Still a little bronchial this week, with a persistant cough but felt well enough to get in four rounds of golf this week. Unfortunately the rounds of 79, 81, 81, and 80 were mediocre at best. The 80 was at South Park where just a couple of weeks ago I shot even par 72. However I see some light at the end of the tunnel. No, it is not from looking at the sun to long. The round at South Park introduced a brand new philosophical approach to the game. Everytime I hit a bad shot or miss a short putt, I go up to the closest person I can find, even if they are not in our group, and spew a slew of profanities right in their face. Even though this makes me feel a lot better, I have been having trouble getting a foursome together. I really didn’t do this, but wouldn’t you just want to do this just once. But I do have a brand new approach to the total golf game. Even though my score did not show any improvement, I hit some of the most quality shots I have hit in a long time, espescially with the irons. Like any new thing you are going to do with your game, there are going to be some ups and downs. Toward the end of the round I made some tactical blunders trying to “save” the round and the wind was tricky changing directions often which I failed to pay attention, which cost me some shots. This approach will be in all facets of the game including putting. On one side of the coin this approach is nothing new, but the way to go about accomplishing this will be a little different let’s say. Naturallly the next few weeks will determine if this approach is something that is worth writing about, or just dust in the wind. Because of this approach I will not play in a couple of tournaments that I had planned to play, because I do think I am on to something here, that will help with every facet of the game. This is all a mental process and has nothing to about any technical part of the game. At least for now I don’t want the added pressure of tournament golf to affect how I am going about doing this. Depending how things are going I may play in something the end of the month. Hopefully my health continues to improve and we will see how this works out. The grandkids are in town this week, so the golf will be somewhat limited this week but I think I will manage about 3 rounds this week. The game has a little energized feeling and the next few weeks should be interesting as the search gets real serious.
The Goofy Game of Golf Searching for the Answer
Well quite a father’s day with the U.S. Open being one, which brought the best players in the world to their knees. Justin Rose played the last 2 holes brilliantly and deservedly won his first major. Phil let the easiest hole on the course eat his lunch and it cost him the playoff. It was amazing watching the greatest players in the world have one mental meltdown after another. We are all missing something here. What that is, I have no idea. Players of this caliber should not see their games slide this far backwards not matter what the circumstances. It is too brutal to even talk about any one particlular individual but if you watched the Open you know what I am talking about. It is one thing to see a guy miss a short putt on the final hole to cost him a major like Doug Sanders did in the British Open or Scott Hoch in the Masters, but this was seeing one player after another make one bad shot after another. How about all those missed putts. This was a three round week for me again, due to some inclement weather and extra work committment. I had a blah week with rounds of 80, 77, and 77. After coming off the very nice even par round on Sunday, my Wednesday round represented a complete mental breakdown by yours trurly. I made one mental error after another. It’s not worth going into the specific details but needless to say some pretty good ball striking was completely nullified but by stupid descisions and lack of awareness of what I was facing on a particular shot or putt. I am still in limbo on how much this game is mental and how much is physical. I am still of the opinion that physical flaws or technique flaws then will lead to mental errors. Having said that, I do not think that is what happened out there today to about 15 of the top players in the world. I know Johnny Miller likes to say it Open pressure or nerves but I still think it runs deeper than that. But I do not know what that deeper is. Obviously nobody else does either or somebody would have walked away with the tournament. This week the golf will step up with a 36 hole day on Wednesday and a 36 hole tournament on Thursday so I may play 6 rounds this week. If anybody doesn’t think this game is goofy then please just keep replaying today’s U.S. Open.
