All may be well in and around the swamp, but out here in SoCal, the July gloom and accompanying FOG have me navigating coastal courses by dead reckoning (stupid way to get around with GPS available for $200).
About the only thing good about my game so far has been the fact that I have never failed to break 100 in 14 yrs of a very circuitious journey. Got down to 11.3 with Jack Kuykendahl's Lever Power Golf, of all things.
Last Dec started studying The Book, studied all 3 boards, bought dowels, Home Depot Hinges, impact bag and had a lesson from a great AI out here. Hit 5,000 chip shots. Shot about 10 low 80 rounds hitting. Never felt very good but kept at it. Now, the last two rounds were my first OVER 100--UUGGGGHHHHH . Very discouraging . Flat out cannot do it w/o an AI, so will be scheduling Lee Deitrick tomorrow. Very boring to you guys, I know, but a HUGE downer here. More than a small bump in the road, but I am determined to shoot my age before playing the 19th hole.
Off topic: thanks again to you all for your posts. They have made a terrific golf site here---unquestionably the best.
Have a good one...pshr
p,
Don't give up the ghost..... I saw Ted in Feb. of this year after spending some effort trying to get through the book. Upon returning from the swamp, I was hitting it very pure....by May I was having trouble again. I'm back to hitting it (with a hitting stroke btw) fairly well. Probably almost as good as I did in feb. but I can tell there are still problems. It has me wondering if I'm as good as I can be? Maybe this is it....but I still suspect that I can do better. TGM gives me hope because it is so complete and so logical. What does get frustrating is that a) I'm doing this so late in life (5 and b) new issues almost always crop up... work on one thing and pretty soon another is a problem... think that is solved and bingo.... the right shoulder is back ruining my swing....
I am glad I am not the only one out there that has not found the promised land using TGM. I have been at the little yellow book for 2 years now and have a reasonably complete knowledge of it. The practical application of it on the other hand is a different matter. I was on a 12 handicap when I started TGM and have moved back and forth a little and 2 years later I am still on a 12, throw in the odd periods of triple figure scores in there and it can get VERY discouraging. I know and you probably also know that TGM is the truth, I have no doubt in my mind that it is the most technically complete swing reference ever written. So we have two choices, stick with it or quit. I choose to stick with it, for now.....
After my work with Yoda, I had an unintentional layoff. When I started back up, of course I grab the clubs a quick practice as was expecting great and wonderous things....Not so.
I went over my notes and did the drills and the golf stroke started to re-appear. But 6 weeks later it wasn't getting better in fact it was getting worse.
That is when I went back to the drawing board, not to change the golf stroke but to re-capature the golf stroke.
I did it, or am still doing it painfully, but steady. I wrote up a thing on this in the practice section. Essentially I put most of my efforts into the basics, the basic motion and acquired motion.
Results have been a two stroke drop in Index so far. I am somewhat unique in that I have a distance problem, need to get my physical fitness in shape, easier said than done. But the game is more enjoyable and I can see where more strokes are going to come off the Index.
It takes time, especially IMO when you do most of it yourself. I am fortunate in some respects to have the vids from working with Yoda, my notes over three days which included a number of comments by Ted.
Bottom Line, take small steps, build the basic motion then the acquired motion. Repeating the drills at the range, on the course and at home has really been key for me. You should see immediate improvement in the putting and short game while your ball striking moves closer and closer to goodness.
If their is a real TRICK to being an effective GI (Golf Instructor) or AI (Authorized TGM Instructor) it is finding the RIGHT PATTERN for that particular student.
While ANY sound pattern will produce good range results if done correctly, finding one you can do UNDER PRESSURE wil undoubtedly be a better 'fit.'
Don't give up becuase 1 or 2 patterns don't get it done.
There are TRILLIONS more and certainly 100's more really good ones.
I started reading the book and the forums in Dec. I was an 8 index then. By Feb I was a 7, then by Apr a 9. Then down to a 7 again by June. Crazy ride so far. I feel that I've turned a small corner and am now trending at 5. I have not seen any AI yet. I did see EC for a quick look and some tips. Mostly trial and error. I know without a doubt that this is the real deal. Read this article from Ron Gring. Changing old habits must be done over time with series of small steps
DAPHNE, Ala. — It’s like clockwork.
