How It Started

Mistake number one: I did not bother to go to my local pro to figure this out, I tried to figure it out on my own from some Golf Digest articles. Around that time, Golf Digest had run a series on Tiger Woods and his stinger 2 iron shot. I had a 2 iron…I can do this, right? So I took the knowledge from that article to the course and started work on destroying my golf swing.

A few thousand golf balls later, I was able to on demand hit a low, piercing stinger shot that was very accurate and ran like crazy down the fairway. I was hitting 250-260 yard low shots with a 2 iron from the tee…awesome right? Yeah, not so much. In the process of learning how to do this, I managed to integrate a severe over the top move in my swing. I had been setting up with the golf ball very far back in my stance, just off my back foot. I would start the swing by taking the club severely inside (unbeknownst to me), get the club in a laid off position, and almost have to take it back outside to get the club on the ball. It produced a nice piercing shot, with a little cut on it, but absolutely destroyed the rest of my game.

Hitting that many golf balls really ingrained this move into my ‘normal’ swing as well. And it took me quite a while to even realize what it had done. The fall of 2007, I had my little stinger shot, played a couple decent rounds, and then just practiced over the winter. Come spring of 2008, my over the top swing was now full in force. I struggled through the 2008 season with my full swing. My short and putting game got a lot of work and I had to really grind to eek out scores that were not completely embarrassing. I would play with friends that I had played with in the past and they would ask what happened to me. It was a real mess. But, mistake number two, I spent 2008 trying to fix this on my own.

Admitting Defeat – Visit to the TaylorMade Performance Labs

So, that brings us to 2009. Early in 2009 I had an opportunity to visit the TaylorMade Performance Lab at the Grand Cypress Hotel in Orlando, Florida. I met up with Travis Kent, the Manager and Master Club Fitter at the Lab and in no time I was fitted with a slew of infrared sensors and had a 6 iron in my hand. I took a couple practice swings and before I knew it I could see a three dimensional representation of my swing on the computer monitor. Below is a video capture of one of the worst looking swings I took while at the labs.

The TaylorMade Performance Lab can capture your swing like that using a technology called Motion Capture. You may have heard of Motion Capture from the Computer Gaming world or in Computer Graphic enhanced movies, like The Matrix. Basically they fit you with numerous reflective markers, strategically placed around your body: wrists, hips, knees, toes, shoulders, even your head. Those markers are picked up by nine separate infrared cameras positioned around the room. The computer then translates that information into a three dimensional representation of your swing. You can look at it from any angle imaginable and even in super slow motion.

Travis put my swing up on the screen overlapped with Justin Rose. How embarrassing. Instantly you could see just how far inside I was taking the club, and what awful positions I had gotten myself into. Travis gave me a few pointers in the simulator to try and correct…take the club straight back…but alas, attempting to fix this while at the Labs was not possible. So we continued through the 6 iron, to the Driver, then a Sand Wedge and finished up with the putter. I learned that this little loop had worked its way into all of my swings and was even slightly noticeable on my putts. fortunately my putting stroke was pretty solid so it didn’t affect my putting too much.

When you have gone through the entire fitting session the guys at the Lab will put together a little packet for you to take home. This includes swing data for each club printed out as well as a CD that includes the video of all of your swings. The CD includes a player utility that lets you view the swings in three dimensions (you can spin the camera around and look at any angle). It is pretty amazing.

At the time, my driver data was as follows: 140mph ball speed, 10.8 degree launch, 1590 rpm of back spin, 232 yards total distance. How awful! (Improved numbers, post lessons can be found later in the article). My six iron data was even more revealing: 80mph swing speed, -5.1 degree in/out path (coming over the top) and -6.8 degree angle into the ball (very steep). Amazingly enough, the average impact location was pretty close to the sweet spot, and I did manage to get the club face square to the target line. So this resulted in playable shots, but I really needed to have my timing on that day to play half decent. The great thing is you get all of this data printed out, and you can refer to it later on (like say 4 months later!).

Here is a sampling of the data you actually receive:

In addition to all of this info, you will receive club fitting information. That includes the proper lie angles, suggested TaylorMade club models, lofts, shaft stiffness. It is pretty neat. Travis mentioned they would usually take you out onto the range with the suggested clubs and have you hit balls until you are comfortable with a set make up that matches up with YOUR swing. I did not go through this part of the process as my swing obviously needed work, and the suggested clubs were actually pretty similar to what I already had been playing.

Honestly, this was an eye opening, unique experience. Without it, I probably would have gone on struggling with my own swing fixes. Having seen what I saw, I knew I had to get some ‘professional’ help and get my swing back on track!

