Wayne DeFrancesco

I had never heard of this guy as a player (competed in 8 majors!) or as an instructor...

But he obviously knows a whole lot about the game. In the realm of golf instruction, I'm all into edifying video analyses:



I checked Wayne DeFrancesco's website. A video analysis cost $75 - provided you do the taping and send in the clips.  And the price is doubled, $149, if you want a 15 minute verbal response.  And $200 per hour if you want to drive down to Rockville, MD for in in-person lesson.

Now I've never paid for golf instruction of an kind, but one of these days I'm probably going to break down and do so!

Reading his Teaching Philosophy it's clear that this is one highly intelligent man.

Nicklaus' Singular Swing

The second part of this video is amazing for its symmetry.



Be sure to re-watch it and note the slight differences in his swing as the club lengthens, e.g. the increasing size of the swing, the hip and shoulder turn, and his arc.

It'd probably be instructive (or scary!) to line up me hitting those four different clubs. I'd suspect I'd find 4 completely different swings!

Hitting Golf Balls From The Knees

One of my goals this year was to figure out how to do that.

You see, I've always struggled with insidious handsiness in my swing and whenever I tried to hit a ball from my knees the club would hit the ground 10 inches behind the ball.

But now, and I don't know what I did specifically, I can crank it out there 200 yards, right down the middle, almost every time from that position.

Next, on my 2010 goal list, I have to figure out how to take full swings and hit the ball nicely with just my left hand....AND I have to figure out how to swing that left-handed iron I procured.

Hitting all those golf balls, the most I've ever hit in my life, seems to be really paying off!

Rangefinder = Cheating

At a golf tournament a few weeks ago, the one my jabronis dominated, I was shocked to see that competitors were allowed to use rangefinders in their matches.

When exactly did this rule get liberalized?

I feel like it's essentially cheating. Sure, use them when you practice. In your mind and by walking it off, try to guess the distance to the pin. Then, check out the rangefinder to see how accurate you were. Certainly one should use today's technology to improve their distance judgment.

But apparently they've already moved beyond that...

And I have to say this, the rangefinders did help with figuring out who was *away* from the fairway and whatnot, but still, it didn't at all speed up play in my estimation. I witnessed, and endured, 5.5 hour rounds down there in South Jersey!

Winnersville!

Be sure to read about my - Triumphant Jabroni's.

Crooked Left Arm

I battle *inconsistency* on the golf course - of course we all do.

But my problem is particularly annoying because it seems like I either hit the ball stiff (or long and straight off the tee) or I semi-shank/duff the ball.

Obviously, because I'm capable of numerous near-perfect shots there's one fundamental thing that I'm doing wrong even it I'm getting-away with it a lot.

Inconsistency means, necessarily, swinging differently - the dreaded *non-repeating* golf swing.

Grip, alignment, handsy-ness, ball position, tempo,....I've looked askance at these usual suspects more times than I could count over the years.

And several times a year, I wax optimistic that I've finally solved the mystery.

This week, after watching some video I took of my swing at the range, I re-resolved to deal with my crooked left arm.

They say that the left arm doesn't have to be straight on the way back, so long as it's straight at impact. And they say not to focus too much on keeping it straight because such a mindset will introduce too much tension.

Whatever. I'm going to call BS on that.

I've never seen a great golfer bend his left arm as much as I do at the top of the backswing. Try as I might I haven't been able to stop it. That is until now. I think I've finally figured out how.

Essentially I wasn't turning my left shoulder enough; I wasn't thinking about putting it *on top of my right shoe* on the backswing. And that was making it hard for me to get the club up to where I felt like it should go on the backswing. Since I wasn't turning properly, I made the deadly mistake of LIFTING the club up with not only my hands, but also with a hinging of the left elbow.

I just never felt *solid* at the top of my backswing and tried a bazillion things to gain the elusive feeling, e.g. really strengthening my left hand grip.

But today after turning a bit more AND focusing on keeping the left arm straight, I finally felt the club snap solidly at the top of my backswing. Before I never had a wristcock....I HAD AN ELBOWCOCK!

