Question:

First, an apology to the group is in order for my rant last week.  It’s out of my system.  I had a bad week, okay?  No more calls for civility from this corner.  I’ll make better use of my killfile if necessary and create my own little civil world, if that’s what I need to do.  I promise:  I’ll try to stick to golf.  (And thanks to Bobby Knight for privately talking some sense into me.  Glad to see the reports of how RSG-DFW went well.) I promised one or two follow-ups on the GH stuff I’m working on, and I wanted to report on the progress for those who’ve expressed interest either here or in private e-mail.  This is not really intended as a follow-up review of the video or the instruction material, per se, but rather, a report on how I’m incorporating the things I gleaned from it that I believe apply to me.  YMMV, as I may or may not be doing it exactly as GH would teach it.  In the end, that’s how any student acts upon information he receives.  He processes it and applies it in a manner he deems appropriate for his own situation.  That’s exactly what I’m doing. There are three things from "the PI drill" I found interesting: 1.  The image of the left thumb pointing down the railroad track and up to a point on "the wall" that’s even with the right shoulder in the backswing.  I have a tendency to get the club a little behind me, causing me to get "trapped," forcing an over-the-top move coming down.  I’m finding that this visual, particularly the part about the thumb leading up "the wall" keeps me from getting the club too laid off and behind me.  That said, it’s something I find difficult to think much about while swinging.  Maybe I’m trying to think of too many things at once.  That can certainly be a problem, as we all know.  So whether this visual is best for me or not is hard to tell.  I may find another mental cue that works better for me.  Of the three things I’m trying to incorporate into my swing, this is the one I’m having the hardest time doing.  I have had better luck in the past of thinking of keeping the club "in front of me" rather than thinking of the line up the wall, but it’s too early to dismiss it.  Other things are working, and they’re dominating my thoughts right now.  Until they become second nature, I can’t really assess the value of this particular visual.  My little pea-brain can only think of so many things at once. 2.  The image of using the butt end of the right wristbone to add downward pressure on to the left thumb on the club.  This has been extraordinarily helpful and is producing immediate results.  In a couple of practice sessions and two rounds, it is slowly (VERY SLOWLY) becoming more second-nature.  Funny how something as mundane as remembering to place your hands on the club a certain way can be so hard to remember, but after years of doing it differently, it’s something that requires conscious thought. I’ve tried to work it into my pre-shot routing, as I take my grip a little differently (a sort of quasi-hybrid of the way GH recommends and the way I have to do it with my teeny-tiny hands).  What this right-wristbone-pressure-on-the-left-thumb has done is made me especially aware of the fact that in the past, I’d not "welded" my two hands together very effectively, and therefore, they weren’t truly working as ONE unit.  In fact, when I fail to do this properly, I notice right away that there’s some movement between the two hands, and they’re not staying together very well. But when I do this correctly, I have discovered that it really seals a huge power leak.  It is definitely starting to give me more power, particularly with the irons.  This afternoon, I played a quick nine holes after a practice session and misclubbed a couple of times, firing the ball to the very back edge of the green.  A nice problem to have.  Of the three things I’m working on, this is the easiest one to do, and is already yielding some nice results.  It goes hand-in-hand (pun intended) with #3 below, with the right wrist bone pushing, while the left hand is pulling downward on the butt end of the club in the throughswing.  When done correctly, this "welding" of the two hands really adds a "crack" at the bottom of the swing that I didn’t have before.  (Except maybe when I did it "accidentally.") 3.  The image of pulling the left hand while it’s getting assistance from the right wrist bone applying pressure to "push" the butt end of the club down the railroad track until momentum reverses the hands at what is generally referred to as "the release."  This is a hard one to describe with words alone, but the video explained it, and I have a clear picture of it in my head.  It’s also hard to _just do_.  It’s something you have to TRUST before you can do it effectively.  More importantly, it’s not something you can RUSH.  First, you have to TRUST that it will cause the club to release AT ALL as it’s supposed to, and then you have to trust that the velocity of this "catch-up momentum" will be sufficient alone, without attempting to introduce additional "help" to it with the right hand.  I’ve discovered that this is precisely what I’ve been doing for years.  I’ve found that any additional "helping" (by exerting extra force with the right and fingers, AKA, the dreaded "hit impulse"), in fact, introduces a dampening effect to the free release oscillation.  I’m doing this better in my practice swings than with the real swings right now, but I can feel a great deal more velocity at the bottom of the swing when I do it right than I ever have with my normal swing.  I did it right on a few shots today and hit some screamers, including a couple of fairway woods that went at least 15 yards farther than I’m used to seeing them go. There’s more to his stuff than these three things, but as I may have said before, I’m not looking to re-invent the wheel.  There are a lot of things (okay, there are a FEW things) I do right in the golf swing, and I was just looking for a different way to "visualize" certain things to adjust my picture of the swing in hopes of improving in some areas I’ve found problematical.  It is fair to say that GH’s stuff is no different from others in one regard — it’s easy to take any new idea (a new thought, a new way of visualizing something, a new technique, or whatever) and OVERDOING IT.  Like I said, I’m not looking to re-invent my swing, but rather to incorporate more effective ways of seeing some things into my swing without changing too much at once. At times, I’ve given TOO MUCH thought to this new stuff, and when that happens, the bottom falls out; I basically forget everything I’ve learned before now.  But when I _weave_ it into what I do right, it’s a pretty powerful addition.  The trick to incorporating anything new is to know what’s already working, and, to put it in the terms of a chef, to "add a pinch of this, and a dash of that" without dumping the whole box of ingredients into the broth all at once.  Finding the right blend is part of the learning process.  Then the brain has to disengage as muscle memory takes over.  So far, there’s still too much conscious thought going into it for it to be terribly reliable.  Practice, practice, practice. Before I get tagged again as an "apologist" for GH, let me state for the record that I’m nobody’s "apologist."  When it comes to the golf swing, I’m purely a mercinary.  I’m out for myself, and nobody else.  You need only play one round of golf with me to know I’m pretty competitive, given the considerable limitations I operate under:  namely, LOFT.  (Lack Of F*cking Talent.)  If I happen to find a piece of the puzzle in an unlikely place (and who in RSG would argue that GH is anything but?), then so be it.  I’m open to that possibility.  I’m open to the possibility that I can learn something from anybody.  I’m not here to help him sell videos and books.  If that happens as a result of my reports, it won’t be because I urged anyone to purchase it.  I’m merely reporting on my own activities and application of a few things I saw in the video.  Just as anyone else in this group might do, if I find something that works for me, I’ll share it, if for no other reason than to provide fodder for discussion.  What you do with the information is up to you.  If you dismiss it because of where I got it, that’s your business.  But believe me, I’ve learned things from less knowledgable people.  We all have. Consider this the first follow-up.  Early results are encouraging, if incomplete.  I’m still not ready for prime time.  I just hope I’m ready for Texas.  Finally going home next week. My mouth is already watering just from thinking of those jalapeno-marinated carrots at Ninfa’s.  Can’t wait.  YUMMMMM….. Randy

