The majors have started for this year. This is always a good thing as it heralds in the better weather and watching the Masters in high def with my hand on the remote, to avoid commercials and interviews, is a pleasure. What I'd really like to have is a way to selectively mute certain announcers. The Jim Nances of golf are driving me to three putt.
I cautioned Barb that it was Masters weekend and that I might be fairly busy. It is, as it happens, also a busy quilting weekend -- no conflicts!
I don't remember ever watching the Masters with my dad. I do remember watching a few British Opens with him. We always found the gorse and heather and guys having to hack out of trouble to be most interesting. The scenery and Henry Longhurst added to the shows. This is one of the things about golf that have stuck with me over the years. I have gotten up very early to watch the Open before we had recorders and such. I'd be wrapped in a blanket, trying to stay awake, and looking into a small tv.
I played with the gang on Thursday and Sonny had some things to say about my swing. It seems that I have three different swings based on which club I'm using. I believe this for a couple of reasons. The amount of yardage I get out of the clubs declines as I hit the longer ones. My short irons are long and long irons are short. Clearly there were differences going on.
Sonny had suggestions and I'm working to incorporate them. I'm trying to be more discipined in re my back swing and shoulder turning. Sonny also pushed for a different backswing position where it feels to me like I'm getting behind my right leg when I take it back. It feels that I'm about 30 degrees off of being perpendicular to the target line. But when I swing down from there, it keeps me from going both left and right.
I played today and tried to follow Sonny's advice. I think that I'm doing a lot of it. I hit irons very, very well. The driver was still erratic, but the misses were better than my usual misses. It looks like distance is up for all the clubs. Shots are going higher too.
I'll keep working on the changes. Sonny and I have some tentative plans to get together and pursue the new swing further.
The curious thing about golf swing "changes" is that when I look for the new positions or motions I can see the pros doing them. But until I knew what to look for, I never saw them. I always wonder what else I can't see. The physical aspects of the golf swing ought to be fairly simple, I would think. I also believe that maybe it isn't and all the guys and gals who hit it "pro" length figured how to do it and taught themselves. They may not know how they do it, but they can do it. All of this is of great interest to me, but frustrating when I can't seem to get things to improve.
Ok, that's all for now, enjoy the Masters!
Friday, April 12, 2019
Sunday, April 7, 2019
What I Learned at the Range Today
There were a couple of things I wanted to explore today. One was proper posture, the second was the right wrist position on the down swing, and I also wanted to look at club head speed.
It looks like my normal posture is pretty good and I didn't find that I was rounding my back too much. So, I'm going to ignore that issue for the time being.
There is a YouTube group called Athletic Motion Golf who explores the minutia of the golf swing. They have pros and amateurs alike and explore the differences in the swings between the two groups. A recent video discussed the right wrist actions which they have found should be a position to cause the right palm to face towards the ground during the latter portion of the downswing. This seemed strange to me. I would have thought that the palm would have faced parallel to the ground during this portion of the swing.
Well, live and learn! It works quite well that the right palm is facing ground ward. This seems to allow the hands to work together well. I was happy with ball contact. It also seems to allow me to move the grip towards the left as it comes across the body. I think that's needed to make room for the club to finish its path.
Finally I was curious about club head speed. I have a radar meter that tells me this. It came from Santa, thanks Barb! These data were interesting too. The slower I swung the faster the club seemed to go. Now, this meter is not calibrated and maybe not accurate, but as long as it is consistent, then I can pull useful information from it. I also found that my club head speed was faster with the four wood than the driver. I do hit the four wood quite well and the driver is the worst of my clubs, so this is maybe not a wild surprise, but it was unexpected.
So for the round tomorrow: continue to keep the right palm facing down, and swing slower! I watched the Texas Open today and the pros seem to take the club back more slowly than I do. Emulate, emulate, emulate!
It looks like my normal posture is pretty good and I didn't find that I was rounding my back too much. So, I'm going to ignore that issue for the time being.
