will help with the healing.
Next step is stretching exercises; here are three good ones.
Hold your arm straight out in front of you and locking the elbow:
1.Start with the palm face down slowly stretching the hand up
until the fingers are at right angles to the forearm. Hold for 1
minute.
2.With the palm face down slowly stretch the hand down until the
fingers are at fight angles to the forearm. Hold for 1 minute.
3.With the palm face up slowly stretch the hand down until the
fingers are at right angles to the forearm (or as close as you
can go). Hold for 1 minute.
These exercises will lengthen the forearm muscle fibers and
reduce the tension on the tendon thereby allowing the injured
area to heal. It is not uncommon the healing process to take 3
months, so follow the exercise regime regularly when pain is
felt during use of the arm.
If you do not have golfers elbow, the above exercises should be
completed everyday, to help prevent golfers elbow.
Your doctor may suggest an injection of a small dose of steroid
to the affected area. This is not the sort of steroid banned for
athletes. If used it cn last for up to three months, and
although it may need to be repeated you seldom need more than two
or possibly three injections.
See a sports injury professional who can advise on treatment and
rehabilitation. Although the evidence remains incomplete and
somewhat inconsistent, acupuncture treatment has shown
considerable promise for the treatment of tendonitis. Most
studies have evaluated the effect of acupuncture on tennis elbow
(lateral epicondylitis).
Until next week…good golfing!
Dr Richard Myers
www.thinkandreachpar.com
www.superbabysitting.com
864.675.0038
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45 Doverdale Rd,
Greenville, SC 29615
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