Question:
<Snip All the best with the lessons Mr Rossi
Thanks to you both – I’m actually scheduled to go out to the range tonight and see if I can translate the lesson into practice. We also have a 24-hour Par 3 course here which I will likely get on tomorrow/very late tonight. As far as the clubs, yeah, I’m just waiting on a little more money so I can get them and send my Dad back his Callaways. I was surprised he loaned them to me, because they’re a full set of irons, a great big bertha driver and 3-w, and a 7w, which I’m still trying to figure out. So I’m just going to play with the long lumber for a while until I can get m’self some irons, although the pro did say I could use one of their practice clubs with the proper measurements if I checked in first and asked. I don’t know what my handicap is yet. I have to find out. -bill You must remove MYPANTS to email.
Response:
Bloody hot here in Dallas, even at 9a.m. I knew going in that I had about 1,632 things wrong with my swing, and the blisters on my hand (grip problem) to prove it. I walked in to the pro shop and asked for a bandaid (the box in my bag was empty) while the Pro was putting on some suntan lotion.
<snipety snip Good to hear the lessons have helped. I went for my first lesson about two weeks ago. Started playing the game in Febuary and have seen improvement to the point of shooting in the high 90’s a couple of times, but after that first lesson and two very subtle changes I have managed to get down to the low 90’s and a real chance of breaking 90 twice now. However the great thing about golf is that around the corner is the blowout game just waiting to take you by suprise. All the best with the lessons Mr Rossi
Response:
– Hide quoted text — Show quoted text – Bloody hot here in Dallas, even at 9a.m. I knew going in that I had about 1,632 things wrong with my swing, and the blisters on my hand (grip problem) to prove it. I walked in to the pro shop and asked for a bandaid (the box in my bag was empty) while the Pro was putting on some suntan lotion. I figured it was going to be a painful lesson, emotionally, trying to get everything. The first thing we did though, was check the "inherited" clubs I’m working with. I have a beautiful set of Callaway X-12s on loan from my father, and while they’re pretty forgiving, I feel like I’ve been struggling with them. So the pro watches me attempt to hit a few balls, which also allows me to dig new irrigation trenches with the divots, and then goes to the club-kiosk-thing and comes back with a few different clubs. He hands me a Tour Edge 6-iron and tells me to try it off the board, after he puts the marking tape-stuff (whatever it is) on the bottom of the club. Oh. My. God. I hit the first really good shot I’d hit in months. I couldn’t stop grinning, and after taking a few other measurements we determined that I need clubs that are about 1.5" longer and 4 degrees (possibly 5) of upright. Next he looked at my grip. Odd as it is, I never really learned proper grip. The difference was striking, and I felt like I had more control of the club. Little miracles like this never cease to amaze me. Turns out I need larger grips, too, as my fingers are kinda long (must’ve been the years of piano lessons) and the club sometimes gets squirelly on me. Next was my posture. He had me do this interesting drill where I crossed my hands over my chest with a club across my shoulders, and practiced turning, to get the feel of a proper turn without other distractions. Suddenly, things began to make sense. "Now, try swinging the club through the ball," he says, dropping one on the grass. THWACK! The ball went about 190 yards or so, dead straight downrange. I was shocked. I did it right. "That’s it, I’m going home now," he laughs. This is probably old hat to a lot of you, but the subtle adjustments he made have suddenly made this a hell of a lot more fun to me. I mean, I’ve always enjoyed hitting the balls, but to do it RIGHT was an incredible feeling. Swinging with a properly fitted club sure helps, too. I’ve been having to hunch a lot to get the clubs down to the ball and it’s been screwing things up, along with my grip and posture problems. Lessons are definitely the best money spent in golf. Now that I have a little more perspective, I’m going to focus less on "name brand" and more on finding a club which fits. Doesn’t have to say Ping, Titleist, or Mizuno on it, but it’s definitely gotta fit. What a great way to start the day. -bill You must remove MYPANTS to email
I remember reading in a magazine or book a few months ago that the majority of golfers, generally, tend not to improve their handicaps by an odd shot here and there but typically jump by a whole handfull of shots (over a short-ish period) when they find a change that works for them. I’ve done this myself earlier this year, taking of the order of 7 or 8 shots off my average since the beginning of the year. My friend, it sounds like you’ve jhust had one of these five-shot weeks. I salute you for it! Well done. My 2cents worth… Buy those new fitted clubs and get out on the course wiht them and consolidate those changes into your handicap index.
Response:
"Now, try swinging the club through the ball," he says, dropping one on the grass. THWACK! The ball went about 190 yards or so, dead straight downrange. I was shocked. I did it right. "That’s it, I’m going home now," he laughs. This is probably old hat to a lot of you, but the subtle adjustments he made have suddenly made this a hell of a lot more fun to me. I mean, I’ve always enjoyed hitting the balls, but to do it RIGHT was an incredible feeling.
Congratulations! Eureka moments like that are to be savored. But if yours are anything like mine have been, it’ll last about a week and you’ll find something else to do wrong and spoil it <grin I think that’s one of the siren calls of golf, that your perfect swing is only a few not so obvious adjustments away from attainment. Best of luck. . .
Response:
Bloody hot here in Dallas, even at 9a.m. I knew going in that I had about 1,632 things wrong with my swing, and the blisters on my hand (grip problem) to prove it. I walked in to the pro shop and asked for a bandaid (the box in my bag was empty) while the Pro was putting on some suntan lotion. I figured it was going to be a painful lesson, emotionally, trying to get everything. The first thing we did though, was check the "inherited" clubs I’m working with. I have a beautiful set of Callaway X-12s on loan from my father, and while they’re pretty forgiving, I feel like I’ve been struggling with them. So the pro watches me attempt to hit a few balls, which also allows me to dig new irrigation trenches with the divots, and then goes to the club-kiosk-thing and comes back with a few different clubs. He hands me a Tour Edge 6-iron and tells me to try it off the board, after he puts the marking tape-stuff (whatever it is) on the bottom of the club. Oh. My. God. I hit the first really good shot I’d hit in months. I couldn’t stop grinning, and after taking a few other measurements we determined that I need clubs that are about 1.5" longer and 4 degrees (possibly 5) of upright. Next he looked at my grip. Odd as it is, I never really learned proper grip. The difference was striking, and I felt like I had more control of the club. Little miracles like this never cease to amaze me. Turns out I need larger grips, too, as my fingers are kinda long (must’ve been the years of piano lessons) and the club sometimes gets squirelly on me. Next was my posture. He had me do this interesting drill where I crossed my hands over my chest with a club across my shoulders, and practiced turning, to get the feel of a proper turn without other distractions. Suddenly, things began to make sense. "Now, try swinging the club through the ball," he says, dropping one on the grass. THWACK! The ball went about 190 yards or so, dead straight downrange. I was shocked. I did it right. "That’s it, I’m going home now," he laughs. This is probably old hat to a lot of you, but the subtle adjustments he made have suddenly made this a hell of a lot more fun to me. I mean, I’ve always enjoyed hitting the balls, but to do it RIGHT was an incredible feeling. Swinging with a properly fitted club sure helps, too. I’ve been having to hunch a lot to get the clubs down to the ball and it’s been screwing things up, along with my grip and posture problems. Lessons are definitely the best money spent in golf. Now that I have a little more perspective, I’m going to focus less on "name brand" and more on finding a club which fits. Doesn’t have to say Ping, Titleist, or Mizuno on it, but it’s definitely gotta fit. What a great way to start the day. -bill You must remove MYPANTS to email