There is a YouTube group called Athletic Motion Golf who explores the minutia of the golf swing. They have pros and amateurs alike and explore the differences in the swings between the two groups. A recent video discussed the right wrist actions which they have found should be a position to cause the right palm to face towards the ground during the latter portion of the downswing. This seemed strange to me. I would have thought that the palm would have faced parallel to the ground during this portion of the swing.
Well, live and learn! It works quite well that the right palm is facing ground ward. This seems to allow the hands to work together well. I was happy with ball contact. It also seems to allow me to move the grip towards the left as it comes across the body. I think that's needed to make room for the club to finish its path.
Finally I was curious about club head speed. I have a radar meter that tells me this. It came from Santa, thanks Barb! These data were interesting too. The slower I swung the faster the club seemed to go. Now, this meter is not calibrated and maybe not accurate, but as long as it is consistent, then I can pull useful information from it. I also found that my club head speed was faster with the four wood than the driver. I do hit the four wood quite well and the driver is the worst of my clubs, so this is maybe not a wild surprise, but it was unexpected.
So for the round tomorrow: continue to keep the right palm facing down, and swing slower! I watched the Texas Open today and the pros seem to take the club back more slowly than I do. Emulate, emulate, emulate!
Saturday, April 6, 2019
Refinements
The golf I've played in the last week showed some improvement. I play a lot with Sonny, who teaches golf for a living and can play pretty well. He and I trade philosophical and technical thoughts in re golf and the swing.
The current thoughts are about stability and mobility. Trying to hit the ball straight and trying to hit it far may require separate techniques. Stability inhibits changes, but when the sequence of the swing require changes in direction and coiling and wrist hinging and such, it may block what you need to hit the ball properly. Sonny pushes for mobility.
One of the things I'm unsure of is my back position in the swing. I'm watching some videos from a teacher in the UK, Russel Heritage. He lays out the swing nicely. Interestingly he almost talks too fast for me. He does speak well, with few verbal stutters, so is nice to listen to.
Russel wants a back bend from the hips and not a rounding of the back. The reason for this is for the back and pelvis to be in a positon to easily rotate. If the back is not straight, then you are going to have to move the pelvis up and down to compensate for this. I also hope that being able to more easily rotate will inhibit my tendency to slide towards the ball. I do get back pain after a round. It rarely hurts when playing. When I can stay in a good position it feels that it's being strained less. That can't be a bad thing for the long term.
Well, a trip to the range ought to answer the posture question.
One of the other things I've been doing that have helped is the image of the swing as being an unwinding. This keeps me from trying to slam arms down and hit the ball. I now am more able to stay behind and let the arms come around, then the club swings out and into the ball. Distance has been good and direction, very good. I'm even able to do it with the driver on occasion!
The current thoughts are about stability and mobility. Trying to hit the ball straight and trying to hit it far may require separate techniques. Stability inhibits changes, but when the sequence of the swing require changes in direction and coiling and wrist hinging and such, it may block what you need to hit the ball properly. Sonny pushes for mobility.
One of the things I'm unsure of is my back position in the swing. I'm watching some videos from a teacher in the UK, Russel Heritage. He lays out the swing nicely. Interestingly he almost talks too fast for me. He does speak well, with few verbal stutters, so is nice to listen to.
Russel wants a back bend from the hips and not a rounding of the back. The reason for this is for the back and pelvis to be in a positon to easily rotate. If the back is not straight, then you are going to have to move the pelvis up and down to compensate for this. I also hope that being able to more easily rotate will inhibit my tendency to slide towards the ball. I do get back pain after a round. It rarely hurts when playing. When I can stay in a good position it feels that it's being strained less. That can't be a bad thing for the long term.
Well, a trip to the range ought to answer the posture question.
One of the other things I've been doing that have helped is the image of the swing as being an unwinding. This keeps me from trying to slam arms down and hit the ball. I now am more able to stay behind and let the arms come around, then the club swings out and into the ball. Distance has been good and direction, very good. I'm even able to do it with the driver on occasion!
Friday, April 5, 2019
Is it coming together?
It was a wonderful day on empty links. Rich II, John, and myself braved the atmospheric floods to get out and tempt the golf gods.