Response:

: Consider this the first follow-up.  Early results are encouraging, if : incomplete.  I’m still not ready for prime time.  I just hope I’m ready for : Texas.  Finally going home next week. Long enough for a game? cb

Response:

Chris, I’d love to get together if possible.  (Same for the rest of you DFW’ers.)  The golf clubs are definitely making this trip. I’m flying to Dallas this Sunday, the 28th.  May or may not have time for a round Sunday afternoon, it’ll be pretty tight with Standard Time making its unwelcome return that morning. I’m in all day Monday and Tuesday, and most of the day Wednesday.  I’m driving the rental car to Houston Wednesday afternoon (I HATE flying), where I’ll be staying all weekend for The TOUR Championship.  (Incidentally, we’re also hoping to squeeze in a round sometime Thursday or Friday morning in Houston.)  All golf, all the time. So three days of golf in DFW — Mon, Tue & Wed.  (And maybe Sunday afternoon if Delta gets us in uncharacteristically early.)  Plus, whatever "bonus golf" gets played in Houston. I’m mixing business with this trip, and I’ve got a few other things I need to do.  So we’ll probably play early afternoon Monday and Tuesday, then kinda early-to-mid morning Wednesday.  I need to hit the road by around 2, or 3 at the latest to get situated in the hotel in Houston before it’s too late.  I’ll be one tired puppy after golf and a five-hour drive.  Gotta get my beauty sleep. You may not love the venues — but I’m dead set on playing two of my old haunts — Grand Prairie Municipal (where I probably played two-thirds of my golf in DFW) and Stevens Park.  And my friend, with whom I’m staying in Arlington, wants to take me to some new course in Arlington that he’s been raving about, so we may go there. If we skip one of those venues, it’ll be Stevens.  I’m gonna play GP, one way or another.  It was my "home" course when I lived there, and I haven’t seen it (or any of DFW) since I was last there for the ‘97 Colonial.  GP, for old time’s sake, y’know. E-me this week and we’ll set it up.  Knowing my friend, he probably won’t remember to call and make tee times.  I’ll have to remember to do it, or else we’ll be on the walk-up list (just like always).  He also won’t have anyone joining us, so we’ll be two.  Anyone wishing to join us should let me know, because threesomes and foursomes wait longer when they’re walk-ons, even on weekdays (don’t these people have jobs?).  I’d *definitely* want to reserve a time if we’ll have more than two. Randy

