Jim McClean

From Carl Welty:

Ralph,
Have I missed anything ? What does he need to work on ? Born 1950. This was his second or third swing after teaching all day at the Kraft, Alexis and Kristie. Both of them started with Jim at age 13 !
Carl



We want to Thank Jim and Carl. They can rest assured that Gotham Golf Blog will be pulling for Alexis Thompson. You guys keep up the good work. I believe if this young lady keeps her head on straight, she'll be dominant for years to come.

Here's Alexis at last Years U.S. Open



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Steve Khatib PGA (AUS) GSEM Part 3 (edit)

I now realize what Mr. Bouttaveth was referring to when he wanted to fix the links. Apparently I reloaded the first part of the interview and not the third part. My apologies and here's the solution.



I also fixed the part 3 in the archives.


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Alex and Homer XII

We continue with Alex's early experiences with the Golfing Machine--

Once home I started publicizing the golf schools I planned to hold. Word spread like wild fire and I had no trouble for the next two years of having full classes for each school. Schools were held every other week on a weekend, Friday, Saturday and Sunday. Only 10 students for each class. Tommy would come over from Ga. To assist. The first thing we would do after the introductions in the class room was to take the class to the lesson tee. The purpose of this was for us to try and asses who in the class were swingers and who might be hitters. Once back in the class room Hitting and Swinging was then discussed at length and we explained the reason for the short session on the tee. Only one time did we make a blunder on our assessment of a student. She was a rather good player to start with. We did not pick up that she was a hitter and when we tried to teach here swinging fundamentals, she got much worse in her ball striking. Taught me a very important lesson and verified one thing Mr. Kelley had told us, it is very nearly impossible to asses if a person is a hitter or swinger by just looking.
The first thing we did in the class was to give each student a 3X5 card. On that card we asked them to evaluate themselves and give their strong points and weak points. On the back of the card we requested to give serious thought to the next question and then put the answer on the card. What did they want to accomplish with their golf within the next 6-12 months. We read each card and as time passed it was amazing how many students surpassed their wishes with their game by a very large margin.
At the conclusion of the class each student was given a certificate of completion of TGM class for them to frame and hang on the wall.
I was always amazed with how many students traveled quite a distance to take the class.

After the class numbers started to dwindle Tommy moved to Santee S.C.. It did not take him long to become well known in that area. He lined up a class for 20 golf professionals and talked Mr. Kelley in coming down from Seattle to teach the class. Mr. Kelley rebelled at first because of the number 20. He did not like having more than 10 in a class. Tommy assured him that the three of us could handle 20. He consented. I called Mr. Kelley and asked if with his permission I could video the class. He said that was a marvelous idea. He said, “I will not be around forever and you can use the video for future classes.” I talked to Dave Smith who at the time was the golf pro at Vestavia C.C. in Birmingham and he borrowed a video camera. We were all set. On Valentine day of 1983 Mr. Kelley was to be the guest speaker to the Georgia Section spring educational meeting. He was the after noon speaker.
I talked with Benney Smallwood, golf pro at the public golf course in Tuscumbia, and Dave Smith about all of us driving together to Santee to take the class. Benny and I drove to Birmingham and picked up Dave. He had the video equipment for us to use. We headed to Georgia to be with Mr. Kelley and Tommy at the Georgia spring meeting in Macon, Ga. Then we were to drive on to Santee. S.C.

To Be Continued


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Carl Welty PGA

Today we're going to have the pleasure of meeting Mr. Carl Welty. Carl has been a big part of the development of such tour luminaries as Pat Perez and Ben Crane. Jim McClean cites Carl as having a great influence on his development as a Teacher. Visit Carl's website and you will be astonished at this man's accomplishments, a virtual who's who on the PGA tour.

Here's a video of one of Carl's junior students, Kit Carson



Here's Greg Norman when he worked with Carl




And here's the interview




Here's a link to the U of New Mexico Golf Site and the story Carl was talking about

I'm sorry about the "Ali G" type moments, I certainly didn't have my "A" game for this one.


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The Best Swing out there

I'm going to go out on the limb and say, Vicky Hurst might have the best swing on both tours. It's like a more compact" Big Easy" without the little cast move he has at the top. It's probably best described as "Poetry in motion"

(For those who don't know, The Big Easy is Ernie Els)

Now she just has to figure out how to close a tournament..............



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Michelle Wie

I just watched the interaction between Michelle Wie and the LPGA official. I thought it was a pretty pathetic argument on Michelle's part and it's also sad that we had to hear it on National Television. She was either unaware of the rules, thought the hazard ended at the water or thought the ball had cleared the hazard. Either way there was no balance issue. By arguing the ruling and not accepting the official's decision, she just made it worse in the eye the serious golfers across the country. I bet there were tons of rule buffs ( you know, the guys that "call-in" violations) all over the country just chomping at the bit--standing by their phones waiting to call it in.

To her credit she did show some mental toughness by coming back and birdieing the next hole. It just simply amazes me when Pro Golfers don't want to accept a penalty or reality for that matter. This is something that happens all the time, most recently it occurred to Graeme McDowell at the Honda. Graeme saw the replay and promptly accepted the 2 stroke penalty, Michelle did the opposite.

One thing I love about Golf is the fact that "Nobody's above the Rules". It's a self policing game and there are times when you have to take your lumps.
The Rules are there to protect you and sometimes you take the elevator, other times you get the shaft.