We managed the front nine dry, but spent the tenth through the 17th with a persistent light rain. Rain gear was out and on, umbrellas were raised, and my Goretex hat was busy keeping my head warm and dry.
This part of California glows in green this time of the year with enough rain. Couple that with like minded golfers and a course that, except for our group, contained only one other golfer. I think of this kind of round to be magical. It repeats my first exposure to golf when I was young and out with my dad and grandpa during a vacation. Mowed fairways leading to tucked greens with no waiting between shots, it will never be better than this.
And, and, I hit the ball more consistently than I ever have. I enjoyed the ability to move the ball around the course and play golf with so few errors that it transformed the game from one of hope to one of strategy.
I didn't hit every shot perfectly, but with the exception of maybe five shots, I would seek no "do overs."
We started dry, ended dry and then went off to a cheap lunch at the local big box store; some pizza, diet cola and then home for a much deserved nap!
We managed the front nine dry, but spent the tenth through the 17th with a persistent light rain. Rain gear was out and on, umbrellas were raised, and my Goretex hat was busy keeping my head warm and dry.
This part of California glows in green this time of the year with enough rain. Couple that with like minded golfers and a course that, except for our group, contained only one other golfer. I think of this kind of round to be magical. It repeats my first exposure to golf when I was young and out with my dad and grandpa during a vacation. Mowed fairways leading to tucked greens with no waiting between shots, it will never be better than this.
And, and, I hit the ball more consistently than I ever have. I enjoyed the ability to move the ball around the course and play golf with so few errors that it transformed the game from one of hope to one of strategy.
I didn't hit every shot perfectly, but with the exception of maybe five shots, I would seek no "do overs."
We started dry, ended dry and then went off to a cheap lunch at the local big box store; some pizza, diet cola and then home for a much deserved nap!
Thursday, April 4, 2019
That Time of The Year
And what is meant by the title is that they plug the greens at the courses this time of the year.
The plug holes are not too bad, but they also top dress them with sand and or fertilizer. The sand clings to the ball and you have to clean it before each putt. The fertilizer is animal based and the fragrance is, shall we say, bullish!
The plug holes themselves have the annoying habit of kicking the balls to and fro. You might make the putt or not; it's all in the whims and wills of the gods.
With that in mind, it is not the time of the year to work on putting or to be discouraged by putts that don't get to the hole or veer off like a drunk chicken. It is a reasonable time to work on full swing.
I've played four times this week and have plans for tomorrow. The rains have returned to this part of California. The "Pineapple Express," aka, the atmospheric river is due tomorrow. I've used the hourly rain forecasts this winter. I've never been rained out, but they promised that I would have, and we are talking more than once. Yogi Berra put it, "Prediction is difficult, especially about the future."
I've been very happy with my long game. It continues to evolve as my "knowledge" changes. Sadly, I'm not real sure that what I'm learning is what I need to learn. If I were to take up the game from scratch, I would go to a golf camp for a week or two and make sure I knew what I wanted to do. Maybe not know how to do it, but at least have the proper swing goals.
I've said before that the discovery and experimentation is part of the attraction to me. Like learning a few words of the local language when traveling.
I had a couple of birdies today at Wente, which is the difficult course in my two course rotation. We've started to play from the shorter tees, which suits my game and most of the others' too. We don't hit the ball real far and when the holes are too long it turns all holes into pitching and putting contests. A little of that is entertaining, but not being able to play like the pros is a bit discouraging.
There is more to the enjoyment of golf than playing well or scoring well. The scenery around Wente is wonderful. You play through a couple of valleys and this time of the year the hills are as green as any in Ireland. The Turkey Vultures, quail, jackrabbits, and the odd bobcat scamper the course. While the scenery is not as good as Wente, the local muni is a great walk. Wente requires carts due to the steepness and length of the course. Las Positas is great for walking; there is not a lot of elevation change and the greens and tees are not very far apart. It feels good to walk the fairways and contemplate the game and chat with the fellow golfers.
I'm still working on the usual things. Mostly the longer clubs. I've been getting better with them. Perhaps more by swinging less aggressively than any technical issues. If I swing with more control and less angst about distance, I am able to control my slide with the driver and everything gets better.