The Goofy Game of Golf Searching for the Answer
Finally added course number 87 this week as we went to Conley’s which is on Route 8 just south of Butler Pa. This course is part of a group of golf courses that are very close together right there on Route 8, and are about a 45 minute drive. I have reviewed the other courses Rittswood, Suncrest, and Lakevue North. Conley’s is a nice solid golf course that compares favorably with the other courses except for one thing, the price. Not really any senior rate and even with a coupon it was 35 dollars with a cart on a Wednesday, which is about 10 dollars more than the other 3 courses. We did go on “Weinie Wednesday” where the hot dog was free. The course played about 6400 yards from the tips, to a par of 70. The greens were very smooth and ran about a 6.5 on the stimp. There was a good variety of holes and the course had enough trees to make it a good solid challenge. There was some lakes in play and the 190 yard par 3 18th was 190 yards with a long carry over water. This course like all three of the other courses is not worth the trip but if you live in this area you have four solid golf courses to choose from all within a stones throw of one another. The free hot dog was cooked well and the condiments were ok, but the dog would not crack the top 10. We had a threesome with Andy shooting 78, David after a rough front nine came in with a 41 to shoot 89, and yours truly shot a boring 77. The rest of the week for me was just the continuing saga of a frustrating season so far. The rest of the rounds were 80, 79 and an 82 today. The short game still is a major road block to any scoring chances I have. There may be some hope from today, especially with the putting but the short game continues to be just horrible. Next week will be busy with a tournament on Friday the South Park 2 man scramble where Pete and I did pretty well last year finishing 7th in a field of 60 teams. My brain is tired now and it is time to rest, with visions of chip solutions on the horizon.
The Goofy Game of Golf Searching for the Answer
Back from San Diego after a great visit with the grand kids. Ready to get into the golf grind again, but was delayed with a last minute work committment. I did play Saturday and Sunday. With a 10 day break, and plenty of time off, I did lots of reasearch on some of the mental game and really thought I might be on to something. But all that I was on to was mental anguish. Saturday I didn’t do too bad, with a 75 at South Park, under some wet and chilly conditions but it was the ball striking that got me there and some better than average putting. Today under even more brutal conditions with a solid wind all day and temperatures only in the mid 50’s I could only manage an 83 at Scenic Valley. With conditions tough, this puts more emphasis on the short game, and a lot of the mental and physical keys that I thought would bring me results just brought me frustration. I am back to considering the lobotomy. On the plus side my putting improved even today, where I see some light at the end of the tunnel. But its back to the drawing board for chipping and pitching. The weather seems like it will improve and I am hoping to add course number 87 this week. It took awhile to come up with the swing thing and the mental part may be even harder. I guess I won’t be asking Sergio for any mental tips. I have to give him credit for the way he handled the situation even as it was happening and the after round questions, so I think there may be hope for Sergio yet. Tiger seems to be back and may become better than ever. He recovered nicely from his dunk in the water. Tiger has been in the last group so much when he wins, or wins by such large margins, that I do not ever recall him ever sitting, and watching on TV to see if someone could hole a putt, to either beat him or send it into a playoff. Next week golf will be full bore with 3 to 5 rounds and hopefully the scoring will get better. These short game blues has seen the handicap go from 3.2 to 4.4 which is big to see it go up a full stroke in such a short time. The search continues. Maybe I should watch a couple of Indiana Jones movies.
The Goofy Game of Golf Searching for the Answer
Happy New Year as we head into 2013. No golf in the Burgh, as we have had a couple of snow events over the last two weeks, and there is still about 5 inches of snow on the ground. Believe it or not, there seems to be a warming trend developing at the end of the week, so who knows, maybe golf in January. Over the next few weeks I will be discussing the swing thing I have doing for the last 14 months, that has really revitalized my game. Before we get to that, I would like to discuss a few other thoughts and principles of the golf swing and technique. I still think that the most important thing in golf is the address position, and I have discussed this in the blogs of last winter. But there is one aspect of the golf swing that I think is the most misunderstood part of the game, and that is the cocking of the wrists. Now, I am not going to review any of the writings on the subject but let’s just say that there is a lot of confusion on the subject. I think one of the reasons for this, is because the wrist is such a complex joint. It can make a full circular rotation very easily. So lets look at some past and present pros and what they seem to do with their wrists. I like to divide pro golfers into three groups when it comes to wrist cock. The first group is what I call the stiff wrist players. They include among others Paul Azinger, John Cook, and Zack Johnson. The second group is the moderate wrist cock group, which is the more classic swingers. Tiger Woods, Adam Scott and Nick Faldo would be included in this group. Then you would have the final group, which would be the big wrist cock group, which would include Bobby Jones, John Daly and Phil Mickelson. The other thing that the wrists do is affect the position of the club face at the top of the swing. The club may be open, closed or shut faced, and square. The other terms you hear at the top of the swing is , square, cupped or bowed. Again this is talking about what the wrists are doing at the top of the swing. There have been many great players that have had all those positions at the top. What does all this mean. I think what your wrists do is of no consequence in the golf swing. You are just going to have a natural tendency to make your wrists do what they are going to do and your instinctive sense will make it work and bring the clubhead squarely into the ball. So as far as the wrists are concerned let freedom ring. Next week we begin.