Later today I read this and felt even better about my break-through:

Most people that complain of this problem try to move their arms and hands farther around than their torso has turned. The left arm should not continue to wrap around the upper torso or neck once the shoulders have stopped rotating; it simply lifts up a little bit, if anything. This means that your arms and hands are still pretty much extending in the same direction as your chest is facing at the top of the backswing, not wrapped around your neck or behind your back. Practice the following sequence in front of a mirror to demonstrate to yourself that you can keep your left arm straight.

There you have it. Once the left shoulder stops rotating, the club only has a couple more inches to rise. This is what I can key on - coordinating the movement of my shoulder with movement of the shaft.

The results?

Today I enjoyed a much easier and free-flowing back swing and was hitting no-sidespin wedges knocking all over the 100 yard sign.

I'm heading back to the range tomorrow to see if this insight has any staying power.

Advice For Cheaters

Here's an interesting funny from a reader-compilation of on *golf cheats*:

I played with a guy that is a casual golfer, but is the longest/straightest 15 handicap you have ever seen in your life. I noticed before tee balls he would go and bend over at his bag, one day I caught him using chap stick on the face of his driver. This would limit the spin and keep him from having any back/side spin off the tee. He hit driver 320...and 5 iron 160. He was also guilty of dropping balls out of his pocket when he couldn't find the one he hit...but that paled in comparison to the "chap stick".

Chapstick!

Who knew?

Geisha Golf

Hmmm...

But they need to show her putting on the one she wore!

On Hip Speed

This video is pretty convincing....not convincing enough for me to go out and spend $275 on the product, but persuasive nonetheless:



My problems are more accuracy/consistency than power anyway. If I ever get a repeating swing....then maybe I'll start looking for a little more pop.

Bethpage-Bound?

Since I'm probably moving to Long Island soon, I thought I'd look into my future golf options: slim, none, and Bethpage.

I did once, some years ago, leave Brooklyn at 5am, get in line at 6am, only to be told the next available tee time on Bethpage Black was 6.5 hours later, at 12:30!!

The process has changed a bit in the 7 years or so since I went. Apparently they have a *Tee Reservation* system or something - which makes sense here in the modern era.

Though you can still camp out for a few open slots. And it sounds even more hellish than before:

Your second option for getting on Bethpage Black, as mentioned above, is to try and walk on, as all of the first hour’s tee times (which begin at 6:30 am), and one slot per hour thereafter, are made available on a first-come, first-served basis, according to the Bethpage brass.

Walk-on hopefuls typically arrive at Bethpage in the afternoon or early evening the day BEFORE they wish to play, backing their cars into the designated and numbered "overnight" parking spaces. At about 6:45 pm, a Bethpage official hands out wrist bands, one per car, which confirms the order for the next morning’s ticket disbursement.

It is these tickets, handed out between 4-4:30 am, which allow you to purchase your round of golf. It used to be that only one player in the group needed a ticket, but now every person has to have their own ticket. [Note: If you want a caddie ($60 plus tip) or locker room use for the day ($10), pay for them at the same time as your green fee as you probably won't have time to get through the long cashier line again.]

Overnighters should consider bringing a tent or sleeping bag, too. Cars aren’t conducive to sleeping, and, if you choose to bed down on the root-laden grassy area near the parking lot, you’ll need more than your golf towel to stay warm and comfortable.

Better yet, get a hotel room nearby. Remember, only your car has to stay put to maintain your place in line. As long as you’re back before the tickets are handed out in the morning, you’re golden.

From our experience and stories from people we know, if you’re one of the first few cars in line, you’ll likely get out in the morning. Later arrivals will likely get out, too, but it probably won’t be until the afternoon. Either way, if you go this route to get on Bethpage Black, you’ll be spending a good deal of time just waiting around, so bring a good book and/or some good beer.

Finally, I’d be remiss if I didn’t mention one other option for getting on Bethpage Black, though it’s better suited to those for whom money is not an object. NYGolfShuttle.com sells Bethpage Black packages that include the green fee and round-trip transportation from Manhattan for $750 ($400 per person for a foursome). At 15 times the in-state green fee, it is a huge premium, but convenience does have its price.

