Golf Gift Ideas

Drill of the Week

Drill of the Week 

 

There is a lot of hype out there from more than a few people trying to flog theories that you can play better golf just by reading their book, or thinking better, or buying their gizmo. The truth is nothing can replace the good ol' fashioned drill.

 

Perhaps the word drill has negative connotations and that is why it is perceived to be a good thing if you can get better without doing one. To me, it depends what the word drill is associated with. When I think drill in exercise, I immediately think sit-up, and shudder. But when I think drill in golf, I think sunshine, driving range, hitting balls, beverage (gotta have one) and muscle memory.  

 

All a drill in golf does is give purpose to your practice, rather than practicing aimlessly. Practice, in golf, is not hard work. When I played hockey, practice meant a lot of skating. Hard. Fast. It was hard work. But I can practice golf with enjoyment. Especially knowing that I am actually programming proper muscle memory that is going to help my golf game if I just stick with it.  So if anyone ever tells you you can get better in golf without practice, or doing drills, be sure to tell them you can also lose weight without diet and exercise.

 

As we prepare our DVD series for 2008, we would like your feedback as to whether you would like to see a separate Hit Down Dammit! DVD devoted just to drills. Our thought is to have a drill pocket book, and a drill DVD, which would be available as part of the series or on their own. Let us know your thoughts by emailing: info@hitdowndammit.com.

 

Now, this week's drill:

 

As weather for most of us is getting a little cooler (if not downright cold) I thought this week I would give you a drill that you can do inside.  This drill is simply called the Throwing The Ball Drill, and the point of it is to replicate the right side action in hitting down at the golf ball. It is Chapter 5.61 of Hit Down Dammit!

 

 

 

 

To see a video clip of this drill click here.

 

Notice too the extension of your right arm and wrist. Notice the thrusting action to a point that is slightly right of the target line. Once you have become comfortable with the drill and are more or less hitting your target consistently, try throwing the ball a little harder. It won't be difficult to do. To really highlight the point, you may even want to swing your right hand (holding the golf ball) up to your right shoulder, then swing down but try to throw the ball "up" into the air. Watch you don't hit yourself in the head. You will note your success will be less, while your embarrassment will be great.

Youwill not require a golf club for this drill. Rather, you will need a golf ball in your right hand, and a mark placed on the ground slightly forward of your typical ball position, and outside the target line. Now set up as if to hit a golf ball. Make a backswing wherein your right hand and arm will rotate back to your right shoulder. Now throw the ball at the mark you have placed on the ground. This action will essentially replicate the role of your right side in a golf shot, and give you the distinct sensation associated with hitting down. Notice that in trying to hit the mark there is no "upward" effort in any way.

Wetterich Rhetoric

The Skins Game & Wetterich Rhetoric

Committing to a Game Plan

For many of us who just play recreational golf, a game plan may never even enter our mind. For the next few weeks we are going to discuss how having a game plan can help your recreational golf, and how that plan can be as simple or as involved as you want it to be. We’ll start with the simplest of all game plans, and if this is all you ever implement it will still be a big help. It is oft talked about, but I know under listened to. Pre-shot routine.

What is a pre-shot routine? The better question is, what is the definition of routine? I teach a routine to beginners for taking their grip and stance. (If you want I can explain that particular routine in a future newsletter.) It is amazing how many of these students, only a few lessons later, abandon the routine. And when I comment as such, they stare back with amazement and ask, “Oh, did you want me to keep on doing that?”  Jokingly (sub in retort if you like) I ask whether they know the meaning of the word routine?  Routine means routine! All the time, habit, regular, usual, custom. It does not mean “for a little while”, “occasionally”, “until lesson three”.

So, for us a pre-shot routine essentially means the steps taken immediately prior to swinging the club to take a shot. In many respects, it does not matter what those steps are so long as they are routine. In other words, the same steps, all the time, every time. If your pre-shot routine includes doing a handstand, you may want to re-consider unless you are willing to do that handstand every time. If your pre-shot routine includes a single practice swing, make sure it is always a single practice swing. This is a huge point and I’ll say why: many players take a practice swing before they hit their shot. Many players have been on a great round up to the 18^th tee. These same many players, standing on that 18^th tee, sensing the importance of the drive, resort to not one, but several practice swings. Boom. Change of game plan.

