You have until this deal expires!

By Bill McCabe

One of the basic “truths” in golf in which I firmly believe is, namely:
“Thou Shalt Make the Same Swing with Every Club in your Bag”

How many times have you heard or read pundits proclaiming that you
should swing your Driver the same as you do your Wedge?

I couldn’t agree more.

…Let me tell you a true story:

Several years ago, I was “working” with a friend at the driving range.  His
name was Billy and we were discussing/debating the merits of “one swing
for every club" and I told him this story which he promptly dubbed my
“airport swing”. 

I told him at that time that I’d use his phraseology in further publication,
and he assured me (with a bit of a chuckle) that that’d be OK with him.  I
still chuckle a bit to this day. 

Here’s to you, Billy!

I travel a good deal.  And no matter where I’m going, I always bring
my clubs because I’m sure I’ll find an opportunity to play a round or
two. 

So I’m waiting for my flight at the gate.  You know the drill.  TSA
suggests, if not requires you to arrive at the airport TWO hours prior
to departure.  You know you have to run that gauntlet of ticket lines
and baggage check-in. (Note to travelers:  You always have to go
through baggage check-in when you’re bringing your golf clubs with
you.) 

People often ask me why I always drag my clubs along when I travel? 
Isn’t it easier to RENT clubs at your destination than having to lug
them around all the time? 

…Well, I view renting clubs the same

as cheating on my wife. 

My clubs are not stupid.  They KNOW I’m on vacation, and they’re in
the closet at home.  Eventually, I’ll be home, and they’ll be angry at
me for not taking them along.  Golf clubs need vacation too, you know.

So, anyway (with apologies for the digression), there I am at the
airport, dutifully early, waiting for my flight to board.  I’ve
successfully negotiated the Security lines, put my shoes and belt back
on, bought a (golf) magazine at the newsstand, had a beer at the bar,
gone to the bathroom, read the newspaper, gone for a walk…and we’re
still waiting for the boarding process to begin.

After all this time of sitting around I begin to get a little stiff.
(Doesn’t everybody?) 

So I stand up to stretch out a bit, and invariably I launch into a
bit of a phantom-golf swing  (kind of like Jerry Remy’s “air guitar”,
only without the embarrassing stumble and fall?) 

…It actually carries two benefits: 

One, it loosens me up so I don’t feel so stiff, and TWO, it’s a great
ice-breaker.  If my shorts, sandals and logo shirt and hat haven’t
already given me away, everyone around me now knows that I’m a golfer,
and many interesting conversations with strangers have resulted.  Many
of those strangers have become good friends.

But the question is, however:  How is it, with due respect to all the
target, ball, club orientations that are required in the game (and
insisted upon by our instructors) that I managed to make a motion
that strangers around me would identify as a golf swing? 

With what reference points have I accomplished this?  I don’t have a
ball, I don’t have a club and certainly there’s no target?  I’m in an
airport lobby for god’s sake?!?! 

However, despite this handicap (no pun intended) I did successfully
execute an identifiable golf stroke? 

…This is when it occurred to me: 

That the necessary “reference points” DID exist; they were (and always
ARE) there all the time.  They’re not necessarily you and the target;
you and the ball or you and the club?  They’re you and …..YOU? 

I was apparently able to set up and perform a recognizable golf swing
referencing only ME to ME?

What club did I hit?  How far was I from the target?  You see, it
didn’t matter because I HAD NO club….I HAD NO target. 

But, I was nonetheless able to make a golf swing wasn’t I?  Said
another way, does that not mean that the choice of club is IRRELEVANT
to the making of the golf swing? 

Said yet another way… does that not mean that you make the same swing
with every club in your bag?  

…Inside each of us is what our brain instinctively

recognizes as **our** golf swing.

It certainly would seem to me that it’s a lot easier to learn
that ONE swing, rather than a bag full of different swings?

Having said all this however, it certainly is easier said than done,
isn’t it?  More on HOW to make it easier next time…

We are thrilled to you bring you a clubhouse interview with Golfing Phenom, Tom Johnson.

He's an All-American golfer several times over and is currently on the Nationwide Tour.

This is a 16-minute excerpt from a full 48-minute interview.  This
is a MUST watch for anybody's whose even halfway serious
about getting better at golf.  He provides so much insight into the
strategy of the game (that you can immediately use to your benefit).

Some may roll their eyes at the simplicity… but keep in mind this
guy makes his living on the golf course.

There's a section on putting inside the newsletter that I'd bet will
take half a dozen strokes off your game the next time you go
out — simply by applying strategy (NOT technique).

Enjoy!
Mike Moran

By Mike Moran
 

Although it may seem academic, I can’t stress enough the
importance of knowing how far you hit each club in your
bag.

Actually you should know two distances for each club.

1. How far the ball travels in the air before landing.

2. And total distance including normal roll.

The normal roll on the green may be very different from
normal roll on the fairway.

You need to know how far your shots carry in order to
properly select the club that will clear water or a sand
trop that lies between you and your target. Always allow
for the wind.

Total yardage knowledge is important so you can decide
whether to lay up or go for a pin when no hazard is in the
way.

Get a feel early in the round whether the fairways and
greens are soft or hard, since this will also affect total
yardage.

Be realistic about your yardage.

…Just because you once killed a five iron

over 200 yards doesn’t mean you can

repeat it consistently.

In fact it’s probably rarer than the 75 yard worm burner you
undoubtedly hit form time to time.

Assume you are going to hit each shot solidly with your
normal swing and select the club that’s right for the
yardage.

…Play SMART golf and let the clubs do

all the work.  It's a much more consistent

(and REPEATABLE) strategy.

