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> @"Joe Duffer" said:

> > @torbill said:

> > I also do floor exercises three times a week for stretching my lower back and golf muscles. Simple stuff (or I wouldn’t be doing it) that loosens my back muscles, hip flexors, hamstrings, pecs and lats, quads. Five minutes or so, each session. If there is interest in this I can give some details. I hope this gives people some ideas for improving things.

>

> Great info; thanks for taking the time to share your experience. Valuable information indeed! ??

> I just recently turned 73 and my history in golf and back pain mirrors yours to a T. I've been playing since I was eight and still play to a low single-digit cap.

> I, for one, would be most interested in what you've learned regarding flexibility and stretching. Thanks again!

>

>

>

>

Looking for illustrations. Not finding a lot so far.

 

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> @"Joe Duffer" said:

> > @OldFrog75 said:

> > > @"Tim Schoch" said:

> > > Equipment is important. Graphite shafts and midsize grips and the Theraband Flexbar saved my wrists.

> > Arthritis in my hands and wrists is painful and keeps me from playing/practicing as much as I would like so I started an Arthritis thread in the Classic Golf section and someone suggested larger grips and graphite shafts. Thoughts?

> Have you tried a Bionic StableGrip Glove?

>

>

>

>

Good suggestion. The guy I buy mine from tells me that this glove has made the difference between playing and not playing for some of his customers who have arthritis.

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Sounds like a pro that isn't too in touch with his students and how they learn. The pro I see always tries to understand how I practice and learn and then tailors the drills to match. I completely understand the need to ingrain swing thoughts, positions, etc. but you can only absorb one or two key thoughts at a time and not possibly learn a completely new swing, and all its different movements, by yourself. I'd find another instructor that can work with you and how you learn.

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> @"Tim Schoch" said:

> I use the Dri-Tac midsize and love them. Hardly need to squeeze the grip at all. So much so that I do not wear a glove anymore. Still do exercises to strengthen my forearms that support my arthritic wrists and hands. If you are inaccurate, find another mix and match of grip and weight. You can do this!

 

OK. Leap of faith time. I put a Winn Midsize Dri-Tac on a club and went to the range to test 3 different grips: Lamkin Standard (current set and painful), CP2 midsize (very, very comfortable but dramtically lowered the swing weight), and Winn midsize (comfortable with no change in swing weight). I didn't see a noticeable decline in accuracy or distance with the Winn midsize (beyond my usual inconsistency) so I decided to give them a try. Left my bag at the local golf shop and clubs should be ready tomorrow morning. Fingers crossed. :)

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> @MountainGoat said:

> I'm getting up in years, but I still have a move that looks like a fair approximation of a golf swing. Nonetheless, my ball striking degenerated so much that I went to my club pro for a lesson. He spent an hour videoing my swing and pointing out everything I was doing wrong. Apparently, I would be better if I were an entirely different person. So he 'installed' a collection of new moves, all of which require me to force my body into various positions. Then he sent me on my way to do 10,000 reps to ingrain my new swing.

>

> Instructors, you can't teach seniors this way. First of all, we're pretty much stuck with the move we've got. A lifetime of experience has driven us to where we are, and we can't change that much. You can tweek address position and tempo and balance and target awareness, but total mechanical reconstruction is out of the question. Second, we're running out of time. Personally, I'm rapidly approaching the end of my golfing life. It's a little late to completely rebuild myself. At my age, I can probably dedicate 50 honest practice swings a day. Beyond that, I'm just faking it. At that rate, I'll chalk up my 10,000th 'rebuilding' swing on Thanksgiving, just in time for the season to end.

>

> All I want to do is enjoy the game a little more and suffer a little less. Can't you instructors help with that?

 

This is an update on my original post.

 

After about 1000 reps, I went back to my PGA Professional to make sure I understood what he was saying, because I really wasn't having any success. He ran me thru the positions he wanted me to hit and videoed everything. Of 75 balls, I got the correct move twice. TWICE. More importantly, on each _successful_ swing, I twisted my right knee and wrenched my back. If I had succeeded a third time, I would have been injured. I said "thanks" and walked away.

 

Instructors who teach seniors this way are morons, absolute out-of-touch clueless morons. All this PGA Professional succeeded in doing was crushing the aspirations and spirit of someone who works really hard at the game. I have no desire to visit the course in spite of the fact that I live right across the street. Nice job.

