Book Review: Golf Digest’s Ultimate Drill Book

September 15, 2008 By Leave a Comment
drillbook

Golf Digest’s Ultimate Drill Book by Jim McLean is a must-have for any student of the game.  With over 120 drills packed into the book, you can find helpful drills to cover any trouble spot in your game. Jim McLean is consistently ranked as one of the top teachers in the United States.  You’ve probably seen him on the Golf Channel giving instruction.  This book is a nice summary of drills he has developed or learned from other great teachers over a lifetime of study of golf. McLean is also well known for his X-Factor swing concept. Chapter List Timeless Winners Home-Schooling Body Drills Power Ploys Working the Ball Sure Ways to Perfect Your Pitching Game Chip Like a Pro Sand Secrets Curing Putting Woes Trouble-Shooter Drills Mind Games The Good Jim McLean is one of the most knowlegeable, well-respected teachers in the game.  This book is a great reflection of that. The selection of drills is quite large and covers virtually every aspect of the game, including things that help to get your mind

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Win a TaylorMade r7 Limited Driver

September 9, 2008 By Leave a Comment
r7

I wish I had one to give away.  Don’t worry, though because Rob over at Golf Views has one.  What an awesome contest! That’s right, he’s got a TaylorMade r7 Limited driver to give away.  All you need to do is shoot him an e-mail with the answer to four questions by October 8, 2008 and you’re entered in the drawing. Could it get any easier?  Click here to get over there and enter to win.

Filed Under: Miscellaneous
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Useful Stat or Waste of Time?

September 8, 2008 By 11 Comments
chart

As many of you know, I’m a stats guy.  I’ve been a little lax in keeping my stat records online, but rest assured, I’m paying attention to all that stuff (well, I was before I hurt my knee anyway).  So, it’s no secret that I’m a data mining aficionado. Recently, reader Nate R. asked me about a trend in vogue during golf broadcasts these days.  Lately, they’ve been reporting on the total number of feet of putts.  I hadn’t seen this yet at that time, but since then, I saw it as Vijay Singh was wrapping up the Fed Ex Cup a couple of weeks ago. Before my very eyes, they reported that Singh had holed like 150-some odd feet of putts that week. When Nate asked the question, his take was, “maybe it’s just me, but this is a completely useless stat the way they cite it.“  I could not possibly agree more. I’ve given this one a lot of thought and I can’t see how this stat can be very useful without having

Filed Under: Stats
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More About Hitting Up with the Driver

September 4, 2008 By Leave a Comment

I was interested to read an article at the Grouchy Golf Blog this week about the topic of hitting drives with an ascending blow.  Golf Grouch dug up an article from the January 2008 issue of Golf Magazine that shows, via scientific launch monitor testing, that a ball struck with an ascending blow will carry several yards further than a drive struck with a level blow and even further than a drive struck with a downward blow.  This holds true for club head speeds ranging from 75 mph to 120 mph. I have no idea how I missed the article in Golf Magazine early this year.  Hop over to the Grouchy Golf Blog and check it out. I must confess that I still need to read Bobby Clampett’s book where he covers hitting drives with a descending blow.  However, since I covered this topic originally, I have yet to see any of the “hit down” advocates present any scientific evidence that shows that hitting drives with a descending blow will result in more distance. However

Filed Under: Driving Tips
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Golf as a Team Sport

September 1, 2008 By 2 Comments
Teamwork

Before I mislead you, I’m not talking about four-ball competitions, scrambles, or anything similar.  Golf is a game of solitude.  When it comes time to hit the ball, there’s no one there to help. “So exactly what are you talking about”, I can hear you asking. Have you ever played team sports?  Football (either kind)?  Baseball?  Hockey?  Basketball?  Rugby, lacrosse, or volleyball?  Let’s forget for a moment that those sports require teams simply to play the games.  Let’s instead turn to what team dynamics mean for an individual and then we’ll get back to golf. I played team sports through childhood and on through my 20′s.  One thing that I always liked about it was the camaraderie.  I was an individual, but I was never alone.  There was always someone else there to help me achieve my best or to take up some slack when I was in a slump.  I always did my best because I never wanted to let the team down. One of the drawbacks to solitude is struggling to be 100%

Filed Under: Golf Psychology
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