On course practice is the best way to gauge your normal
distances with each club because you have a real target to
hit and hopefully yardage markers that you can rely on.

Practice one club at a time, watch the ball flight and
carry and measure total distance by where the balls come to
rest.

So learn how far you hit each club, and you’ll hit each
shot with renewed confidence.

Questions and Answers

by Teaching Pro Mr Joe DeLorenzo

Joe is also available for private lessons.
 

A bit of golf trivia:

Who won more money in 1990, the leading money winner on the
regular tour (Greg Norman), or Lee Trevino on the Senior Tour?

(answer below)

QUESTION #1

Joe,

I have a curiosity question on a scoring situation. Say you are
on a par three hole and you hit the ball and it settles right on
the edge of the cup on your first shot. The next person takes
their shot and their ball hits the green and knocks your ball in.

How is that scored? Would you get a hole in one because
technically you only hit the ball once?

Thank you,
Clint

ANSWER:

Hello Clint,

According to Rule 18-5, if a ball at rest is moved by a ball in
motion, the ball must be replaced. Of course, if it was a blind
shot, there would be no proof that the ball was moved by another
ball.

Also, if the wind happened to blow it in, it would count as an
ace. If that ever happens, make sure the ball falls all the way
to the bottom of the cup because if you pick it up while it is
resting against the flagstick, it is a penalty, and you would
have to place the ball at the edge of the cup and tap it in for
a 3.

This is one of many stupid rules that I think we could do
without, because common sense tells you there is no way a ball
resting against a flagstick is not really holed.

Joe

QUESTION #2

Joe,

I have a simple question for you to quell the issue me and my
golfing buddies have.

What is the maximum number of shots allowed per hole
(over par) on a 3, 4, or 5 par hole? We have differing opinions
from "No limits", to "double the par value".

We are trying to confirm the official call. Can you assist us?
This could save many strokes from our games and therefore drop
our scores (or perhaps enlarge them) immensely.

Thanks for the help,
Maxwell

ANSWER:

Hello Maxwell,

For competition scoring, there are no limits.

To report scores for handicapping purposes (not for
competition, the USGA has the following limits:

• For handicaps of 9 or less, double bogey is max.

• For handicaps 10-19, score of 7 is max
  (does not matter if par is 3, 4, or 5)

• For handicaps 20-29, score of 8 is max

• For handicaps 30-39, score of 9 is max

• For handicaps 40 or higher, score of 10 is max

Now here is my opinion, which may not be worth much to the
USGA.

If I were King, I would change this to make it max triple
bogey for everybody (both for competition and for handicapping),
because it is simpler to remember and this would speed up play,
and this would be a form of damage control.

Also I would say max 3 putts per hole, if you miss the second
putt, just pick it up for an automatic 3 putt, and pace of
play will improve.

Joe

QUESTION #3

Joe,

I BEEN PLAYING ABOUT 3 YEARS NOW (WEEKEND PLAYER). I
WOULD LIKE TO KNOW HOW TO READ THE GREENS. WHAT
TO LOOK FOR. SO I CAN IMPROVE MY GAME.

THANK YOU
RONALD

ANSWER:

Hi Ronald,

Reading the green starts when you are still on the fairway.
First look at the overall terrain and,
 

…see which direction rain water will

likely flow off the green.

Putts are likely to break generally in that direction.

When you are on the green, without getting in the way, try to
read other people's putts and see if the results were the same
as you expected.

Watch Jim Furyk and others who use the "plumb bobbing" method
of dangling the shaft to see if the hole appears perpendicular or
tilted to the shaft.

On apractice green, take notice if most of your reads tend to
play too much or too little break in both directions. If the
grass appears to be growing all blades in the same direction
(called the "grain"), the putts will likely break in that
direction.

Faster greens and downhill putts will break more than slower
greens and uphill putts.

I hope this helps you.
Joe

Question for the Evil Twin:

Jody, I just got hooked on golf when I hit one long and straight
and out of sight. Why can't I do that all the time?

Answer: Because the first one was a fluke.

Answer to the trivia question (above):

Lee $1,190,518 – Norman $1,165,477.

…Last week we asked if you were

king for a day, which golf rules

would you change?
 

Here are some responses:

Abolish stroke and distance penalties and provisional shots.
Nobody should ever have to walk back to replay a shot, that
is against the pace of play.

…Think, USGA, think!
 

• Take the luck factor out of the game. Allow free lift
  from divots because landing in a divot is only bad
  luck.

  No difference between loose impediments or
  obstructions, neither one of them belongs there
  anyway. If you can move a dead animal, you
  should also be able to remove a live animal,
  which is against today's rules.

  Dumb, real dumb.

• Get rid of the penalty for the ball accidentally
  moving when addressed. What is the big deal?
  The spirit of rules should be "No advantage
  gained, no penalty".

  If that general idea could be an overriding rule,
  that would make it more of a game of skill, and
  less of a game of chance. Nit picky technicalities
  really have nothing to do with skill and golf should
  be a game of skill.
   

• People who have never broken 100 should be
  able to improve their lies anywhere, anytime, until
  that magic number is broken, or until their average
  score is under double bogey per hole.
   

• Get rid of the term "ladies tees". The forward tees
  and all other tees should be according to skill
  levels. There are ladies who hit the ball farther
  than men, and men who cannot hit the ball as far
  as ladies.

  This would speed up play if those who shoot
  higher scores were forced to play from the forward
  tees.
   

• There should be no penalty for asking or giving
  advice.

