Swing The Driver Like All The Rest

Steve, your'e far too modest,

Steve, your'e far too modest, would love to be playing to your stats,lol.

I thought that your comments on club length especially in regard to 45" drivers was particularly interesting.ÃÂ The consistantcy of shorter clubs in the golf swing is something that needs lots of emphasis.ÃÂ There is such a skill level difference between the weekend golfer and the golfing professional.

Fogarty,

Have you seen this video tip/drill for full finish. It might be helpful.
http://www.swingsurgeon.com/Da...

That sounds just like my game

That sounds just like my game, apart from the 30 footer to save par. Or the 2 putt for birdie.ÃÂ I can hit every fairway on the course,accept the one I'm meant to be on. Scrambling for me starts at the tee

Bravo DH. you saved us from

Bravo DH. you saved us from adding less kindly responses. Very civil yet well said my friend. And a Happy St. patty's to you laddie (got it right that time! he he he:)

Heck of a finish this week at

Heck of a finish this week at the Transitions. I hope Retief's back treatment goes well. He could use learning a more back friendly swing, too. ;-)

Will be rooting you on this week at the Palmer Invitational, DJ.ÃÂ

Coming from a rotational

Coming from a rotational background too, I would say that I agree that for me I also give little attention to the turn and am sure it still at least 70*. I stretch regularly and have kept fairly limber. The turn part is no problem for a certainty. again, over turning more common. one of the keys that we should watch this video again for is the emphasis on employeeing the right (back) hand to control our vertical lift and prevent rotating into the SBG.

ÃÂ There are so many parts

ÃÂ There are so many parts to a golf game that seldom do we have them all equally.

Part of the game is figuring out what is working the best and, when possible, lean on that part and stay away from what's not going well.

Every tee shot I hit is a calculated decision based on what I think I am hitting best for a second shot.

For example, if I'm on the money with a short iron but not chipping well I would be foolish to hit a driver on a short, but not reachable par 4. The opposite can also be true (been there too, couldn't hit a regular shot but had magic around the greens).

Two weeks ago in the "shamble" my son hit a monster drive to 10 yards in front of a green, leaving an almost impossible chip shot to a green up a steep bank with pin in the front and with the green running away. Of course everybody (but me) wanted to use that long drive even though we had good balls in the fairway from 80 to 100 yards out. Sure enough after the four chips onlyÃÂ two of us had a ball on the green and both left 20' putts.

From 100 yards it's a much easier shot and I would be very unhappy to leave a 20' putt.

Roy, I just re-savedÃÂ all

Roy, I just re-savedÃÂ all of the original details and it worked.
The pic is a birthday card my son did some years back and
it reads "HalfÃÂ Man Half Machine" those were the days when I
would walk 20-30 holesÃÂ every day after work.ÃÂ I supposeÃÂ now with the knee job, he should draw a new one called "Half Man"
LOLÃÂ ÃÂ

Bill

Surge plays the ball pretty much off his left instep with the driver.

http://www.youtube.com/watch

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

Hope this works. New St. Patrick lyrics

Okay, apparently this is a

Okay, apparently this is a real dumb question becauseÃÂ I googled and searched for quite some time both last night and today and couldn't find a clear answer.
ANYBODY..........
ÃÂ ÃÂ ÃÂ ÃÂ ÃÂ ÃÂ ÃÂ ÃÂ How do you use a laser range finder to measure how far we hit each club on the driving range (or on the course)??????? The obvious and hopeful answer I'd like to hear is that with 6x magnification you could simply zoom in on the ball down range (if you are looking at THE right ball and get the excact distance you hit it. Is that how it works? I know with my GPS I can mark the from spot and simply drive up beside the ball on the fairway and get the length hit. If you use a laser I would appreciate your help and answer. Meanwhile I have researched all the rangefinders and have a goo idea which one I might get and about $180 under normal price.
https://www.golfclubs.com/cart

It's the best one in Leopolds line and is normally $500.00

Thanks Surge. Helpful

Thanks Surge. Helpful reminders as I'd say many of us have a tougher time getting as vertical with our drivers for the reasons you stated. As far as hitting down too step and hitting our driver fat as Ronnie mentioned, I'd add one more thought that we have recommended and that is to avoid grounding our driver head before swinging and hovering behind ball just before we swing. That and be careful not too overr due the pre load heavy right which can lead to not transfering to our front foot enough on the FUS and striking oin front of or under the ball.

