Swinging Left PGA tour Pros

Here we have Hunter Mahan, watch how his hands disappear right after impact.

Here's Charles Howell III ( The drill should look familiar)


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Mark Evershed Swinging Left

This is awesome!!!



Here's something to supplement that:




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Shawn Clement on the Golf Channel

Here's Shawn with some thoughts on the weight shift pivot, this is in tune with my philosophies. We avoid the radial forces by moving in a straight line
(a slide), by moving the weight behind you, you are creating a "counter-fall"
Here is a piece I wrote earlier on this topic. I'm still going to do a piece explaining my position on " Upward Thrust".

Our Good Friend and Gotham Golf Follower Shawn Clement is auditioning for the Golf Chanel's next top instructor and he needs our support.

Here's what we have to do:

Thanks Ralph!

Right now we are telling everyone we know to go to my featured video on the Golf Channel Websitewhich is on the "Instructor-search" page;

So the link is www.thegolfchannel.com/instructor-search

When they click on my video which will be labelled "Shawn Clement Richmond Hill" it will also bring up a thumbs up logo on the right hand side

that you click on to say that you liked it!

They will need to register their email with the Golf Channel but this will come in handy when they need to vote for me again if I make the final 4! :)

The key here is to get the attention of the powers that be (the more thumbs up I get the more attention I generate); get selected to the final 4

where I will be invited to do a half hour pilot show and then the viewers of the golf channel get to vote for their favourite; this is where I think I have a chance!

Please vote and tell everyone you know! :)

Thanks again Ralph, I really appreciate your email!

Shawn

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Rick Nielsen in Mike Jacob's Swing Library

For those that enjoyed watching Rick Nielsen's swing here's a special treat for you. And yes he really is that smooth!



For Lessons with Rick follow the link on the right side of the Page or go to RickNielsenGolf.com


We'll be doing more of these instructional shorts in the future. This is part of a project done by Mike Jacobs and Rick, I didn't have the space for both. We will have Rick's instructional DVD "Power Golf Dynamics" available for download on this site shortly.
Stay Tuned

Hit em Straight

Leg Action, Footwork and Pivot with Rick Nielsen

This is some stuff I've been working on with Rick Nielsen



We used the Casio in Hi Def and the audio sucks, so we're trying to work the kinks out and provide better sound in the future.

Somebody is sending me a copy of ""Stack and Tilt" to review and I'm going to reach out to Bennet and Plummer.


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Pro Event Update

National Pro Split

Pete Cowen

I don't understand why Sean Foley's getting all the hype, when there's a guy who's students have 2 majors (and both were 1st time major winners). That guy is Pete Cowen and I love his stuff.

Here's "The Spiral Staircase" a great visualization of a proper pivot.




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Met Open 2010 Update part 2

Looks like the Gotham Golf Guys are still in it. The lead is at -5, John Stoltz is at -1, Tarik Can is at even par and Keith Dicciani is at +2 tied with Rob Labritz (low club pro at the PGA championship). Hang in there guys....




1
Evan Beirne (a)
Bethpage -5 F -5 71 66 137
2
Charles Bolling
Fresh Meadow -5 F -3 73 66 139
3
Adam Fuchs
Hamlet Wind Watch -2 F -2 71 69 140
4
John Stoltz
Concord Even F -1 70 71 141
T5
Tarik Can
Bethpage Even F Even 71 71 142
T5
Bob Rittberger
Garden City GC Even F Even 71 71 142
T7
Kevin Foley
Neshanic Valley -2 F +1 74 69 143
T7
John Guyton
Trump National-West. -2 F +1 74 69 143
T7
Abbie Valentine
Bethpage +1 F +1 71 72 143
T10
Rob Labritz
GlenArbor -1 F +2 74 70 144
T10
Keith Dicciani
Metropolis Even F +2 73 71 144
T10
Scott Ford
North Hills Even F +2 73 71 144
T13
Ryan McCormick (a)
Suburban Even F +3 74 71 145