I had a nice front nine on Wednesday, with a short putt for a one under 35. But the ball dove and ducked and was not going to go in. Please see notes about the greens above! It was a fun round of being able to control the ball.
So another round tomorrow. I'm still looking forward to getting out and playing, walking, hanging with boys.
A shout out to Jimmy, who turned 90 the other day. He is mentioned in a previous post or two. A good chap and fun to be with. He has stories that cross oceans and decades.
The plug holes are not too bad, but they also top dress them with sand and or fertilizer. The sand clings to the ball and you have to clean it before each putt. The fertilizer is animal based and the fragrance is, shall we say, bullish!
The plug holes themselves have the annoying habit of kicking the balls to and fro. You might make the putt or not; it's all in the whims and wills of the gods.
With that in mind, it is not the time of the year to work on putting or to be discouraged by putts that don't get to the hole or veer off like a drunk chicken. It is a reasonable time to work on full swing.
I've played four times this week and have plans for tomorrow. The rains have returned to this part of California. The "Pineapple Express," aka, the atmospheric river is due tomorrow. I've used the hourly rain forecasts this winter. I've never been rained out, but they promised that I would have, and we are talking more than once. Yogi Berra put it, "Prediction is difficult, especially about the future."
I've been very happy with my long game. It continues to evolve as my "knowledge" changes. Sadly, I'm not real sure that what I'm learning is what I need to learn. If I were to take up the game from scratch, I would go to a golf camp for a week or two and make sure I knew what I wanted to do. Maybe not know how to do it, but at least have the proper swing goals.
I've said before that the discovery and experimentation is part of the attraction to me. Like learning a few words of the local language when traveling.
I had a couple of birdies today at Wente, which is the difficult course in my two course rotation. We've started to play from the shorter tees, which suits my game and most of the others' too. We don't hit the ball real far and when the holes are too long it turns all holes into pitching and putting contests. A little of that is entertaining, but not being able to play like the pros is a bit discouraging.
There is more to the enjoyment of golf than playing well or scoring well. The scenery around Wente is wonderful. You play through a couple of valleys and this time of the year the hills are as green as any in Ireland. The Turkey Vultures, quail, jackrabbits, and the odd bobcat scamper the course. While the scenery is not as good as Wente, the local muni is a great walk. Wente requires carts due to the steepness and length of the course. Las Positas is great for walking; there is not a lot of elevation change and the greens and tees are not very far apart. It feels good to walk the fairways and contemplate the game and chat with the fellow golfers.
I'm still working on the usual things. Mostly the longer clubs. I've been getting better with them. Perhaps more by swinging less aggressively than any technical issues. If I swing with more control and less angst about distance, I am able to control my slide with the driver and everything gets better.
I had a nice front nine on Wednesday, with a short putt for a one under 35. But the ball dove and ducked and was not going to go in. Please see notes about the greens above! It was a fun round of being able to control the ball.
So another round tomorrow. I'm still looking forward to getting out and playing, walking, hanging with boys.
A shout out to Jimmy, who turned 90 the other day. He is mentioned in a previous post or two. A good chap and fun to be with. He has stories that cross oceans and decades.
Sunday, March 31, 2019
A Couple of Short Items
We must start with Rich II, a well known character in the blog.
He had just finished the 10th hole with triple bogey, not his usual, then walked up to the 11th tee, a 140 yard par 3. He launched his usual left to right shot. It hit short of the green and left. It took a wicked bounce to the right and towards the back pin. Wayne Arrow and myself were keeping a keen eye on it as Rich II was replacing his club back into his bag.
"Looking good," said Wayne. I had to concur. And by the gods of golf the ball rolled up and disappeared! I waved violently for the drink cart to come and serve us, but it zoomed up the hill not to be seen again.
We informed Rich II of his feat. He joined us at the green and asked again if we were kidding. "I don't want to walk up to the hole and feel like a jerk," he said. But we had been honest and his ball was resting after a job well done.
It was not R-2's first hole in one. But the other was a long time ago on a much shorter course.
