Archive for August, 2010

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How to Stop Flipping – Bucket Drill

August 30th, 2010

My latest blog post titled “A Leap from the Lion’s Head” generated a few requests on a drill that was mentioned in the post.  The drill that I talked about is called the Bucket Drill and is used to help a golfer stop flipping.  As I mentioned in the previous post, it is a drill I first saw used by Martin Hall and then by Brian Manzella.

Here’s a video of me doing the drill:

Here’s how to set up the drill.  The bucket needs to be placed directly in line of the downswing plane and behind the ball about a foot and a half.  The distance really depends on the height of the bucket and the club being used.  It needs to be far enough way so the drill is doable but not so far away that it is possible to hit the shot fat while performing an orthodox pivot and weight shift with a standard ball position.

Typically, the bucket should be tall enough that the player can’t take a backswing because the bucket will be in the way.  That is why you see me start the drill with the club head on the bucket.

Some things you’ll need to perform the drill correctly.  When you place the club head on the bucket, be sure that the club face is square to the plane at that point.  If done correctly, the club face will still be almost pointing directly at the ball just like it would be at address.  The goal of the drill is to hit the ball without hitting the bucket with a flat left wrist and keeping the club head below the grip in the follow through.  Check your follow through to see if it looks just like the above. If you allow the club head to come out too early, it will hit the bucket.  If you flip it, you may hit the bucket or you won’t be able to keep the head below the grip.  This drill will also exaggerate a steeper angle of attack into the ball and a divot after the ball.

Sometimes when players are doing this drill and learning how not to flip, they will hit shanks and shots way to the right.  The reason for this is because some player’s are using the flip the close the face and this drill takes the flip out which takes away the closing face.  The player will need to learn how to square the face another way.  One of the ways to teach them how to square the face a new way is too rotate the shaft to the left (closing) during the downswing.  Rotating the shaft does not require a straightening of the shaft and the left arm angle.  It is a strange sensation if you’ve never done it before but one I would highly recommend you learn.  Try practicing creating a 90 degree angle between your left arm and the shaft right in front of you.  Now, keeping your wrists in the shape they are in, twist the shaft about it self to the left.  You will notice that the face closes and your left wrist will go to flat and possibly beyond to bowed.  This is the move you need to make to close the face if you are having a hard time with shanks and shots that start way to the right with this drill.

Keep the comments and questions coming.  The great thing about this drill is if you can do it, you are doing many things correctly.  Keep practicing.

John Graham

18 comments »

Posted in Golf Lesson, Teaching Techniques

A Leap from the Lion’s Head

August 29th, 2010

I thought I would share a lesson I had the other day.  This particular lesson was with a high school player that drove in from Niagara Falls (about 2 hours away) that I had met a couple years ago when I was teaching his older brother.  He is entering his junior year in high school and plays to a 2 handicap which he reached early this summer.

He mentioned that he was playing the best golf of his life 3 months ago and all of a sudden he was unable to hit the ball.  He mentioned that he had just shot 51 for 9 holes a day earlier.  He had been working with a pro from the Niagara Falls area that had helped him get down to this low handicap but was unable to help him get out of this funk.

I asked him to hit a couple shots and his issue was quite apparent.  I asked him to tell me what he and his coach were working on.  He told me they could see in his video that his head was falling down and back to the right in his downswing.  He also mentioned that he hadn’t been able to hit it solid anymore.  They saw it but couldn’t make it go away.  His issue was not that his head was moving back and down.  That was the result of his issue.  His issue was a poor weight shift that never moved back to the left, poor pivot which led to a flip.  Every shot he hit was very thin and he couldn’t hit the ground.  Some tops and some shots with decent results but 15 yards shorter than he had been doing.

We did a couple things which led me to give him a drill that would take away the reward for doing something the wrong way (mainly his flip).  I gave him an 8 iron and asked him to hit a standard pitch shot but I placed a bucket behind the ball.  The bucket was placed in a place that would force him to have weight left, rotate his right shoulder down and forward and not flip just to be able to strike the ball.  This drill I first saw used by Martin Hall and then by Brian Manzella.  I use the drill regularly.  He struggled with the drill immensely. I mean he couldn’t even hit the ball. Wiffs, tops, hit the bucket on the way down.  Everything but a solid shot.  After a while, he asked me if I could do it so I obliged and he was shocked at how simple it looked.

He kept trying and I could see the frustration growing on his face.  At this point, I thought for sure I had lost him.  He looked like he had turned off and was ready to go home.  This was a player that had been shooting par 3 months ago and now couldn’t even hit the ball with a little speed bump in the way.  He had been balancing these 3 errors with a bunch of timing and after it was put under pressure or if he didn’t practice all day, his swing crumbled like a game of Jenga.

After he had gone home, I mentioned to another student that was there that I didn’t know if he would stick it out.  Did he have enough faith to take “A Leap from the Lion’s Head”?  Any of you familiar with Indiana Jones movies will know the reference.

