The Surge's Notebook

I have a sing thought for you, at the risk of repeating myself to the fellow Swing Surgeon Nation:

Na na na na, na na na na, waaave goodbye!

Don't let the door hit you on the arse on the way out!

Oh BTW, when the back's a aching and the game has gone to the brown, you will be welcomed back to the Swing Surge Nation with humbleness.

Regards, Craig S

Great point, Surge. But I tend to write slowly and it causes me to take longer to play or practice. What I have done is get in digital micro-recorder and talk to myself as I play or practice. Dick said I could talk to him, but the long distance telepathy is not working too well LOL. When I get home, I listen to the recording and transfer all the comments to my computer. Before I go to the range, I record my key thoughts for what I want to practice and play them back at the range. It also saves trees;-) Hmm - I may want to reconsider that - less trees means fewer shots bouncing off them LOL.

Kevin

DIck Lee :

You and my Father both. Dad was totally tone deaf -- but he tried, Lord knows he tried! Bet God loved his efforts as much as the congregation hated it!

Amos

Thank you Robert

John,

Do you play those holes almost exactly the same way every time you play them? I used to have a similar problem with one hole on the course I play the most. What I did to get over it was to play from a different set of tees than I was playing. I also switched to a different side of the tee box. This helped me get the picture of the bad shots out of my mind and replace them with something else. I even played the forward tees a few times so that I had a completely different view of the hole. Hope this helps.

Kevin

Deleted--multiple posts

Surge, I kept notebooks for about 5 years, religiously wrote down everthing when either playing
or at the range. There were times when I was hitting the ball so well at the end of a round that
I would take those swing thoughts or mechanics with me the next day, but alas evertime I did this, it was like starting all over again producing bad shots until I started working on something different which would pull my game around at the end again, but there was never any consistency, so I threw the notebook system away. It's funny, but now Iv'e worked hard on
vertical swing, I spend less time at the range, more time putting & chipping and my game is starting to show consistency, hit sub 40 for nine holes, 4 times in the last couple of months and
hit low eighties several times for 18. The moral of my story is to work hard on Don's technique, lots of video viewing, working a single swing thought one at a time, lots of chipping & putting practise.

Dick Lee:

How about the "I Love Lucy" episode where the guys are teaching the gilrs to play golf and inventing all kinds of crazy rules and etiquette issues? Later the girls meet Jimmy DeMaret and he more or less straightens them out. Include in the skit was a "Happy gilmore" type of driving shot -- later played by DeMaret when he played with the guys at the end of the show.

Amos

Lynn42--makes total sense to me, as your process seems to be very similar to mine. Concerning the slight pause at the top of the backswing (we might need a different word because Robert F uses "pause" to describe something different, like if you were to start your swing from the top)--I heard one pro say that he uses the slight pause at the top because it helps him sense where his club is at the top, and if it is not right where he wants it, his brain can quickly determine the right compensation. I need the slight pause to allow the wrist to flex to get a little more lag and to let the club drop properly. If I don't pause slightly, like when I get too excited or want to swing harder, the club may come down in one of any incorrect paths. Let us know how things went today,

Lyn

I think I was watching the wrong video. I never heard Surge say that he was going to teach us how to sing. Everyone in the Surge Nation thought it was Doc's job to teach us how to sing.

This is a new side to Surge that I have not seen before. Thanks for bringing that to our attention.

Was that really all you got out of this great video? You are too thick headed to really grasp the Surge Swing anyway.

One last thing, don't let the porch swing hit you in the butt on the way out.
Dick

Hello Lyn!

Who Cares?

Bye Lyn!

Boog

Did you ever see the old black and white TV series "The Honeymooner?" Ralph is trying to teach his pal how to play golf. He tells him he has to address the ball. The guy walks up to the ball and says "Hello ball."

Well, I thought it was funny.

I am just a bit cracked,
Dick

to the Tech guys, still smiling in China, love the Beta pop up videos.

Dick Lee, What is the system called you use for recording speech which is converted to type on the computer please? I was sure I wrote it down but the dragon who is always right may have 'tidied it up' or I did! : - ( from a fellow crippled old f*rt in China

Lyn, Don't go, You'll regret it. Maybe not today, maybe not tomorrow, but soon and for the rest of your life. In the future, when you think of us, and you will think of us, Please be kind. Good bye dear friend.

Alcapp,

I know what you mean about the lighting, but do you really think it is that important? What Surge says is what is important. If he is demonstrating something that is important for us to see, then I would be concerned about the lighting. I am much more impressed by the fact that he takes his valuable ($$$$$$$$$$$) time to share with us his thoughts and techniques on the game of golf and life as well.

Kevin

Lynn, I don't know if this will make you feel any better, but, at least you'll know you're not alone. I have problems off and on with replies on the main blog while in IE7. Sometimes it won't allow me to type in the box and other times it will allow type but not accept the post click. When that happens I access the blog with Firefox and have no problem. I'm not sure what browser you are using, but Firefox might cure your blog post problems. It does for me anyway. Good luck

Roger

How cool is that pal? You should've gone out and bought some Lotto tickets right after that.