Lessons and Developing the Inside Out Path Again

Shortly after returning from our trip to Orlando, I booked a lesson with Fred Glass, the Director of Instruction at the Learning Center at Neshanic Valley. I had not taken a lesson from him in the past, but have heard good things about him and the course is relatively close to home. Fred’s first comment was pretty memorable, “You have more planes than Newark Airport.” I had to laugh. Well, I explained to him a bit about my past with my swing, how my game had evolved, and what I had learned in Orlando. He had a good understanding of where I was at and where I wanted to be. He also understood that I was one who enjoyed practicing and needed really to feel my swing rather than have technical thoughts.

So, Fred gave me two drills to work on to get my swing back on plane. Drill number one was simple enough. Take a range bucket, flip it upside down and put it about 5 inches away from you past the golf ball, and about a foot away from the target (See picture below). This way, if you do end up swinging outside-in, you will hit the bucket on the way to the ball. Simple enough and a completely free training aid. This proved to be a great drill for me and really got my swing back to inside-outside.

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Start with a 7 iron and take little half swings, really focusing on taking the club straight back and then coming slightly inside to out avoiding the bucket. If you find the bucket very distracting, this is a good thing. You will probably hit the bucket on numerous occasions…also a very good thing. Stick with the short irons, 7 iron, 8, 9, PW. Progressively work your way up to a three quarter swing, up to your full swing. As you move from half swings to full swing you will probably notice yourself hitting the bucket again…all good, just try to work on taking the club straight back, and then deliver the club back to the ball from the inside

The other drill involved taking the club severely outside and then severely inside to the ball with a very closed club face. Try to think Jim Furyk and exaggerate the loop. The concept here is to do the complete opposite of what I had been doing and gradually get back to a slight inside-outside swing path and get the club more on plane. I found this drill to be effective early on, but after a session or two I began sticking to the first drill with the range bucket.

The light red line below represents the path you take the club back, the dark red represents the path you take back into the ball. I would lay a 5 iron down on the ground along that dark red line in the picture and try to think about swinging along that path as I took the club back to the ball. Note the blue line there, one should address the ball with a very closed club face much like that. Lay the club on the ground, close the club face up severely, and then grip the club as you normally would. Take the club way out, swing way in, and you’ll be surprised at the result. As soon as I started hooking everything like crazy, I moved over to the bucket drill full time.

About 6 weeks after taking this lesson, I scored my first hole in one. I had hit some nice shots in the past, been close to a hole in one on several occasions, but never actually dropped one in the cup. I hit a nice little 8 iron, which hit the front of the green, released, rolled into the cup, it was a thing of beauty. The best part was, I got to share it with my wife as we were playing together that morning.

Developing Lag

So, the inside out path seemed to be on track. I started hitting the ball with a little draw again, and regained some distance. During this process, Mike Pedersen pointed me in the direction of a very interesting article (Focus on Pressure Points to Feel Lag) on generating lag in your golf swing. I had a read through it, and it made a lot of sense. It also seemed to align quite well with the range bucket drill I had been doing.

What I started doing, as suggested by John, was to take my 7 iron and take half shots (sound familiar?) and really try and feel a tremendous amount of pressure on your right index finger on the way to and through the golf ball. So, I lined up the range bucket on the outside (pictured earlier) and worked on getting that feeling. It took a few hundred golf balls before I could reliably feel and apply that pressure without hitting the ball thin. But wow, when you get it…you get it. The ball will just explode off the club face, you will hear that compressed golf ball sound, and wow…never have I spun so many shots back on the green. I would start by trying that 7 iron drill, hit a bucket of balls while trying to feel the pressure. I would also read through that entire article, including the comments, there is a ton of great information there.

The funny thing is, it turns out what I thought was a VERY high shot, really was not all that high. I have also found that I really was not hitting the ball as solid as I thought I was back in 2007. With the lag pressure on that right index finger strong and accelerating through the ball, I can really hear and feel a solid golf shot. I have also found that a compressed, well struck golf ball cuts right through the wind without the need of some super low golf shot (though I suspect a switch to the TaylorMade TP Red LDP ball may have also helped with the wind…have I mentioned I love this ball??).

So…another thing found, another new achievement in my golf game. A few weeks after starting to practice this lag technique, I had my first hole out from the fairway on a par 4. Eagle on hole #1 at Fox Hollow Golf Club. I had hit a nice tee shot down the middle of this dog leg right, which left me about 115 to the pin. Pulled my 52 degree Eidolon Wedge and it landed a few feet past the hole, spun back and down into the cup…it may have even been a nicer feeling than the hole-in-one! (Side note here, both of these shots were with the new TaylorMade TP Red LDP Ball, which I absolutely love, and they are quite inexpensive these days…if you play the ProV1, check them out, you’ll save some cash).

