Do Not Hit Down

Kevin, I think you'll find if you try it that keeping your palms perpendicular to the ground makes it almost impossible to bow the left wrist.

If you're trying to learn how to do the Swing Surgeon Swing without the benefit of the Foundations Manual and other Instructional Videos, it's like trying to learn surgery by watching episodes of House. These daily tips are just that, tips. Helpful advice to keep us on the right track in learning the swing. At times Surge and/or some of the other Swing Surgeon instructors will do a daily tip from a course or practice tee, as in http://swingsurgeon.com/DailyV... . For actual instruction on how to perform the swing from start to finish, though, get the materials and watch and read and learn.

Don't panic when you see the new video here. I had a moment of confusion on Surge's YouTube site. I thought I saw Paul Wilson on the back deck, but it was just Don with a RED shirt and WHITE pants. For just a moment, I thought we were being invaded :-0

Ken

Let me get this straight.  You want Surge to show you how to hit a bad shot and tear up his arms, shoulders, back, and hips?  We don't want Surge to hurt himself.

That would be like a math teacher putting 4+4= 9 on the black board to show the class how not to do math.

Get real.  If you want to see how to hit a bad shot, video your own swing and watch it.  That should show you what not to do.

We learn best by positive reinforcement, not from watching someone do it wrong.
Dick

Kelly, Thanks for your sensible comments and explanation of the Tour Striker Training Club. I also like that you mentioned Moe Norman, he was without a doubt recognized by all as one of the purest ball strikers of all generations.  There is so much hype with new golf equipment and training devices today. Most product hype, has come from Ad Execs board rooms, in an effort to dupe the dupe-able public, and have little or no actual basis in truth. But we all think it's the latest greatest thing since sliced bread and rush out to buy all the hype. Every year, the new club is soooo much better than last years club. Sure it is! They have to come up with a hype line to sell it, and that's the job of the Ad Dept, not the manufacturer or what the device will actually do. Barnum said it right, there's a sucker born every minute, and they're all just waiting to give you their money.   Cheers

Absolutely, I'll give every body the run down in as great a detail as possible. I am beyond excited at the whole process. Be sure and read all the stuff on his site listed in my above blog. Very informative site. It compliments Doc's great info.

T

I'm confused about something and maybe you can help.  Who do I need to contact to get a refund for my FREE stuff?

RoganM,

You are correct, but I was not referring to silence. My emphasis was on civility. Like you said, "... defend with reason rather than incivility ..." We can always agree to disagree, as the saying goes, without resorting to name-calling or verbal attacks on another's person or character. We can challenge points based on facts without challenging the motivation or character of the opposition. This applies not only to this blog, but in all phases of life. Unfortunately, I also have occasions to make knee-jerk comments, which I instantly regret.

Have a great day and weekend.

Kevin

Hi Robert, Am I missing something? On DJ's 2nd round scorecard  1st hole  it says -2 when he made par, so what am I missing?

Cheers Keith 

To:  Robert F:  Thank you for your reply to my question.

Ian

Which method do you prefer?  If it's paul, stick with it.  My back won't tolerate rotational whether it's done on grass or the back porch or in a gravel pit.

Robert

Sportdork has his mind made up and all of us are not going to confuse him with facts.

He is a bitter little man.
Dick

Surge Nation

I see the trolls are running amuck again.  I am just going to ignore them.  They will go away on their own, or the ambulance will take them away.

For anyone who has a question about why we should not hit down on the ball and take a "beaver pelt" for a divot, I will just share this with you.  This morning while I was doing a report, I had the golf channel on in the background.  One of the commentators read off a long, and I do mean long, list of all those who were not playing in the seniors tournament this week because of back, knee, shoulder, and elbow problems.  Try this on for size.  Any week you want, look at the regular PGA tour and see how many of them are unable to perform for health reasons.  Tiger walked out of a tournament a week ago after only 9 holes because "he was in a great deal of pain." 

These guys are not hackers, they are the best in the world.  They are true athletes.  Playing golf is all most of them have ever done since they were kids.  Most of them have never had "regular" jobs like we all have had to work at our whole lives.  That should prove to you that a rotational swing and pounding down into the ground to take out the big divot, which looks great on TV, will wreck your whole body. 

If this swing ain't for you, fine, just move on.  We regulars who have studied Surge's videos and manual come on this site every day to see what Surge's tip is for the day.  He does just what we all need him to do.  We learn just fine from him on his back porch.  If you are trying to learn the Surge Swing, or any other swing, on the cheap by watching a daily video meant to reinforce what "WE" already know, then you are getting just what you deserve.  NOTHING.

If you think that you can come along late in life, with bodies which have already been beat up by life and work and make that big swing and take those big divots and not pay for it physically, I have a bridge I want to sell you.

I don't know if all the rain, the storms, or the way the planets are aligned have caused all the trolls to come out at once.  Whatever it is, get over it, and go back under your bridges. 

Surge and the Surge Nation are not going to change a thing to appease you.
Dick

Oh, Thank Robert. I thought I had lost my marbles!

Amen

I also forgot to mention Mr Dick Lee...

Sorry Dick!

Phillip

Steve, we have a saying in Australia - "Showbags", as in a showbag that you buy at a show festival or carnival (like the Royal Easter Show), it may look fancy and glossy on the outside but is generally full of crap on the inside!