Q&A with Marjorie Jones PGA, LPGA

I had been looking to add some female instructors to our list of interviewees. I searched and searched and couldn't come up with anybody who met our criteria. Thanks to Jenna Wienerman (from Chelsea Piers) I was introduced to Ms. Marjorie Jones PGA, LPGA. It seemed like I had scoured the Country and the answer was right in my back yard.
Marjorie is one of the most pleasant people I've encountered. She's laid back and at the same time passionate about golf. If there are any female readers out there who are interested in pursuing a Professional Golf career, whether it be teaching or playing, I suggest you give Marjorie a call. I could not think of a better mentor. At the same time if you are a female or beginning golfer who might be intimidated by the game, I would also recommend Marjorie. As you will see, her goals are to make the learning experience as enjoyable as possible.

I'd like to thank the staff at Chelsea Piers, David, Jenna and Amanda for their warm welcome and hospitality while I was there. Chelsea Piers is a world class golf facility with a World Class Staff. We will be writing a separate piece on Chelsea Piers and all amenities available there, soon. For now enjoy my chat with Marjorie.




Here's her bio:
Marjorie Jones
Marjorie Jones was named one of Golf Digest’s 50 best women teachers in America in 2010. She is also the LPGA T&CP's 2007 Northeast Section Teacher of the Year, Player of the Year, as well as winner of the PGA Women's Stroke Play Championship and the LPGA T&CP National Team Championship. A golf professional for 30 years, she has played professional golf in Europe, Asia, Australia, and in the United States on the LPGA and Legends Tours. She played in 8 British Opens, 5 United States Opens, and has won numerous events.

Jones followed a career as an international tour player with a distinguished career as a teacher. Her background in exercise physiology helps Jones evaluate a student's motion so she can customize her teaching to the player's needs.

She is a Class A member of the LPGA and PGA and holds a BS degree from Ithaca College in Physical Education and a Master’s degree in Exercise Physiology from Florida State University. She has always been an avid student of the game and has successfully incorporated the best of what she has learned into her own dynamic teaching style.

Awards
One of Golf Digest’s 50 Best Women Teachers in America, 2010
LPGA T&CP's 2007 Northeast Section Teacher of the Year and Player of the Year
Winner of PGA 2007 Women's Stroke Play Championship
Winner of LPGA T&CP National Team Championship

Memberships
LPGA Class A member
PGA Class A member

Here's Majorie explaining Flight Scope.



And here's the interview:



BTW: Marjorie has won the Met Open

For more information on, The Golf Club at Chelsea Piers go HERE


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Met Open 2010 Update

Looks like my Guys are doing OK, ......plenty of Golf Left though. Tarik is 2 shots off the lead and Keith Dicciani is 4 shots out. Given the weather conditions, that's pretty dam good on the Black Course. Gotham Golf friend and 2005 Met Open Champion John Stoltz (pictured right) is doing pretty well also, we hung out with John, his father Mike and Manny Zerman down in Orlando during the show.

It's good to hear that both John and Mike are back at The Concord. For those not familiar with the Concord, urban legend has it that Sam Snead and Lee Trevino both walked off the course saying it was too long. The Concord, nicknamed "The Monster" played to 7700 yards in the days of persimmon and balata. Hang in there John we're pulling for you.

