Wednesday, April 14, 2004
Golf ha ha
Paul runs a golf-ball salvage business and has collected
plenty of things from golf course lake bottoms. “I once
found a full bag of clubs with the guy’s address on the
bag,” he says. “When I called him, he said he didn’t
want them. He said they were in the pond for a reason.”
golf tips
plenty of things from golf course lake bottoms. “I once
found a full bag of clubs with the guy’s address on the
bag,” he says. “When I called him, he said he didn’t
want them. He said they were in the pond for a reason.”
golf tips
Golf Data
golf tips
-- 54: Number of top-10 finishes Vijay Singh has -- more
than anyone else on the PGA Tour over the last four years.
Tiger has 52 and Phil Mickelson has 46. Singh now has 12
consecutive top-10 finishes.
-- 56: Number of top-10 finishes Jim Thorpe has -- more than
anyone else on the Champions Tour over the last four years.
-- 1,138-to-1: Odds of scoring eight shots under your handi-
cap on any given day, if you have an honest handicap. If you
were to play twice a week this represents more than 11 years
of golf.
-- 48.5: Percentage of handicaps that went up last year among
the 1.1 million handicaps the USGA tracked. Tell that to the
people who want to limit technology.
Grips Are Not All Created Equal
It's not unusual for a student to tell me, "I had new grips
put on my clubs, and they just don't feel right anymore."
The problem often turns out to be that the new grips don't
weigh the same as the old ones. When this happens, it can
significantly change the swing-weight of the clubs, and that
makes them feel very different indeed. Here's why. "Swing-
weight" refers to the relationship between the length of a
club and the weight in its club head. The weight of the grip
counterbalances the weight in the head, so replacing a grip
with one of a different weight changes the weight distribu-
tion and therefore the feel. Suppose I substitute a standard
51-gram grip with one of the same diameter that weighs only
42 grams on a driver that measures D3 (men's medium) on the
swing-weight scale. This makes the club head effectively
heavier as a percentage of the overall weight, raising the
swing-weight to about D6 -- a significant change. Conversely,
changing to a heavier grip will make a club feel lighter.
Grips of the same diameter come in many different weights,
from 51 grams all the way down to 35 grams. Be sure your
club repair man uses grips that allow you to retain the
swing-weight of your set. -- T .J. To masi
put on my clubs, and they just don't feel right anymore."
The problem often turns out to be that the new grips don't
weigh the same as the old ones. When this happens, it can
significantly change the swing-weight of the clubs, and that
makes them feel very different indeed. Here's why. "Swing-
weight" refers to the relationship between the length of a
club and the weight in its club head. The weight of the grip
counterbalances the weight in the head, so replacing a grip
with one of a different weight changes the weight distribu-
tion and therefore the feel. Suppose I substitute a standard
51-gram grip with one of the same diameter that weighs only
42 grams on a driver that measures D3 (men's medium) on the
swing-weight scale. This makes the club head effectively
heavier as a percentage of the overall weight, raising the
swing-weight to about D6 -- a significant change. Conversely,
changing to a heavier grip will make a club feel lighter.
Grips of the same diameter come in many different weights,
from 51 grams all the way down to 35 grams. Be sure your
club repair man uses grips that allow you to retain the
swing-weight of your set. -- T .J. To masi
Woods-Coach Reunion Not In The Works
Ponte Vedra Beach, Fla. -- People who regularly note the
drop-off in Tiger Woods' major victories and general
success during the past two years seldom assume it's be-
cause nobody can play great every week or other players
have closed the gap on him. Many observers think it's
largely because Woods, who tied for 46th last week at Bay
Hill for his worst finish in five years, and instructor
Butch Harmon ended their professional relationship in late
2002. Since then, Woods either self-evaluates his swing or
occasionally employs an extra set of eyes from his friend,
Mark O'Meara. Woods said Tuesday that while he always is
grateful for what Harmon did to remold his swing in the
late 1990s, their collaboration was limited in recent years.