The Goofy Game of Golf Searching for the Answer
The blog is a day late as we had a big holiday family party with lots of food, and lots and lots of wine. By 8:30 last nite I didn’t even know I had a blog, let alone write a new post. But today after 10 aspirins and lots of water I am ready to type away a little after 2pm the next day. Before I get into the year in review, I am going to talk about the round of golf that I played last Wednesday, with one of my golf buddies, Andy. We played at Scenic Valley in less than ideal conditions, on a cloudy day, with temperatures barely getting into the low 40’s. Andy shot an impressive 1 under par 71 and I came in with an equally unimpressive 81. Look’s like I got whooped pretty good. But looking closer at the round we each hit 11 greens in regulation and I hit 9 fairways to Andy’s 8 and overall drove the ball better. These two rounds, bring up two points, that have been brought up in the past. Obviously, Andy putted way better than I did and did everything better than I did from 50 yards in. Short game, short game, short game. We all know this. This also goes to show you that even though these rounds look far apart there is not a big difference in shooting those scores. With very similar ball striking you can shoot 2 very different scores if your not putting and chipping well.
Now to the year in review. Overall this was a very good year for me with my handicap going down to 3.2 from 5.6. This is even more amazing, because most of the year I battled the chip yips, and at times was still doing some swing experiments. This swing thing that I have been doing for the past year is the main reason I peeled off a couple of strokes. I was not nearly as frustrated with my ball striking as I have been in the past and I knew how to fix things on the course. One of the things I was trying to do, was to apply what I was doing with the full swing to chipping and putting. Even though I had some success doing this, I now know that this was a mistake. For shots of about 50 yards and beyond my swing technique worked just fine, but chipping and putting are unique endeavors. So the goals for 2013 is to refine the swing technique and improve the putting and chipping. The blog will be put to sleep for the remaining year as there is just too much college football for this junky to take time to write the blog. Beginning next year I will begin to discuss this swing technique that has rejuvenated my game. The first blog, is what I call a set up blog, and then we will really get into it. Have a great holiday and see you in 2013.
The Goofy Game of Golf Searching for the Answer
The blog is coming from sunny San Diego today as I am spending a little pre Christmas time with the grandkids. This blog as promised, will discuss the book The Modern Fundamentals of Golf, by Ben Hogan. Even though this book is considered one of the classics, I think this book is one of the worst instructional books ever written. Is there any redeeming qualities about the book. Yes, the illustrations are great and the writing itself is very concise and easy to understand. Lets look at the book chapter by chapter.
The Grip
The biggest problem with this chapter is the position of the right hand. Hogan advocates a position where the V’s of the right hand point at the chin. This puts the right hand too much on top of the shaft. A great comparison would be to look at the position of the right hand in Tiger’s book. While is left hand is pretty much with the thumb straight down the shaft, his right hand is in a position where the palm is more or less facing the target with the V’s pointing between the right shoulder and the right ear. With the position that Hogan advises, it is almost impossible for the average golfer to square the club head. A much better explanation of the grip and what it is supposed to do is in John Jacob’s book Practical Golf.