On a seemingly logical level it may seem to make sense to take extra care, thus extra practice swings, in such an important situation. However, looking at the big picture and even more logically really, if a single practice swing on every shot led to this being your best round ever, why change? If four practice swings seems smart now, was a single practice swing on every other shot careless? Clearly not, as this is your best round so far. Stick to your pre-shot routine.

There are countless examples of identifiable pre-shot routines on the big tours. Stephen Ames always takes a full practice swing on every shot. Mike Weir always checks his backswing plane before every shot. Jim Furyk always walks away from every putt to check his line. Sergio Garcia always re-grips the club the same number of times before hitting. (You may recall when Sergio re-gripped his club an insane number of times before hitting. Thank goodness he’s reduced this number but even then, interestingly, the number was always the same. 14 times. Not 13, not 15. 14.)

So let this become the beginning (or extent) of your game plan, but make sure you have a single pre-shot routine from which you never waiver. Not when facing a birdie, not when facing your best round ever. Importantly, make it an easy to execute routine. If your pre-shot routine is too complicated you are more likely to abandon it, or even be pressured to abandon it by your three playing companions who think your handstand is slowing down play.

Poor Robert Karlsson

How does a professional golfer play 71 holes of almost flawless golf and then make a doule-bogey on the very last hole? In the case of Karlsson, par would have beaten and bogey would have tied a man who bogeyed the last hole himself. The answer can be summed up in one word: human.

You actually don’t have to search hard for similar stories; the most dramatic last hole collapses are well documented: Van de Velde at the British, Mickelson at the US, and Weir at the Canadian come to mind without even having to do a Google. And one that escaped the radar, Montgomerie at the same US Open as Mickelson. (A bigger collapse if you ask me, because of what that win would have meant to his overall career, at this point in his career.) And I’d add Norman and the Masters to the list but that was a last round, not last hole, collapse. But the explanation is the same: human.

Some scenarios boil down to a single putt even. Green, Hoch. Or a chip: T.C. Chen. (What unfortunate initials he has; how could he not have be tagged “Two Chip Chen”?) All of these men are as human as you and me, only the scales are different. How many times have you been on a career best – or even just good - round, only to blow the last hole? Had a birdie putt that you would have made if it were for triple, but missed?  Why did you do that? You’re human.

I am a bit of a PGATour.com hound and enjoy following my favourite players’ scorecards. That is interesting learning in itself as I have found players don’t have to be in the lead or have a tournament win in the balance to screw up the last hole. Or two. Or three. I’ve seen many a player miss the cut because they bogeyed the last three holes. Why does this happen? They’re human.

But there’s another reason, too.

Change of game plan.

Karlsson at the Hong Kong is a classic example, actually. He reportedly said that his game plan all week long was to play the golf course and not the players. Play as well as I can, and we’ll see how I do, he said. Don’t worry what anyone else is doing. But that changed on the last hole when, as the TV announcers like to say, it became a match play scenario between Karlsson and Jimenez to take the title. It is important to state right now that it is never a match play scenario unless either a) you decide to play it that way or b) you’re actually playing match play! As soon as Karlsson started playing Jimenez and not the 18^th hole it was all over for him.

According to his original game plan, Karlsson never would have flirted with the pin – and thus his club choice that came up short - in such a circumstance except that he feared Jimenez birdying and taking the title from him. And as it is better to give than take, he gave Jimenez the trophy rather than have it taken from him. A solid game plan got him to a position to win, and a change of game plan led to a change of result. Now, you could ask, why did he change his game plan? That answer, too, is easy. He’s human.

Clive Scarff is a teaching professional and author of the Hit Down Dammit! series of books and CD-Roms.  More information can be found at www.hitdowndammit.com.