Fixing the Driver: Another Lesson

Now that my iron game was close to being on, I had to get my driver game back on track. While I had been able to develop that high, solid draw again with the irons, I was still struggling with keeping the driver in play. I found myself sticking to the hybrid off the tee on most holes, sometimes even leaving my driver and 3 wood in the trunk of my car. So, trip number two to the Learning Center at Neshanic Valley.

I setup another lesson with Fred Glass, with the intent of focusing on my driver swing. I met Fred out on the range and took a few swings with a 7 iron: all seemed good. Then I took a couple swings with the driver…and we immediately decided to go inside where he could get my swing on camera. The Learning Center has a nice indoor driving range setup with a simulator (not nearly as sophisticated as the TaylorMade Performance Labe) and a couple high speed video cameras. One can view your swing from behind or face on and also get launch monitor data on your swings.

Once again, the power of video proved itself to be invaluable when it comes to diagnosing a swing flaw. Turns out I was still getting the driver into a very laid off position and coming over the top. To prevent myself from hitting duck hooks, I had really slowed the release of the club and would either hit straight pulls or big 20-30 yard slices. So, Fred showed me my swing vs a couple pro swings, and to my surprise, the take away was pretty spot on. Up to the top of my back swing, you could clearly see the club was laid off (the shaft was aiming about 15-20 yards left of the target line). So coming back down to the ball, I ended up manipulating the club with my hands, taking it outside to try and get the club head on the ball. Then I would chicken wing through impact, trying to keep that club face reasonably square to my strange swing path.

Fred gave me a couple drills to work on, the first being trying to get the club shaft over my left hand rather than horizontal. That is to say, when I get to the top of my back swing, I try to feel as if my left thumb is under the golf club. I want to feel the weight of the club shaft pressing against my left thumb. This works really well with the lag pressure thoughts I have while swinging the irons. So back to the top, pressure on my thumb…and I know that I am probably pretty square to the target. Easy enough to practice, and not really a whole lot to think about technically…I like that!

Ok, couple swings like that…balls started out right of target…and went another 20 yards right. I was not releasing the club, leaving the club face open to the target line, which puts a whole lot of slice spin on the ball. So, part two of the lesson: release the club. For me, this means try and roll that right arm over the left as fast as I possibly can. If this is unfamiliar to you, I have found two great drills that work well for it: Buy a Gyro Swing which will FORCE you to feel a proper release, or swing the club parallel to the ground (baseball swing style) and feel that right arm turn over the left at about the impact point.

So, how did it work out? About 10 or so swings in, I hit a 2 yard draw, 285 yards down the pipe on the simulator. 158 ball speed, 12.5 degree launch angle, 2400 rpm of spin. I’ll take that any day of the week. Now, granted, that was one swing, and there were still plenty of off line shots. But, now I have something to work on, and have been taking it to the range for some practice sessions. I still do not trust it enough to take it on the course, but it is certainly getting there.

Morale of the story? If you have been working on your swing on your own, and have been struggling with it, fighting a slice, fighting a hook, not really enjoying the game as much as you know you should…do yourself a HUGE favor and visit your local PGA teaching professional. I have found most pros will try and work with what you have, and just try to change a little thing here or there. Take what the pro has to say with an open mind and really WORK on it at the range. Fixing your slice will not take an afternoon, it could take you months or an entire golf season, but trust me, it is possible! Unfortunately you cannot just buy an easy fix!

Hopefully I can get myself out to a TM Performance Lab again soon and see the results of all this swing work on their unique 3D golf simulator!

As always, let us start with some information with the Sonic Golf. This review includes a couple great videos which are worth watching, they are embedded in the story below. Enjoy!

Background

“System-1 has helped me tremendously. I always had a good rhythm, but I never had a consistent rhythm. It’s making my swing a lot more consistent, not just with the driver but the whole game. It’s one rhythm for the whole game instead of having a quicker rhythm for irons or slower rhythm for the driver.” – Vijay Singh, after winning the 2008 Deutsche Bank Championship

• Sonic Golf System-1 technology is inserted inside the shaft of your club fitted with our custom Golf Pride grip.
• The swing motion is transmitted wirelessly to a belt-worn receiver that converts your swing motion to continuous musical tones you hear on the headset unit.
• Slow swings are low pitch, quiet tones.
• Swing faster and the pitch and volume gets higher.
• With each swing you hear your rhythm and tempo, backswing/downswing transition, and the timing and speed of your clubhead release.
• Tune in to each swing and immediately improve the next!

The Sonic Golf System-1

With Sonic Golf System-1, for the first time, you can literally hear the rhythm, tempo and timing of your swing in real-time, as you swing, and tune in to the most fundamental success factors of the golf swing.

