Mizuno's new MP69s

With the launch of the MP69s,Mizuno is still apparently trying to match the feel and performance of the MP33. It seems like one of those once in a lifetime designs, which is becoming very difficult to improve upon. The main differences I found between the 33s and the 68s was the ball flight, the 33s launched it higher and are also more forgiving. It seems that Mizuno has taken note of that and apparently instilled some features in the MP 69 which will address these issues ( I say apparently because I've yet to hit them).

  Photos are from the Mizuno Golf Forums.


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Hogan

Here's cool one from our friend OnetonTomato featuring Hogan's commercials.






Here's one he didn't include:




It's interesting how he describes Hogan's precision.

And here's the story according to Jody Vasquez:

Lights, Camera and say a Prayer

Hank Rojas told me that the Hogan Company needed a new T.V. commercial. The company had not featured Mr. Hogan as the principal character in an advertising spot in years, but it was decided that his personal presence would do much to give the company a boost. They decided to shoot the commercial at Riviera Country Club in Los Angeles. Once every one arrived they found a spot, set everything up, and asked Mr. Hogan to get warmed up. Looking elegant in a long-sleeve yellow sweater, gray slacks and his traditional white cap, he complied. At the time, Mr. Hogan was 74 years old and long past his daily practice sessions at Shady Oaks. Going into the video shoot there had been much apprehension as to the toll the years might have taken on his swing. The last thing anyone wanted was a frail-looking Hogan. Mr. Hogan dropped three balls on the ground. He then proceeded to blade the first shot, hit second one poorly and bladed the third. Although the camera was not following the ball, the swing clearly didn't look right. Mr. Hogan looked over at Hank and said, "I'm ready". Mr Hogan was given his cue. With the cameras rolling, he addressed the ball, made a beautiful swing and produced a perfectly struck shot. Hank was stunned. They turned off the cameras and went back to Fort Worth with a classic piece of film. Having built a swing that could hold up under pressure, Mr. Hogan rose to the occasion once again.


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Trevino

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John Peterson by Dan Whittaker

Today we're going to watch and listen as Dan Whittaker analyzes the swing of NCAA Champion John Peterson.










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1993 Australian Masters

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Tiger 97 vs Rory 2011

Here's a nice one from the guys at Purple Golf.







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Bradley Hughes on Swing Path

Here's our friend Bradley Hughes with his thoughts on Lie Angles and Swing path.








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The Kids Have Game

If this weekend's Nationwide event is any indication, the future of Golf looks pretty bright. In a field stacked with Amateurs, it appeared the Pro's were playing for third place. I watched a brand of Fearless-PowerGolf, I'd never seen before. Here's a look at one of this weekend's catalysts.

LSU's John Peterson.





John's Swing has been carefully cultivated by Chuck Winstead, LSU's Head Coach and like OSU's Mike Holder  a Golfing Machine guy.


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Tiger through the Years

Here's a nice one from SFGPC.







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Tiger Woods drops Steve Williams

WELLINGTON, New Zealand (AP)—Steve Williams says he wasted the last two years of his life standing by Tiger Woods through injuries and eruptions in the golfer’s private life. In frank interviews about his dismissal published Friday in his native New Zealand, the 47-year-old caddie said he had lost “a tremendous amount of respect” for the game’s biggest star. Williams told the New Zealand Herald “realistically I could look back, and I’ve wasted the last two years of my life because he’s played infrequently, he’s been injured and played poorly.” “I was prepared to hang in there through thick and thin,” Williams said, “so I find the timing extraordinary.” Williams said he had no idea he was going to be fired after a dozen years as Woods’ caddie until Woods called him to a meeting at the AT&T National tournament two weeks ago. “Sometimes you get an inkling that something’s going to happen … And I basically didn’t have much to say with him. I was somewhat in a state of shock, but I just listened to what he thought,” Williams told the Herald. “I didn’t agree with what he was telling me but at the end of the day that wasn’t going to make a difference so I just took it on the chin.” Williams told the newspaper he was not upset at being fired, but at its timing and after his staunch loyalty to Woods’ during the upheaval in his private life. “I understand that’s part of the game … To be let go after staying incredibly loyal during the most difficult time in his life and then for him to decide that he needs a change, I think that the timing has been very poor,” he said. “When Tiger went through the Tiger scandal, as it’s known, I was obviously very disappointed in him, as everyone was. Obviously I lost a tremendous amount of respect for him … and I told him that he had to earn back my respect. Whatever respect he may have earned back, he’s just lost.” Williams said he had not spoken to Woods since their working relationship was terminated. In a separate interview with Television New Zealand, Williams said he felt his loyalty to Woods had not been repaid. “I’m a very big stickler for loyalty and I stuck with Tiger through his difficult period when a lot of people thought I should have left his side,” he said. “That was the most difficult period that I’ve ever been through in my life. I’m pretty hardheaded and took it probably a lot better than my wife and family did, but there’s no way that I should have been put through that.” Williams said he felt like he’d been considered guilty by association after sticking with Woods during the scandal. “My name should have been cleared immediately. It wasn’t and that’s what makes it even more disappointing what’s transpired.” he told TVNZ. “I never really got pardoned from that scandal so the timing of it is extraordinary. You could say I’ve wasted two years of my life.” Williams also repeated his previous assertions he had no knowledge of Woods’ extramarital affairs. “I had no idea what was going on and that was the hardest part … it was a difficult time,” he told the New Zealand Herald. “I’m a straight-up person, I’m a loyal person—if I knew something, then I’d say I did.” Williams is often described as New Zealand’s highest-paid sportsman—a definition stretched to encompass the caddie who may have banked around $9 million during his association with Woods. He operates a charitable foundation which makes regular donations to an Auckland children’s hospital and is highly respected by New Zealanders.

