Michael
http://21cmr.blogspot.com/2013/03/video-ideo-blog-b-vlog.html?showComment=1365098261416#c6629261831987777296
Noah
http://igotthemagicdansmoi.blogspot.com/2013/04/blog-post-5.html?showComment=1365098506800#c5717914009138346485
Nick
http://doingthe3.blogspot.com/2013/04/ted-talk.html?showComment=1365098825951#c757113873384354387
Thursday, April 4, 2013
Check It Off
The last step in this project is completed but, my journey has just begun (Too corny?). I feel rather relieved after I stepped off the stage getting compliments from my friends and my peers. I now have more motivation before because I have a group of people that know about where I left off. Golf will still be practiced at my house and I will play as frequent as possible on the course. The weather right now is bipolar so, I probably won't get to play a round for quite a few weeks.
Most people will drop the task they were doing right after they finish presenting. My project was something that I truly enjoyed doing and I wish to continue it until my third hip replacement. As I mentioned from the beginning, golf can be played by anyone at any age. Over the past weeks I didn't get the chance to play with my dad that much. I wish to play with him a lot over the summer even though he still has work constantly.
Now going to the grading portion of this post. I felt like I did a good job and I conveyed my message in the way I planned. I felt like I projected my voice and I believe I didn't sound too mechanical like a robot. The speech that I concocted came from my heart and it is something I seriously believe and went through.
Most people will drop the task they were doing right after they finish presenting. My project was something that I truly enjoyed doing and I wish to continue it until my third hip replacement. As I mentioned from the beginning, golf can be played by anyone at any age. Over the past weeks I didn't get the chance to play with my dad that much. I wish to play with him a lot over the summer even though he still has work constantly.
Now going to the grading portion of this post. I felt like I did a good job and I conveyed my message in the way I planned. I felt like I projected my voice and I believe I didn't sound too mechanical like a robot. The speech that I concocted came from my heart and it is something I seriously believe and went through.
- Time: As I practiced and rehearsed my speech my timing was right around five minutes. I feel like I went over the time limit by a little bit but not too extensively.
- Visual Component: The one thing I noticed about my presentation is that I didn't rely too much on my power point. I only had nine slides but, I felt like I utilized them to my ability. The first three slides and the last one had no sentences and only a couple words. I had pictures that helped me share my ideas and points. I felt that the golf swing demonstration helped add to my presentation. I showed how I learned and what I used to do and what I do now. I believe that it helped the audience to understand my process and the golf swing better.
- Content: I thought something that was to my benefit was that I didn't go up there with my notecards and read right off of them. With my script I memorized parts of it and some parts I just had the gist of what I wanted to say. This mixed in the two different aspects and helped me sound like myself. I felt that I gave the audience an idea to walk away with which is what I was trying to do. I could've expanded on the process and my product a little more.
- Organization: This is one category that I usually struggle in. Transitions are not my thing and I didn't do well this time with them either. I felt that I could have connected my ideas in a more smooth way so that I don't just blurt out my paragraphs and sound like I'm jumping around. My conclusion was quite effective because it tied together my process, my journey, and my message.
- Delivery: I have touched on this already a little and I thought this was what I did the best. I tried not to sound monotone and I came out their and my voice corresponded with what I was saying
Wednesday, April 3, 2013
Preperation
Most are familiar with the idiom "the calm before the storm." In my case I am not calm at all. The past seven days have been filled with rehearsal after rehearsal. I felt like I was in a play with how much I was memorizing my lines and making them come to life. So far we have seen the majority of the presentations and I feel like they have all been good except for a few that were quite horrendous.
In this last week aside from preparing for the presentation I came back around to the biggest part of the golf game. As I said I had difficulty with making putts at Hasentree so I felt like I needed a refresher.
When I played the round of nine at Hasentree down in North Carolina I missed a significant amount of putts. I did not two putt once. A two putt is the standard to follow for most golfers except the ones on the tour. It means that once your ball is on the green it takes two putts to get it into the hole. I usually three putted and for one instance it took me more than that. It should never take more than three putts to get the ball into the hole.
I recently read an article that I found fascinating on PGA.com. I have read multiple articles and watched videos on PGA.com in the past because they have PGA professionals teaching the skills. Rory McIlroy has proven to be one of the most clutch short putters recently. Tiger Woods is a name that comes to mind with clutch winning putts. The signature fist bump and roar as the crowd applauds his win.
