Why Taking A Large Divot Is Bad For Your Swing

Steve & Boogm

This one is for all you "Bama" fans.

"Housework Challenged"

One day my housework-challenged husband decided to wash his sweatshirt.

Seconds after he stepped into the laundry room, he shouted to me,
"What setting do I use on the washing machine?"

"It depends," I replied. "What does it say on your shirt?"

He yelled back, "University of Auburn."

Nuff said,

I am going to bed, before I get into more trouble,
Dick

That's about $8.00 lower than at Hireko. Keep us posted on your results with it.

( hate this indentation system, why can't they maintain just a single indent until a new comment arrives)

To Rob Cassdy, from Neil aged 67, H/C 18 not much has change since Iv'e switched over, had a brilliant start to 2011, thought I was on my way down getting sub 40's for 9 holes quite frequently, but lately back in the low 20's, don't know what's gone wrong, but I'm still working at it. Had knee surgery recently so I think its a waiting game.       

I have a belly putter made for normal height people and it works nicely at the 37-39" range I like. In addition I can vary the length to the speed of the greens so I don't have to constantly remind myself of what is going on. Also the belly putters have a heavier gram weight head that lets the club swing by itself easily.

One wrinkle with the belly is to use the cross hand grip and anchor the fingers of the right hand against the inside of the left fore arm. This results in some serious accuracy as there is no sideways flex of either wrist. The only downside is I control the FUS of theputt with the left hand and it is a much shorter radius leading to a less precise distance control.

Rob,
In quick summery I would say I have gone from around a 22 to about a 14/15 now. Would be (or will be) about a 10  when I can get my putts down to 30-32.The short game especially the putter will get most of my attention in 2012. My tee to green game is where I've seen the most improvement. I am  definately hitting the ball further with all clubs and have learned more since being associated with Don Trahans teachings and web site in the last 3 years than in the previous 40.

I do have a birthday coming in Feb, maybe I'll put it on my wish list.

The Tide was awesome Steve - great game for them. Have a good warm weekend if you go!

Didn't Jim Grey get into a near boxing match last year with a pro? Not really sure when but it seemed that he had no class at all.

As to Kelly's interview it seemed like the questions came down from on high from NBC and wouldn't be something that the GC would ask based on the years past. I read on line that Matt continued to push back on the squeaky image the Tour likes to push to keep the sponsors happy.

Hopefully the ruckus dies down and golf becomes the focus.

Another simple point to remember is that unlike most of us DJ and all the pros nearly always strike ball first and catch the ball before striking the earth. Most do put too much spin on the ball. Watching DJ in person twice now (2010 and 2011 JT Tournment in Las Vegas) he rarely spins the ball back significantly. The ball's normally only a few feet from where it lands.

Cheers for that, Wayne.
I just need to win the lottery or win a huge inheritance from some heretofore unknown rich relative so I can head up to the States to see DJ firsthand for myself. Would have to wait till the snow everyone's complaining about has gone, though; too much golf to play here downunder - in between the blankity-blank showers of rain.

Meanwhile, this gives me the perfect segue to a question I was trying to find an opening for. Where can I find DJ's programme (that's program spelt properly for you state-siders) of tournaments for this year. I'd love to follow his progress but don't know where he's going to be at until the field appears on the PGA link for a tournament just as it starts.

I skite to my golf buddies that he's part of my coaching professional's team, after all.

Cheers from a balmy 20*C (that's near 70*F for you... well you know the rest) New Zealand, but then it is midnight here.

Thanks for any help, and PMG.

Lynn, I don't know if you recall my mentioning it but I had two trigger fingers also, my middle right and left ring finger. I had surgery on both about 8 months ago now and it really did "fix" them. so depending on how bad yours get and what you decide to do I can recomend surgery if it becomes needed.
As far as right side dominance, I further tested the afore mention changes that I listed in my above rant to CJ. Today (now three days in a row) I further tested my discoveries with all my clubs (not just the driver).
As Surge says if it applies to one club it applies to all. "The ball doesn't know what club we are using".
You know it is interesting how we can struggle to employ all that Surge keeps telling us to do to get vertical and have a 3/4's limited turn swing. Today on the range I discovered just how good a no wrist hinge swing can be. I really locked my wrist and absolutely allowed no wrist cock. The result was a vertical 3/4 swing that gave me rocket straight shots at my targets. The no wrist hinge accomodates both a limited swing and actually helps me stay vertical going back and through. Go figure. Additionally I remembered  to keep my right side calm and tension free. Just being aware of it has helped so much the last two times out.
Something else I exagerated was keeping my rotation quiet. There was no intentional turn. I don't know if I turned at least 70* or not. I do know that I am understanding more and more what Surge was telling Matt his student over a year ago that ideally we would have only 5-10% body and 90-95% arm swing.(the 100% opposite of the rotational teaching).
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v...
It seems this video lesson cuts out after Surge says 90/10 arms /body but if the tape would allow us to hear the rest he says ideal is 95/5% arms/body.  It amazed me today not only how straight but how far I can hit the ball if I really, really keep my body quiet, left knee still and just swing my arms faster. It was very revealing. Now I know Surge has since then reminded us that there is some turn(70*) but for most us (myself for sure)  less, even much less body movement is better.
I keep on learning and experiencing.

