For any golfer who wants to play great golf
Swing Theory
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.
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.
Tour Striker – Day 12 – Confidence Building
May 7th
Over the past 12 days working with the tour striker I’ve seen a significant improvement in my ball striking. For a while and before re-acquainting myself with the TS my distance control was inconsistent.
I’m now much more consistent with my distance control and my I’ve added about 15 yards with each iron.
I’ve found that not only is the TS a great practice tool, but it is also a fantastic way to check your ballstriking.
The Tour Striker helps with consistency
Twelve days ago I was very inconsistent with the TS. If you take a look at the last few posts you’ll see me talk about the inconsistencies. Yesterday on the range my strikes with the TS really surprised me. Not only did the ball fly high and far and straight but it just felt great.
I’ve been working on the on practicing with each hand separately and wow is that a challenging drill. It’s really good though. I’m very pleased with progress I’m making with the Tour Striker.
Tour Striker – Day 3 of 30 – a plan comes into focus
Apr 27th
This morning I headed to the driving range early. Got there around 6:50 am, got set up and hit balls into the foggy morning.
I was encouraged by my practice session on Monday evening. This morning it was a slightly different story. I hit a couple of toppers which right away told me that I had too little shaft lean. When I corrected that I hit a number of low flat stingers. The balls took off low, stayed lower than 30 yards high and carried about 175 yards into the fog. They felt solid.
I decided to reach out to Martin Chuck, the inventor of the Tour Striker to tell him about this month long test with his product as well as to get some advice on how best to take advantage of the time.
Based on his suggestions I will be working on the following over the next 30 days. Read the rest of this entry »
Rickie Fowler – He gets it
Feb 25th
Watching Morning Drive this morning, I was in total agreement with the comments that Brandel Chamblee (@BrandelChamblee) made about Rickie Fowler.
“You understand the best way to play golf, this is my opinion, is to go out there and try to hit shots…You know,it’s the big lie to me, that you can go out there and swing perfectly. And I understand why guys do it. I mean literally they’re trying to play this game in the most organized fashion, there’s so much money out there, and if you can stay on tour a long time, you can get ridiculously rich. So what are you gonna do? You’re gonna work out, you’re gonna get a sports psychologist And you’re going to take all these lessons ’cause you want everything to be perfect. And Rickie’s like ‘No, I’m gonna go out and I’m gonna hit golf shots. I’m gonna hit it high, I’m gonna hit it low, I’m gonna draw it, fade it.’ And I know it’s because of the way he was taught the game. His teacher was very much into hitting golf shots. And that’s why he plays fast. Because he’s not out there thinking about a pre-shot routine, and he’s not out there thinking about swing mechanics. He’s out there thinking about golf shots.”
There’s a ton of wisdom in what Brandel said this morning. This is why Rickie is the future of golf. And I think he is going to stun us with what he is going to accomplish in his career.
That new strange feeling – making swing changes stick
Feb 23rd
I’ve written before about making swing changes stick. It’s a shame to spend money on lessons, or time with your coach, and quickly revert back to what you were doing. It’s not a good use of time or money. So how do we change that? How do we make sure that the changes we are making actually stick.
When I’ve had a good session with my coach, I know it because what he is trying to get me to do feels strange. It’s not something I’m used to. It’s important to remember that feeling of it being strange. I think though because it’s strange, it’s unfamiliar and it doesn’t stick. It feels uncomfortable and on some level we don’t want to do it, but we need to get familiar with the unfamiliar in order to change.
If you look at most amateur golfers, they take lessons, but they don’t really get better. Part of that is practice time and not having enough of it. But I think a more significant reason is that as soon as the lesson ends, we start forgetting what was being taught. We start forgetting how it feels. And we start intellectualizing it. And a golf swing, is not something you want to do intellectually. You want to feel it, and you want to do it. You want it to be automatic.
Recently I met with a golf pro friend and we talked about the swing changes I’ve been working on over the winter. He acknowledged that I’ve made solid progress and then had me implement a little adjustment, to bring my hands closer to my body on the down swing.
Twelve Days at the Academy (Golf Channel)
Dec 7th
Since this blog is focused on getting better, let’s take a look at the Golf Channel’s 12 Days at the Academy. What I have been doing is recording the shows onto my DVR and then watching them for the most solid information. Since we all are all working on different parts of the game and we have different strengths and weaknesses you may not agree entirely with me on my assessment.
The episodes I have so far are: Michael Breed, Brandel and Frank, Martin Hall, Greg Normal, Mediate and Ballard, Annika Sorenstam, and Sean Foley.
Strong Episodes
For me, the two most impactful episodes have been Brandel and Frank and Sean Foley.
A year of “Journey to Scratch” and ZenChili.com
Oct 29th
Well it’s Fall again, the leaves are changing all around new England.
It’s also been about a year since ZenChili.com was started and this blog was born. It’s been quite an amazing year and I wanted to thank all of you who have come to read the blog, comment and inspire me.
Highlights of the first year of “Journey to Scratch” on ZenChili.com
Great Coach
Develop great rhythm and tempo in your golf swing by practicing bunker shots
Jul 4th
Practicing bunker shots can improve your rhythm and tempo
Bunker play. What comes to mind for you? Does it fill you with fear? Do you think, “how many shots will it take to get out”?
This is one of the areas that amateur golfers practice the least. And it’s one area where the average golfer can really save a ton of strokes. So practicing bunker shots can save you shots and has a number of extra benefits.
- Bunker shots become much easier.
- Lose the fear of being in a green-side bunker.
- Help with rhythm and tempo.
- Smooth out your swing.