The article I read this week is written by PGA professional John Crumbley. He discuss putting and he breaks down the short putt into three sections. I, as mentioned earlier, struggle with 6 foot putts. That shouldn't be the case. Mr. Crumbley taught me Hit, Hold, and Look. This is something that I now use when I am on the course attempting these short range putts.
Hit is the first part of the putt. You must strike the ball with enough force but not too powerful to have it roll over the cup. Make sure you are aligned correctly because you might be aimed at the side of the cup.
The second part is what I have most difficulty with. Hold your head still and keep your eyes focused where you struck the ball. I always look up because I want to see where it goes. This usually causes my putter head to draw up a little and I catch the very top of the ball. This drives the ball straight into the ground and doesn't go as far as intended.
The last part is Look. This speaks for itself. Once your stroke is complete you may look up to see where your ball ended up. Hopefully you don't see it because it is sitting cozily in the hole. Today I went downstairs in my basement and practiced my putting. I took 50 shots from six feet out and I made 40 of them. That makes my percentage 80% which is not bad but, it could definitely use some work.
Wish me luck at my presentation. I'm all prepared to share a story about golf and a story about life.
In this last week aside from preparing for the presentation I came back around to the biggest part of the golf game. As I said I had difficulty with making putts at Hasentree so I felt like I needed a refresher.
When I played the round of nine at Hasentree down in North Carolina I missed a significant amount of putts. I did not two putt once. A two putt is the standard to follow for most golfers except the ones on the tour. It means that once your ball is on the green it takes two putts to get it into the hole. I usually three putted and for one instance it took me more than that. It should never take more than three putts to get the ball into the hole.
I recently read an article that I found fascinating on PGA.com. I have read multiple articles and watched videos on PGA.com in the past because they have PGA professionals teaching the skills. Rory McIlroy has proven to be one of the most clutch short putters recently. Tiger Woods is a name that comes to mind with clutch winning putts. The signature fist bump and roar as the crowd applauds his win.
The article I read this week is written by PGA professional John Crumbley. He discuss putting and he breaks down the short putt into three sections. I, as mentioned earlier, struggle with 6 foot putts. That shouldn't be the case. Mr. Crumbley taught me Hit, Hold, and Look. This is something that I now use when I am on the course attempting these short range putts.
Hit is the first part of the putt. You must strike the ball with enough force but not too powerful to have it roll over the cup. Make sure you are aligned correctly because you might be aimed at the side of the cup.
The second part is what I have most difficulty with. Hold your head still and keep your eyes focused where you struck the ball. I always look up because I want to see where it goes. This usually causes my putter head to draw up a little and I catch the very top of the ball. This drives the ball straight into the ground and doesn't go as far as intended.
The last part is Look. This speaks for itself. Once your stroke is complete you may look up to see where your ball ended up. Hopefully you don't see it because it is sitting cozily in the hole. Today I went downstairs in my basement and practiced my putting. I took 50 shots from six feet out and I made 40 of them. That makes my percentage 80% which is not bad but, it could definitely use some work.
Wish me luck at my presentation. I'm all prepared to share a story about golf and a story about life.
Tuesday, April 2, 2013
The Mini Masters
With the Masters approaching, every golf fan is prepping themselves for a week that should be of excitement. With Tiger Woods coming off of a big win two weekends ago, regaining the number one spot in the world it should come down to the wire. I created my own mini-Masters this week at the beautiful club Hasentree located in Raleigh.
The course is designed by Tom Fazio and is one of the many clubs my dad oversees and operates. This is no easy course for me to test my skill and all of the knowledge I acquired over the past weeks including 88 bunkers through the 18 holes. The sand in the bunkers is known as SP-55. It is only used at five other golf courses in the world and one is the home of the Masters, Augusta National.
I arrived at the course a good hour and a half before the tee time to adequately prepare myself for the course. I went through my routine of stretching followed by range play and then focusing on the short game. I spent a good amount of time in the sand because I knew that would be a forth coming problem.
Bunker play is a very difficult concept to grasp, especially for amateurs. I am always intimidated by bunkers because I don't know how to lay it out correctly. I either skull it and take up no sand hitting it over the green or I take up too much sand and it goes nowhere. An article on PGA.com written by PGA professional Charlie King, taught me the secret to a good sand shot. The secret as he said is to take long shallow shots. This means extending the club out more and not just going half way through or striking it in an "axe motion." Instead, if you sweep the club like a broom and take up a little bit of sand, your shots will be more consistent and you can work with it from there.
