Blade users thread (NO DEBATING CLUBHEADS! NO Buy Sell Trade!)

[Bigmean]

Cool stuff!!!!!

 

 

So there is a set of those mazda protos around....I am just going to watch them a bit and see if they come down. I really don't need/want them, but they are getting close to flip able for $100 profit after fees territory which means no harm no foul. Only issue is the dg200 shafts, which are fine to feel them out, but if I wanted to put nippon in it will get costly and I dont think they shaft normally because of hosel?

 

Anyone know anything about reshafting masda irons? They still need to come down another 100usd for me to really contemplate burning the dough. And as a long time stalker of auctions over there, unlike here, they will leave crap on there for years and come down slowly and infrequently in price. The sellers with a fair starting price are beyond patient.

[3_Jack_Par]

If anyone is interested in trying out a Scratch blade, my instructor gave me a demo RH 6 iron with a S300 in it yesterday. I don't have any real use for it, but I thought I could send it to someone who wants to give some Scratch goodness a try.

[DeNinny]

You must realize that I know nothing about the golf swing other than trying to copy people I see and what people show me. I have gotten everywhere on unsolicited advice and I readily accept it. There were exactly zero special snowflakes melted by your comments and I highly appreciate them. Could you please expound on this hip tilt? I cannot see it exactly and I am curious is it away or toward the ball(+/- on y axis) or away or toward the target(+/- on x axis)? Thank you for your time.

 

 

As far as swinging with purpose...you are about to learn all about that with your new katana. You can hit the ball clear to the moon with that thing. In my budding love affair with long irons, I have found that God smiles upon those with swing speed; everything just seems to go better. That Ram is hard on the hands with a slow swing and range rocks.

 

 

On a non golf note: We just left Bremerhaven and the river pilot left the ship via helicopter hoist. I was the officer in charge on the deck and it was one of the neatest things I have seen to date. The harness is grounded on the deck, the guy runs over and dons the harness, gives the hoist signal, and assumes an arched starfish pose. He then literally goes straight up quite quickly and before you know it, is gone in the helicopter. Two minutes from beginning approach to helicopter away.

 

It is better to see a swing from FO and DTL angles, but from what I can tell I see two things at the top of your backswing:

 

1) you slightly tilt your hips at an angle towards the target, and

 

2) you tend to let your right hip 'drift' over your right foot.

 

Both of these issues literally move the center of the swing, the point directly between your shoulder sockets, which should be as stable as possible in the act of the downswing in order to be consistent. Better is to turn your hips back on a level rotation plane: no tilt (as in keep the plane of rotation consistent). Also better is to keep the center of your hips inside of your knees and keep your knees inside your feet. This is the only way to turn your hips: centered and on a level (unchanging) plane. (I had a similar issue with my swing.) The knees are what power the hips and they do this best when they are centered in between the feet. As soon as one knee drifts over the top of its respective foot, the hips turn is DOOMED because it is no longer centered and will be impossible to turn as such.

 

I always wanted to ride in a helicopter. Cool stuff!!!

[mahonie]

You must realize that I know nothing about the golf swing other than trying to copy people I see and what people show me. I have gotten everywhere on unsolicited advice and I readily accept it. There were exactly zero special snowflakes melted by your comments and I highly appreciate them. Could you please expound on this hip tilt? I cannot see it exactly and I am curious is it away or toward the ball(+/- on y axis) or away or toward the target(+/- on x axis)? Thank you for your time.

 

 

As far as swinging with purpose...you are about to learn all about that with your new katana. You can hit the ball clear to the moon with that thing. In my budding love affair with long irons, I have found that God smiles upon those with swing speed; everything just seems to go better. That Ram is hard on the hands with a slow swing and range rocks.

 

 

On a non golf note: We just left Bremerhaven and the river pilot left the ship via helicopter hoist. I was the officer in charge on the deck and it was one of the neatest things I have seen to date. The harness is grounded on the deck, the guy runs over and dons the harness, gives the hoist signal, and assumes an arched starfish pose. He then literally goes straight up quite quickly and before you know it, is gone in the helicopter. Two minutes from beginning approach to helicopter away.