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The Hip turn and Axis Tilt

Gregg Mchatton is a big proponent of the role of the hips in the golf swing.Whenever I'm working with him, he always emphasizes the hip turn and hip slide. If you remember the Hogan series I wrote, I showed you a pivot move that Gregg teaches which incorporates a Hip Slide/Turn. Remember that in order to start longitudinally, you should move linearly, so that you can avoid the radial forces. (don't try to say that 5 times fast LOL)
In other words if you start your downswing with a turn you will more than likely come over the top. Some like to call this a bump towards the target. The late Tommy Tomasselo emphasized dropping your right shoulder (for righties) which he said was the equivalent to bumping the hip.
Anyway here are some pictures




Here's a drill I found on Mike Jacobs' Youtube page, where Brian Manzella explains the move I'm trying to describe.




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Chick Harbert

The following was a correspondence I had with Carl Welty:

Ralph,
This a touring professional by the name of Chick Harbert, from 40’s & 50’s. I knew his game and he won the PGA and about 15 PGA Tour events.He was from Mich and his dad was president of the PGA at one time. Remind you of John Daly ? I have studied the history of winners. I felt it was comical that one of the first comments on Pat Perez’s swing was how do you go about changing his backswing ? You don’t. We have NO American golfers at the top getting better ! I did a study on Ernie Els a few days ago comparing his 1994 swing in shells wonderful world of golf vs today and he is going the wrong way.

I agree with Carl 100%

From: Hickory Sports

World War II undoubtedly deprived Harbert of quite a few tournament victories. As an amateur, he won the 1937 Michigan Open with a score of 268. He also won the Trans-Mississippi Amateur and went to the quarter-finals of the U. S. Amateur before joining the professional tour.

After winning three PGA tournaments in two years, Harbert spent four years in the Army Air Corps. He had six more victories after the war; the biggest was the 1954 PGA Championship, when he beat Walter Burkemo, 4 and 3. Harbert also reached the finals of the PGA Championship in 1947 and 1952.

Here's that "Arrow out of a Quiver" move again.

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Pat Perez had Lag

Below is a video of Pat Perez, notice how much lag he had. His coach at the time was Mr. Carl Welty. I will be interviewing Mr. Welty as soon as we can get our schedules to coincide. Note," the arrow out of a quiver" move, something I started working on this week. According to Mr. Welty, Pat had a clubhead speed of 130 mph in those days and he also beat Tiger in the Jr. World.





Reminiscent of another guy, who pound for pound was one of the longest.

Click to enlarge



Here's a better look at this:(original video by KOC, I redid it with new audio and the typo at the end is his not mine ;0))



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The chipping stroke

Today we have Mr. Gregg McHatton explaining the Chip Stroke.
Enjoy

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Player's Sweepstakes

This was sent to me by Gotham reader Julie Ma:

Two weeks left to enter!

Have you or your readers ever dreamed of being at THE PLAYERS Championship
and taking your shot at the famous 17th island hole at TPC Sawgrass? You now have two weeks left to enter for the chance to make that dream a
reality. JELD-WEN Windows & Doors, a Proud Partner of THE PLAYERS, is
hosting a nationwide sweepstakes to win a trip for two to THE PLAYERS in
Ponte Vedra Beach, Florida.

THE PLAYERS JELD-WEN Golf Sweepstakes is open for entries from now through
April 6, 2010, at http://www.jeld-wen.com/playerssweepstakes/
You can enter once a day.

One winner will receive the ultimate golf tournament package, including
roundtrip airfare for two, three nights lodging at the beautiful Sawgrass
Marriott, meals, ground transportation to and from the hotel, and admission
for two adults to THE PLAYERS on May 8 – 9, 2010. The package also
includes exclusive hospitality tent passes for the tournament with prime
viewing at holes 13, 17 and 9/18.

On Monday, May 10, following the tournament, the winner will be treated to
a round of 18 holes at the legendary PLAYERS Stadium Course, where Henrik
Stenson won last year’s PLAYERS and recent champions have included Phil
Mickleson, Tiger Woods and Sergio Garcia.

Questions? Contact: Julie Ma on behalf of JELD-WEN, jma@cmdagency.com, or follow on Twitter: @JELDWENGolf.

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Steve Khatib PGA (AUS) GSEM Part 3

Today we'll continue with part 3 of our interview with Steve Khatib. Before we continue with the interview I have attached Steve's Bio for those that are interested and also the links to Steve's various media ventures.


Australian Golf Professional Steve Khatib is an internationally respected authority on all matters of golf technique and training. Steve’s unique blend of technical information, passionate dynamic presentation style and cutting edge training systems attract both professional and amateur golf enthusiasts from across the world. His achievements include being awarded the 2005 Victorian PGA Teacher of the Year, a PGA AAA Specialist Coach and a Master Golf Club Fitter accreditation.He is also one of a select group of international instructors to hold a Masters Degree in Golf Stroke Engineering.

Steve is the only international instructor on staff at the Brian Manzella Golf Academy based in New Orleans, Louisiana and the Xplosive Golf School in New York attaining ‘Master Instructor’ status at these Academies. He was also invited to join the exclusive AMF Golf Professional Instructor division (AMF an exclusive ‘invitation only’ association of professionals based in America).

He credits the development of his extensive skills to several years studying under and working with the world’s best instructors in the USA. He has since hosted many of these experts in Australia, conducting popular interactive seminars across the nation. In addition, he has made his wealth of knowledge available to corporate groups and individuals via customized tours to events such as the US Masters and through regular speaking engagements.

In 2001 Steve founded Golf Dynamics begin_of_the_skype_highlighting     end_of_the_skype_highlighting, which provides both personalized coaching and access to leading industry professionals through national and international workshops. Professionals and aspiring golfers travel from around the globe to attend his master classes. He is popular with Melbourne golfers who have access to his skills through private tuition.