After fully warming up, we started our round. This round I was playing with my whole family. My older sister Ashley, mother, and my father. If you are not familiar with the tee boxes in golf there are different tees for different skill levels of people. I don't hit from the same tees as the professionals in The Masters (although I would love too). My tee is further up to allow the course to be set at my golf skill level.
The round took forever because my sister, like the old golf me, likes to hit the perfect shot and if she doesn't she wants another try. A round of nine holes should normally take two hours and it took us two hours and forty-five minutes. I triple bogeyed twice in nine holes which never helps you score. I always strive to shoot a double bogey at the worst.
My best hole was the 7th which is a par 5. I normally hate par 5's because they are so long and involve too many shots. The drive that I had on the seventh hole was my best of the day. I hit it 276 yards down the fairway and I was setup perfectly for a second shot. For my second shot I was around 225 yards away from the hole but it was a downhill lie and I had the wind in my favor. I whipped out my three wood a struck it solidly. The ball hit right before the green and continued to roll to the back of the green. I was sitting on the green of a par 5 in two strokes. I was putting for an eagle. I overcame the excitement and hit a lag putt so I didn't overshoot the hole. The ball rolled and landed around nine feet from the hole. I was setup perfectly for a birdie. Up until that putt I had only shot bogeys and above. I hadn't made anything of seven plus feet from the hole. I ended up stroking the ball perfectly making it wrap around the hole and drop in. I jumped in the air like I just won The Masters, pretending a whole crowd was behind me cheering me on. I then turned around and my dad was giving me an evil eye and scolded me for yelling on a golf course.
http://www.pga.com/golf-instruction/instruction-feature/bunkers/easiest-shot-in-golf-it-can-be
Bunker play is a very difficult concept to grasp, especially for amateurs. I am always intimidated by bunkers because I don't know how to lay it out correctly. I either skull it and take up no sand hitting it over the green or I take up too much sand and it goes nowhere. An article on PGA.com written by PGA professional Charlie King, taught me the secret to a good sand shot. The secret as he said is to take long shallow shots. This means extending the club out more and not just going half way through or striking it in an "axe motion." Instead, if you sweep the club like a broom and take up a little bit of sand, your shots will be more consistent and you can work with it from there.
After fully warming up, we started our round. This round I was playing with my whole family. My older sister Ashley, mother, and my father. If you are not familiar with the tee boxes in golf there are different tees for different skill levels of people. I don't hit from the same tees as the professionals in The Masters (although I would love too). My tee is further up to allow the course to be set at my golf skill level.
The round took forever because my sister, like the old golf me, likes to hit the perfect shot and if she doesn't she wants another try. A round of nine holes should normally take two hours and it took us two hours and forty-five minutes. I triple bogeyed twice in nine holes which never helps you score. I always strive to shoot a double bogey at the worst.
My best hole was the 7th which is a par 5. I normally hate par 5's because they are so long and involve too many shots. The drive that I had on the seventh hole was my best of the day. I hit it 276 yards down the fairway and I was setup perfectly for a second shot. For my second shot I was around 225 yards away from the hole but it was a downhill lie and I had the wind in my favor. I whipped out my three wood a struck it solidly. The ball hit right before the green and continued to roll to the back of the green. I was sitting on the green of a par 5 in two strokes. I was putting for an eagle. I overcame the excitement and hit a lag putt so I didn't overshoot the hole. The ball rolled and landed around nine feet from the hole. I was setup perfectly for a birdie. Up until that putt I had only shot bogeys and above. I hadn't made anything of seven plus feet from the hole. I ended up stroking the ball perfectly making it wrap around the hole and drop in. I jumped in the air like I just won The Masters, pretending a whole crowd was behind me cheering me on. I then turned around and my dad was giving me an evil eye and scolded me for yelling on a golf course.