 

It is better to see a swing from FO and DTL angles, but from what I can tell I see two things at the top of your backswing:

 

1) you slightly tilt your hips at an angle towards the target, and

 

2) you tend to let your right hip 'drift' over your right foot.

 

Both of these issues literally move the center of the swing, the point directly between your shoulder sockets, which should be as stable as possible in the act of the downswing in order to be consistent. Better is to turn your hips back on a level rotation plane: no tilt (as in keep the plane of rotation consistent). Also better is to keep the center of your hips inside of your knees and keep your knees inside your feet. This is the only way to turn your hips: centered and on a level (unchanging) plane. (I had a similar issue with my swing.) The knees are what power the hips and they do this best when they are centered in between the feet. As soon as one knee drifts over the top of its respective foot, the hips turn is DOOMED because it is no longer centered and will be impossible to turn as such.

 

I always wanted to ride in a helicopter. Cool stuff!!!

 

Both - have a look a Mark Crossfield's daily blogs. He does some fantastic analysis of swing videos that are sent into him and shows drills that will help fix each particular swing fault. I rarely miss one and have picked up some really good tips...haven't got the nerve to send mine in as I am in denial about all my swing faults ;-)

[bobbyclampett!!]

I agree with some of the above comments Slice. Maybe try a slightly wider stance (esp. with 1 iron, even if it is only 37") to keep the knees inside feet and hips inside knees on takeaway as you coil, as DeNinny says. This may lead to a more stable base, and more consistent contact. Also, maybe think about your right hip going directly backwards (in the direction of your backside) as it rotates, not sliding horizontally away from the target. More of a twist as you load up onto the right foot, as opposed to a lateral shift or sway. This will give you more of a coil, and more power.

 

That's all for my unsolicited advice at the moment! T hanks for sharing the video. Always fun to put a swing with a @handle!

[DeNinny]

I agree with some of the above comments Slice. Maybe try a slightly wider stance (esp. with 1 iron, even if it is only 37") to keep the knees inside feet and hips inside knees on takeaway as you coil, as DeNinny says. This may lead to a more stable base, and more consistent contact. Also, maybe think about your right hip going directly backwards (in the direction of your backside) as it rotates, not sliding horizontally away from the target. More of a twist as you load up onto the right foot, as opposed to a lateral shift or sway. This will give you more of a coil, and more power.

 

That's all for my unsolicited advice at the moment! T hanks for sharing the video. Always fun to put a swing with a @handle!

 

The literal act of turning the hips on a level and centered rotational plane requires that the legs extend in the process of it. If the turn is NOT centered, then one leg has to extend a longer distance than the other which is a recipe for inconsistency (LOL and the proverbial 'humping the goat').

 

Anyone can prove this on their own. Compare how your hips turn when you are centered (i.e. with the hips inside the knees and the knees inside the feet) and when one side's hip, knee, and foot are stacked vertically. When centered, both legs extend and contract in unison to turn the hips in a centered and level fashion, and when stacked, the hips pivot asymetrically over the stacked leg instead of the center of them and the other leg has to extend and contract to turn them.

 

But that centered coil takes more work and so subconsciously a golfer will let his trail hip or knee slide and drift since this alleviates the tension on the trail leg during the coil in the backswing.

[MKappas]

I'm a 3.3 playing Nike Vapor Pro blades. I like the thin sole (I'm a digger), but mainly the look of the thin top-line. I also like to manipulate the head coming through (good or bad) and I can feel it better with the blade.

[Sir Slicealot]

So as far as the narrowing of my stance, I did this in an attempt to keep my weight shift correct. My main focus at the driving range was getting the finish right for the golf club and not a baseball pivot finishing with the weight on the back foot. I haven't swung a golf club in earnest since the excursion in Houston some time ago.

