My Journey - From Top Posers, to Slicefixer, to iteach Dan

[Hstead]

I hope this thread can be of help to fellow WRXers as that is my intentions with this information. The main reason I am posting is because I wish this information had been available to me when I was deciding on a direction and a teacher to take my golf swing. I am hopeful this does not get into a negative thread as I am going to highlight positives, but I am very aware that emotions seem to run deep with some teachers and followers. Please keep it civil. REMEMBER, this is what worked FOR ME, and your mileage may very.

 

A little background, I have gone from a 21 year old college football player that couldn't 95 to an 8 for several years to a 4, to a 0 for a short time six years ago, to a 3-ish for the past couple. My first ever golf lesson was with Mic Potter, then women's coach at Furman back in 1993. He changed my grip, changed my setup, and I instantly went form shooting 95 to 78 over night, and had no idea what I was doing. I moved to Chicago after college, golf game went backwards, so I tried Jim Suttie, ZERO results. Back to Mic, instant results down to 8 or so HC. He recommended Todd Sones, had around 10 lessons with Todd with moderate results. Moved back home to Ohio, game was sideways, worked with Plummer for about six months, moderate results then devastatingly backwards. Back to Mic and instant results down to 4 after a few years. Messed with Sorrells and several others but always found my way back to Mic to get any kind of results. Mic has been the coach at University of Alabama for the past 8 years and doesn't teach any longer, but sees me once or twice per year for next to nothing because we are friends and he has taught me now for 20 plus years.

 

I wanted to find someone to work more with, so of course I read a ton on this site. I decided it was between Geoff and Dan C. I have been reading their stuff for three or four years. I decided on Slicefixer since reading anything negative was far and few, and he seemed to have WAY MORE threads on this site from members speaking highly about their trip to TXAR. I didn't find as many threads on Dan, so I headed to TX.

 

Let me say, Geoff is one of the most sincere, nicest guys you will ever meet. He is what I call "good people". A testament to Geoff's character are his two kids, which are incredibly rounded, grounded, intelligent, polite, and many more adjectives to describe "good kids" that you can think of. I am certain they are his most prized "Students" and they should be. Geoff has obviously had his share of success with many students, but unfortunately, I was not one of them. I just couldn't get it, and he couldn't help me get it. I learn best from watching my own swing. Geoff and I watched a ton of video of every successful tour player you want to name, but that didn't do it for me. I also do better with more hands on. At Geoff's, he will show you other swings, explain what he believes they are doing and why it works, video your swing that you brought, and show you where it is different from the successful tour guys, explain what needs changed, and start you on 9 to 3's. He doesn't hover over you, and you "dig it out of the dirt" etc mostly on your own. There are many others that come and go for lessons, etc and he has a million things going on and can get side tracked. Again, reminder, this was my experience. I am going to take the blame, as I just couldn't get it. Many players do get it, and learn great in this environment, I just wasn't one of them. To Geoff's credit, he did not feel comfortable taking full payment, as he knew I just didn't get it.

 

From a selfish stand point, I really do not care how David Toms swings, or Hogan for that matter, all I care about is how I swing. I need to see my own swing, which you do not really get with Geoff. It is a different method than I do well with. This all happened in Feb, and my game actually went backwards and I have never been more lost with my swing ever than the past month.

 

Now fast forward to today. I spent three days with Dan in Jacksonville. Dan can actually decrease his three day school into a five minute lesson. I kid you not. I am not the only one to experience this either, as others have posted similar results. My swing changed within 3 swings literally. I could not believe it. I was in complete and utter disbelief. Dan videoed the swing I brought, we went in and watched only my swing, no tour players etc, just me, and he said this is what pieces you have that work, these are the ones that do not fit, and this is what we are going to do to make everything fit for your body type and swing. We went back to the range, he showed me a couple of the most simple easy thoughts I have ever had, and in two swings it was nearly done. The major parts were done anyway. I probably hit fifteen balls and he said "ok let's go look at this". I am thinking it should take at least 200 balls and a bunch of "muscle memory" changes etc to see any results as that is what I have been accustomed to for 20 years.