– Hide quoted text — Show quoted text – : Consider this the first follow-up.  Early results are encouraging, if : incomplete.  I’m still not ready for prime time.  I just hope I’m ready for : Texas.  Finally going home next week. Long enough for a game? cb

Response:

than Ninfa’s. Herrera’s in Dallas. Leo’s in Houston. Take your pick in Austin or SanAntonio.. Some times I think you foreigners should be required to get a visa to come visit. Ken – Hide quoted text — Show quoted text – First, an apology to the group is in order for my rant last week.  It’s out of my system.  I had a bad week, okay?  No more calls for civility from this corner.  I’ll make better use of my killfile if necessary and create my own little civil world, if that’s what I need to do.  I promise:  I’ll try to stick to golf.  (And thanks to Bobby Knight for privately talking some sense into me.  Glad to see the reports of how RSG-DFW went well.) I promised one or two follow-ups on the GH stuff I’m working on, and I wanted to report on the progress for those who’ve expressed interest either here or in private e-mail.  This is not really intended as a follow-up review of the video or the instruction material, per se, but rather, a report on how I’m incorporating the things I gleaned from it that I believe apply to me.  YMMV, as I may or may not be doing it exactly as GH would teach it.  In the end, that’s how any student acts upon information he receives.  He processes it and applies it in a manner he deems appropriate for his own situation.  That’s exactly what I’m doing. There are three things from "the PI drill" I found interesting: 1.  The image of the left thumb pointing down the railroad track and up to a point on "the wall" that’s even with the right shoulder in the backswing.  I have a tendency to get the club a little behind me, causing me to get "trapped," forcing an over-the-top move coming down.  I’m finding that this visual, particularly the part about the thumb leading up "the wall" keeps me from getting the club too laid off and behind me.  That said, it’s something I find difficult to think much about while swinging.  Maybe I’m trying to think of too many things at once.  That can certainly be a problem, as we all know.  So whether this visual is best for me or not is hard to tell.  I may find another mental cue that works better for me.  Of the three things I’m trying to incorporate into my swing, this is the one I’m having the hardest time doing.  I have had better luck in the past of thinking of keeping the club "in front of me" rather than thinking of the line up the wall, but it’s too early to dismiss it.  Other things are working, and they’re dominating my thoughts right now.  Until they become second nature, I can’t really assess the value of this particular visual.  My little pea-brain can only think of so many things at once. 2.  The image of using the butt end of the right wristbone to add downward pressure on to the left thumb on the club.  This has been extraordinarily helpful and is producing immediate results.  In a couple of practice sessions and two rounds, it is slowly (VERY SLOWLY) becoming more second-nature.  Funny how something as mundane as remembering to place your hands on the club a certain way can be so hard to remember, but after years of doing it differently, it’s something that requires conscious thought. I’ve tried to work it into my pre-shot routing, as I take my grip a little differently (a sort of quasi-hybrid of the way GH recommends and the way I have to do it with my teeny-tiny hands).  What this right-wristbone-pressure-on-the-left-thumb has done is made me especially aware of the fact that in the past, I’d not "welded" my two hands together very effectively, and therefore, they weren’t truly working as ONE unit.  In fact, when I fail to do this properly, I notice right away that there’s some movement between the two hands, and they’re not staying together very well. But when I do this correctly, I have discovered that it really seals a huge power leak.  It is definitely starting to give me more power, particularly with the irons.  This afternoon, I played a quick nine holes after a practice session and misclubbed a couple of times, firing the ball to the very back edge of the green.  A nice problem to have.  Of the three things I’m working on, this is the easiest one to do, and is already yielding some nice results.  It goes hand-in-hand (pun intended) with #3 below, with the right wrist bone pushing, while the left hand is pulling downward on the butt end of the club in the throughswing.  