 

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> @MountainGoat said:

> This is an update on my original post.

>

> After about 1000 reps, I went back to my PGA Professional to make sure I understood what he was saying, because I really wasn't having any success. He ran me thru the positions he wanted me to hit and videoed everything. Of 75 balls, I got the correct move twice. TWICE. More importantly, on each _successful_ swing, I twisted my right knee and wrenched my back. If I had succeeded a third time, I would have been injured. I said "thanks" and walked away.

>

> Instructors who teach seniors this way are morons, absolute out-of-touch clueless morons. All this PGA Professional succeeded in doing was crushing the aspirations and spirit of someone who works really hard at the game. I have no desire to visit the course in spite of the fact that I live right across the street. Nice job.

>

Doesn't surprise me. Did you have a chance to check out the youtubers I suggested = Danny Maude and Julian Mellor? If nothing else they might give you insights that would help you communicate with your next instructor.

 

 

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  • 2 weeks later...

> @OldFrog75 said:

> > @MountainGoat said:

> > This is an update on my original post.

> >

> > After about 1000 reps, I went back to my PGA Professional to make sure I understood what he was saying, because I really wasn't having any success. He ran me thru the positions he wanted me to hit and videoed everything. Of 75 balls, I got the correct move twice. TWICE. More importantly, on each _successful_ swing, I twisted my right knee and wrenched my back. If I had succeeded a third time, I would have been injured. I said "thanks" and walked away.

> >

> > Instructors who teach seniors this way are morons, absolute out-of-touch clueless morons. All this PGA Professional succeeded in doing was crushing the aspirations and spirit of someone who works really hard at the game. I have no desire to visit the course in spite of the fact that I live right across the street. Nice job.

> >

> Doesn't surprise me. Did you have a chance to check out the youtubers I suggested = Danny Maude and Julian Mellor? If nothing else they might give you insights that would help you communicate with your next instructor.

>

>

I can utterly endorse Julian Mellor’s approach. I am 66 years old and had a similar experience as the OP, although I persevered with it for far too long . I was on the verge of giving up when I came across Brian Sparks and Julian Mellor and the Easiest Swing. I have had 4 lessons with Julian and it has been an utter revelation. Stress free golf SWING, no focus on impossible (at least for me) tour player positions, no X factor ,just a relaxed effortless golf swing. Ball goes perfectly far enough for me, drive rolls out to 240-250, and the game is fun again.

 

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I played with a gentleman a few weeks ago who was 91 years old. He was still playing with Tommy Armour 845’s.

 

He played better than many young guns you see all decked out in full regalia, dressed out head-to-toe like a walking billboards for a brand that pays them nothing to do so such a foolish thing. He didn’t have a tour bag with $2,000 of sticks, no $500 driver or $500 putter.

 

He could hit a drive about 175 yards, worked his way toward the green and had a deft touch chipping and putting.

 

Sure , he walked a little slow to and from the cart, but he never threw a club, cursed or had any reaction to the inevitable bad swings that can happen in golf.

 

He took a wide stance with his feet splayed out to help himself turn. His swing was long and slow. His lead arm stayed long and extended in the backswing, and his trail arm unhinged during his unhurried downswing to be fully extended at impact.

 

His body followed the momentum of the clubhead through impact. Maybe that was a conscious intention that allowed him to being out there at 91 years old? I didn’t ask.

 

Golf instruction seems to run from abysmal to dreadful. Oh, there are some good teachers out there, you just have to find them. The Bell Curve applies to golf pros as much as it does to everyone else.

 

bought out by private equity.

capitalization, grammar and reasoning slashed as a cost reduction.

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After playing for 25 years with a hands and wrist swing (hit style), my body said no more. Last year I learned to “swing thru the ball”, and my golfing pains went away. Just retired (@63), and am playing pain free 5 rounds a week. Learned a lot about keeping hands forward with closed club face from Shawn Clement videos, and now hit ball further than I ever did. I’m still hitting range balls daily to ingrain that swing, which will take a while. It’s amazing how soft the balls feel when you compress them correctly!

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  • 2 weeks later...

