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Do not focus on where NOT to hit your shot! That is a ‘Negative Mental Image’ ... Hazards, Water, Grunge, OB. These invite stress and FEAR. Negative energy and chemistry never make much good happen! Do you know that a ‘Feared Target’ produces more ‘Negative Energy’ than a perfect ‘Positive Energy’ target that is sitting right in your face? We are very susceptible to bad chemistry!

It is where to hit your ball precisely that matters … most often just A To B … in straight lines! This simplicity is a ‘Positive Image’ that invites relaxation, COMFORT and Clubhead Speed. Positive energy and chemistry usually make good things happen!

Whatever you do on the golf pitch, strive towards feeding your ‘Probability Of Success’. (POS).

We get thousands of e-mails and text messages every month and are grateful for your efforts. We are here because we have been where you are! Without YOU we are just ink or type on a page.

Each person has unique physical and metal capacity. Thus, there is ‘No One Way’ to swing a Driver or any of our clubs. Remember, there are only two ‘Swing Limits’ … Full and Less Than Full. There are also only two ‘Swing Basics’ or types of swing … ‘The Push Basic (Putting & Chipping) and the Punch Basic’, which is ‘Pivot Pressure Generated’ or having ‘Brace Leg Drive’.

We thus have ‘Horizontal Plane, Round & Round Motion about our X or North South Polar Axes. This is a ‘Pivot or Core’ consideration and function. We also have ‘Vertical Plane, Up & Down Motion around our Y or Equatorial Axis’.

Your ‘555 Team’ gets really great questions from YOU every day … and we respond promptly. Thank you!

What is the ‘Power Line Delivery Sequence’? It is ‘Accumulate, Load, Store, Deliver & Release’ or our acronym ‘ALSDR’. This is about how we accomplish the ‘Back and Front Swings, better known as the ‘Back & Up, Transition and the ‘Down & Out’. Pitching an Underhanded Soft Ball reveals this mechanical reciprocity. We have to ‘Set-Up’ to accomplish the ‘Take-Away and Load Swing before we can undertake the Un-Load or Delivery & Release segment. Logical?

If you can grasp this baseline you shall be blessed! The Back Swing is accomplished ‘From The Outside-In and From The Top Down’. The ‘Tip Of The Balsa Airplane Propeller winds up the Body Rubber Band ‘From The Outside-In and From The Top Down. (see ‘ALS’)

A proper, logical and efficient golf ‘Set-Up’ is key. A good swing ‘Accumulates and Activates or Applies properly Stored or Potential Energy’ into its ‘Kinetic or Dynamic State’.

You get somewhere in the order of 3 yards per ‘Properly Applied Mile Per Hour’. Thus, creating an additional 7 or 8 MPH will get your ball ‘Out There’ as much as 25 more yards … lots of factors! 25 yards is two club lengths! Instead of coming at the flagstick with a 7 Iron, you might be using a 9 Iron or big wedge! Big deal? #PW beats #7 Irons into the ‘5 Foot Approach Putting Circle’.

‘Cutey, Swipey or Glancing blows are really counter-productive and disappointing! We must improve ‘Purity Of Strike’ without delay and then strive to maintain our ‘Quality Of Strike’.

Basics Never Go Out Of Style
Necessity Is The Mother Of Invention

I just saw one of my golf teaching friends deliver a ‘Faults & Fixes’ lesson. He is unquestioningly talented. A major part of his topical material was ‘Alignment and Clubhead Path’. You absolutely know our ‘5 Set-Ups’ (Posture, Grip, Stance, Ball Location & Alignment … no single golf swing is without all five!) You also know our ‘5 Essential Elements’ (Clubface Aim, Clubhead Path, Clubhead Speed, Sweet Spot & Angle Of Attack) ‘Swing Plane’ and your ‘Pivot Axis’ are key ingredients.

A very big personal concern! With so much focus on ‘Mastering Golf Basics’, my friend had no ‘Ground Stick’ (Alignment Rod) in place. He had no specific reference to ‘Target and Body Lines’. Thus, he had no specific reference for ‘Clubhead Path & Plane’. A ‘Big Miss’! Shame on us teaches when we are boldly neglectful! Our audience needs an ‘Alignment Reference’.

What does “Hovering” mean? Not ‘Hovering’ means a ‘PUITA … Pick Up Inside Take-Away or Forward Press’… early swing error meaning too much hand action … ‘Flippy Handed - Draw Hooksy’!

About flying a helicopter just above ‘Mother Earth’? You tell me!

OK we are talking about a ‘Golf Swing Condition’ that has a simple feeling but a big contribution! “Why and Where Might I Hover?”