As 'The Golf Doctor', Steve is the resident golf expert on Radio Sport 927. He hosts a regular Tuesday morning segment aimed to improve the golf game of listeners and is a weekly contributor to the nationally broadcast ‘Sports Overnight’ program. On Channel 31 television Steve is a co-host and resident professional of the ‘Golf Zone’ series broadcast nationally and throughout New Zealand on Friday evenings.

Below are the links to Steve's media ventures:

Tv

http://www.golfzonetv.com.au/

http://www.c31.org.au/show/our_shows/?show_title=GolfZone&show_id=239

Twitter

http://twitter.com/GolfDynamics

Radio

www.sport927.com.au

And here's the interview:




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Steve Khatib PGA (AUS) GSEM Part 2

Today we continue with the second of three parts of my interview with Steve Khatib.

Here's some more from Steve's Youtube channel


And here's the interview





Part 3 tomorrow---



Hit em Straight

Alex and Homer XI

We continue with Alex Sloan's dialogue with Homer Kelley.

Tape 18-B This tape is unreadable. It sounds as we are at the driving range and there is so much back ground noise, what Mr. Kelley is telling us is unrecognizable.

Tape 19-A. Also unable to get anything from this tape.

Tape 19-B This tape was entirely in discussion of what we could do once we returned to our clubs and started teaching TGM. Mr. Kelley had given each of us a very technical curriculum to follow in our class with him. I tried it once after I got home and found it too much for my students to accept. So many areas was discussed as to the possibility of how it should be done. Mr. Kelley was wanting to have Authorized Instructors coast to coast. It was his dream for this to happen so if a golfer went from one to another Authorized Instructor, they would be getting the same information regardless who they went to for a golf lesson. Mr. Kelley said that hopefully the only difference they would hear would be because of the different way the Instructor would interpret the book. It was discussed that all Authorized Instructors would be called Golf Stroke Engineers. Mr. Kelley set it up so there would those who were just getting into it would be called G.S.E.B., the next level would be G.S.E.M. and the highest level of Instructor would be G.S.E.D.. The first level is the Bachelor level, the second level is the Master level and the highest level is the Doctor level. Those of us who went to see Mr. Kelley were given a certificate saying we were G.S.E.M.

When we returned home and started teaching Instructors, they would start out once they completed the course and passed the test as G.S.E.B. Then in time and experience they would be gradually up graded to the next level. Tommy said he could see a lot of money to be made with the teaching. As time passed, this was proven to be quite true. Mr. Kelley wanted to stay in the loop so each time we held a class for Authorized Instructors he wanted complete information on the participants. This seemed to be the only way it should be done. As time passed after we returned home we would periodically receive a list of new Authorized Instructors with their names and addresses and who were the Authorizing Instructors.

This was the last tape to be made with Mr. Kelley. Larry and Tommy and I made reservations at the Space Needle and we took Mr. And Mrs. Kelley to dinner up there to celebrate the successful completion of the first class for Authorized Instructors. Mr. Kelley had a small surprise for us. He gave each of a small vial of ashes from Mt. St. Helens eruption the year before. A very meaningful gift in my opinion.

Tommy and I left the next day to fly back to Atlanta and I caught a shuttle flight back to Muscle Shoals. Needless to say, on the long flight home, Tommy and I made a lot of plans, many of which came to fruition.

Hit em Straight

Juan "Chi Chi" Rodriguez Part III

"If you really want something and you're prepared to work hard for it, then little by little one by one, miracles will happen"

- Juan "Chi Chi" Rodriguez

When I first joined the tour in 1967, I met Chi Chi. What I saw was a guy about my height (5 feet 7 inches) but a lot thinner. Chi Chi never weighed more than about 130 pounds, but he hits the ball with tremendous power. I got to know him as a person and a human being and found there was much more to him than his wisecracks and funny tricks.
I did a couple of exhibitions with Chi Chi for the Heart in San Juan and I was amazed at how the people of Puerto Rico love this man. But people everywhere love him. He's fun to be around, he's generous, and he has never forgotten where he came from.
As a boy in Puerto Rico, he wanted to play golf but had no money to buy clubs and balls. So Chi Chi hit tin cans with the limbs from a guava tree. He started caddying, but when he was nineteen he joined the Army because he could make more money to help at home. Chi Chi came from a large family and he always shared whatever he had with them.
And he shares with so many. I never see him that he doesn't ask, "Do you need anything?" He loves kids. On tour I've seen him take a bunch of kids and buy them tickets, hot dogs, and drinks.
The bottom line on Chi Chi is this: if everybody in this world were like him you wouldn't need borders or passports. Everyone would feel at home everywhere. And you sure wouldn't need any jailers.
A lot of people say that I'm a lot like him, but I'm really not. I know I'll never be a match for Chi Chi Rodriguez.
---Lee Trevino



Hit em Straight

Weekend Round up 3-22-10

• THIS has to be the article of the year so far, I couldn't agree more with his views.
  
• Tiger Woods will be back for Augusta, we look forward to him coming back. It'll be interesting to see how he plays.
• We at Gotham Golf Blog could care less about the drama, intrigue and gossip surrounding Mr. Woods. We'll leave that to others
• Tiger has Earned a lifetime exemption to play The Masters (although I think there is an age limitation) based on past performance, namely 4 Green Jackets. So it doesn't matter what any defending or past Champion has to say about it. Likewise, he's Earned a lifetime exemption on the PGA tour, based on 71 tour wins, so he doesn't have to plead for sponsor's exemptions.
• Will Tiger lose his "Edge" as a result of trying to present some new found humility?
• Although I did say I wasn't going to get into any gossip. I did find this article written by Stephanie Wie very funny. It has to do with the bracelet pictured below. Notice how he said back in 1999 that he "used" to wear it. I guess that's when he got away from his Buddhist roots. Ms. Wie is a New Yorker via Seattle and I find her blog to be quite entertaining.
  

