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Kenan,
I like the way you are thinking. You are breaking down your sequence and putting it in your words. You are thinking through in advance what you need to do to correct issues. Keep thinking like this and you will own your game.
Thanks,
Rock man
kenan wrote:

Doug Burke wrote:


Rock -- yeah, this is superb quality sepia slo-mo.
Pay attention to your transition starting 0:32 and watch great sequentiality of the motion from the ground up and squatting down to benefit from the ground forces. It is very visible now on this vid.
The overall balance in both planes is a+, as usually.

Cheers

Doug Burke wrote:


Well, my point of view is very similar. Handsy release is inconsistent. Watson was lucky to find such a spot in the forest -- of course not diminishing the greatness of his wedge hook recovery from there. Oosthuizen did not deserve the win so easily as we could think because he was lucky to find his ball not in woods because of a lucky tree bounce. If they play e.g. on my course, Watson either couldn't find his ball or would prefer to play his 3rd from the tee and not looking for his 1st ball.
The best proof that handsy release is inconsistent was Mickelson, who de facto lost his 4th Masters title because of one of his two triples; it was nice to see this very fair punishment, so rare today in the times of grip it and rip it golf.
That's why my favourite tourney is US Open when rough are real rough and forests are real forests.

Cheers

Dariusz Jedrzejewski wrote:


I don't recall there being too much thick stuff at last years US Open.

Zico Martin wrote:


Yep, unfortunately it appears they're slowly killing the last true golf tournament on the Tour.

Cheers

ROCK ,i believe all the the instructors here could learn a great deal from you,that post was oustanding,structured understandable,very good roadmap.I have to say Im impressed with your humility,your understanding and your sharing of your ideas and knowledge,and your focus on finding solutions,I applaud you for not being an instructor thats cryptic,more interested in being right and fanning your ego. aha thats kenans roadmap,great Kenan,,very very good,same for Rock,I do believe instructors can learn alot from you,see,how much you have taught Kenan,this is great

bleacherreport.com/articles/828218-2011-...-to-toughest/page/33

www.pga.com/news/industry-news/mike-davi...inted-new-usga-chief

Mike Davis is the new USGA chief so you can guarantee more of the same because he loves setting up the US Open courses and now he would have to fire himself for us to get a real US Open again. It would be nice to see one tournament where Bubba Golf would be punished…where he would have no swing when he sprays it all over the parking lot…he would adjust I am sure if that were the case and become a better player for it. I do like that Bubba works the ball and does play the game so he is on the top of my list as a player I would watch because of that…the guys who are responsible for the course setups, the equipment, the golf ball are who I hold accountable for what is going on…not Bubba who is taking advantage of what is going on. You can see that in the 2011 ranking that there were 5 course setups more difficult than the US Open with the British Open being number 1. The US Open should be the most difficult test and not the British Open and it especially should be more difficult than a normal PGA Tour event.

When you listen to Phil Mickelson post round interview about what happened at 4, he was playing ?a fade? to make sure he didn’t miss right. His fade must have been a block to end up in the bleachers left…he was thinking even if it went into the bleachers, he would go to the drop zone and up and down it for a Par. This is a glimpse into the mindset of the best golfer in the world and he is teaching all of the other players how to play like that…to not take on the difficult shots on and to bailout because that is the percentage play with the grandstands, bunkers, whatever…didn’t think of the railing…can’t think of everything. There is nothing new in this strategy…have seen guys hit long over the green into the bleachers to make sure they cleared water, but to take advantage of the side bleachers off the tee box is amazing to me…I am going to wear a hard hat if I go to another PGA Tour event…this is an outrage and he admits it openly…like that he is open and honest, but come on Phil it is more fun to take on that golf shot. I can understand when you are in the left woods on 9 and hit it into the gallery on the right to leave an easy up and down…at least there I would know to be on the lookout…but sitting in the grandstands on the side of the green watching PGA Tour Playerson tee box hit into the green on a Par 3 in a major...and I need a hard hat...ouch.
www.washingtonpost.com/sports/column-too...IQAfobm4S_story.html