Congrats on the new stick. I hope it works out well for you.

Maybe the weather will surprise you and let you get out and play in the tournament on Saturday.

Let us know how it goes,
Dick

Well, here goes. First time on the blog. I have been using the vertical swing for about 6 months now and my last 20 games have seen my handicap reduce from 17 to 12. Won the last monthly medal, two time winner in a row and a runner up last week. The final piece of the puzzle has fallen in the last couple of days which has me increase my distance from abour 200m on the drive to 240m. 9 iron 130m and everything is straight an long. I am 57 a leftie and believe that the surge swing is the ultimate. Why walk away from something that is so simple and repeatable. Surge, you are a champion. Thank you.

Steve

Maybe we can get Surge to let us do some Surge Nation family member videos.

When anyone asks what my favorite stick is, I always pull out my ball retriever.

Dick

Hi Steve, I was waiting for the punch line that didn't arrive (the swing thought he couldn't remember) but I guess everyone is entitled to their own personal secrets. Besides it could be a bit embarrassing or sound corny to tell it to someone like "squeeze the butt cheeks" for example.

Regards, Craig S

Bazza, It's always nice to hear another successful progress report. Welcome to the blog and the Surge Nation Family.

Thanks Surge. I have used notes in the past and this is great reminder to keep them handy and as you sugested when something clicks on the course or driving range we can write it down. Alot of my inspiration of course comes from our manual and lesson videos. I have key points marked and notes writen in the back and elsewhere. I boil them down to a few key reminders and only focus on one or two while practicing or playing. Then next time out work on another point as I get them ingrained.

Happy to, Bob. The golf business was the main focus of my life for close to 35 years from the pro shop to the turf maintenance facility to director of golf and managing course renovations & operations. I really loved every minute of it. Now, however, when I go to the course, it's to PLAY golf only. There's a lot to be said for each area. And now my favorite TV show isn't the Weather Channel. ;-)

Bruce

Al,
Kevin has a valid point below, it's mainly what Surge says that's important and when he does demonstrate a move, etc the silhouette pretty much works.One thing you need to remember, it's now spring time and the plants,bushes and trees ringing "the back porch" are much in full bloom.Sometimes when he records the videos,he also has significant cloud cover as well. One video he recorded a few days back was taped in the face of an impending storm, you can hear the thunder rumbling in the distance and also notice that the wind picks up on it as well.Since he is gracious enough to offer these great tips & lessons pro bono, I don't worry much about the lighting, I'm just grateful he does them.
Happy golfing,
Boog

Charlie

Lynn here from my back porch...aka Dashboard. Btw, I enjoy Surge's back porch videos. Maybe he could sprinkle some grass clippings around his aiming sticks and keep EVERYONE happy. ;0)

I went to the course today (my par 58 course) with one thought and that was to slow my tempo on every shot no matter the situation. I hit a couple of clunkers, but what else is new. I learned a few things I thought I knew. Silly me.

My goal on all my shots was to try to FEEL the club head. After picking my target line and setting up that was my only thought. It automatically slowed my tempo. It was really "feel the swing" and thereby the club head and "swing the feel" all day. The result was one of the best ball striking days so far this year.

I didn't clutter my mind with swing thoughts, just "swing the feel". So for anyone like me that gets tangled up with swing mechanics, try it, it works.

I shot 3 over on the front and 8 over on the back and didn't worry about it too much as we had about a 30 MPH gusting wind that really came into play on the back and made the back 9 a bit of a challenge.

Not a great scoring round, but what I learned about my tempo and eliminating my "hit" reflex was more than worth it. Take it from an A type, it was a fun day and that's what it's all about.

Lynn42

Dick, Main blog reply is still Tango Uniform...lol. Just gonna live with it(on again/off again).

No golf today,rain. So, I sat here singing...errr humming the blues.After I tried a bushel basket I gave up singing except in the car when I'm by myself. It hasn't broken the CD player or speakers...yet.

Crossing my fingers and eyes for tomorrows weather. I need to redeem myself for the last round. I definitely try another swing thought besides "Innocent Jack". I need something a bit more mellow to fit my personality as Surge suggests.

It was either Roy or Charlie that was having success with a 75% swing speed and I've done that and it works. Just have to get theat "hit" reflex out of my beady little brain. Maddening when you know what to do and just don't do it. It works like a charm in practice, but I just have to get out of my own way when I take it to the course.

We shall see.

Lynn42

Another great lesson.
The only thing that I currently have in my note book for when I practice is to get my head clear of all the rotational thoughts that keep creeping back in. I tend to over rotate in the back swing and start the down swing by rotating the hips instead of bumping the hip. When I do it correct I hit the ball long and straight. It is for sure a work in progress.

I was at the range Saturday had a pretty decent day. They had a demo day going on when I got there and they were raffling off 3 R11 TP drivers. The tickets were 10.00 a piece and the money they took in was going be given to the tornado stricken areas down south. I ended up buying 2 tickets they ended up selling 300 tickets and I got lucking and had one of the winning tickets.