(Click on image to enlarge)

• It's interesting how some internet pundits have chosen to define what's orthodox and what's not. Take Jim Furyk for example, in the 60's and 70's there was a swing method developed by( I think) Dick Aultman (author of "square to square") called "The Rotor". This move was explained to me by former Negro tour golfer Ken McCloyd. It entailed making the exact same move that Furyk makes.
  
• Johnny Miller at the end of yesterday's broadcast had this to say about Furyk's move, " I grew up in an era where this was a fairly common action."
• Anybody who's been around golf or studies golf should realize this move is nothing strange or bizarre. It was commonly used as a drill to teach people to swing from the inside.
  
• I would venture to say that Furyk's only coach, his dad Mike also comes from Johnny Miller's era. The beauty of the Furyks' relationship is that Mike let Jim be Jim and didn't try to fix what wasn't broken.

Hit em Straight

Juan "Chi Chi" Rodriguez Part II

Here's what Lee Trevino had to say about "Chi Chi"

Pound for pound, Chi Chi Rodriguez has to be the greatest golfer in the world. He's one of the funniest and certainly the kindest.

Chi Chi always wants to say something nice about somebody. Once he and I were paired with two players from the women's tour in an exhibition. When we finished, there was none of this kiss-on-the-cheeks business. We just shook hands and they started toward the clubhouse. Chi Chi watched them admiringly for a moment.
"There," he said "go two perfect gentlemen."
Like me, Chi Chi got hooked on golf early in life and has always loved the game. "Golf is the most fun you can have," he said, "without taking off your clothes"--an old joke, I know, but I can't argue with that sentiment.
Chi Chi was the first player on the professional tour to grab my attention. This was back in 1963 and 1964, when I was playing a lot of golf at Tenison Park in Dallas and working at Hardy's Driving Range. I knew something about those great old Texas golfers like Ben Hogan, Byron Nelson, and Jimmy Demaret, but the only other thing I knew was that Arnold Palmer and Jack Nicklaus were the new superstars. It wasn't until I started playing the tour a few years later that I realized that Bobby Jones wasn't Robert Trent Jones, the golf-course designer.
When I heard about this little guy named Juan Rodriguez who was out driving Nicklaus and Palmer and winning some tournaments, I thought, "Hey that Mexican must be something else!" Then I heard he was Puerto Rican, which was fine. I knew with a name like Juan Rodriguez he damn sure wasn't Irish.
They said he was a dynamic fellow who had a lot of color and really put on a show when he played. He liked to dance around the greens and play swordsman with his putter. Chi Chi always wears a little straw hat. When he made a putt he would put his hat over the hole, then get on his knees and peek under the hat to see if his ball still was in the cup. The gallery loved it. Chi Chi was different, and he could play with the best of them.
To Be Continued--

Here's a video I really enjoyed




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Juan "Chi Chi" Rodriguez Part I

I have to admit that I have a little bias towards ChiChi, since the Men's Club I play with was founded by his brother. Though ChiChi is well recognized for his showmanship on the golf course, many just don't realize how good a golfer he really was. A pure hands player, ChiChi could make the ball do what ever he wanted. It was like he had it on a string. While watching him on the Senior Tour, I came to the conclusion that ChiChi couldn't hit a straight ball. He had to work it one way or another, even his chips had some sort of shape. It's quite amazing to hear and read how some of the less privileged had to learn the game. More importantly, the amount of feel these guys developed as a result. You look at Seve, Trevino and the majority of the old Negro Golfers and they all had the same common denominator, no resources so they improvised. In part one of this series we'll look at his bio from Wikipedia.

Juan "Chi-Chi" Rodríguez
From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
Juan Antonio "Chi-Chi" Rodríguez (born October 23, 1935) is a Puerto Rican professional golfer. He was the first Puerto Rican to be inducted into the World Golf Hall of Fame.

Early years

Rodríguez was born into a poor family in Rio Piedras, Puerto Rico. He was one of six siblings. His father used to earn only $18 a week as a laborer and cattle handler. When Rodríguez was only seven years old, he helped the family by earning money as a water carrier on a sugar plantation. One day Juan wandered off into a golf course. When he saw that the caddies were earning more money than him, he decided to become a caddy himself.

Rodríguez would take a branch from a guava tree and turn it into a golf club. Using a metal can as a "golf ball", he would practice what he had seen the "real" golfers do, teaching himself how to play golf. By the time he was nine years old, he was proficient at golf and in 1947 at the age of 12, he scored a remarkable 67.

In 1954, when Rodríguez was 19, he joined the Army. During his breaks, he would visit whichever golf course was nearby, where he continued to perfect his game.

Rodríguez, with characteristic charisma, would often make jokes about his past hardships on the golf course, such as, "How long does John Daly drive a golf ball? When I was a kid, I didn't go that far on vacation." And, "Playing golf is not hot work. Cutting sugar cane for a dollar a day—that's hot work. Hotter than my first wrist watch."

Rodríguez turns professional

Rodríguez turned professional in 1960. In 1963, at 28, Rodríguez won the Denver Open, which he considers as his favorite win. In total he won eight titles on the PGA Tour between 1963 and 1979.

At first, Rodríguez used to put his hat over the hole whenever he made a birdie or eagle. After he heard that other golfers were complaining about his little act, he decided to try something new. Juan developed his signature "toreador dance", where he would make believe that the ball was a "bull" and that his putter was a "sword" and he would terminate the "bull". Rodríguez represented Puerto Rico on 12 World Cup teams. In 1986, he won the Hispanic Recognition Award. In 1988, he was named Replica's Hispanic Man of the Year.