 

I will try to maintain the proper weight shift and slowly widen my stance to make the hip turn level. This sounds like an interesting detail to work out. Thank you kind Sirs for the input.

[bobbyclampett!!]

I have two good stories for the blade community:

 

1) I just found out last night the Cheyenne Country Club, where I worked from the ages of 14-19 cleaning clubs, picking up range balls, and parking carts, is offering a "Deal of the Century" to celebrate its 100th anniversary: for five days they are completely waiving the $5,500 initiation fee! I was planning on joining this spring, but wasn't looking forward to taking a hit like that. Anyway, it's an incredible opportunity and as of this afternoon I am officially a member at one of my favorite places on earth, with fantastic greens and a short game practice area which is just heaven. Quite poetic after working out there all those years ago and falling in love with the place. Feels amazing. So if anyone is nearby or passing through Cheyenne, I'd love to have you out as my guest! Hit me up!

 

2) Got my TA 986 tours and Fly Z pros lengthened, flattened, regripped (Lamkin midsize crosslines) and bent to loft specs by a guy in Casper and had them shipped to me. Package arrived today, I got all excited, brought it into my office, open the package, and it's the wrong sticks. Some terrible old huge CB, knock off brand, way short, terrible grips. I call the guy "Umm, I think you sent me the wrong clubs." By the confusion in his voice, I knew instantly I had been pranked by my new Cheyenne office. The clubs had actually come the day before, and they switched out the sets and re-sealed it. I fell for it hook, line, and sinker. Worst part is, I fell for EXACTLY this same prank when KingCat sent me his Cleveland 1 iron in my previous office. Makes me glad these new folks are willing to prank it up too. It's okay, they'll get theirs.

 

Okay, that's it for now. Wish I could go try out my new toys at my NEW CLUB! But, alas, it's a blizzard outside, lol...

 

ps: SirSlice my TA 986 2 iron is 41". Fill in your favorite "Mine's longer than yours joke here..."

[DeNinny]

OMFG bobby got PLAYED like an 80s video game. Twice! Too funny. Stick two quarters up his butt!!!

 

I think I would have a heart attack if I was expecting some baby blades and instead I get some FUGLY PINGs. Payback is a beotch +10% to any pranksters trying shenanigans like that on me!!!

 

Edit: In other news, the Porn Star set is in the making...my fitter has everything now...and BTW I have two more Stars I have yet to reveal...

[DeNinny]

So as far as the narrowing of my stance, I did this in an attempt to keep my weight shift correct. My main focus at the driving range was getting the finish right for the golf club and not a baseball pivot finishing with the weight on the back foot. I haven't swung a golf club in earnest since the excursion in Houston some time ago.

 

I will try to maintain the proper weight shift and slowly widen my stance to make the hip turn level. This sounds like an interesting detail to work out. Thank you kind Sirs for the input.

 

Weight shift is something that just happens as part of good swing mechanics. The stable actions of the swing are more important than any intentional and focused shifting of weight. When you take the club back, the weight of the club itself and the weight of your arms will automatically "shift" weight to your trail side. And then when you swing that club, again its weight and that of your arms will cause your weight to "shift" to your lead side. On top of this all there is the pull from centripetal force generated by the swing itself which is dynamically increasing and changing direction radially away from the golfer, thus adding more "shifting weight" in the process. So ultimately there is no need to focus on intentional weight shifting. It will happen anyway. Focus on feeling coiled tension in your trail leg instep and inseam as you turn your trail hip to go straight back behind you, as per bobby's advice, instead of feeling it "shift".

[Sir Slicealot]

41"-37" is four inches. I'd say that is a big change. Reshafting of club is in the works I guess.

 

So now I have to shaft up 1&2 in MP-14 and this Ram club. I think I would like to be in a stiff shaft maybe with a mid flight to try and get some more range out of it? Thoughts! Ideas! Schemes!....ready and go...

