Gus Brown is new to the Peak Performance Golf Swing--he's only been at it for three months. Yet for the first time in thirty years of playing golf, his left shoulder cradle is sore. He's enjoying the fact that his swing is much more consistent now than it was with his rotational swing but he's concerned that he's doing something wrong that is causing the pain in his shoulder.
Well, Gus, since you've been swinging vertically for just three months it's likely that you've been diligently practicing and playing a lot. It's quite possible that your soreness stems from the fact that you are moving your body differently now and so you're working muscle groups that may have been under-worked in the past. You didn't mention it, but are you taking time to warm up before you play? This is really important for golfers of any age to do, and to do properly, but even more important for people as they get older because we naturally lose a degree of flexibility and suppleness as we age. You can check out the website of my good friend, Bruce Chaffin, a.k.a. The Rolfer Golfer, for some really good golf-specific exercises. www.therolfergolfer.com
Here's what I would recommend that you do to get to the bottom of this. First, if you've been playing or practicing more than four days a week, try taking a few days off and giving your shoulder a rest. Perhaps some sort of NSAID pain reliever may help reduce any inflammation you may have. You could also try alternating applications of heat and cold. Check this post out for details on how to do this: Shoulder Pain Remedies
If this course of self-treatment doesn't work, or if you are experiencing sharp pains in your shoulder, then it's time to see your family doctor. He may refer you to an orthopedic surgeon for further testing or to a physical therapist to work out the soreness that's developed.
Gus, I hope this helps and that you can clear up your soreness and get back to perfecting your Surge Swing and to shooting lower scores.
Keep it vertical!
The Surge
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Comments
"getting out of our own way"
"getting out of our own way" Hahahaha Rob my old son, this comment has certainly highlighted something that my wife puts differently, but spot on mate.When practising in China indoors during the Winter, it was on one day, I said to myself, "JUST DO IT" and the resultant hip bump was perfect. My focus is not over swinging right now. I noted a couple of pulled shots that I think were caused by not swinging up to the T finish but a more rotational one razzle frazzle razzle. Finger problem I think I have a solution. Yesterday swinging on the back porch, used the 10finger baseball grip only using 9 fingers. Worked a treat and no pain in the digit left out of the grip. As I used to play with a grip like this when I first played golf [small hands] it didn't feel too strange at all. Will see and keep my fingers crossed [no pun intended heh heh heh] Good luck to DJ.
All Blacks scraaaaaaaped through to win the Rugby World Cup by ONE POINT!!! Whew!
PMGAS Good luck with your week
PhilIt has been pionted out
Phil
It has been pionted out that I am not over swinging. I had a bad conception of what vertical is. Look at the link the TMedley provided (below). I was trying to stop my BUS at Picture # 2, whichÃÂ was wrong on my part. Picture # 3 is more or less what I actually look like and is the check point.
Thanks
Congrats DJ
Congrats DJ
No point in me telling you what you need to work on or telling you to go see a new putting instructor like some may. I am confident you and your dad know what you need to work on during the off season. I am confident you will come out and win a couple of times next year great finish today.
Sunday round report
Shot 78. 10 GIR I bird. Had 6 legitimate birdie putt from 5-6 feet made 1 and lipped 5 completely around the holes. Who ever set the pins this morning did not do a good job the edges on most of the holes were sagging all the way around them.
Really hit the irons well todayÃÂ was sorta knocking down flag sticks have not hit this many greens in reg and that close to the pin in 1 round all year.
EDITED ( If what I am doing continues to work I will let everyone no what I changed later ). ÃÂ
Hit 2 fairways all day my driving was horrible today was losing them right all day could not get out of it felt like I was getting a little out in front of them.
That would be nice.;-)Most of
That would be nice.;-)
Most of the courses around here are pretty much open 12 months also. A frost delay in the morning in winter is pretty common but except for an unusually cold winter like last winter we can play most of the time.
The course where I play shuts down for the entire winter but it's not because of winter. It's only because the guy that owns it doesn't need the money and doesn't want to work for those months so he and his wife take vacation in winter.
I don't blame them because in the spring, summer, and fall they run the course by themselves with no employees so they put in about a year's worth of work hours in about 7 months.
Was that a huge look of
Was that a huge look of relief on DJ's face when the putt went in on 18 or what?? ;0))
The keys for a good ball
The keys for a good ball striker like DJ to make putts boil down to two areas; proximity to the hole on greens hit and chipping/pitching for gimmees on the holes where the green is missed.
As an example take the putt he made on his last green for birdie. 22' was what the shot tracker had, a well struck putt and the hole was just wide enough for the ball to go in. At 15' the percentage of putts made is a lot higher and at 8' even better.
Two more points to be made.