Near the end of almost every golf instruction session I give, the player will invariably ask, “but Ron, how long will it take to get this down?” The truth is I wish I knew. Then, I could predict when a player could break par, get his/her tour card and win their first major.
What I do know is that habit formation is a very complex subject. You see, habits reside in the unconscious part of the brain. This part of the brain never sleeps. It is always active. It takes care of breathing, heart rate, blood pressure, the release of chemicals into the bloodstream, oversees the care and maintenance of the body and controls the central nervous system. The central nervous system controls muscle contraction, which is how the golf club is moved from address to the follow-through. New habits are formed by “re-wiring” and “over-writing” old central nervous system programs.
I can hear you saying . . . “What does this have to do with my swing? In English please!” If a player has decided to change a particular component or variation in their swing, immediately they are dealing with trying to over-write old habits.
Unfortunately, habit formation has an agenda all its own. Habits do not care about a 24-hour clock or how much motivation a person has. Habits do not care how many balls a player may hit or how important golf is to that person’s mental well-being. Certainly, habits do not care if you have a tournament to play in on Saturday and you need this to improve now!
Habits form at a pace unaltered by effort and intensity. Habit formation is similar to placing eggs in an incubator. The egg hatches when the chick, not you, cracks the shell.
There are ways to speed up the process. Here’s one that may work for you.
You must realize when trying to change habits that until you can execute new movements perfectly at less than full speed, it is impossible to execute the changes with any degree of precision at full speed. The brain will automatically default to the old habit because it does not know how to execute the new movement when you go “all out.”
The truth is an inability to execute a motion at one-quarter, or one-eighth, or one one-hundredth of full speed perfectly indicates a serious fault at full length/full speed.
In the learning phase, the player must be willing to practice hitting shots 5, 10, 15, or 20 yards at full length to learn the exact feel of the new motion and build in the speed as the precision of the movement improves.
The first step is to establish your mechanical priorities. Ask yourself, “What is it about my swing that I am trying to change?”
The best way to do this is with the help of a professional that knows your game and knows something about your past history in golf.
This way, it can become the guided struggle, versus the blind struggle.
The second step is to look at what you are trying to change with your own eyes as often as possible.
It is best if you can use a video camera or you can look at your reflection in a sliding glass door, a window, or a mirror.
It is critical that you see yourself making the change to create the “feel” of the different motion.
Then take the new “feel” out to the practice tee and repeat the movement at slow speed, gradually increasing the speed until the old habits come back. (And trust me, they will!).
Then go back to slow speed, gradually increasing speed until the precision vanishes.
The term for this technique is “dolphining,” down (slow), then up (faster), then back down (slow), kind of like a dolphin in open water.
When a player is dealing with trying to change habits, the best of all perspectives would be:
“Let mechanics produce the feel, then let feel reproduce the mechanics.”
__________________
A mile from the place that golf calls home
Rick,
Thanks for that RG article.... I'm going to try the slow motion stuff. I have tried using basic motion and I still end up with that ... practice range good, golf course not as good. But a new idea gives new energy and as soon as it stops raining in coastal NC.... I'm going out to the range with new energy.
Rick,
Thanks for that RG article.... I'm going to try the slow motion stuff. I have tried using basic motion and I still end up with that ... practice range good, golf course not as good. But a new idea gives new energy and as soon as it stops raining in coastal NC.... I'm going out to the range with new energy.
Pay particular attention to the 'downstroke waggle'.
A very effective way to ingrain slow motion movements and to 'show' your brain and body what the picture should look like.