DJ hasn't been trying to hit

DJ hasn't been trying to hit the ball 330 yards. He's actually been staying very controlled in terms of distance off the tee, not generally going for too much. He's just a little off on his ball striking right now. I'm sure he and Don will work out what's going on that has him struggling tee to green this year (his work on and around the greens has mostly been very good).

PMGAS...It's SST.ÃÂ ;0))

ÃÂ Well, the bright side is

ÃÂ Well, the bright side is that 38-38 is REALLY GOOD with only 3 fairways hit.

I would rather have one big problem that needs to be straightened out than just general poor play (like I've been doing lately). :-(

Maybe it won't take much to find the right key for your driver. ;-)

Steve, your'e too modest,ÃÂ

Steve, your'e too modest,ÃÂ would love to play to your stats, LOLÃÂ

ÃÂ Gino8, Would you like,

ÃÂ Gino8, Would you like, pizza or spaghetti with that order? There are lots of links to seeing both DJ and Surge hitting from SW-driver, if you want to look for them.Just go to the right and type in what you want.
If that doesn't work, then try doing it from your computer. There are lots of guys on this site who will help with what you need to do to achieve that. You sound a mite tetchy in your 'request', never a good way to get help. PMGAS DH.

Funny, I don't have the 9/6

Funny, I don't have the 9/6 iron challenge currently because of my set make up. My 4-7 irons are the Adams Redlines which are one club stronger lofted than my forged Vega irons which I have in 7-pw. So I actually play two seven irons. In essence my clubs are 3 iron-pw,53,58 wedges. I consider my Adams as my distance clubs. (160-195) And my Vega the scoring clubs. I like the formula so far but am in pursuit of clearly determining the gaps and making sure they are where I want them. Thus my new loft/lie toy:) Still want to get a laser range finder as part of this program. May buy it soon. Anyone out there have a laser and I are happy with its accuracy?

Roy (or anyone else with a

Roy (or anyone else with a laser rangefinder),
How can I use a rangefinder to measure how far I hit each club??
Thanks ahead of time.

I was missing long and short.

I was missing long and short. I was trying to play at 70 - 80%. Taking a little extra club a little windy today. I stepped on it a little 90 % and hit my normal club for the length of shot at hand went smoother but still off a little.ÃÂ
My short game and putting were on today. Hit a couple of decent drives. I did not to worry about bad shots just hit the next one better.

This game is not about how good your good shots are but how good your bad shots are. Never really got into any trouble today.ÃÂ

The other thing is I have convinced my self that I will never have a swing that looks exactly like Don are DJ's but will get as close as I can. Don really did not beat me up on my lesson had good things to say but needed and need to work on posture and shorten the swing which I am still working on and feels like it is getting shorter I have not seen any iron heads out of my left forward eye at they tup of the BUS lately. ÃÂ

DonI am sure the whole Surge

Don
I am sure the whole Surge nation would love to see D.J do well, as he is our vertical swing flag carrier, but IÃÂ dont beleive for one minute that backing off with the driver is the only way fix everything. In the driver swing video Surge & DJ did , they said DJ normaly swings at 80 to 90% in order to keep control of the swing, as we all should do. I'm sure at theÃÂ level the pro's play at ,that accuracy is more important than how far they can hit the ball.ÃÂ Golf seems to be one of those sports where we can't always play our very best every time we go out & we need the whole package of long & short game to do well

I agree.ÃÂ I just

I agree.ÃÂ I just concentrate on trying to stay as vertical as possible and the turn will take care of itself.ÃÂ It's kind of like the bump.ÃÂ Don't think about and it will happen.