  Pros get advice from their caddies, while the
  average golfers who cannot afford caddies are
  not allowed to ask anyone, or even use an
  inaccurate optical device.

  Get serious, why would you ask an opponents
  anyway, they might give you bad information, and
  your well-meaning buddies are probably guessing
  as much as you are.

  Get rid of stupid unnecessary rules like this.

   

By Jack Sullivan
 

Pitching…

This is one very subtle technique that I found by accident.

With pitching, you usually want the ball to end up as close to
the  hole as possible, if not in it of course. As a hobby, I
like to record golf tournaments on TV to study the swings of
the pros.

What I usually do is playback the swings in slow motion and
frame-by-frame mode to catch the finer points of their body
movement.

…A couple of years ago, I picked up on

something while watching Tiger Woods.

When he made approach shots with shorter irons with the intent
of making the ball stop, he didn’t let the club head turn over
through impact. He kept his right hand under the club through
the divot.

Be advised here, you still have to swing your upper body through
the center. The trick is, to not release the club by rolling your
wrists over as if swinging a driver or longer club.

Driver swing…

With the longer clubs, Tiger would whip the club head through the
point-of-impact and finish his swing with a toe drag. With this
technique, the ball rolls after landing and goes the farthest and
straightest.

This is generally the technique used with a driver, three-wood, etc.

If you freeze-frame right after impact with this technique, you’ll
see that he’s in a handshake position pointing his right hand
directly at the target with his thumb high and…

…his shoulders turned through the

point-of-impact while facing the center

of his chest directly at the target.

Wedge swing…

Getting back to the short pitch or wedge shot, I like to do this
type of shot when I need as little roll as possible after the
ball lands.

I’ll especially do this out of the sand or next to the green
when I can’t chip it and I need the ball to check up quick
without rolling.

You should set up with the ball slightly back of center of your
stance. When you swing, all you have to do is have your right
hand underhand toss the ball at the hole. Note here the thumb
position.

…It’ll be out as if you’re hitchhiking,

and your palm will be facing up.

50 yards and under…

To hit it even shorter, swing the same way with your hands, and
cut your toe drag down by swinging a bit on the flat-footed side.

Again, by studying the Tour Pro’s swings, I noticed that with
short iron and pitch shots, I wouldn’t see a toe drag as with a
driver or long iron.

The right foot may come off the ground a little but it will not
come all the way up on the toe. This is a very subtle aspect of
the short game that took me years to come across.

The motion of this type of shot is simply an underhanded toss.
Your right hand will not roll over to let the club head turn
through the point-of-impact. This can be done with the shorter
clubs to an extent.
 

…However, unless you’re looking for a

slice, don’t do it with a long club.

The reason is simple. If you sweep the clubface of a
longer club through the point-of-impact without letting it roll
over, it’ll remain open at impact and you’ll be guaranteed a nice
banana-ball.

This is where some people get confused. Here’s why…

Crossed rules…

With a shorter club, this type of underhanded swing will not
produce as much sidespin as backspin. With more backspin than
sidespin, any type of curve during flight will be minimized.

This is why you see a lot of intermediate level golfers able to
effectively control shorter irons, but slice the ball terribly
with longer clubs.

Its simply because they’re crossing up these very subtle swing
rules. This is also one of the reasons why I used to slice.

My problem was…

I would squeeze the club at impact in anticipation of feeling
a “solid” hit. Here’s what would happen. When I squeezed the
club, it would actually slow down and sort of freeze through
the point-of-impact.

With the club moving without turning over, it would scrape the
ball and put a mean left-to-right sidespin on it. This of
course resulted in a banana-ball that would only go about 100
yards and then take a hard right turn, driving me absolutely
batty with anger and frustration.

…Once I learned how to release the club

and let it turn over naturally, my golf slice

immediately disappeared.

Let impact surprise you…

Let's back up for a second and talk about squeezing the club…
this was because I was anticipating impact. A lot of people do
this. Maybe you do too.

The next time you’re at the range, swing through and let impact
surprise you. If you anticipate impact, you’ll slow the clubhead
down and will most likely slice the ball or miss it outright.

…In closing, remember this:

1. To hit the ball short, swing underhanded with a minimal or
no toe drag.

2. To hit it long and straight, roll your hands over and whip
the club head through the point-of-impact. Let impact surprise
you by throwing the clubhead through the center and at the target
while finishing with a toe drag.

Pretty interesting stuff, huh?

Try it and see for yourself.

By Mac Stevenson

Whether on the golf course or in everyday life, it’s difficult
for all of us to recognize our limitations. Accepting our
shortcomings is important in daily life and it’s vital on the
golf course.

All golfers occasionally hit poor shots at the worst possible
time. The normal reaction is to have a feeling of desperation
creep into your psyche, feeling you have to do something
spectacular to make up for the bad shot.

More often than not, that not only isn’t possible but it’s
disastrous to even attempt near-impossible shots.

Often we find ourselves in an untenable situation on a particular
shot because of the weather, a prior poor shot, or our limited
ability. When this happens,

…don’t try to force a miracle shot

that will lead to a round-ruining hole.

Here are six examples of problem shots that all golfers encounter
from time to time:

(1) On a par four or five, you can have a long approach shot
to the green because of a poor tee shot or a fierce headwind.

If it’s a shot that you are unlikely to hit successfully with a
three wood, use a more forgiving club like a five wood that will
leave you in a good position to approach. The percentages are
against reaching the green with the three wood, and you can end
up in the rough or a trap if you try it.

(2) When you have an 80-100 yard iron shot that’s downwind to
a pin set behind a trap on a downhill lie, don’t try and hit a
miracle shot to get it close.