Winter Practice

Just thinking about the above topic (It Ain't Over Til It's Over) got me to thinking about my own life. Specifically, whether to hang up the irons for the winter? Draw a line in the fairway and declare an end to this season, and start afresh in March. When I lived out east the weather used to force this decision upon me. But I've lived on the west coast for 15 years now where the fact you "can" play all year round means you ought to. And now, even out east with the advent of indoor golf domes the clubs sometimes don't earn their right to collect dust during the winter because you can practice all winter long.

That said, practicing - and not playing - all winter long is not a bad alternative. Practicing without the distraction of constantly being put to the test by playing, is a good way to make a swing change or simply improve muscle memory. Far too much of my business teaching golf comes at a time of year when truthfully golfers should be playing and not learning. The trend is to play in May and June and then, frustrated with how they are playing, spend July and August learning how to play.

Notwithstanding human nature, in raw theory a golfer would be far better off learning in the late fall, practicing throughout the winter, and playing (see also: enjoying) golf in the spring and summer. But we're back to the never-ending schedule again, aren't we? Yes and no. While golf would still be a 12-month endeavour there would at least be some definition to your schedule. You know, as opposed to the 365 day shopping week.

It Ain't Over Til It's Over

Well, except for all the golf events between now and the Mercedes Championship in January, golf is over for the season. Which means, of course, that it's never really over.

We live in a very busy world now, where nothing is really ever over anymore. Once upon a time, retail shops were closed on Sunday, and religion aside, this signified a defined end to the week, a break in the cycle, and the whole thing started over again on Monday. There was a distinct stop, and then start. Not anymore. We've gone from 52 "cycles" to one really long cycle in a year. And golf is no different. Or any sport for that matter. Sports seasons tend to go longer, playoffs even longer, and seasons seem to start earlier.

Hockey, the quintessential winter sport, has its finals in June now. At our golf club in May and June, Men's Night is affected by whether there is a playoff game on that evening. I do fear the day when the hockey season runs so long that it overlaps the beginning of the next season. Imagine a team failing to defend its title because of all the games it forfeited at the beginning of the season while they were playing playoff games from the season prior!

Baseball is not much different. It already plays an extremely long season and its playoff system is now extended and difficult to schedule. Just ask the Colorado Rockies who, on a hot streak, had to sit and cool for eight days.

While seemingly off on a tangent making you wonder if I know what I am writing about, I haven't forgotten about golf. As I say, sitting here in November, this past weekend saw the unofficial close to the professional season with the PGA's Disney event, the Nationwide Tour Championship, and the Volvo Masters, but the season-beginning Mercedes is only a par five away. Between now and then we have the World Cup team event, and of course what is commonly known as the "silly season" of Skins Games etc. This is not to mention that in other parts of the world summer is approaching, not departing, and thus we have a plethora of professional events around the world just getting rolling. It can be a little overwhelming for a player. Just ask Ernie Els.

Poor Ernie came under fire recently for not competing in last week's Volvo Masters on the European Tour, and for playing in the Singapore Open instead. The fact is - and the media should have known this - he was simply honouring a three year commitment (otherwise known as a "contract") to play in the Singapore event while at the same time the European Tour had changed its dates for the Volvo. A no-brainer decision for Ernie, but still he had to endure the criticism. As did Tiger Woods when he skipped the first event of the FedEx Cup. As did Phil when he skipped the third event. For these players an "event" is not a game on a given day. It is a weeklong commitment replete with practice rounds, pro-ams, press conferences, and then competition.

Golfers in particular are under immense pressure to play, play, play. If there is not a contractual obligation then there is an implied one - to play in all the majors; to play in all four events of the FedEx; to play in all the World Championship events; even to play in the showcase events triggered by wins in other events (Mercedes, PGA Grand Slam etc.). It takes a Tiger Woods - and probably only a Tiger Woods - to say no to something like the PGA Grand Slam which the poor guy keeps winning (putting pressure on him to keep the streak alive) largely because he has a nasty habit of annually winning majors. This year he had to say "enough". (That he said "enough" in Swedish is another matter.)