__________________
"Support the On Plane Swinging Force in Balance"
"we have no friends, we have no enemies, we have only teachers"
Simplicity buffs, see 5-0, 1-L, 2-0 A and B 10-2-B, 4-D, 6B-1D, 6-B-3-0-1, 6-C-1, 6-E-2
I started reading the book and the forums in Dec. I was an 8 index then. By Feb I was a 7, then by Apr a 9. Then down to a 7 again by June. Crazy ride so far. I feel that I've turned a small corner and am now trending at 5. I have not seen any AI yet. I did see EC for a quick look and some tips. Mostly trial and error. I know without a doubt that this is the real deal. Read this article from Ron Gring. Changing old habits must be done over time with series of small steps
DAPHNE, Ala. — It’s like clockwork.
Near the end of almost every golf instruction session I give, the player will invariably ask, “but Ron, how long will it take to get this down?” The truth is I wish I knew. Then, I could predict when a player could break par, get his/her tour card and win their first major.
What I do know is that habit formation is a very complex subject. You see, habits reside in the unconscious part of the brain. This part of the brain never sleeps. It is always active. It takes care of breathing, heart rate, blood pressure, the release of chemicals into the bloodstream, oversees the care and maintenance of the body and controls the central nervous system. The central nervous system controls muscle contraction, which is how the golf club is moved from address to the follow-through. New habits are formed by “re-wiring” and “over-writing” old central nervous system programs.
I can hear you saying . . . “What does this have to do with my swing? In English please!” If a player has decided to change a particular component or variation in their swing, immediately they are dealing with trying to over-write old habits.
Unfortunately, habit formation has an agenda all its own. Habits do not care about a 24-hour clock or how much motivation a person has. Habits do not care how many balls a player may hit or how important golf is to that person’s mental well-being. Certainly, habits do not care if you have a tournament to play in on Saturday and you need this to improve now!
Habits form at a pace unaltered by effort and intensity. Habit formation is similar to placing eggs in an incubator. The egg hatches when the chick, not you, cracks the shell.
There are ways to speed up the process. Here’s one that may work for you.
You must realize when trying to change habits that until you can execute new movements perfectly at less than full speed, it is impossible to execute the changes with any degree of precision at full speed. The brain will automatically default to the old habit because it does not know how to execute the new movement when you go “all out.”
The truth is an inability to execute a motion at one-quarter, or one-eighth, or one one-hundredth of full speed perfectly indicates a serious fault at full length/full speed.
In the learning phase, the player must be willing to practice hitting shots 5, 10, 15, or 20 yards at full length to learn the exact feel of the new motion and build in the speed as the precision of the movement improves.
The first step is to establish your mechanical priorities. Ask yourself, “What is it about my swing that I am trying to change?”
The best way to do this is with the help of a professional that knows your game and knows something about your past history in golf.
This way, it can become the guided struggle, versus the blind struggle.
The second step is to look at what you are trying to change with your own eyes as often as possible.
It is best if you can use a video camera or you can look at your reflection in a sliding glass door, a window, or a mirror.
It is critical that you see yourself making the change to create the “feel” of the different motion.
Then take the new “feel” out to the practice tee and repeat the movement at slow speed, gradually increasing the speed until the old habits come back. (And trust me, they will!).
Then go back to slow speed, gradually increasing speed until the precision vanishes.
The term for this technique is “dolphining,” down (slow), then up (faster), then back down (slow), kind of like a dolphin in open water.
When a player is dealing with trying to change habits, the best of all perspectives would be:
“Let mechanics produce the feel, then let feel reproduce the mechanics.”
Thanks for the great post, Rick. Will take it all to heart. How do you account for the documented cases here of Yoda and Ted taking golfers of varied ability and in a very short period of instruction, the student is compressing the ball like never before? EdZ says their students can compresses it better than 99% of the golf population ever will. What a challenge....
Thanks again, pshr
. Very discouraging 
. Flat out cannot do it w/o an AI, so will be scheduling Lee Deitrick tomorrow. Very boring to you guys, I know, but a HUGE downer here. More than a small bump in the road, but I am determined to shoot my age before playing the 19th hole. 
and b) new issues almost always crop up... work on one thing and pretty soon another is a problem... think that is solved and bingo.... the right shoulder is back ruining my swing....
Hybrid Mode
