Cmon man! Stop holding out on us! I know you beasted on some teenagers and took their cash!
Did the last snow melt in MN, yet?
On the last 9, I shut out my two opponents. They both gave me 3 strokes and I beat them 4-0. I'll never get that deal again!!!!
Patrick
Originally Posted by JerryG
Can't wait to read about your lesson tomorrow. Break a leg (not literally)!
__________________
HP, grant me the serenity to accept what I cannot change, the courage to change what I can, and the wisdom to know the difference. Progress and not perfection is the goal every day!
The snow is gone and the ice is off the lakes. Life is grand on the tundra.
The golf team is wonderful. 44 9th-12th graders ranging from brand new beginners to state tournament vets. We are making no cuts and keeping everybody. Life is also grand on the practice tee and the practice green.
I'm convinced you are going to reach your goal so get out there and place as many bets as you can before that hcp tumbles out of control.
Ok, let's get to the context. My wifey and I drove one hour and fifteen minutes north to South Hampton, PA, to meet with John Savage, GSEB!
John is about 73, and calmly states that he can shoot his age, regularly. Indeed, at the end of our first lessons which lasted 90 minutes, though we were only charged for 30 minutes each, a fellow teacher and disciple of John's came to pick him up for their Sunday game. Mike, a fellow middle-school teacher, confessed that he was one of John's disciples, and that John was a very good player.
Mike reported that last time out, he shot a 73, and John shot a 68. John had indicated to us that Mike had beaten him only once, but it was just a matter of time before he would loose to Mike regularly.
John had Mike hit some 7 irons to show off. Mike hardly moved and the ball lept to the 200 yard marker or thereabouts, and it was obvious that Mike, at least, knew what he was doing.
Start of the lesson
John welcomed both of us, warmly. He established that I played golf and my wifey had never played. His temperment was good for both of us. Patient with my wife and serious/teasing with me.
He had me stand in front of marks on a wall. He had me close my eyes and turn facing to the right and then left. He explained that he believed balance was important to any machine and "We were machines." (My wife's only imbalance is that she married me.)
He videotaped my turning and said he would send the film to his chiropractor. (He also wanted me to send an email to him describing my 9 hip surgeries.) The purpose of including this discussion in his lessons (1/3 rd the price of a Golftec 8pak)was to find out the optimum range of motion and balance points for my shortness of my front leg and artificial front hip.
John watched me warm-up with about 10 shots. He asked me if I had a swing thought. I said it depended on the day and how badly my round was going. After warming up, John asked me if I knew which foot I place my weight on when I started the swing because I hadn't shifted the weight at all in any of my warm-ups. I said that I was always afraid to go to my right since it felt like I was climbing uphill. John said it looked like it, too.
He asked me why I double-cocked my left wrist. (I thought I wasn't but I was.) He asked me if I knew where the plane line was and I said it was the clubshaft. He laughed. '"Boy, do we have a lot to talk about. Are you sure you really want to work in this system and with me?" I told him I had tried everything else.
John told me to hit my best shots with a 7 iron and he videoaped the shots. He then gave my wife a grip lesson and told me to keep warming up.
Insight
He took us both to another side of the range. Using a "Smart-Stick," he demonstrated how the green laser moved along the plane unless the club was parallel to the plane. My wife did the plane tracing on her third try. It took me 20 minutes and multiple adjustments and explanations about not using my hands, arms or knees to trace the infinte plane line. I was able to keep the plane line, but only with difficulty. John moved us back to another set of bays.
He showed me a weighted stick with clicking mechanism. John demonstrated to us how we had to carry the club to impact and that the click should happen at the bottom of the swing. Uhmm, we could not do it for awhile. Finally, John had me stand behind him and watch how he had his hips turn straight back.
My Mrs. snapped the stick at the right spot. Then I did it and I noticed I was on plane. I asked John what his swing thought was. he said he turned his sternum. That was it!
Snap stick snapped and 7 irons flew effortlessly. John began to work with my Mrs. on her grip and plane line. Her swing looked better than most of the guys on my course! I hit 7 irons/5 woods/driver with the same swing! As I experimented with ball positions I would hit draws, hooks, fades and shanks. John kept saying, "Do not react to the ball, think of the plane. Do what you are supposed to do and then feel that."
He introduced my Mrs. to the light feel of a club on plane and continued to work with her. My Mrs. is not an athlete. She has a grad. degree in fine arts and learning technology. Before we finished, she hit the ball down the middle several times, on a perfect sand wedge chip trajectory. Her backswing looked great!
What John helped me with was seeing the plane-line in two dimensions. He also helped me understand the simplicity of the swing and full extension! When I placed all my weight on my back heel to start, I felt in line and stacked. I sat into that heel and rotated with no sense of sway. I reversed the rotation and hept my head down. NO LOSS OF BALANCE. The ball was usually down the middle and I could've stood there all day with my head down as my club wrapped around my neck like a real golfer!!!
My club was around my neck so quickly and effortlessly, I did not have to think about it! John swung and showed me "palm down (backswing) and palm up (post impact follow through). Do your swing slowly." My palm went down and came up BY THEMSElVES!
Evaluation
Christians celebrate Christ rising from the dead on Easter, today. Don't look now, but here is one golfer that will never shoot a dead, uncompetitive score again! Thanks to TGM and y'all I will see you and write you again!