In recent memory the Masters has been the easiest major so there is nothing new about Phil’s bailout game plan as he has won 3 already so it works well on this course which is full of bailout areas. He has the best shortgame in the world and that is why he can win the Masters hitting it like crapola...or likely would have won if not for the railing. However, the winner at a US Open should have to be a high quality ball striker and get punished if he isn’t…there should be no bailout or maybe one bailout area and if you take it your next shot should be very difficult. It was very interesting to me to watch Phil try to get out of the jam the railing got himself into on 4 at the Masters. I used to enjoy watching the US Open to see who was the best golfer in the world on that week and could overcome the most difficult challenges. On the flip side of Phil was the flop shot he pulled off at 15 which was great to watch...my expectation is the best golfers in the world should be capable of hitting shots like that when they need it...and I admire Phil for being one of the few who can and will do it in the clutch. The best we can hope for realistically is that a PGA Tour event Sponsor decides that they want it to be difficult with an over par winning score. The US Open will be just like a regular tour event as long as Mike Davis continues to be in charge of the setup. I am still hoping for even par winning scores and to see some high quality golf shots in at least the US Open. I am still hoping for a golf ball and golf clubs that doesn't make a lot of the great course of the past obsolete...at least for the best players in the world.
Thanks,
Rock

A few points...because these comments about "bad ball strikers" is getting out of control.

A US Open setup course is NOT a good golf setup. A good setup for professionals tests all aspects of the game and requires thought. At US Opens, the USGA sets up the course so that the golfer is penalized a half a stroke for driving it off the fairway. What is better, the rough so high that the golfer has to pitch out sideways or rough high enough that the golfer might get a flyer, a sticky lie, or a bare lie which would tempt him to try a dramatic recovery that requires creativity and skill. (Old Tom Morris (Yawn) vs. Young Tom Morris (Exciting)). If the USGA effs up Pinehurst, it will be a tragedy.

British Opens test the ability of a golfer to manage his game intelligently. It is not a contest of who can drive it the straightest or hit the straightest iron shots. Great courses (St. Andrews, Royal Melbourne come to mind) require the player to think about POSITIONING, not straight, straight, 2 putt. Yawn...yawn...yawn. Better positioning of the tee creates angles to attack or mitigates big numbers, etc. Question, for the worlds best courses, where are bunkers located? Certainly not just on the sides of fairways.

Also, Phil Mickelson is a tremendous iron player and wedge player. His driving is not good but he hits some of the most incredible trajectories into greens. It's no wonder he makes a ton of birdies. Same with Bubba.

If golf was about ball striking straight straight straight we could all go to top golf (topgolf.com/alexandria/ - it is fun as hell though). Even everyone's hero Ben Hogan said golf was about managing your game.

Give Bubba a break! He hit more greens than Furyk. Kuchar hit more greens and fairways than both of them. If he could have made some putts he 'd be wearing that green jacket. Bubba can do things with a golf ball that most can't and he's exciting to watch. I personally like his game. Hopefully no one tries to change him to conform to some "method" that will ruin him forever.

Mark,
I prefer the high rough where you are f'd up if you get into it. It makes it very exciting to play the game when you have to hit it in the fairway and very exciting to watch guys play when they have to hit a real golf shot. This doesn't necessarily mean that you are hitting it straight. I always work the ball of the tee and into the greens. Even Bubba said he works the ball out of the center of the green like Jack Nicklaus did. By the way, I like how Bubba plays with who he is and as I said he is just playing to his strengths and the percentages of what the course setup is giving him...the ability to hit it anywhere and extremely long off the tee and have an assortment of wedges into the green for the most part. Bubba is a great ball striker when he has to be, but when he doesn't have to be he usually isn't. He hit two great drives on 18 when he had to have it. On 10, it was wide open and he hit it off the planet and got away with it. As Dariusz said, Louis hit it a crapola drive on 10 so it didn't infuriate me as much as if Louis would have piped one and then Bubba pulled it out of his butt on a Drive that should have been OB or unplayable on a regular golf course. All in all, Bubba outplayed Louis down the stretch so he deserved to win. If Westwood or Kuchar would have putted decently, either would have smoked the field. Their ball striking stats were superior except for putting and that is a bad stat to be weak in especially at the Masters which is a putting contest for the most part.
www.masters.com/en_US/scores/stats/fir.html