Well, done R2!
---
Topic Two:
One of the things that I wish I was ( I would use the subjunctive here, but I do have hopes...) more compulsive about is taking notes, reading the notes and then rereading them before I play. I've had times when I took notes, but taking the notebook out of the golf bag and then reading them and, this would be the difficult part, getting the notebook back into the golf bag, just doesn't happen. I have concluded that this is due to my playing at golf and not working at it. I'm not sure this is a bad thing, but on occasion, I wish that I'd have done it.
---
Topic Three:
I've made a couple of golf tools. I fashioned a device to hold my clubs above the ground when it is wet out. Typically used when using a cart and I'm taking a couple of clubs towards my approach shot. This was fashioned out of deer antler with a pin incorporated to stick in the ground. It's a nice size and fits in the pocket with no unsightly bulges. If I were to make it again, I would make the pin longer to compensate for rough length grass.
I also made a divot repair tool out of brass. I bought a foot long sheet of brass, about 1/8 inch thick. I cut out the shape, then used a jeweler's saw and files to refine it. I had purchased a nice set of files a couple of months ago and I enjoyed using them to modify the metal. I don't have a lot of metal working tools, so it was mostly hand work. I found this to be very satisfying as an activity.
I also tried my hand as doing some engraving on the tool. I have some gravers that I bought on a whim and I think there is a book around about the "Art of Engraving," but I could't find it with cursory search. I was happy with my ability to cut into the metal, but my skill is pretty poor. Curves are hard to do.
I ran across a bunch of youtube videos by a guy named Ford Hallam. He is an ex-pat living in Japan and exploring ancient Japanese arts. He is goldsmith, metal worker, and using primarily hammer and chisels to carve metal. Quite interesting videos and he is hired to work on some old stuff. He provides a nice glimpse into the material, tools, and arts. He is not the first ex-pat on a Japanese adventure. One other is a guy who took up wood block printing. He also has some interesting videos. His name is David Bull.
----
Topic the Fourth
I was at the range Saturday and working on things. I'm trying to get my left leg to thrust away from the target. I found that the way I could do this was to try to move my right hip in front of my left hip. That provided the "way" to get me to rotate the hips properly. I was was happy with my strikes. Will it last? Do the professionals do it that way? Will it not hurt the back? All interesting topics that will be examined over the coming rounds. I should write this all in my log book...
---
That's abut it from golf central... Pardon the long delay, but there were reasons of little interest that got in the way.
He had just finished the 10th hole with triple bogey, not his usual, then walked up to the 11th tee, a 140 yard par 3. He launched his usual left to right shot. It hit short of the green and left. It took a wicked bounce to the right and towards the back pin. Wayne Arrow and myself were keeping a keen eye on it as Rich II was replacing his club back into his bag.
"Looking good," said Wayne. I had to concur. And by the gods of golf the ball rolled up and disappeared! I waved violently for the drink cart to come and serve us, but it zoomed up the hill not to be seen again.
We informed Rich II of his feat. He joined us at the green and asked again if we were kidding. "I don't want to walk up to the hole and feel like a jerk," he said. But we had been honest and his ball was resting after a job well done.
It was not R-2's first hole in one. But the other was a long time ago on a much shorter course.
Well, done R2!
---
Topic Two:
One of the things that I wish I was ( I would use the subjunctive here, but I do have hopes...) more compulsive about is taking notes, reading the notes and then rereading them before I play. I've had times when I took notes, but taking the notebook out of the golf bag and then reading them and, this would be the difficult part, getting the notebook back into the golf bag, just doesn't happen. I have concluded that this is due to my playing at golf and not working at it. I'm not sure this is a bad thing, but on occasion, I wish that I'd have done it.
---
Topic Three:
I've made a couple of golf tools. I fashioned a device to hold my clubs above the ground when it is wet out. Typically used when using a cart and I'm taking a couple of clubs towards my approach shot. This was fashioned out of deer antler with a pin incorporated to stick in the ground. It's a nice size and fits in the pocket with no unsightly bulges. If I were to make it again, I would make the pin longer to compensate for rough length grass.