[bobbyclampett!!]

41"-37" is four inches. I'd say that is a big change. Reshafting of club is in the works I guess.

 

So now I have to shaft up 1&2 in MP-14 and this Ram club. I think I would like to be in a stiff shaft maybe with a mid flight to try and get some more range out of it? Thoughts! Ideas! Schemes!....ready and go...

 

Well keep in mind that 41" is 1.5" over "standard" and that I'm 6'5" and have a relatively high swing speed with driver and that I'm experimenting with longer clubs and flatter lie angles. In other words, what works for me may not and probably won't be the best for you. But yes, experiment your face off! Sounds like you already are. Don't forget about things like Recoil or Aerotech or Graphite Design AD DI shafts. These are popular in longer or driving irons and can make the 1 and 2 iron feel really smooth (although perhaps not as solid and thumpy as a heavy steel shaft).

 

Good luck on your journey!

[Sir Slicealot]

Okay so I found the hip tilt...man that's ugly. Looks like it helps take my focus off the ball also.

 

So I am scheming and planning the whole golf trip on the East Coast... My plan is for a fairly light bag. Six clubs max. I have a new awesome (to be revealed later) club to try, I'm going to take my 716MB 7i, Vokey 200 52 degree, putter, and probably the Fli Hi 2 3H. I'm leaving the woods at home this trip because of space and such. A two iron may make it into the bag to totally mess up life, but I really just want to enjoy the game a little in my current state of not that much practice.

[DeNinny]

Okay so I found the hip tilt...man that's ugly. Looks like it helps take my focus off the ball also.

...

 

LOL once it is pointed out you can't miss it. Also note that you are not alone. I had/still have a similar issue which is why it wasn't hard to spot. I think once you work on this issue alone, your consistency will improve. In the video you shook your head over what I presume was a bad shot, and it was that shot where your hips tilted and swayed the most.

 

A stable hips turn is a foundation for a repeatable swing. I don't care which pro swing you analyze, nearly all of them swing with a hips turn that is stable and doesn't sway or tilt. Added and unnecessary variability in the hips turn will transfer to all other actions literally above it, which means it will add variability to the shoulders turn and all the arms and hand actions.

[dpark]

Nice set of early Ben Hogan Precisions with crescents on hosel and original grips. Seller says they aren't refinished but the faces look too "new" to me.

 

http://www.ebay.com/itm/361907272038?ul_noapp=true

 

Price is about $760 more than I paid for my set with a missing 4 iron. Not sure the 4 iron is worth $760 :)

[MacgregorFan]

This being the Blade user's thread, was wondering if any of you guys ever had a blade(s) you had difficulty adjusting to?

 

Titleist 821

Back in the day, I had special ordered a set of Titleist 821's (Leather grips and all). For the life of me, I couldn't hit them worth a darn. After a week of struggling, during a round of golf, I ran into a Navy guy walking the opposite way. He was throwing a temper tantrum on how much he hated his new Hogan PC irons. We commiserated for a moment and then I suggested we trade irons. Afterwards, I finished my round using Hogan PC's. Best trade ever.

 

Daiwa Advisor DG-8201

Another set I had difficulty with was the Daiwa Advsior DG-8201 forged blades. I was a club shorter in distance - frustrating. They felt great though. I ran into a tour pro who had his clubs (same irons) stolen out of his car. He was supposed to play in a tournament and couldn't get another set in time. I felt bad for him so I sold him my set.

[Sir Slicealot]

Okay so I found the hip tilt...man that's ugly. Looks like it helps take my focus off the ball also.

...

 

LOL once it is pointed out you can't miss it. Also note that you are not alone. I had/still have a similar issue which is why it wasn't hard to spot. I think once you work on this issue alone, your consistency will improve. In the video you shook your head over what I presume was a bad shot, and it was that shot where your hips tilted and swayed the most.

