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(135).."100 SHOOTERS"

I thought a little information to chear up those golfers out there who think their golf game really sucks, might be appropiate this week. Just a few facts that might suprise and change your mind set about this crazy game we all seem doomed to endure.

What is the average adult male score?
Men lie a lot. In particular, they lie about fishing and golf (oh, yeah, and about women, too). What average score does the average adult male shoot on any given, average golf course when he is being supervised by any given, average rules official?...try a 97. You got it, twenty-five strokes over par; just a bit under 100. Somehow, that works out in the average man's mind to a handicap of fourteen, not twenty-five. I guess that's just a respectable, average sounding handicap.

How many golfers ever shoot par?
What percentage of adult males ever shoot a legitimate round of par on a legitimate golf course? According to the U.S.G.A., the percentage is a staggeringly low one tenth of one percent. That amounts to only one golfer out of every one thousand! Only two and a half percent ever attain a handicap of five or less.

How many men legitimately break ninety?
According to the National Golf Foundation, only twenty-two percent of "ALL" golfers can regularly shoot better than ninety. That doesn't mean all or most of their rounds are sub-ninety. It just means that they have a reasonably good chance of shooting below ninety with some degree of regularity.

How much has this average golfer improved in the last few decades with all of the advances in ball and golf club technology?
Some studies indicate about a stroke per round ; other studies say slightly over a stroke. At least one notable expert claims that there has been no improvement. Perhaps, the courses have gotten tougher. Perhaps, there are just millions more occasional hackers in the game today. But whatever the reason, the average adult male still has a true handicap of 25. Don't believe what you hear in the clubhouse. Thirty years ago the average adult male had an almost identical handicap.

If new clubs are better than old clubs, why have we not got better?
A big, long hook or slice gets you into more trouble than a small, short hook or slice. That new, jumbo, ultra-long driver is giving you some great hits with those new, lively golf balls. You're often getting shorter approach shots to the green, but your mistakes are much more apt to go out of play adding extra strokes to your score. Shaft length exaggerates misalignment mistakes. A modern golfer tees off with a three wood thinking it is a safe choice yet it is now a longer shafted club than was his old driver. You are hitting more shots deep into the woods and far out into the lakes.

One factor overlooked is that old clubs weren't that bad. The major improvement over the last ten years has been the "forgiving" characteristics of oversized and cavity-backed heads. Off center hits now go further. Shots hit on the sweet with old clubs went just as far as the newer "foregiving" clubs of today that are hit on the sweet spot.

This "forgiveness" has had two effects. It has made golf more "user friendly", thus keeping many marginal players in the game raising the overall handicap level. The other effect is that weak, little mistakes now go farther into the woods. A shot that used to die in the fringe now rolls into the pond.

Well gang, I hope this has shown some of you out there that you're not as bad as you think.

(136).."TEMPO"

Fast Swing Tempos or slow swing tempos, is one better than the other?

The best argument for a slow tempo is: Everyone has to make the club come to complete stop at the top of the backswing before starting the club back down. So, why in the world rush so fast to get the club up there. What can possibly be gained? Going back can force a player out of position. It can cause him to tense up and tighten all of his muscles. Loose, relaxed muscles hit better and longer than do tight ones.

That said; a quick swing with a fast tempo is not necessarily a bad swing. Many pros such as Chi Chi Rodriquez and Nick Price have had great success with very fast swings. Some players must, to suit their individual temperaments, use a fast tempo. To force them into an unnatural tempo would destroy any real chance they had for maintaining a consistent swing. Many young players have had their games ruined by pros and parents who try to force their particular square peg students into a round, cookie cutter hole. Gifted young players should be left to their own devices when it comes to tempo. Otherwise, they risk having their game, and their enjoyment of it, ruined by a narrow-minded instructor.

There are very real downsides to having an overly fast tempo, however. Those that can learn to be slow and smooth are best advised to do so. The golf swing takes only a second, more or less, to complete. It is very difficult to isolate and master the intricacies of each segment of the swing if the player rushes through it at breakneck speed. Players with super-fast tempos are pretty much condemned to their own, idiosyncratic swing. If it works for them, great. If not, tough luck. Only minor changes to alignment, grip and primary positions can be effectively made.

Players with slow, smooth tempos are much more capable of sensing variations in their positions throughout the swing. They are much more capable of controlling how they unload the golf club. They can bring the club down smoothly and accelerate briskly through impact. Fast tempo players are more apt to be in total "attack mode". They go up fast and slam down hard. They are, in essence, swinging as hard as they can all of the time and, at every stage of the their swing arc. This causes them to overdo the "hit impulse". Instead of "swinging the club through the ball", they "hit at the ball". This brings about a tendency to decelerate through impact and results in weaker hits, not stronger hits. The follow-throughs of fast tempo players are often low and over-rotated in a counterclockwise direction.

Slow-tempo players are more apt to use the positive forces inherent to a long, round swingpath. They are more apt to hit high, long, beautiful shots. A high, full follow-through is typical of slow, smooth players such as Sam Snead, Colin Montgomery and Freddie Couples. Where a fast player tries to create power by throwing his body through impact, the slow player goes back at a leisurely pace and allows his body to coil up. He then starts down slowly and unwinds completely through impact allowing the club to whip its way through the ball, outwards and upwards. muscles. Being larger, they need to more slowly recoiled and unleashed.

What is most important to remember is this: A fast tempo that mirrors all of the qualities of a slower tempo is just fine. Some people are more relaxed swinging quickly. But, a fast tempo that exists to compensate for swing deficiencies; that exists to manufacture power which is not being produced in a more appropriate manner, is very bad.

Slow your tempo down until you learn to understand your swing completely. Then, without damaging any aspect of it, speed your tempo up to the point at which you are most relaxed and comfortable.

(137).."WET - SOGGY GROUND"

Gerry and his Aussie buds from down-under asked for a tip on hitting the ball in wet soggy conditions?

The most obvious thing is to not hit the ground before you hit the ball and you golfers out there who like to take a divot can be in for some really bad shots out of wet/soggy turf.

Wet turf is heavy turf, and making contact with it prior to contacting the ball will result in a fat shot that goes nowhere. Instead, concentrate on sweeping the ball with a minimal amount of ground contact. To accomplish this, position the ball in the center of your stance and hover the club just behind the ball at address. Keep your "lower body quiet" throughout the swing, and if possible, try to pick the ball cleanly off the turf. Because of the wet conditions, you might want to take an extra club
One of the best drills to practice this sweeping shot is "Clip the Tee"
This is one of Harvey's Penicks favorite drills and if you master it, picking the ball clean is a piece of cake. I know it sounds to simple to work, but think about it. If you can consistently clip a very low tee (no ball, just the tee) out of the ground with a 6- or 7- iron, you have accomplished a great deal. The club face is square; the swing path is straight; you missed the ground. A clipped tee will just kind of pop straight up when hit.

If you have swing plane problems you might do one of these:
1..an outside-to-inside swing path could result in deep divots,
2..an inside-to-outside path could make it hard to hit the tee at all.
3.. Slide, instead of a turn (Hitting fat and thin).
4..Chicken wing resulting in a reverse pivot (hitting behind the ball)....etc. The point being, they will have to be fixed in order to consistently clip the tee.

This drill works well, because there is no ball to clutter your mind with results and expectations of ball flight. This frees your mind so you can focus on your setup and swing. Take this drill seriously and clip more tees than you hit balls and not only will sweeping the ball clean becomes easy,your timing will improve and I will guarantee you'll strike the ball better even when playing in a marsh.
I hope this helps.."G-Day Mates" Tom from "Up-Over"