chisag

... Unfortunately I know why my swing gets out of whack but fixing it is another story. I have a degenerative disc and have had two surgeries. The pieces of my disc that broke off were pressing against my spinal cord and had some nerve damage. So when it is slipping just a little, my ligaments and muscles tense up to protect the disc and my left leg loses any feel. That all sounds a little worse than it actually is but when it happens I can't have much seperation between my hips and shoulders and everything wants to turn together as one unit. That produces a different kind of swing that is much more arm driven because I can;t turn my hips through impact while keeping my shoulders square to the line. They all just turn together and I have figured out how to make that work but it also ingrains some bad muscle memory and it can be difficult to ignore what my body wants to do to protect itself and do what my golf swing needs my body to do. ... So basically everything gets put of whack and I have to depend on my short game. The other option is not playing and that really isn't an option for me. So when I am able to clear that muscle memory and swing my natural swing it is so much easier as my hips and shoulders are working together and not fighting each other. Now like everyone that plays this game there are some days when my natural swing with no back issues gets a little out of sync and the round is a bit of a struggle, but that usually doesn't last more than one or two rounds. Glad to hear your vertigo is under control as I can't imagine playing golf like that!

... And another thing. Getting paired up with others is always interesting. Two guys in their early 50's Bret and Brian who played in high school back in Chicago. Bret was having a really bad day and the ole "I can't believe I am playing this bad and I am much better than this. I usually hit my share of bad shots but not THIS many" And while I didn't doubt him, it wouldn't be a night and day difference. Brian probably shot in the mid or lower 80's but he had 2 blow up holes so hard to tell. ... That said I usually didn't see them much til we got to the green as they had their shots to play that were rarely near mine and I drove my cart to the shade every chance I got with temps around 112*. So when I stuck a LW from 59 yds to 3 feet on #17 and rolled in the birdie I was surprised when he said "That's 3 birdies on the back right?" a little surprised I said yes. Then he followed that with "And another birdie on the front with just one bogie?" How the he!! would he know that? I had to check my scorecard to be sure but he was right. Like I said, getting paired up with others is interesting because he did say nice birdie when I made them but just didn't seem to be paying attention to me at all, mostly because he had his hands full sharing a cart with Bret who didn't break 100. Both were good guys with pleasant conversations and I find that to be the most important thing when sharing 4 hours together with a stranger.

... Close to 8pm here so half of you are in bed but today was a good day. Swing felt pretty close to normal again 🥳 and had 4 birdies and a bogie. Two in a row on the back including the 2/4 handicap holes so I felt pretty good about that. Then on the way home a surprise shower!!! Only lasted about 5 minutes but it came out of nowhere and cleaned the air and gave our flora and fauna juuuust a little relief for the desert heat.

... I watched Midway last night and evidently I was foreshadowing today's Women's Open.

... It has been my experience that everywhere has their trade offs. Both for golf and life in general. As hot and uncomfortable as it gets here in summer, for me it is light years better than the freezing cold Chicago winters. I think I was a little spoiled growing up in Greensboro NC where the winters were mild (other than some devastating ice storms) and a nice moderate temp year round aside from July and then August when we had 4 a days in football training camp. ... And spring rain in Chicago was brutal with courses closing for multiple days and I always wished I could live someplace with no rain. Haha careful what you wish for!

... I know it can be really annoying for you guys but I really wish we could get some of that rain! Our Monsoon season has been a bust so far and no rain or any in the forecast. But last day of July and temps under 110* and that is always a nice bonus. Gonna play today and I think 15% humidity is just about ideal. When it gets to single digit humidity you can't get any sweat on your body to produce a little cool with the wind from the cart because it evaporates before it can form.

... I was on staff for awhile with Tommy Armour and played 845's 2 iron through LW. Only set LW I have played and loved. I took them apart and put ferrules on them because Freddie had ferrules on his and I didn't like the no ferrule look. When I look back at them it is amazing how much offset there was on the longer irons.

... The DBacks have completely imploded. Going from the highest scoring team before the AS game to the lowest scoring team after the break. 2 runs scored in 54 innings. 😱 They are pressing and trying too hard, which is natural but not much fun to watch. Eugenio in particular has struggled after the break and they have put runners in scoring position and then strike out or hit pop ups going 1-29. I think the DBacks weren't going to be able to afford his contract next year as he would have been a free agent so getting some highly rated relief pitchers and a 1st baseman they needed was a really good trade. ... That said Suarez was so much fun to watch, a great team mate and everyone from players to coaches to the media and of course fans loved him. He will certainly be missed.

... and I feel pretty much the same. The mens power game doesn't interest me much other than Majors and Big Tournaments but as you know I love watching the women play. So many more skill shots and use all the clubs in their bag. Super excited about the Women's Open starting at 4am so I'll wake up to Nelly, Jeeno, Yin and quite a few others playing Links golf.

... That's some awesome stuff there. Thanks for posting this.

... Well jeez I gotta work today. Drive ALL the way to downtown Phoenix and do 3 different Voice Overs to update the infomercial and 2 commercials. At least 1-2 hours of work in an air conditioned studio. Yea it's a tough job but I have never shy'ed away from hard work. 😎

... One of my favorite cities to visit as I have worked there a ton the last 15 years. Amazing restaurants downtown and in the Pearl District. I hope you get to enjoy some of them!