 

So he pulls this swing up on his Mac. I am like, "who is that, I didn't know Smock had three chins. No that's not Smock. Jason Gore isn't that tall." Then after a quick audit of the clothes I was wearing, the guy on film that I had never seen before was me and all we did was hit fifteen balls. I was flat out stunned because it was so easy. I have been taught that it takes "10,000 swings" and all that BS to make a change. It does not take 2 years. If you think it does, you are wasting almost 2 years, minus ten minutes.

 

My swing went from a narrow, inside, lifted backswing, to a wide, in front take away. And that changed nearly everything else, and now my club goes around the corner. No more stall and flip. The body rotates and the club follows. All I could do was laugh and shake my head. It was so dang easy. Dan is exceptional at understanding human biomechanics. He showed me how our arms and chest move etc, and how all you have to do is this or that and it is impossible for other parts to do anything differently etc and is was amazing. I have read about biomechanics, but didn't realize how they really work like Dan does. He is a magician. This is Dan's strength, he understands how the body works, how the club works etc like it is a machine. He puts the parts together. He is an engineer by training, and that is how he attacks the swing. He eliminates parts that do not fit, and replaces them with parts that do. Dan does not teach a method like Geoff. Everyone will get something different, not the same DVD with all of the pros etc.

 

The thing I liked most about Dan is his work ethic. He literally did not miss a single shot I hit. We estimated that I hit 300 or so balls yesterday. He watched all 300. He videoed about 250 of them. I watched about 80 of them. When one of his juniors would come to talk to him, he would answer them and watch me. It was all about me and my son. For at least 4 hours per day, and really closer to 5 and a half, he spent every second with us, from lunch to the range. Always there, camera in hand, watching with a purpose, focused like a laser beam on us. There was no getting side tracked. I quit all three days when I was done. He would have stayed with camera in hand as long as I wanted. Incredible stamina and work ethic.

 

The biggest thing for me is, results speak for themselves. Dan gets results like no one else in the business. After chasing 5 Golf Magazine Top 100 guys, Mic who I had great success but not like Dan, to Geoff Jones, I think I have a decent point of reference anyway. If I had unlimited funds, I would pick Dan over every teacher in the country. The best part is too, with Dan you do not need unlimited funds. He is more than worth his prices. My son and I will not learn from another teacher from now until Dan or I quit golf. He changed things in my swing that I, and many other teachers have tried to change for 20 years. Dan did it in three swings. I am not exaggerating. Three swings. It was crazy. The short game stuff was equally as good too. No more trap wedges for me. Bounce is your friend and he taught me some cool stuff.

 

So without further ado, here are the results. I still have work to do, but my ball striking was night and day.

 

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[/media]

[MK7Golf21]

nice swing, what are the feels he taught you?

[seminolewind]

Wow what a difference looks really good. If you don't mind what did he have you do to correct your issues? I have a very similar build as you and struggle with the same problems you had. Any tips would be appreciated if possible. Again swing looks good.

[ryanandrew_golf]

Great changes! Keep it up!
I too spent time as a pupil of Geoff's and hit a limit in my progression. Dan has been fantastic for me. I'm glad you had a similar experience!

[kcowgolf]

Great post! Hope he can fix me, mine may need a little more than 3 swings! Going in May.

[ALIF]

Night and day!

[airjammer]

Kinda crazy that he can tell you what you personally feel when you do it right! I haven't heard a bad report yet.

[CSagan]

Nice job heath. Dan is a great teacher and solved one my final flaws on the first swing.