Sounds like weather on the north coast of Oregon. My brother came up to see me there years ago when I lived on the north coast. I took him golfing at the Shalishan links course. Started  out cloudy, by the 4th hole it was raining, by the 6th it was torential and by the 8th it became hail stones. It hailed so hard and so much that it covered the fairways as if snow. They were white. We waited and watched under cover as nature did it's thing. He asked if we should head home and try another day. I told him to hang on and we'll see.
sure enough a few minutes later the sun broke out and pretty happened. the ice melted as we teed off on #9 and for the entire back nine it was sunny, warm and amazingly a blue sky afternoon. That's the north coast. don't cancel your plans, just wait and see cuase you never know. it was tat unpridictability that I grew to love over those 3 years living there.

Robert,

I did look at that putter, it is also for sale through the new Hireko catalog, I believe for less than others. It reminds me, in a lot of ways of my old Rife 2-bar putter which I purchased the first year it came out. There are many similarities between the two, primary being the heavier head and grooved forward roll face. The 2-bar also has the ability to self adjust the lie angle and head weight. It was the best putter I had ever used, until I found the Nike Method Core center shafted model.

I wish you all the best luck with it, but for now, I'm very happy with my putting.

I did get it on sale :)
http://www.turbopowerusa.net/d...

Robert,

Thanks for the reply.  I too am a life time slicer.  I was famous for hitting a drive about 200 yrds straight then making a right turn that would defy a cruse missile going another 50 yrds in the woods/lake/...  I have been doing the Surge swing for a few years and generally I concentrate on driving my right hand through the ball.  ("Skipping a rock")  Will try the relaxing the right and try more with the left hand.    
Still looking in to the SwingTech trainer.  But not sure if this would help my open club issue.

CJ 

Surge: I've read a number of the golf swing books from Hogan thru Nicklaus and beyond. None of them talk about hitting the ground prior to the ball but rather talk about "down & thru" making contact FIRST with the ball and taking a divot After contact with the ball. How would this in any way slow down the club head speed as you suggest?

Tom W

Bob,

Thanks for signing you name. Don was going crazy trying to respond to you by name but it was not in the text of your reply. I will make sure that he knows that you are Bob.

BTW, have you got the working the ball videos yet? They will help you learn to straighten out and even draw the ball.

Greetings Surgites, I believe that you will all soon see a video of D.J. performing his last practice session in Charleston before he left fo the West Coast to practice. Arie, the Swing Surgeon videographer, got a shot of the turf that D.J. hit all of his shots from. If you could have witnessed that session there would be no doubt in your mind as to why nipping the ball and avoiding large divots is the way to go. D.J. hit shot after shot with his 7 and 5 irons and his three wood. there was not a single divot where the grass roots were exposed. The turf looked like some one had burned the grass which in essence is what he did. We were at the Charleston C.C. where the fence is 240 yards out and 100 or more feet high. He buried three wood after three wood high into the net and seemingly not wanting lose the clubs range balls launched his final 3 wood shot over the net with ease. This session was taped so look for it and do not miss it.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v...

It is on YouTube already.