Yipes! You went to the wrong instructor, he's a cookie cutter golf swing teacher. I'm 71. Here's my advice. First, forget about pushing for distance, but work for improved impact or contact. At our age, we're not going to appreciably change our swing, but we can make some simple corrections to improve our ball contact depending on what our shots are telling us. Here's how I can help: Tell me what is your big miss, do you slice/fade/pull irons, or do you hook and push and hit fats and thins? Are your divots deep or shallow, and where do they point, to the left or right? Do you tend to hit behind the ball with irons and pop up drives? The answers to these questions will tell you what you need to correct without thinking about 14 different swing positions. Let me know, and I will give you what to work on. Also, the best current teacher with online articles for seniors is Dennis Clark. Look him up on Youtube or Golf WRX.

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I threw in the towel, bag, and clubs a few times in my younger years. Pro instruction was always great in person but lost on the course. Used golf as a 4 hr break from life chasing squirrels , hitting worm burners and connecting hero shots once in awhile. Losing balls was a constant. Retired now, decided to relearn the game my way. Watched all pros swings in slo motion, study body dynamics, educated myself on new ball flight rules, search U Tube video content until I stumbled upon a few dudes that their logic I connected with. Paul Wilson on grip, Shawn Clement on intent, Todd Kolb on ball flight rules, and Eric Cogorno on everything else. The result 8 of 10 shots are solid contact, I can call my shot, I can hit a draw, straight, or fade. I am a work in progress, my swing is now automatic, I am focus on scoring . When a bad shot happens I know why, the next shot will be better. In practice I recheck for power leaks, and keep hitting balls from all different lies as that dictates the club. I always stretch and warmup before I play just like any other sport. My greatest joy of it all is the grass kicking up, the feel and sound of solid contact as I rotate to the finish catching the ball going towards its apex.

Golf my way. Thank you to all that help me make it possible.

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Last year I noticed I could not make a full back swing, and now I have to make a real effort to get it done. I also have a hard time with a full finish as well. Working hard most of my life has taken it's toll, as my shoulders are in rough shape now, crunchy. I am now limiting my golf to nine holes, so it could be worse as I may have to quit all together if it gets worse. So enjoy while you can. The last thing I need is some golf jock to put me in a position, that totally ruins any chance to play at all. My friend had someone show him a position by yanking his arm and shoulder around, and he couldn't swing for six months after that.

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You can make changes without hitting tons of balls.

When I make swing changes I film almost every swing (down line or face on) and review every swing. I also use slow mo (hitting balls) or half swings when I'm trying to change something, filming each one and reviewing.

I don't hit more than maybe 35 balls an hour when I'm making real changes. I used to hit a ton of balls thinking I was making swing changes. I wasn't. I need the cameras feedback to make any progress. And I needed that feedback every swing. And if I can't make any progress in an hour or so (50 balls), it's not happening that day. I walk away and try again another day.

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You have to find an instructor whom, does not try to improve your golf swing, but concentrate on try ing to use what you have and prolong the journey to the end.

Young instructors would not and could not understand the process of aging. Find an instructor whom had gone through the aging and losing of his prime golf game.

Maintain your physical and mental well being, is the key to enjoy this game longer, along with other things in life.

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> @torbill said:

> > @"Joe Duffer" said:

> > > @torbill said:

> > > I found an exercise program that makes my back strong. I do this program at home, without any equipment. If I had to go out to do it I would never stick to the program. I have stuck to it. It has been great for the health of my back and my overall golf flexibility.

> > Would you please consider sharing the details of your exercise program?

> > Thank you,

> > Joe

>

>

> I got a similar request in a PM, asking what I do for my back. So let me start with back pain, and getting to a stronger back. Then if you want to know what I do for flexibility I can go into that.

>

> A disclaimer. I’m a golfer, not a physical therapist. I don't make any claims about what is right or best, but I am happy to explain what I do, what has helped me with my problems.

>

> I have had chronic lower back problems from golf for 30 years. I probably have arthritis and disk degeneration. I don’t really know. Back pain often doesn’t correlate to scans and x-rays, so diagnosis isn’t something I have spent a lot of time on. I have done trial and error; find something that works and go with it. For my chronic back troubles I have found that strengthening and stretching have kept me going.