Senior PGA Tour

Rodríguez became eligible to play on the Senior PGA Tour (now known as the Champions Tour) in 1985 and did so for many years with great success, accumulating 22 tournament victories between 1986 and 1993. He was the first player on the Senior PGA Tour to win the same event in three consecutive years. He set a tour record with eight consecutive birdies en route to a win at the 1987 Silver Pages Classic.

In 1989, he was voted the Bob Jones Award, the highest honor given by the United States Golf Association in recognition of distinguished sportsmanship in golf. Rodríguez received the 1989 Old Tom Morris Award from the Golf Course Superintendents Association of America, GCSAA's highest honor. In 1991, he lost an 18-hole playoff to a legendary Jack Nicklaus in the U.S. Senior Open. In 1992, Juan "Chi-Chi" Rodríguez was inducted into the World Golf Hall of Fame, the first Puerto Rican so honored.

Later years

On one occasion Rodríguez had a brief encounter with Mother Teresa. He considers that moment as the greatest moment in his life. This encounter inspired him to help others. Rodríguez, together with former pro golfer Bill Hayes and Bob Jones, established the "Chi-Chi Rodríguez Youth Foundation", an afterschool program at the Glen Oaks Golf Course in Clearwater, Florida. The principal idea behind the foundation is to instill self-esteem in young people who are victims of abuse, have experienced minor brushes with the law, or have suffered other hardships. Rodríguez also bought his mother a house and gave financial help to his brothers and sisters.

In October 1998, Rodríguez suffered a heart attack. He had an angioplasty to clear the blocked artery and made a recovery. He is married and has one daughter.

Hit em Straight

Steve Khatib PGA (AUS) GSEM Part 1

Today we have the pleasure of chatting with Mr. Steve Khatib PGA(AUS)GSEM. Steve was kind enough to give us some of his time, so that we could get to know him. The session got screwed up at the half way point, so this will be the first part of the interview and we will air the second part later.
Just like any interview we've done, the opinions expressed by Steve are not the views of Gotham Golf Blog. So sit back and enjoy the interview.


Here's one of Steve's Youtube videos.







And here's the interview




To be continued

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Pivot Thrust II

Momentum
If you recall the momentum equation =(mass x velocity), it appears that most golf instruction focuses on the velocity portion of the equation, which advocates clubhead speed. The fact of the matter is that velocity is a far more important factor when it comes to the distance a golf ball travels.

The mass portion can be considered negligible, since the impact interval is such a short time span (nominally 0.00045 secs). As Gregg Mchatton likes to say, "You could hit the ball with a 10,000 ton locomotive traveling at 100mph and a golf club traveling at 100 mph and the results will be near identical in terms of distance". In fact, it might even be detrimental to use a heavier club since the potential boost due to clubhead weight would almost certainly cost you clubhead speed. A zero sum proposition.

2 Schools of Thought

School #1
The dynamics that take place during a collision can be explained in terms either energy or momentum. Momentum, which is defined as mass x velocity, determines an object's ability to keep moving with constant speed and direction, and is more useful in describing collisions because the combined momentum of the club and ball always must be conserved--momentum before impact must equal the momentum afterward. This is not the case with kinetic (energy of motion) since some of the total kinetic energies of the collision may disappear into heat and sound.
Optimal momentum transfer comes from coordinating the combination of linear and angular momentum. Linear momentum is generated by the acceleration of the body rocking forward towards the ball; angular momentum (rotation about a fixed axis) from the accelerating forces created by the rotational motion of the club and body. Although considerable momentum is developed, much of it s never imparted to the ball, and according to the conservation of momentum principle, all momentum developed has to go somewhere. Since the club does not stop the moment the ball leaves the clubface, only a small fraction is transferred to the ball as the clubhead decelerates from roughly 100mph to 90 mph, with the remaining momentum dampened within the body during the follow-through, as the club moves from the six o'clock position to directly overhead. There is not much that can be done to improve the actual momentum transfer at ball contact, yet there are a number of ways to minimize the momentum dampened by the uncoordinated actions of muscles during the downswing.₁


To Be Continued

Ref<sub>1:Newton on the Tee: A Good walk through the Science of Golf

Hit em Straight</sub>

John Dochety PGA

Today we have the pleasure of getting to know John Dochety PGA. I've been a long time fan of John and his teaching, from afar. John is in my opinion one of those great teachers that most people aren't aware of. If he chimes in with an opinion on one of these forums I would suggest you sit back and absorb because John has a lot of wisdom to disseminate.To top that all off John is a consummate Gentleman and a Professional. So without further ado, here's a brief taste of John from his YOUTUBE Channel.





And here's the interview:





Hit em Straight

The Swing Catalyst

During my visit to the 2010 PGA Show, I had the privilege of testing some new swing training technology. The system I tested is called "The Swing Catalyst". It is by far the most complete swing analysis system on the market. Here's a description according to their website.

Swing Catalyst Studio

The Swing Catalyst Studio is our flagship game improvement system. It gives you powerful tools which help you provide a better learning experience to your students, making you or your academy more attractive to potential clients.

The Swing Catalyst Studio is the first 3D force plate system that is fully integrated with video and launch monitor data. It is a complete swing analysis package that synchronizes video images with real time force plate measurements and ball flight data. This seamless integration paves the way for unparalleled game improvement and is a leap forward in user friendliness.