Stance and Posture
This is where the book really goes off on the deep end and advocates things that even Hogan himself did not do. First of all he advises to keep your right foot perpendicular to the line of flight. This may be ok for the really advanced golfer, but to slightly flair the right foot out at a 10 to 15 degree angle will make the hip turn a lot easier for the beginner. The book says that the feet should be shoulder width for a 5 iron shot and then wider for the longer clubs. Again such a wide stance makes turning more difficult. The feet should be about shoulder width for the driver and then begin to get narrower as the clubs get shorter. But the final thing is the instruction to keep the elbows and the arms as close together as possible at address and throughout the entire swing. If you look at pictures of Hogan at address he really did not follow this. If you try this, it just creates a lot of unnecessary tension in the address position. The other thing that was interesting Hogan used a closed stance for the longer clubs even though he was a fader of the ball. He discussed this at the end of the book. Even with a stance that favors a hook, Hogan could still fade the ball with the technique he describes in the book.
The First Part of the Swing
He writes about the hands starting the swing and the plane concepts really means advocating a one plane swing. He claims that you are heading for disaster if you thrust your arms up above the plane so that they would shatter the imaginary glass plane running from the ball through the shoulders. It makes you wonder how Nicklaus ever won a tournament.
The Second Part of the Swing
There is over emphasis on turning of the hips and not enough on the lateral shift the hips must make in order to clear the hands and arms so they can approach the ball from inside the line. The illustration of Hogan half way down, so ex saturates the inside position with the club shaft almost parallel to the ground, that I defy anybody to duplicate that position and hit a straight shot. Of course we wind up with supination. Try to do that and see how far it gets you.
This book tells how to keep from hitting a duck hook or a hook of any kind. If that had been the emphasis of the book or stated in the forward of book I would have no beef. But to claim that this is the fundamentals of golf, let alone the modern fundamentals, has probably caused more people to quit the game than the book has helped. But if you know anybody that can not keep from hitting a duck hook then give them this book. You will have made a friend for life.
The Goofy Game of Golf Searching for the Answer
Well, here we are December 2 and we were able to get in 18 holes of golf today. Went to Riverview today and broke the streak barely with a 79. In the beginning the putter was kicking ass again as I three putted the first 3 out of four greens. Then I settled down and even though I had only 2 one putts, did not three putt again and parred 11 out of the last 14 holes. It was a very good ball striking day as the weather did turn a little nasty with some wind and rain but for this time of year in the Burgh it was a very good golf day. Now on to another subject that is really bothering me. In some other blogs and in general, the book Five Lessons The Modern Fundamentals of Golf, by Ben Hogan, is regarded as one of the best instructional ever written. Some great pros Nick Price and Larry Nelson, to name a few, have said that this is the book that they read when they first started to learn the game. I maintain that this is one of the worst books written on golf instruction. The main problem is with the title. If it had been titled, Golf My Way by Ben Hogan, then there would be no complaint. This is not to disparage the golfer Hogan in any way. There is no question he is one of the top 3 or 4 players to have ever played the game and arguably the best. He just wrote a bad book. Remember this is a book that is just about how to hit a golf ball. There is nothing in it related to the short game, putting, or playing the game. That is not a criticism of the book but just to make clear that this is a book strictly about the golf swing. So I am heading out to San Diego next week to do a little holiday celebrating with the grandkids. This will give me a little time to go through the book in more depth so I can really rip into it next week. As I said in an earlier blog if you are a duck hooker then this is the book for you. However this book has about as much to do with the “Modern Fundamentals of Golf” as horseshoes.