>

> I also get acute back pain and spasms that, unlike my chronic problems, put me out of golf. This used to happen once or twice a season. Now it happens far less often. When I have an acute episode I have to rest it, and I go to a professional - a good chiropractor who does manual adjustments, an acupuncturist who does traditional Chinese acupuncture with electrical stimulation, a deep tissue massage therapist (my wife).

>

> The most important step that I ever took in improving my lower back - both chronic and acute pain - was to stop using a swing that is based on hard rotation. Rotational players often play from a relatively narrow stance so that they can twist (ouch!) and have to post their lead knee on the downswing (ouch!), rotate the hips like crazy while staying behind the ball, causing them to hit into a reverse-C (ouch!). Most seniors aren’t strong enough for this, in the first place, and it places huge stresses on the lower back and knee - see T. Woods list of surgeries. I went to the Jimmy Ballard method. Ballard has worked with over 300 tour players over the years, including a number who were having back problems, such as Rocco. I studied his method and taught myself (not strongly advised, but nobody in my town understood the method, so I learned it by myself). It is aces as far as sparing the back (and, I have never hit so many fairways). End of commerical.

>

> There are other back-sparing swing methods. By all means get out of hard rotation, if you are doing it. Otherwise you will likely be sorry as the years pile up, if you aren’t already. I know that I just about destroyed my back this way.

>

> The following used to describe me, does this sound familiar?... I have a painful back spasm. I rest. I see a professional. I get better. I am told to do exercises. I do them for a while. All is better. I stop the exercises. Then another back spasm. Rinse, repeat.

>

> I finally committed myself to a simple exercise for making my back stronger. The Plank. I think it is a yoga pose. You can see it on YouTube. It strengthens the abdominal core, lower back, shoulders. When I started I was coming off one of my acute back spasm episodes, and my back was pretty tender. I could hold the plank pose for five seconds, and then my lower back would be killing me - deep pain. I stuck with it, a little bit at a time, gradually improving my pain level and the amount of time I could hold the pose. It got better. And better. Now I do it to a fast count of 600 (as fast as I can silently form the words), which is probably about two minutes. No pain. Even a small amount of this exercise should help a bad back, over time, no need to hold the pose 2 minutes, like what I do - I am of the belief that if one dose of something is good, two must be at least twice as good. I do the plank three times a week, religiously.

>

> Before I started doing the plank I would have an acute back spasm at least once and sometimes more every year, and it was automatic that I was off the golf course for two weeks when it happened - that is a lot of missed golf! Since I have been doing the plank and stretch exercises, which is at least five years, I think that I have missed about four golf days, total. Huge improvement. Less than 10 minutes a week to a stronger, healthier back.

>

> I also do one called Rocketman, but not as religiously. You can find this one on YouTube also.

>

> I also do floor exercises three times a week for stretching my lower back and golf muscles. Simple stuff (or I wouldn’t be doing it) that loosens my back muscles, hip flexors, hamstrings, pecs and lats, quads. Five minutes or so, each session. If there is interest in this I can give some details.

>

> I hope this gives people some ideas for improving things.

>

torbill, do you do the plank on your forearms or hands in a starting pushup posiition? Thanks...

>

>

>

>

>

 

 

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No question! > @torbill said:

> > @"Joe Duffer" said:

> > > @torbill said:

> > > I also do floor exercises three times a week for stretching my lower back and golf muscles. Simple stuff (or I wouldn’t be doing it) that loosens my back muscles, hip flexors, hamstrings, pecs and lats, quads. Five minutes or so, each session. If there is interest in this I can give some details. I hope this gives people some ideas for improving things.

> >

> > Great info; thanks for taking the time to share your experience. Valuable information indeed! ??

> > I just recently turned 73 and my history in golf and back pain mirrors yours to a T. I've been playing since I was eight and still play to a low single-digit cap.

> > I, for one, would be most interested in what you've learned regarding flexibility and stretching. Thanks again!

> >

> >

> >

> >

> Looking for illustrations. Not finding a lot so far.

>

 

Whatever you have would be most appreciated...

Torbill, would you be a bit of a perfectionist as well? ?

"Don't let what you cannot do interfere with what you can do." - John Wooden

"The price of anything is the amount of life you exchange for it.” - Henry Thoreau

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Grips on clubs is an often overlooked tool. Everyone's hands are different and you need to have the proper sized grip to ensure the club does not move in your hands throughout the swing and allowing the wrists to perform correctly. My research and testing brought me to Winn grips, midsized, DRI-Tec. They are so good no glove needed.