Swing Catalyst Studio sets the stage for fast progress. It gives golf instructors a golden opportunity to provide their clients with a positive and inspiring learning experience, a driving force behind the golf instruction industry. There are no wires, no body sensors, just instant totally reliable feedback.

How it works
Swing Catalyst Studio works by seamlessly integrating a force plate (1) with video analysis software (5) and an optional launch monitor (3). The force plate is housed in a tee unit (2) covered with artificial turf. Up to four video cameras (4) record every motion and send feedback directly to the feedback screen (6) and the instructor’s workstation (5).

The Swing Catalyst Force Plate enables you to view a student’s centre of gravity, stance and pressure distribution both live and recorded, in real time and in slow motion. Additional data on rotational force, tempo and rhythm are available at your fingertips once the swing has been captured.

Easy-to-understand visualization of data lets you observe subtle aspects of the golf swing which are not visible to the naked eye.

Lead the way in swing analysis
It is common knowledge that rotation is a fundamental part of the golf swing. Though hard to grasp with conventional methods, Swing Catalyst Studio allows you to visualize the rotational force in a golf swing. The ability to measure rotation places the Swing Catalyst Studio at the cutting edge of swing analysis. For those who want to stay ahead of the curve, Swing Catalyst is the only option.

Feature highlights
• Complete studio suite with custom hardware solutions incl. optional video cameras, computer, displays, launch monitor, cables, hitting turf and more.
• Unique force plate which measures vital, but often overlooked aspects of the golf swing:
o Rotation
o Stance
o Weight shift and balance
• High speed camera support.
• Launch monitor support.
• User friendly software with seamless integration of all components.
• Streamlined workflow designed specifically for golf instruction.
• Automatic swing capture.
• User friendly database.
• Support for up to 4 cameras.
• Feedback screen.
• Side by side comparison mode.
• Access to world class professional golf swings with complete Swing Catalyst Force Plate data.
• Flexible and efficient illustration tools.
• Powerful import/export capabilities.

Here are my stats while on this system: (Click on the images to enlarge)




If you remember the interview with Gregg Mchatton, Gregg mentioned how he found he weighed 400lbs through impact. The graph on the bottom of the screen above proves this. It shows the ground pressures and the rotational forces throughout the swing interval.





In addition to the force plates, the system was hooked up to high speed video and a trackman launch monitor; thus there really was no stone unturned.

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Alex and Homer X

Checking #3 accumulator motion . Mr. Kelley demonstrated a flatter elbow plane and going out and down the alternate target line as a hitter and then as a swinger tracing the plane line with #3 accumulator working. I asked him which developed them most power, swinging or hitting. His replay, if their motions were correct there should be no difference, hitting or swinging. Mr. Kelley said a pitch basic stroke or a push basic stroke can be used by the hitter. Monitoring the hands is the critical thing. He emphasized that the magic of the right forearm is working for both hitting and swinging. He said it was impossible to watch and identify if it is a hitting motion or a swinging motion. Hubert Green’s golf swing was talked about. Mr. Kelley said he thought Hubert had a very powerful motion.Mr. Kelley said that a longer swing took more time to check for accuracy. We left his driving range room and went to a green and range at the Seattle C.C. We were by a chipping green and Mr. Kelley first demonstrated then Tommy took over the demonstration and talked the whole time of what he was doing. He held the club off the ground and used only #1 accumulator with no #3 accumulator. Mr. Kelley wanted to see the club descend during a chip shot. Tommy then hit the shot fat. His next stroke he went to angled hinging and #1 accumulator. Mr. Kelley said angled hinging was the best for chip shots. Mr. Kelley advocated using the same grip for chipping or full shots. He also stressed the use of extensor action for the short shots. He mentioned that we should have Rhythm for chips as well as full shots. Mr. Kelley told me I was using vertical hinging. He suggested I use angled hinging. As we were there Tommy started talking to a spectator and explained to him what we were doing. He suggested to the person contact Mr. Kelley later to get a book and lessons. Mr. Kelley told us we could block out #3 accumulator by putting the club in the palm of the left hand. Mr. Kelley watched me putt a few and sad if I used Horizontal hinging in my full swing it could and should be used in putting also. He suggested I have a straight left arm with my putting so I could have the Horizontal hinging as in my full swing. He said hinging was a major item for putting. He said to avoid vertical hinging in putting. Mr. Kelley stressed keeping the right wrist bend at all times, short or long shots. For longer putts Mr. Kelley wanted to see me to go to a straight right arm in the follow through keeping a bent right wrist.

Tape 18-A On this tape we were on the putting green and then at the side of the green. Putting and chipping. Mr. Kelley said a negative loft putter had advantages as it struck the ball above the center line to give better over-spin and roll and it would hold the line better as a result. Mr. Kelley was encouraging us to have the same grip for putting except the club is put in the palm of the hand. It is a right arm power stroke. He wanted to ascertain we had a left hand vertical to the ground and using horizontal hinging. A lot of practice monitoring the hands that we are tracing the plane line, with horizontal hinging and Rhythm. No shoulder motion. Being sure we had extensor action working and allowing the right elbow to bend on the take away and straighten out through impact to both arm straight and he continually stressed Rhythm. Flat left wrist and bent right wrist on both putting and chipping. He constantly stressed NO SHOULDER MOTION on putting and or chipping. Horizontal hinging on putting. For chips, select the hinge motion wanted knowing horizontal hinging allowed more ball roll than angled hinging. He wanted us to always monitor the hands and that the club is tracing the plane line. For putting, he insisted we hit the ball above center to get the ball rolling better. This is why he illustrates a negative lofted putter in his book. Also, it will hold the line better. The three of us in the class took turns putting and chipping with Mr. Kelley coaching. In chipping he wanted us to be sure we hit the ball before low point. He said Extensor Action is truly very important in putting. The thing about this to me is that most golfers are using a putter that is to long. If they were to take the stance with the left arm straight with Extensor action and take their stance to the ball with their putter, they would need a shorter putter than they currently use. Unless they are using a belly putter or longer. Remember, this all occurred in 1981. The longer belly or chest putters had not come in vogue by then. I wish they had as I would love to hear what Mr. Kelley would have said about them.

