Okay, here is a place for the Golfers to talk about tournaments, clubs, swing help or thoughts.
Today is the Players Championship, which I think ought to be the 5th Major. Largest pot in the PGA. The daunting 17th, which seems to bring excitement every year. At least we will get to see Sergio blow up yet again.
Originally Posted by 'Hamas' Jenkins:
If he's ready to play and is more like a beginner you'd be better off just getting him a used set of clubs fit to his height with the softest shafts he can control. He's going to be growing significantly, and if he plays a lot, his swing will likely change somewhat too as he becomes more skilled. Fitting a beginner is a great theory in concept, but somewhat overrated.
Regarding your slice: Make sure that you are finishing your swing with almost all of your weight on your front foot. If you still notice that the balls are leaking, try to ingrain a feeling of shaking hands with your dominant hand past impact. Those should stop you from hanging back and leaving the face open.
Hamas, forgive me for seeming obtuse, but I'm having a hard time visualizing this. Give me a picture of what this is supposed to look like. [Reply]
Originally Posted by WilliamTheIrish:
Hamas, forgive me for seeming obtuse, but I'm having a hard time visualizing this. Give me a picture of what
this is supposed to look like.
Sorry for the awkward phrasing, but I wrote that thinking you were a lefty but not being entirely sure.
Assuming you are:
in your follow through you should have the feeling of almost all your weight being on your lead foot (your right), and you should feel as though your left arm (your dominant side) is reaching forward to shake hands with someone just out of your grasp.
If you prefer a tennis analogy, assume you are trying to hit a topspin forehand. Your weight must be forward and your dominant hand must overtake your weak hand
Look at the seventh panel in this swing sequence:
Now, consider the difference with this:
Notice how open the face is here. In order to hit the ball straight this guy has to flip his hands at impact and hope for perfect timing.
One way you can work on this is the Gary Player drill.
Hit balls with a 7-iron and on your follow through take a step towards the target. Eventually you'll feel what it's like to finish with your weight in front and shake hands with the target. [Reply]
Originally Posted by DrRyan:
Spieth has been amazing on and around the greens in his first Masters.
It's so firm out there that a lot of the traditional local knowledge isn't as helpful, as the shots are running out far past their traditional collection spots.
As odd as it sounds, if Augusta is unusually firm it lessens the disadvantage faced by n00bs. [Reply]
Hamas, thanks for the visual. That really helped me understand. I enjoy working on this stuff on the range. Can't wait to try it tomorrow morning. [Reply]
Originally Posted by 'Hamas' Jenkins:
That's why he's going to fall apart in his early 40s. He'll lose that fine motor control and fade into Bolivian.
Probably so.
When you look at the guys with the most longevity (playing great in their 40s) for te most part, they don't have a lot of moving parts in their swing. [Reply]
When you look at the guys with the most longevity (playing great in their 40s) for te most part, they don't have a lot of moving parts in their swing.
I don't know. Most of the guys who have played well as they have aged have had an upright swing (Vijay, Nicklaus, Phil, Kenny Perry, Tom Watson). Bubba has that, but he also has the worst balance of any tour-level player ever. Phil's balance is comparatively really bad for a tour pro too, but his short game is so good that he's always been able to get away with it. Vijay didn't have great balance either, but he hit 10000 balls a day.
Where Bubba will get in trouble is his putting. He's among the best on the tour in longer putting because that is a much more feel-driven stroke, but he's one of the worst players from 5-15 feet because he doesn't have enough time to square the face. He's also a pretty mediocre iron player if you look at his GIR %s based on distance.
He's definitely unique. He probably has one of the five best sets of hands ever, so maybe he can stave that decline off longer than most. [Reply]
Originally Posted by 'Hamas' Jenkins:
I don't know. Most of the guys who have played well as they have aged have had an upright swing (Vijay, Nicklaus, Phil, Kenny Perry, Tom Watson). Bubba has that, but he also has the worst balance of any tour-level player ever. Phil's balance is comparatively really bad for a tour pro too, but his short game is so good that he's always been able to get away with it. Vijay didn't have great balance either, but he hit 10000 balls a day.
Where Bubba will get in trouble is his putting. He's among the best on the tour in longer putting because that is a much more feel-driven stroke, but he's one of the worst players from 5-15 feet because he doesn't have enough time to square the face. He's also a pretty mediocre iron player if you look at his GIR %s based on distance.
He's definitely unique. He probably has one of the five best sets of hands ever, so maybe he can stave that decline off longer than most.
It basically boils down to timing and how it's accomplished. Bubba can be off at times, but his hands are so great he can save himself. He basically survives with distance. He's not a great iron player, ball striker, putter (he's obviously not bad, he's a damn major winning tour pro) in terms of others on tour.
I don't think upright vs flat will bother longevity as much as other things. Usually the upright guys are better iron players and can struggle with driver, but he's unique in that regard.
I'm taller so I'm more partial to upright swings tho so there is that [Reply]