 

A stable hips turn is a foundation for a repeatable swing. I don't care which pro swing you analyze, nearly all of them swing with a hips turn that is stable and doesn't sway or tilt. Added and unnecessary variability in the hips turn will transfer to all other actions literally above it, which means it will add variability to the shoulders turn and all the arms and hand actions.

Dude man, you are super smart. I figure it screws all the stuff up because it tilts the head and destroys the equilibrium of the body. So you feel like you're swinging the club while falling down which is made possible by hand eye coordination, but other than that, good luck being consistent.

 

You'd get a kick out of the other video. I'll post it in a few days when I get back to wifi.

[DeNinny]

Dude man, you are super smart. I figure it screws all the stuff up because it tilts the head and destroys the equilibrium of the body. So you feel like you're swinging the club while falling down which is made possible by hand eye coordination, but other than that, good luck being consistent.

 

You'd get a kick out of the other video. I'll post it in a few days when I get back to wifi.

 

Dude man, it's all in living color in your video. For that miss hit shot, watch your swing center, the point directly between your shoulder sockets, throughout your backswing and what happens to it when you slide and tilt your hips at the top. Note how it moves which then takes it out of its natural position. Note also how much you have to move/slide your hips BACK in your downswing to even have a chance of making decent ball contact. Compare it to your better shots. It moves less.

 

Looking forward to the video. Swing analysis is fun and I respect and admire you for sharing yours. It takes guts in my book.

[sbboudreau]

You must realize that I know nothing about the golf swing other than trying to copy people I see and what people show me. I have gotten everywhere on unsolicited advice and I readily accept it. There were exactly zero special snowflakes melted by your comments and I highly appreciate them. Could you please expound on this hip tilt? I cannot see it exactly and I am curious is it away or toward the ball(+/- on y axis) or away or toward the target(+/- on x axis)? Thank you for your time.

 

 

As far as swinging with purpose...you are about to learn all about that with your new katana. You can hit the ball clear to the moon with that thing. In my budding love affair with long irons, I have found that God smiles upon those with swing speed; everything just seems to go better. That Ram is hard on the hands with a slow swing and range rocks.

 

 

On a non golf note: We just left Bremerhaven and the river pilot left the ship via helicopter hoist. I was the officer in charge on the deck and it was one of the neatest things I have seen to date. The harness is grounded on the deck, the guy runs over and dons the harness, gives the hoist signal, and assumes an arched starfish pose. He then literally goes straight up quite quickly and before you know it, is gone in the helicopter. Two minutes from beginning approach to helicopter away.

 

It is better to see a swing from FO and DTL angles, but from what I can tell I see two things at the top of your backswing:

 

1) you slightly tilt your hips at an angle towards the target, and

 

2) you tend to let your right hip 'drift' over your right foot.

 

Both of these issues literally move the center of the swing, the point directly between your shoulder sockets, which should be as stable as possible in the act of the downswing in order to be consistent. Better is to turn your hips back on a level rotation plane: no tilt (as in keep the plane of rotation consistent). Also better is to keep the center of your hips inside of your knees and keep your knees inside your feet. This is the only way to turn your hips: centered and on a level (unchanging) plane. (I had a similar issue with my swing.) The knees are what power the hips and they do this best when they are centered in between the feet. As soon as one knee drifts over the top of its respective foot, the hips turn is DOOMED because it is no longer centered and will be impossible to turn as such.

 

I always wanted to ride in a helicopter. Cool stuff!!!

Great explanation here. I will need to remember this and pay attention next time out.

[Bigmean]

Watched rickie tear it up yesterday, that was fun, and he missed 2 putts that I saw inside 10Ft. So he coulda been 2 lower easily. Watching that kind of iron play first hand was pretty rad.

[DeNinny]

You must realize that I know nothing about the golf swing other than trying to copy people I see and what people show me. I have gotten everywhere on unsolicited advice and I readily accept it. There were exactly zero special snowflakes melted by your comments and I highly appreciate them. Could you please expound on this hip tilt? I cannot see it exactly and I am curious is it away or toward the ball(+/- on y axis) or away or toward the target(+/- on x axis)? Thank you for your time.

