Mental Management For Great Golf by Dr. Bee Esptein

Back when I was playing some mini-tours about 10 years ago, I picked up the book 'Mental Management For Great Golf' by Dr. Bee Esptein-Shepherd. I was looking for a book that went into actual mental techniques when it came to the game of golf. IMO and I'll be frank about it, the Rotella books on mental management always seemed like a big joke to me and a waste of my time and money. Essentially they follow the same route of the following principles:

- Have confidence when you're playing golf.
- You can't be perfect in golf, so don't get upset.
- Remain confident in your abilities.

And I read this and say to myself "well, DUH." Perhaps I need to curb my visceral hatred for Rotella's books, but I can't but think he's just another huckster, carny that wastes people's time and money. His books may work for some people, but I think if anything they force the golfer to develop a fake confidence and I can't imagine that being very helpful.

That's what I like about Epstein's book, particularly compared to just about every other mental game book out there. She provides techniques, particularly self-hypnosis techniques, to help you stay calm, relax and even confident. She does ramble on a bit. I've used these techniques in different facets of life as well, even helping lower my blood pressure.

Unfortunately, I lost the book in a move, but I passed by it the other day at a bookstore. I'll probably buy it again so I can read it again and keep better note of her techniques. I highly recommend this book though and I believe you will be blown away by how different and better the book is.


You can purchase the book at http://drbee.com/products.html for $25.






3JACK

ESPN on Moe Norman

I've seen this video on Moe Norman about 100 times, but there may be people (particularly fans of Moe) that haven't.







3JACK

9-3 Swing On Tour

Here's some of the 9-3 drill swing on Tour. Of course, Tiger didn't start it but Johnny Miller pretty much makes stuff up as he goes anyway.







3JACK

Some Dave Pelz Tools

Pelz gets a lot of flak for his teachings and it appears that less and less Tour players are following his advice these days. But, that doesn't mean he doesn't have some good training aids. I currently use his putter clips (pic below)
These are designed as a feedback device so the golfer knows when his putts were not almost perfectly struck in the sweetspot. If you look at SAM puttlab results for most pros, they are extremely consistent with where they strike their putts and usually it's on the sweetspot (unless you're Meg Mallon who consistently strikes putt more towards the toe). Amateurs on the other hand tend to have a bigger dispersion of where they strike the ball on the putterface.

I used these putter clips frequently just as a reminder for me to not use the right hand on the thrustroke. I believe on letting gravity do as much of the work as it possibly can on the thrustroke. When I do that, it does a lot of good things for me...in particular it allows me to consistently strike the sweetspot. When I start using too much right hand, that's when there starts to be some dispersion. The putter clips come in a set of three and the adhesive is superb. In fact, I wish the LPAS training aid had Pelz's adhesive tape. I've had the same adhesive for more than 3 years and have yet to change it over or have a problem with it. You can buy the putter clips for $29.95.

The other training aid Pelz has that I really like is his 'Truthboard' (pic above). I actually don't have this, but a friend of mine does and I've used it a bunch of times. Obviously, it looks like a rail that is on an incline that is for 3 foot putts. But you can adjust the hole size and make the hole smaller and adjust the level of the incline so you can give yourself left to right or right to left putts. This is a GREAT tool for getting your launch (the initial 2-3 feet of the ball leaving the putterface) down and help with those knee knockers.







3JACK

Hank Haney & Charles Barkley...

The transformation will stun you.






3JACK

Golf Clubs and Mike McNary

I'm looking to get some new blades come February (Xmas Shopping and trying to get my swing better and better before I get some new clubs). Clubs I was really impressed with were the Mizuno MP-62 I tried the MP67 irons out and liked them as well, but I was striping the hell out of these despite them still being a tad flat for me (I'm 6'4" tall, use +1/2" and 1 degree upright). Luke Donald has started to use these irons now that he's back from wrist surgery. While these are definitely worth checking out, I would also suggest trying their CLK Hybrids.
I hit the 20 degree a few times and hit it so well I felt like I was doing something illegal. I'm still unfamiliar with hybrids, but I cannot stand the look of those hybrids that are half white and half black on the top of the clubhead. This doesn't have that look, but more importantly, it's just a great club.

Also should be noted that the PGA Tour Superstore that I went to had the Callaway X Prototype irons (pic below), brand new, for only $999. However, they have the Project X 5.5 shafts and they are uncut (shafts haven't been cut, no grips)

Anyway, onto golf swings. As some of you may know, I'm not a big fan of the Stack and Tilt swing pattern, but here's one of the best ones I've seen from Mike McNary.

3JACK

Traditional Golf Clubs

Came across a really nice club maker's (Mark Inoue) Web site the other day. It's called Traditional Sports Forged Golf Clubs. The Web site can be found at http://www.traditionalgolf.com/. Here's the clubs that caught my eye:

I even like the looks of their wedges and driver, which has the old school traditional soleplate design.

Here's Mark Inoue's statement on his Web site:

Dear Friends,

Almost thirty years of working in the golf industry with leading pro-line manufacturers and as a distributor for a world-renowned golf equipment manufacturer, I realized there was a need for clubs designed for the serious golfer. Touring pros and low handicappers require and appreciate the soft feel of forged high-grade carbon steel that offers the sensitivity and control to “work the ball”...

The introduction of our line of forged irons resulted in creating many satisfied customers; these serious golfers requested that we include a driver with the same quality and performance as our irons. After designing and testing several versions of drivers with mixed results, we became aware of a new Titanium alloy “SP-700” whose properties were superior to all metals currently used for golf clubs. We created a new concept for a driver that has all the components of the head forged from this patented material.

We construct our golf clubs to the requirements of the customer; each iron or driver is individually ground and balanced according to the type and length of shaft and the loft, lie and face angles are customized and registered. This is a time-consuming and laborious process, but our customers can feel the difference and see the improved results in our clubs.

I hope you will consider our clubs, as I am confident that you will appreciate and enjoy the difference our products make.

Sincerely,



Mark Inoue

Inoue does not list prices on his Web site, but I've read in other places that his irons go for about $1,200 for a set. So they're not cheap, but these are custom, hand made clubs so of course they are going to be more expensive than some mass produced set out of the factory.

Obviously, it's more important to find clubs that fit you first and find the clubs that produce the best and most consistent shots. But this is one of the many Web sites that shows you can find some great looking clubs without having to get them from big time club manufacturers.




3JACK