Tarik Can

1
Daniel Balin
Burning Tree 1:50 pm Tee: 10 -2 69
2
John Stoltz
Concord 2:00 pm Tee: 1 -1 70
T3
Abbie Valentine
Bethpage 7:15 am Tee: 1 Even 71
T3
Bob Rittberger
Garden City GC 8:25 am Tee: 1 Even 71
T3
Adam Fuchs
Hamlet Wind Watch 8:35 am Tee: 10 Even 71
T3
Robert Gage
Forsgate 8:55 am Tee: 1 Even 71
T3
Tarik Can
Bethpage 1:00 pm Tee: 10 Even 71
T3
Evan Beirne (a)
Bethpage 1:40 pm Tee: 1 Even 71
T9
Scott Ford
North Hills 7:25 am Tee: 10 +2 73
T9
Matthew Dobyns
Deepdale 7:55 am Tee: 10 +2 73
T9
David Schuster
Haverstraw 8:15 am Tee: 10 +2 73
T9
Kyle Baehler
Apawamis 8:45 am Tee: 1 +2 73
T9
Keith Dicciani
Metropolis 8:45 am Tee: 10 +2 73
T9
Charles Bolling
Fresh Meadow 1:30 pm Tee: 1 +2 73
T9
Sam Bernstein (a)
Century 1:50 pm Tee: 1 +2 73
T16
Patrick McCarthy
Garden City GC 7:15 am Tee: 10 +3 74
T16
Brett Stegmaier
Silver Spring 7:35 am Tee: 10 +3 74
T16
Brent Studer
Manasquan River 7:35 am Tee: 10 +3 74
T16
John Guyton
Trump National-West. 8:15 am Tee: 1 +3 74
T16
Kevin Foley
Neshanic Valley 8:25 am Tee: 1 +3 74
T16
Mike Gilmore
Winged Foot 8:45 am Tee: 1 +3 74
T16
Greg Mergel (a)
Manasquan River 12:30 pm Tee: 1 +3 74
T16
Ryan McCormick (a)
Suburban 1:20 pm Tee: 10 +3 74
T16
Mike Larkin
Ridgeway 1:30 pm Tee: 1 +3 74
T16
Kirk Oguri
Spring Rock Golf Center 1:40 pm Tee: 1 +3 74

Hit em Straight

More swinging left with Drills

For all the guys who want to master "Swinging Left". Here's a little piece of a session I had with Gregg McHatton. Note how close to my knees he wants my hands. Another point you must note is that in order to put your hands into that position you have to accelerate longitudinally. Any type of early "throw out" or "pitch out" and" You're Toast", you will swing left and the ball will go dead left. Perhaps the biggest advantage to staying tight to your body is the fact that you will conserve angular momentum.




Once we decided where my hands should be, Gregg came up with a drill



In case you can't fly "The Hat" in for a session here's something I came up with:



Here's the Master at work:


Click on the images below to enlarge, I have a little red line to gauge how close his hands are to his knees.





I will probably be undergoing some surgical procedures at the time of this post. So bear with me if I miss a day, although I enjoy this just as much as you, sometimes other things take priority.

Hit em Straight

Met Open 2010

Here are some of our Favorites:
1.Tarik Can, you've read the story before (Casey Calmi is not in the field).

2.Defending NYS Open Champ Keith Dicciani, if a Gotham Golf Guy can't win it. We'll pull for one of Carl Welty's guys. Keith is a top notch player and has to be one of the favorites going in. Keith, along with his future father in law, Craig Thomas and Colin Amaral form the Metropolis Triumvirate (they all hail from Metropolis Country Club). My good friend Garnett Wright, who is the caddy master at Metropolis is also a World Class player and most recently tried to qualify for the British Senior Tour.

For an interesting story that involves Garnett go Here

For an interesting story on Keith Dicciani go Here

Above is Keith's swing as posted on YouTube.

3. My good friend and Amateur competitor Alan Specht. Alan is the kind of guy you want to pull for, he's won the NYC Amateur, Long Island Amateur and several other prominent local Amateur events. Alan has a working man's style, function over form and is one of the nicest guys you'll ever meet. He's a long shot, because I believe he's fighting some nagging injuries.

4. Andrew Guiliani, we know Andrew since he took up the game. We watched him hit balls alongside his father since the 90's. Nobody has made a quicker improvement than Andrew. I watched him hack it around one day and the next month he qualified for the NYC Amateur. Next he goes to Duke on a full boat. Then comes back and wins The Met Open. This kid's improvement was beyond exponential.

For those who don't know their Golf History, the Met Open along with the Western Open, The North and South (now an Amateur event) , The US Open and The PGA were the Majors before there was an Augusta National. (nobody wanted to board an Ocean-liner and head to Britain, there wasn't enough money in it )

Here's a list of Past Champions:

* 2009 Andrew Giuliani
* 2008 Mark Mielke
* 2007 Frank Bensel
* 2006 John Guyton
* 2005 John Stoltz (amateur)
* 2004 Rick Hartmann
* 2003 Andrew Svoboda (amateur)
* 2002 Johnson Wagner
* 2001 Johnson Wagner (amateur)
* 2000 Michael Gilmore
* 1999 Mark Brown
* 1998 Rick Hartmann
* 1997 Mike Burke, Jr.
* 1996 Bruce Zabriski
* 1995 Darrell Kestner
* 1994 Charlie Cowell
* 1993 Bruce Zabriski
* 1992 Mark Mielke
* 1991 Mike Diffley
* 1990 Larry Rentz
* 1989 Bobby Heins
* 1988 Bobby Heins
* 1987 Jim McGovern (amateur)
* 1986 David Glenz
* 1985 George Zahringer (amateur)
* 1984 Jim Albus
* 1983 Darrell Kestner
* 1982 Darrell Kestner
* 1981 Kelley Moser
* 1980 George Bullock
* 1979 Bill Britton
* 1978 David Glenz
* 1977 Martin Bohen
* 1976 Martin Bohen
* 1975 Carlton White
* 1974 Bob Bruno
* 1973 Peter Davison
* 1972 Don Massengale
* 1971 Ron Letellier
* 1970 Jim Albus
* 1969 Jimmy Wright
* 1968 Jerry Pittman
* 1967 Jerry Courville, Sr. (amateur)
* 1966 Tom Nieporte
* 1965 Jerry Pittman
* 1964 Jack Patroni
* 1963 Wes Ellis
* 1962 Miller Barber
* 1961 Wes Ellis
* 1960 Al Mengert
* 1959 Jim Turnesa
* 1958 Bob Watson
* 1957 Wes Ellis
* 1956 Doug Ford
* 1955 Art Doering
* 1954 Otto Greiner
* 1953 Pete Cooper
* 1952 Chet Sanok (amateur)
* 1951 Claude Harmon
* 1950 George Stuhler
* 1949 Jack Burke, Jr.
* 1941-48 No tournament due to World War II
* 1940 Craig Wood
* 1939 Henry Picard
* 1938 Jimmy Hines
* 1937 Jimmy Hines
* 1936 Byron Nelson
* 1935 Henry Picard
* 1934 Paul Runyan
* 1933 Willie Macfarlane
* 1932 Olin Dutra
* 1931 Macdonald Smith
* 1930 Willie Macfarlane
* 1929 Bill Mehlhorn
* 1928 Tommy Armour
* 1927 Johnny Farrell
* 1926 Macdonald Smith
* 1925 Gene Sarazen
* 1924 Mike Brady
* 1923 Bob MacDonald
* 1922 Marty O'Loughlin
* 1921 Bob MacDonald
* 1920 Walter Hagen
* 1919 Walter Hagen
* 1917-18 No tournament due to World War I
* 1916 Walter Hagen
* 1915 Gil Nicholls
* 1914 Macdonald Smith
* 1913 Alex Smith
* 1912 Tom McNamara
* 1911 Gil Nicholls
* 1910 Alex Smith
* 1909 Alex Smith
* 1908 Jack Hobens
* 1907 No tournament
* 1906 George Low
* 1905 Alex Smith

A virtual who's who.
I planned on covering the Met Open this Year but life got in the way.

-- Delilah is on her way to Turkey and France, so I'm left to fend for myself for the next 3 weeks.

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Bill Britton

Tomorrow is the first day of the Met Open Championship, Andrew Guiliani will be defending his title against one of the strongest fields in recent history. Among the challengers is Staten Island's own Bill Britton. Billy is a local golf legend around these parts. He's won on tour and was dominant as an Amateur in the Metropolitan Section. For those around the country not familiar with the MGA and Met PGA, they are among the strongest sections in the Nation. There was a time in the 90's when every U.S. Mid Amateur Champion came out of the MGA and every National Club Pro Champ came out of the Met PGA section. In fact the Met PGA used to be as strong as the Nationwide Tour. This year appears to be no different.

Carl Welty was kind enough to provide me with some swing videos of a young Bill Britton and here they are for your enjoyment.

Here's his Bio from Wikipedia:

William Timothy Britton (born November 13, 1955) is an American professional golfer who played on the PGA Tour for 15 years.

Britton was born and raised on Staten Island, New York. He attended Monsignor Farrell High School. He played college golf at Miami Dade North, winning the National Junior College Championship in 1975, and graduated from the University of Florida in 1979. He was mentored by Jim Albus, a club professional and six-time winner on the Champions Tour.

Britton is a two-time winner of the Metropolitan Amateur, and was the two-time defending champion when the tournament was held at Century Country Club in Purchase, New York, in 1977. He advanced to the quarterfinals at Century, and played Lou Mattiace, the father of future PGA Tour player Len Mattiace. In a memorable match, Mattiace dethroned the Staten Island native on the 18th green, 1-up.

Britton then turned professional in 1979 and joined the PGA Tour in 1980.[1]

During his 15 years on the Tour, Britton won once and had 23 top-10 finishes. His best finishes in majors came in 1990: T-7 at The Masters and 4th in the PGA Championship.[1][2]

After his years as a touring pro were over, Britton became a teaching pro and author in New Jersey. He has published articles for The Met Golfer, New Jersey Golfer and Sports Illustrated. He has been named one of the "Top Ten Teachers" in New Jersey by Golf Digest. He was New Jersey Section PGA's Player of the Year in 2002, and Senior Player of the Year in 2006.[1]

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Simplifying the Motion

This was some stuff I was working on early in the season.




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BSing with Rick Nielsen Part 2

Rick's turn




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BSing with Rick Nielsen

Have some fun at my expense.
BTW Lilie will win "The Big Break", you should have known this from the beginning. Earlier this year the Golf Channel aired a special on the new LPGA commissioner and part of his duties during the program was to caddy for a Duramed Futures Tour player. Guess who that player was? I really like Carling, she's bubbly, cute and she's got game but the outcome is a foregone conclusion.

If there's anybody in the Met Section that's interested in starting a serious Golf Club, shoot me an email with some personal information (Background, handicap, tournament experience etc.).

BTW, Those chips and pitches aren't as mediocre as I'm making them out to be. The reason is, as your stroke becomes more precise, you develop a sensory awareness of where on the clubface you're making contact and you'll be able to sense off center hits to the nearest millimeter.
Hit em Straight

Working on my hand plane and Swinging Left

In the video below, I'm working on my hand plane using a "Left sided model" i.e. "Pulling"




BTW: For you Slicefixer fans, you get to see my rendition of the 9 to 3 drill.


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Knudson vs"The Hat"

Congratulations to the "Secret's in the Dirt" Team on Elk's performance in the PGA Championship. Mike Maves called to give me a good ribbing, after my questions/comments in our last chat session. To hear the interview go here.
Now back to our regularly scheduled programming.

I consider Gregg McHatton to be the epitome of a Swinger, someone who harnesses the Natural Forces and uses them to their advantage. Somewhere along the line it has been contrived that George Knudson was a "Hitter" of the Golf Ball, someone who either out-races or overpowers these same Natural Forces. I will reserve comments for now and let you decide.

Click on the image below for the video.

From The Hat

What I find intriguing is, if Mr. Knudson was fighting Centrifugal Force or actively trying to fire his hands; why would he address the ball towards the toe???
I guess his intention was to totally whiff the ball....
Here's an excerpt from "The Natural Golf Swing"

When I went out in 1961, then I was feeling pretty good. That year I won the Coral Gables Open. I was swinging pretty well, but I still needed another piece. That turned out to be extension, which I thought about quite a bit in the early 1960s. My arc was pretty much what it needed to be already because of my weight transfer, but I was still controlling the club, almost placing it at the top. It took a while to let go, to simply let the club track on its own once I'd started the swing. Eventually I got very relaxed and started getting the feeling of centrifugal force; I felt as if I were just carried along by the momentum of the clubhead tracking. That was the final piece. By 1964, I had become what people called a natural golfer. I felt powerful while relaxed; It seemed as if centrifugal force were pulling my arms out of my shoulder sockets. That's when the game started to exhilarate me.

For more on this subject go HERE.

Now what I've always suggested to our readership is to do your own research and due diligence. So I would highly recommend you purchase a copy of The Natural Golf Swing (which is available used at Amazon), read it and get back to me. We will continue to explore this subject as we go along.

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Gravity Golf's David Lee part 2

I will delve into the Dustin Johnson fiasco with an editorial piece later.
For now let's enjoy the second part of our interview with David Lee.

Here's David discussing his "Gravity Golf" swing



And here's the interview:




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Gravity Golf's David Lee Part 1

I believe the PGA of America woke up with a Black Eye this morning. What a Joke!!!!..........................anyway



Today we have part 1 of our interview with Gravity Golf Founder David Lee.

Here's the interview:



Part 2 tomorrow

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Mike Bender on Impact

Why do I get the impression that Brandel Chamblee, Frank Nobilo, Nick Faldo and Peter Oosterhuis are reading my blog?

Anyway:


Here's Mike Bender with a tip on impact




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The Stroke Pattern

A reader recently reached out to me and asked about learning Gregg Mchatton's preferred stroke pattern. Here are my recommendations.
1. Perfect Results available from OHP Direct
2. Brain Lessons also available from OHP Direct
3. Fly out to Valencia and take a lesson with Gregg
4. Read Gotham Golf Blog
5. Watch the following videos, featuring McHatton Student James Ramsey. He has it down packed. I myself am limited in what I can do pivot wise due to health issues. So some of my demonstrations may include compensations.

6. Go out and get yourself a Rope
7. Wait till we publish a book (already in the works)

8. Get a hold of some Gravity Golf paraphernalia, so that you can learn to "Float Load" (Monday I will air my interview with David Lee founder of Gravity Golf)

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Swinging Left drills

Okay here are some drills you may want to attempt. If you recall in my earlier posts, I mentioned that in order to perform this technique properly, you need to have some strong core muscles. Here are the tests.

This first one I'm talking so you can here the description of what I'm attempting. One thing of note is the condition this exercise puts my left wrist.




This second drill watch how Gregg starts from an impact fix condition and powers the ball forward on sheer pivot thrust. He takes it all the way to the finish and note the Hogan/Hunter Mahan long right arm.




This ties into the concepts of "Pivot Thrust" and maintaining the ball on the clubface longer, this translates into "Impulse Momentum"

Here's a review of this concept, click on the image to be redirected:

From The Hat

Hit em Straight

Swinging Left Again

This is actually a re-post but I feel it's important for me to continue this series:

One of the things that Gregg McHatton emphasizes is how to stay on plane after impact. From a "Down the line" view your hands should start to disappear immediately after impact.

Here's an exercise I did with Gregg which depicts this clearly. I want you to watch carefully because Gregg will let go of the club while swinging left (ON PLANE), his hands and his pivot will continue left. Then watch the direction of thrust of the club. The club will head right down the target line. This we feel is the primary reason for swinging left.



Here's Tom Watson's take on this subject. Remember he's describing a "Feel".



Tomorrow I want to include some drills

Hit em straight

Some Proteges

These young men grew up hanging around the Range I managed. Seve (Casey) Calmi's father Mario was/is a teaching Professional there. Tarik's father used to drop him off in the morning and pick him up in the evening after work. Tarik at the time worked with Jason Kang PGA, who succeeded Rick Nielsen as my head Pro.