The pressure to play, play, play is not confined to the elite, either. At the other end of the spectrum the "bubble boys" are under pressure to keep on playing in order to claw their way into the top 125 (to keep their Tour Card) or to prevent dropping out of the top 125. Toughest this year, I think, was the pressure on those ranked 125-144 at the commencement of the FedEx. They'd have been insane not to compete in every event they could qualify for. And when the playoffs were over, there were seven more events - in a row - that they needed to play in either to get into, or stay in, the top 125. And failing that, their early Christmas present is a trip to Q-School. Oi. I'm tired thinking about it.

FedEx Contest Results

As I mentioned, this was a very close contest. Every entry received votes and the winning entry won by just a single vote. So without further ado, here are the results:

Winner: Idea #3 - Chris Haines. Chris wins a Hit Down Dammit! Bundle (CD-Rom, Book, Audio CD, and Ebook.)  Chris's idea can be seen below.

Idea #3

I like the FedEx Cup playoffs but there are three major problems with them:

1.      It isn't really a true "play off" system since some people in the fourth round have mathematically no chance of winning and others can skip one (or possible more) of the events and still win.

2.      Four weeks in a row with other important events coming up (the 2007 President's Cup one week after the 4th round and the 2008 Ryder Cup immediately after the 4th round) is a lot for most of the golfers to handle, results in top names missing from some of the tournaments and means that early cuts who are on the President's Cup and Ryder Cup teams are better rested and have an edge in those important competitions.

3.      The deferral of the top prize to age 45 is unfair since it means the top prize is different for a 40 year old champion than it is for a 30 year old champion.

Here's a solution:

1.      Award FedEx Cup points as this year until the playoffs start but then have everyone start equal with the top 144 from the season playing the first play-off tournament.  The top 120 in the first tournament advance to the second tournament, the top 70 in the second tournament advance to the third tournament and the top 30 in the third tournament advance to the last tournament.  Ties are settled by playoff holes after each tournament.  This means everyone starts even at every tournament, you need to play well in each tournament to have a chance of moving on and if you skip a tournament you're out.  Just like every other major sport which has playoffs.

2.      The first three tournaments should be 54 hole tournaments with a cut after 36.   This will make it easier on the players to play four or more weeks in a row by giving them one extra day off in the first three weeks.

3.       Forget deferrals and pay the FedEx Cup prize money at the end of the fourth tournament just as golf does with other tournaments and just as other sports do at the end of their playoffs.  Take the prize money that would have been awarded for the fourth tournament and add it to the prize money for the first three tournaments - the  FedEx Cup money ought to be enough to inspire people to try to win the final tournament and the FedEx Cup.

Chris Haines

Swingyde

Cup Presidential

FedEx Cup Playoff Contest Entries

Last week I came up with what I thought might be a better way of conducting the FedEx Cup playoffs. And, I put it out to you to suggest what you thought would be a better way of finding an annual FedEx Cup winner. The result was some very interesting, credible ideas on a golf playoff system.

The suggestions are below, and they are numbered. Please vote for your favourite and the winning suggestion - while not likely to be put into action next PGA season - will net the "suggester" a Hit Down Dammit! Gamut: a bundle of Hit Down products including the CD-Rom, the printed book, the audio CD, and the ebook. On top of this, all the readers who vote will be thrown into a hat (not literally) and one of you will win a Hit Down Dammit! CD-Rom.

So, read the suggestions, then send us a reply email (info@hitdowndammit.com) with your vote in the subject heading of your email (example - Subject: Idea #1). That's all there is to it. The winners (of the Dammit Gamut and the CD-Rom) will be announced next week and we will contact you for your mailing addresses as well, so you can receive your prize.

(In no particular order)

Idea #1

I think the PGA should emulate the "March Madness" in College Basketball.  Possibly using match play instead of stroke play. Double elimination could be used to extend the number of matches to account for four weekends.

Jack Miller

Idea #2

I think the current format for the play-offs is fine.  The only thing that I would change is that all points are set to zero "0".  Have the four tournaments
and you get your points in them.  This would eliminate the no shows.  This would allow as in other sports the Cinderella scenario and give hope to the journeymen.