 

 

As far as swinging with purpose...you are about to learn all about that with your new katana. You can hit the ball clear to the moon with that thing. In my budding love affair with long irons, I have found that God smiles upon those with swing speed; everything just seems to go better. That Ram is hard on the hands with a slow swing and range rocks.

 

 

On a non golf note: We just left Bremerhaven and the river pilot left the ship via helicopter hoist. I was the officer in charge on the deck and it was one of the neatest things I have seen to date. The harness is grounded on the deck, the guy runs over and dons the harness, gives the hoist signal, and assumes an arched starfish pose. He then literally goes straight up quite quickly and before you know it, is gone in the helicopter. Two minutes from beginning approach to helicopter away.

 

It is better to see a swing from FO and DTL angles, but from what I can tell I see two things at the top of your backswing:

 

1) you slightly tilt your hips at an angle towards the target, and

 

2) you tend to let your right hip 'drift' over your right foot.

 

Both of these issues literally move the center of the swing, the point directly between your shoulder sockets, which should be as stable as possible in the act of the downswing in order to be consistent. Better is to turn your hips back on a level rotation plane: no tilt (as in keep the plane of rotation consistent). Also better is to keep the center of your hips inside of your knees and keep your knees inside your feet. This is the only way to turn your hips: centered and on a level (unchanging) plane. (I had a similar issue with my swing.) The knees are what power the hips and they do this best when they are centered in between the feet. As soon as one knee drifts over the top of its respective foot, the hips turn is DOOMED because it is no longer centered and will be impossible to turn as such.

 

I always wanted to ride in a helicopter. Cool stuff!!!

Great explanation here. I will need to remember this and pay attention next time out.

 

Ok so then if you actually take this fool seriously, then also remember the following refinements:

 

The newfound freedom of turning your hips properly will give them newfound power. And with this newfound power comes potential for stressing the back down there. Besides being the foundation of stability for the upper body, the hips are also tied to powering the shoulders turn through their connected torso muscles. But they are a smaller radius than the shoulders, so they will lose in a twisting battle (because torque = force x length of radius) and thus the back muscles down there connected to them have higher potential for injury. The back muscles down there are literally bearing the entire "load" of the rest of the swing above it as they turn, and so once you learn to turn the hips with great freedom (AND stability), you have the potential to pull your back muscles by overdoing it. The shoulders turn must be done in cadence and synchronicity with the hips turn.

 

The knees are tied to it all as well. Each knee moves in sync with its respective hip. So you actually initiate the downswing (set up properly with a stable hips turn that doesn't slide or tilt) by a slight bump of the lead knee to the target. Once that lead knee bumps, this starts the "pull" of the lead hip to initiate the turn. At the same time the trail knee and hip will move forward. All this should happen, ideally, without much sliding or lateral movement of the center of the hips and getting the knees involved will help. Observe Mr. Snead's knees here and how they move in cadence with his hips:

 

 

 

Slammin' Sammy is the model for how to get your knees and hips involved in the swing. The separation in his knees especially (he looks like he is bow legged in the middle frames) helps make his hips turn stable.

[No_Catchy_Nickname]

So I have about 4 minutes left on my 15 minutes of free Virgin Wifi to type about my latest venture with my old Titleist Tour models, the set I used to play as a kid.

Played at a nine-hole mostly par-3 course near my Dad's house. Decided to take the Titleists out, and man, I was hitting it well. They are not the most forgiving club, even by blade standards, but not bad when hit right. I played the whole set, 3i-SW, and no other wedges. That was the big surprise: I had no problems with just the 50* PW and 55* SW. Didn't need another wedge. Nice to take them out, especially as it will most likely be my last ever round in my old hometown.

[mahonie]

So I have about 4 minutes left on my 15 minutes of free Virgin Wifi to type about my latest venture with my old Titleist Tour models, the set I used to play as a kid.

