For any golfer who wants to play great golf
Review: Powerchute
Dec 28th
Powerchute
For the past month I’ve worked with a swing trainer called the Powerchute. I’ve given it an extensive test and the results are in.
What is the Powerchute?
It’s a swing training aid that aims to increase clubhead speed and lag, and improve timing and lag. In addition it strengthens the fast twitch muscles.
New DVD available with the Taly Mindset
Sep 15th
There’s a new video that now comes with the Taly Mindset. The opening credits, certainly set the stage.
The Taly Mindset is a device that challenges conventional thinking in golf. It was invented by an engineer who loved the game of golf and wanted to play better. You can read my full review here. The device is now used by many touring pros and teaching pros across the country. One of the most famous teachers who routinely uses the Mindset to teach is Lynn Blake.
The DVD is a big improvement over what used to come with the Mindset. Although the pamphlet the came with it before gave some indication as to how it should be used, it really was not detailed enough and left questions unanswered. It left it up to the golfer through trial and error to figure out what to actually do and how to do it.
The new DVD answers the questions that every golfer needs answered when using the Taly Mindset. If you can understand the thought that went into the development of the Taly Mindset then you can learn to use it effectively. And it will change the way you approach golf.
Tour Striker gets me back on track
Sep 13th
If you’ve played golf with me in the past month you would have known that my ball striking has put me in a bit of a slump. My distance control was off, and my shots were coming up short.
In a few minutes the Tour Striker brought my ball striking back. An hour and half and two buckets of balls later, I’m feeling much better about my ball striking. The difference is dramatic.
Sadly, before this session I was having trouble hitting my 8 iron 150 yards. It was extremely frustrating. This afternoon, my 8 iron was a much more respectable 165-170 average carry, with several carrying 175-180. Now that’s what I’m talking about.
I knew I was on the right track when I started to hit what some low bullets with the Tour Striker. These bullets went no higher than about 30 feet, but they carried about 200 yards. The Tour Striker pro that I use is the equivalent of an 8 iron, so that’s some serious contact. In an earlier conversation I had with Martin Chuck, the inventor of the Tour Striker, he assured me that when I’m hitting those low bullets, it means I’m very close to excellent contact, just millimeters away from perfection. He’s right.
Do you expect things to go as planned?
Aug 18th
I saw this post earlier today and I couldn’t help thinking how much it relates to golf and the way we approach it.
So often, we set high expectations for ourselves, especially when we’ve been working hard on a particular aspect of our game, like chipping, putting, or driving. Then when things don’t go as planned we stop having fun.
Mission Lower Driver Spin Off to a Rocky Start
Aug 11th
The mission has begun…and it got off to a rocky start. The day’s practice was off. Ever felt like you’d never played golf before, it was sort of like that. My irons were solid, my driver felt like a foreign implement in my hand.
It was frustrating, but I did get my initial launch monitor spin rates. They ranged from 2400, to 4200, but most of them were right around 2800. Like I said, it was a weird day of practice.
I was pretty frustrated so I did some more work in the evening and figured some things out. It came down to some basics, posture, take away, and clearing the hips. Correcting these 3 made a huge difference and let me get through the shots more efficiently.
Looking forward to taking these corrections out for a spin tomorrow.
New Mission: Lower Driver Spin Rate
Aug 10th
One of the weakest areas of my game has been my driver. I’ve always been very good with my irons. A steep swing allows me to create crisp iron shots with a descending blow. Unfortunately, this steep swing, really makes driving the ball difficult. I tend to generate a lot of back spin which hurts my accuracy and length. As a result I’ve been fitted into driver combinations that are meant to really reduce spin.
My recent fittings have shown my spin to be in roughly between 2800 on good swings, and 3200 on my poor swings. My mission is to get this down to a paltry 2200. A Bridgestone Ball Fitting made some recommendations based on my numbers: 105-107 Swing speed, launch 11.8. It recommended 2200 rpm as my ideal backspin to optimize carry and total distance. This means I need to reduce my backspin roughly 1000 rpm give or take a few.
First things first, I need to confirm my current spin rate. I’ve started to make some changes but I think it’s important to get an accurate assessment of where I stand. I’m sure this won’t be an easy mission, but I think it will be one well worth the effort.
My new favorite practice putting game – Split Nines
Aug 10th
If you want to add some pressure to your putting practice to make it feel a bit more like what you’ll feel on the golf course then try this game.
The game is split into two halves, your front nine and your back nine. On your front 9, each putt is like you’ve hit the in regulation. Every putt made is a birdie, every putt missed leaves a par putt (you must putt in, 3 putting does count as a bogey).
On your back nine, these are your greens missed in regulation. Every putt is for par. Miss and your next putt is for bogey.
So, on the front nine, you want to get as quickly and as far under par as you can. Be sure to mix in 3 shorter putts (4-6 ft), 3 medium putts (6 – 12ft) and 3 longer putts (more than 12 feet) in each nine.
A key to serious power and distance
Jul 12th
I had a very interesting experience on the range yesterday and had a revelation as I was practicing.
I’ve tried a lot of different things to maintain a good tempo, but a quick thought came into my head that made for a really good swing thought. ”Lazy Explosion”.
It may sound a bit funny, but it really worked for me. The feeling that resulted was one where the swing felt slow, especially the downswing, but the ball just EXPLODED off the club face and flew very far consistently. When I was doing it right, I never felt rushed and it felt like power built up in a very subtle way. Of course I still fought my tendency to swing hard, but this idea of a lazy explosion really cut through that most of the time. I was compressing the ball way more than usual and it felt like it stuck on the clubhead for a split second, before blasting off into space. Even though my irons are very stiff, with shafts designed for a lower ball flight, the ball flew higher, farther than I’m used to, with no balooning.
Obviously the swing itself wasn’t slow, but it felt that way. In fact it felt like I had a lot of time between the top of the swing and the start of my downswing and the resulting shots were really exciting to watch.
Review: Mobitee (Android)
Jun 29th
Mobitee is a golf GPS app available for Android and iOS devices that offers:
- accurate distances
- satellite views of the holes
- fly overs
- scoring for multiple players
- club recommendations
- No subscription fees
How does the application work in real life?
In order to start using Mobitee you need to create at least one golfer in the system. The process is simple and painless and then you can start using the application.
PGA Tour: Tee-to-green key to Donald’s rise
Jun 1st
Interesting article with an in-depth look at Luke Donald’s stats. With Luke Donald ranking low on the driving distance category you would have expected him to rank higher in accuracy, given that his low ranking in distance would put him at a disadvantage on approaches from the rough.
I’ve always considered myself a decent iron player, but I’ve made a concerted effort as well to improve my accuracy off the tee. I’ve noticed an improvement in my scores from that. Here’s what Luke had to say about his improvement in this area.