George Crider

Idea #3

3.       Forget deferrals and pay the FedEx Cup prize money at the end of the fourth tournament just as golf does with other tournaments and just as other sports do at the end of their playoffs.  Take the prize money that would have been awarded for the fourth tournament and add it to the prize money for the first three tournaments - the  FedEx Cup money ought to be enough to inspire people to try to win the final tournament and the FedEx Cup.

Idea #4

Simple playoffs, four tournaments over four weeks:

·         Week 1: Top 16 money winners have the week off (bye). Next 48 (nos. 17-48) play four rounds. Top 32 go on. No ties - sudden death on Sunday for any players tied for 32nd.

·         Week 2: 48 players, the 32 advancing from Week 1 plus the 16 who had a bye. Four rounds. Top 24 go on. No ties - sudden death on Sunday for any players tied for 24th.

·         Week 3: 24 players. After two days , the top 16 continue (plus any tied for 16th), the rest go home. After the fourth day, the top 4 go on. No ties - sudden death on Sunday for any players tied for 4th.

·         Week 4: Four players. Thursday, Friday, Saturday, match play, 18 holes each, so that after three days each player has played each of the others. All 18 holes played each day. Sunday, the two players who have won the most holes go on to a 27-hole, mano-a-mano, winner-takes-all playoff.  (Ties for 2nd on Saturday, of course, have a sudden-death playoff to see who goes on.)

That's the way it works in all other sports - two players or teams, head-to-head, on the final day.  Yes, it's made for TV - but that's where the money is coming from!

Idea #5

I like your idea of the playoff format. I believe that all players must start equal, with zero points to be a true playoff. This will force all players to attend every event, which is the true essence of it all. There can't be much worse that entering a playoff race when you mathematically don't have a chance of winning.  Really what's the point!!!!

Idea #6

My idea is very simple.

During the golf season, players who finish in the top ten places [not majors] in each tournament receive 10 points for first place, nine for second, eight for third, seven for fourth.six for fifth, five for sixth,  four for seventh, three for eighth, two for ninth and one for tenth. All others who make the cut receive one half point.

In Major tournaments, players who finish one through ten receive 20 points for first, 18 for second, 16 for third, 14, for fourth, 12, for fifth, 10 for sixth, 8 for seventh, 6 for Eighth, 4 for ninth and 2 for 10th place. All other who make cut receive one points each.

If you fail to play in a tournament-- tough luck. No points. At the end of the year, the top four point leaders will meet in a 36 hole playoff,winner take all.

This will be a TV knockout.

Idea #7

Even simpler playoffs, two tournaments over two weeks:

·         Week 1: Top four money winners have the week off (bye). Next 44 (nos. 5-48) play four rounds. Top four go on. No ties - sudden death on Sunday for any players tied for 4th.

·         Week 2: Eight players, the four advancing from Week 1 plus the four who had a bye. After three rounds, the top three go on. If players are tied for 3rd, there is a sudden-death playoff for them. The top three play a 27-hole threesome, winner-takes-all playoff.  Yes, winner-takes-all.

This format provides four big benefits. First, it's short enough to keep interest throughout, even among non-golfers, which matters for TV ratings and thus the purse.  Second, it guarantees that there will be big names on the second weekend because of the byes - and it means that finishing at or close to the top in the "regular season" really means something. Third, there are dramatic finishes on both Saturday and Sunday - again, good for TV and the sport.  Fourth, a few select players go head-to-head on the final day, which is the way the World Series, Super Bowl, NBA Finals, and such work, albeit modified slightly - golf can accommodate a threesome with added drama.

And I liked the fact that this week they played on a "regular" course [East Lake] rather than one made super-tough for the pros with four-foot-wide fairways and linoleum greens. It's cool to see them shooting not just at each other but at course records, and it drives home how much better these folks are than even scratch amateurs.