I like the British Open. Agree with you about having to manage your game. It produces great champions so it is a great tournament. They haven't changed it and there is no need to do so. Yawn, Yawn, Yawn about hitting it in the fairway...didn't say hit it straight...I said a great golfer should hit fairways and greens and make putts. Corey Pavin did that in his prime and he worked the ball beautifully. Dogleg left and you hit a draw, Dogleg right and you hit a fade, Pin on Right, you drive it on left side of fairway...that is what great golfers used to be able to do. This is what my expectation is for a great golfer. It is not boring to me to play with a golfer like that and it is very exciting on the days that I can play like that. It is exciting for me to watch a golfer who consistently hits it where he wants to hit it. Come on, dude. Do you enjoy playing with guys where you are on a safari on every shot looking for his ball? Is this what you believe is exciting. It is crapola golf. Darren Clark displayed great ballstriking last year and the British Open requires that so it is a great tournament and a great major.

Yes, Phil is the best golfer in the world in 2012. There is no doubt about it...even if he isn't the number one ranked player in the world. Who would the planet put on the first tee if their life depended on winning any tournament in 2012 with the course setups as they are and the equipment and ball the way it is. Phil is very intelligent and he has optimized what he can do and his game plan, ball and equipment. It used to be Tiger and now it is Phil. That being said, he hits the ball like crapola in terms of his driving percentage. Yes, he can get it back in play because he is creative and he has learned how to play the punch irons like Bubba is doing on the rare occasions he finds himself in the fairway. The reason he wins is because of his short game which is superior to everyone on the PGA Tour. In the Masters, he was #1 in putting. Around the greens, he is superior as evidenced by that flop shot on 15.
Thanks,
Rock



Mark Poniatowski wrote:

The Master has always a risk reward course. The back 9 the 4th round of The masters has always been exciting ( the roars through the Georgian pines). Lead changes eagles, birdies were there to be had for those skill full and brave enough to take advantage. After they lengthened the course they also added 2 layers of rough coupled with rain made the course brutal and also took away the roars on Sunday. I agree with Gary Player the Master has adjusted the course to modern technology. It was exciting with several players making moves and falling short. Just like 70-90's

The Open has always been dependent on weather to defend par. No tricked up rough just links golf. If you get in weather you had better be able to play in wind. It's my favorite event because it's so unpredictable.

My prediction is that the Olympic club will be set up extremely tough like it was when Lee Jansen won in 1998 280 even par. Small fast greens should reward ball striking but we will see.

Brent,
Yes, Bubba was hitting wedges where Furyk was likely hitting 6 irons...not a fair comparison to determine who is the best ballstriker in terms of distance control and dispersion. Yes, Kuchar and Westwood were the superior ballstrikers at the Masters....do not like either of their swings but they get the job done nonetheless so that is what is important if you are a PGA Tour player trying to make a living with the course setups, equipment, and ball the way it is. Yes, Bubba is exciting to watch because he looks like a cat on a hot tin roof out there...he looks like he could implode/explode at any moment....like he did after the mud ball on #1. He is very creative and can hit some fantastic shots as evidenced by the shot that won him the Masters on 10. I want Bubba to be Bubba. I wouldn't change one thing if he asked me for help. I would say keep doing what you are doing. You won the Masters and some other touraments so keep it up. He has $18M in the bank already and now he will have sponsors in line to give him more cashola. It is Bubba time.
Thanks,
Rock
Brent wrote:

Doug,

I believe you took my "Straight" too literally. I meant straight as in US Open setups have such narrow fairways you can't strategically play to one side or another. It's fairway (shouldn't have said straight), green, two putt, par. I like that approach too, but I don't like it at a course where there are no options off the tee. Augusta used to have options off the tee but now the only option is smash it. Shame.

Of course I wouldn't want to play with a guy who plays safari golf, don't be silly. But we aren't talking about 30 handicaps. We are talking about plus sixes and up, not hacks. And actually the most exciting golf I've played with is guys who make incredible recovery shots...Walter Hagen style.