When done correctly, this "welding" of the two hands really adds a "crack" at the bottom of the swing that I didn’t have before.  (Except maybe when I did it "accidentally.") 3.  The image of pulling the left hand while it’s getting assistance from the right wrist bone applying pressure to "push" the butt end of the club down the railroad track until momentum reverses the hands at what is generally referred to as "the release."  This is a hard one to describe with words alone, but the video explained it, and I have a clear picture of it in my head.  It’s also hard to _just do_.  It’s something you have to TRUST before you can do it effectively.  More importantly, it’s not something you can RUSH.  First, you have to TRUST that it will cause the club to release AT ALL as it’s supposed to, and then you have to trust that the velocity of this "catch-up momentum" will be sufficient alone, without attempting to introduce additional "help" to it with the right hand.  I’ve discovered that this is precisely what I’ve been doing for years.  I’ve found that any additional "helping" (by exerting extra force with the right and fingers, AKA, the dreaded "hit impulse"), in fact, introduces a dampening effect to the free release oscillation.  I’m doing this better in my practice swings than with the real swings right now, but I can feel a great deal more velocity at the bottom of the swing when I do it right than I ever have with my normal swing.  I did it right on a few shots today and hit some screamers, including a couple of fairway woods that went at least 15 yards farther than I’m used to seeing them go. There’s more to his stuff than these three things, but as I may have said before, I’m not looking to re-invent the wheel.  There are a lot of things (okay, there are a FEW things) I do right in the golf swing, and I was just looking for a different way to "visualize" certain things to adjust my picture of the swing in hopes of improving in some areas I’ve found problematical.  It is fair to say that GH’s stuff is no different from others in one regard — it’s easy to take any new idea (a new thought, a new way of visualizing something, a new technique, or whatever) and OVERDOING IT.  Like I said, I’m not looking to re-invent my swing, but rather to incorporate more effective ways of seeing some things into my swing without changing too much at once. At times, I’ve given TOO MUCH thought to this new stuff, and when that happens, the bottom falls out; I basically forget everything I’ve learned before now.  But when I _weave_ it into what I do right, it’s a pretty powerful addition.  The trick to incorporating anything new is to know what’s already working, and, to put it in the terms of a chef, to "add a pinch of this, and a dash of that" without dumping the whole box of ingredients into the broth all at once.  Finding the right blend is part of the learning process.  Then the brain has to disengage as muscle memory takes over.  So far, there’s still too much conscious thought going into it for it to be terribly reliable.  Practice, practice, practice. Before I get tagged again as an "apologist" for GH, let me state for the record that I’m nobody’s "apologist."  When it comes to the golf swing, I’m purely a mercinary.  I’m out for myself, and nobody else.  You need only play one round of golf with me to know I’m pretty competitive, given the considerable limitations I operate under:  namely, LOFT.  (Lack Of F*cking Talent.)  If I happen to find a piece of the puzzle in an unlikely place (and who in RSG would argue that GH is anything but?), then so be it.  I’m open to that possibility.  I’m open to the possibility that I can learn something from anybody.  I’m not here to help him sell videos and books.  If that happens as a result of my reports, it won’t be because I urged anyone to purchase it.  I’m merely reporting on my own activities and application of a few things I saw in the video.  Just as anyone else in this group might do, if I find something that works for me, I’ll share it, if for no other reason than to provide fodder for discussion.  What you do with the information is up to you.  If you dismiss it because of where I got it, that’s your business.  But believe me, I’ve learned things from less knowledgable people.  We all have. Consider this the first follow-up.  Early results are encouraging, if incomplete.  I’m still not ready for prime time.  I just hope I’m ready for Texas.  Finally going home next week. My mouth is already watering just from thinking of those jalapeno-marinated carrots at Ninfa’s.  Can’t wait.  YUMMMMM….. Randy