See also - Montauk Downs - It's Better Than Bethpage.

Was Probably Improving His Lie...

On Spine Angle

Personally, I never much enjoyed watching Ernie swing. For a guy who burst on the scene some 16-18 years ago with a spectacularly SMOOTH swing, his motion since then has looked contrived and unnatural to my eye. He's an ornery fella to boot!

Defrosting The Clubs

The weather has been mild here lately - around 50 degrees at afternoon peaks. This past week I made it to a driving range for the first time since early November. It felt so good that I returned three more times this past week - and hope to be there again this Saturday and Sunday.

I've been picking up where I left off last year: standing a bit farther from the ball, keeping the hands lower on the backswing to effectively shorten the swing, and focusing like a madman on the relationship between my left hand and the club. To the end of the exercise, I've resumed hitting a significant number of balls lefthanded. John Daly was on color TV last week; he said that he does a lot of one-handed practice - all the way down through the putter. Daly said it forces him to *follow through*

Every year I get a little better, but I'm optimistic one of these years my game is going to take a real LEAP. 2010???

Golf Fantasies....

"....Bob's mouth was on the ground!"

I myself, I fantasize about wedge accuracy...

Signing Morther Earth's Death Certificate

I'm always firing golf balls back and forth in my yard - 35 yard pitch shots mostly.

Occasionally, I skull one into the woods - or into the house, or car. And once in a while, I'll intentionally smash one, or ten, irretreiveably into the trees. These are shag balls, so who cares right?

Just today I was pondering how many hundreds (more?) of golf balls I've sent into the trees....and I laughed that it is probably an *environmental catastrophe*, in the minds of some eco-pagans anyway.

Most ironically, look what headline was listed atop today's Drudge Report:

London, England (CNN) -- Research teams at the Danish Golf Union have discovered it takes between 100 to 1,000 years for a golf ball to decompose naturally. A startling fact when it is also estimated 300 million balls are lost or discarded in the United States alone, every year. It seems the simple plastic golf ball is increasingly becoming a major litter problem.

With an increasing number of golf balls discarded each year, the Danish Golf Association devised a number of tests to determine the environmental impact of golf balls on their surroundings.

It was found that during decomposition, the golf balls dissolved to release a high quantity of heavy metals. Dangerous levels of zinc were found in the synthetic rubber filling used in solid core golf balls. When submerged in water, the zinc attached itself to the ground sediment and poisoned the surrounding flora and fauna.

I'm a half step ahead of these Morons!

What's next, organic golf balls?

Tees made from recycled wood? Solar powered golf carts?

Remember, some people really hate golf.

Crossposted on Marginalizing Morons.

Flexibility, Angles, Breathing

Very interesting read here.

Upstarts?

Rickie Fowler and...

My *quiet* co-blogger, LeagueIslander, has broken out. His game has been on fire, all year long.

I asked, and he answered:

As for the golf swing, I must admit, this has been about my best ever year of golf. Especially since I have just 17 rounds in the handicap system since last September. Carrying a 3-handicap playing 1.5 times/month? That's pretty good.

I think two things have really helped me this year. One - starting in February - I have hit wedges almost exclusively when I've gone to the range. I usually keep a towel or glove under my left arm pit (so that I stay connected on the backswing and follow through), and try to cluster balls in groups at all different distances - up to about 120 yards. My primary focus is making a good, rhythmic swing, staying in a good posture, and getting my lower body started before my upper body at the start of my downswing. And of course, I try to figure out the swing length and speed that creates shots that fly 50, 60, 75, 85, and 100 yards. If I can cluster balls to those distances, I know I'm in good shape. If I can't, it sort of doesn't matter how well I drive it. I'll probably shoot 80.

The second thing: I have decided (discovered) that most of my missed shots are due to poor timing, or the sequence of body movements during the swing. When I miss, it's usually because my legs were too far out in front of my body, arms don't catch up, and bad timing through impact (ball usually goes right). Or, my arms and hands start before my lower body from the top of the swing, club closes on the way down, timing is bad at impact - ball goes left (or a wild push to right trying to make a last minute compensation). So when I hit wedges or other shots on the range, I think primarily of getting my lower body started from the top of the swing before my arms and hands. In fact, I will take practice swings by swinging back with my feet together, then stepping towards the target with my left foot to start the downswing (like a baseball player planting his front foot during the swing). This gives me the feeling of having the lower body lead the upper body.

