Breakthroughs

I don't know where else to post this, but I wanted to share it with everyone. First, for those of you who are not hanging on my every word on this forum I used to be able to REALLY play this game. I was a +2 when a junior and senior in High School, playing Pebble Beach at least 1200 times by the time I left college. Anyway, I got hurt in 'Nam and didn't play for a while. Came back to the game and went crazy trying to regain my old form. Got my hdcp down to about 7 and then hurt my back again and started on a new search for a way to play. I have been through just about every method known to man, and tried many of them. Every one of them has been found lacking. My TGM book finally arrived yesterday evening and I read it through Chapter 6 before going to bed last night. Somewhat heavy sledding, as you can imagine, but I used to teach physics and math, so at least some of it soaked. I am a guitarist, which is a critical piece of knowledge about this.

There were two statements that were made in the book (forgive me for not quoting exact references) but they said "Hitters should start the downswing slowly" and "monitor your hands not the clubhead".. For the past couple of years, as I have been struggling to regain form, I have become hung up on where my arms were, where my weight was, how long my backswing was, whether or not I was turning properly, etc. I became mired in playing golf swing. None of what I tried had worked satisfactorily.

I went to the range this morning and did NOTHING but make sure I was the proper distance from the ball and that the ball was in the proper postion (front to back in my stance). Then the only other thing I did was monitor the pressure points in my left hand (last three fingers) and my right hand (first pad of index finger) and start down slowly. EVERYTHING fell back into place. I started striping the ball. I could call shots and shapes and hit the ball flush the vast majority of the time. The distance control returned, and I could shape shots on demand. It was as though someone had lifted the fog that I have been wandering in for the last couple of years. This is the way I used to play, and had lost sight of it. I don't hit the ball as far as I would like, but with improved conditioning and some patience, that will come back.

This book is amazing, and has helped me tremendously and I haven't even begun to plumb the depths of it.

Without this website and the encouragement of people here I would never have ordered the book, and wouild never have made this breakthrough. Thank you to all of you for your support and willingness to share.

Sorry if this has been too darn long, but I left the driving range this morning so excited I was SHAKING.

I am playing tomorrow on a difficult track in less than ideal conditions. I will let you know how it goes.

Thanks EVERYONE,

Obi WunPutt

Originally Posted by Fred Brattain I don't know where else to post this, but I wanted to share it with everyone. First, for those of you who are not hanging on my every word on this forum I used to be able to REALLY play this game. I was a +2 when a junior and senior in High School, playing Pebble Beach at least 1200 times by the time I left college. Anyway, I got hurt in 'Nam and didn't play for a while. Came back to the game and went crazy trying to regain my old form. Got my hdcp down to about 7 and then hurt my back again and started on a new search for a way to play. I have been through just about every method known to man, and tried many of them. Every one of them has been found lacking. My TGM book finally arrived yesterday evening and I read it through Chapter 6 before going to bed last night. Somewhat heavy sledding, as you can imagine, but I used to teach physics and math, so at least some of it soaked. I am a guitarist, which is a critical piece of knowledge about this.

There were two statements that were made in the book (forgive me for not quoting exact references) but they said "Hitters should start the downswing slowly" and "monitor your hands not the clubhead".. For the past couple of years, as I have been struggling to regain form, I have become hung up on where my arms were, where my weight was, how long my backswing was, whether or not I was turning properly, etc. I became mired in playing golf swing. None of what I tried had worked satisfactorily.

I went to the range this morning and did NOTHING but make sure I was the proper distance from the ball and that the ball was in the proper postion (front to back in my stance). Then the only other thing I did was monitor the pressure points in my left hand (last three fingers) and my right hand (first pad of index finger) and start down slowly. EVERYTHING fell back into place. I started striping the ball. I could call shots and shapes and hit the ball flush the vast majority of the time. The distance control returned, and I could shape shots on demand. It was as though someone had lifted the fog that I have been wandering in for the last couple of years. This is the way I used to play, and had lost sight of it. I don't hit the ball as far as I would like, but with improved conditioning and some patience, that will come back.

This book is amazing, and has helped me tremendously and I haven't even begun to plumb the depths of it.

Without this website and the encouragement of people here I would never have ordered the book, and wouild never have made this breakthrough. Thank you to all of you for your support and willingness to share.

Sorry if this has been too darn long, but I left the driving range this morning so excited I was SHAKING.

I am playing tomorrow on a difficult track in less than ideal conditions. I will let you know how it goes.

Thanks EVERYONE,

Obi WunPutt

Fred...

I share in your joy and excitement! Please...keep coming back and let us know how your game progresses...

I have a feeling you will continue to be an inspiration!