Response:

It’s the carrots. Randy

– Hide quoted text — Show quoted text – than Ninfa’s. Herrera’s in Dallas. Leo’s in Houston. Take your pick in Austin or SanAntonio.. Some times I think you foreigners should be required to get a visa to come visit. Ken First, an apology to the group is in order for my rant last week.  It’s out of my system.  I had a bad week, okay?  No more calls for civility from this corner.  I’ll make better use of my killfile if necessary and create my own little civil world, if that’s what I need to do.  I promise:  I’ll try to stick to golf.  (And thanks to Bobby Knight for privately talking some sense into me.  Glad to see the reports of how RSG-DFW went well.) I promised one or two follow-ups on the GH stuff I’m working on, and I wanted to report on the progress for those who’ve expressed interest either here or in private e-mail.  This is not really intended as a follow-up review of the video or the instruction material, per se, but rather, a report on how I’m incorporating the things I gleaned from it that I believe apply to me.  YMMV, as I may or may not be doing it exactly as GH would teach it.  In the end, that’s how any student acts upon information he receives.  He processes it and applies it in a manner he deems appropriate for his own situation.  That’s exactly what I’m doing. There are three things from "the PI drill" I found interesting: 1.  The image of the left thumb pointing down the railroad track and up to a point on "the wall" that’s even with the right shoulder in the backswing. I have a tendency to get the club a little behind me, causing me to get "trapped," forcing an over-the-top move coming down.  I’m finding that this visual, particularly the part about the thumb leading up "the wall" keeps me from getting the club too laid off and behind me.  That said, it’s something I find difficult to think much about while swinging.  Maybe I’m trying to think of too many things at once.  That can certainly be a problem, as we all know.  So whether this visual is best for me or not is hard to tell. I may find another mental cue that works better for me.  Of the three things I’m trying to incorporate into my swing, this is the one I’m having the hardest time doing.  I have had better luck in the past of thinking of keeping the club "in front of me" rather than thinking of the line up the wall, but it’s too early to dismiss it.  Other things are working, and they’re dominating my thoughts right now.  Until they become second nature, I can’t really assess the value of this particular visual.  My little pea-brain can only think of so many things at once. 2.  The image of using the butt end of the right wristbone to add downward pressure on to the left thumb on the club.  This has been extraordinarily helpful and is producing immediate results.  In a couple of practice sessions and two rounds, it is slowly (VERY SLOWLY) becoming more second-nature.  Funny how something as mundane as remembering to place your hands on the club a certain way can be so hard to remember, but after years of doing it differently, it’s something that requires conscious thought. I’ve tried to work it into my pre-shot routing, as I take my grip a little differently (a sort of quasi-hybrid of the way GH recommends and the way I have to do it with my teeny-tiny hands).  What this right-wristbone-pressure-on-the-left-thumb has done is made me especially aware of the fact that in the past, I’d not "welded" my two hands together very effectively, and therefore, they weren’t truly working as ONE unit. In fact, when I fail to do this properly, I notice right away that there’s some movement between the two hands, and they’re not staying together very well. But when I do this correctly, I have discovered that it really seals a huge power leak.  It is definitely starting to give me more power, particularly with the irons.  This afternoon, I played a quick nine holes after a practice session and misclubbed a couple of times, firing the ball to the very back edge of the green.  A nice problem to have.  Of the three things I’m working on, this is the easiest one to do, and is already yielding some nice results.  It goes hand-in-hand (pun intended) with #3 below, with the right wrist bone pushing, while the left hand is pulling downward on the butt end of the club in the throughswing.  When done correctly, this "welding" of the two hands really adds a "crack" at the bottom of the swing that I didn’t have before.  (Except maybe when I did it "accidentally.") 3.  The image of pulling the left hand while it’s getting assistance from the right wrist bone applying pressure to "push" the butt end of the club down the railroad track until momentum reverses the hands at what is generally referred to as "the release."  This is a hard one to describe with words alone, but the video explained it, and I have a clear picture of it in my head.  It’s also hard to _just do_.  It’s something you have to TRUST before you can do it effectively.  More importantly, it’s not something you can RUSH.  First, you have to TRUST that it will cause the club to release AT ALL as it’s supposed to, and then you have to trust that the velocity of this "catch-up momentum" will be sufficient alone, without attempting to introduce additional "help" to it with the right hand.  I’ve discovered that this is precisely what I’ve been doing for years.  I’ve found that any additional "helping" (by exerting extra force with the right and fingers, AKA, the dreaded "hit impulse"), in fact, introduces a dampening effect to the free release oscillation.  I’m doing this better in my practice swings than with the real swings right now, but I can feel a great deal more velocity at the bottom of the swing when I do it right than I ever have with my normal swing.  I did it right on a few shots today and hit some screamers, including a couple of fairway woods that went at least 15 yards farther than I’m used to seeing them go. There’s more to his stuff than these three things, but as I may have said before, I’m not looking to re-invent the wheel.  There are a lot of things (okay, there are a FEW things) I do right in the golf swing, and I was just looking for a different way to "visualize" certain things to adjust my picture of the swing in hopes of improving in some areas I’ve found problematical.  It is fair to say that GH’s stuff is no different from others in one regard — it’s easy to take any new idea (a new thought, a new way of visualizing something, a new technique, or whatever) and OVERDOING IT.  Like I said, I’m not looking to re-invent my swing, but rather to incorporate more effective ways of seeing some things into my swing without changing too much at once. At times, I’ve given TOO MUCH thought to this new stuff, and when that happens, the bottom falls out; I basically forget everything I’ve learned before now.  But when I _weave_ it into what I do right, it’s a pretty powerful addition.  The trick to incorporating anything new is to know what’s already working, and, to put it in the terms of a chef, to "add a pinch of this, and a dash of that" without dumping the whole box of ingredients into the broth all at once.  Finding the right blend is part of the learning process.  Then the brain has to disengage as muscle memory takes over.  So far, there’s still too much conscious thought going into it for it to be terribly reliable.  Practice, practice, practice. Before I get tagged again as an "apologist" for GH, let me state for the record that I’m nobody’s "apologist."  When it comes to the golf swing, I’m purely a mercinary.  I’m out for myself, and nobody else.  You need only play one round of golf with me to know I’m pretty competitive, given the considerable limitations I operate under:  namely, LOFT.  (Lack Of F*cking Talent.)  If I happen to find a piece of the puzzle in an unlikely place (and who in RSG would argue that GH is anything but?), then so be it. I’m open to that possibility.  I’m open to the possibility that I can learn something from anybody.  I’m not here to help him sell videos and books. If that happens as a result of my reports, it won’t be because I urged anyone to purchase it.  I’m merely reporting on my own activities and application of a few things I saw in the video.  Just as anyone else in this group might do, if I find something that works for me, I’ll share it, if for no other reason than to provide fodder for discussion.  What you do with the information is up to you.  If you dismiss it because of where I got it, that’s your business.  But believe me, I’ve learned things from less knowledgable people.  We all have. Consider this the first follow-up.  Early results are encouraging, if incomplete.  I’m still not ready for prime time.  I just hope I’m ready for Texas.  Finally going home next week. My mouth is already watering just from thinking of those jalapeno-marinated carrots at Ninfa’s.  Can’t wait.  YUMMMMM….. Randy