Steve

Idea #8

All year long the Golf Channel has been telling me it's the Race to the Fedex Cup.   At the beginning, Finchem said this was modeled after NASCAR, and the idea was to get the top players and Tiger to play in more tournaments to accumulate points.  To me it sounds more like WWF.  The announcers spend more time trying to get the players  to say something controversial or try to start a controversy, than doing something positive.  One example was the British Open.  They kept reshowing how the STUPID Frenchman lost the Open years ago.  How long will they continue to harp on how STUPID Phil was not to hit the fairway and double bogey to lose the US Open?  OK, Racing does show the big crashes, so maybe that is what sells tickets.  Trying to compare Golf to other sports is a waste of time.  Bowling is probably as close as you will come.  My idea is to leave things alone.  It's all hype for the boys running things to make more money.  The Fedex was exciting, not for who had the most points, but for the great golf that was played in four consecutive weeks.  There are no perfect scenarios, this one worked, leave it alone.  With your idea, Tiger could win the Grand Slam and lose the last playoff and not be the Champion?  Will people buy that?

Idea #9

There should be a 1 week brake between 2nd and 3rd round. Every one qualified must play all 4 rounds.

Eugene Boucher

FedEx Cup Playoff System

Okay, the suspense is over, he won. About as surprising as, well, Roger Federer winning a US Open in tennis. Hmmm. I was going to write this piece about golf's playoff system and suddenly I want to start talking Woods-Federer. More and more often the names come up in the same sentence whenever one talks about dominating a sport. I think I can kill two birds with one stone.

When the question does come up about who is more dominant in their sport I usually say Woods because, well because I am biased of course. But also because when Tiger wins an event he has to beat every single player in the field, whereas Federer, no disrespect at all, has only to beat the man in front of him. As well, Federer can make an unforced error, several in fact, and still win a match handily. In golf, one unforced error can be the end of everything. Certainly it can mean the difference between making the cut or not, winning, or not. But now I have playoff system and Woods-Federer jumping around in the staff bag I call a brain, and I am seeing a slightly different take on things. Let me explain.

First, the playoffs. Golf playoffs, that is. Do I like the idea of a "playoffs" in golf? Absolutely. It does make sense to take an entire season and give it a single purpose rather than 34 separate purposes, albeit with four of those being major purposes. But singular major purposes. The playoffs do create a climax in the season and give season long success a bit more meaning. However, if we are going to call these events we witnessed over the past four weeks "playoffs", and market them on the basis that all the major sports have playoffs and this is golf's version, shouldn't then golf's playoffs indeed be "playoffs"?  In baseball can the Yankees make the playoffs and then say, "you know, we got a lot of points this year, we think we'll sit the first round out. We're kind of tired"? Can the Braves win the first round and then sit out the next because they aren't happy with the baseball commissioner? And yet play the following round for all the marbles?

Jumping back to Federer, and tennis, where I am not giving the guy credit is while yes, he only has to beat the man in front of him, he also faces elimination every time he plays. In fact, in most playoff systems, don't all the teams playing in the first round also face elimination, no matter how well they did during the season? It is the playoffs, after all. That's what playoffs are, you playoff to see who will advance and who will not.

One of my criticisms of the current golf playoff system is the fact that so many players playing at East Lake advanced to the final tournament via the golf playoff system, and yet mathematically had no chance of winning the Cup.  It's hard to imagine an NHL playoffs with teams playing their hearts out for the Stanley Cup, but some of those teams being mathematically out of the running at the same time. Vijay Singh, a definite Cup contender when the playoffs started, had no chance of winning the trophy this week and yet he was still playing. In any other playoff system he would have been eliminated and that's that. Instead he is out there almost having to say, "Don't mind me, I got here, but I can't actually get there from here, so do you mind if I play through? There's a plane for Fiji leaving in an hour."