System-1 is simple, straightforward, and amazingly effective. Hear “casting from the top”. Hear jerky transitions from backswing to downswing. Hear the release of the clubhead before, at or after the ball, and hear the sweet sound of a smooth, fluid, rhythmic golf swing – in real-time, every time.

No matter your playing level or understanding of the mechanics of the golf swing, System-1 will help you make immediate and lasting improvements in your golf swing.

Setup and Usage

Once you have gotten past the initial setup phase, the System-1 is extremely easy to use and work with on the practice range. That little setup phase is a little involved, in that you must re-grip a club (or clubs) of your choice with a special Sonic Golf grip made by Golf Pride. The grip is actually the common Tour Velvet model by Golf Pride, however it has a little end cap and o-ring mechanism to lock the System-1 transmitter in place in the butt of your club. I received three of the Golf Pride grips and set them up on a Driver, Hybrid and 7 iron. Should you decide you would like to fit more clubs, you can purchase these specialty grips direct from Sonic Golf for around $5. So, this just means that you cannot run out the door and start swinging to the sounds of Sonic Golf as soon as the UPS truck arrives…blasted desire for instant gratification!

Click that transmitter into the butt of the club, plug your headphones into the receiver, turn both units on, ensure they are on the same channel and you are good to go. Start swinging away. The first thing I did was try to take some smooth swings with a gradual increase in pitch, with the height being just at or slightly past the ball. Of course, the first few swings were a little herky jerky and I could tell almost immediately this would be a great learning tool. But we will get more into that in the Performance section of the review.

Really, the only usage issue I had with the System-1 was when it came down to the ‘tape’ used to wrap around the transmitter that slides into the club shaft. Depending on the diameter of the shaft of your club, you may need to add or remove some tape from the transmitter to make sure it fits in there nice and snug. This makes switching up clubs at the range a little bit of a hassle. I am not sure if one could come up with some other way of doing this, maybe some rubber gasket on the device or a foam contraption of some sort. Aside from this nitpick detail, the System-1 performed flawlessly for me over the past couple of months.

Performance

First of all, I would highly suggest watching the video embedded earlier in this article. Understanding what is going on with this device and what it is telling you about your swing is paramount to using this piece of equipment successfully. You might think you can pick up the club and instantly say, wow, I am doing this…change this…and now my swing is perfect. The golf swing is never that simple. But, have some faith in the System-1, spend a couple sessions at the range with it, and you will find it to be an invaluable tool for you.

If you have been a reader of The Deep Rough for a while, you might remember that we had done reviews of the Tour Tempo and Tempo Timer devices. Both of these devices attempt to get you to swing to a smooth, consistent rhythm. Personally, I really enjoy using the Tour Tempo and do go back to it every now and then to try and see where my swing is at and do a little tempo tweaking. One problem I had with it, however, was the transition. Basically, the Tour Tempo plays some beeps, and you try and swing to the beeps. Well, if you’re a little slow, the beep comes a little quick, and you start jerking the club back down to the ball real quick…not a good thing. Well, here I am listening to the soundscape of the System-1, thinking, ok, nice and smooth, accelerate the pitch, make the pitch highest at the ball, little pause at the top…and it struck me, what if I combined this with the Tour Tempo device? Try and combine the soundscape of my swing along with the Tour Tempo beats. Well, it was pretty interesting, if not a little bit of information overload. It really helped me find a smooth, rhythmic golf swing that included some effortless acceleration through the golf ball. That is not to say you need to own a Tour Tempo to make the System-1 useful. Far from it. It was just something I had thought would work well together, and for me it did. Maybe the two companies will collaborate on some new training aid?

If you are someone who learns by feel, and cannot grasp the idea of trying to be in specific positions in your swing, I think a tool like the Sonic Golf System-1 is perfect for you. I am not much for ‘must have toe up at this spot in back swing…then this..then that’. I just get lost in thought and try to think about way too much when I am standing over the ball. When you practice with the System-1, you are not thinking so much about mechanical thoughts as your are trying to make your swing sound smooth, accelerating and just plain nice. That is a bit of an over simplification, but that is at least how I have looked at it.

For some more info on the System-1, below is a great video from the PGA Merchandise Show, where the guys from Sandbox8 interviewed the founder of Sonic Golf, Dr. Grober. He gives a real nice overview of the equipment and you can ‘hear’ what you will hear when you get one of these in your hands.

Conclusion

Unfortunately for me, I will now be boxing up the System-1 and sending it back to Sonic Golf. I really found this piece of equipment to be extremely valuable when it came to practice on my own. When you are trying to figure something out in your swing on your own, like say your transition, it is so difficult to get instant feedback without having a pro there with you. With the System-1, you simply put in the headphones, plug the transmitter into the butt of the club, and you’ll have all the instant feedback you could desire. I really enjoy these ‘feel’ type training aids and this one was no exception.