Also, "regular" golf courses are not good courses. And a hard course is not always (probably usually) a good one. Northern VA is filled with tree lined bores. I've from NJ originally and the architecture there is much more rich (Ross, Raynor, McKensie, Tilly, etc). Old style golf courses usually have expansive fairways that challenge the good golfer to think his way around a course and with challenging obstacles while still allowing the poorer player room to move the ball around and have fun. Sadly, modern architecture and technology has hazards to the left and right of fairways and doesn't allow many different options on approach shots.

Your dogleg example was perfect. Your idea of of great course would have a tight dogleg requiring a fade to position the ball in the fairway. My ideal dogleg would be a hole that can possibly be carried over the corner, which would also leave an open shot to a particular flag. Hitting a conservative middle of the fairway drive adjacent to the corner of the dogleg, would also work, but would leave a tougher approach to get close. What would the better golfer choose? That's up to him/her based on conditions.

Just my opinion. I guess I get a little bit annoyed at the disgust (could be exaggerated) shown by some folks regarding the quality of ball striking by professionals. I've played with very good amateurs and minitour pros. The difference between the pros and the amateurs is enormous in terms of ball striking and to say pga pros (not mini tourers) is crapola, coming from us, is simply crazy. Anyway, just trying to keep some perspective here.

It's called The Open Championship, not The British Open.

Some great points now by everyone.

However, golf was always defined as game of control by old Scots. Todays' golf is more like risk&reward game but without a fair percentage. Decent lies after a hugely errant shots are being found very often.
Whoever thinks that golf should be about whacking ball the furthest possible no matter where and be almost sure that he can have no problems there is out of his/her mind. I literally puked seing players hitting 40 yards wide off fairways and having a decent lie. Good shots should be rewarded, bad shots should be punished. It is the essence of every possible true sport. Mickelson knows already something about it and I am sure he will be working now on gaining more control, which should be a goal for everyone wanting to be a better ballstriker.

Cheers

Dariusz Jedrzejewski wrote:


Whilst I agree with this, mate, I don't think a shot that dribbles off the fairway should be penalised to the extent that chipping out is the only option. The first cut should, imho, be playable, but with a loss of control.

Dean Mitchell wrote:


But of course ! I am saying that very errant shots should be very severely punished. There should be the first cut and even the second cut. But forgive me, 30 or 40 yards off the fairway it is pure stupidity to expect a decent lie. It can happen, say, as a divine intervention, so that we could see how competent pros are with their recovery shots (as e.g. Watson at the 2nd playoff hole) but it cannot be a suprise that the lie is horrible ! Normally, such Watson should play his provisional ball off the tee having put his 1st ball so deep into woods and, eventually, end up very happy to find his 1st ball in so a great unexpected lie.

Cheers

Dariusz Jedrzejewski wrote:


Absolutely agree.

Mark Poniatowski wrote:


Give me high rough and pitch outs all day every day. That's what the US Open is! The creativity and skill you want to see is the ability to plot there way around these courses, keeping the ball in play, shaping the ball both off the tee and into the greens. You even said it yourself "A good setup for professionals tests all aspects of the game and requires thought." US Open setups are exactly that, it requires length, accuracy, shot shaping, short game, putting, course management and mental toughness. Being able to back up a 9 iron from 140 out of 2 inches of rough does not belong in a US Open. Last year at Congressional was everything an Open shouldn't be

As for Pinehurst, the USGA won't be able to eff up the rough be cause there pretty much isn't any left after the redevelopment, it's all sandy wasteland now.

Brad Owen wrote:


The problem is that if the courses are set-up tougher than they were designed to be a great tee shot can end up in a position that is too penal.

If a tee shot ends up off the fairway, its not a great shot. The fairway is the target, if you miss it, your next shot should be made more difficult

Brad Owen wrote:



So speaketh a man who's never played a links course.