[Hstead]

Thanks for the compliments. For me, I needed to get the arms in front of me, so he showed me how if I keep my right arm straight, and just the right one because if the right arm us straight the left will be too, it is impossible to swing the arms behind me. Try it, if your right arm is straight your chest will go with it. So I simply try to keep my right arm straight going back even though it does bend u feel like it never does. Then coming down I just feel like there is a string attached from my hands which are now dead in front of the buttons on my shirt to those buttons and keep it all together the same speed. That's it. Very simple. Keep right arm straight, then keep hands in front if buttons and right arm straight all the way thru to finish. It is amazingly simple swing thought for me.

[Hstead]

[quote name='kcowgolf' timestamp='1365396201' post='6783063']
Great post! Hope he can fix me, mine may need a little more than 3 swings! Going in May.
[/quote]


You will be surprised. I bet it will be no more than five swings. I would have bet you a million dollars it would have taken me at least a month of practice swings in the living room etc etc. I always bought into the 2 years BS way before Geoff. I always thought it was supposed to be hard.

There are at least four other guys that had similar changes I have talked to in three swings. Like CSagan said and Tembolo mentioned in his thread. It just stood there and giggled like.a school girl it was so easy to change the backswing like that in three swings. I felt like I had been made a fool for 20 years.

[martin9073]

[quote name='Hstead' timestamp='1365410370' post='6783393']
Thanks for the compliments. For me, I needed to get the arms in front of me, so he showed me how if I keep my right arm straight, and just the right one because if the right arm us straight the left will be too, it is impossible to swing the arms behind me. Try it, if your right arm is straight your chest will go with it. So I simply try to keep my right arm straight going back even though it does bend u feel like it never does. Then coming down I just feel like there is a string attached from my hands which are now dead in front of the buttons on my shirt to those buttons and keep it all together the same speed. That's it. Very simple. Keep right arm straight, then keep hands in front if buttons and right arm straight all the way thru to finish. It is amazingly simple swing thought for me.
[/quote]

thanks a lot for your explanation.
one more question. with this new swing thought, do you also think about when to hinge your wrists? or does it happen automatically?

edit: what about half swings?wedge shots?same swing thougt?

[SunkTheBirdie]

[quote name='Hstead' timestamp='1365391255' post='6782781']
[size=4]So without further ado, here are the results. I still have work to do, but my ball striking was night and day.[/size]
[size=4][media=]http://youtu.be/h7d6bUMehKI[/media][/size]
[/quote]
Nice before and even better after.
A solid swing like yours often just needs the right fine tuning.

[Hstead]

Thanks Sunk.

As for the wrists, no conscience thought at all just happens. The only thought is straight right arm on both sides of the ball and hands in front of buttons.

The funny part is, the swing is way shorter but the ball goes farther. I picked up one club with most irons and way more with the 58 degree. I used to hit the 58 about 100 yards, now it goes 120 if I want. The half wedges are the hardest really as my swing feels so short. To hit the half wedges I just have to shorten it even more and stop the finish shorter.

The face on swing Dan put up is a 6 iron I believe The longer the club the easier it is to hit. The driver is actually the easiest. I didn't hit driver the first day an in day two when I grab it I was actually worried. He said why. It will be the easiest. I was always buying into the bs about wedges being easiest etc. well he was right again the driver was the easiest to swing. That is another fallacy. You do not have to hit a bizillion 9 to 3s etc before moving up. Non sense. Dan explained why the long clubs are easier and sure enough I can make a better swing with the 4 iron vs a wedge. Same swing really though no worries about "if you can't hit a half wedge how can you hit driver". Dan can explain it best that is a load of crap too.

[SunkTheBirdie]

hehe.

[Evil Ecstasy]

Yea I will just add I saw Geoff multiple times over a span of a year and basically lived in texarkana for 2 months and had a similar experience to hstead. Geoff is a very nice guy, but really has too many students and it always felt to me like he couldnt give people the individual attention they need. I understand thats not his style, that he wants you to dig it out of the dirt, and I respect that. Theres nothing bad he taught me, it just didnt really apply to my swing at the time. I never had a flipping problem but had a host of other problems, and the million 9-3's with wedges just doesnt really fit my personal learning style. Like hstead I ended up getting worse, but fortunately monte has helped me get my old game back and then some.

