I saw that-- and want one. It's about the size of Don's swing radar device, and records and plays back your swing; anywhere/anytime. It is $399 though... a little too expensive for me, but I think I know what I want for Christmas..! Very cool. It would be such a useful device. I wish Christmas wasn't so far away. Does Santa charge extra for express delivery? (But then, he knows who's been naughty...) So, I guess I'll have to wait.

Looks cool. Who is techie enough to tell me, is there any advantage to this over a miniDV player?

Primarily Laney, that it's more simple to operate, set up to view a golf stance/swing, and basically one-touch. Set it down and aim it, push a button, and go make your brilliant shot! Simple and geared for this function. You can achieve similar results with a miniDv player, but it requires more effort. Also the ProPlayer recorder has software to plug in and review your recordings. Simple is the word I guess. Oh yeah though, the other word is "expensive." Still... I would love to have one.

Made a visit to the range today. At one point I was experimenting with my grip. I guess this was during the "grip pressure" part of my experiment... Anyway, the 5-iron flies out of my hands and hits the edge of the ceiling... "WHACK!!!" Everyone who wasn't deaf looked at me... I kind of wished I was blind for a moment. I shrugged, smiled sheepishly, and proceeded to "dry" off my grip and hands with my towel. (If I hadn't been sweating prior to this episode... I certainly was now.) Felt kind of goofy for a minute. Everyone got back to their business and I continued swinging and making shots, and feeling goofy for all the usual reasons...

Wow, I went to the my lesson yesterday and had no swing. I couldn't even get off the ground, and I had no idea why. After awhile, Ron gave up on the irons and had me start hitting the driver, and I finally got that going. I had started out tight, no turn back, but turning out of the downswing, stepping up on my right leg, breaking my wrists through the ball, you name it. And I couldn't seem to feel a thing that was happening. I went to hit another bucket of balls after my lesson, and my swing did come back. I was not so much upset by this as stunned. Where did my swing go? Such a weird experience, but at least when I found it again, I was hitting as well as ever.

Funny how that happens...my husband had that last weekend, he described it as feeling like he was trying to swing a 2x4.
According to what I read in Golf Digest, likely that happened from trying to swing too much with the arms (disconnected from the body). Armchair analysis.
Stop swinging for a week to forget it, you'll find it comes back when you don't think about it. Trying too hard seems to make it worse for me (subliminally, I think when your head is anxious, it makes the muscles anxious/tense and muscle memory goes out the window).

Swing was back again today, and it felt especially free and easy. Go figure. I'd done some weight work for the first time in a while yesterday morning, and I wonder if I was just stiff from that.

Went to the range on Saturday after 2 weeks of rest (actually busy with work) to get ready for my tournament next week. The day was like I was new to golf and I couldn't hit anything good. So it was back to basics. Driver distance was back to a measly 180 yards.

Will try to hit the range again today after work if possible.

The tournament is the 1st Annual WGS (Wideband Global Satcom) Golf Tournament that will be held at the US Navy Golf Course in Cypress, CA. For those who remember, I worked on the WGS satellite, which was also launched into orbit a few weeks ago. So, our customer (US Government and DoD), decided to have this tournament. This private tournament is open to the DoD, US Gov't employees, and us who worked on the satellite. It's a foursome scramble using modified Calloway system. ??? I don't know which group I'll be with. All proceeds will go towards charity.

So, what is scramble? Calloway system? What should I know about this?

I don't know what exactly the Calloway system is, but I believe (from a prior outing) that it gives you points based on how you score on each hole - like if you par a par 5 hole which is rated harder than a par 4 that you birdie, you get more points. The net result is that you can win some stuff without scoring low overall.
If it's a scramble, and they are using Calloway, it probably means that they score your group as a team and also give individual prizes based on the points.
It's a fun format, because you really have a chance to win without being the lowest scoring golfer!

DocT A scramble is pretty simple. Each team member hits a tee shot, and then the team gets to play the second shot from the best ball you hit. Then each member hits a second shot from where the best ball is, and you continue this way until someone makes the putt. Two things to remember. When it comes to the putt, and you miss your putt, DON'T TAP IT IN. If you do, the hole is over and all the other team members don't get a chance to try and make the putt. You'd be cheating your team out of a chance to save a stroke on that hole. Second, if you have a putt for Birdie, try not to let it come up short, get it to the hole at least. You have 4 team members to cover your butt if you hit to too far by, so be bold and get it to the hole. Last throught, someone has to hit the fairway off the tee if you want a chance to birdie each hole. So someone has to hit a safe shot to the fairway before the rest of the team can try to BOMB one deep.

I think I can handle that. Sounds like a lot of strategy is involved. Good thing most of us are engineers. We can all huddle around the ball and extrapolate the most efficient layup, and kill an hour doing so.

Having a 4-person team means you can have everyone play to their strength...
Long hitter off the tee can bomb it and maybe get a playable shot. Shorter, but accurate hitter off the tee ensures you have a ball in play.
Short game wizard can get you into one-putt range.
Like Don mentions above, you'd be amazed how many long putts you sink (or come really close on) when you don't have the pressure because you know 3 other people can back you up...plus if you are the 4th person to putt you have been able to get a read off all the prior putts!

Doc,

There is some strategy involved but only to a point. Eventually it comes down to being able to make shots. Having played these a fair amount, the real key is approach shots from the fairway. You might get 4 putts at things, but a 30 ft putt is still a 30 ft putt and you're not likely to make it with 4 or 6 attempts. So as Don says, usually the #1 guy will be someone who hits it straight (or safe) and gets the group in the fairway. Usually not your longest hitter. Then if he does his job, everyone else tries to hit shots that will leave you better approach shots (maybe longer but maybe just more risky like OVER trees and such).

