3Jack Swing Update 7.30.10

Here's a couple of recent swings:



I've been struggling with my game recently. More inconsistency than anything and both my rounds of golf and range practice usually starts off well, then fizzles badly down the stretch. I'm sure part of it is due to being out of shape and the humid and hot Florida weather which makes your grips all sweaty.

But, it has been a good learning experience.

I figure the following:

If I have 1 major flaw/alignment issue = can still strike the ball very well for the most part and occasionally hit a bad shot due to that 1 flaw/alignment isue.

2 flaws = decent golf with the occasional great round.

3 flaws = Bad struggles and even worse, correcting them takes longer

From an ABS perspective, I've learned that if you want to execute module 3 correctly, which is mostly about the torso pivoting thru the impact interval and the extension of the arms in the follow thru, you MUST have the execution in Module 1 and Module 2 down pat. So this means getting into pitch elbow and on the "4:30 line" (aka elbow plane) on the downswing and having the proper footwork. Also, you need to have the grip in place that allows you to execute Module 1 the best. If you don't have these down really really good, you'll almost definitely hit slices because the path will move left and the clubface will get open. So if you're struggling with Module 3, you may want to go back to Modules 1 and 2 and get the execution of those corrected.

I also believe that I now understand why I usually swung the club better with a flatter backswing plane than a more standard or even upright backswing plane. I could get laid off at the top of the swing with a flat backswing and still execute a nice looking downswing. But with a standard or upright backswing, getting laid off at the top throws the shaft and the sweetspot completely out of whack for me. I still like this more 'standard' backswing plane in the video above, but I have to be very conscious about not getting laid off at the top.






3JACK

Brad Faxon on Putting

Great video of Brad Faxon on putting and a reason why I think speed is so important on the green.



As you can see, Brad shows 3 different ways he could make that putt and there's more, depending on the various speeds he uses. That's a big deal because you don't have to be so dead on with your aim. Anyway, really good stuff by Faxon here.





3JACK

Some More S&T Footwork Video

Here's a video showing the S&T footwork.



I think this is such a crucial part of the swing and should be addressed early on. In fact, I call the feet the 'command center of my swing.'

The big part of this is when done properly, it helps 'slow down' the hips from rotating too fast and thus forcing you over the top.





3JACK

The Swing Finish

Nice video by Mike Jacobs (www.nygolfworld.com) on the finish.







3JACK

No One Way To Swing The Club...

Gateway Tour player Matt Edwards certainly shows that with his swing:








3JACK

Top DDE's and Their Drivers

I decided to look at the 2009 leaders at driving distance efficiency (driving distance / clubhead speed) and what drivers they are using. So I first looked at the top 50 in DDE last season and here's the stats I got.

Club OEM------Count--------% of top 50

Taylor Made--------17-------------34%
Titleist----------------9-------------18%
Ping-------------------6-------------12%
Cleveland------------5-------------10%
Nike------------------5--------------10%
Cobra----------------4---------------8%
Bridgestone----------2---------------4%
Adams----------------1---------------2%
Callaway-------------1---------------2%

There was one golfer I wasn't sure what driver he used in 2009. That was David Mathis who used to endorse Nickent, but that company went out of business.

Here's how the top 20 fared:

Titleist-----------5------------25%
Taylor Made----4-------------20%
Ping-------------4-------------20%
Nike-------------3-------------15%
Cleveland-------2-------------10%
Cobra------------2------------10%

And here's how the top 10 fared:

Titleist------------5------------42%
Ping---------------2------------17%
Nike---------------2------------17%
Cleveland---------2------------17%
Cobra-------------1------------8%

There was a 3 way tie at 10th in the DDE rankings, so that's why there are 12 players listed in the top 10.

The 3 big paying companies for endorsements are Callaway, Taylor Made, and Nike.

Titleist won't sign the one player to the huge contract, but will pay as many players as it can a fair amount of money to play their equipment, particularly their golf ball.

So while Taylor Made owned the top 50, it's because...well.....they actually OWNED the top 50 players for the most part. But they didn't have a player in the top 10 and Titleist ruled the top 10.

And I'm not 'anti-Taylor Made' either. In fact, it seemed like when I lived in Atlanta, everybody owned a Taylor Made Burner or R9 driver and they really liked them. In fact, I thought the Burner was a good driver, period. But a very good driver for the higher handicap player. I wasn't too nutty about the R9.

Probably the biggest question here is the lack of Callaway in the top 50. That was by Ernie Els who finished tied for 35th in DDE in 2009.

Either way, much like blade style irons, the PGA Tour golfer usually goes where the money is. Believe me, if Darron Stiles could get a fat contract with Powerbilt and would lose some of his great DDE, he'd almost definitely be dumping his Titleist driver.

For me, I will probably go with the Wishon Golf 919THI driver when I finally decide to go and change my equipment. But, us amateurs have the luxury of playing the very best equipment for us without having to worry about losing endorsement dollars. I wish more golfers realized that.






3JACK

Some Vokey Bling

They make some great wedges, but this look is NOT for me.







3JACK