I can't claim I have given this a lot of thought, whereas the PGA Tour did put a LOT of thought into their playoff system (probably too much) but following is a rough scenario I could see working in terms of a golf playoff system. I put this out there but then invite you to do the same. Devise what you consider to be a workable playoff system for golf, put it in writing (one paragraph to one page max) and send it to info@hitdowndammit.com. I will publish your proposals and then ask you the readers to vote on your favourite. The winner will receive a Hit Down Dammit! "Dammit Gamut" bundle (CD-Rom, Audio CD, Printed Book, and E-book) for their efforts. What I propose is something like this:

First Event (of 4) (Barclays based on this year): While the top 144 qualify for the first event, the top 30 get a bye to the second event. Yes that means the Tigers and Phils and Ernies won't be in the first event, but there are many tournaments they don't play in - at least this one will have meaning. And it will give them their desired week off to rest up and take the kids to Chuck E. Cheese.  114 players play with 75 plus ties making the first cut after round two. Those who do not make the cut, are out. Of the playoffs.  There is a second cut after round three, with only 65 plus ties making it to the final round. Those who do make the second cut play for the title, and prize money, with money earned still counting toward making the Top 125 on the money list and keeping your card for the next year. However, even after round 4, only the Top 60 advance to event two. Any ties for 60^th are subject to a sudden death playoff.

Second Event (Deutsche Bank): 90 players, including the Top well rested 30. After round two a cut to the top 80 plus ties, after round 3 a cut to the top 70 plus ties. After the final round only the top 60 advance to Event Three and again a sudden death playoff if there are ties.

Third event (BMW): 60 players with the top 50 advancing after round two. If there are ties for 50^th then a sudden death playoff decides this Saturday morning. (Good TV.) This is the only cut. Other than that, after round four, the Top 30 advance to the Tour Championship.

Fourth event (Tour Championship): Lo and behold, if you are teeing it up for the Tour Championship then you have a chance to win the FedEx Cup. There is no cut, and after the fourth round the winner, well, he wins. Funny that.

So that's my stab at a playoff system, what's yours? Again, put it in writing and send to info@hitdowndammit.com and I will publish them for the world to see, and vote on. Kind of a playoffs about playoffs. And the winner will win a Dammit Gamut Bundle consisting of a Hit Down Dammit! CD-Rom, Printed Book, Audio CD, and E-Book. I look forward to your ideas!  [CONTEST SINCE CLOSED]

Alignment Won't Go Away

Last week's re-visitation of alignment issues aroused a couple more doubters from the woodwork and led to some very interesting discussions and investigations. The result was the same though - in order to properly alining one's self to the target the clubface must be square to the target line, and the feet and body parallel to the target line. A vocal minority are still of the mindset that even if your clubface is aimed at a bunker right of the green, your ball will drop two feet right of the flag as long as your feet are lined up. Them's some magic shoes! Nice in theory but unfortunately that theory will lead to a lot of missed greens, hit bunkers, and damaged golf swings.

We actually found that on a 150 yard shot, using an 8-iron, lining one's feet up to the flag will lead to a 20 degree (+/- 2 degrees) alteration right of the target.  Despite this, three readers still insisted they would only miss the flag by two feet (the distance they are standing away from the ball) on a properly hit shot. As they were not convinced by my evidence, I turned to friend and colleague Ken Tannar of "Probable Golf Instruction". Ken is a great golfer, runs an extremely interesting site (www.probablegolf.com), and is a physics teacher to boot. In fact, Ken is often called upon as an expert witness in court cases involving golf courses and ranges where statistics on ball trajectory and fence heights etc. are required. I asked him how he would answer the persistent theory that as long as your feet are lined up to the flag you are only 2 feet off target, and he provided further excellent evidence and in fact dedicated his newsletter to the issue this week. To see his answer on this issue just click: http://www.probablegolfinstruction.com/mail/link.php?id=13414c6Newsletter.

My thanks to Ken for his assistance, and to all of you who wrote in on the subject.

Letter of the Week

This week a very good question, from Barry Martin of Kew Gardens, New York.

Barry wrote:

Thanks for the ebook. It's really great. But, I have a very basic question that the book doesn't really address: Exactly where on the ball should I aim to hit it before the club face continues into the ground? Just shave the side of the ball closest to me? the middle of the ball? Where? Thanks.