Dariusz,
Yes, this is a good summation of my viewpoint. The only thing I will add in defense of Bubba and other long hitters like him is the fairway is narrower for him. If you say a good drive is hitting within +/- 10 yards of your target, then for me with a max distance of 280 yard carry, my clubface has inv tan(10/280)= +/- 2 degrees of margin from where I am aiming at the center of the fairway. For Bubba with a max carry distance of 350 yards, then his fairway would be 350*tan(2.045 degrees)= +/- 12.5 yards to achieve the same clubface delta error as me so I would allow him an extra 5 yards in dispersion over what I can do to make it fair. The drive he hit on 10 on the second playoff hole looked like an after effect of his missed putt on 18 on the first playoff hole and I thought he was toast. However, through divine intervention from perhaps his Green Beret father, he had a swing...Bubba mindset is if I have a swing, I have a shot. I am going to add that to my preshot and post shot routine this weekend. After my opening tee shot which will hopefully find the fairway, I am going to yell out if I have a swing, I have a shot. That should get a good laugh from my buddies and I'll keep saying it if it works. Maybe Bubba has discovered something great.
Thanks,
Rock
Dariusz Jedrzejewski wrote:

Alan,
Yes, it makes me happy to get that feedback from you. I am always in learn and do mode and I enjoy sharing my findings. It has been amazing to me that not one instructor has asked me any questions about what I know. I have gone to Texas, Florida, and Maryland to learn from others and not one time did someone ask me to show what I could do or ask for any help from me. Ditto on this thread. It is probably because of how I am...always wanting to learn and do things my self. In addition, the majority of amateurs on the site have not asked me any questions or have Skyped with me to learn more. I have offered it, but very few takers...not one Professional has reached out to me...19 months and zero collaboration...have had several who have offered me advice along the way which is great. It amazes me, but it is a fact. I just keep doing my thing and that is all I can do. I am not going to chase anyone any more. If they want my help, they know how to find me. Yes, Kenan is doing great. I enjoy working with him. He is learning from a lot of folks so he has not made any commitment to me which is fine. He has his own free will and I am available if he needs help. There have been several others who I invested a lot of time with who decided to go in a different direction which is fine also. I want what is best for them and if it doesn't include me I have learned to accept that and move on. I love to help others so that is what I keep trying to do as well as improve my own game.
Thanks,
Rock
alan wrote:

Mark,
Good. Yes, I understand your viewpoint better now and agree with what you are saying. Yes, having options are good on a golf course. I like that too...it also produces mental meltdowns from some in tournaments when there are a lot of options and a decison has to made so that is important aspect of a great course setup to have some option as way to further identify worthy champions. I don't like looking for guys shots in the woods all day so we are on the same page about not wanting Safari golf. For me, it is exciting to watch someone hit fairways and greens and who can work the ball around the course. It is a beautiful thing to watch when a guy has that kind of game where they hit it in the proper quadrant of the green, have the optimum approach position into the green and pick apart a golf course. I don't see it very often, but that is what I love to see. Yes, a great recovery shot is really cool too every once in awhile. However, a steady diet of search misssions followed by great recoveries gets old quickly for me. I can handle competing against guys like that because I am putting the heat on hopefully where they know they have to keep that up and eventually they normally crack. On the ballstriking of the PGA Tour Pros, yes, I agree they hit the ball solid and can score well. This is not what we are talking about. It is the general state of the game where precision isn't being rewarded. Where guys who are very wild off the tee are winning tournaments. Where guys like Nick Price have to hit a 'fairway' that is a wide as a mower on 10 at Beth Page black. My expectation is that we should have someone who surpasses Ben Hogan, Jack Nicklaus, Sam Snead, and other greats. We are not seeing it. There is not one PGA Tour Pro that I believe is worthy of studying their swing to learn from. This is very frustrating. Yes, it is a high standard to out perform Ben Hogan and the other greats but this is what you see in all of the other sports...the standard gets better. It is not getting better in golf. Whether you believe it is the equipment, the golf ball, the course setups, the big money, the endorsements or some combination as being the reason, it is a fact that nobody on the PGA Tour is performing at a high standard for an extended period as these other greats did. This is what we are referencing too. We know that they all play better than us...no debate needed there...but are they striving to be the best that ever lived and are they performing at that level. Tiger Woods is the only PGA Tour Pro that has that standard to be the best that ever played Golf, but he is not performing to that standard at the moment and hopefully he will rise again. If you know of someone who is doing both (has stated they want too and is or even someone who is looking promising), then please let me know who. I would love to find that PGA Tour Player.
Thanks,
Rock
Mark Poniatowski wrote: