August ‘06 Golf Digest Instruction Commentary

This month's articles:

ANNIKA’S 3 KEYS. Ok.

ERNIE’S EASY TIPS. Ok.

BUTCH’S BASICS. Ok.

FLICK’S MASTER TIPS. So what is a “slick downhiller”? When does a downhiller become a slick one? This is the kind of subjective, vague, instruction that leads a player into a fog of uncertainty. Disregard.

LEADBETTER’S LESSONS. Ross Perot had a phrase during his ill-fated run for President—“It’s the economy, stupid”. My response for David is, “It’s the club, stupid”. (No disrespect intended—only humor). It’s not the shoulder position or the arms, it’s the movement of the club that produces the slice. Fix the club, not the body.

WATSON’S SHORTCUTS. Ok.

MCLEAN’S SWING FIXES. Jim has almost got this right. Notice how he is playing the ball forward of center at address. In order for him to have a chance to hit it straight, he has to sway forward (lateral movement) so that his center is even with the ball. If he doesn’t sway, he is likely to hit a hook or a block-slice. His conclusion is that the “lateral movement” is necessary. The correct conclusion is that it is necessary when you set up with the ball forward. (Having to sway sets up trying to time the sway…too unpredictable).

12 THINGS TIGER TAUGHT ME. #1—Ok. #2—Ok when you have prior knowledge of club selection for given tee shots. #3—Notice that he uses practice swings to create a mental image. #4—Ok for competitive golf. #5—The importance of focus. #6—Learn to trust your decisions. #7—Subjective. #8—The importance of focus. #9—Subjective. #10—Subjective. #11—Ok. #12—Is this really relevant?

HOW TO PLAY BETTER NOW AND FOREVER. Unfortunately, the magazine hipped this title and it misleads the reader. I don’t want to downplay the importance of our health, but to put a fine point on it, you can go to any golf course any day and find very healthy specimens who can’t find the fairway and very unhealthy ones who can’t miss it. Our health is not to be undervalued, nor should it be thought of as a way to improve our putting or to fix a slice.

THE GOLFING MACHINE. Good information about our body and how we stress it. Unless you have a pre-existing condition, a correctly executed golf swing is fully compatible with the normal motions of a human body.

THE BIG C. Use sunscreen. I never teach, practice, or play without a good application of SPF 55. I also am a regular user of lip protector—SPF 15.

THE GOLFING BODY—A USERS MANUAL. Strength and range-of-motion are key factors in the club speed you can achieve and thereby the potential (if the swing is correct) distance you can achieve.

12 RULES FOR HEALTHY GOLF. Good.

BREAKING 100. WHOOPS!!! Randy better check the video. There is no grip so weak or strong that you can’t hinge your wrists (hinging takes place at the top of the backswing). We want the v’s pointed at your center. Regarding speed in putting, distance control is no more important than direction control. Failing in either one can result in a shot that leaves the ball too far from the hole.

BREAKING 90. Loose the “landing area”. If Randy would stand on the side of the green and try to toss balls to a flagstick, he would find that his attention was not on a landing area but on the target itself. The same is true for chipping. Regarding a “natural turn” this drill is ok.

BREAKING 80. I’m not quite clear on how Randy’s hip replacement applies to golfers who want to break 80. His hip-related comments are ok. Since at address he shifts his center to the left, the ball placement will shift left accordingly.

ESCAPING THE TREE LINE. Ok.