I have a feeling it's a lot like the other unnamed fellow. He is here to show everyone how smart he is, by belittling and degrading another mans life's work. Some it seems, either cannot or will not, just take their balls and go home. They must destroy the game for everyone else.

after reading all this bs i think i will go out and hit some balls trying to take less divit.  i have played for 68 years and love the game and the search.  don's tips are always interesting even though i have a tough time doing them at times.  my fault not his.  i think it is always better to have someone out there with me when i am trying to do something new and i think that that is the only problem there are not enough qualified teachers to give me hands on help with Don's method.  Tanks Don for what you are giving to the game that keeps me young and interested.  wally

Why don't you people that complain about Don being on the back porch buy the videos and you will see how he "nips" the ball from the grass. The cheapest golf instruction you can get.

I hope to just hit it straight where I want it. Simple goal, LOL!!!

Keith,

What would your thought be if you were skipping a stone on a pond? Do you think about each of the positions and actions in throwing the stone, or do you just do it? All the little things that Surge teaches are to assist us in figuring out what we did wrong, if in fact we did something wrong. Otherwise, there are only three things to know:

(1) Proper set-up position - As Surge says, "The setup determines the motion."
(2) The position at the top of the backswing.
(3) The T-finish.

Everything else just gets in the way on the course. If you go from a proper position 1 to a correct position 2 , the backswing was good. If the setup (position 1) is good, but position 2 is not good, then you need to look at the intermediate points: BUS, in the mitt, up the tree, firm/flat left wrist), limited 70* turn, 3/4 swing.

If you then go from a correct position 2 to proper position 3, everything before has to have been good, including the ball flight. If not, then you need to look at a few things, like the bump, FUS, popping up AFAP, to the T-Finish, recoil, and relax, body square to target, club pointing down aiming line.

Have a great Memorial Day weekend and, please, remember all those who have given so much that we can enjoy our weekends.

Kevin

You only have one option in a situation like that. You must go to the Emerald City to see the Wizard. Hopefully he will have some spare brains on hand, for those in need. Then you will fully realize that what you are watching is completely free, so you have NO RIGHT to bitch and whine like a little baby. You will also realize that you have the power to not watch, or turn it off. Not you personally of course, but to those, to whom, it may apply! It ain't rocket science, if you don't like it, then don't watch it. It doesn't get much simpler than that. EGADS!

Hopefully we will get to see a little coverage of D.J. today (Sat.) as he is paired with K.J.Choi this morning.  Good luck D.J. At least you will get out early before the wind gets up.

Surge, I have really enjoyed your email lessons. I have purchased all of your videos and they have really helped and make sense to me. I eagerly await each lesson. However with the new format, I am unable to view them on my iPad, because it doesn't use Flash. The YouTube version was great. At least I can read the comments. Thanks for all you do for us golfers.

Thanks, Dick, my friend...."Semper Fidelis"...

Sounds like a proper driver length for you would be shorter than what you are using now and maybe one with a lot of loft. 16-18 degrees is in the range of the old 1 iron. There are driver heads with lofts up to 15 degrees available. Doc would be a good source for info and fitting.

One of the best results for me in not consiously hitting down is that my swing speed peak then happens just past impact and I get evrything moving forward and up to completion. The best results don't happen at the ball with a 'hit' but through the ball with a 'swoosh' up to the T finish. As Don says, the down is automatic and free if we just get into the correct poition at the top and feel as though we swing up from that point. Again, if I focus my energy on completing my swing, the rest becomes much simpler.
Thanks Surge.

Ian

I think your pants are on fire.

Dick

Robert:  Thanks much.  I also really appreciate the great comments you provide - sometimes it gets very frustrating when we get folks that just seem to enjoy tearing things down when they don't have a clue about the Surge Swing or the mechanics of it. Me thinks it takes a whole village to keep the trolls under control.  lol  R2

Hi Steve.
Your problems with the driver may NOT be mental! 
I have been using my new club-fitted 7 iron and that thing goes pretty straight even on mis-hits  (using impact tape tells the story).   I was all over the face with my "custom" fit Pings.
At the initial fitting, When John (my fitter) put me in a club that he thought would be pretty close to my best fit, and I hit that thing, I went "wow."  I hit it dead in the sweet spot every time, and the feeling was something I have NEVER had hitting a golf club.  
I told him I only hoped he hadn't ruined me, because I want that feeling EVERY time, with EVERY club.
We meet again tomorrow, weather permitting, (yes, the poor guy is working on Memorial Day) and we'll work on getting a bit closer to that pure feel.   So I'm thinking it isn't YOU, it's the CLUB!   Hope you're able to get fit soon.

R2, In regards to the slide bar for the Swing Tech. I do not know why for sure, other than perhaps my interest through correspondence with Ralph at Swing Tech, BUT, they sent me one of the new designs without requesting any payment. I do not know if you will be familiar with the names of the parts used, but, the bracket is simply a 20" length of 1&1/2" uni-strut, with a slide-able 1/2" female snap-tight hose fitting being use for the brass tipped aluminum rod receptacle. The snap-tight fitting is attached with a 2"x1&1/2"x3/8" steel plate and a center 1/4" pipe threaded hole to tighten the fitting into.   Rather heavy duty,but a clever simple design. I do not know how long you have had yours, but if it is a recent purchase, you may want to inquire directly through their contact link as I did. They may request a payment from me at a later date, but have not as yet.

Mr Ken
These short daily videos from the back do exactly what they are intended to do. They break the swing down into segments that the golfer can understand. I enjoy Don's daily videos. They are free. If I need personal attention I call him for a lesson and have been doing this for about 15 years. His fee is only about $300 an hour on a driving range where there is grass.So enjoy the videos or go to one his schools.
Hal