Response:

you rabbit you. =P

Response:

The original Ninfa’s on Navigation is the one you need to try. If we ever have a RSG Houston, that would be a good place to have dinner. I think Leo’s is byebye. But I prefer the holes-in-wall (which describes Ninfa’s on Navigation). Robert MITCHELL says… – Hide quoted text — Show quoted text – than Ninfa’s. Herrera’s in Dallas. Leo’s in Houston. Take your pick in Austin or SanAntonio.. Some times I think you foreigners should be required to get a visa to come visit. Ken First, an apology to the group is in order for my rant last week.  It’s out of my system.  I had a bad week, okay?  No more calls for civility from this corner.  I’ll make better use of my killfile if necessary and create my own little civil world, if that’s what I need to do.  I promise:  I’ll try to stick to golf.  (And thanks to Bobby Knight for privately talking some sense into me.  Glad to see the reports of how RSG-DFW went well.) I promised one or two follow-ups on the GH stuff I’m working on, and I wanted to report on the progress for those who’ve expressed interest either here or in private e-mail.  This is not really intended as a follow-up review of the video or the instruction material, per se, but rather, a report on how I’m incorporating the things I gleaned from it that I believe apply to me.  YMMV, as I may or may not be doing it exactly as GH would teach it.  In the end, that’s how any student acts upon information he receives.  He processes it and applies it in a manner he deems appropriate for his own situation.  That’s exactly what I’m doing. There are three things from "the PI drill" I found interesting: 1.  The image of the left thumb pointing down the railroad track and up to a point on "the wall" that’s even with the right shoulder in the backswing.  I have a tendency to get the club a little behind me, causing me to get "trapped," forcing an over-the-top move coming down.  I’m finding that this visual, particularly the part about the thumb leading up "the wall" keeps me from getting the club too laid off and behind me.  That said, it’s something I find difficult to think much about while swinging.  Maybe I’m trying to think of too many things at once.  That can certainly be a problem, as we all know.  So whether this visual is best for me or not is hard to tell.  I may find another mental cue that works better for me.  Of the three things I’m trying to incorporate into my swing, this is the one I’m having the hardest time doing.  I have had better luck in the past of thinking of keeping the club "in front of me" rather than thinking of the line up the wall, but it’s too early to dismiss it.  Other things are working, and they’re dominating my thoughts right now.  Until they become second nature, I can’t really assess the value of this particular visual.  My little pea-brain can only think of so many things at once. 2.  The image of using the butt end of the right wristbone to add downward pressure on to the left thumb on the club.  This has been extraordinarily helpful and is producing immediate results.  In a couple of practice sessions and two rounds, it is slowly (VERY SLOWLY) becoming more second-nature.  Funny how something as mundane as remembering to place your hands on the club a certain way can be so hard to remember, but after years of doing it differently, it’s something that requires conscious thought. I’ve tried to work it into my pre-shot routing, as I take my grip a little differently (a sort of quasi-hybrid of the way GH recommends and the way I have to do it with my teeny-tiny hands).  What this right-wristbone-pressure-on-the-left-thumb has done is made me especially aware of the fact that in the past, I’d not "welded" my two hands together very effectively, and therefore, they weren’t truly working as ONE unit.  In fact, when I fail to do this properly, I notice right away that there’s some movement between the two hands, and they’re not staying together very well. But when I do this correctly, I have discovered that it really seals a huge power leak.  It is definitely starting to give me more power, particularly with the irons.  This afternoon, I played a quick nine holes after a practice session and misclubbed a couple of times, firing the ball to the very back edge of the green.  A nice problem to have.  Of the three things I’m working on, this is the easiest one to do, and is already yielding some nice results.  It goes hand-in-hand (pun intended) with #3 below, with the right wrist bone pushing, while the left hand is pulling downward on the butt end of the club in the throughswing.  When done correctly, this "welding" of the two hands really adds a "crack" at the bottom of the swing that I didn’t have before.  (Except maybe when I did it "accidentally.") 3.  The image of pulling the left hand while it’s getting assistance from the right wrist bone applying pressure to "push" the butt end of the club down the railroad track until momentum reverses the hands at what is generally referred to as "the release."  This is a hard one to describe with words alone, but the video explained it, and I have a clear picture of it in my head.  It’s also hard to _just do_.  It’s something you have to TRUST before you can do it effectively.  More importantly, it’s not something you can RUSH.  First, you have to TRUST that it will cause the club to release AT ALL as it’s supposed to, and then you have to trust that the velocity of this "catch-up momentum" will be sufficient alone, without attempting to introduce additional "help" to it with the right hand.  I’ve discovered that this is precisely what I’ve been doing for years.  I’ve found that any additional "helping" (by exerting extra force with the right and fingers, AKA, the dreaded "hit impulse"), in fact, introduces a dampening effect to the free release oscillation.  I’m doing this better in my practice swings than with the real swings right now, but I can feel a great deal more velocity at the bottom of the swing when I do it right than I ever have with my normal swing.  I did it right on a few shots today and hit some screamers, including a couple of fairway woods that went at least 15 yards farther than I’m used to seeing them go. There’s more to his stuff than these three things, but as I may have said before, I’m not looking to re-invent the wheel.  There are a lot of things (okay, there are a FEW things) I do right in the golf swing, and I was just looking for a different way to "visualize" certain things to adjust my picture of the swing in hopes of improving in some areas I’ve found problematical.  It is fair to say that GH’s stuff is no different from others in one regard — it’s easy to take any new idea (a new thought, a new way of visualizing something, a new technique, or whatever) and OVERDOING IT.  Like I said, I’m not looking to re-invent my swing, but rather to incorporate more effective ways of seeing some things into my swing without changing too much at once. At times, I’ve given TOO MUCH thought to this new stuff, and when that happens, the bottom falls out; I basically forget everything I’ve learned before now.  But when I _weave_ it into what I do right, it’s a pretty powerful addition.  The trick to incorporating anything new is to know what’s already working, and, to put it in the terms of a chef, to "add a pinch of this, and a dash of that" without dumping the whole box of ingredients into the broth all at once.  Finding the right blend is part of the learning process.  Then the brain has to disengage as muscle memory takes over.  So far, there’s still too much conscious thought going into it for it to be terribly reliable.  Practice, practice, practice. Before I get tagged again as an "apologist" for GH, let me state for the record that I’m nobody’s "apologist."  When it comes to the golf swing, I’m purely a mercinary.  I’m out for myself, and nobody else.  You need only play one round of golf with me to know I’m pretty competitive, given the considerable limitations I operate under:  namely, LOFT.  (Lack Of F*cking Talent.)  If I happen to find a piece of the puzzle in an unlikely place (and who in RSG would argue that GH is anything but?), then so be it.  I’m open to that possibility.  I’m open to the possibility that I can learn something from anybody.  I’m not here to help him sell videos and books.  If that happens as a result of my reports, it won’t be because I urged anyone to purchase it.  I’m merely reporting on my own activities and application of a few things I saw in the video.  Just as anyone else in this group might do, if I find something that works for me, I’ll share it, if for no other reason than to provide fodder for discussion.  What you do with the information is up to you.  If you dismiss it because of where I got it, that’s your business.  But believe me, I’ve learned things from less knowledgable people.  We all have. Consider this the first follow-up.  Early results are encouraging, if incomplete.  I’m still not ready for prime time.  I just hope I’m ready for Texas.  Finally going home next week. My mouth is already watering just from thinking of those jalapeno-marinated carrots at Ninfa’s.  Can’t wait.  YUMMMMM….. Randy

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Randy, I have the recipe for the Ninfa’s carrots somewhere. Let me know if you are interested. But you are right on. The carrots are fantastic. Robert says… – Hide quoted text — Show quoted text -It’s the carrots. Randy