I would have to give John a 9/10 rating reserving a 10 for Yoda, 9.5 for Kevin and OB, and a 9.1 for JerryG (based on attitude, alone)! This was the best one-on-one lesson I had ever experienced. In comparison, the golftec people and various pros along the way were sub 3 experiences.
Patrick
Originally Posted by JerryG
The snow is gone and the ice is off the lakes. Life is grand on the tundra.
The golf team is wonderful. 44 9th-12th graders ranging from brand new beginners to state tournament vets. We are making no cuts and keeping everybody. Life is also grand on the practice tee and the practice green.
I'm convinced you are going to reach your goal so get out there and place as many bets as you can before that hcp tumbles out of control.
__________________
HP, grant me the serenity to accept what I cannot change, the courage to change what I can, and the wisdom to know the difference. Progress and not perfection is the goal every day!
Last edited by innercityteacher : 04-04-2010 at 10:45 PM.
Thanks for sharing that story. It sounds like you have found a fantastic teacher in Mr. Savage! It wouldn't surprise me if he hangs out here, sounds like he would fit in perfectly.
I use the Smart Stick as well. Wonderful tool for learning, and I think it is fun to fool around with. It sounds like Mr. Savage teaches good ole God fearing TGM and makes it fun at the same time. I LOVE it.
Patrick, you are on a wonderful path, I am so happy you found a great instructor in your area to help you stay on it!
Kevin
__________________
I could be wrong. I have been before, and will be again.
Patrick,
That missive is just wonderful. I think I had a tear in the corner of my eye (or it could have been the dog's gas).
Kev had me on a Smart Stick once in the dome. I had that sucker pointed in places that now had light that had not seen light since the joint opened. I sent rats scurrying for cover.
Great stuff, Patrick. I am extremely happy for you.
Palms down... Great stuff.
The bad news Jerry, Kevin, Jeff, Sean and everyone was that it was 40 degrees with a 30 mph wind at 7am this morning.
I was sooooo cold, my brain froze with everything else. I should've worn the ski pants but it was SUPPOSED to be 65 degrees.
On my first two holes on the front 10 holes, I lost my ball positon! Then I lost my infinite plane line. I was so f'n cold that my ball position was too far back and I snapped everything left or I hit everything at a 45 degree angle to the right. I kept varying my take-away and down-stroke. Then, I started varying my hinges like a f'n moron. I couldn't think! I shot 53 on the front!
Finally, the wind died down, the sun came out and it broke 50 degrees. I kept doing my chips and pitches with a zero accumulator and distance-controled backstroke. At least that was working even though the front 10 greens were sand boxes. I remember looking down and deciding to slide the chip up in my stance to get more float. AND THEN IT OCCURRED TO ME THAT I NEEDED TO PUT THE BALL FORWARD IN MY FULL STROKE.
OK, so what did everybody else shoot and why?
Patrick
Originally Posted by JerryG
Patrick,
That missive is just wonderful. I think I had a tear in the corner of my eye (or it could have been the dog's gas).
Kev had me on a Smart Stick once in the dome. I had that sucker pointed in places that now had light that had not seen light since the joint opened. I sent rats scurrying for cover.
Great stuff, Patrick. I am extremely happy for you.
Palms down... Great stuff.
__________________
HP, grant me the serenity to accept what I cannot change, the courage to change what I can, and the wisdom to know the difference. Progress and not perfection is the goal every day!
Jerry, speaking of light in dark places. and gas...
My wife just scheduled me for a colonoscopy. If I have to have this, you guys do, too!
The gown ties in the back, Jerry. You can hold the smartstick if it'll make you feel better.
LMFAO
Patrick
Originally Posted by JerryG
Patrick,
That missive is just wonderful. I think I had a tear in the corner of my eye (or it could have been the dog's gas).
Kev had me on a Smart Stick once in the dome. I had that sucker pointed in places that now had light that had not seen light since the joint opened. I sent rats scurrying for cover.
Great stuff, Patrick. I am extremely happy for you.
Palms down... Great stuff.
__________________
HP, grant me the serenity to accept what I cannot change, the courage to change what I can, and the wisdom to know the difference. Progress and not perfection is the goal every day!
Finally, the wind died down, the sun came out and it broke 50 degrees. I kept doing my chips and pitches with a zero accumulator and distance-controled backstroke. At least that was working even though the front 10 greens were sand boxes. I remember looking down and deciding to slide the chip up in my stance to get more float. AND THEN IT OCCURRED TO ME THAT I NEEDED TO PUT THE BALL FORWARD IN MY FULL STROKE.
OK, so what did everybody else shoot and why?
Patrick
We need to follow Homer's advise and spend more time in front of a mirror or video camera checking these basic alignments. I was making the same mistake last week Patrick. We all go through the same problems... like Jerry said, get that geometry right!
Kevin
__________________
I could be wrong. I have been before, and will be again.
on some teenagers and took their cash!
John began to work with my Mrs. on her grip and plane line. Her swing looked better than most of the guys on my course! I hit 7 irons/5 woods/driver with the same swing! As I experimented with ball positions I would hit draws, hooks, fades and shanks. John kept saying, "Do not react to the ball, think of the plane. Do what you are supposed to do and then feel that."
The bad news Jerry, Kevin, Jeff, Sean and everyone was that it was 40 degrees with a 30 mph wind at 7am this morning. 
I couldn't think! I shot 53 on the front! 
Linear Mode