At $399 for the Solo (one receiver) System-1, the price may be out of reach for some golfers. However, I would suggest you call your local PGA Professionals, or check out the Instructor Finder on Sonic Golf’s website and have a practice session with one of these devices, I think you will be pleasantly surprised.

Sonic Golf also sells a Pro version of the System-1 for $499 (on sale at the moment, down from $599). The Pro version includes an addition receiver so that the instructor can ‘listen in’ to the student’s swing.

As usual, here is a little background from the people at Frogger first, then we will get into the detailed review.

The Amphibian Towel in Action

Background

The Amphibian Towel is the Ultimate Golf Towel. You can Increase Backspin, Distance & Accuracy with Clean Clubs! Optimize golf club performance and lower scores. Double the surface area of standard golf towels. Only golf towel that stays both wet and dry on sunny or rainy days.

• Two 28” X 14” Towels in one (twice the surface area of a standard golf towel)
• Waterproof interior membrane keeps wet and dry towels separate
• 100% Bamboo terry inside absorbs 3X more water than cotton, dries 3X as fast, naturally anti-fungal and anti-microbial
• Plush woven cotton jacquard outside
• Handy pull tabs keep hands dry while opening towel with ease

Look and Feel

At first glance, the Amphibian Towel looks like a pretty common golf towel. The exterior is plush with a little amphibian logo. The interior is a bamboo terry that is a little rough to the touch, at least compared to the soft fluffy exterior. The corner of the towel is fit with a little ‘dry tab’, which one can use to open the towel. This comes in handy when you want to grab the towel with your golf glove hand and not get the glove wet. The towel is also fitted with a fabric hook tab and carabiner for attaching the towel to your golf bag. I have gone through a lot of towels in the past with cheap grommets, they end up falling off in the washing machine after a cleaning or two. The carabiner and little hook for it on the Amphibian Towel seem rock solid, and I have had no issues with either.

Also available, is a smaller golf ball towel. The golf ball sized towel is near identical in functionality, though is sized to clean and dry a golf ball. It even includes a little carabiner. I attach both towels side by side to a clip on my bag, wet each, and am set for the round.

The golf ball towel is available in black, while the full sized towel is available in three colors: Black, Blue and Red.

The Amphibian Towel

Performance

Ok, enough about how it looks. What you want to hear is how it performs. So the beauty of this particular towel is that you can wet the inside and the outside stays dry. That may seem trivial, but think about playing a round. Hit a shot with your wedge, take a nice divot, the grooves are covered in dirt. You can take a couple once overs on the wedge with the BrushPro, but I usually also like to wipe off the face with a wet towel. So that means I need to carry a wet towel around. I also like to have a dry towel around to dry my hands, wipe the sweat off my forehead, or dry my golf clubs off after they have been wet. So now I need to keep half the towel wet, and the other half dry. Ok, not impossible, but a pain. Now…you also know that if it is a hot day out, most cotton towels will dry out or drip out pretty quickly, so that towel you have half wet and half dry…is pretty dry pretty quickly.

In steps the dual purpose Amphibian Towel. The bamboo terry inside really does suck up a lot of water and retain it for quite a long time. The strangest thing is, you pour some water on the inside to get it nice and soaked up, and you fully expect the outside to be wet, but it’s bone dry. Pretty neat. So, start your round off, soak up the bamboo terry with some water, clip the towel to your bag, and now you have a nice water source to clean your clubs at least until the turn. One nice thing I have found is that the slightly rough terry cloth on the inside (which I mentioned early on) has a nice texture for getting some grime off the clubs.

While I do not play a ton of rounds in the rain, another neat feature of this towel is that you can simply turn it inside out. Now that water absorbent bamboo terry cloth is on the outside, soaking up mother nature’s water. While the inside of the towel remains dry. You then have a nice dry towel attached on the outside of your golf bag…ready to dry off your grips or hands or whatever. Great stuff.

As you can imagine the golf ball sized towel works equally as well. It’s great for cleaning up your golf ball real quick and drying it off. You do the same thing here, wet the inside, and use the outside to dry it off. It’s small enough that you can just clip it to a belt loop on your pants. It doesn’t seem to drip any water, so no worries about looking like you had an accident!

Conclusion

The golf ball sized Amphibian Towel can be had for $12.95, and would probably make a perfect stocking stuffer for the golfer in the family. I am pretty sure whoever you give it to will quickly be ordering him or herself the full sized towel as well, which can be had for $19.95. Frogger Golf also offers some discounts when combining the Golf Ball sized and full sized Amphibian Towel or even the BrushPro. Be sure to check out their site for more details.

If you are tired of cheap towels that rip, drip or just plain do not cut it…check out the Amphibian Towel. For $19.95, it’s not a bad deal. I cannot imagine having to replace it anytime soon.