Take a practice swing thatÃÂ I want for the shot and just try to repeat it.ÃÂ The less thinking during the shot, the better, for me at least.ÃÂ

ÃÂ I can see no drawback to

ÃÂ I can see no drawback to a reverse overlap whatsoever if it feels comfortable.
I can hit the ball just fine with it.ÃÂ To me there isn't any of the feeling you describe about it stopping the right hand from overpowering the lead arm and it feels the opposite.
IMO there is nothing wrong with the, so called, too much right hand.
It makes it more natural for my right hand to have MORE control and feels like a ten finger grip except without that slightly awkward crossover that happens with a ten finger grip because the hands are farther apart on the grip instead of a tighter unit.

Don't know that I would ever use it but for no particular reason at all because it seems to work fine.

Good tip, Don. I watched a

Good tip, Don. I watched a couple of clips of Luke Donald winning the Transitional and noticed that he seemd to have a more upright swing than most. Do you think that he is closer to the PPGS than a conventional rotational swing? If so, perhaps that is why he has been so successful lately (that and his fabulous putting, of course).

ÃÂ Bill, with Surge and his

ÃÂ Bill, with Surge and his swing, he advocates SW thru' 7iron in the middle of the stance. Then from 6iron upwards around a half a balls width to a balls width further forward. The driver opposite the fwd instep. There is in all casesÃÂ what he describes as 'wiggle room', ie, see what works best for you. I have found his ball positioning works for me. Try the box to the right of this page and type in what you are looking for. Good luck

Ha ha! Hey my 9/6 challenge

Ha ha! Hey my 9/6 challenge goes way beyond that. LOL

I walked up on a 130 yard par 3 recently and while I was waiting for my son to hit I noticed I had my driver. ;-)
Now that would have been funny if I had hit the ball.
The first time I ever played the first hole was a very short par four. I asked my son what I should hit and he said a driver. I could tell by looking that I would hit a driver farther than that, and told him if I did it would go over the green and in the woods. He talked me into it and, sure enough, way over the green.
The second hole was a 170 yard par three, so like an idiot I hit a driver again (I had no clue) and hit the ball waaaaaaay over the green and hit a cabin up on the side of the ridge. ;-)
Recently I asked my son why he let me hit that driver and he said "heck, I probably hit mine too".
I bet we were funny to watch that day.

Surge, I am grateful for all

Surge, I am grateful for all you have done to get my game onto a solid foundation, after years of progressively more rotational swinging. I would appreciate your comment on an idea I have - that a vertical swing comes naturally as soon as I replace all thoughts of rotating (70%, 90%, whatever) with another one ... that my hands swing back along a straight line to a thumbs up position and then straight through on the same line to a forward thumbs up position. You will notice that this dispenses with the into-the-mitt position, which gives me a confusing image of the clubhead rotating to some limited degree, although it has obviously helped many others.ÃÂ

Maybe this is because in my younger days I was a "hands" player ... I played my best when I was most conscious of what my hands were doing throughout the swing. Using this new image as my swing key has enabled me to groove a vertical swing that is reliable and surprisingly powerful, for an old fellow.

I watch your swing in the views down the line, and even with the driver your hands move pretty much on a straight line. The clubhead comes in towards the toeline and up the tree, but your hands come straight back and up.

This "straight line" idea works for me.ÃÂ I wonder if it might be helpful to some others who are struggling to overcome old rotational habits.

Once again, thanks for all you are giving us, all around the world.