http://www.pga.com/golf-instruction/instruction-feature/bunkers/easiest-shot-in-golf-it-can-be
Sunday, March 31, 2013
More Comments
Oneil
http://oneill-luxem.blogspot.com/2013/04/thats-relief.html?showComment=1365088420436#c1114501702047620762
Ethan
http://erbcinematography.blogspot.com/2013/03/whats-up-guys-as-you-know-i-have-been.html?showComment=1365097624911#c3165827090324183759
Hassan
http://dj-minor.blogspot.com/2013/04/post-7-ted-talk-before.html?showComment=1365097954563#c454387669168915157
http://oneill-luxem.blogspot.com/2013/04/thats-relief.html?showComment=1365088420436#c1114501702047620762
Ethan
http://erbcinematography.blogspot.com/2013/03/whats-up-guys-as-you-know-i-have-been.html?showComment=1365097624911#c3165827090324183759
Hassan
http://dj-minor.blogspot.com/2013/04/post-7-ted-talk-before.html?showComment=1365097954563#c454387669168915157
Tuesday, March 19, 2013
Monday, March 18, 2013
What's In Between?
This is the first drill called the "Ball in Between the Arms." This drill goes as followed: Get a ball that is the size of an "ole fashion dodgeball" or a schoolyard kickball. Place the ball in between your biceps as you align yourself to the ball. Keep the ball steady as you go backwards and then through the ball. Don't drop the ball and don't let it move. This will help force my body to move in a certain way to hit the ball in a better fashion.
Over the past week I have mainly focused on the grip. The grip of the club is the most important thing of one's golf swing. It is one fundamental that most amateurs can't conquer. The grip has the most impact on the position of the face and the face of the club has the greatest impact on the flight of the golf ball. The positioning of the fingers can be the difference between a dipping ball that gets you nowhere or positioned nicely in the middle of the fairway. It is proven that approximately 90% of the golf ball's flight is based off of the grip on the club.
A few mistakes that beginners make when trying to fix grip is looking at it from the playing position. They attempt to hold it in the correct fashion while their club is on the ground in position to strike the ball. It is very difficult to see a few key points while in that position.
Instead, you should pick the club up and hold it directly in front of your face. This makes it much easier to correct errors and you can see straight on what the problem is.
There are a few key things to look for once you have the club up out of playing position. The first one is you want to develop this cup in the left wrist. You do that by gripping the club with the heel pad of the left hand more on top. Once you get the cup you then have to get the crease. The crease is in between the thumb and the pointer finger. You must push the two fingers together so the skin in between doesn't just hang there, rather it is pushed together. The knuckle of the thumb and the knuckle of the index finger should be pushing together. Once the left hand is placed on the club properly it is now time to do the right hand.
One main key is to get the heel pad and the thumb pad to create a pocket for the left thumb to fit into the right hand. Again you want to create a crease in the right hand with the pointer finger and the thumb. The creases should be set up parallel to each other pointing up to the left shoulder.
One of the biggest debates in golf besides Tiger or Jack, is how many fingers in the grip? Should it be ten fingers, lined up next to each other. Or, the overlap, where the pointer finger and pinky are stacked on top of each other. Or, should it be the inner lock grip? The inner lock grip is used by both Woods and Nicklaus. The inner lock is where the pointer finger and pinky lock together in the grip creating one giant hand.
Aside from focusing on grip and and doing the ball drill, it is all repetition. I have taken many putts over the course of the week and a few rounds at the range. I am prepping myself for next Saturday with PART TWO golfTEC!!!
Sunday, March 17, 2013
Comments #3
The links are invisible! It's amazing and I seriously don't know how to fix it. (Wait, I think I fixed it…)
Mr. Ethan
Monday, March 11, 2013
COMMENTS #2
Here are some comments/criticism that I have for my fellow colleagues.
HASSAN
http://dj-minor.blogspot.com/2013/02/blog-post.html?showComment=1363005365266#c1496947477105103821
BENJAMIN
http://the-bluegrass.blogspot.com/2013/03/due-to-technical-difficulties.html?showComment=1363005874984#c4221282997980914716
ETHAN
http://erbcinematography.blogspot.com/2013/02/material-list-second-blog-post.html?showComment=1363006301218#c3857930669311625146
HASSAN
http://dj-minor.blogspot.com/2013/02/blog-post.html?showComment=1363005365266#c1496947477105103821
BENJAMIN
http://the-bluegrass.blogspot.com/2013/03/due-to-technical-difficulties.html?showComment=1363005874984#c4221282997980914716
ETHAN
http://erbcinematography.blogspot.com/2013/02/material-list-second-blog-post.html?showComment=1363006301218#c3857930669311625146
Golf TEC
Who knows John Brenkus? He hosts the television show Sport Science. On Sport Science they view different athletes, hook them up to machines, and show some fancy numbers to show how amazing they are. Over the weekend I had a near identical experience. For one, I didn't get to meet Brenkus or get on national TV. Instead I met PGA professional Chris Young and got a chance to really break down my swing.