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jonsnow, I do the plank face down on my forearms. I’m not sure why it strengthens my back muscles. It would seem that face down would strengthen the abdominal muscles. But it does strengthen my back. A friend of mine does a reverse plank. He lays on his back and supports his body with his heels and forearms. It makes sense to me that this would be better for back muscles than what I do, but I keep doing what I do.

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Hey Joe, I never did find videos or pictures.

 

What I do is simple:

 

I lay on my back with my arms straight out to my sides and my knees bent with my feet flat on the floor. I rotate my hips so that my legs go all the way to one side while my shoulders are flat on the floor. I stretch slowly. Then I rotate my hips in the other direction. This gently stretches my lower back in rotation, as well as the ITB that runs down the side of the leg from the hip to the knee.

 

From the same position, with both knees bent and my feet flat on the floor, I hook my left ankle over my right knee, just above the knee. I hook my hands under my right knee and pull the knee toward the chest. Same with other leg. This stretches my hip flexors. I have a hip implant, so I have to be a bit careful with this one as it could result in the ball popping out of the socket.

 

I stretch my hamstrings by sitting straight up on the floor with my legs straight out in front of me. Many ways to stretch the hamstrings. I do this one because I can simply transition from the above stretches into this one. And from this one I bring my knees up a few inches off the floor, again while sitting on the floor, and I lean my head down between my knees. This creates a straight pull up and down the back.

 

I then roll onto my back, pull my knees to my chest into a fetal position, which probably does the same thing as the straight back stretch that I just described, above. So, it’s likely redundant, but it feels good.

 

I then roll onto my stomach, let my lower body lay flat on the floor from the waist down, and push my upper body up as far as my arms will go while arching my back. In the old days we were told to never do this if we have back pain, as it puts the vertebrae into compression. I do it all the time and it makes my back feel good. YMMV.

 

Then I go over to the sofa and coffee table. I kneel at the right end of the coffee table and hook my left foot up on the sofa with my left knee on the floor. I get tall with a straight back while pushing forward (away from the sofa). It is a quad stretch. Again, there are many ways to stretch the quads, I do this particular lunge sort of stretch because the furniture is, well, right there next to where I was doing everything else. I then go to the other end of the coffee table and repeat for the other leg. My knees used to get very sore when I golf. I take Celebrex or ibuprofen during golf, for the knees mostly. I learned that tight quads make the knees very sore during golf, and if I keep my quads stretched out it really(!) helps manage knee pain.

 

That’s about it. I hate to do these things, so I make the process as quick and efficient as I can and the exercises described above seem to hit the areas that I need to be in good shape to swing a golf club. The other thing that I do is to keep a golf club in my family room, and I swing it a lot in order to keep the specific golf muscles loose and strong.

 

I also walk the golf course, which is hugely important IMHO, for general conditioning.

 

Yes, to answer your question, I am a bit of a perfectionist. If we want to get philosophical for a minute, I believe in doing everything as well as I can do it, and I want to keep getting better at all things that are important to me. Self-improvement gives me satisfaction.

 

As this philosophy pertains to golf, I disagree with the notion that since we are old we can’t learn better fundamentals, that we have to make do by tweaking what we have. I know better. I did it. I made extensive changes in my swing when I went to the Ballard method, and I now have a swing that is the most fundamentally solid that I have ever had, that I can physically handle, that doesn’t hurt my body, and that results in long and straight shots that hit fairways and greens. This swing will last.

 

At our ages we can’t swing like younger people. But we can find solid swing fundamentals that we old goats *can* do. The Jimmy Ballard method is one of them. It is a method that literally anybody can perform. Ballard has success with rank beginners, and he has worked with over 300 PGA tour professionals. This proves to me that it is a method that anybody at any skill level can do. His fundamentals are rock solid on mechanical principles - my education was mechanical engineering, so I know something about mechanical principles. There is a lot of stuff being taught that is mechanically unsound, so it is important to pick a method that will actually work if done correctly. Ballard method isn’t the only one. There are other methods that most seniors can perform. We have to find one that we can relate to, and then work at it. It is hard to change fundamentals - at any age!