Patrick

sounds like a steep learning curve for some re-educated hands, eh?...congrats, good luck tomorrow and thank YOU for you service in the armed forces!

-hcw

OK, I don't mean for this to turn into my personal BLOG on this forum, but it may help some of those who are new, as am I, to TGM. I played a course today that is not overly long, but is rated at 72.3 with a slope of 134 from the tees of choice (blue). Lots of elevation changes, but a course that I know well.

The stats are interesting
I hit 3 greens in regulation
6 fairways
Saved par from 4 bunkers
Bogied a par three by first hitting my tee shot into the water
(175 yard hole over a lake), and then hitting my third on the green and draining a 45 foot putt to save a 4.
I shot 42/39 with a triple bogey (drive OB) on one par 4 on the front.
I saved par by chipping or hitting a sand shot and one putting 8 times
I had one birdie (GREAT second shot)

24 putts.

I was the guest of the Head Pro at this course, and showed up early to warm up. However, they needed to fill a group when I got there, and it would have been rude of me to refuse, so I played without warm up. Undoubtedly this contributed to the erratic nature of my play, as I was doing things that I just discovered would work for me yesterday. Had I a chance to hit a large bucket prior to going out, I am sure my scoring would have been better.

What I discovered, for those of you who are following this is that paying attention to my hands is a great way to hit quality shots. However, I need to remember that paying attention to my hands does not relieve me of the responsibility to HIT THE BALL. I found that I was not aggressive on a lot of swings, and as a consequence left several shots short and right. I also was having trouble with my driver being too aggressive on the start of the downswing and pulling the ball badly. I was smacking it, but pulling it.

There is a very fine line, I discovered, between controlling the club with your hands and trying to steer the shots, between controlling the club with your hands and being either too aggressive or too passive with the hit. When I was able to "listen to my hands" and start slowly down but still be aggressive through the ball I achieved amazing results.

What I am VERY pleased about is that the hands forward, chip and punch shot drill in the Ben Doyle vids returned me to my old chipping form. The greens are very undulating, and running about 10.5 on the Stimpmeter, so I was very pleased with my chipping, which represents a major breakthrough. I have been having trouble before I returned to the chipping style shown in the vids.

Anyway, Happy New Year everyone, and I will keep all the other newbies on here posted as things progress.

Obi WunPutt

Fred,

Congrats on the obvious return to form you're starting to see. I was one who bought the book in the mid-80's (I'm a bit of a golf instruction junkie) and opened it up only to go ?? I promptly put it on the shelf until about 2 years ago. I somehow stumbled across the TGM forum at that time (then the Manzella forum and the Lynn Blake forum) and the book started to "come to life" for me. I get a lot of grief (good-natured for the most part) from my golfing buddies who think I already have a good swing and that I "tinker" too much - but I always wanted to understand the "why" of the swing. TGM supplies that for me - finally. I also have been on the plus side of the handicap line and I think my ball-striking is better now than it's ever been thanks to TGM and the likes of Lynn, Brian, Ben, and the MANY knowledgeable TGM folks on these forums. The wonderful thing about this game is the journey to getting as good as you can be. I know I'm not there yet - and that's an exciting thing.

Keep improving and updating - I always like to hear about how Homer's work is improving the "quality of golf" for those that are passionate about the game.

Originally Posted by Fred Brattain OK, I don't mean for this to turn into my personal BLOG on this forum, but it may help some of those who are new, as am I, to TGM. I played a course today that is not overly long, but is rated at 72.3 with a slope of 134 from the tees of choice (blue). Lots of elevation changes, but a course that I know well.

The stats are interesting
I hit 3 greens in regulation
6 fairways
Saved par from 4 bunkers
Bogied a par three by first hitting my tee shot into the water
(175 yard hole over a lake), and then hitting my third on the green and draining a 45 foot putt to save a 4.
I shot 42/39 with a triple bogey (drive OB) on one par 4 on the front.
I saved par by chipping or hitting a sand shot and one putting 8 times
I had one birdie (GREAT second shot)

24 putts.

I was the guest of the Head Pro at this course, and showed up early to warm up. However, they needed to fill a group when I got there, and it would have been rude of me to refuse, so I played without warm up. Undoubtedly this contributed to the erratic nature of my play, as I was doing things that I just discovered would work for me yesterday. Had I a chance to hit a large bucket prior to going out, I am sure my scoring would have been better.

What I discovered, for those of you who are following this is that paying attention to my hands is a great way to hit quality shots. However, I need to remember that paying attention to my hands does not relieve me of the responsibility to HIT THE BALL. I found that I was not aggressive on a lot of swings, and as a consequence left several shots short and right. I also was having trouble with my driver being too aggressive on the start of the downswing and pulling the ball badly. I was smacking it, but pulling it.