From the outside of the building you would see a dilapidated Mexican restaurant and a nail salon that looks rather shady. But once you get inside, it's a golfer's paradise. A putting green to the right with different lies, and if you walk back a little further there are four rooms with nets, turf, and an extensive amount of equipment.
Three camera angles to film my swing and help me visually see where it is going wrong. Not only did I get to re-watch my swing but Chris Young broke down my swing analyzing every bit of it while comparing me to Ernie Ells and Anthony Kim. In the above image it shows two different angles of my swing. If you're wondering what those packs are on my hips and shoulders they are battery powered swing monitors. They help calculate shoulder turn, shoulder tilt, hip bend, and more. If the number is highlighted red it needs work and is off from what is necessary. If it is yellow it is moderate but still needs a little fixing. Finally, the numbers in green are all good. That is what I already do correctly and do not need any help with.
Mr. Young focused on three main things to help me improve my golf game. The first is the hip bend. As you can see my hip bend is very low. The B next to the 1 stands for back. My hips are too far back and need to be tilted in a downward fashion. The hip bend calculated for the most accurate and proper swing is somewhere around 16. Chris Young gave me a tip to help me remember how much hip bend to have. He said to point the head of my buckle directly at the ball. That increases the hip bend and makes for a more accurate shot.
The below images help to show the next aspect Chris Young worked on with me. If you are not familiar with the side and behind angles of professional golfers, the top image is Ernie Ells (left) and the bottom image is Anthony Kim (right). My shoulder turn is rather lame. I have about a 53 closed shoulder turn and Ells who is a freak has about 105 closed. I need to boost this to at least an eighty, so that the tork can help create power. Young gave me a drill to help with not just lifting my arms straight up but instead, taking them back in more of a sweeping motion. This helps overall with the shoulder turn. The drill is setup with a piece of plywood and your golf club. Set up at the ball and take your golf club back pushing the wood backwards and then lift. This will also help to increase my hip turn.
I had a very successful week progressing greatly to reach my goal. I now can visually see where I can improve and what I need to do to help it. I have a follow up meeting with Chris Young in twelve days to see my improvement and give me more footage of what I need to work on.
I recently received the news that I will be down in North Carolina at the end of March and I will be playing a few rounds of golf. I will be playing at Hasentree and my dad is trying to pull connections to get into Pinehurst #2. Thus wrapping up this week's blog post.
From the outside of the building you would see a dilapidated Mexican restaurant and a nail salon that looks rather shady. But once you get inside, it's a golfer's paradise. A putting green to the right with different lies, and if you walk back a little further there are four rooms with nets, turf, and an extensive amount of equipment.
The below images help to show the next aspect Chris Young worked on with me. If you are not familiar with the side and behind angles of professional golfers, the top image is Ernie Ells (left) and the bottom image is Anthony Kim (right). My shoulder turn is rather lame. I have about a 53 closed shoulder turn and Ells who is a freak has about 105 closed. I need to boost this to at least an eighty, so that the tork can help create power. Young gave me a drill to help with not just lifting my arms straight up but instead, taking them back in more of a sweeping motion. This helps overall with the shoulder turn. The drill is setup with a piece of plywood and your golf club. Set up at the ball and take your golf club back pushing the wood backwards and then lift. This will also help to increase my hip turn.
I had a very successful week progressing greatly to reach my goal. I now can visually see where I can improve and what I need to do to help it. I have a follow up meeting with Chris Young in twelve days to see my improvement and give me more footage of what I need to work on.
I recently received the news that I will be down in North Carolina at the end of March and I will be playing a few rounds of golf. I will be playing at Hasentree and my dad is trying to pull connections to get into Pinehurst #2. Thus wrapping up this week's blog post.
Thursday, February 28, 2013
Comments Week One
My constructive advice for a few of my colleagues.