You’re in a situation where you have to accept a par or bogey
and go on to the next hole. Be sure and hit your approach safely
on the green so you don’t jump up a double-bogey by hitting a
dumb shot.

(3) Don’t be embarrassed to hit a wood instead of an iron to
a long par three into the wind, even if your playing companions
all hit an iron. It’s a game of how many, not how.

…Play within your own capabilities.

(4) On slick, downhill putts with a lot of break, allow more
break than you need to in order to stop the ball close the hole.
If you try and make the putt, chances are you’ll let it get away
and three-putt.

However, circumstances during a particular round will dictate
whether or not to do this. But it’s a good rule to play more break
than you think you need on treacherous downhill putts.

In other words, you’re sacrificing a long-shot chance to
make the putt in order to be certain of a two-putt.

(5) On short pitch shots out of heavy rough close to the
green, it’s easy to try to be too cute with them. You have to
chop down on the shot and hit it firmly to be sure it comes out
of the heavy rough.

This shot is extra tough to get close to the hole and the first
consideration should be to make certain that you get it on the
green within easy two-putt range.

(6) When an errant tee shot puts you in the trees and you
have a choice between hitting through a narrow opening or
pitching back to the fairway, take the safer course.

If you try and hit a full shot through a narrow opening, you
can end up in even more trouble and jump up a double- or
triple-bogey.

That’s just six examples of difficult shots that can lead to
wasted strokes; there are so many predicaments requiring you to
rein in your emotions that they would fill a book.

You have to think on the golf course and you must maintain your
concentration and poise. Be aware of and accept your weaknesses
and make the best of unfavorable situations; that’s as good a
rule as there is for golfers of all skill levels.

By Mike Moran

It may seem irrelevant to many golfers, but knowing where to
place your ball on the tee can make a BIG difference in where
you hit your drive.

Most tees give you ample room between the markers-five to
10 yards is common.

…Most high-handicap golfers automatically

tee the ball u near the middle.

Using the entire tee box, however, can provide a golfer
with more options, less risk and a better visual perspective of
the hole.

For example, teeing the ball closer to the marker on the same
side as trouble (woods or water) allows you to aim away from the
trouble more comfortably.

If the natural shape of your shot is a fade (hopefully we don't
slice anymore), tee up next to the right marker and aim
toward the left-center of the fairway.

This will give you a greater margin for error than trying to
work the ball from the left marker. If you tend to draw the
ball, do just the opposite.

However, on dogleg holes, teeing up next to the marker opposite
the dogleg will give you a better perspective and actually open
up the hole for your drive.

This is one situation where you might want to hit a draw from the
right marker and a fade from the left.

Par threes give you a unique opportunity to hit an approach shot
to the green from exactly the place you want.

…Don't waste it!

Look at where the pin is, where the trouble is, and factor in
your normal shot pattern with the club chosen.

Your golf course architect gave you a large tee area to use. So
use it to your advantage.

Questions and Answers

by Teaching Pro Mr. Joe DeLorenzo

Joe is also available for private lessons.

A Bit of Golf Trivia:

None of these great golfers were able to win all 4 majors:  Arnold
Palmer, Tom Watson, Greg Norman, Lee Trevino, Sam Snead.

Can you guess which majors they missed? (answers below)
 

QUESTION #1

Joe,

I constantly hit behind the ball. I think I am casting early. Any
thoughts or drills you can recommend in order to fix this swing
flaw?

Thank You,
John Adams, Birmingham, AL.
 

ANSWER:

Hello John,

Casting is a possibility, also this can be caused by trying to
lift the ball.

…Lifting never works.

Think more about just making contact and let the loft of
the club do the lifting.

Two things that can help this problem are a more aggressive
weight shift on the downswing and at the same time try to hit
the ball on more of a steeper downward path.

You are doing it right when you strike the ball first and then
take a divot. This gives you a better margin of error when you
hit down because the ball will spin up the clubface even when
you make contact at the equator. If you are not hitting down and
you strike the equator, you will hit a low line drive or grounder.

Joe

QUESTION #2

Joe,

Just a few words to let you know that when I receive your tips
via e-mail I practice them and find them to be a great help.

Now can you help me on this part of my game, When driving
I get very little run on the ball. i.e. when the ball lands it stops
within a few yards, I have tried many different makes of balls
but to no avail.

Can you please help?

Keep up the good work and thank you.

R Webb.
 

ANSWER:

Hi R.Webb,

I do not think the type of ball matters on running drives.

Course conditions are the primary factor. Your course
probably has soft fairways. Now if you tell me everyone
else's ball runs farther than yours, then they must be
hitting it lower than you.

More information is needed here, like how far do your
drives carry in the air? If you are a short hitter, do you
hit your average drive high or low?

If you are a long hitter, and you are usually in the fairway,
you are doing great,
 

…who cares about roll anyway?

Do you have this problem also on dry rock-hard fairways
that are downhill and with the wind? If you do, then the
golf spirits must have put a curse on you.

(Jody says you should quit using a sand wedge for your
drives).

Joe
 

QUESTION #3

Joe,

I am a somewhat forgetful person, I leave wedges at
the side of the green and forget to pick them up after
putting out, and I sometimes move my ball marker for
someone else's putt, and then forget to move it back
to the proper spot for my putt.

Any ideas on how to overcome this?

Josh

ANSWER:

Hi Josh,

There are two ways to remember to pick up your
chipping club, one is to leave it in the direction of
your bag so after you putt out you might trip over it,
and the other is whenever the flagstick is pulled and
laying on the green, lay your club on top of it, so
whoever puts the flag back will say "hey whose wedge
is this?"