Howard Pilgrim
Napier, New Zealand

Perfect weather here today

Perfect weather here today and just a light breeze. Almost unheard of at Lil Mole.
Should have played better than I did but still working things out.
Hit my wedges better than I ever have though. Longer irons were either picture perfect or really bad. Didn't putt as well as last week but then again that would be impossible. Last week was a magic trick or something. ;-)
I don't worry too much about looking just like anybody else either. None of us are going to swing exactly the same, heck I don't even swing the same 2 days in a row. Ha ha!

What makes you think that you

What makes you think that you know more about what DJ should do than he does?

It's amazing how many times I am hitting the driver poorly and letting up more and more with less and less success, and the only thing I am getting out of it is that instead of being in the rough closer to the green I am in the rough further away. Then about the time I get sick of it and think what the Hell and start just knocking the snot out of it I start hitting the fairways.

You could very well be right and DJ might play better if he backed off. You could just as easily be totally barking up the wrong tree and he might play worse.

I have no knowledge of Surge and DJ's relationship but if it's anything like myself and my son I wouldn't "pound" anything into his head. If I have a suggestion I offer it. If he thinks it's a good idea he will give it a try, and if he doesn't think it's a good idea he doesn't.

It's all a journey of discovery for all of us. As players, coaches, parents, or whatever relationship, we have to find our way and that way can change from time to time. Hopefully we hit the combination that wins.

You can't tell a long hitter that he would play better if he was a shorter hitter just because someone else that is a shorter hitter is a good player. Maybe the short hitter is a good chipper and putter. Maybe the long hitter can't putt a lick but has a chance to compete because of his length.

We are all looking for the right balance FOR US to play as well as we can and that is constantly changing. If I am right on the money with mid irons and long irons and putting the lights out I don't need much length at all off of the tee. If my irons are crap and I can't make a putt so save my life my only hope is to hit the long ball and get closer opportunities.

You could tell the pitcher that has a 100mph fastball that he might be better if he didn't throw that hard and had more control and threw more off speed pitches. You might even turn out to be right. Then again, if he didn't have much talent for the off speed pitches, you might run him right out of baseball.

DH, Iv'e tried that several

DH, Iv'e tried that several times and it felt very comfortable, thought I was on
a winner, but the stats didn't agree. I assume your'e talking about all theÃÂ
fingers on the bottom hand holding the club and the top hand overlapping, ie
the reverse of a standard overlap.ÃÂ ÃÂ

Lynn/Robert, no I'm not a

Lynn/Robert, no I'm not a stranger, just DISQUS getting things cocked
up again, been trying to change my Avatar as well with no success.
Glad to hear your point of views, NeilofOZ.

I think he has a good golf

I think he has a good golf swing that he repeats very well but I don't see much PPGS in it except the left arm is more vertical than most in the back swing.
Heck of a short game and a smart player.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v...
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v...

Just finished watching live

Just finished watching live coverage of the RR Donnelley LPGA tournament's 3rd round. I marvel at the distance some of these 'petite' ladies hit the ball. Will now definitely watch the last round tomorrow [Monday morning here]. Noticed that some of them are quite vertical in their iron play. Good to see the lady in the tall Leprechaun Irish hat. Happy St Patrick's Day. DH in NZ [daughter landed safely]. The time zones are my nemesis at the moment. I receive a txt msg and have to work out, is it GMT or IMHO Irish Magic Hour Or.......? heh heh heh. PMGAS

ÃÂ Terry, ÃÂ ÃÂ ÃÂ ÃÂ Ã

ÃÂ Terry,
ÃÂ ÃÂ ÃÂ ÃÂ ÃÂ ÃÂ ÃÂ ÃÂ May have missed this one when moving from China or it didn't register too well. Now will try it as one thing I find occasionally is not completing the FUS to the T and recoil. Naughty me! Of late better after slowing down the BUS from the "Let's get that ball out of here" full bore swing 'at it'. Now around 80%+ swing speed and it all seems to happen. Thanks again for the link, it was much appreciated. DH

ÃÂ I know a guy that uses an

ÃÂ I know a guy that uses an old Titleist wedge that pretty much has the grooves worn off and what's left of the grooves is always full of crud. I think the last time he cleaned them was when he and Noah were building the arc.