Played at a nine-hole mostly par-3 course near my Dad's house. Decided to take the Titleists out, and man, I was hitting it well. They are not the most forgiving club, even by blade standards, but not bad when hit right. I played the whole set, 3i-SW, and no other wedges. That was the big surprise: I had no problems with just the 50* PW and 55* SW. Didn't need another wedge. Nice to take them out, especially as it will most likely be my last ever round in my old hometown.

 

Sounds like a bitter sweet experience NCN.

 

Just gone to 52/56* wedge set up to see how that works...only one round so far and didn't get to use the 56* as I missed all the bunkers :-)

[Sir Slicealot]

Nice to take them out, especially as it will most likely be my last ever round in my old hometown.

There is a certain sadness to this...

[No_Catchy_Nickname]

So I have about 4 minutes left on my 15 minutes of free Virgin Wifi to type about my latest venture with my old Titleist Tour models, the set I used to play as a kid.

Played at a nine-hole mostly par-3 course near my Dad's house. Decided to take the Titleists out, and man, I was hitting it well. They are not the most forgiving club, even by blade standards, but not bad when hit right. I played the whole set, 3i-SW, and no other wedges. That was the big surprise: I had no problems with just the 50* PW and 55* SW. Didn't need another wedge. Nice to take them out, especially as it will most likely be my last ever round in my old hometown.

 

Sounds like a bitter sweet experience NCN.

 

Just gone to 52/56* wedge set up to see how that works...only one round so far and didn't get to use the 56* as I missed all the bunkers :-)

 

Indeed. I wanted to play the course I grew up playing, but I didn't have time to organise that. I went as a single, and paired up on the first tee with a chap called Mike, and enjoyed his company very much. Got talking about various pubs in the area...

I'm not sure what I'm going to do with my irons over here. I might leave them with a brother in London, or another one over on the West coast. I might even send them back to Japan and play them there. I have packed up an old Pringle sweater to dazzle my golfing friends in Japan with...though I did send the delightful mustard-yellow number to the charity shop.

 

Nice to take them out, especially as it will most likely be my last ever round in my old hometown.

There is a certain sadness to this...

 

Yep. It's been an odd trip back.

[puttingmatt]

You must realize that I know nothing about the golf swing other than trying to copy people I see and what people show me. I have gotten everywhere on unsolicited advice and I readily accept it. There were exactly zero special snowflakes melted by your comments and I highly appreciate them. Could you please expound on this hip tilt? I cannot see it exactly and I am curious is it away or toward the ball(+/- on y axis) or away or toward the target(+/- on x axis)? Thank you for your time.

 

 

As far as swinging with purpose...you are about to learn all about that with your new katana. You can hit the ball clear to the moon with that thing. In my budding love affair with long irons, I have found that God smiles upon those with swing speed; everything just seems to go better. That Ram is hard on the hands with a slow swing and range rocks.

 

 

On a non golf note: We just left Bremerhaven and the river pilot left the ship via helicopter hoist. I was the officer in charge on the deck and it was one of the neatest things I have seen to date. The harness is grounded on the deck, the guy runs over and dons the harness, gives the hoist signal, and assumes an arched starfish pose. He then literally goes straight up quite quickly and before you know it, is gone in the helicopter. Two minutes from beginning approach to helicopter away.

 

It is better to see a swing from FO and DTL angles, but from what I can tell I see two things at the top of your backswing:

 

1) you slightly tilt your hips at an angle towards the target, and

 

2) you tend to let your right hip 'drift' over your right foot.

 

Both of these issues literally move the center of the swing, the point directly between your shoulder sockets, which should be as stable as possible in the act of the downswing in order to be consistent. Better is to turn your hips back on a level rotation plane: no tilt (as in keep the plane of rotation consistent). Also better is to keep the center of your hips inside of your knees and keep your knees inside your feet. This is the only way to turn your hips: centered and on a level (unchanging) plane. (I had a similar issue with my swing.) The knees are what power the hips and they do this best when they are centered in between the feet. As soon as one knee drifts over the top of its respective foot, the hips turn is DOOMED because it is no longer centered and will be impossible to turn as such.