Hi Dick,
           You are not the only one with a scary mind heh heh heh. On the Kangaroo one, loved it. Kiwi's love giving the Aussies a hard time and vice-versa.I have one of my daughters who has just returned to London, getting me a couple of  HIRZL Golf Gloves. They are [coincidences are legion with me] made of Kangaroo leather,which is softer and has a reputation for gripping better in dry/sweaty and wet situations. To cap coincidences, my golf mate, now a civilian working for the military in Christchurch, wrote and told me, the Quartermaster had just returned after the holidays with a pair of Kangaroo balls on his key chain. A present from his daughter. Guess if you can't grow a pair........not my cup of tea.
          Surge has a homespun way of getting his points across.There is always a simple message in his presentations. There are those who criticise his videos. My response to those impatient,"I want it now, I haven't got the time to watch all this....yadda, yadda, yadda" types,is simple: "THERE ARE NONE SO BLIND, WHO WILL NOT SEE!"
          Surge has given so many of us the tools to do the job and one thing blinds us to them, IMPATIENCE. To all those who get annoyed at having to watch an 8minute video to change their golfing lives, as it has for me: "How much does it cost you timewise, hunting for your lost balls in the trees/rough etc?".What does it cost you in lost balls, lost matches,etc?
           Golfing weather here today. Quite windy,but blue skies and sunshine so far : - ) So with a little bit of luck will get the opportunity to tread the hallowed turf later today.
            A work in progress now I have learned to be more PATIENT and let it just happen.
             Now this scary brained naughty one is off for a brew and then a quiet warm up swing on the back porch,ie, beat some of the moisture out of the golf mat, by 'burning the grass' Good luck with your programme of events for the weekend mate. PMGAS
            Regards from windy Wellington New Zealand.

PS My Driver and F/way woods are on vacation, who needs them? hahaha

SGW,

No longer, that video has been blocked already, here's a different post of it.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v...

I'll have Don reply directly to you from this account later today since he is traveling up to Mooresville, NC to meet with me regarding our nutritional supplement program. He has been talking a lot lately about doing some clinics etc. in your part of the world. You can bet that I will try like h--l to tag along.

Lynn, Where in Vermont are you from? I went to High School in Chester then went to the University of Vermomt and lived in Burlington for nine years. I'll trade the snow mobile for a golf cart any time!

Dick  old son, As I write it is absolutely chucking it down. Have never ever seen actual sheets consisting of what looks like corrugated pvc columns of water,straight up and down,being driven by the wind!!!!! At 0300am our time, there was the loudest and lowest thunder noise we have ever heard, amazing.Would have swapped it for snow anytime mate ; -  ) Have experienced tropical storms all over the world, but for brief spells, this lot take the biscuit. So a happy 13-1-12 hmmm Friday as well, hahahaha. Lucky Friday I call it hahaha.
Yesterday it was hot and humid, drained by the time we finished, even though we had water all the way around. Reviewed the practice from the day before and the targets are the same- Slower into the mitt and up the tree, bump and up to the heavens with the FUS. On-On-On not popping up as quickly and ensuring the right forefinger and thumb are 'passive'. Results with the irons, spectacular. 24deg great, 17deg 50-50 and the driver 25-75. Still at least I was able to get out and about on the hallowed turf.
Rain stopped, wind eased now. Course will be a mud skippers paradise : - (
Great that you are around to vent and whine. As I say to my 'caddy', "You have to be here to give me a hard time, I'll take that" hahaha.
Be good and scare the snow away. Regards from NZ

I have to modify all my putters to 37-38" depending on the head weight. Also make sure they are upright at the limit (80*) with 3-4* of loft.

The best tournament putting was with a lighter headed putter at 39".

To be honest, I don't even think about divots any more.  If you execute the Surge Swing properly, you won't be taking large divots--only shallow ones or none at all.  If you find yourself taking large divots, you're not doing something correctly.

Can you hit good shots taking large divots?  Absolutely.  Watch the pros.  You can hit good shots with a rotational swing too.  Again, watch the pros.  But will you have the consistency and the health benefits that the Surge Swing provides?  Probably not.

From a Doc Griffin house call video a while back regarding the factors affecting ball spin, these factors (I believe in descending order of importance) are as follows:
1. Loft of clubhead (& not the Lack OF Talent :-)  )
2. Clubhead speed
3. Angle of attack (your point of discussion)
4. Construction of ball
5. Shaft flex profile (to a lesser extent)

Robert,

Here's something you can relate to.  I, too, fight a tendency to get too dominate with my right side.  After trying interlocking, overlap and baseball grips I settled on the baseball grip about 5 years ago.

I've mentioned problems with trigger finger with the middle finger on my left hand and now pinkie on my right.Left hand isn't too much of a problem so far, but pressure on the right pinkie was really giving me grief. 

The last time out 2 days ago I went with an overlap to take the pressure off my right pinkie.  It felt strange at first, but several things happened.  1. No pain in the pinkie.  2. My arms seemed to be more evenly matched in the swing. 3. The guy I was playing with commented "don't you ever get bored hitting straight shots all the time"?  LOL

I didn't score very well.  Missed at least a dozen putts by 1-2 inches, but they were good strokes.  I blamed it on fuzzy winter greens.  Weather here is cold and heavy winds and not looking promising anytime soon, so may not get to work on the overlap for who knows how long,   As long as Terry's snow stays away it will be swings in the backyard.