He gets as much spin as anybody around the greens when he wants too, and is very good at the low one hop and stop shot.

RobertÃÂ ThanksÃÂ Yes the

RobertÃÂ
ThanksÃÂ
Yes the lesson has helped plus the tips and suggestions from everyone on the blog.ÃÂ
Yes 27 putts was great generally hang in the low 30 range. I left a few out there today leaving a few short.That was actually great considering the greens need a week are two to turn fully green and be smooth they must have mowed them yesterday they were way better this week compared to last week.ÃÂ

Especially in the case of

Especially in the case of golf, sometimes easing back gets one into trying to guide the ball, which almost inevitably leads to less control, rather than more.

Hey Halworthy:ÃÂ Welcome

Hey Halworthy:ÃÂ Welcome back and I like your new picture - brightens up the blog.ÃÂ Looks like you got Discus to work for you again lol.ÃÂ R2ÃÂ

Hi Surge,Thanks for all the

Hi Surge,
Thanks for all the excellent advice....it's really having an impact on world golf. Could you please consider a presentation from the backyard driving range covering "The Lag" with particular ref to the action of the wrists? ÃÂ Many thanks Phil G

No, you really wouldn't! (For

No, you really wouldn't! (For real).

I'm still hanging on by a thread and hoping each time to play half way decent based on Mark Twain's theory that there are 3 kinds of lies.
1. Lies.
2. Damned lies.
3. Statistics.

I have one good stat. That is figuring out a way to get out of trouble and get the ball in the hole better than the stats say I should.

Here is typical for me:
Hit the ball in the woods off of the tee. Hit a 30 yard curve one way or the other under some limbs, good shot, but miss the green by 30 yards. Hit a good pitch and tap in the par.

Next hole:
Hit a great tee shot. Terrible second shot. Barely get it on the green for a third. Make a 30' putt for par.

Next hole:
Hit the fairway with a terrible tee shot that doesn't go anywhere and looks like a wounded duck. Hit a great second shot to 12' but above the hole. Three putt for a bogey.

Next hole:
Drive it on a short par 4. Two putt for birdie.

There are 4 holes at even par and not a good stat in sight and some truly terrible shots that no good player would ever hit. LOL
But, a few shots that most people can't hit.

And most professionals choose

And most professionals choose not to play a driver as long as what's being sold to most amateurs because they actually need to control the ball.

Hey Howard,

I'd say you're correct. Somewhere I remember Surge saying that in the Surge swing, you're swinging your arms around the point where your head meets your shoulders. The club is just incidental to that motion.

Me thinks this video

Me thinks this video highlights the major difference/complexity between the rotational
and the vertical swings. Being a rotational player since conceptionÃÂ ( and ÃÂ mature age)
the feeling of the arms following the the same path as the spine makes the feeling
of the swing seem more natural, especially with the longer clubs.ÃÂ With the vertical
swing its totally different, ie little turn buts lots of lift, I'm at the point now where I
ignore the turn feeling and basically lift, I reckon the little turn that's necessary
happens automatically, maybe Ronnie should give this go and see what happens.
Any surgites agree/disagree with this line of thinking?ÃÂ ÃÂ

Im sure you mean well. And

Im sure you mean well. And who knows what may help. I just think he's had a few rough weeks. Only a couple months back he had a 4th place finish. This past Tourny Im sure he'd agree he was playing below expectations in several catigories.
If you follow shot tracker each week he plays you'll notice there are many times during his rounds that he hits a 3 wood instead of driver. And he rarely goes all out swinging at 80-90%the most drives. He'll be fine.
Go get 'em this week DJ.