For putting, definately the job of the first guy (might even be your best putter..IMO it should at least be one of your top 2 putters) is to get the ball to the hole and if he doesn't make it, give everyone else a good read. I know some people will argue your best putter should go last but for me, after watching 3 people putt, I have way to much information to balance in my head. I like putting first with my own reads rather than having to deal with all that other stuff I should have "learned" from everyone else.

But the teams scoring low will be hitting close appoach shots from the fairway.

Also, know the rules for things like mulligans or any other gimmicks. Many of these things have them.

But most importantly, HAVE FUN!!!!

I can't find the thread where we talked about the feet on the ground drill, so here I go.

Ron is on a kick for this drill again. He told the good teenager that if he were a young man about to go try and make the tour, he would hit at least his first bucket this way every day. He told me I need to hit a few thousand balls this way. He had a row of people on the mat practicing it yesterday, including me.

So I hit a few hundred balls with my feet on the ground. The main point of my lesson yesterday was that the right side should be soft as I come down. I said, yeah, but you don't mean the right shoulder do you? And he said, how can you get any power if your right shoulder isn't soft -- everything on the right side should be soft. I was mystified at first, and couldn't even get the ball in the air, but eventually I got it, and oh, what a big click it was. I wasn't hitting any farther, but it was almost effortless. So I said, Ron, where is the power coming from, I'm not doing anything. And he said, from rotation. That didn't make any sense to me, but, oh well. This must be what getting the body synchronized is. I don't think I can convey what a big shift this was. And it came about through the feet on the ground drill.

Now, Ron says that when I want to hit the ball harder, I just turn on the heat at the end of the downswing when the clubhead is low. Every time I try this, I go back to trying to muscle it through from the top with my arms, so that insight is for another day.

Is anyone else amazed at how effortless it feels when it's done correctly? How is the clubhead speed generated, when I'm feeling only minimal physical exertion? Of course, I'm not hitting very long yet. Will it take more effort when I learn to apply the power late in the downswing? Now I begin to see why little guys can hit far. The golf swing can be such a beautiful movement. I also see why they say everyone has to dig it out of the dirt. Ron tells me stuff, but I have to keep hitting balls until I discover what he means by the words.

I love this game. It continually yields new discoveries. I haven't been at it long, but Ron says he still learns new things, and he's 73 years old and doesn't even play anymore.

Laney; Watch the pros on tour and you will see they all hold the wrist cock a long time, and release it just before impact. This is where a lot of the clubhead speed comes from, the late release of the wrists. One of the great things about having a Swing Speed Radar, is being able to make a change in my swing, and see how it effects my clubhead speed. By trying a lot of different things, I was able to increase my speed from 97 to 107 in a few days. Then with more trail and error days, I've gotten it up up 118 a few times. Not consistant, but now I know I can hit 118 with the right swing. It's amazing what can be learned from useing the radar to measure my speed. Videoing my swing is the next step to figure out how and why I was able to reach 118, and why I don't do it all the time. That's my project for this winter. That and working on solid contact with the irons on those much shorter approach shots into the greens.

Ron wants my wrist cock to release AFTER impact. He showed me the move in slow motion, but it's not something he tells me to think about doing. He tells me release just happens if the other stuff is correct. I'm pretty sure I'm getting it.

That launch monitor sounds really useful, someday I'll get one. And your video project sounds like a great idea. Be sure and keep us up to date on your research.

"..That and working on solid contact with the irons on those much shorter approach shots into the greens.." Now you're talking, just the type of shots which are costing me strokes. I plan on going to my par three and working on them this weekend.

Ditto!!!!

Hit the range yesterday as my last practice before my tournament this Friday.

Everything went well. Solid ball contacts, smooth swings, and lots of confidence in every club, including my driver! Made me wish it was already Friday.

Way to go, Doc. Now are you going to practice in your head, making those same kinds of shots in the tournament?

I don't remember what I did right.
I'm just going to have fun. That's all that matters. And besides, worst score allowable is a double bogey (to keep the pace of play). I can handle that!

I've got a new CD that instructs us to replay our best shots over and over in our minds to build a new image for our subconscious. I'll let you know about it if it works for me.

DocT, you have the right idea. Just have fun and we hope you play well.


Laney, I've always heard we should remember our good shots to give us confidence...so let us know how it works.

Laney:
Why would Ron want you to release your wrists after impact? That would cause you to lose all kinds of swing speed/distnce. Sounds like a temporary fix for someone you are doing wrong, not a long term goal.
Went to the range Tuesday, and hit 200 balls. Most were hit okay, and not too many bad shots, with a few really good one in there. My fade was back with the driver a bit. Not a slice, more like a 15 yard fade this time. Still not right, but a lot better than the big slice I had 2 months ago. Iron shots were pretty good. I'd say about half the drives would have found the fairway if I have been playing on the course, so that's not too bad. Lots of room for improvement, but not toooo bad. Next time I go out, I need to work with the putter and get used to it after the accident with the cart last round.

I dunno. Sometimes Ron gives different answers on different days. He has either said a) don't worry about it, just feel like that's what you're doing, or b) yes, the wrists stay fixed through impact.

Ok, non-thinkers, stop reading. I know of two other opinions on this. One is that wristbreak can help speed a little, but is very difficult to time so that it helps rather than hinders. The other is from The Physics of Golf. He put the equations of motion in a computer with both two and three levers, and found that a given force will produce a faster clubhead speed without wrist break in all his simulations. We all agree that too early wrist break slows the clubhead, don't we?

Anyway, glad things are getting back to normal for you.

Don,
Just curious, I know you have a couple of different drivers, which one is working the best at this point?