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Thank you, young man! Once again, I/we appreciate you taking the time to share your self-discoveries in this wonderful game!

Do you ever find yourself down in the Portland, OR / Vancouver, WA area? I play at Royal Oaks CC in Vancouver. GREAT course! Maybe you've heard of it?

Perhaps we could hook up for a round sometime? Cheers! ?

 

"Don't let what you cannot do interfere with what you can do." - John Wooden

"The price of anything is the amount of life you exchange for it.” - Henry Thoreau

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Since my original post, I have made tremendous progress with my swing by simply listening to my body. I stopped trying to do what instructors told me to do and simply smoothed out what I already did. I no longer have to do extensive back and stretching exercises, because I don't hurt anymore. I'm not stressing my body trying to force it to do something it doesn't want to do.

 

I dropped all the mechanical directives and focussed entirely on soft skills like target focus, balance, freedom from tension, and tempo. I didn't have to employ a new technique, and I didn't have to start over from scratch. I also didn't have to work hard to change my fundamentals, because _they changed themselves_ in response to my new directive to swing smoothly. The result is that my handicap is back to being as low as it has ever been.

 

Not a single PGA Professional coached me along this path. Not a single PGA Professional provided so much as a single word of encouragement. The only positive voice heard came from a young summer assistant pro, who said that if he were me, he wouldn't change a thing. Just do what I do better. So, I did.

 

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> @"Joe Duffer" said:

> Thank you, young man! Once again, I/we appreciate you taking the time to share your self-discoveries in this wonderful game!

> Do you ever find yourself down in the Portland, OR / Vancouver, WA area? I play at Royal Oaks CC in Vancouver. GREAT course! Maybe you've heard of it?

> Perhaps we could hook up for a round sometime? Cheers! ?

>

 

Yes, I have heard of it but don’t know much about it.

 

We actually get to Portland now and then. We are Midwest snowbirds who don’t like the hassle of flying, and every fall on the way to Arizona enjoy making a big detour to the west. We drive until we hit the ocean, then hang a left. For the last two years we’ve been trying to get to Glacier on the way, but all of the fires have spooked my wife so we wind up in the Yellowstone area, and down through Idaho and Utah (not too shabby in their own right). This fall we are getting to the coast, no matter. You live in a wonderful part of the world. I want to play Gamble Sands and a couple of the Bandon courses, and we drive by, but it always seems like we are on the way to someplace and golf takes a back seat. We’ve been eating incredible Harry and David pears at Christmas for about 30 years and would want to see where they grow them, but the place is always closed when we are in the area - isn’t it weird what interests people.

 

I was wondering if you have any tricks to manage your back problems and if your problems often interfere with your ability to play

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  • 1 month later...

> @torbill said:

> > @"Joe Duffer" said:

> > Thank you, young man! Once again, I/we appreciate you taking the time to share your self-discoveries in this wonderful game!

> > Do you ever find yourself down in the Portland, OR / Vancouver, WA area? I play at Royal Oaks CC in Vancouver. GREAT course! Maybe you've heard of it?

> > Perhaps we could hook up for a round sometime? Cheers! ?

> >

>

> Yes, I have heard of it but don’t know much about it.

>

> We actually get to Portland now and then. We are Midwest snowbirds who don’t like the hassle of flying, and every fall on the way to Arizona enjoy making a big detour to the west. We drive until we hit the ocean, then hang a left. For the last two years we’ve been trying to get to Glacier on the way, but all of the fires have spooked my wife so we wind up in the Yellowstone area, and down through Idaho and Utah (not too shabby in their own right). This fall we are getting to the coast, no matter. You live in a wonderful part of the world. I want to play Gamble Sands and a couple of the Bandon courses, and we drive by, but it always seems like we are on the way to someplace and golf takes a back seat. We’ve been eating incredible Harry and David pears at Christmas for about 30 years and would want to see where they grow them, but the place is always closed when we are in the area - isn’t it weird what interests people.

>

> I was wondering if you have any tricks to manage your back problems and if your problems often interfere with your ability to play

 

Much apologies for not following up! I got distracted With some health issues my wife was going through (hip replacement). She's doing really well now… thank goodness!