First Don states that for every inch off line for your alignment spot the ball goes 10 yards off the target line for every 100 yards distance. This is true on putting when measured in feet, i.e. 1" alignment spot error, 10" at 10'. This is an approximation. If an accurate measurement, the 1" alignment error on a 3' putt is outside of the hole.
Second the alignment of the feet, knees, hips and shoulders are no where as important as the eyes. Reference the "Secrets of America's Greatest Putter
" video. What is critically important is that the eyes line up parallel to the aim line. When it is off it creates a lot of jerky last second manipulations to roll the ball on line.
When I referred to Surge
When I referred to Surge showing a light club that would fall straight down when he let go of the grip was Picture # 2 http://www.swingsurgeon.com/Ho....
I was thinking that my BUS needed to be finished like Picture #2 but I clearly see that I was wrong.
For any who missed DJ's 22
For any who missed DJ's 22 footer on the last hole that made the difference I am posting it here. His reaction is priceless. He obviously understood the gravity of importance as he at one point looks to the sky as if to thank God and appreciate it all. Huge relief and gratitude.
http://www.pgatour.com/video/p...
Here's his interview afterwords
http://www.pgatour.com/2011/r/...
Hi DJ,Congrats from all of us
Hi DJ,
Congrats from all of us in Europe, a great way to finish, some putt !!!,
As we say in Europe upwards and onwards or as Dad says keep it vertical
Hope to see you at the Open next year
Regards
Malcom
Swing Surgeon Europe
I have to agree with
I have to agree with shortgamewizard and Steve.
DJ's proximity to the hole average last week was 34' 9'. That puts a lot
of pressure on putting I don't care who you are. Greens in reg last
week was 68.96 great stat.
The guys out their that are shooting 15 - 20 under are not making 15-20
birdie puts from 20 feet they are knocking down flag sticks.ÃÂ
This is just my opinion I am in no means a expert. You have to look at all the stats as a hole.Just because you maybe hitting fairways and a bunch of greens in reg does not mean you are going to go low if your not giving yourself a bunch of legitimate birdie putts 10' and less.
A big congratulations DJ for
A big congratulations DJ for hanging tough under that kind of pressure. We out here in the peanut gallery can only guess. We're really proud of DJ and know better things are coming next season. Now find somewhere to hunt and fish and enjoy the fruitage of all the hard work!!
Robert,
Robert,
ÃÂ Wow, what a putt!
ÃÂ Thank you for posting the links. I did not get to watch yesterday, was too busy playing, (like crap) myself. Did win one birdie skin though with a 40' or so chip in. I agree, it definitively looks like he was appreciatively thanking God, in a bit of amazement. Amen!
PMG
DJ made top 125 by the skin
DJ made top 125 by the skin of his teeth.ÃÂ Glad he gets to keep his card.ÃÂ I was holding my breath all weekend.ÃÂ If he spends $100,000 on putting this winter, it would be worth it.
I agree, DJ has tried a lot
I agree, DJ has tried a lot of things to fix his putting, including moving to a belly putter, which seems to have helped his lag putting.ÃÂ He rolls his long putts a lot closer now than he used to, which is awesome.ÃÂ ButÃÂ he's 167 on tour from 3 to 5 feet, at 81.82%.ÃÂ Compare that with Brian Gay (over 94%).ÃÂ Even the 100th best short putter on tour (Ben Crane) is 86.32% from 3-5 feet.ÃÂ May not seem too bad, but that translates to 66 missed putts inside of 5 feet this season, including 14 inside of 3 feet. Just making the "gimmes" inside 3 feet puts DJ close to the top 100 on the money list, based on missed cuts and lower finishes.ÃÂ By improving to "average" among tour players (all of whom are truly phenomenal players) in short putts, DJ could move back to being a top 50-75 money maker or better.ÃÂ Which is where we'd all like to see him.
Congrats to the All Blacks. Ã
Congrats to the All Blacks. ÃÂ If the Wallabies can/t have it then come on the next best thing.
I can't seem to get to the T
I can't seem to get to the T-finish. I'm quite happy in the back swing, into the mitt & up the tree. But in the forward swing I tend to be a lot flatter & can't get up the tree. This causes me to duck pull shots left. Can you help me ?
Agree. He should see a good
Agree. He should see a good putting coach like Dave Stockton. This was too close. It took a 2 under 70 on the final round to get there. There were just too many bogeys this year. If he had missed that last put he would not have made it. Good going, DJ.
Stats like the 34' 9"
Stats like the 34' 9" proximity can be misleading on a course like the Magnolia where there are a lot of water hazards that lead to double bogeys. That is why the birdie on DJ's last hole was so good. 500 yards with a back left pin placement and hitting into the water was an exemption to the Nationwide Tour.
