2015 February

As we age we lose our flexibility from lack of stretch exercises.  This week, you are going to determine your current limitation in your straight arm backswing. You need to limit your backswing to that point and enjoy what is natural for your golf swing. Next week we will give you the simple exercises to increase your body rotation and a straight arm stretch to get more length out of every hit.

Golf is a game of patience and practice. If you don’t play that often or you took this game up at a later age, you need to condition your body to change from a baseball swing to a golf swing.  I hear from GOLFSTR+ customers who expect that they will instantly swing like Ernie Els or Rory McIlroy. What were they thinking?  GOLFSTR+ IS an instant fix to remind you where your limitation is in your straight arm backswing. It’s up to YOU to understand your limitation and use it to correct your swing for more consistent and longer hits.

Your backswing has 3 basic components. Any sway of your body as your arms load up should be minimized. The 3 components are: spine rotation, straight arm rotation and wrist hinge. Before you test out the limitation in the back swing, you need to understand your limitation in each of these 3 movements. [These descriptions are for right handed golfers.]

Create your shoulder and hip rotation by keeping both arms straight in the takeaway. Michael Breed (Golf Channel) uses this training method.

1/ SPINE ROTATION (SHOULDER AND HIP ROTATION): Holding a club properly as you address the ball with your spine tilted forward from your waist. Take you club back to horizontal with the ground while keeping both arms straight. This rotation will force your hips to rotate about 30 degrees from the line across your toes and your shoulders to rotate about 90 degrees. Your head must remain facing the ball. If your leading heel is coming off the ground to make the full 90 degree shoulder rotation then you have a flexibility limitation. You may be losing consistency in your hits.

Arnold Palmer is one of the all-time great golfers. He lifted his leading heel on every swing to assist with his 90 degree shoulder rotation. Hank Haney also endorses the use of the heel lift to assist with rotation (only if you need it). If you are lifting your heel to create some extra shoulder rotation you are adding another dimension in your swing and possibly losing consistency in your hits. [See the Rory McIlroy swing video in last week’s Swing Tip for the ideal foot plant. His leading heel is NOT moving as he builds torque in his body.]

You DON’T NEED A 90 DEGREE SHOULDER ROTATION.  If your hips and spine are tight and your shoulder rotation is only 60 degrees then just accept this. No matter what you do, be happy with your limited rotation BUT LEARN TO KEEP YOUR LEADING ARM STRAIGHT for consistent connection with the ball and longer hits.

2/ STRAIGHT ARM ROTATION: Test your leading arm rotation by stretching your straight leading arm across your chest at your shoulder line. Now use your free right wrist to wrap over your elbow to pull it close to your shoulder line. That angle between your arm and your chest is a limitation. Don’t try to force a greater rotation as it takes time to stretch these unused muscles.

3/ Wrist Hinge: Hold a club properly in your fingers and the base of the fleshy part of your left palm. Use your right hand to pull the grip up to force your wrist to cock toward the side of your arm about 30 degrees while keeping your left wrist flat with your arm. Again, do not over stretch as we are only trying to understand your limitation.

All 3 of these rotations will give you the limitation of your backswing rotation. DON’T start bending your leading elbow to compensate for your limitation in rotation. Use your GOLFSTR+ to learn your limitations for straight arm, flat wrist and lag in our backswing. Do this and we guaranty that your game will improve. CHECK OUT the demonstration video on www.golfstr.com

NEXT WEEK’S Swing Tip: Exercises to increase your rotation without pain or injury.

The more effort that I put into my love of Golf the more success I find. Last night I ran into a new friend who happened to have been the inspiration for a major improvement in the evolution of GOLFSTR+. He also gave me his CHEEK TO CHEEK golf tip that he learned by watching Rory McIlroy.

It happened in the Blue Martini Night Club, Naples, Florida when I learned that Andy Schwabe, a retired Nuclear Engineer with a 9 handicap, knew all about GOLFSTR+. As it turn out he had purchased one on our website April 18 2012, 2 months after our first sale.  He was the first person to comment that the pressure on the back of his arm was not intense enough when he trained to keep his leading arm straight in the backswing. He told me that he had heated up the plastic plate and bent the end an additional half inch. (Our initial 800 Acrylic plates were cut on a CNC cutter, heated in a Pizza oven and formed on wooden molds by hand.)

Will Curry in the middle watching Pebble Beach with Fans of GOLFSTR+ Pete and Andy in the Blue Martini, Naples, FL.

Not only did we change the manufacturing process to injection molding with Lexan (an unbreakable polycarbonate) but we also created a Black Rubber Extender which slides on to the end of the plastic plate in 2 optional directions for additional pressure on the back of the arm. As it turned out we needed the soft rubber Extender to avoid the potential for skin irritation when we incorporated 5 more swing fixes for this amazing Training Aid. ……and (as Paul Harvey would have said) “the rest of the story IS HISTORY! “

Back to the Night Club in Naples and Andy’s Swing Tip
I told Andy about the swing tip I got from Terry Scanlan, in St Andrews, Scotland: keeping your leading ear lined up behind the ball until after impact. Andy told me that he does the same thing but he uses the reminder of CHEEK to CHEEK:

He figured this out by watching Rory McIlroy (the current #1 Golfer in the World). In your back swing, rotate your shoulders until your left shoulder meets your left CHEEK as you keep your head down facing the ball. Then execute your swing (keeping you head in the same position) as you come through the inside to outside slot until your right shoulder hits your right CHEEK. That’s how he keeps his left ear lined up behind the ball before he moves his head and chest to face the direction that he is aiming.