Here are some of their swings.
First Seve




I just love the little "Float Load" move

Here's Tarik



Tarik left us and went on to the Leadbetter Academy. There he met and dated someone you might know. You'll never meet a finer young man than Tarik Can.

Paula Creamer, left, is consoled by her caddie/boyfriend Tarik Can following her loss to Amanda McCurdy. (Steve Gibbons/USGA)

These 2 boys put on some exhibition during last Month's NY State Open at "The Black". Seve finished 3rd. missing the play-off due to a bogey on the 18th. hole, Tarik finished 8th. and missed tying the course record in the second round by one stroke. The tournament was won by one of Carl Welty's boys, Keith Dicciani. Click Here for the results, btw the course played at 7309 yds. and Seve led most of the statistical categories. It's a shame he didn't pull it off. I believe Tarik is currently playing locally and on the Nationwide Tour and Seve is on his way to the European Q School at the end of the month.

Both these guys are great kids and we wish them all the best in their futures.

Hit em Straight

Linking Articles from this Blog

If you'd like to link an article from this blog in a manner which will not create all kinds of clutter, here's the best way to do it.

1. Click on the title of the article, this will isolate the article on the page. The title is the aqua blue lettering in the heading.

2. At that point you can copy the URL and paste it where ever you want.

The same procedure would apply if you simply wanted to read on article and not wait for the page full of articles to load up. Simply click on the article title and it will be the only article on the page. From there you can always go to the archives.

(click on image below to enlarge)

Give it a try and experiment.

Hit em Straight

Sam Snead

Sam Snead's swing is best described as "timeless". A true swinger of the Golf Club, Mr. Snead had perhaps the most dynamic swing in history. Snead's motion seemed to remain the same well into his 90's. Here is a video compilation of his swing:




And here is an Old School analysis of his swing from my collection:

(Click on the image to start the video)

From WMV

Hit em Straight

Interview with Lynn Blake

We'd like to welcome our latest follower Mr. Chris Wang, welcome aboard!!!

Mr. Blake conducting his yearly clinic at The Barclays

Okay here it is:




For information on Lessons or for instructors looking to become LBG certified.

call 770-527-3841.

Here's a shot of the 14th. hole at Cuscowilla (click to enlarge)



Here are some more photos of the course. (click to enlarge)





Hit em Straight

Fixyourgame.com

Ray McLaughlin had volunteered to have his swing analyzed by the people at Fixyourgame.com.

For those who are not aware of what fixyourgame.com is, here is a brief description from their website:

Fixyourgame.com is your source for Online Interactive Golf Instruction. Easy, affordable, and professional--all golf lessons, tips, & drills are provided by PGA Professionals. It's fast & simple--just send in a short video of your swing, we analyze it using our state-of-the-art video analysis software and the trained eyes of our PGA Professionals, and within 48 hours you'll receive a complete analysis of your swing with tips and drills. Fixyourgame.com's instruction is backed by a 100% money back guarantee.

Here's the video analysis:

Here is Brant's written analysis:

I do see a couple things in your swing that can be improved, and I do think that the stack & tilt method is a good fit for you because of the vision problem you mentioned in the info form. Thanks for filling out that form, without knowing about the vision issue, I would have questioned the reason for switching to the stack & tilt.

The first thing to work on is your grip. You should grip the club in the fingers or each hand, and not in the palm of each hand. This is especially true with the left hand. The "V" that's created by the thumb and forefinger should point to your right shoulder. See the attached picture for what your right hand should look like on the club. This allows for maximum flexibility in your wrists & forearms, which helps you to fully release the club which increases the clubhead speed, and also the club to strike the ball squarely. When gripped in the palms, the club tends to stay open at impact causing a slice. The grip isn't the most exciting thing to talk about or work on, but I can't overstate it's importance. Your grip is the main cause of a left to right ball flight. See the attached picture of what your left hand should look like on the club.