About the ball marker, whenever you have to move it
for someone else's putt, put a tee in your hand and keep
it there until it is your turn to putt, and then you can ask
yourself "Why is there a tee in my hand? Oh, now I
remember, I have to move my marker".

Joe

Answers to the trivia question (above):

Masters – Lee Trevino, who hits a fade. Augusta National favors
those who hit a draw.

US Open – Sam Snead, who once could have won with a bogey
on the last hole, but triple-bogeyed.

PGA-Palmer, Watson, Norman. Greg Norman once looked like
he was going to win, but Bob Tway holed a bunker shot on the
final hole to beat Greg by one stroke.

That was Tway's only major win.

Question for the My Evil Twin:

Jody, when do you feel the most pressure?

Answer: When I have a $10 bet with only $5 in my pocket.

by Joe Novak

One of the classics of golf books is here for you to enjoy. I had
this 1950 book summarized for your enjoyment and benefit. It is
full of tips, aids, and good sound golf advice.

Joe Novak was golf pro, instructor at Bel Air Country Club in Los
Angeles, Ca for many years.

In the Preface of the book, some of Joe's comments were:

Having used the methods described in this book in showing
hundreds of men, women, and youngsters how to score well
consistently, I know that it will aid golfer in achieving skill in their
favorite sport.

The book presents a simple, practical summary of the natural
fundamentals of learning and playing the game of golf in the best
possible manner as demonstrated by American professional
golfers.

It isn't possible to name the many professionals who have made
available to me, to their colleagues, and to all amateurs what
they learned the hard way-trying to make good golf easy. I am,
however, deeply indebted to them.

My thanks also to the members of the Professional Golfers
Association of America for their help and encouragement.

Joe Novak
Bel Air Country Club

I hope this lesson helps you improve your game, as we continue
to provide some of the best golf instruction information available
for almost a decade now.

Thank you.

Mike Moran
Editor, Golfology.com's No BS Golf Newsletter

STEP #1

What began as a simple way for Scottish shepherds to pass
time grew into a worldwide phenomenon known as golf. As the
shepherds walked along swinging their crooks, they
inadvertently hit the pebbles and stones that were in their path.

Soon, it became a competition to see who could hit their pebble
farther, and eventually, into a specific hole in the ground. The
game required precision guided by a combination of the most
well-crafted stick, along with the shepherd's own stance and
grip.

The position of the body, and the manner in which the hands
gripped the crook, serve as the two basic elements in playing a
good game of golf today. In order to perfect your game, you must
return to our ancestor's methodology and focus on your stance
and grip.

…The more bells and whistles you add, the more

complicated your swing becomes, and therefore,

more prone to mistakes.

You want a clean, crisp swing – one that is free from unnecessary
complications. Simplicity in your swing is the only secret you need
to enhance and improve your game.

The entire game of golf, in itself, is simple.

You have one main rule – "play the ball as it lies." To win the
game, you need to use the least amount of strokes to get your
ball in the hole, using one of three types of clubs – woods,
irons, or a putter. The shorter your club, the shorter your swing,
and vice versa.

Time after time, we test various methods to find that special
ingredient that will enrich the formula for our swing. The best
pupil in golf is a young person who can be taught the basic
swing, and encouraged to perform on their instincts.

Golf doesn't discriminate – both boys and girls can gracefully
play the game. Most of us, however, pick up the game without
the initial benefit of a professional's advice, and we learn as we
go.

…By the time we enlist the aid of a pro, we've

ingrained all sorts of bad habits into our swing,

altering our once "natural" mentality.

Some changes that we've introduced to our natural swings
required exquisite muscle coordination and strength, such as
the method of rolling the forearms.

We try too hard to "teach" our body to develop a natural swing.

Invariably, our muscles become tight and that perfect, simple
balance between strength and coordination is distorted, no
matter how much we try to be natural about it.

If you organize your swing into numbered steps, and practice
them methodically, you can train you body to return to your
original swinging habits. Sometimes, you'll find that you've left
out a step, or even added a step that doesn't belong.

You can use your numbered steps as a checklist in evaluating
your progress.

Many professionals use the "teaching by the numbers" method
to train their students in following a precise pattern of steps. It's
not necessary to try to follow an exact rhythm for your swing.

…Everyone has their own unique tempo, and

given the correct steps to follow, your rhythm

will fall into place naturally.
 

The basic golf swing does not have to be reformulated for players
of various physical attributes or varying club usage. The swing is
the same as far as positioning of the body, and the actions
involved from one's hands to one's feet.

Even putting follows the same basic steps of a golf swing. Too
many players try to putt using only their hands and arms, when
in actuality, putting requires a full body swing of sorts.

The first thing you need to ensure is proper club choice. There are
so many designs, lengths, and weights that each person will need
a personal fit. Using the wrong club can contribute to bad habits
that may be difficult to overcome in the future.

For instance, a young woman using her father's long, heavy clubs
may develop a swing that has to counter against the awkward
design of the club. Her once natural swing has been changed to
make up for length and weight.

…The bulk of the power in a golf shot is in your

body's actions, not in muscle strength and

arm power.

The turn of the body and shift in your weight are what ultimately
provide the power and direction of your swing.

In order to maximize your body's natural potential, you have to
start with the correct positioning of your feet. If your stance isn't
right, then you'll be unable to shift your weight properly.

Many people incorrectly believe you have to have strong hands
to deliver a powerful golf shot. In reality, the hands should only
serve as a mild grip on the club to hold it in position and guide
it throughout the swing.