Student Grade 9, Mr. Noah
http://igotthemagicdansmoi.blogspot.com/2013/02/blog-post-1.html?showComment=1362066770654#c2896732533882093907
Student Grade 10, Mr. Andrew
http://quadroflcopter.blogspot.com/
Student Grade 9, Mr. Nick
http://doingthe3.blogspot.com/2013/02/week-one.html#comment-form
Student Grade 9, Mr. Noah
http://igotthemagicdansmoi.blogspot.com/2013/02/blog-post-1.html?showComment=1362066770654#c2896732533882093907
Student Grade 10, Mr. Andrew
http://quadroflcopter.blogspot.com/
Student Grade 9, Mr. Nick
http://doingthe3.blogspot.com/2013/02/week-one.html#comment-form
Fail and Three Quarters
Everyone fails at doing something. This week, not only did I fail but I fell flat on my face. Imagine a guy running full speed on pavement, tripping on a boulder and slamming the ground causing a minor earthquake. Sort of like this nimrod skateboarding
This past week I was attempting to improve my seven and eight iron shots. I can strike the ball with force but it doesn't matter if it dips to the right landing you aside some pinecones, rusty leaves, and tall trees. The problem with my golf game is the accuracy and consistency.
PGA professional Jeff Coston helped me straighten out my swing. As misleading as the first sentence might have been I didn't meet the great Jeff Coston in person rather on PGA.com where I watched a two minute video. He talked about how many golfers raise their backswing straight up causing a slice. No not a slice of pizza (although that sounds quite delicious right about now) a slice that curves from left to right ending you up either on the right side of the green or further more ending you up in the boonies.
Getting to spend time out on the golf course is great. Getting to move around and feeling like you accomplished something when you make a nice shot is the best. But the worst part is having to sit on my butt and read a book. I'm not the type to sit down with a cup of green tea reading a book. No. I like to go and go and go. I can't stop once I start to move. This kid basically describes me reading my book.
The book I am reading is Harvey Penick's Little Red Book by Harvey Penick. It teaches the basic fundamentals of the game to beginners. I am hoping to pick up a few tips and tricks to get me one stroke closer to my goal.
I haven't discussed much about my final goal but I know have it here in numerical terms.
FEB 25-MAR 3: From 6 feet and closer to the hole I have a 52% accuracy in making it in one shot. By the end of week one I want to increase this percentage by at least 10%. Putting tutorials on PGA.com and the book by Harvey Penick will help me achieve this goal.
MAR 4-MAR 11: On March 9th I have a lesson at the Philadelphia Cricket Club with PGA professional Chris Young. Before, during, and after my lesson I will be tape recording, and video recording Chris Young and myself. I will get Young to analyze a tape of my swing and I will have an interview session with him to get helpful advice.
I don't want to plan my schedule too far ahead since I will focus on what makes since each week. If Chris Young suggests I work on bunker game and chipping then the week after March 11th I will do that. Before I meet with Young I am trying to play a round of golf at least once. My scores for each hole will be posted once I complete round.
Now for me to talk about this past week and as I call it the "Epic Fail."First, picture a teenage boy hitting his irons on the driving range. Some I connected with solidly and the others hit off the tip of the club and dipped to the right. So I was about two buckets in and I get this one ball that is cracked and looks like one of those deformed nerds that you get. I didn't want to waste the ball and throw it away because you know, times are tough. I placed the ball down, lined up, took my club back, and drove the head straight into the ball.
It sounded like the noise from George Jetson's car when he drives to work. My ball zoomed to the left so far that I thought it was going to go out of play. Not only did it go out of play but it kept on carrying and was heading straight to the road. I was cringing watching it as the ball struck a car and I heard a loud crash.
Simultaneously I packed my bag up and got the heck out of there. Hopefully they would blame the eighty year old man who hit his six iron a blazing ten feet. After that my week got worse as I was hitting in my basement and goofing off a slight bit and my club smashed into a light bulb.
Yeah, not so good for the first week but you know what they say, it's just the calm before the storm.
http://www.pga.com/golf-instruction/instruction-feature/hybrids-and-irons/swing-station-make-swing-right-video
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Harvey_Penick
http://www.golf.com/tour-and-news/book-excerpt-little-red-book-harvey-penick-foreword-davis-love-iii
This is not me. Probably some rad dude though!!
PGA professional Jeff Coston helped me straighten out my swing. As misleading as the first sentence might have been I didn't meet the great Jeff Coston in person rather on PGA.com where I watched a two minute video. He talked about how many golfers raise their backswing straight up causing a slice. No not a slice of pizza (although that sounds quite delicious right about now) a slice that curves from left to right ending you up either on the right side of the green or further more ending you up in the boonies.