Secondly, when using the stack & tilt method, the idea is to keep most of your weight left / forward at address and keep it there during the swing, and finish with all your weight on your left side. You seem to start with your weight balanced between both feet, and don't get all the way to your left side during the follow through. Your weight is actually moving to the right at impact. This causes a large power loss and a large degree of inconsistency. So make sure keep your weight forward at address and during the entire swing.

From down-the-line, make sure your shoulders are square at address. Right now, you're shoulder are open, and this also contributes to a slice ball flight. Also, I'd like to see you move a few inches farther away from the ball and let your arms hang down naturally. This will allow for more room for the arms to swing, and help you release the club better.

Thanks again for submitting the video, and let me know your thoughts. Please email info@fixyourgame.com with questions or comments.

Brant Kasbohm
PGA Director of Instruction
Fixyourgame.com

Tomorrow we have my interview with Lynn Blake.

Hit em Straight

Hogan a different perspective

Why do I get the feeling that Peter Kostis and Ian Baker Finch are Gotham Golf readers?

Anyway....

I thought this was pretty cool. Sometimes you look at something from a different perspective and you might see something you didn't see before.



Funky and Psychedelic.


Hit em Straight

The Counterfall

Here's Gregg McHatton

If you'd like to study this stuff further Here's something I wrote earlier and Here is another piece I think applies.


Our good friend and blog follower Jim M. sent me the following email:

Hi Ralph,
I have a Gravity Golf news flash. This week Danny Lee (son of David Lee), has signed on as head of instruction at the Doug Miller Sports Dome inupstate NY in the greater Rochester area. (dmsportsdome.com) A personal phone call to Doug Miller from Lee Trevino sealed the deal. Instruction in the Gravity Golf teaching system developed by David Lee will be exclusively taught. I'm going to Rochester saturday a.m. for a demo-day and refresher lesson with Danny.

Jim

We wish Danny all the best in his new assignment.

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Danny Lee, The Hat and Shawn Clement

First we have Danny Lee

Then we have Gregg Mchatton

(You'll also get a primer on the #3 pressure point)



Finally Shawn Clement



There is something about harnessing the natural forces around you and using them to your advantage.

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Q&A with Jesse Ortiz Part 2

We'll continue with our chat with Mr. Jesse Ortiz.

First here's a video of Jesse speaking about his Lightweight Driver

And here is Charlie Rymer with his review of the wedges



And here's the remainder of the interview.



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Q&A with Jesse Ortiz Part 1

Why do I get the feeling Michael Breed is reading my blog? ;o)

Anyway.....

Today we're going to chat with Master Club designer and Golf industry veteran Jesse Ortiz. In this day and age where the landscape is dominated by mass marketing, BS artists and Shysters; Jesse's candor is a breath of fresh air.

So, sit back, relax and enjoy some of the insights from one of the top clubmakers/designers in the industry.

First, let's listen to Jesse's comments on the "Groove Controversy"



And here's the interview

For those that want to download this for the ride home or their ipods, go Here for instructions




Part II tomorrow

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Pivot and Leverage

We'll continue with the Lynn Blake series next week (including an interview I did with Mr. Blake) In the meantime:

Here's our Friend and Blog follower Martin Chuck with some top quality instruction. I want you to note the terms, "Pivot", "Leverage" and particularly "Throw Out Action".

BTW Martin sent me a "Tour Striker Pro" and I put it in the Hands of some of the low handicap members of my club this weekend and they are going to order em up. I probably should have kept it to myself. ;0)

WE LOVE THE TOUR STRIKER!!!!

To learn more about these concepts go Here

Here is my previous post on "THROW OUT ACTION"

BTW In case you forgot I will be interviewing Martin soon, so if you have any questions you'd like to ask him shoot me an email.

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Mike Jacobs on Acceleration II

Here's Part 4 of the series.



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