"I really didn't work a whole lot [with Butch] the last two
or three years," Woods said. "It wasn't a lot we were work-
ing on. Our biggest task was basically from '97 through '98,
when I changed my swing from an across-the-line kind of shot,
[with a] stronger grip to where it is now. ... After that,
it was basically kind of maintenance here and there." Woods
said the two men often talk when Harmon is out on tour work-
ing with Darren Clarke or Stewart Cink. And Woods said
Harmon "has meant a lot to me as a person." But they aren't
working together. "Butch and I are still friends," Woods
said, "and Butch will always be my friend. ... [But] as far
as asking for help on my golf swing, no." -- Glenn Shee ley
golf tips review
drop-off in Tiger Woods' major victories and general
success during the past two years seldom assume it's be-
cause nobody can play great every week or other players
have closed the gap on him. Many observers think it's
largely because Woods, who tied for 46th last week at Bay
Hill for his worst finish in five years, and instructor
Butch Harmon ended their professional relationship in late
2002. Since then, Woods either self-evaluates his swing or
occasionally employs an extra set of eyes from his friend,
Mark O'Meara. Woods said Tuesday that while he always is
grateful for what Harmon did to remold his swing in the
late 1990s, their collaboration was limited in recent years.
"I really didn't work a whole lot [with Butch] the last two
or three years," Woods said. "It wasn't a lot we were work-
ing on. Our biggest task was basically from '97 through '98,
when I changed my swing from an across-the-line kind of shot,
[with a] stronger grip to where it is now. ... After that,
it was basically kind of maintenance here and there." Woods
said the two men often talk when Harmon is out on tour work-
ing with Darren Clarke or Stewart Cink. And Woods said
Harmon "has meant a lot to me as a person." But they aren't
working together. "Butch and I are still friends," Woods
said, "and Butch will always be my friend. ... [But] as far
as asking for help on my golf swing, no." -- Glenn Shee ley
golf tips review
trouble with my swing lately
Q: I am having lots of trouble with my swing lately. I
used to be a 5 handicap, but now it is up to double digits.
Here is the problem: I hit a lot of fat shots. I have NEVER
been able to hit fairway woods. I'm pretty good with short
irons, but when it comes to long irons and fairway woods,
I'm at a loss -- even when I make sure my head is kept down.
In fact, I tend to take huge divots with just about every
club except a wedge. Is there a tip you can give me? -- G.F.,
from the Web
A: "Keep your head down" is terrible advice because it
stifles motion through the hitting area. Staring at the
ground -- or in your case, a big divot -- after impact is
not good for either your score or your back. The harder
you try not to move your head, the more your body "freezes
up" until you're reduced to flailing at the ball with only
your hands and arms. Your goal should be to see the ball in
the air as quickly as possible after you hit it. Some very
good players (Annika Sorenstam, for one) actually take their
eyes off the ball before impact (it is called "looking off
the ball"). It's an important part of an aggressive rotation
through the shot. Teaching pro Brady Riggs outlines a good
drill for correct head rotation in the April issue of Golf
Tips magazine. "Place a second ball about 2 feet in front of
the actual ball at address and slightly inside the target
line," writes Riggs. "While hitting off a tee, look at the
second ball during impact."
golf tips
used to be a 5 handicap, but now it is up to double digits.
Here is the problem: I hit a lot of fat shots. I have NEVER
been able to hit fairway woods. I'm pretty good with short
irons, but when it comes to long irons and fairway woods,
I'm at a loss -- even when I make sure my head is kept down.
In fact, I tend to take huge divots with just about every
club except a wedge. Is there a tip you can give me? -- G.F.,
from the Web
A: "Keep your head down" is terrible advice because it
stifles motion through the hitting area. Staring at the
ground -- or in your case, a big divot -- after impact is
not good for either your score or your back. The harder
you try not to move your head, the more your body "freezes
up" until you're reduced to flailing at the ball with only
your hands and arms. Your goal should be to see the ball in
the air as quickly as possible after you hit it. Some very
good players (Annika Sorenstam, for one) actually take their
eyes off the ball before impact (it is called "looking off
the ball"). It's an important part of an aggressive rotation
through the shot. Teaching pro Brady Riggs outlines a good
drill for correct head rotation in the April issue of Golf
Tips magazine. "Place a second ball about 2 feet in front of
the actual ball at address and slightly inside the target
line," writes Riggs. "While hitting off a tee, look at the
second ball during impact."
golf tips