Jeff Coston demonstrating the INCORRECT way to bring the club back.
A good thing to help make sure your hands go straight back instead of straight up is to place a tee under your armpit. Make sure you have an adequate amount of deodorant on or else the tee will grow legs and run away. The tee should be under your back armpit, so if you're right handed it would be under your right arm. Try and keep the tee under your arm as you bring the club back and as you strike the ball. This will force you to bring the club back the proper way.Getting to spend time out on the golf course is great. Getting to move around and feeling like you accomplished something when you make a nice shot is the best. But the worst part is having to sit on my butt and read a book. I'm not the type to sit down with a cup of green tea reading a book. No. I like to go and go and go. I can't stop once I start to move. This kid basically describes me reading my book.
Somebody save him!
The book I am reading is Harvey Penick's Little Red Book by Harvey Penick. It teaches the basic fundamentals of the game to beginners. I am hoping to pick up a few tips and tricks to get me one stroke closer to my goal.
I haven't discussed much about my final goal but I know have it here in numerical terms.
FEB 25-MAR 3: From 6 feet and closer to the hole I have a 52% accuracy in making it in one shot. By the end of week one I want to increase this percentage by at least 10%. Putting tutorials on PGA.com and the book by Harvey Penick will help me achieve this goal.
MAR 4-MAR 11: On March 9th I have a lesson at the Philadelphia Cricket Club with PGA professional Chris Young. Before, during, and after my lesson I will be tape recording, and video recording Chris Young and myself. I will get Young to analyze a tape of my swing and I will have an interview session with him to get helpful advice.
I don't want to plan my schedule too far ahead since I will focus on what makes since each week. If Chris Young suggests I work on bunker game and chipping then the week after March 11th I will do that. Before I meet with Young I am trying to play a round of golf at least once. My scores for each hole will be posted once I complete round.
Now for me to talk about this past week and as I call it the "Epic Fail."First, picture a teenage boy hitting his irons on the driving range. Some I connected with solidly and the others hit off the tip of the club and dipped to the right. So I was about two buckets in and I get this one ball that is cracked and looks like one of those deformed nerds that you get. I didn't want to waste the ball and throw it away because you know, times are tough. I placed the ball down, lined up, took my club back, and drove the head straight into the ball.
It sounded like the noise from George Jetson's car when he drives to work. My ball zoomed to the left so far that I thought it was going to go out of play. Not only did it go out of play but it kept on carrying and was heading straight to the road. I was cringing watching it as the ball struck a car and I heard a loud crash.
Simultaneously I packed my bag up and got the heck out of there. Hopefully they would blame the eighty year old man who hit his six iron a blazing ten feet. After that my week got worse as I was hitting in my basement and goofing off a slight bit and my club smashed into a light bulb.
Yeah, not so good for the first week but you know what they say, it's just the calm before the storm.
http://www.pga.com/golf-instruction/instruction-feature/hybrids-and-irons/swing-station-make-swing-right-video
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Harvey_Penick
http://www.golf.com/tour-and-news/book-excerpt-little-red-book-harvey-penick-foreword-davis-love-iii
Wednesday, February 20, 2013
What's Chillin Bloggers??
What's up bloggers???
I'm new to the blogging world and I will be discussing my journey as a golfer. Golf is a great game that does not account for your size, age, or how much you can bench but rather eye-hand coordination and skill relative to the sport. Going out with a couple of buddies scoring a six and writing down a five is what the game's all about. But, in the next seven weeks I am attempting to take my golf game to the next level.
I began playing golf in the beginning of the sumer of 2012. I was starting to grow a passion for the sport as I began scoring better in each round. But my journey was halted by an obstacle due to injury. I had a spiral fracture in my right humerus that put me out of exercise for a good six months. As I return to athletics I am resurrecting and becoming a better golfer. My skills are rusty and I haven't hit a golf ball in over six months. As I start this journey I plan to take each week to focus on a different aspect of my game.
Today marks week one as I attempt to reach success. For this first week I will be clearing all of the rust out of my body and hopefully returning to my old golf ability. Today, tomorrow, and Friday I will focus on my irons specifically my seven and eight to improve my second shot. I have a setup in my basement where I can hit off of artificial turf into a net with my clubs. I will focus on the mechanics of my swing and most importantly keeping my head still. Accuracy is a huge factor in improving your score and the difference between a ball in the woods or lying perfectly in the fairway.