What is more telling would to be looking into Luke Donald's stats; proximity, GIR and scrambling. He has a wicked good short game and knows getting up and down isn't as hard as it is for others and leads to pin hunting. Thus he has a higher number of easy birdie opportunities.
When I play I hunt every pin that doesn't have OB or water penalties near the hole location and thick grass or bushes that can bring an unplayable penalty. 98% of the time I look to being able to hit a shot good enough to go in and at worst finish 15-18" behind the pin. The other 2% of the time there is something to prevent the attempted hole out and playing safe is the prudent option.
Hey Roger,
Hey Roger,
Edited: Misinterpretation clarified.;-)
My wife, son and I played a round this afternoon. Couldn't really get anything going on the front although I played OK. Just couldn't make any putts on the greens the way they are on the front right now. Shot 3 over on the front.
Started the second nine with an eagle. Bogied 11. Birdies on 15 and 17 to put me at 3 under on the back, but fell apart and bogied 18 to ruin it.
Not a good round but all in all not a terrible one either and we had a lot of fun. They are going to shut the course down at the end of the month so he is letting the greens on the front grow up for the winter and it's pretty much luck right now if you can get a putt to go in (and I ain't lucky). Ha ha!
Then on the back, where the greens are still Bent and very fast I can make some putts but the difference in speed from the front makes it a chore to adapt to the difference.
GXM,
GXM,
Sounds like you are having difficulty stopping your FUS rotation soon enough so that your trailing arm and hands stay on the toe line. By over rotating, you can't get your hands to finish where they should, nearly brushing your forward ear. A telltale sign of this would be if your aren't finishing with your entire body square to the target.
Surge has a couple of really good drills to help you get the feel of swinging up to a proper finish. The first is called The Towel Drill and you can find it here: http://www.swingsurgeon.com/Da...
The second was covered in a daily on 08/02/2011 and can be found here: http://www.swingsurgeon.com/Da...
These should get you fixed up in no time. Let us know if you need additional help.
Tom Jans
Let's get the terms straight
Let's get the terms straight first, then talk about what "vertical" means.
The proper terms when looking at a golf swing are:
1) Face-on - Looking straight at the golfer's full face.ÃÂ This is the perspective Surge uses in his daily videos.
2) Down-the-line - Looking in the direction of the target
"Vertical" is from the down-the-line perspective, not the face-on perspective.ÃÂ If you were to place a clock face over the down-the-line view with the 12 and 6 even with the toe line, a vertical swing would have the left arm and club shaft at the 12 o'clock position at the top of the backswing.ÃÂ This has nothing to do with where the club is on the face-on view.ÃÂ The face-on view is how you determine the LENGTH of the backswing, not its verticality.
shortgamewizardWe are in
shortgamewizard
We are in agreement. That was my point he needs to flag hunt when appropriate. The putting will take care of its self when you leave yourself birdie attempts from 10' and in.Its just not solely a putting problem.
I was referring to if what I
I was referring to if what I was doing would continue to work I would say what I changed to start hitting my iron shots like I have the last two days later .
Gxm,
Gxm,
Here are three lesson drills that may be helpful to you.ÃÂ Good luck
http://www.swingsurgeon.com/Da...
http://www.swingsurgeon.com/Ho...
http://www.swingsurgeon.com/Da...
Way to go, DJ on birdieing
Way to go, DJ on birdieing the last hole--the #1 handicap hole on the course.ÃÂ Great clutch putt to secure your exemption for next year.ÃÂ That's the way to hang in there.ÃÂ We're proud of you!
Oh. "Give it up"= Tell.I was
Oh.
"Give it up"= Tell.
I was thinking of "give it up"=quit.
Ha ha! I really do need to study other dialects other than Hillbilly. ;-)
Surge, As you said it could
Surge, As you said it could be that Gus is just over doing it a little with a new method. Too, I have found that whenÃÂ I don't keep up my stretching and workout routine in between golf outings I get sore easier. Odds are that Gus might be still over swinging too. Many of us thought we were 3/4's and limited now but after a little video taping and observations by others realised that we were still in the Sacred barial ground getting to far back and using our bodies too much too. On the other hand, I'm convinced that we will get some measure of soreness as long as we are active, it's just part of life and getting on. Better to wear out (playing golf) than to rust out :)
On another note, just wanted to mention that the discusions lately about tempo and "feeling" our swing have all helped me. I am getting into not only a better rythym lately but learning to enjoy golf and turn down the intensity. Now that the mechanics of this swing are becoming more second nature I am able to focus on my targets and the shot more. The more I have just been bent on perfect technique which as we know is impossible, the more frustrated I was becoming. Easing my expectations while still keeping good set up and swing training going seems to allow me to play better and enjoy golf much more. Ironically, some times just "getting out of our own way" as they say is the best advice. This equals less stess on the old body and mind too, and who knows, I'll probably score better too. I plan on playing a couple of times this week so I'll let you all know:)
BTW, DJ is still projected at 125 but let's all pull for him to have a solid day and finish his season strong. Lots of birdies and and stay away from the boogie man. Scarey guy close to Holloween or any time of year.