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Weekend Round up 2

• Charl Schwartzel is putting with the original "Fat Lady Swings", the putter made popular by Nick Price during his great run in the 90's. The putter was given to him by his father, a South African Club Pro.
• Schwartzel couldn't get into the Honda Classic via Sponsor's exemption, so he did the next best thing and played a couple of practice rounds on the Bear Trap. What's wrong with that picture.
• Nobody's heard of him? He was the the youngest player to ever earn a European tour card via Q-School.Schwartzel, won three consecutive Sunshine Tour Order of Merit titles between 2004 and 2007. He's already won twice this year on the European Tour and was in contention late in the tournament at Dubai, despite the fact that he had just gotten married. He has a total of 4 wins in Europe.
  
• His swing is pretty flawless and he carries himself like a seasoned Pro. I believe he has no swing coach and was taught by his Father.
  

• "I first saw him in when he was 15 and playing in the South African Open. At 16 he had a plus-six [six under par] handicap." Says Ricci Roberts, Schwartzel's veteran caddie, who used to loop for Els, "He has a pure swing and a good head on his shoulders. He's quite impressive."

• How does Mickelson do it? After the third round he had hit 14 of 42 fairways, does he really expect to climb back up the rankings with that type of play?
• You have to love Johnny Miller's candor. He called Paul Casey the world's biggest underachiever, stating that his only win was in a playoff at the Houston Open. A tournament he won with a bogey in a playoff with J.B. Holmes
• The Puerto Rico Open has turned out to be a big Fiasco. It's a shame because a PGA tour event could sure help to promote tourism on the Island.
• Ernie Els claims the new Callaway ball plays and feels just like the old balatas. I used to love balatas, the only problem was durability. If Callaway has found the magic formula, you'll probably see more of this type of ball design algorithm from the other companies. Particularly with the new groove rules.
• Now that Puma purchased Cobra Golf from Fortune Brands, I would like to see Cobra bring back Greg Norman and Phil Rodgers in a design capacity. Norman can contribute by designing a Classic forged Blade and Rodgers can bring back his wedges. These are items that I find lacking from their product lineup.
  

Below we have a swing sequence from the IPHONE swing app. The sequences are of Rick Neilsen working with his student and Gotham Blog reader Mark Ptashne. They were working on acquired motion at Randall's Island.

(click on the images to enlarge)

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The Elbow move aka "Finding the Slot"

My friend Brent who is a frequent poster on the forum circuit, turned me on to a site called "Speed Training". It is written by Kelvin Miyahira.
Here's Kelvin's bio as written on his site:

Kelvin Miyahira has worked with several collegiate strength coaches and athletes at the University of Hawaii, University of Louisville, University of Nebraska, HPU, and Mt. San Antonio College. He has trained 100's of athletes, including Olympic hopefuls, from as young as 6 years old to adults in all sports from baseball, golf, soccer, tennis, volleyball, track, etc. Kelvin has products being used by the David Leadbetter Junior Golf Academy in Florida as well as many other golf academies across the US. and in Mexico/South America. Many LDA members including Scott Smith, holder of the Guinness World Long Drive Record with a drive of 539 yards uses his methods and products.


The images below are what I'm constantly working on in my own swing. Namely," finding the slot". One of the things Gregg McHatton emphasizes is "Greater Motion", he says we have to figure out a way to create motion in a small space. I imagine this has to do with creating momentum from a static start. A lot of the new school swing gurus emphasize eliminating unnecessary moves, labeling them inefficient. I think Kelvin and his team have found this to be not true.












The article that pertains to these images is called Micro Moves of Elite Golf Swings,
I recommend reading this article particularly if you are into the Biomechanic approach. It is by far the best article I've read on "finding the slot".

Enjoy

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A Tribute to the Last Real Swinger

Classic is probably the best way to describe Payne Stewart's Golf Swing and "Throw-back" is another word that comes to mind. Payne's swing transcended time, he probably would have been just as good playing hickory as he was playing steel. He like Bobby Jones, simply let the club" freewheel" through impact. One of the things that stands out is his pivot and the related hip action. He reminds me of Shivas Irons and the concept of "Inner Gravity." Payne was about letting the motion determine the positions, he emphasized rhythm and tempo. Take note of how he always swung to a complete finish and in balance.
Anyway, enough out of me. Enjoy the videos.



Here's my tribute to him (Footage from the 1998 US Open at Olympic)




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Kevin's PGA Victory

(Click on Image to enlarge)

Can you share your story about winning the Minnesota PGA Championship?

How a Hacker Can Win “The Big One”

OK, here goes...

To set it up, I have never been a tournament player; my nerves always get the best of me. I was usually a rules official at the big events so I would feel like part of the gang. In 1995 the Minnesota PGA Championship was set to be at the Pines in Brainerd, a very tough course if played from the back tees. The owner is an old friend of mine, and he talked me into playing instead of officiating.

So I get there, nervous as all get out and my nightmare is confirmed, the course is set up all the way back and very tough. It was just under 7200 yards, and 15 years go that was a long golf course with balata balls and very tight. I had to figure out a way to break 80 and not embarrass myself too badly. I decided I would keep the driver in the bag and try to find the fairways with 3 wood, even though I would have very long shots left to the par 4’s.

