“WHICH SHAFT”

On July 25, 2010, in "i"Blog"it", by JB

STEEL VERSUS GRAPHITE There is some debate about which shafts are best; the traditional steel shafts or graphite shafts.  In the early days of the steel shafts, which came out during the Bobby Jones era; these steel shafts were performance shafts giving the players more control of their shots versus what they had in the […]

STEEL VERSUS GRAPHITE



There is some debate about which shafts are best; the traditional steel shafts or graphite shafts.  In the early days of the steel shafts, which came out during the Bobby Jones era; these steel shafts were performance shafts giving the players more control of their shots versus what they had in the hickory shafts.  In the early days of the graphite shaft, the belief was that graphite shafts were used by old men and ladies because of how much lighter the clubs were.

Technology and the way the companies study the effect their clubs have on the ball, has tremendously narrowed the gap between the differences of the two shafts.   I still believe that if you are an older person or you are buying a set of clubs that may be your last  set, as they are quite expensive, graphite is the way to go.  If there is any conditions with your hands, then graphite will limit the amount of vibration that reaches your hands, which may in time cause aches and pain from mis-hits.  If you want to reach that level of play that most do not, and you practice, steel shafts will be the best shaft.  Steel shafts can be made as light as graphite these days but you will lose some of the playing characteristics of the shaft that allows you to perform better.  I believe the biggest advantage of steel over graphite is known as torque; this is what happens to the shaft when the ball hits the clubface slightly off of center, the impact of the golf ball on the toe or heel of the club creates a twisting motion in the shaft. causing the clubface to point off line when the ball is released.  Steel shafts are more suited for less twisting, resulting is straighter shots.  The steel shafts also give you more feedback in your hands for the feel of your shots.

There are many different graphite and steel shafts out there so take the time to investigate what you want from your game and then find the shaft that will help you get there.  There is one thing to remember; make sure you get the right “flex” by getting your swingspeed tested or getting your clubs fit by a PGA Golf Professional in you area.

Karty K-  I hope this helps you.  If you, or anyone reading, would like more information on this subject let me know and I will post more.

Good Golfing,

JB

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Same Mistakes

On June 19, 2010, in "Rx" Fundamentals, by JB

A great writer once wrote, “If you keep making the same mistakes over and over again you will never change.  If you make different mistakes you are creating change.”  No truer words have been written when it comes to your golf game. The same mistake you make over and over again is not change but […]

A great writer once wrote, “If you keep making the same mistakes over and over again you will never change.  If you make different mistakes you are creating change.”  No truer words have been written when it comes to your golf game. The same mistake you make over and over again is not change but is the same mistake over and over again.  If you find yourself slicing the ball over and over again or find yourself in the same situation again and again on the golf course, then you are repeating history, playing on negative history.  Create something new, play the hole a different way, play from a different spot on the golf course, and create a new history.  Succumbing to the same old “same old” is what golfers feel comfortable doing.  I hear, “At least I know what is going to happen.”  Why is knowing what is going to happen so acceptable in golf?  Why do golfers accept that they are going to hit bad shots regularly?  Why do golfers wait for failure to rear its familiar head?  This is what I cannot understand!

Every golfer, deep down inside, wants to get better but I think golfers are afraid of getting better. Afraid of success, they expect bad shots and accept those shots as what is supposed to happen. Why is that supposed to happen?  Why can’t something good happen?  Because golfers wait for failure.   They are comfortable when things go bad and uncomfortable when things are going good.  I spoke with a golfer today who was less than excited about shooting even par for nine holes.  He mentioned that he had his best round ever the other day when he shot 94.  He then went out and shot 84 the next time he played.  But his comment was, “That is not me, I will not keep it up, I’ll be back to shooting 100 soon.”  I am thinking to myself through the whole conversation, “but that is you,” you are the one who shot the 84, you are the one who shot even par for nine holes, why not do it more often?  Why wait for failure?