I know that readers of our Swing Tips are all searching for the perfect solution to this wonderful game. Anything to keep the nasty Golf DEMONS out of our heads. Hope this one has been helpful. Thank you for passing the word on about GOLFSTR+. Check it out on www.golfstr.com.

Enjoy and Hit’em Long and Straight,      Will Curry

Have you ever said: “If only I could play on the course the way I hit’em on the range.” [You aren’t the only one: Craig Stadler said it on the Golf Channel after shooting 71 at the Allianz Tournament.] If you had the solution, do you think you could drop your score by 10 strokes or even 20 strokes? The only difference between the golf range and the golf course is your  positive mental attitude.

Practice on the driving range before a round of golf to loosen up your arms, back and body rotation. When you are loose and relaxed, work on your grip, stance and swing technique without fear of failure.  Develop muscle memory as you repeat your swing.

Use your GOLFSTR+ to ensure that you see the result of a straight leading arm or flat wrist or lag in your backswing for chipping and full swing. Repetition with the right rhythm, transition and acceleration can all be practiced on the range. Duplicate your swing without your GOLFSTR+ and you will feel like a hugh weight is off your shoulders.

Mindset and Attitude:
Keeping the same positive mindset that you developed in the practice area is the key to your success on the golf course. Try these tips to keep the same frame of mind when you reach the first tee.

1. Calm and Relaxed: On the range there was no pressure so your mind can focus on your swing. You were CALM AND RELAXED. You need to be relaxed to repeat this on the course.
2. Practice Swing: Rehearse your swing exactly as you plan to make it when you hit your ball.
3. Light Grip: Realize how tight you are holding your club. Relax your grip and hold your club just tight enough to prevent it from rotating in your hands during the swing.
4. Breath: Take a breathe and exhale to relax.  Let your shoulders drop as you exhale.
5. Block out Noise and Thoughts: Use “blocking” words to say in your mind to eliminate other thoughts. I like to use the words: “straight” (before I start my takeaway with 2 straight arms), “lag” (to complete the wrist cock at the top of my swing) and “press” as I press my hip forward to start my downswing.

Don’t get PPMU: Post-Par- Mess-Up. After you par a hole don’t lose your focus and try to kill the next drive. STAY IN CONTROL.

Frank Hesson is training these kids to have the right attitude and stay positive. Got to love this game.

One of our GOLFSTR customers, Frank Hesson, a PGA pro in Cherry Hill, NJ teaches the philosophy: “make golf simple and a personalized expression of each golf student. Your golf swing is like your fingerprint. And your golf game is your signature.”

Learning to take control of your golf game will help you take control of your life. Think about it   — POSITIVE MENTAL ATTITUDE !     Click Here to get a GOLFSTR+     and get in the game!

Feedback from those who read the GOLFSTR Weekly Swing Tips has been wonderful. I asked for the golf breakthrough tip that has helped YOUR game. I received many comments about training with GOLFSTR+ using one or more of the Swing Solutions. I am really pleased to hear about your successes (especially from France, England, Singapore and Australia). Now here are some of the suggestions from others:

Terry Scanlan, St Andrews Scotland: Keep your left ear behind the ball as you strike the shot. [This is for right handed players, reverse for lefties.] (I asked him to if there is a difference for Driver and Irons) “Yes I have a theory on this, with irons you still need to keep your left ear behind the ball but your stance will be much narrower than with the driver so a slight nudge of the left hip towards the target moves the weight slightly onto the left foot, ideal for striking down on the irons. Try it and see, your left ear still needs to feel like it is behind the ball as you strike it.”

Note: I suggested this tip to a friend who was visiting. She tried it that day and broke 100. The best round in her life.

Robert Riley, Crookston, Minnesota: The answer for me was the day I felt the magic of making contact with the ball at the right time. It’s the same way that Gary Player makes contact and follows in a walk toward his target. That moment came to me after hitting balls on a wet driving range mat when wearing flat souled shoes. I realized that if my weight at the point of contact was centered between my right and left foot, my shots would be crisp and consistent. I was right as my plummeting handicap attested. Glad to share my success, Robert.

Note: Robert is right. Rushing the transition and the initial downswing will throw your balance to your trailing foot. A balanced swing through the ball is the key to success. Robert is moving his hips forward as he reaches the top of his swing to offset the initial trailing force at the top of his swing. Balance and follow-through is the key for success. What a great tip.

Michael Breed, Commentator on the Golf Channel Loves GOLFSTR+. A great inspiration.

Michael Breed, The Golf Channel: Michael called me in July of 2014 as he was impressed with GOLFSTR+ offering 6 swing solutions (and the fact that you can just slid it in your pocket for ease of access). We met at the PGA Merchandise Show last month in Orlando and talked about swing success. He agreed with the breakthrough tip that I got from watching his show: keeping 2 arms straight in the takeaway is so important as they force your shoulders to rotate 90 degrees for more power and distance. [As we age we lose this ability to rotate the spine and we lose power and distance.]

Will Curry met Martin Chuck at the PGA Show 2015. He is another great inspiration for our blogs.

Note: I get many or our great tips from Michael Breed and Martin Chuck on the Revolution Golf Blog. I met with both of them at the PGA Merchandise Golf Show and just wanted to share their smiling faces as they really are my inspiration.

Check out GOLFSTR+ to improve your game on www.golfstr.com