There is a very fine line, I discovered, between controlling the club with your hands and trying to steer the shots, between controlling the club with your hands and being either too aggressive or too passive with the hit. When I was able to "listen to my hands" and start slowly down but still be aggressive through the ball I achieved amazing results.

What I am VERY pleased about is that the hands forward, chip and punch shot drill in the Ben Doyle vids returned me to my old chipping form. The greens are very undulating, and running about 10.5 on the Stimpmeter, so I was very pleased with my chipping, which represents a major breakthrough. I have been having trouble before I returned to the chipping style shown in the vids.

Anyway, Happy New Year everyone, and I will keep all the other newbies on here posted as things progress.

Obi WunPutt

Look out world....
Fred is a great guy that I have had the pleasure to correspond with on numerous occasions.

Attached to his posts should be the disclaimer: "Fred's results are not typical."

Why?

Because of his "teachability" and unwavering adherence to the book as authority on the science of the golf swing.

Fred, its been a pleasure!

Originally Posted by comdpa Look out world....
Fred is a great guy that I have had the pleasure to correspond with on numerous occasions.

Attached to his posts should be the disclaimer: "Fred's results are not typical."

Why?

Because of his "teachability" and unwavering adherence to the book as authority on the science of the golf swing.

Fred, its been a pleasure!

Thanks for the compliment, SS. With reference to "teachability", the fact is that it can apply to anyone who opens their mind. I have played this marvelous game for 48 years and have experienced the highs and lows that it offers each and every one of us. I am also working with Pia Lindstrom's book "Every shot must have a purpose" which should be required reading for EVERY person who plays this game.

Anyway, the teachability part is simply a matter of maintaining an open mind and being willing to try things long enough to KNOW whether they work for you or not. When I was in college, I wssn't going to take a particular class that a friend had recommended. When my Dad asked me why, I said "It doesn't sound very interesting." His comment was "How do you know if you're interested in it if you won't take the class and FIND OUT?" The same thing applies to all of life, and especially to our search for the perfect swing for US. If you discard ideas about the golf swing because "that won't work for me" then you will never reach your potential, whatever that might be. If you discard an idea on the range after one swing, chances are you have NO CLUE whether it is on the right path or not. Learning to hit the ball better is a matter of continuing to look, continuing to experiment until you find the method (whatever that is) that allows you to smack it on demand. THEN the game becomes one that is played, not with your body, but between your ears. THAT requires constant work . Nicklaus is the best to ever play, no argument, and people who played against him will tell you that it was because of how he used his head.

So my goal with TGM, which is SO flexible, and SO adaptable (which is what makes it GREAT) is to get to the "smacking it" point, while simultaneously working on my head

The point, for all you youngsters out there is that I believe that my best golf is still ahead of me, and I am 56 going on 57, a disabled vet, and THRILLED to be part of this community.

My goal (stating goals publicly always makes them more real) is to be playing scratch again by August of 2006. TGM is a MAJOR portion of getting there, thank you all for the opportunity to hang out here and learn.

Obi WunPutt.

For those who are following this with baited breath .
Played Mendifee lakes Lake course with Ball Turf today. AS you know I am new to some of the TGM concepts and working on several things simultaneously. While this may seem counter productive, the things I am working on are all those things which tenc to disappear under the pressure of competition. I can be the best range rat you have ever seen, but taking it to the course presents other issues. I have been reading Pia Lindstrom's "Every Shot Must Have a Purpose", and put it into practice today. Had two major breakthroughs, although I lost focus on the back nine and wound up not scoring well.

First, and this is a first for me, I actually played 18 holes without getting down on myself. I had a rocky start, leving several approach shots to the right and having to struggle to get up and down. Pia's book and a BELIEF that was I am working on in my TGM swing does work kept me from blowing the entire day. I was 3 over after the first four holes, having hit some poor approach shots and bad chips, and managed to finish the front nine 3 over. The back nine was a different story as I apparently ran out of gas mentally and lost focus. Did not play as well on the back, made some very poor swings, but DID NOT get down on myself. This represents another breakthrough for me.

Furthermore, the fact that I did not question my swing when I hit a bad shot is a product of the knowledge that I am gaining from TGM. I KNOW this works, I just have to execute. It makes a big difference in how I view poor shots (and everyone hits them).

Anyway, had 30 putts today due to some missed opportunities with my wedges, but all in all it was a good day.

MAjor improvement in emotional management, which will eventurally translate to major improvement in ball striking consistency.

Happy New Year, all,
Obi WunPutt