Rhythm

To get consistency you need to get a rhythm like Sam Snead. He used to hum the blue danube waltz

da da da da 

WHACK! 

dot dot dot dot

Mission Impossible?

Charles Barkley is trying On Target Power. I'll let you know how things progress. :)
On Target Power

Ben Hogan's move

Overhead player POV

A recent message to a student...

Below is an actual message I sent to one of my students who struggling with his old habit of trying to kill the ball.

More than likely you are TRYING to hit the ball rather than letting the club head just swing.  You have to stop TRYING to manipulate everything.  When you set your hands on the back swing you have already stored up enough energy to create speed simply by dropping your hands and turning toward the target.  Your BODY SQUARES THE CLUB FACE, not your hands.  It you are hitting it thin you are raising up too much.  This is because you are TRYING to create more centripetal force.  You are over-doing it in hopes of hitting 300 yards.  Brute force will NOT create distance!  It is NOT POSSIBLE!  You can't argue with physics.  You want to whip the club to FLICK the ball off the ground.  You are TRYING to smash the ball to smithereens!  Has that worked for you yet?  Using the technique you now have with RHYTHM will produce what you are after.  Sam Snead used to hum the Blue Danube Waltz when he "swang" (his term).  That 3/4 time will work.  Da Da Da Daaaa WHACK!  Dot Dot Dot Dot,   Da Da Da Daaaa WHACK!  Dot Dot Dot Dot.  Get that rhythm going to get to consistent results.  If you flex a muscle you make it slower because it has to resist motion to stay flexed!  If you flex a muscle you make it slower because it has to resist motion to stay flexed!  If you flex a muscle you make it slower because it has to resist motion to stay flexed!

 

Once you can hit the ball a consistent distance and straight you can than mark off the average distance you hit each club using that techique.  THAT then becomes your distance for each club.  Forget about what pros' distances.  They are the best at what they do, have custom lofts and lies and you couldn't do what they do as they are 25 years younger anyway.  For a 130 yard shot my smooth average straight shot is with a 7 iron.  If it is windy into me or across it is a 6 or even a 5 iron.  That doesn't make me a wimp.  It makes me get the ball to the target so I can score well.  If my putt is 10 feet or farther away from the cup, my target is a 5 foot circle (kiddie pool).  That will leave me a 2.5 foot tap-in so I 2-putt.  You have to THINK your way around the course.  Long hitters are in the trees and are always having to scramble to save par.  I have no problem being 100 yards or more behind anyone I play against because I know I can get to the hole in par or better.  If the hole is just too long for me I accept bogey as my par for that hole and know I can get a birdie somewhere else to make up for it.  PATIENCE is what is required and learning to accept who you are as you are.  The sooner you can just fall in love with yourself as you are no matter what, the better.

New season begins!

After a rather tough winter here in Southwestern Michigan the weather yielded today.  I dragged out the old bag of rusty blades and teed it up for the first time since November.  Two warm up swings and I took aim at 4 o'clock on that little white ball, thanked John Schlee and took a swing.  I striped it right down the middle.  Okay, lucky? Nope.  I had to go 3 wood for the second shot on this longish par 4 and left it just short of the green to the right. I popped a SW over the bunker to 4 feet and made the putt.  Finished the 9 for the day with 2 bogies and a birdie on #9 to finish +1.  Gonna be a good season, Tater!

Hit the ball and swing from 4 o'clock to 10 o'clock (old post)

Below is a graphic that I use when teaching my students.  Along with Ben Hogan's secret I have my students think of themselves addressing the ball from standing at the  6 o'clock position facing 12.  The target would be at 9 o'clock.  The goal is to swing the clubhead from 4 o'clock to 10.  The body rotation will square the clubface at impact.  I also tell them that they want to contact the ball at the 4 o'clock position which would be the inside quarter of the ball.  I am sure this visual will help you eliminate your slice and lead to purer contact.  You contact the ball at 4 o'clock not the back of the ball (3 o'clock).  Aiming for the back of the ball leads to trying to guide the club head down the target line and even worse leads to coming from the outside the target line and actually hitting the ball at 2 o'clock.

Hit 'em straight!

Mike

http://www.mikecortson.com/

http://www.benhogan.ws/