You'll just have to PMG so us weatherbound types can live vicariously. ;0)   

Thanks for that info,Steve, I plan on breaking out my protractor and checking mine. The reason I have modified mine is really that I feel like I was standing to upright and my shoulder turn,what little of one there is, was to flat and this was causing me to spin out. I think I was doing that in reverse, letting my shoulders lead my hips to the left. That and I wanted to give my right arm room to clear my body, if I had been playing in a work shirt I'm sure I would've been crushing my cope can. :) With my increase of angle my shoulders turn more down the line and I don't trap my right arm, nor spin out with my shoulders.Pretty much eliminates the pull-hook that occasionally haunts my game
 I did mark their swings and noticed that they pretty much maintained their angles throughout as much as my eye could tell with the parallel lines I drew.

Another 5.0 shaker during the night last night in ChCh Phil! Expecting an email from my old golf mate down there, probably tomorrow. Here still gale force winds. Couldn't be bothered to go out for a round after a very late night watching golf on line in Jo'burg.Instead had a really productive session of pitching and chipping again with all three wedges LW SW & PW. Half shots thru' to full shots. Fun in the wind. Dropped balls all around the green and played them as they lay. Chipped in 7 times from off the green. Even managed to chip in a further 3 times, chipping with the 60*deg LW from on the green. A medium bounce one. Now that was interesting. At the finish my wife and I dropped 5 balls at once together [max number I hit is usually 3] and then had a chippiing competition. I won the first 5 ball and she won the second. She is showing ominous signs of being a real threat on the hallowed turf.
Jo'burg final rd later, will we or won't we? hmmm. As for the Aussie weather, no ta! By the time you get home to ChCh it will be mid 20's to early 30's I reckon. Shaking all over! Wasn't that a song heh heh heh? PMGAS

They tell me it is Summer here in New Zealand.Starts end of October thru' until about June. Please explain why, we had a torrential thunderstorm overnight.This morning, sun was shining but over the nearby hills it was as black as pitch. Then columns of water were blown sideways. The most water I have seen coming down in such a short time anywhere I have been in the world.Then to cap it all, this afternoon there was a sudden downpour of HAILSTONES!!! Come on my fellow Surgite golfers in the wintery northern hemisphere. I know you are slightly envious that it is our Summer~~~hahahaha. Gale force winds for the morrow is forecast. Back to housebound practice. PMG AS [And Swim heh heh heh] Good Luck where you are with the weather.

Steve,

Will double check my grip.  I have found in the past keeping my left wrist more flat in the Surge swing helps my control.  I think your right in checking grip first.

In the daily Surge talked about not having your hands in front of the ball and being square at impact.  Maybe it is a matter of release.

CJ

Just back after a few holes and had problems a couple of times with the Driving iron 17deg off the fairway.Off the tee and in the rough it was sublime, as soon as I kept it on the fairway, heeeellllloooo! topping and digging a hole not burning the grass as I usually do. Used it on three consequetive holes [stubborn as a mule] had a few rubbish shots but persevered and it evened out with about a 5O% success rate. Maybe I was getting tired, I was certainly wilting in the humid heat. No excuse. After watching this video, I am in no doubt I was getting ahead of the ball during the FUS! Back to the drawing board again, but a step further forward.
PS for Tomwastingourtimeley I sure as heck am not among the 500 talented, but my experience with the Surge swing has me committed to it. No pain and straight powerful shots when I do as he bids us do.PMGAS

Neil,

I don't pay much attention to the actual blog format since I have found it much easier and more pleasant to follow the blog through the RSS Feed pages. I often go back and forth between them for various reasons.
The Firefox Goggle Reader has the best layout and controls, but the Internet Explorer updates a bit faster. Here are the links, if any want to explore their use.
.
I follow on the Firefox Rss Feed

http://www.google.com/reader/v...
 The Chrome RSS Feedpage
http://www.google.com/reader
/view/feed/http://swingsurgeon.disqus.com...
test.rss
 And the Internet Explorer RSS Feed

http://swingsurgeon.disqus.com...

EDIT: Should have added, For the links I posted to work properly, you should be in the correct specified operating system. If not, it will still connect you, but under what ever system you are presently using to connect with. In other words, clicking on one of the Google Reader links while in IE will get a different format than clicking on the IE link while actually in IE, etc, etc. Just play with it and see if you like any of the many possibilities better than the actual blog page format. I most definitely Do.