I start out pretty good, 4 solid pars. The 5th hole is pretty short and tight, I hit 3 iron off the tee. I’ve just got a PW left, about 110 yards but all carry over water to a tight pin. I hit it about 130 yards and have a really tough pitch down the hill towards the water. I chicken out and leave my pitch about 20 feet short and three putt. Yikes, if you knew me you would realize that after double, I am trying to figure out in my head how many bogeys I can make and still break 80.

Then lightning strikes. #6, chip in for eagle from 20 feet. #7 is the scariest 160 yard par three I have ever played. Somehow manage to hit a 7 iron on and two putt from 50 feet. #8 is a good par 4, I hit 3 wood off the tee, but a little left. There is a gap between a couple big trees I can hit it through. I am about 160 yards with a back pin. I’m going to try to get a 9 iron on the front of the green and try to two putt from there for par. I catch a flyer, big time, and it goes in!

#9 I’m not thinking about where I stand, and hit a 5 iron to 6 inches. I barely shake the putt in for birdie. For some reason we were behind and rushed to the 10th tee. Without thinking about where I stand I stripe it down the middle with driver, first driver of the day, and knock it on the par 5 in two, two putts for birdie. Now I realize what’s happening, I’m 4 under! Now I start thinking, man I can now make lots of bogeys and still break 80. I make a bunch of solid pars and get to the 16th tee. Now I’m thinking, hell, forget 80, I can be a contender and maybe get my name in the newspaper. You guessed it, 16 is a good par four and I take out my 3 wood and cold top it about 50 yards. Somehow I manage to make a great bogey and finish par – par coming in. After round one I’m tied for the lead at 69. The guys I am tied with are Steve Whillock, a really good guy, fairly new to our section just coming off the mini tours. The other was George Shortridge, a former tour player and at that time fully exempt on the senior tour. George was the best player at the time and we all looked up to him as though he was Jack Nicklaus. I couldn’t choke down much dinner, so I just drank a whole bunch of Brandy Manhattans. I was scared to death. I didn’t sleep much that night, and woke up VERY hung-over.

This is getting too long already, but the first 16 holes were pretty uneventful. George had been stiffing it all day, and never made a putt. I was even through 16 and I had made every putt I looked at all day including an 80 footer for birdie on #9. You know what I had been thinking… don’t make any big numbers and don’t embarrass yourself. Try to break 80 twice in a row. Steve was having a tough day and was about 6 over, George and I were tied. George should have been 6 under if he made anything at all, and I was hitting it like a fifteen handicapper, but putting out of my mind.

On the 17th tee it dawned on me. Breaking 80 is not a question, and I am tied for the lead! 17 is a long par 4 and I striped a 3 wood off the tee about 220 yards. George hits driver about 300 and just has a little 9 iron in. The pin is cut on the far right of the green behind a bunker with about 10 feet of green to work with behind the pin. No way I can go at that pin with my 3 iron. I aim at the left side of the green and push slice it. It lands in the long grass which slows it down and it rolls about 6 feet past the pin. George decides to hit a little 8 at the pin and catches a flyer and goes way over the green into the woods. He somehow makes bogey from there, a great bogey. You know I’m nervous now that I realize I am tied. I leave my 6 footer 3 feet short, and somehow shake in the 3 footer I left myself. I have the lead!!!

18 is a great par five through the woods with water left and short of the green. I have the honor, and of course there is no chance I’m going to hit driver. I snap hooked my three wood about 50 yards into the deep dark forest. George kills a driver down the right side of the fairway about 300 yards again. I realize he can get there in two, and have to figure out a way to make five for a playoff. I am so deep in the woods I can’t even figure out a way to chip out. I’m on a cart path with a bare lie, but don’t want to drop into the rough. The only way out I can find is to hit a pitching wedge up and over the trees towards the fairway. I blade it. It never gets up over knee high and miraculously doesn’t hit anything. To top it off, I hit that wedge so badly that it rolled about 200 yards down the fairway! George can get home, but has a tough shot to a back left pin over the water. He hits the most beautiful 3 wood I had ever seen. He has 15 feet for eagle. I have about 100 yards, and for the first time notice we have sizable gallery. Oh my, please let me not chunk it into the water. I semi=blade my Pitching wedge over the green into a bunker. I hear one of the other pros say “Yep George wins again.” That really pissed me off. Now I’ve got about a 20 foot bunker shot staring at the water about 15 feet behind the pin, and the green is running away from me. I catch it fat, it catches the rough which slows it down and it rolls down the hill about 6 feet past the pin. I sort of black out at this point, George charges the eagle and three putts and I somehow make my 6 footer for par, and all I can remember are all the pros running onto the green to shake my hand.

Funny thing, at the awards ceremony the executive director of the PGA gave me a form to fill out for Q-school. I was exempted into the second stage! I just laughed at him. George out played me tee to green by at least 10 shots, but I got the trophy. That is my story of how a HACK wins the PGA.
--KC



My Notes: My sources tell me that there's now a street nearby named "Carter Drive"

Also, we proudly announce that Mr. Carter has landed a new assignment as a Teaching Professional at Greenhaven GC in Anoka Minnesota. This new position allows Kevin to teach year round (24/7 365) . The Club is equipped with an indoor facility and all the latest computer technology. We wish Kevin all the best in his new position and we're sure he'll do great.
If you are in the area and are looking for some good instruction here's Kevin's contact info:

Kevin Carter
PGA Teaching Professional
Anoka Greenhaven Golf Club

Anoka, Minnesota

Greenhaven Golf Club

Email:Kcarter@pga.com






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