Barry

Many golfers, like Vijay Singh, say they don't even see the ball when they hit it. But others, like Nick Faldo, are very specific and can tell you which grooves on the clubface hit the ball! In terms of hitting down, as we are descending on the ball and approaching from inside the target line, the spot I would have you focus on is the upper half of the ball vertically, and the inside right quadrant as you look down on the ball and pictured the top half divided into quarters. Much easier to say with a picture, as shown, with the arrow indicating the  approximate angle of hitting down.

If you would like your question answered in this newsletter don't hesitate to write to info@hitdowndammit.com with "I have a question" in the subject heading. Questions used in the newsletter will naturally be answered first, but rest assured we do answer all questions.

Tiger Woods' 63

Video Tip - More Alignment

Clive:

I've heard this tip several times before . . . I thought it was dumb then, and it's dumb now. If all a golfer has to worry about is being aligned a foot or two right of the target, you shouldn't need ANY advice.

 

LW

 

Video Tip - Alignment

Chipping Tip

The Rules are the Rules

I played in a friendly match play event yesterday against another teaching pro from Seattle. Very nice guy and hits the ball a mile. But. More than once he commented on the rules. That he is a stickler for the rules, that he plays by the rules, that he doesn't like it when others don't play by the rules. He went on about a charity event he was in not long ago that featured a big hole-in-one contest. For thousands of dollars, or a new car, or a date with Natalie Gulbis, I don't remember.

I just remember he was equally enthralled with Natalie as he was the rules. But I digress. He was quite annoyed at the fact that a player in his group asked the rest of the group what clubs they hit on this particular par 3 with the contest. The act of asking what club another player used is known as "clubbing" and is, technically, illegal. (Mind you, it is not illegal to ask a teammate what club they used. Often these charity events feature four-person teams but I didn't get a chance to interrupt to find out.) Our pro was indignant that this fellow would stoop to this in order to gain an advantage in the hopes of making an elusive hole-in-one and win that date with Natalie Gulbis. Or was it Paris Hilton? I don't remember.

So he confronted him. This always makes for interesting personality dynamics on the golf course. The "offender' replied that our pro had been telling his girlfriend what club to hit all round long, including this hole. Pro's response was that was different, as she is a beginner. The question I ask is, is it?

The message I am hearing here is it is okay to cheat in certain situations, but not in others. That some people can cheat justifiably, and others not. I am a big believer in the saying "live by the sword, die by the sword". Or don't carry a sword. Is it reasonable to tell a beginner what club to hit when he or she is playing, in order to help them learn? Absolutely. I would. But, in so doing, I would not call another player on what he or she is doing.

Rules are rules are rules, and if you claim to be a rules stickler, stickle to them. Or be quiet. Play your own game, and let other matters take care of themselves. And most importantly, if you are going to claim to be a rules stickler, make sure you know the rules. This particular rules stickler broke the rules blatantly in at least two different situations in my match with him. As the match was a "friendly" and the rules violations did not alter the outcome, I remained quiet. But the violations did not help his credibility with respect to stickling.

Finally, going back to the actual incident in question, the pro's stance was that his girlfriend did not stand a chance of making a hole-in-one given her beginner status, and was therefore exempt from the rules. Interesting to note, however, that most holes-in-one come at the hands of beginners and high handicappers. You may ask why. The chances of a ball going in the hole go up dramatically when the ball is down and rolling (an important tidbit to remember when chipping).

Many beginners and high handicappers hit the ball along the ground (because they do not yet know how to hit down). Therefore they are more likely, when they hit a par 3, to have their ball low and rolling when they do so, and presto, "accidental" hole-in-one. A more accomplished player hits the ball in the air, and when it hits the green it bounces or sits, lessening the chance of rolling in. Sure we see holes-in-one on the PGA Tour often enough, but when we relate them to the sheer volume of rounds those players play, there really aren't a lot of holes-in-one in relation to opportunities.

(Ben Hogan, one of the greatest ball strikers of all time, was asked why he never made a hole-in-one. He replied that he never aimed for the hole. He aimed for the most opportune spot to putt from.) 

So, bottom line, know your rules. Second to bottom line, make sure you are beyond reproach if you are going to call another player on the rules. Now that's a good rule.