ÃÂ Ha ha ha ha! If I went by

ÃÂ Ha ha ha ha! If I went by "the stats" I wouldn't be able to use any grip, except the one used to throw my clubs in a lake. LOL

great video I was having a

great video I was having a big problem with the finish especially when I was , willingly or unwillingly, trying to cream it off the tee.. coming from a R Swing I find it very hard to complete the vertical swing[the finish]ÃÂ at times .The driver is the hardest club to get it [PPGS] right ..I Know Practice practice ..anyway thanks surge

Steve I don't know the last

Steve
I don't know the last time I had this much trouble with a club it was a 3W I could not hit it and did not carry one for 3yrs until I was at a demo day and found the 3w that I play now. I can't get any thing out of my driver right now. I think the thing is cracked were the hosel meets the head on top. It just kinda thuds even on center faced hits. I am going to give it back to my builder and have him check it out.

DH

The correct time zone is SST...Swing Surgeon Time

Robert:

ÃÂ ÃÂ ÃÂ I tend to remember both -- the GOOD and the BAD. They seem to go about 50-50.
ÃÂ ÃÂ ÃÂ Good example was Friday's round. I was playing in the afternoon following a morninng tournament group.
Apparently part of the "tourney preparation" was to not water the greens but to work up all the bunkers such that they were likeÃÂ 3/8 inch of dust over hardpan - and the greens were somewhere between linoleium and hardwood.
ÃÂ ÃÂ ÃÂ Chipping and putting became a "new" art form -- it has been a long time since I used 37 putts in a round of golf with ZERO one-putts! ÃÂ I managed to hit 8 of the pesky bunkers - and used a total of 9 shots to get out of them.
ÃÂ ÃÂ On the other hand, I hit 3 GIR -- one of them a par 5 that I played Driver, 6 iron, 6 iron. Yeah it ia short par 5 -- but for short hitter me that is ridiculous!ÃÂ THe reason for the first 6 iron - I had a ball well above my feet in moderate rough - and water in front of me. I hit a huge 6 iron that flew and rolled forever - straight down the fairway, leaving me a "normal" 6 iron to a front pin. Just missed a 15 foot birdie putt for an easy par.
ÃÂ Now for the BAD news -- on the par 3 13th, with water on the left, I hit a solid 8 iron, slighty right of the pin, but watched it hit hard, boucne big and turn right into the bunker. Now I have a longish greenside bunker shot, from a downhill lie to green sloping away to the water. I hit a pretty good bunker shot, but it came out a little low and running -- went off the green, butÃÂ I thought "OK, either the rough or the cross ties will stop it -- probalby have a fairly simple chip and a putt"ÃÂ ÃÂ WRONG!! The ball found a crackÃÂ between the cross ties about 1/8 inch bigger than the ball - and went into the water.
ÃÂ ÃÂ ÃÂ And finally -- the good and bad. On the par 5 17th. I lost my drive to the right (the safe side of that fariway). The ball struck the cart path, took a huge bound into the center of the 16th fairway. (Does that count as a fairway hit? LOL)
ÃÂ ÃÂ ÃÂ ÃÂ I had a good lie, but a tree partially blocking my shot. Decided to play slightly to the LEFT of the tree with a 5w.ÃÂ The swing was good, but contact was a little in-to-out with a slightly open face, resulting in a high push fade heading into the tree, but left of the trunk.ÃÂ Two of the limbs were growing such that they formed an opening about twice the size of a basketball rim, if it were slightly flattened into a football shape. To my amazement the ball went through the tiny opening and wound up in the middle of the fairway, leaving me a 9 iron to the green.ÃÂ I do think not even Phil orÃÂ Seve (and certialnly not me) would have tried that shot "on purpose" ÃÂ
ÃÂ ÃÂ ÃÂ ÃÂ I wound up shooting a 96 on a course playing about 5 or 6 shots "tougher" than normal.

ÃÂ ÃÂ ÃÂ ÃÂ So my theory is that "it all evens out in the end"

ÃÂ Keep hitting them STRAIGHT and LONG

ÃÂ Amos

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Swing The Driver Like All The Rest

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