I was told once, along time ago, by an old pro who is now in the golf hall of fame, that I had a “nice” game.  He then told me I had to learn how to score, how to be comfortable playing good golf.  I never really understood what he meant until I began to teach.  He meant that I had to get comfortable playing good golf and get over the emotions that come with playing out of my element.  I had to create a new comfort zone!  This is true for every level of golfer that plays the game.  Instead of wondering when the good fortune is going to end, one must learn to accept the change and embrace the new golfer.  Sure you’re not always going to play better, sure the bad shots will come, but don’t wait for them.  When you play better golf, whether for a hole, a round or two, tell yourself this is what I want, this is what I work for, this is my new game.

This, my friends, starts on the range.  Instead of hitting, slice after slice waiting for that one good shot, do something different.  Make a swing that is comfortable, make that comfortable swing again and again.  Find a balanced finish; create a different miss, a consistent miss.  Check your alignment, there are too many golfers that aim incorrectly and make a beautiful swing only to have the ball end up right of the target.  They then precede to breakdown a somewhat nice golf swing to find that fleeting “good shot.”  Golfers will hit shot after shot that is not acceptable to be satisfied for that one good shot.  I ask you to set up an alignment club, find a balance finish and create new misses.  These new misses are going to come from the performance mind trying to satisfy you by creating the result you desire.  If you aim correctly and find a balanced finish position you will create a new swing, but only after creating new misses.  Now these misses will be frustrating and ugly at first, but if you allow your performance mind to “declutter” all the bad habits that produced the “fleeting” good shots, your new misses will then be “fleeting,” creating a better swing.  The end result is a better golfer.  So change your golfing history on the course by playing a nemeses hole differently and by creating different misses on the range.  Create different mistakes to create a change.

Then play golf…

Golf Your Way.

JB


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Create Your Results

On June 18, 2010, in "i"Blog"it", by JB

I see too many golfers try to control the result by manipulating the way they swing the club. As many of you may or may not know, golf is played in preparation, not in execution.  If you take the time to learn the fundamentals of a shot, whether it be a chip, pitch or a […]

I see too many golfers try to control the result by manipulating the way they swing the club.

As many of you may or may not know, golf is played in preparation, not in execution.  If you take the time to learn the fundamentals of a shot, whether it be a chip, pitch or a full iron swing, then performing when conditions are less favorable, will be much easier.  Once you have learned to perform a motion that creates a standard result, when conditions change you will only have to prepare differently while performing the standard motion, creating a different result. Practice chipping, pitching and the full iron swing on flat favorable lies.  After you have learned how to move the clubhead in your “base” motion, you then only have to manipulate the clubhead with your, grip, stance and aim to “create” a different result.  Once your “base” stroke is honed, you are then only limited by your imagination in creating different and the desired results.

Good Golfing,

JB

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Strengthening Your Weaknesses

On May 27, 2010, in "i"Blog"it", by JB

Learn What Your Weaknesses Are Immediate Results!! I want them, you want them, but you look for them in the wrong places, at the wrong time. When I practice, I do not practice with the thought of creating the perfect swing.  I don’t believe it is out there. There is not “one swing” that works […]

Learn What Your Weaknesses Are

Immediate Results!! I want them, you want them, but you look for them in the wrong places, at the wrong time.

When I practice, I do not practice with the thought of creating the perfect swing.  I don’t believe it is out there. There is not “one swing” that works for everybody.  There is a swing that will work for you and get you to have the golf game you want to have.  But that swing that is perfect for you will not be perfect for anyone else.  Therefore, each of you has to learn your swing, learn your faults and learn to “manage” them.