As it turns out, I received a call today from him saying he was hitting better than he ever had.  He had gone home and worked on the drill and was able to bring it the course.  Apparently, I had read him wrong. I thought he was going to give up but he showed me.

4 comments »

Posted in Practicing, Teaching Techniques

AimPoint Golf Merchandise

August 27th, 2010

AimPoint Golf Logo

Over the next few weeks, I will begin showcasing some new AimPoint Golf Merchandise including hats and shirts.  I’ve included a picture of some of the shirts that will be offered in the beginning.

AimPoint Golf Shirt

AimPoint Golf Shirt

I currently have four shirts available for sale.  Two are white and two are black.  They are all size large.  I will be selling these shirts for $65 US with free domestic shipping.

Please leave me comments below for any ideas you would like to see.  I have had a request for some ball markers and divot tools already.  Yardage book covers are also available through Mark Sweeney.

Please contact me through twitter or email if you are interested in purchasing.

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Posted in AimPoint

The Future of Teaching?

August 27th, 2010

I’ve been in the middle of few exchanges this week while on twitter about topics related to teaching methodologies and I have to say that it seems like teaching philosophy is becoming quite fragmented.  As with any subject, there are certain camps that feel that they have better information than others.  This may or may not be true but my point is that I don’t see golf’s governing bodies doing anything to bring all these ideas together.

Doesn’t it seem strange that the professional associations in charge of overseeing the game haven’t been able to categorize the golf swing or golf swing instruction?  Maybe I am a little off base here and maybe such a task is not likely or possible.  There have been some wonderful advancements in data collection over the past couple years that should have been added to some ongoing encyclopedia of the swing.  I know The Golf Machine declares itself as this resource but after 40 years this resource needs a bit of an upgrade as well.

We throw in the fact that the club doesn’t move itself and we need to add the biomechanical leg into this mix as well.  I haven’t even begun to get into the requirements associated with the psychology necessary to perform the actions either.  So many things are involved in this game that some try to simplify into just an athletic event.

So, what will “The Future of Teaching” look like?

Care to leave your thoughts on the subject?

A great many coaches from many, many fields follow my tweets (and I theirs) that, I’m sure, have an opinion on this very question.  It will be interesting to see what your thoughts are.

My goal is to try and make my blog a little more interactive this winter instead of me just spouting out information.  I’ve been told many times that I am no fun to talk to because I spend the whole time asking questions.  Sorry, but that is my nature and I use it as a way to glean new pieces of information to add to my own and, at the same time, challenge the information I hold to be accurate in an open forum to see if it holds up.

Thank you for leaving your comments.

14 comments »

Posted in Teaching Techniques, Twitter

AimPoint Golf Green Reading – Making Your Own Green Map

August 21st, 2010

I hear this question often during AimPoint Golf Green Reading Clinics. “How do I make my own green map and what should be on it?”  While surfing around the AimPoint Golf Forum, I found this discussion and thought it would be nice to share.

Let’s start with an example Mark posted:

AimPoint Golf Homemade Green Map

AimPoint Golf Homemade Green Map

Here’s Mark’s answer to the question of how should it look.  “The first most important thing is slope %, then anchor points, then zero line directions if you have time. The reasoning is that you can find anchor points and zero lines while playing if you need to, but measuring the % slope is going to get your read as accurate as possible. Mark (H)igh and (L)ow anchor points, which will show you where crowns (between 2 low points) and saddles (between 2 high points) are and also where your zero lines will be running from and to.”

Here are a couple of thoughts of my own based on my experience making green maps while competing in the NJCAA National Championship.  I always, and I mean always, carry an Exelys Breakmaster

Exelys Breakmaster

Exelys Breakmaster

and a 9″ digital level every time I go to map a green.  You need to make sure you are measuring the direction of the slope and amount of slope in that direction correctly.

I think most of us are comfortable knowing that the green is not a constant slope event.  For this reason, after I measure the area where I think the hole may be, I hit or roll 10 footers to see if it plays that.  You will run into instances where it’s 3% where the ball is and 1% where the pin is. After you hit one, you will have a good idea how it ‘plays’.  It’s the ‘play’ number you want to record on the map.

It’s also important to remember you don’t have to measure the entire green.  There will be places on the green that are unpinable. Focus your time on the areas of the green most likely to contain the pin.  I would also focus on areas that look like ‘run off’ areas and see how severe they are.  Mark them correctly on the map if they are false areas where the ball won’t stay put.

Now, if it is your home course, the first thing I would do is go out on the course and take some pictures right after a very fast and heavy rain.  This will give you low anchor points and other clear fall lines that capture water flow.  Keep adding measurements to data you already have until you have a very complete mapping.  This will take quite a while.  Know that going into it and accept it.  When done, you will have a distinct advantage teamed with your AimPoint Green Reading skills.

I hope you find this helpful. Please leave comments or questions about this post or any post in the blog.

9 comments »

Posted in AimPoint, Putting

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