Not hovering is about the sole of your ‘Golf Club’ resting on the ground. Kind of a lazy “I am not going to do anything extra!” Like a glass of cold cider sitting on the table. That is OK until you want to enjoy a sip! … or a big gulp! So, to enjoy cider, you have to actually pick up the glass and move the rim to your lips! Nothing happens while the bottom of the glass is pressing down on the table! To move the glass laterally to your lips, you must firstly lift it up off the tablecloth!

If you increase your ‘Swing Radius’ (make your ‘Target or Swing Lever Extension Longer’) while using the same amount of ‘Pivot or Core Speed’, you shall produce more ‘Clubhead Speed’ and, with a solid ‘Impact’, accomplish greater ‘Distance’.

Your ‘555 Team’ refers to this physical reality as accomplishing a ‘Deep, Flat & Wide Take-Away’ all the way to the ‘Top Of Back Swing’. (TOB). Thus, the ‘Swing Radius’ may ideally remain the same from ‘Take-Away’ to ‘TOB’.

Allow ‘Gravity and Brace Leg Drive’ to accomplish your ‘Transition’ and initial ‘Front Swing Kinetic Energy’. In this simple manner, your ‘Brace or Hitting Lever Assembly’ shall take on a ‘Bent Configuration’. ‘The Golf Body Machine’ ideally creates ‘LEAD’ in the ‘Front Swing Pivot Core’ and naturally accomplish ‘LAG’ in the ‘Bending Levers’. From the ‘TOB’, this is followed by the ‘Hitting & Straightening Action’ through the ‘Impact & Separation Zone’. (see ‘Bottom Of Swing Arc’ - BOSA)

You might be well-served to think of the Wrists, Elbows and Shoulder Sockets as ‘Primary Articulating Joints’ (PAJ – They produce ‘Angles’ when bent). The ‘Bending & Straightening Motion’ produces ‘Clubhead Speed or Hitting Force’. We also refer to this cooperative action as ‘Angular Momentum’.

Pretty common topic of golf conversation? “How can I get off the beach without a bucket, shovel and perhaps a rake?”

There are only three elements … 1) Bottom Of Swing Arc … BOSA, 2) adequate LOFT and 3) enough Clubhead Speed.

1. BOSA for Bunker Work demands a precision bottom accomplished under a Tallish Chin with Longish Arms or ‘Lever Assemblies’. If we have control of the Tallish Chin and Hands, Wrists & Arms Length, we will have reasonable control of ‘Down Force’ and ‘Impact & Separation’. Make that “THUMP” when you hit the sand!
2. Adequate LOFT is simply about ‘Club Selection’. ‘Loft’ is your friend. Remember your #SW has generally got the most ‘Bounce’, which helps us not strike the sand overly fat. We do not want to dig a ditch! There is a procedure of what we refer to as ‘Open Open’ … Open Clubface Aim and Open Alignment. I am not a big fan until I have run out of ‘Loft’. I don’t like ‘Side Spin’ if I can avoid it!

So, what in the heck does this ‘Country Gentleman Golf Teacher’ mean by such a title when it comes to ‘Putting & Chipping’ and your ‘Short Game Mastery’?

Simple! Establish variables and make the resulting procedures count.

Randomly set up 5 putting balls from 4 to 8 feet around ne hole … you know those ‘Chockers’ and ‘Non-Gimmies’! Your buddies will usually make you Putt them out! Nasty pseudo friends?

Set-Up properly using your very helpful, ‘Life Saving’ … ‘8 Step Putting & Chipping Per Shot Routine’. If you miss one of these you must start over! Hence ‘Start Over Drills Add Stress’. May I give you a ‘Work Smart Hint’? Make your first putt the longest and work in from there!

‘Marshmallow Strikes’ are ‘Glancing Blows … not ‘Square Strikes’ even with plenty of ‘Clubhead Speed and Energy Transfer’.

You have all seen the ‘Impact Bag’! That is obviously an ‘Impact Training Tool’. Borrow or buy and use it? You will very soon know what ‘Impact’ means! Impact is Compression’. For your information, the opposite of ‘Compression’ (Making The Ball Out Of Round By Force or Squashing it) is ‘Restitution’ … restoring the shape to ‘Neutrally Round’. That is the golf ball’s two simple and distinct jobs! They are slightly similar to the action of a common spring.

How does your ‘555 Team’ invite and instill ‘Compression’? It is just an action and reaction! It is Newtonian simplicity! Surprisingly enough, “I Drive As I Putt!” Focus on making ‘Pure Putter-Like’ contact and do that with speed … quite a bit of it! If your ‘Chipping’ is really reliable, make big smashed ‘Chips’. Be patient, precise and purposeful! Use your ‘Captain Eyes’ with their ‘Ocular Acuity’. The task is NOT to kill the ball, but to injure it! Be persistent!