I believe there is not one person alive that is content with their swing, all the time.  How many times have you heard a touring pro say, “I left some strokes out there?”  How many times have you said, “if it were not for that shot or that hole, I would have had a good round today?”  How many times have you heard Tiger Woods, arguably the best golfer to play the game, say, “ I had my ‘B’ game today?”  Every one that plays golf believes they could have played better.  Golfers are never satisfied.  When you break 100 for the first time you want to then break 90, and 89 is good but then you think 85 will make you happy.  Then 85 is ok but breaking 80 would be great.  Then it gets hard, real hard if you do not practice effectively or learn to change your mental game.  Shooting in the 70’s is awesome and that 79 could have easily been 75, right?  Regardless of what you shoot you will always want to get better or post better scores consistently.  That’s golf.

I will tell you now, that the first step to getting better is to hole every putt and post every score.  It is okay to play a “practice round” where you commit to strengthening your weakness and not post a score.  Hence the term “practice” round.  Seriously.  You have to allow yourself to play a round here and there, where the score does not matter.  Using that round to sharpen your mental game and strengthen your weaknesses.  You can not do this if you are constantly worried about your score.

When you practice you should structure your practice around your weakness.  Learning what your weakness is, allows you to play away from it during a round.  Recognizing your weakness allows you to structure the little practice time you have to learning how to manage your tendencies.  Learn some drills that will exploit the weakness, causing some terrible results in the beginning, but allowing you to create a position or positions in your swing that  make the weakness disappear and your misses better.  Do not look for results here, rather look at your body positions and learn to achieve them, then the results will come.

When I find a drill that will make my weakness stronger, I focus my practice on the positions that will encourage my swing to grow, eliminating that constant miss and give me better results.

Let me know what miss: discourages you, seems to rear it’s ugly head at just the wrong time, or that you just cannot seem to fix, so I can give you a drill that will change your swing.  I want to learn each and everyone of your swings so I can teach it to you and then teach you how to swing comfortably, achieving the result you desire.

I can not do this unless you email me a video of your swing.  So get started now by  capturing two videos of your swing: The first view will be from face on (across); the second will be from down the line (directly behind the ball, looking down the target line).  Use your mobile phone, digital camera, or any device, then email it to livegolflessons@gmail.com.  On the video, make the swing you want not a swing you “think” you should be making.  Make the swing you wish would work, I’ll teach you how to make it work.

Then start learning to play golf…

GOLF YOUR WAY!

JB

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First Round Surprises

On May 22, 2010, in "i"Blog"it", by JB

Remember Your First Round Well the season is underway. There have been a couple of tournaments at the club and I am sure, an outing or too as well. So tell me, how your first round of the season went. Better than expected I am sure. This is usually the case for most because there […]

Remember Your First Round

Well the season is underway. There have been a couple of tournaments at the club and I am sure, an outing or too as well.

So tell me, how your first round of the season went. Better than expected I am sure. This is usually the case for most because there are no expectations! You have not played for awhile and do not expect to play well so you are relaxed and just trying to get your “golfing legs” under you.

This is exactly the mindset I want to teach you so you can play that way always. That first round is usually ok because you are swinging and not expecting the ball to go well. This is the way golf has to be played. You know how frustrating it is when you do everything in your power to hit the ball so it will go straight, then it doesn’t?  Well golf is more enjoyable when you do not “TRY” to hit the perfect shot, but instead, make the swing that you can and the ball does exactly what it is suppose to. That is what golf is all about. Losing the controlling aspect of the result and swinging the way you can, then dealing with the result which is usually more than satisfactory. You will then lose the anxiety that is so omnipresent in each swing when trying to control the result. Lose control and develop a swing. A swing that will surprise you by producing the result you so desire.

By playing golf this way you can become better. The golfing mind will corral your swing flaws and produce misses that resemble the good shots of the old swing, shots which seemed to come so infrequently.

Golf is a game that is played best when you learn to play on the 5 inch course between your ears. No matter what level you are currently playing, I guarantee your mind is disappointing you somehow. The aggravation of not hitting the shot you want, when you want, does not have to keep happening. All the shots are not going to be perfect, but when they are not if the result is perfect, you are playing golf the “Rx” way.

Learn your swing, learn your game and become pleasantly surprised by your game. Then learn to play golf… your way!

JB

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