Whenever you seek to improve your golf swing, make sure the
hours you put into practice aren't serving to merely contribute
further to bad habits.

It's important to seek the advice of a professional so that you
can get some direction in what specific moves to practice.

*****
*****

Joe Novak developed an eight step American plan, which
includes four lessons in positioning your body, and four in the
actual golf swing.

In these steps, Novak points out that the left hand should only
serve as a guide, and is all too often used in bringing the club
up for the backswing. Actually, it's the right hand that should
perform the backswing, with the left hand only guiding the club.

As you learn the steps that Novak developed to return you to a
more natural, instinct-laden form of golf, make sure you
remember that golf is a game.

Some of the greatest stars in the sport were those whose talent
shone because of an inherent love and enjoyment of the game
itself.

Golf instruction changes with time – as new athletes come into
the spotlight wit a slight variation in style, everyone wants to
copy their swing.

Professionals know better than the average player how to study
a winner and replicate their winning qualities.

Novak helps the average golfer learn what to look for in a
winning swing. Once you learn the eight steps, you'll be able to
achieve the two basic elements of winning golf – distance and
direction.

Novak's methodology will address shifting your weight, pivoting
for power, and club control – all in eight easy to use basic steps.

…Joe Novak's 7 Other Steps are available

fore immediate download inside of the

No BS Golf Newsletter.

by Jack Sullivan

1. Improper Alignment

Most amateur golfers think that as long as everything
“looks OK” when they align to the ball and the shot, then
it MUST be. Well, it couldn’t be further from the truth.

In fact, most people that miss their shot either by hitting
it straight – but a bit off-target, or slicing/hooking the ball,
have no idea that by just fixing their alignment…

…they could eliminate half of the

stress of their short shots.

Proper alignment is really simple to do but if you don’t know
what a square set-up looks like from the point-of-view of
holding the club, you’ll never get it.

Think of it this way…

…The easiest way to have your body

be aligned is to have it be relaxed.

If your body is relaxed when you swing the club, provided you’re
in a good set-up with the grip necessary for the shot at hand,
you’ll hit the ball (quite easily) on target.

To align yourself properly to your target, do this:

• Step directly behind the ball so that it’s in line
  between you the target.

• Find something on the ground (a broken tee
  or leaf) in that line. (Make sure that it’s exactly
  in line here because you are looking for
  pinpoint accuracy)

• Once you have established your “line” set-up
  as if you were going to putt the ball to it.

• Make sure that your feet are parallel to the
  target line and your clubface is perpendicular
  to it.

• Step back off the ball and determine how much
  swing you will need before actually making a
  swing.

• Once you have figured out how much swing
  you’ll need, set-up to the line again.

• Now here comes the tricky part. Trust your line
  and swing!

I told you that a relaxed swing is a more accurate swing.

…Being confident is the biggest key to this. 

By being confident, you subconsciously let your body align itself
which allows a free-er, more accurate swing and shot.

2. Improper (too much) Grip Pressure

I'm surprised at how much the pressure on the grip can affect the
result of a shot. But, in the last paragraph I told you that
a relaxed swing is a better swing.

This section ties into and builds on that.

…Grip pressure can make or break a shot.

Here’s how.

You see most high-handicappers squeeze the club in a
death-grip in a futile attempt to control the club throughout
the entire swing. This is the worst thing that you can do to
yourself if you want to hit long, accurate shots.

By squeezing the club, you’ll do two things that will throw
off your shot. Firstly, by squeezing, you slow the clubhead
down to a less than maximum speed.

…This of course reduces your

potential distance. 

Secondly, by trying to maintain control throughout the entire
swing, all you’ll manage to do is lose control!

Let tell you this with the utmost confidence. It is completely
impossible to consciously control every component of the swing
and be consistent.

This gets back to the last item of improper alignment. I said that
a relaxed swing is an accurate swing. If you are not relaxed, you’ll
never be consistent or accurate.

To equalize or, “normalize” your grip pressure, do this.  I call this
The Three-Quarter Power Swing.

Begin at the range with a short iron. Set up and choose a target
about  two-thirds to three quarters of the distance that you know
that you can hit a certain club.

For instance, grab a nine-iron and go for about 90 yards.

Take a “¾-power” swing.

…Here's the monkey wrench.

Take all of the intent out of your swing. What I mean is, take all
of the “muscle power” out of your swing. Swing without any
"oomph" for lack of a better term.

I don't mean that you shouldn't finish the swing. By all means,
finish the way you have been training.

However, remove the brute force and swing without tension in
your arms, hands and upper body.

…Watch out.

You may be surprised at how far the ball goes. I think you'll like
it though.

One trick I like to use with students is to tell them to pretend
that they’re exhausted and be as loose as they can possibly
be.

The feeling is almost as if you don’t care if you have “power” or
not. You’ll see that without tension in your swing, you’ll be able
to whip the club.

With this technique, you’ll never get tired.

Also, without tension, you’ll be automatically aligned at the
point-of-impact. This is the benefit of swinging without tension.
It’s also the technique that ALL of your PGA Tour heroes use.

…If you found this useful, parts 3 through 5

are available fore immediate download inside

The No BS Golf Newsletter

By Jack Sullivan

"Competitive golf is played mainly on a five-and-a-half-inch
course, the space between your ears."
—Bobby Jones

There is only one word I would omit in Mr. Jones'
statement: competitive.

I believe all golf is played on that very same five-and-a-half-inch
course. Whether it's for the Master's Championship or for fun
on a lighted, par-three course at 11:30 p.m., it's how you, the
individual, understand and manage that "course" that
determines the outcome of your golfing experience.