Good golfing to all, PMG
Robert
Robert
Great stuff I missed his final put on tv yesterday. Thanks for posting that link.
I feel deeply sorry for you
I feel deeply sorry for you guys that reside way north of the equator, in West Oz, we
have manicured greens/fairways come rain, hail or shine, 12 months of the year.
The only time we leave the course, is when we to go to sleep, LOL.
FYI:
FYI:
ÃÂ DJ will be teeing off on #10 any minute now. You can follow him shot by shot at this link. Let's all hope for a great round.
http://www.pgatour.com/shottra...
PMG
"No point in me telling you
"No point in me telling you what you need to work on or telling you to go see a new putting instructor like some may. I am confident you and your dad know what you need to work on during the off season"
Doing the same thing over and over again expecting different results???
James,
James,
As Jim mentions below. I believe you have a misconception of what vertical actually is. Please check out this link VERY CAREFULLY. Look closely at pic #3, which is the top of your backswing from a face on view. I hope this helps.
http://www.swingsurgeon.com/Ho...
The range I belong to is
The range I belong to is struggling this year. I think they may have hurt there selves this year. Last year and in the past when you bought a membership they would give you a card stating your a member and had a expiration date on it this year they did not do it and they probably have people hitting for free and using the practice greens free members are free non members pay 5.00 for 45 min. on the practice greens to cover the maintenance.
The Cincinnati City courses they own 5 of them here and are ran by Casper Golf they cut all there assistant pros and the pro at my home course loose Friday. There contract is up at the end of the year and the rumor is the city may take them back and run them their selves which maybe a good thing.
Its getting tough everywhere.ÃÂ ÃÂ ÃÂ ÃÂ
I agree that he may be
I agree that he may be activating new muscles and soreness is result. It has sure it has happened to me. There is a difference between my muscles being sore and my back hurting or elbow or shoulder hurting. The rotational swing forced me to stop golfing because of back pain. So when I started with the vertical swing all my muscles had been unused and at 55 I don't recover as quickly. I did get over it.
I have a question.
Surge when I make the club light on the BUS I am accurate and smooth but I don't hit the ball too far. When I try to swing faster I can't seem to stop myself from going past vertical on the BUS. With my driver I go well past vertical but short of horizontal. I can swing faster and hit it father this way but how much am I hurting myself? It is my nature to be faster tempo and aggressive with the club but I don't want to lose accuracy or have more margin for error. What could help me not go past vertical on my BUS? I notice you and DJ do go slightly past vertical too, especially in the driver but not as much as I do. I am talking about looking from the front not from behind as your daily video shows.
Maybe I have a misunderstanding of what you consider vertical.
Thanks
I don't know how well DJ is
I don't know how well DJ is rolling the ball. Only he would know if the putts that he does miss are because of bad rolls or bad reads.
What I do know is that to say that DJ is "Doing the same thing over and over again expecting different results" is just not true.
Since I have been following this site (and the previous one) DJ has done many different things to try to improve his putting.
Nice Putt!
Nice Putt!
Just wanted to add that this
Just wanted to add that this was one of the most exciting golf days (for the pros) in quite a while.
DJ sinks a 22 footer on the last hole to secure the greatest job on earth for one more year
Luke Donald birdies 10 holes today, 6 in a row on his back nine to win by two and the money title and most likely player of the year
Yani Tzeng wins again, this time a huge day for her in her home country Taiwan
Among those making it into the top 125 on the PGA were Justin Leonard and Billy Mayfair
Though IÃÂ worked my usual 10 hours today I was able to see the reply on the Golf Channel. I also wait and watch Golf Centeral on line as it is without the advertisements.
DJ birdied his last hole and
DJ birdied his last hole and is projected at 123. It looks as if only Bowditch can bump him and that would be only one spot.
Thanks T.Picture 3 is very
Thanks T.
Picture 3 is very clear and is what I am doing more or less. I have been spending a lot of time trying to be more straight up and down.
I had the imprint in my mind of Surge holding the shaft perfectly vertical (from the front face) he lets the grip loose and the club slide straight down. That is only a drill I guess or a way to explain the club being light.
I have been concerned the that I was not stopping perfectly vertical (from the front and down the line), as in the club shaft being straight up and down.
The position pictures http://www.swingsurgeon.com/Ho... are great.
Now I can go on and practice correctly and not worry about correcting something that did not need correcting.
Thanks again. Good stuff.
Kennedy Bay?
Kennedy Bay?