About all I do to keep moving it is to keep moving. This fellow, Dr. Stuart McGill Was a true lifesaver for me! He explains pretty much everything I do in this podcast...

https://www.listennotes.com/podcasts/the-18strong-podcast/190-dr-stuart-mcgill-the-Kwi0vVrJzFk/

The one thing he doesn't mention that I personally do is training a hot shower on my lower back In conjunction with doing fifty golf rotations/pivots. I start slow and then work up to full 90° turns. I do this about 45 minutes before I hit my first golf ball on the practice range. I also take 400 mg of ibuprofen one hour before I hit my first golf ball.

 

I'll send you a personal message with my contact information should you ever find yourself in my area...

 

Cheers,

Jack

"Don't let what you cannot do interfere with what you can do." - John Wooden

"The price of anything is the amount of life you exchange for it.” - Henry Thoreau

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Jack, got your message, thanks. We are actually looking good for a trip through your part of the world in mid-Sept - Glacier and beyond to the coast.

 

I listened to the podcast. His analysis of how to ruin a perfectly good back is good. This heavy rotation/x-factor stuff gradually destroys backs, and there is no question about it. Yes, there are those exceptional cases where some people can do it and get by fine, as he says, but heavy rotation is going to ruin most players. Don’t wind up the spine like wringing out a wash cloth. Let the hips and lower body coil and carry the spine along.

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> @torbill said:

> Don’t wind up the spine like wringing out a washcloth. **Let the hips and lower body coil and carry the spine along.**

 

Couldn't agree more!

 

Yes, do everything you can to free-up the pivot... lift and rotate your chin to the right before initiating the backswing, allow your left heel to lift and move/rotate your lower body like Payne Stewart.

 

"Don't let what you cannot do interfere with what you can do." - John Wooden

"The price of anything is the amount of life you exchange for it.” - Henry Thoreau

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  • 4 weeks later...

I almost hate to say this out loud, but after starting this thread, I have come across a pro who has revitalized my game. He's an old school guy who made a couple simple suggestions. He didn't insist that I become a completely different person and grind in new muscle memories with 10,000 reps of something. He didn't take a single video. He just slightly modified and smoothed out what I already was. I doubt anyone would even notice the difference. But, I haven't felt this comfortable over the ball is as long as I can remember, and I'm playing better than I have in a dozen years...maybe ever. Frankly, I can't believe it.

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> @MountainGoat said:

> I almost hate to say this out loud, but after starting this thread, I have come across a pro who has revitalized my game. He's an old school guy who made a couple simple suggestions. He didn't insist that I become a completely different person and grind in new muscle memories with 10,000 reps of something. He didn't take a single video. He just slightly modified and smoothed out what I already was. I doubt anyone would even notice the difference. But, I haven't felt this comfortable over the ball is as long as I can remember, and I'm playing better than I have in a dozen years...maybe ever. Frankly, I can't believe it.

 

And who is this mystical sage and where is he located? Hope you have continued success!

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> @"Jersey golfer" said:

> > @MountainGoat said:

> > I almost hate to say this out loud, but after starting this thread, I have come across a pro who has revitalized my game. He's an old school guy who made a couple simple suggestions. He didn't insist that I become a completely different person and grind in new muscle memories with 10,000 reps of something. He didn't take a single video. He just slightly modified and smoothed out what I already was. I doubt anyone would even notice the difference. But, I haven't felt this comfortable over the ball is as long as I can remember, and I'm playing better than I have in a dozen years...maybe ever. Frankly, I can't believe it.

>

> And who is this mystical sage and where is he located? Hope you have continued success!

 

Ha,ha! He's mine; he's all mine! He's apparently a local legend here in mid-Maryland but had been previously unknown to me. Played a bit on tour 20 years ago, but is a total money player today. You want to play this guy, you'd better bring your wallet.

 

Interesting story how I met him. I ran into an old friend who I hadn't seen since we last played golf together 15 years ago. This friend is a senior with a very goofy swing, and back then he could barely break 90 on a good day. When I played with him recently, and was shooting in the mid-70s...every freaking time he went out. Unbelievably solid ball striking and consistency. What really impressed me was that he had the same goofy swing. I asked him how he did it, and he told me about this pro. Recommended I go see him. I wasn't playing poorly, but there was still something missing from my game, so I thought "what the heck; let's give it a try". The rest is history.

 

I'm almost 70, and it took me 55 years to meet the right guy. But, I've got him now!

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