Have a Plan

You have probably heard it before, but it does not hurt to mention it again. Have a plan when you goto the driving range. The worst thing you can do is buy a large bucket of balls and just start swinging. Decide what you are going to work on, when you are going to the range. If you are working on something in your swing, stick to working on one thing. Be it tempo, the takeaway, your alignment, stance, whatever it is, stick to one thing. Everyone knows how difficult it is to hit a golf ball when you have a million things running through your head. So eliminate those thoughts. Concentrate on one thing, and get that one thing right.

Treat Each Shot Like a Shot on the Course

You are at the range to practice the game of golf, right? If you were playing would you just walk up to the ball, and swing? No, you would think about the shot, pick a target, visualize the trajectory, go through your routine and then hit the ball. Make sure you do the same at the range. Pick a target. A very specific target, a flag, another ball, a post on the netting. Get into this habit on the range and you will carry it with you on the course. How often have you walked up to a tee, and just thought, ok, I’ll hit it somewhere in the fairway? If you’re a common golfer, probably pretty often. Next time you play pick a very specific target. A yardage marker, a sprinkler head, a post, something small. I think you’ll find you concentrate a little more and that your body will really work to get the ball there.

Always Use Your Pre-Shot Routine

If you do not already have a pre-shot routine, create one immediately. A pre-shot routine can go a long way to making you a more consistent golfer, not only under pressure but even during casual rounds. As we mentioned earlier, since you are treating each shot like a real shot on the course, always use your pre-shot routine on the range. Line up the shot from behind, walk in, waggle, whatever it is you do, just make sure you do it. You’ll quickly find that you do not need a ‘large’ bucket of balls at the range. Take 50-60 balls, treat each one like an actual shot, pre-shot routine and all, and you will find your practice sessions at the range are far more productive.

Make a Game of It

If you find yourself getting bored working on one thing, make a game of it. If you are there with a friend this is very easy. Have a little chipping/pitching contest. Each of you take 3 balls, and see who can get closest to the 50 yard flag. The winner gets to pick the next target. This is a lot of fun, puts a little pressure on each shot, and really makes you concentrate on hitting a specific target.

If you are there by yourself, one thing I like to try and do is play a simulated round. Take a scorecard with you, or better yet a yardage book from your favorite course. Start off on hole #1 and play shots in the range as if you were playing a round. Hit your tee shot at a specific target, estimate the distance and figure the distance for your next shot. If you are far off line, practice a layup or punch shot back into the fairway. If you stick the approach shot close to the target, move on to the next hole. If you were off on the approach shot, hit a pitch/chip. Write down your score as you go along. And again, be sure to treat each shot as if it were a real shot on the course.

Take these tips along with you to the range next time, and I think you will quickly see some improvement in your game.

Note: The photos in this post were offered under the Creative Commons license. Click on the images to learn more about the photographer and the photo.

Golfweek has officially offered an apology, and fired those people who were brain dead enough to put a noose on the cover of their most recent issue.

ORLANDO, Fla. – Jeff Babineau has been named editor of Golfweek, replacing Dave Seanor, effective immediately.

The change has been made after Golfweek ran a cover in the January 19 issue showing a noose to illustrate a controversial comment by Golf Channel anchor Kelly Tilghman about Tiger Woods.

“We apologize for creating this graphic cover that received extreme negative reaction from consumers, subscribers and advertisers across the country,” said William P. Kupper Jr., president of Turnstile Publishing Co., the parent company of Golfweek. “We were trying to convey the controversial issue with a strong and provocative graphic image. It is now obvious that the overall reaction to our cover deeply offended many people. For that, we are deeply apologetic.”

Golfweek devoted four pages of news and commentary on the Tilghman/Golf Channel situation. Tilghman was suspended for two weeks as a result of her comment.

Babineau, 45, has been with Golfweek for nine years, and has filled a number of roles with the magazine, including editor, deputy editor and senior writer. In his new role, he will report directly to Kupper.

“We know we have a job ahead of us to re-earn the trust and confidence of many loyal readers,” Babineau said. “Our staff is very passionate about the game. Our wish is that one regretful error does not erase more than 30 years of service we’ve dedicated to this industry.”

Maybe Dave Seanor can get a job on Jon Corzine’s staff. Corzine’s plan to hike New Jersey tolls by 800% makes about as much sense to me as this cover image decision.

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PLANO, TEXAS, January 4, 2007 – Adams Golf (OTCBB:ADGO) announces the signing of Rory Sabbatini, a four-time champion on the PGA TOUR and the 11th-ranked player in the world. As part of the endorsement deal, Sabbatini will wear the Adams Golf hat, carry the Adams Golf staff bag and play the company’s Idea a3 irons, Idea Pro hybrid and Insight driver.