I will be measuring my progress by comparing side to side footage of my stroke with different clubs at the end of each week. I will calculate how far I hit the ball and my accuracy percentage out of ten swings. I will also be using score cards to keep track of how I do when I play a round of nine or a round of eighteen. In this upcoming week I will be going out to a basic golf course, Center Square Golf, and recording my score for nine holes. I need something to start with and base my progress off of.
I will also be setting goals for myself to help me succeed. As of now I cannot set specific goals due to the length of my shots and the score I receive on nine or eighteen holes solely because I have nothing to base it off of. I will be testing out my ability this week and next week I will have in depth specific goals.
As I progress through this adventure I will be reading a book to help my skills. The book is titled The Modern Fundamentals of Golf by professional golfer Ben Hogan. Hogan is one of the best golfers of all time racking up nine majors. In this book Ben discusses the skills necessary to shoot a good round. The book has pictures along with words to help demonstrate proper stance, grip, and form.
Aside from reading a book from one of the best golfers of all time I will be watching and reading advice and tips at PGA.com. PGA.com has videos that focus on certain shots and help demonstrate the proper technique. Better yet they have professionals discussing in depth topics on how to improve. Just a few examples are, chipping out of a bad lie, grip pressure for irons and hybrids, and proper putting from certain distances.
Wish me luck this week! Stay tuned for a new post every week!
Golf Tip of the Day brought to you by PGA.com- Too many people think the sand wedge is just for bunker shots. It should be used for sand shots as well as pitch shots to the green.
I'm new to the blogging world and I will be discussing my journey as a golfer. Golf is a great game that does not account for your size, age, or how much you can bench but rather eye-hand coordination and skill relative to the sport. Going out with a couple of buddies scoring a six and writing down a five is what the game's all about. But, in the next seven weeks I am attempting to take my golf game to the next level.
I began playing golf in the beginning of the sumer of 2012. I was starting to grow a passion for the sport as I began scoring better in each round. But my journey was halted by an obstacle due to injury. I had a spiral fracture in my right humerus that put me out of exercise for a good six months. As I return to athletics I am resurrecting and becoming a better golfer. My skills are rusty and I haven't hit a golf ball in over six months. As I start this journey I plan to take each week to focus on a different aspect of my game.
Today marks week one as I attempt to reach success. For this first week I will be clearing all of the rust out of my body and hopefully returning to my old golf ability. Today, tomorrow, and Friday I will focus on my irons specifically my seven and eight to improve my second shot. I have a setup in my basement where I can hit off of artificial turf into a net with my clubs. I will focus on the mechanics of my swing and most importantly keeping my head still. Accuracy is a huge factor in improving your score and the difference between a ball in the woods or lying perfectly in the fairway.
I will be measuring my progress by comparing side to side footage of my stroke with different clubs at the end of each week. I will calculate how far I hit the ball and my accuracy percentage out of ten swings. I will also be using score cards to keep track of how I do when I play a round of nine or a round of eighteen. In this upcoming week I will be going out to a basic golf course, Center Square Golf, and recording my score for nine holes. I need something to start with and base my progress off of.
I will also be setting goals for myself to help me succeed. As of now I cannot set specific goals due to the length of my shots and the score I receive on nine or eighteen holes solely because I have nothing to base it off of. I will be testing out my ability this week and next week I will have in depth specific goals.
As I progress through this adventure I will be reading a book to help my skills. The book is titled The Modern Fundamentals of Golf by professional golfer Ben Hogan. Hogan is one of the best golfers of all time racking up nine majors. In this book Ben discusses the skills necessary to shoot a good round. The book has pictures along with words to help demonstrate proper stance, grip, and form.
Aside from reading a book from one of the best golfers of all time I will be watching and reading advice and tips at PGA.com. PGA.com has videos that focus on certain shots and help demonstrate the proper technique. Better yet they have professionals discussing in depth topics on how to improve. Just a few examples are, chipping out of a bad lie, grip pressure for irons and hybrids, and proper putting from certain distances.
Wish me luck this week! Stay tuned for a new post every week!
Golf Tip of the Day brought to you by PGA.com- Too many people think the sand wedge is just for bunker shots. It should be used for sand shots as well as pitch shots to the green.
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