[KevCarter]

Hinge actions and pressure points. That's all our buddy Jerry thinks about and his game is going so well he's giddy. You have found a WONDERFUL teacher!!!

We see guys come and go, most don't want to do the work, you are a TGM'er for life and I couldn't be happier for you!

Kevin

John started our lesson stressing that he had looked at my tape many times and fond me flipping constantly.

I confessed I had lost my wedges all day in my round yesterday, while trying to concentrate on turning my sternum. I shot a 96 yesterday, starting with a 46 and totally falling apart on the back 9 holes. John said he realized I did not understand the wedges or how to tie my wedges to my pivot.

Chipping progressions were on tap. John started by showing me how the handle of the club travels on a level swing with basic motion. It took me awhile to fire the handle level and left using my right pocket as my pivot point. From about 20 feet away, John showed me how to take swing progressions, slowly, and hit angle hinges, horizontal hinges, and vertical hinges.

With John's help, I was able to stop chips on astroturf from the short distance, using all three hinges with my 54 degree sand wedge.

From 35 or 40 feet, we did the same thing. Then from 30 yards, we did pitch shots using all three hinges. I learned how my pivot has real power and that a level handle must be my starting point if I am ever going to use "address hands," and discover where both arms are fully extended.

We then went to the sand bunker where a double cock wrists combined with my pocket pivot allowed me to hit every kind of sand shot, but mostly vertical hinged, out of dry and very wet sand, ON PURPOSE! My sand game yesterday, cost me 12 shots. If I had been able to hit a cut lob shot and reasonably stop the ball near any pin, I would have saved another 10 shots.

As John helped my lovely 5-2" wife learn her pivot with several clever drills, I tried some level handle/ right pocket progressions. The driving range has a hockey net at 55 yards. I pretended I was a Philly Flyer, (not a Minnesota North Star, not a Chicago Black Hawk, and not a Toronto Maple Leaf, ) and I filled that net up with chips using all three hinge progressions.

Later in the day, I realized that a full level pivot makes the the seperation of the back elbow from the back hip and left palm down, automatic. I figured out the differences in PW and my 54 and 58 degree sand wedges with all three hinges and my 9 iron.

Using my other clubs including my woods and driver, I was able to hit shots that drew or screamed low and ran on purpose (HH), flew straight and high (AH), and shots that dropped from the sky and stopped very quickly (VH).

John showed me how to trust my pivot, today, and helped me create a full, powerful swing by starting with the smallest level movement of the handle and turning my pocket fully left. I stopped balls dead on astro turf from 30 yards away hitting full-blooded vertical hinges. I hit 20 sand shots from 2 feet away of a 4 foot lip out of wet sand
AND.....I LIKED IT....ALOT...when they stopped a few feet of the plastic bucket I was aimed at.

I also got to hear some neat Ben Doyle stories from a man that took lessons from him, including a neat way to square my stance and body to the plane of a sand wedge.

We also figured my Mrs. needs a set of women's petite's clubs.

Thanks John for a very good day, and all of you great folks for your encouragement!

Pat