[innercityteacher]

My second lesson with John Savage (GSEB), in Southhampton, PA

After asking about my play during the week, we got to work. John set up a ball to my address position and one ball to my right, even with my toe line. John demonstrated that as I turned, my triangle was breaking down, first with my wedges and then with my arms! Years of tennis and bad information, AND NEVER HAVING A PROPERLY TRAINED TGM INSTRUCTOR, allowed me to ingrain years of bad feelings in my hands and wrists and consider those feelings normal.

From address position as I rotated back, my hands could not come close to the ball at my toe line! It took me about fifteen minutes to generate my pivot with my right hip. Then with my sternum. I had to completely ignore my hands.

John then layed down a club in front of me to a 45 degree angle to show me how my handle should move around my body at a 45 degr. angle as I PIVOT PROPERLY USING MY LEFT SIDE/RIBCAGE TO MOVE THE CLUB, NOT ARMS OR HANDS.

As I sat on my right hip and rotated to the toe line ball, I realized that the feeling of ease and speed in my right hip was balanced from an undamaged hip. I cannot feel anything like that in my left hip. So, I switched back to my feeling of sternum rotation and my handle came all the way through to a 45 degree angle.

John was just getting started, however. After 20 or so 110 yard pw's which did draw after hitting the sweet spot and travel on a very high arc, John said "take your 7 iron."

I repeated my new swing and hit a 150/10 yard high flying hook. "Do it again, and stop after your backswing." "Why isn't your left palm turned down?" (BECAUSE I AM AN IDIOT WHO DOES NOT KNOW HOW TO GOLF, JOHN.) We practiced palm down-FEEL IT, DON'T LOOK AT IT, FEEL IT." The 7 iron popped straight out to the 150 yard angel on an egg-shape that was towering in the air. "Again" Sternum-put a leash on that puppy-sternum!

Mike, a fellow middle school teacher came by. Both commented on how my swing looked "sub-80." Mike started hitting balls and John told him he was not balanced in his down swing and too quick. John launched into a very good discussion of power needing balance for effectiveness. So I tried it. Sternum-feel the leash or palm down rest-sternum. "Linear first then down!"

John explained "Down the line, out to the ball, and forward." "I thought down meant literally down," says me. "Yes, I know," says John, "you have many strange ideas." "The club must be carried by the pivot! It will hit the ball without any manipulations. Let the pivot do the work!"

"One other thing, would you like another 20 yards?" "Why do you have your back elbow stuck on your back hip?" "Because I saw it in the Ben Hogan book?" John explained that without width of swing on plane, there is no power. John showed me how the stuck elbow deflects the thrust line of the pivot away from the plane line. I tried a few five woods and pushed everything out to the right. I realized I was concentrating so hard on feeling the elbow hip seperation, that I had no idea where the plain or my balance was. John said "It'll take you awhile to find your balance with the elbow seperated from your hip, keep the palm down on the backswing. Remember the plane line."

I have a lot to work on, keep you posted!

Patrick

I had the worst geometry teacher in the world. The slug should have applied it to golf. Circles, angles, parallels and perpendiculars would have been a snap. I wish Homer had come along with this in 1960 or so.