... Anecdotal but representative of the 3DPT's forgiveness. 157 yd par 3 into a gentle 5mph wind and I hit my 7 iron, my 160 club because a little short was better than a little long. Not really subconsciously trusting it would get through the wind, I swung a ,little harder coming out of the swing just enough to make contact a little more than 1/2" toward the toe. I expected to miss the green a little right and a little short and was more than a little surprised when it hit the pin. Obviously not every mishit is that good but it is representative of just how forgiving relatively good swings with poor contact can be.

... Right there with you! I was playing the original AP2's when the Amp Forged were released. Ignoring the gaudy orange cavity and visible weights on the sole I thought it was the best iron ever produced for the size, shape, with a thin topline, narrow enough sole and the performance I want from my irons with enough forgiveness to make a difference on slight mishits. I have played every Cobra players iron since that OG AF with the Fly Z, Forged Tour, MIM, Forged Tec (just a few rounds), King Tours and now 3DP Tours. Starting with the best hosel transition ever, the shape of the short irons, the 8 iron transition and the shape of the mid/long irons are just unmatched imo and like you I am shocked others don't copy the roadmap supplied by Cobra. If these would have been made by Titleist they would be the #1 irons sold by a wide margin. I think Rickie switching from small MB's to King Tours tells us everything we need to know about them. Workable and accurate enough for a PGA Pro with the forgiveness a low/mid index player can appreciate.

... I hear that. I never thought I would use any other putter than my Bobby Grace 6330 and coming from many years with an 8802 the perimeter weighting and roll face was magical on fast and smooth bent grass greens. Moving to Phoenix and playing grainy Bermuda greens and using a putter from as much as 5yds off the green, I needed more heft and went to a mallet. Tried a few and went back to an Anser style heel shafted putter before finding my heel shafted Evnroll mallet that I ordered custom without an alignment aid for an extra $50. 🙄 I don't normally mishit my putter but on very long putts that are into the grain I really have to hammer it sometimes and no doubt some of those aren't as centered as a "normal" putt, so the added forgiveness of the Evnroll face is a big benefit.

... Preaching' to the choir! I absolutely love the insert in my BG 6330. My son liked the feel and roll of mine so much I bought him a 4 diamond for college graduation and it replaced a Scotty Cameron I bought him for high school graduation. As you know the "Tour Insert" used has a soft feel/sound but rolls the same speed as a solid face putter, it just starts rolling sooner instead of skidding. ... I don't know if I have told this story but I had my original 6330 stolen in LA and contacted Bobby about a replacement but he wasn't producing any and had no trade ins but told me he would keep an eye open. About 4 months later he called me and said he had a mint trade in and was holding it for me. I called back and said send me a bill and he was super apologetic but a pro on the Asian Tour wanted it. Brutal. Then about 3 months later he called and said the Asian Pro sent it back to him and he gave me a discount for all the trouble. Great guy and I thought he went well over what is expected for a customer because he could have sold it for at least $250 more than he charged me. .

... You been here so you know. I don't wear shoes from the end of May through October. It's amazing to go to a nice restaurant and see people dressed up but wearing sandals. These are my Ecco summer shoes:

... Oh yea! If anyone watches Hard Knocks (which is maybe the best edited show on TV) it's always interesting to see the 3rd and 4th string players giving it everything they have hoping to make the 53 man roster or the practice squad. Some of them will never see an NFL regular season game so the are huge for them and their parents/friends watching.

... Information none of you need or want. 112* today so yea, I'm going commando for my Sprouts grocery run.

... I think we will see Goff as they have a new OC and need game reps but I'm with you and doubt we will see Stafford.

... Haha it is down the shaft with the fingertip touching the underneath part of the shaft.

... Hard to tell from a selfie but the only things touching my putter grip is my finger and thumb tips and the pads of my hands. My palm is nowhere near the grip with either hand. I honestly don't understand why more don't use this grip as it produces maximum feel. I got 3 out of 4 in my regular group to adopt this grip and their putting improved tremendously. The 4th can be kinda yippy and has a much more mechanical stroke and grips his putter tightly. One of the other things I firmly believe produces a neutral stroke is having each hand mirror the other. Obviously a claw or some other manufactured grip can't achieve this but any remotely normal grip should have opposing hands in the same orientation and it prevents one from being more dominant than the other.

... Great stuff LP! I am always shocked at how many hold their putter in the palms because as you said, the most feel is in the fingertips. I think too many miss some putts and think they need to take feel completely out of their stroke ala Bryson. Of course Bryson has an amazing amount of talent and is very technical but misses big putts all the time. I like to say I can putt with most any putter but those large grips are very difficult for me to use, especially on longer lag putts that are all about feel.

... That was an eye opener for me. Instructor for the vast majority is a business and I had to learn there were students that weren't going to listen and weren't gonna improve much, if at all. I had to just help the best I could and take the money they wanted to give me. At that time in my acting career I needed the extra income. Otoh it did make helping those willing to listen and improve much more rewarding. ... I also think teaching is an art form as far as personalities are concerned. Much like playing QB and understanding which lineman needed a kick in the butt, constant encouragement or left alone most of the time, I think I had a good foundation and I found teaching to be the same. Find out what kind of instruction made them the most comfortable because some loved trash talk, some loved encouragement and a few introverts liked to just be given the facts with as little interaction as possible. Some loved watching me hit some shots demonstrating a proper swing and others didn't want me swinging and embarrassing them. Teaching was always a learning experience.

... To be fair I have never been a fan of Little Lord Fauntleroy so I am admittedly biased. But even though his new faux persona is this social media likable guy, videos when he thinks the camera is off still surface with him acting like a real life David Simms.