Its 10.5 degree loft 45 inch shaft I choke down an inch on it to 44. I hit it Saturday and Sunday at the range I have it setup in the neutral position probably will not change it and hit it dead straight and longer than the R9 I have. It would nice to get to play and see how it is on the course but have to get rid of the rain first. I am supposed to play a tournament this Saturday and it is going to be a sloppy mess and 40 % chance of rain.

Kevin

I will have to let you know from now on when I'm doing an inspection. You keep sending the Goff notes and I end up writing them into my reports. Right in the middle of listing the main service disconnect size I suddenly write " keep outward pressure on the knees." It get some strange looks from my customers when they see that.

It's working pal,
Dick

Robert,
Just wanted to say thanks for all your swings posted on the tube. I had some down time in class, as one of the other Instructors was up in the rotation, and I got the chance to watch quite a few of them. Nice, smooth and effortless swings, my friend.
Boog

Thanks for the report, Lynn. Great feeling, isn't it, to find, as one of my golfer classmates calls it, an over-arching principle that seems to influence performance on all the details. I'm not as fortunate yet as to be able to play real golf, but I went to the driving range, and I had to pull out my metronome several times to check my tempo, and each time after I reviewed what I think is my best tempo, my swing smoothed out. By the way, I converted my metronome tempo to beats per five seconds, so I can rehearse this on the golf course without playing my metronome app on my smart phone. About three weeks ago, Faldo was asked for the most imporant tip that he ever received, and he said that it was to swing as slow as you can and still execute the full swing properly, or something like that. I didn't get the full significance of this until recently. At first, it sounded like he was saying "swing slow," but now I know that he is saying "swing slow enough so that you can execute the full swing completely." I know that this contradicts the Sharks "swing as fast as you want to and correct the details later" rule of thumb, but I think it is different strokes for differnt folks. Keep me informed, and I'll do the same.

Dick

Reply in the main blog is snafu again. I liked Lyn's sing comment. My wife has sung in the church choir forever and the choir director was looking for male voices.

She asked my wife about me one day. My dear wife explained that the first time we ever attended church together her comment to me as we were leaving after the service was "I didn't know you couldn't sing".

I was crushed,but now they pay me NOT to sing, so it's all good. ;0)

Lynn42

Lynn

Taking a bit off my swing with my driver has helped me with control. A little shorter but in the fairway is better than long and wrong.

I have everything crossed for you too. Sure makes it hard to read, type, and walk.
Dick

I had dreams this morning of getting back home at a decent hour and perhaps, at the least, getting in some pitch practice out in the yard with Joshua. Now as the clock is about to strike 1:00pm and I am just about to start my CPR class, I don't see that happening today either. An absolutely beautiful day in Alabama. I need to check my priorities ...(Just kidding)
I hope there are some among you that got to indulge in our favorite past time and had successful and delightful rounds.
Boog

* When One addresses the ball, where's the zip code?"

Good Idea surge, but my problem is 3 holes that I call Amien Corner namely the 5/6/7, every time they stitch me up, and ruin a good round of Golf, Im not sure how to write that in a book, but I remember them well. One day I shall overcome the gremlins, and come through without mishap. Happy but frustrating golf.

Amos & Dick
I remember both of those episodes, vintage stuff
Boog

Dick
Thats was pretty cool. A 400.00 driver for 20.00 plus they raised 3000.00 for a good cause. The tour I belong to played this past Saturday I did not sign up glad I did not the Pro at the course they played said that had not cut the fairways or rough for close to 2 weeks I talked to one of the guys that played in it and he said the rough was at least 6 inches. We will play this weekend unless they close the course we shall see,
Against my better judgement I signed up to play. 60% chance of rain for Saturday.

Surge Nation.

Well lads, I am off to hit the rack. I have to get up early for inspection in the morning.

I hope everyone that is playing tomorrow has a great round. I look forward to your after action reports.

It was a long day, I am whipped, and I'm going to bed without any dessert.

That should be proof enough that I'm tired,
Dick

Hi Bruce,

Thanks for a very informative comment. If You feel so inclined, would You please post your thoughts on turf management from time to time? It seems that the subject is rarely discussed on the blog. Probably due to the shortage of qualified folks to talk about it. I am especially interested in the subjects of greens management and bunker maintenance.

Hit'em Long and Straight,
Bob

Edit: Dick, You crack me up as much as Jack :0)

G'day Jack, Got to say I'm looking forward to a round where I'm not soaking wet after 3 holes of golf. Moving to Perth later in the year and cant wait to get stuck in to the wonderful courses over there.

Now that PPGS has changed it's name to Revolution Golf, the video that I earmarked called Don and DJ swing through the bag seems to have disappeared. I am hoping that it transitioned to Swing Surgeon.com. Can anyone direct me as to where to find it?
Thank you
Thomas Osgerby

Super Mike, keep it up!!

So sad...Too bad D-(

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