This seems and sounds simplistic, but seriously, most of the time I spend on the range is dedicated to these two things: connection and control with the wedges; timing of the swing and letting the lower body lead. Of course I make sure that my grip is good, my alignment is correct, and posture is sound - but I hardly ever think about club position or anything else.

These thoughts have also helped while I play. When I make a few bad swings during the round (I always do), I simply make a few practice swings with a glove under my arm - getting my legs going before my arms and hands. I have gotten to a place - psychologically - where I believe that I do these two simple things properly, I'll hit good shots.

You see, LeagueIslander already had a picture perfect swing; he just needed to cure his inconsistency - those couple of holes that always arrive and threaten to ruin otherwise good rounds.

Me, I too have had my best year ever. I pretty much get a little better each year. Nonetheless, I've made few inroads against my inconsistency.

Next year I'm going to break out - just you watch!

Remind me to try that *towel* thing.

Back From Florida....

A couple of weeks ago, I flew down to Naples for my annual golf trip - the one with my South Philly jabronis.



Would you believe that guy, still barefoot and in his skivvies, drained the 30 footer for bogey AND went on to shoot a tidy even par?!?!?!

On Day 1, at Miromar Lakes, I got off to a very hot start - only four over through fourteen, but then...

I'll summarize my golf-year-ending trip when I get a chance. This time of year, with darkness and the cold weather descending in Boston, is always downright depressing.

Marginalizing The Right Hand

Since I've been *left-arm focused* recently....



The last few days, in my back yard, all I've been doing is hitting left-arm-only pitch shots.

Every time in my 20 year career I've gone to this drill it's instantly improved my feel.

So why do I ever go away from it?

That YouTube tip above was only OK for my needs/flaws. Nonetheless it seems like pretty sound advice.

All Left, All The Time

Much of my recent practice has been focused on changing the *feel* of my left hand.

In fact, I am starting to think that one of the biggest differences between good golfers and Hackers is that the real players have so much more left-hand dominance throughout the swing - only the naked eye can't see it on account of there being two hands physically connected to the club.

Anyways, I played today in the rain and hit some really good shots - 18 or so by my count.

What *worked* today was standing further from the ball - see previous post - and making sure the club was coming back to the inside right away.

What also *worked* was a grip swing thought where I told myself to "push the right-side of my left hand toward the club....and to push the left-hand side of it toward the club". This is hard to describe. I guess I am squeezing the club so as to not let my wrist hinge initially, in either direction - as was my bad habit for years.

Nobody reading this is going to understand what I just said so I'll think about how to better articulate it. This blog is for me, anyway.

But for now, understand that I simply do not want the relationship between my left-hand, left wrist, and left forearm to change during the swing. A *straight left arm* is what those old pros used to teach - which I guess is almost the same thing. But I used to focus on the arm so much that not only did it induce unwanted tension, that I let the small muscles (wrist) flap around ever so imperceptibly, but nonetheless.

These days I am watching the pros carefully and noticing how consistent and how solid they keep the *left-arm through left-wrist through left-hand through clubface* geometry.

As I watch a guy like JB Holmes waggle his brains out I can't help but think the very essence of his swing is finding the right feeling in his left-hand.

Also, what about hitting balls one-handed? Can you do it? All the pros can pick up a club and easily smack shots with just their left-hand.

I'm thinking the inability to do so is a clear indication of insufficient, inconsistent, and improper left-hand grip action.

I can only do it a little bit. Everytime I try to practice it I get frustrated because the club just flips around, on the way back and on the way through.

Stepping Back

I apologize for being remiss on my golf updates.

Make no mistake, I've been working my tail off. Hitting the range at least 3 times per week.