It would seem to me that Stevie should have taken the high road and expressed his gratitude to Woods,  he's basically "set for life" as a result of his association with Woods. He had the opportunity to showcase his talents as the World's Premiere Caddy on some of the biggest stages in the Universe.

Given all the turmoil in the Woods' camp, this situation could amount to having been tossed off of the Titanic and into a lifeboat. So come on Stevie, show some class and keep your mouth shut.

A young Stevie in between our friend Brad Hughes and The Shark

He'll probably be succeeded by Tony Navarro, Adam Scott's former caddy.

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Rickie Fowler By Dana Dahlquist

First let's get to know a little about Dana, here's a write up from his website:

Dana Dahlquist began his teaching in golf about ten years ago. During this time he was researching the golf swing, reading various articles and educating his students on tried and true techniques. While doing this he continued to evaluate many aspects of the golf swing. He knew there was a lot still unknown about how to perfect the ultimate swing. His first journey was to contact the area’s best teachers and find out what they knew about golf. He had the opportunity to work with and observe the great Mac O’Grady until 2006 as well as many other golfing professionals, a wonderful learning experience. In golf you are always learning, whether playing personally or from observing a student taking a lesson, the constant evaluation of others, on the range or out on the course.
In March of 2004, Dana began working at Heartwell Golf Course in Long Beach, California. It is one of the best teaching facilities because of its true ability to make a player’s game better by taking advantage of its driving range or playing the executive 18-hole golf course. Hartwell has a nationally acclaimed Junior Golf Program that Dana participated in as an instructor. After a successful time teaching a Heartwell Golf Course, Dana moved to Skylinks Golf Course. Skylinks is one of Long Beach’s premier municipal golf courses. Skylinks offers players extensive practice areas to perfect technique as well as a wonderful and challenging 18-hole golf course.
Starting in 2007 Dana began working with Andy Plumber and Mike Bennett on the “Stack and Tilt” Golf Swing. The golf swing is not “one size fits all”. Each situations and each individual differ. The “Stack and Tilt” concept is known for its many tried and true techniques. Each individual can master these techniques thru practice and evaluation. Dana has had the opportunity to work with many great Professional players as well as many Top Ranked College players.

Here's an analysis of Rickie Fowler's swing done recently By Dana:





For more information about Dana visit his website: www.dahlquistgolf.net 

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Darren Clarke by Dan Whittaker

Congratulations to Darren on his Open Championship victory. Now let's have Dan take a look at his swing.







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The Swing Catalyst 2011

At this year's PGA show I had the pleasure of catching up with our old friend Tom Christian Lindvag of the Swing Catalyst. We asked our friend Kirk Oguri, who teaches out of Pete's Golf in Mineola to take a few swings for us and here's what transpired.





Here's a review I wrote about the Swing Catalyst last year:

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 analysisIt 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. (maybe you could add something like a K-Vest)

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Steve Stricker by Dan Whittaker

Today Dan is going to have a look at Steve Stricker's swing.








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Some more ball flight stuff

Here's Andrew Rice's take on ball flight. Hit em Straight

Rory's Hips II

Here's Titleist's TPI people's explanation of Rory's hip move.


Here's My take on this: ( I wrote this last year after Rory's victory at Quail Hollow)

• I guess The new Messiah has arrived, I believe that Rory's 62 at Quail Hollow was much more significant than Ryo's 58.