Sabbatini is coming off his best year as a tour pro having won the Crowne Plaza Invitational at Colonial and finishing in the Top 10 at nine other tournaments, including a T2 at The Masters. He was the only player to post Top 10 finishes at all four FedEx Cup Playoff events and he finished the year ranked sixth on the Money List having won over $4.5 million.

“It’s no secret that Adams Golf has emerged as one of the leading equipment companies in golf, both on tour and with everyday golfers,” said Sabbatini. “I’ve been playing the Idea Pro hybrid for two years, recently had outstanding testing sessions with the Idea a3 irons, and am very familiar with the quality and performance of Adams Golf products. In the end, I believe their engineering and tour departments can provide me a competitive edge and I look forward to being with a company where I can make a difference.”

Rory’s achievements along with his personality and competitiveness have established him as one of the game’s most recognizable players. Among his many charitable efforts, Sabbatini provides financial support for the Intrepid Fallen Heroes Fund, which helps families who have lost loved ones in the line of duty.

“This is an exciting time for Adams Golf, with the addition of one of the world’s best players, Rory Sabbatini, we are branching out from our roots on the Champions Tour and complementing our recent success in hybrid clubs on Tour,” said Chip Brewer, Adams Golf president and CEO. “We believe that building a PGA Tour presence is important for our brand and that Rory can greatly contribute towards this goal. We also believe in Rory both as a person and a player. Adams Golf is a brand built on players such as Tom Watson, Bernhard Langer and our most recent signing, Aaron Baddeley. We welcome Rory onto this staff and are proud that he believes in our team and chose to join Adams Golf.”

I thought this one with Tiger in the back was pretty amusing…priceless expression:

PLANO, TEXAS, December 14, 2007 – Adams Golf (OTCBB:ADGO) announces the endorsement contract extension of PGA TOUR player Tommy “Two Gloves” Gainey. Gainey has been a part of the Adams Golf Tour Staff for the past year and will continue wearing the Adams Golf hat, carry the tour staff bag and play the company’s hybrids while working with Adams Golf to determine which irons and woods will maximize his game.

Gainey was among the 26 “graduates” who earned their PGA TOUR card at the 2007 PGA TOUR Qualifying Tournament last month. He finished at 15-under-par and in 19th place on the leaderboard after the grueling six-round event.

“The past year or so has been really amazing for me and capping it off by earning my PGA TOUR card and renewing my deal with a great company like Adams Golf is very rewarding,” said Gainey. “I’m honored to be a member of their world-class tour staff with champions like Mr. Watson and Mr. Langer. I am always looking to be a better player and my Adams Golf equipment allows me that competitive edge.”

Gainey’s rise to the biggest stage in professional golf started with several successful years playing regional mini tours as well as his appearance on two seasons of the Golf Channel’s reality show, “The Big Break,” in which he was the winning contestant of the second season. He played in four Nationwide Tour events in 2007, including the Cox Classic where he finished tied for eighth place. He was also a PGA TOUR Monday Qualifier at the Wachovia Championship in May.

“I’m proud to say that our relationship with Tommy began before both his big breaks, Q-School and the TV show,” said Chip Brewer, Adams Golf president and CEO. “What we liked about him then we like about him now, he’s a fine player and also a fine person.”

The hard-swinging, easy-going 31-year-old from Bishopville, S.C., has become a fan favorite of golf fans because of his southern charm, his unorthodox two-glove grip, and the unconventional path he took from being a minimum wage factory worker to a fully-exempt PGA TOUR pro.

“He’s one of the great success stories of the year,” added Brewer. “Tommy has succeeded based on talent and perseverance alone and you can’t help but root for the guy. The game of golf needs more Tommy Gaineys and we’re proud to have him on our staff and representing our company.”

This seems to be impossible to do given the direction of golf instruction for the past couple of years but before reading on do this try to do the following….

FORGET ANYTHING COMPLICATED FOR THE NEXT TEN MINUTES

No swing plane, no shaft angles, no late load, no late release. Just stop thinking as mechanically as possible for a little bit and use intuitive analytical thinking when you read through this.

Here is something I think most will find extremely disappointing. The better the ball striker you will meet, the less they give a conscious damn about anything like backswing plane, where/how they set the club on the backswing, or how they do not allow their hands to uncock. They are on auto-pilot, and even when they’re not, they’re too busy hitting pure after pure that they don’t even care about all this crap that bad golfers and worse instructors are obsessed with.

The best ball strikers who create that mega lag that seems to launch the ball far and straight are simply turning back, transitioning, and turning through. ALL OF THEM ALSO DO THIS USING DIFFERENT MECHANICS. Some swing the club upright an drop it flat, some set the club so that it’s cocked early, some late, face shut at the top, open etc. Every great ball striker swings differently Trevino, Moe Norman, Snead, Hogan, their swings are nothing alike mechanically but they have dynamics that make them hit the ball so well.