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:The original Ninfa’s on Navigation is the one you need to try. If we ever have :a RSG Houston, that would be a good place to have dinner. I think Leo’s is :byebye. But I prefer the holes-in-wall (which describes Ninfa’s on Navigation). :Robert MITCHELL : :says… : : :than Ninfa’s. Herrera’s in Dallas. Leo’s in Houston. Take your pick in :Austin or SanAntonio.. Some times I think you foreigners should be :required to get a visa to come visit. : :Ken There’s always Mia’s (Dallas), who has just redecorated.  They have a much better array of plastic grapes, etc. on the walls now.  The food is terrific.   ___,     o        |       /      .   "Someone likes every shot" bk

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Oh, man…send it. There’s actually a Ninfa’s here in Atlanta (downtown), and it’s NOTHING like the ones in Texas.  They don’t even have the carrots.  You wouldn’t believe the crap they try to pass off as Mexican food here in ATL. Randy

Randy, I have the recipe for the Ninfa’s carrots somewhere. Let me know if you are interested. But you are right on. The carrots are fantastic. Robert

SLAM_SPAM_THANK_YA_MA’AM – Hide quoted text — Show quoted text – says… It’s the carrots. Randy

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Oh, man…send it. There’s actually a Ninfa’s here in Atlanta (downtown), and it’s NOTHING like the ones in Texas.  They don’t even have the carrots.  You wouldn’t believe the crap they try to pass off as Mexican food here in ATL. Randy

Hmmm…must be along the lines of  " if it looks like Taco Bell then it must be Mexican" , right?? We are quite lucky here – just over the bridge in Detroit is a 2 square block area called Mexican Village – all kinds of Mexican restaurants – we usually go to Xochimilco and have a botanna – . I believe the cuisune is more middle/south Mexico than border Mexico so it is probably a little different from what is served in TX. — David RSG Roll Call http://u1.netgate.net/~kirby34/rsg/sneddond.htm email: dsneddon AT attcanada DOT ca

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Oh, man…send it. There’s actually a Ninfa’s here in Atlanta (downtown), and it’s NOTHING like the ones in Texas.  They don’t even have the carrots.  You wouldn’t believe the crap they try to pass off as Mexican food here in ATL. Randy

Ok, so Randy, whats up with the carrots?

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Robert has sent me the recipe.  They’re marinated in a bunch of stuff (vinegar, vegetable oil, arbol chilies, oregano, cumin, basil, pepper, salt, sugar) that just makes ‘em heavenly.  Dip the chips in salsa and stick a carrot slice on top.  YUMMMM…. my mouth’s waterin’ just thinking about it. (Thanks, Robert, for sending the secret recipe.) As for the Mexican food in Texas, about the best I can tell you is, there are lots of different types.  After living 25 years in the Lone Star State, my taste buds are tuned to Tex-Mex.  But Arizona-style Mexican food is, IMHO, the best.  California style is also good, but honestly, who eats sprouts on tacos? The stuff here tastes like…well…burnt bar-b-que with salsa poured on top. Yuck-a-puh-tooey. And to the person who made the comment about Taco Bell, well, I am reminded of what my best friend from high school always called that place:  Taco Alpo. Randy

– Hide quoted text — Show quoted text – Oh, man…send it. There’s actually a Ninfa’s here in Atlanta (downtown), and it’s NOTHING like the ones in Texas.  They don’t even have the carrots.  You wouldn’t believe the crap they try to pass off as Mexican food here in ATL. Randy Ok, so Randy, whats up with the carrots?

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You wouldn’t believe the crap they try to pass off as Mexican food here in ATL.

Good thing you’re only about an hour from Dalton, GA …. aka "North Mexico."

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Carpet City?  For Mexican food? Please. Randy

– Hide quoted text — Show quoted text – You wouldn’t believe the crap they try to pass off as Mexican food here in ATL. Good thing you’re only about an hour from Dalton, GA …. aka "North Mexico."

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Carpet City?  For Mexican food? Please.

Well since so many Mexicans live there, they must eat somewhere.

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Carpet City?  For Mexican food? Please. Randy

Who do you think are making those carpets? Scott

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Robert has sent me the recipe.  They’re marinated in a bunch of stuff (vinegar, vegetable oil, arbol chilies, oregano, cumin, basil, pepper, salt, sugar) that just makes ‘em heavenly.  Dip the chips in salsa and stick a carrot slice on top.  YUMMMM…. my mouth’s waterin’ just thinking about it. (Thanks, Robert, for sending the secret recipe.)

Sounds good, can u email it to me Randy? Are they raw carrots? I make a pretty mean salsa, will have to try it at next Vikings game. thanks Mike

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