Allow me to run down the process of a huge insight I just had:

Consistency is my problem. Not from round-to-round, but from shot to shot! I can hit one perfectly and the next one might shank. Or, I'll shank one, drop another ball and stiff it. This doesn't happen too often, but enough to ruin my scores.

So my game just comes and goes, despite the 20 years experience I have playing.

One thing I discovered from pounding all these balls recently is that my left hand was not firm enough. It was not in control as it should be. So I've tinkered with lengthening my left thumb and pressing down on it, with keeping the relationship between my left forearm and the shaft constant, and a few other *feel* strategies to get some more left hand dominance. You see, at the top of my swing I've never felt solid. I've never felt like I was in a position where I could effortlessly and confidently start my downswing. How could I achieve consistency if every swing felt different, right?

One thing I tried to achieve that solid feeling at the top was that Dave Pelz theory of trying to get my forearm precisely at either 7:30, 9:00, or 10:30 on each backswing. This works....but only to an extent.

When I was up in Maine and my driver deserted me....the trick that got me back in play was shortening my backswing.

Then, a few weeks ago, I shot a good round and drove the ball spectacularly by doing the precise opposite - I tried to take as big a swing, i.e. shoulder turn, as possible. I was seeing the clubhead over my left eye a la John Daly!

But then that stopped working.

This is what totally sucks about golf. All that effort, sweat, frustration, and false eureka moments and yet I have only marginally improved over all. Tantalizingly, I do get a smidge better every year.

However, I want to take a leap with my game. After all, there are scores of players better than me who haven't put in a quarter of the effort I have.

A couple of weeks ago I found some guy online who's selling a book/video titled The Efficent Golfer. You can go to his site and get a sample chapter emailed to you if interested.

Anyways, I found that because I was googling "how to properly videotape your swing" or something.

I still don't KNOW. But I think I just need a tripod set up to the correct height and I have to figure out how to put my digital camera on *shutter speed* (or *sport speed*).

Nonetheless, last week I plopped down my old camera on a bench behind the range and taped myself with the wedge and with the driver.

What I saw on the playback is what I've seen for years. A swing that gets outside and steep right away on the backswing. That's a flaw that I've only half-heartedly tried to correct. For some reason, I guess I didn't see it as that fatal.

But after seeing this off-plane action of mine for the umpteenth time, I started to watch the pros closely on this. Not a one of them took the club back like I did. Even Jim Furyk who someone told me takes the club back *steep* was flatter than me. Literally, my first move has been away from the ball, away from my body, and straight up. And I simply could not stop!

For a week I tried, and tried and tried. Why the heck couldn't I keep the club on the swing plane - EVEN FOR THE FIRST 10 INCHES BACK!!!???

I started to get really upset. I must be a complete Moron to not be able to correct the basic geometry of my swing.

Then I figured it out completely this past Sunday.

I had to stand further away from the ball. And not just a half an inch or a full inch.

No I was standing 2 whole inches too close to the ball.

It took more than a few duffs to get going. After all, my body has spent 20 years grooving a *crowded* swing. My hands couldn't possibly trust that they could deliver the club on the ball. But, eventually, they did.

My entire body felt different. I felt a power, a flex, in my legs never before experienced. With this new stance I could also really use my shoulders more predominantly.

Everything makes sense now. I was woefully inconsistent because my paths were off-plane.

My left arm/hand couldn't dominate the swing because of the outside path; the *pick-up* by the right arm/hand kept interfering with proper hand pressure. With my new, further-away-stance, the club naturally went straight-to-inside on the way back AND I could feel a controlling, powerful sensation in my left hand - the same one I was trying to manufacture before. Only this one came effortlessly.

Also, I realized that what worked about both *shortening* and *lengthening* my driver backswings was that both moves sort of got my left arm a bit more extended, and my swing a tad less steep - even it the paths were still slightly off-plane. So what excites me is that all of this makes sense now. I'm pretty optimistic that my improved stance is really going to elevate my game.

Next up, is ball position within the swing.

I admit it. If you ask me where in my stance I play each club....I really don't know. After 20 years I should really have this down to a science now.

Another insight I've made recently is that I don't set up my pitch shots with my hands far enough ahead of the ball.******

Also, I've distanced myself some more from the ball on the short game and when putting!