The Goofy Game of Golf Searching for the Answer
Another week, where the scoring was not that good, but there were some positive things that happened this week. I hit the ball very well today but 39 putts will kill any round. I probably swung at the ball as well as I have in long time. A change in the pre shot routine helped tremendously with the swing and the ball striking. I played 18 holes at Mt Lebanon on Thursday and after double bogeying the first hole I went around the rest of the way only 2 over par. It was on this day that I started the new pre shot routine which really helped me take a solid swing at the ball. On Wednesday at Scenic Valley in the cold again I went around in 86 blows. Today despite hitting 13 greens in regulation, thanks to the putter I could only muster an 82. So I guess I know what I have to work on. The weather looks pretty good this week, so I think I will be able to get in a couple of rounds this week, even though I am the Thanksgiving day chef, which means I will be cooking something everyday this week, but Tuesday. The key to making a big feast is getting things ready days in advance. Yes, it is this time of the year, to give thanks and be thankful. The first thanks is to Tiger Woods for putting Thanksgiving back on the map. What will it be 3 years since that magical day after Thanksgiving early morning where it was shown that even the great Tiger can’t drive an SUV to0 well when someone is chasing you with a 5 iron. Thank God Tiger was not a bowler. I am thankful for many things, but not the least of which is my good health. I try not to take for granted feeling good, and being able to play this game at a pretty good level since 1958. Every one that I really care about is also in very good health with no major problems. After it is all said and done, nothing else in life truely matters. I think I will go on Ebay now to find a new putter, it has to be the club.
The Goofy Game of Golf Searching for the Answer
Finally played a new course this week, as we traveled to Norvelt Golf Club, in Novelt, Pa. about a 70 minute drive. This course was a very pleasant surprise. The course plays about 6600 yards from the blue tees has many diverse holes and was in very good condition. The big surprise was the greens were the fastest we have played during this 2 year plus trek, as they ran a solid 9 on the strimp. The greens had some good slope on them too, so getting above the hole was deadly. The fairways were in great shape and the roughs were grown in well. The course was very hilly and had some really up and down holes. The course did have some blah easy holes, but more than made up for it, with some great scenery and some very tough spectacular holes. The greens were the thing. It took 86 courses to finally have truly fast greens. The hot dog at the turn was mediocre at best, but I would rather have great greens. I have already experienced the great dog and just fair greens at Firestone Farms. The only negative note was because of some lack of course knowledge, and some occasional poor ball striking, my 16 consecutive rounds in the 70’s came to end with an 82. Pete had an 84 and with great weather we had a very enjoyable day. This course was worth the trip. Today I went to Rolling Acres and got back in the groove with a 3 over 76 but it leads to talk about what I consider the most frustrating part of this game, namely the short putt. I missed a couple of real shorties today. Even when I shot the 69 at Rolling Acres this year I missed a couple of short putts, with one being around 2 feet. First lets define a short putt. I consider a short putt anything from 18 inches to 4 feet. I probably have even missed putts shorter than 18 inches but lets stick to that distance frame. The two most famous short putt misses in the history of modern golf is Doug Sanders at the British Open in the sixties, and Scott Hoch at the Masters in the nineties. What is amazing about both of those putts, is at the most they were 2 feet, and neither player even touched the hole. I’m not being critical because I do this all the time. So what is it about the short putt, that even brings golfers at the top level to their knees. I am going to touch upon some things that make short putts unique and hope to have some answers to the problems, which I do not have now. The short putt puts you in the “should” mode, like you should make it. If you miss a putt in the 5 to 10 foot range, even though you may be disappointed you still know that it can happen. But when you get inside the 4 foot range, then you think you “should” make all of them, and when you don’t, it can be a confidence shaker. The short putt increases your decision making processes. On a longer putt you are thinking optimum speed. If you miss it you want the putt to stop close to the hole. But on the short putt you got to think about hitting it a particular speed. The two extremes would be to die the putt in the hole or bang it in the back of the cup. This also will affect the way you read the break of the putt. Finally, the short putt, is just flat out, the most important shot of the hole. It is the final, hopefully, shot of the hole. Miss this and there is no tomorrow. Golf’s version of sudden death. Except it can happen 18 times and the death is your score. Well, with that happey note, I will leave you for another week. Eighty six down and fourteen to go.
The Goofy Game of Golf/Life Searching for the Answer 