…I love the game of golf, and I love to

teach the game of golf.

What I want most for my students is that they learn to play
with confidence and more than that, I want them to enjoy
playing the game as much as I do.

There are over thousands of guides and websites on the
subject of golf today.

To take on the task of writing a new one the author should
either be important (which I am not) or have something to say,
which I believe I do. It is not only important to have something
important to say,

…it is equally important to express the

message so that the readers can understand it.

It is nearly impossible to write in such a way that you cannot
be misunderstood. The same barriers to learning exist for each
person reading this guide that exist for each student who
takes a lesson on the practice range.

Although this is an instructional guide for golfers of all ages, it
is directed toward those golfers past the age of twenty.

I've written it because so many adults have given up on learning
golf or progressing in learning new golf skills. They blame it on
tired muscles, creaking bones, or a sore back, or they believe
their motor skills have become fixed and have the idea they can't
learn or improve.

I want you to know that adult motor skills are not fixed.

New skills can be learned.

…If you have been struggling, I want you to

know it's not that you can't learn, it's that you

haven't been shown the proper learning process.

Consequently, you have probably set your expectations too high.
Ease back on the throttle just a bit, and you'll find the success
you have been looking for; it's not that far away.

In the 1990s, the United States and Great Britain both
established what they called the Decade of the Brain.

Both countries spent huge sums of money bringing together
the top psychologists, neurologists, and other individuals
connected with the study of the brain to share their knowledge
and discoveries.

The purpose was to further the overall advancement of brain
science.

Thanks to that combined twenty years of collaboration and a
wealth of new research in learning and retention of motor skills,
we now know that the methods we used in the past are not
effective in teaching motor skills to adult students.

The discoveries continue, but what we know now is that adults
need to understand what they are learning, and how they learn.

In addition, they need prompt and informative feedback, and
most of all they need time to absorb the motor skill.

We cannot rush the process.

The learning methods and the explanations in this guide are
based on my understanding and knowledge of the most recent
studies in neurology and psychology.

I explain how your brain works when you are learning a golf skill,
and how you can establish a realistic set of expectations.

…I have changed my approach to teaching,

and it has made a world of difference to my

students.

They are under less pressure to reach for unrealistic goals, and
by understanding how the brain learns motor skills, we can
improve the teaching and learning process.

I explain the brain's use of the transfer process so you are aware
of it during your self-teaching. I explain how each fundamental
works and how and why it is important to the swing. I believe you
will find it will give you new knowledge and confidence as you
pursue golf in the future.

Over our lifetimes we have mastered some very complicated
motor skills. Most of these movements we mastered before we
were able to speak.

We can all be thankful for that.

…Can you imagine how difficult it would have

been to learn to walk if our mothers had to

explain the movements to us?

Some of us would still be on the floor.

So, how does this relate to golf?

We already have a great number of the basic skills: standing,
rotation, swinging our arms, gripping, distance perception, and
others.

If we start with the skills we already own and build from these,
we have a very good chance of developing a sound golf game
with solid fundamentals.

This assumes a couple of things…

The first is that you read the first chapter and commit to what
you will learn about your brain and how it works. Second, you
will commit to the drills and the time involved developing the
motor skills as they apply to golf fundamentals.

Practice it, use it, or lose it, is a fact.

During this process we will not learn the golf swing first. The
swing will be the easiest part of learning the game of golf,
because it is the most fun. (You get to hit balls, you get to see
results, and you get real feedback.)

Instead we are first going to focus on a set of fundamentals
that support the golf swing.

Individually these skills are boring to work on and for that
reason often are neglected, but they are highly critical parts of
your golf game.

I call this part of your game the Platform.

The golfer needs to know all the elements of the platform
before he/she can perform the golf swing properly. I want you to
think of the platform—the synergy of the grip, stance, footwork,
rotation, alignment, and ball position—as a single entity, and as
important as the swing.

…You can't learn or perform a repeatable swing

until you master the fundamentals of the

platform.

In the future you will look at an errant shot and think about what
errors might have been made in the platform that would have
contributed to that type of mistake.

Faults in the platform lead to bad swings.

Get your platform fundamentals correct and the swing corrects itself.

When swing faults are repaired with quick fixes by altering the
fundamentals of the platform, they lead to additional faults. I call
these quick fixes band-aids.

….The simple fact is you can't fix faults

with faults, and quick fixes seldom follow

the fundamentals.

The first and most important fundamental skill is the grip. If you
don't have a grip, you will never have a game.

The next skills we will learn are directed toward keeping you in
balance while allowing you to swing. They are your stance,
footwork, and rotation.

Have you ever thought about your balance in relation to golf?

Since you are not running or jumping or moving much, how
significant could balance be? I consider it the most critical ability
in any athletic movement. A proper stance combined with proper
footwork allows the golfer to rotate while maintaining balance so
a repeatable swing can happen.

Your brain receives input from your eyes, the semi-circular canals
in your inner ear, pressure receptors in your skin (especially the
feet and hands), and stretch receptors in your muscles and joints.

All this information needs to be put to use to build your golf
swing, and the platform is the place where the majority of this
happens.

Do you understand conversion and diversion (two terms critical to
alignment)? How do you rotate your shoulders and hips? Where is
the ball placed when you take your stance? What is the first move
in the takeaway? Did you know there are two pendulums in your
golf swing?

It all starts from the ground up. Solid fundamentals starting with
the platform assure that you can make a repeatable swing.

…Let me emphasize we are all looking for

a repeatable swing, NOT a perfect swing.

We want a swing that produces predictable results.

If you know where your ball is going, you can manage your golf
game. You can score, and that is the point of the game of golf.