 

I always wanted to ride in a helicopter. Cool stuff!!!

Great explanation here. I will need to remember this and pay attention next time out.

 

Ok so then if you actually take this fool seriously, then also remember the following refinements:

 

The newfound freedom of turning your hips properly will give them newfound power. And with this newfound power comes potential for stressing the back down there. Besides being the foundation of stability for the upper body, the hips are also tied to powering the shoulders turn through their connected torso muscles. But they are a smaller radius than the shoulders, so they will lose in a twisting battle (because torque = force x length of radius) and thus the back muscles down there connected to them have higher potential for injury. The back muscles down there are literally bearing the entire "load" of the rest of the swing above it as they turn, and so once you learn to turn the hips with great freedom (AND stability), you have the potential to pull your back muscles by overdoing it. The shoulders turn must be done in cadence and synchronicity with the hips turn.

 

The knees are tied to it all as well. Each knee moves in sync with its respective hip. So you actually initiate the downswing (set up properly with a stable hips turn that doesn't slide or tilt) by a slight bump of the lead knee to the target. Once that lead knee bumps, this starts the "pull" of the lead hip to initiate the turn. At the same time the trail knee and hip will move forward. All this should happen, ideally, without much sliding or lateral movement of the center of the hips and getting the knees involved will help. Observe Mr. Snead's knees here and how they move in cadence with his hips:

 

 

 

Slammin' Sammy is the model for how to get your knees and hips involved in the swing. The separation in his knees especially (he looks like he is bow legged in the middle frames) helps make his hips turn stable.

Which book is this? I have seen these

photo's of Sam some time ago.

[DeNinny]

puttingmatt the book is "The Methods of Golf's Masters" by Dick Aultman and Ken Bowden. It covers the swings and backgrounds of golf greats from Harry Vardon to Seve Ballesteros. I love it and found it used in a Hastings.

[mahonie]

So I have about 4 minutes left on my 15 minutes of free Virgin Wifi to type about my latest venture with my old Titleist Tour models, the set I used to play as a kid.

Played at a nine-hole mostly par-3 course near my Dad's house. Decided to take the Titleists out, and man, I was hitting it well. They are not the most forgiving club, even by blade standards, but not bad when hit right. I played the whole set, 3i-SW, and no other wedges. That was the big surprise: I had no problems with just the 50* PW and 55* SW. Didn't need another wedge. Nice to take them out, especially as it will most likely be my last ever round in my old hometown.

 

Sounds like a bitter sweet experience NCN.

 

Just gone to 52/56* wedge set up to see how that works...only one round so far and didn't get to use the 56* as I missed all the bunkers :-)

 

Indeed. I wanted to play the course I grew up playing, but I didn't have time to organise that. I went as a single, and paired up on the first tee with a chap called Mike, and enjoyed his company very much. Got talking about various pubs in the area...

I'm not sure what I'm going to do with my irons over here. I might leave them with a brother in London, or another one over on the West coast. I might even send them back to Japan and play them there. I have packed up an old Pringle sweater to dazzle my golfing friends in Japan with...though I did send the delightful mustard-yellow number to the charity shop.

 

Nice to take them out, especially as it will most likely be my last ever round in my old hometown.

There is a certain sadness to this...

 

Yep. It's been an odd trip back.

 

Pringle did have some snazzy designs. I still have one from 20-odd years ago that still comes out on occasion:

[Sir Slicealot]

 

Slammin' Sammy is the model for how to get your knees and hips involved in the swing. The separation in his knees especially (he looks like he is bow legged in the middle frames) helps make his hips turn stable.

 

So my first name is Sam, I was born in Virginia and I don't have a problem with distance...but I do need a draw...