[rocker40]

HStead. Clear out your mailbox. You cant receive messages.

[MizunoJunky]

Great post! Nice swing!

[Thrillhouse]

You look good through the ball buddy!

[240clutch]

Nice post, enjoyed reading it.

[hammer45]

HStead. Clear out your mailbox. You cant receive messages.

[HappyGolf]

Nice post.

Swing looks just like Dan's "method that isn't a method".


2 questions.....

Why do you need 300 swings video'd if it's fixed in 3?

Have you given up on hitting a draw and just gone with a straight/fade flight instead?

[triplebogeyblues]

[quote name='HappyGolf' timestamp='1365431289' post='6784439']
Nice post.

Swing looks just like Dan's "method that isn't a method".


2 questions.....

Why do you need 300 swings video'd if it's fixed in 3?

Have you given up on hitting a draw and just gone with a straight/fade flight instead?
[/quote]

Those results kind of speak for themselves, whether it was 3 swings, 300 swings, or even 3000 swings. Good job Dan.

[Stryker]

[quote name='Hstead' timestamp='1365391255' post='6782781']

The short game stuff was equally as good too. No more trap wedges for me. Bounce is your friend and he taught me some cool stuff.

[/quote]

OOoooo, I would love to know Dan's short game stuff. Geoff's stuff is brilliant, would love to add Dan's knowledge on top of it. Wonder if he would give internet short game lessons?

[Jacob Mac]

Nice work, you look really good through the impact area. Dan is a great teacher.

[Pure745]

Looking good Hstead! I referred a co-worker to DC and he had results that were night and day. I was fortunate enough to get a few rounds in with DC during his brief stint in SD a few years bag.

[rocker40]

So im going to ask the question noone else will ask. Will a High Handicap benefit from going to Geoff Jones or Dan C?
Or are both of these instructors too advanced for me???

[hurst66]

Nice work . Please keep posting.

[TheBoomer]

[quote name='Hstead' timestamp='1365410370' post='6783393']
Thanks for the compliments. For me, [u][b]I needed to get the arms in front of me[/b][/u], so he showed me how if I keep my right arm straight, and just the right one because if the right arm us straight the left will be too, [u][b]it is impossible to swing the arms behind me[/b][/u]. Try it, if your right arm is straight your chest will go with it. So I simply try to keep my right arm straight going back even though it does bend u feel like it never does. Then coming down I just feel like there is a string attached from my hands which are now dead in front of the buttons on my shirt to those buttons and keep it all together the same speed. That's it. Very simple. Keep right arm straight, then keep hands in front if buttons and right arm straight all the way thru to finish. It is amazingly simple swing thought for me.
[/quote]

I struggle with keeping my arms in front of me, impact ball really helped and Dan's aritcal that he wrote about making swings half way back and half way forward with both arms straight has helped.

[bph7]

[quote name='rocker40' timestamp='1365436315' post='6784933']
So im going to ask the question noone else will ask. Will a High Handicap benefit from going to Geoff Jones or Dan C?
Or are both of these instructors too advanced for me???
[/quote]

No experience with dan, but I would say that a high handicap would DEFINITELY benefit from slice. His whole philosophy is catered to any ability level, and you may even find it easier since you might not have as many (bad) habits ingrained. Also, if you are in Houston, its like a 5 hour drive I believe to get him. I have only heard great things about Dan as well, but just have no first hand knowledge.

[JPGolf FL]

[quote name='HappyGolf' timestamp='1365431289' post='6784439']
Nice post.

Swing looks just like Dan's "method that isn't a method".


2 questions.....

Why do you need 300 swings video'd if it's fixed in 3?

Have you given up on hitting a draw and just gone with a straight/fade flight instead?
[/quote]
on plane and in sync is not a method. To some people it may look like a "method", but it's not. On plane and in sync looks quite different to me among dans students. You have to look beyond a little line drawn on the shaft plane at address.