Specifically what is the dynamic that creates lag? What can you focus on right now to create the coveted delayed hit?

The Answer: Sequencing

Now, for the sake of keeping this post somewhat short I cannot talk about all the sequencing that occurs in the golf swing. There is important sequencing even before you hit the shot that tremendously influences your swing–like the overlooked swing trigger. But the specific element in the golf swing that is responsible for that lag is the sequencing between backswing to downwing, the TRANSITION.

If someone asks me “Sean what is one thing I need to work on?” And they are pretty good golfers (meaning they are making a pretty athletic move back and through with good setup, grip, etc.) I say work on your transition.

The club swings back, it eventually has to swing through – SIMPLE. The transition is where all of the magic happens and if you are struggling, look there first. You can make great golf swings taking the club outside of the plane line, you can make great golf swings swinging to the inside. The same goes for clubface position at the top, left arm plane, shoulder plane, WHATEVER. But you CANNOT make a good golf swing that applies the club to the ball with authority unless the downswing is properly sequence. This is why Harvey Penick called it the “Magic Move.”

Weight is constantly shifting in the golf swing, from even before the club is taken back at all. To create lag the secret is to make sure that the weight is being properly shifted FORWARD just before the club reaches its position at the top of the backswing. As this occurs a recentering of the center of the body will occur and the hands will automatically LAG behind the body.

THIS IS LAG! The hips shift the hips rotate, the hands FOLLOW or LAG behind. The DOG wags the TAIL. In a great golf swing the hands follow the movements of the body and have no choice but to delay their hit.

CONSCIOUSLY thinking about holding the release, delaying the hands, WHEN MAKING A GOLF SWING is the quickest way to destroy your swing. When you practice, sure, focus on where your hands need to be in the slot on the way back down using a pump drill or some variant of it. But when you are making an actual downswing it has to be a complete abandonment of positions, it is giving up control to get control, it is swinging the club from the body, it is creating lag.

The imagery I like to use with people who don’t get this is the following: Imagine that you have a teatherball pole sticking up and down the center of your body at setup with the ball dangling. As you rotate back the pole shifts to the right and momentum slings the ball around the poll. Before the ball reaches the apex the pole shifts forward and spins with the tether and ball lagging behind the pole. Your body is the pole, the tether is your arms, and the ball is the clubhead. The clubhead lags behind the most since in the chain of events it is the final link of the swing to clear though, thus automatically creating lag.

SO all of this was to get to the following conclusion: TO create lag sequence your downswing so that you achieve the following:

1. Weight begins shifting forward just before club reaches top of back swing.
2. The weight shift forward is a RECENTERING of your swing center that SHIFTS the hips FORWARD.
3. The hips rotate and clear, the legs fire through, the upper body follows, the hands follow, the clubhead follows last.

Think about a major league pitcher throwing using a full windup for a moment, especially a powerful one like Nolan Ryan. The pitcher shifts all their weight back–the backswing, then the pitcher takes that big step forward–weight shift that sets the weight forward, rotates their trunk–the turn through, finally releasing the ball–impact. The pitcher is doing the same thing as a golf swing, creating lag and power by using the momentum of the body, the centrifugal force of rotation, and then finally letting the ball go.

In fact, I think that most golfers would be better off not completing their backswing at the expense of poor weight shift. I know this sounds like blasphemy or whatever, but there is a lot more power had from that weightshift back and through before the club reaches its apex than there is created by the actual length of the swing. Don’t believe me? Try hitting balls making a backswing from about hip high with your 7 irons just focusing on shifting back and shifting and firing through–you will get so much power and accuracy you might wonder why you take the club all the way to the top.

When someone who has never made a good move startings hitting crisp long shots with that mini swing they invariably ask me why they do not play golf on the course like that since they hit it farther and straighter than their normal swings even though it is only half as long as their normal swing. I tell them that they probably ought to play like that until they are capable of coordinating that move with a big shoulder turn. Of course they don’t have the discipline to do this since apparently there is an unwritten rule that on the golf course you have to make full swings. Oh well.

So I guess the conclusion is if you want to start lagging, stop thinking with your hands, stop thinking with your brain, and start feeling with that weight transfer and transition. All this said, transition might be the most important element of a golf swing, but you still have to remember to shift that weight back and load the club up–doesn’t so much matter when, but it just has to get done. From there just make that powerful move through and man you will be cooking on the front burner.

Andrew Brown of oobgolf posted up a great interview with Anna Rawson a few weeks ago, be sure to check that out.

So without further ado, here are the pictures the title of this post mentioned…