2.5 weeks until my annual Naples golf trip, my last hurrah for the season. I expect to have my best year down there yet. No excuses.

Watch The Entire Thing

A Funny For Wage Slave Golfers

What In God's Name....?

The first pic, to someone well-acquainted with Hackers, is at least partially decipherable.

However, this second one remains a jaw-dropping enigma:



He's left-handed, right? That club is a putter - yet it's seemingly spun around AND inverted.

And WhyTF are his knees bent so?

It is true though. Seventeen years ago a guy I know who's fluent in such matters pointed out to me that non-white golfers bend their left (lead) knee through impact.

But still, even that ethnic insight can't begin to explain the full-body spasm captured above.

Cross posted at Marginalizing Morons.

Choosing The Right Club....

Even though I was up at 4:30 am on Saturday....I decided not to play a round.

Instead, I went down to my course a bit later and practiced for a couple hours. Then I did the same on Sunday.

At the range I hit 90% wedges and 9-irons - both days.

At the putting green I just used my Putting Track from about 10 feet away.

And when chipping, I just used my 8-iron from the rough - to make the session difficult.

My full swing is taking giant leaps this year. After Sunday's buckets, I was pumping the ball straighter and more consistently than ever - even with my driver. I've discovered a whole new feeling to strive for in my left hand (at the top, and through impact) that's been easier to attain, and sustain, each week these last couple of months.

One thing I JUST realized is that with my new, BIGGER swing, I have been finally able to keep my left arm straight at the top of my backswing. This ideal position has been elusive throughout my career. Up until now I had just assumed that I couldn't do it on account of my bad back (I've had invasive surgery for TOS).

But just this week I realized that I couldn't keep the left arm straight because my left hand was too *floaty*. So it wasn't my BIGGER swing that did anything great....it was my fixed left hand grip that not only allowed it, but IMPROVED it.

This makes some sense as I pore over the most comprehensive advice I've ever gotten:

From what i see from Face on....you got one hell of a swing. I wouldn't mess with it too much. The "faults" you have described (in my opinion) are idiosyncrasies...not really faults. With that being said, your left arm clearly bends because...
-your middle does not move correctly
-your lack of wrist set (leverage)
As a result, your left arm bends to create a secondary leverage source (energy). Therefore, your left arm has to bend to make the backswing feel powerful. This is a short answer.
Now...your wrists do not set properly because of your grip
-left hand
-palmy
-lack of pressure points
-lack of trigger finger
-Right hand
-lack of dish angle
-lack of pressure points
-lack of trigger finger.
Your middle does not wind properly because...
-your right hip is a bit high at address
-lack ground pressure (you could be flat footed) so there isn't much to wind against.
You see, there would be quite a few things you would have to do to remedy the bent left arm and still have your swing feel powerful. You have a great impact and deliver the club on a good angle so I wouldn't get caught up in in what you don't like about your swing....look at what you do right......there is a hell of a lot of good things going on there. Great job.

You see? That guy there pointed out some things about my left hand that could be making my left arm bend. I guess the problem was that I couldn't comprehend *precisely* what he was saying: palmly, lack of pressure points, lack of trigger finger.

Read the funny story behind that analysis on my other blog - Help, Please.

Now, one note on my chipping.

I already mentioned that I was using short irons from the rough to make my practice more interesting. I have a golfing buddy who's always advised what he calls *goof-around-golf* where one goes out and practices all sorts of unconventional shots with unconventional clubs. His reasoning, "You learn a lot about your swing this way."

So what have I learned?

Well, before I practiced this shot I would have thought it IMPOSSIBLE to make short pitch shots from buried lies in the rough to tight pins on fast greens....with an 8-iron!

I was wrong. But how would I have known? For 20 years I've been cheating on these shots with highly lofted clubs. Cheating myself that is....with easy practice.

Something that really helped my rhythm when chipping this past weekend was soley focusing on the length of my backswing. I guess it reduces handsiness because both hands *know* where to stop moving. It gave me a better a pause, better tempo, and produced solid shots.

This week I will skip the course again and practice some more.