You do not have to swing like a tour player to accomplish this.

The tour player's swing has been developed over years of
practice, usually from a very young age.

It is the result of hitting thousands and thousands of balls.

The perfection of the tour swing has nothing to do with you or
your swing. I have a number of students report great success
and lower scores after correcting their grip and stabilizing their
platforms.

The consistency of their swings improved dramatically.

The average self-taught amateur gets his swing from transfer,
combining a number of previously learned swinging skills into
a golf swing.

This swing can be entirely functional and repeatable when
attached to the platform. The trouble for the amateur usually
begins when he or she takes a lesson, and the instructor only
knows one swing to teach.

…"Here, swing like me."

Or, the amateur looks at swing photos in a magazine and tries to
swing like the pictures.

I believe that both of these examples can be recipes for disaster.

…You may never swing like a pro, and in attempting to do so you
may ruin a perfectly good golf swing.

What you do have the time to understand and learn are the
fundamentals that will make your swing work time after time.

The most important thing is to learn to be a swinger and not a
hitter. Hitters have all kinds of problems, and most of them start
with the hands and an out-to-in swing path.

…The secret of the swing is not really a secret.

We all seem to know how to swing the golf club when we make
a practice swing.

The secret is how to use that swing when we hit a ball.

Once again, it's in the fundamentals.

Knowledge of the platform fundamentals will prepare you to make
this happen.  You have to let those fundamentals work for you
when you play.

I will explain how the backswing and downswing work, and how
the physics of the double pendulum allows you to develop
tremendous speed with little effort coming on a path from in
to-out-to-in.

You will learn to let your arms and hands play a more passive
role and become a swinger and not a hitter.

It is a proper swing technique—not strength—that delivers the
300-yard drive.

…And, remember, no one ever said that you

had to swing pretty to shoot par.

Swing in-to-out-to-in, extend toward the target, and make your
swing repeatable.

The out-to-in swing path is a problem that affects 90 percent of
all golfers. It causes the common slice and for some, the
pull-hook.

If you are like most golfers you stand on the tee box, aim
somewhere left of center, and watch your ball travel from
left to right, time and again, hoping you allowed enough
windage to keep the ball in play.

I expect you have searched for the cure, listened to friends
(who probably were fighting the same problem), taken
lessons when you could afford them, and each time you got
the same advice:

"You are swinging over the top."

I'm sure you are tired of trying solutions that haven't worked
and listening to explanations that didn't seem to fit your
particular swing problem.

You might be thinking you are stuck with your out-to-in
swing path.

My first answer to those who want to correct this problem
is, "Remember in golf there are no quick fixes. The cure will
be in the fundamentals."

We can fix that problem once you understand what you are
doing and why you do it.

There are a number of causes for the out-to-in swing problem.
You may have just one, or you may have a combination of
problems.

Curing this fault will take hard work. You didn't get stuck on the
out-to-in path overnight, and it will not move in-to-out-to-in
overnight.

Every month there's a new article in your favorite golf magazine
promising a quick cure to every golf problem known to man; every
day there's a gizmo advertised on golf TV; you could buy
something every week that promises to be the shortcut to
overnight success.

These devices are worn in various ways, hit through, swung,
wrapped around the body, stood on, looked through, poked into
the ground, and who knows what else, all promising that the
device or the cure will replace hard work and practice.

…Truth is, it won't.

Somehow, out of all this information, some good, some bad,
the average golfer is supposed to get a picture of how to become
a better golfer. No one ever said it better than Harvey Penick:

…"Golf tips are like aspirin.

One may do you good,

but if you swallow the whole bottle

you will be lucky to survive."

As a teacher, I am embarrassed by the snake oil aspect
of the barrage of ideas in many of the articles and the
game-improvement products thrust on the golfing public.

They sell magazines, and put money in somebody's pocket,
but I doubt that they really help the golfer.

The game of golf is hard enough to master without sending
students down side roads with promised quick fixes, and
handing them aids that only delay their understanding and
mastery of the fundamentals.

Those of us who have played golf our whole lives know the
game remains a puzzle, an enigma, an ever-changing dream,
chased by all who step to the first tee.

Somewhere in the mind of us all lingers the hope, "Will this
be the day I finally get it all together?"

The journey to learn the game of golf is never-ending.

We cannot master golf.

For every triumph there will be a failure, good shots will be
followed by bad, and just when we think things can't get
worse, they will.

Those of us who teach know that the more we teach and
the more we play, the more we learn, and the process never
stops.

Most teachers would agree with me that if we could find
some of our first students, we would like to give them their
money back. I learn my golf  from reading, playing,
experimenting, taking lessons, giving lessons, throwing out
what doesn't work and repeating the process.

In putting together what I have to say I have made every effort
to stick as closely as possible to the basic fundamentals of
the game of golf.

The new information I have added is about how our brain
learns motor skills after the age of twenty, and how we can
use that information to establish realistic goals to learn or
improve our game.

I have introduced the platform (grip, alignment, stance, ball
position plus footwork and rotation) in the strong hope that
more emphasis will be placed on fundamentals supporting
the swing, and the importance of learning the platform first.

I have explained the difference between a golf swing and a
hit, and how the swing works with your platform.

The hardest swing problem to fix in golf is the out-to-in
swing path.

The reason for this is the number of causes.

Some are obvious and some are hidden. I believe I have
explained them all, and how you can use the fundamentals
to  correct the problems.

I hope that this guide turns out to be as good a teacher for
you as the many guides I have read and the many teachers
and students I have worked with have been for me.

UNTIL NEXT TIME…