• Rory's 62 was shot at a course which has U.S. Open type potential.

• The Field at Quail Hollow was much stronger, including the Top players in the World Ranking

• Rory stared down Mickelson and capped it all off by draining a 40+ foot putt for birdie.

Rory's golf swing is an example of Pivot Driven Power. If you look closely you'll note that Rory has a rare personal idiosyncrasy in his pivot. He has what we call a "double hip fire motion". His hips unwind aggressively from the top of the swing, they then pause briefly, recoil and re-fire. Is he aware of this? Probably not, and that's a good thing in my opinion.

Here's how Sports Illustrated's Michael Bamberger described it:

"A computer model of his swing at the Titleist facility — in which his body appeared as a stick-figure X-ray, his joints marked with lighted dots — revealed something that astonished the company's swing doctors. At the start of McIlroy's downswing, his left hip spins violently counterclockwise, as it does for every elite, long-hitting player. But then, and only with the driver, McIlroy makes a funky move you could not teach. A moment before impact his left hip suddenly changes direction and jerks back, clockwise, and then rotates again, this time even more powerfully than the first. It's like some mad fusion golf experiment, and McIlroy, wise man, pays it little mind. But that extra thrust explains why McIlroy — 5' 11" in cleats and 160 pounds — is one of the longest hitters in the game."You probably couldn't notice this with the naked eye , however if you watch his driver swing in super slo-mo you'll be able to discern it.
Here are some slow motion swings, notice the difference between the Driver swing and the Iron swing

As Gregg McHatton says "The real work starts at impact". Rory is applying additional "Pivot Thrust" and maintaining the ball on the clubface longer, this translates into "Impulse Momentum"

Here's a quick review of this concept.

The above video is a cut from "Perfect Results" available from OHP Direct.


Here's Jeff's graph as described below. (click to enlarge)

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Where's the Torque?

I thought this was pretty cool



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Mark Evershed on Hogan's Pivot

Here's our friend Mark Evershed with an exploration of Hogan's Pivot




For more information about Mark please visit: www.lagnload.com

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So Yeon Ryu

Birthday: June 29, 1990Rookie Year on LPGA: Not on tour
Birthplace: South KoreaKLPGA Rookie Year: 2008
Best LPGA Finish: T-12th (2010 Hana Bank Kolon Championship)
Best LPGA Major Finish: T-25th (2010 US Women's Open)
Height: 5' 6"
2011 LPGA Status: Not on tourNicknames: None Known
Sponsors: Hanhwa GroupHow's her English?: Very good
Road to the LPGA: On KLPGA tour





Pretty solid swing



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Brainy Putting

Here's Alan Alda and "Scientific American" examining Putting. This is something I knew all along and it seems to be what's being taught out in the Putting circuits.











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Rock and Drop

Here's Bobby Schaeffer with a dynamic pivot tip. I think we call this harnessing the physical forces.






Here's Bobby's swing again:






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Quinton on Wood's Changes

I'm not sure I agree with him, but I'll let you be the judge.

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Gary Woodland's 271 yard iron shot

HERE IS is the Article mentioned by Berkleyrican below




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Grant Waite

Grant Osten Waite (born 11 August 1964) is a New Zealand professional golfer. Waite was born in Palmerston North, New Zealand and is now a U.S. citizen[citation needed]. He has one PGA Tour victory, the Kemper Open in 1993, and finished second to Tiger Woods at the 2000 Bell Canadian Open. Waite won the New Zealand Open and the Trafalgar Capital Classic in 1992, and the Utah Open in 1993. In 1996, Waite shot a final round 60 in the Phoenix Open which is the third best PGA Tour Sunday round, only behind David Duval's and Stuart Appleby's 59s.

 Considered by some, to have one of the Great Swings in Golf, Grant has experienced the tutelage of some the great instructors in the golfing world. Today, I believe Grant is dedicated to teaching. We should be hearing from Grant and our friend Dana Dahlquist soon (hopefully).


Here's his swing circa 2010





I kinda like this look better:





Here's Grant working with Ben Doyle back in the day:







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Mizuno Forging

Rick Nielsen recently purchased a set of Muira forged blades and we got into a discussion/debate when we compared them to my MP 68's. In my opinion it wasn't even close. The 68's were far and above the softer feeling iron of the two. Given that my 33's are softer than my 68's we didn't even try to compare them to the Muiras. Here are some videos on the Mizuno forging process.

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Efficient Power

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Rory II

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Rory

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