The Meaning of "Golf Bugs"

by Dr. Richard C. Myers

WWW.THINKANDREACHPAR.COM

The basic fundamentals of golf are well known and provide no problems to beginners. Yet, within the framework of these principles, there is enough variation of form among topnotch golfers to confuse you. If we become tempted to model ourselves first after one player and then another, we are headed for disaster. The trouble lies in the golf bugs.

Many golfers of equal ability have easily recognizable differences of form. For each of these differences, there are adjustments and modifications that must be made. We call these modifications "golf bugs" and no swing is without them.

The danger of modeling ourselves after more than one person. The over-all swing may be fine, but we have to be shown or find out for ourselves what these new "bugs" are. Of course bugs can be apparent to a degree in different sets of clubs and putters.

Some teaching pro's advocate of placing the ball close to the line of the left heel. This is done for both woods and irons. This placement is good according to our theory, since it eliminates the variable of changing the position of the ball with each club used. However, in order for anyone to hit shots with accuracy, he had to develop a compensating variable by changing the position of his fight foot.

On the other hand, other golfers have demonstrated that they can regulate distance and maintain accuracy by shifting the position of the ball. In order to do this, you have to work out a number of modifications which in turn compensate for "bugs" to this method.

Let me tell you a story about Jimmy Nichols and Ed Furgol. Jimmy was a former one-armed world champion golfer and Ed Furgol, former open champion golfer. Nichols lost his right arm in an auto accident. He was already a very good golfer. Her tried desperately to play left-handed and failed terrible. 

One day, while practicing, he gave up in disgust, but as he left the fairway, he drew back his two iron and took a back-handed swipe at the ball. To his amazement it took off in a perfect trajectory over the caddy's head. He had used a right-handed swing with his left. (Incidentally, in effect, he had removed at one swipe all the variables he had added when he was using the unfamiliar left-handed swing) Nichols had to make a number of modifications in stance and grip in order to perfect his swing and bring his scores back to the low 70's. He had to find out for himself what the "bugs" were. He modified his stance and grip that are not orthodox at all.

Now with Ed Furgol. His left arm was rendered to almost useless. He was a courageous golfer, but his wing was terrible and contained contorted actions incompatible with the orthodox idea of how to make a club meet a ball. He too had to work out the bugs in his swing.

This is true with all styles of play. There is danger in modeling oneself after more than one player. It was Bobby Jones great fortune that he modeled himself after Stewart Maiden, with his famous Carnoustie swing. It is said that, at a distance, the form of the two players looked identical. Jones was able not only to capitalize on the learning and experience of his teacher, but also had a ready source of information about bugs to that swing, and had to correct them.

Some methods of play have more bugs than others. In some cases it is simpler to just start at the ground and build up. This is why I recommend to anyone that is hitting over 80 on the course, to perfect the Body Golf swing, by Mark Anthony. It is a very simple and easy to learn swing…and it works!!

One of my golfing friends changed from a fair putter to an excellent one when he abandoned a number of compensatory adjustments and simply eliminated two variables. His problem for some time had been that of direction. There was nothing wrong with his putting stroke. He had adopted the form of a golf professional that was quite good and had considerable instruction from him. Many lessons and many dollars. Something minute was apparently occurring during the process of the stroke, a random variation that caused some putts to go to the right of the hole and some to the left. I suggested that he try practicing putting on his carpet in his living room. 

After a while, he noticed that on occasion, when he appeared to get in the groove, he would make a very nice run of putts. He then realized that after those occasions when the putting device did not return the ball properly and he had to retrieve it himself, he would generally miss. He then realized that when he retrieved the ball, he was changing his stance and grip or both. He became more accurate by simply marking his feet positions on the carpet and his thumb position on the grip during a good run. Very simple.

In Gordon Alexander's Think And Reach Par he explains into some detail how to do this.