I also made a divot repair tool out of brass. I bought a foot long sheet of brass, about 1/8 inch thick. I cut out the shape, then used a jeweler's saw and files to refine it. I had purchased a nice set of files a couple of months ago and I enjoyed using them to modify the metal. I don't have a lot of metal working tools, so it was mostly hand work. I found this to be very satisfying as an activity.
I also tried my hand as doing some engraving on the tool. I have some gravers that I bought on a whim and I think there is a book around about the "Art of Engraving," but I could't find it with cursory search. I was happy with my ability to cut into the metal, but my skill is pretty poor. Curves are hard to do.
I ran across a bunch of youtube videos by a guy named Ford Hallam. He is an ex-pat living in Japan and exploring ancient Japanese arts. He is goldsmith, metal worker, and using primarily hammer and chisels to carve metal. Quite interesting videos and he is hired to work on some old stuff. He provides a nice glimpse into the material, tools, and arts. He is not the first ex-pat on a Japanese adventure. One other is a guy who took up wood block printing. He also has some interesting videos. His name is David Bull.
----
Topic the Fourth
I was at the range Saturday and working on things. I'm trying to get my left leg to thrust away from the target. I found that the way I could do this was to try to move my right hip in front of my left hip. That provided the "way" to get me to rotate the hips properly. I was was happy with my strikes. Will it last? Do the professionals do it that way? Will it not hurt the back? All interesting topics that will be examined over the coming rounds. I should write this all in my log book...
---
That's abut it from golf central... Pardon the long delay, but there were reasons of little interest that got in the way.
Sunday, March 3, 2019
Short Putts with Break
I managed to get a couple of sessions at the range this weekend. Barb was off doing craft things and the rains were not punishing.
With the new putter (thanks mom!), I've been spending more time practicing with it. I've never found putting of much interest, though I've always enjoyed practicing pitches and chips. Another mystery wrapped in an opaque wrapper, I guess.
One of the putt shapes that I've struggled with, is the short right to left putt. I seem to turn the face of the putter into the break and the ball dives left. I was playing around with them today. What I thought of doing was to think of this putt and other breaking putts as similar to a bowling shot.
Now bowling is done on an oil slicked surface and the ball spends a lot of time sliding before it connects to the alley and begins to roll. So with the putts, I thought of trying to strike them hard enough to have a bit of skid and then take the break which will cause the ball to arc nicely to the hole.
One of the things of a proper putter is a few degrees of loft. This is to make sure the ball gets to the top of the grass before it starts to roll. You want a bit of hop. Even if the greens are firm and the ball sits on top, you can have an issue if you are hitting the ball to an uphill hole. You want a touch of loft. I think that breaking putts are in this category of ball action - reaction.
Ok, I must close as I'm off to try to make some Coq au Vin in the pressure cooker. Golf tomorrow, it will be soggy, but I've got new swing thoughts that I'll get to writing down later.
With the new putter (thanks mom!), I've been spending more time practicing with it. I've never found putting of much interest, though I've always enjoyed practicing pitches and chips. Another mystery wrapped in an opaque wrapper, I guess.
One of the putt shapes that I've struggled with, is the short right to left putt. I seem to turn the face of the putter into the break and the ball dives left. I was playing around with them today. What I thought of doing was to think of this putt and other breaking putts as similar to a bowling shot.
Now bowling is done on an oil slicked surface and the ball spends a lot of time sliding before it connects to the alley and begins to roll. So with the putts, I thought of trying to strike them hard enough to have a bit of skid and then take the break which will cause the ball to arc nicely to the hole.
One of the things of a proper putter is a few degrees of loft. This is to make sure the ball gets to the top of the grass before it starts to roll. You want a bit of hop. Even if the greens are firm and the ball sits on top, you can have an issue if you are hitting the ball to an uphill hole. You want a touch of loft. I think that breaking putts are in this category of ball action - reaction.
Ok, I must close as I'm off to try to make some Coq au Vin in the pressure cooker. Golf tomorrow, it will be soggy, but I've got new swing thoughts that I'll get to writing down later.
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