Welcome to YOUR Swing Support Center, a blog with tips to help you transition to your new straight leading arm back-swing. This blog allows us to share information which we find in articles by golf professionals or success stories submitted by GOLFSTR users. These tips have helped me and I hope they help you too.

Bill Curry, inventor of GOLFSTR

Archives for the ‘Swing Solutions’ Category

Are You Mishitting Your Driver?

When you don’t hit the center line of your driver, you lose distance and direction control.  I recently watched a video that summarized the problems that we cause when we mishit our drivers.  Gene Parente, the president of Golf Laboratories and the designer of the golf swing robot (often call: Iron Byron) shared some amazing test results.

His lab tests all brands of golf clubs to determine the distance and direction that you can expect when hitting a ball in the dead center of the club face as well as ¾” to the inside and to the outside of dead center.

Iron Byron tests clubs for the perfect swing to determine the problems caused by the point of impact on the club face. Center Line is perfect. Anywhere else can be a problem.

When the Robot is setup with a Swing Speed to hit a 200 Yard Shot (with a right handed driver):
1/ Dead Center impact provides the straightest and longest hit.
2/ An impact at ¾ of an inch to the OUTSIDE of dead center will lose about 9 yards in distance and the shot will fade to the right by about 10 yards. Faster club head speeds create worse fads.
3/ An impact at ¾ of an inch to the INSIDE of dead center will ALSO lose 9 yards in distance and will push the shot left of center and then fade back to the target line.

Of course if the club face is crossing the ball from the outside to inside or inside to outside you will add more fad or draw respectively.

This explains why it is so hard to control a driver. Hitting on the center-line and half way up the face creates a dead straight shot. Mishits inside or outside of the center-line will BOTH add fade to your ball. That’s also why it is so critical to swing from the inside and up the target line WITH A SLIGHTLY CLOSED FACE to add a draw spin to your drives. Any swing mishitting the face of your driver with extra swing speed and especially an over the top swing will exaggerate your fade into a killer slice.

Your driver may give you the opportunity to get further down the fairway but that extra distance can all be wasted when you land in the rough or behind trees. Because a mishit driver on the outside or inside of the center-line will create a fade, you should either setup to create a draw (with your trailing foot lightly back from your target line) or line up your aim for the left side if every fairway and accept the fade is it happens.

Understanding the natural fade of a mishit driver is critical for every round of golf. You really should test your driver marking the face with a powder marker or by spraying the face with Dr Scholl’s Foot Powder. Knowing where your ball impacts on the face of your club and seeing the result can be a real wake-up call for corrective action.

Practice for a consistent swing with every club in your bag. Use your GOLFSTR+ to help you focus on the control of your straight leading arm to impact on the center-line of every club. Buy one today at www.golfstr.com

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The Miracle of Consistent Golf

Is it really possible to find that special MIRACLE that you need to consistently hit every shot?  It’s most likely a personal thing for every golfer but I’m happy to report that I discovered that single SIMPLE THING that was messing up my consistency. Of course there are many things that we all need to do as reminders for every shot in golf but my missing MIRACLE was so simple that I am embarrassed to report it. Keeping my Eye on the ball!

I know that there are many things that we all need to do to maintain a consistent swing so I have decided to share my personal list and you should create your list too.

1/ Keep my Eye on the Ball: Do not take your eye off the ball during the back swing and down through impact. This is so important for my drives, fairway shots, chipping and putting that I can attribute every one of my missed shots to the instant that I must have taken my eye off the ball. If I focus on the ball I don’t hit the ball fat or thin. [Shanking and toeing the ball are 2 other issues that I cover later.]

Don’t sway back. Ben Hogan loaded onto his leading leg at the top of his backswing. You should too.

I now draw an eye ball on 2 sides of my ball (with eye lashes) as a reminder to keep my eye on the ball. It ain’t pretty but I love it when my playing partners call out “there’s an eye on that ball”. Of course there are other things that I do for consistent hits but not keeping my eye on the ball is a killer.  It keeps me from taking too much backswing and it forces me to STOP swaying back like a baseball batter windup.

2/ Never Gloat: Never talk or think about my success as it goes right to my head and kills my next hole.

3/ Stay in MY Mental Golf Zone:  It’s like a numb feeling or mental fog that keeps me calm and relaxed. On critical shots I mentally say “Sweep-In-Pose” to block out any other thought during my swing. “Sweep” for a wide takeaway, “In” to remind me to loop my club down at the top and lag before I swing inside up the slot and “Pose” to finish in balance and watch my amazing shot.

4/ Waggle to Relax: Use a take-away waggle (like Rickie Fowler) to ensure that I start my take-away with my spine and hip rotation. It also loosens up my body for a consistent take-away.

Get the feeling for weight forward by hitting balls with your weight forward. That shift will start to happen naturally during your backswing.

5/ Lag: I take my time in my backswing to ensure that I create my wrist lag as I shift my weight to my leading leg. [If I can’t slow down enough for my weight shift or “bump”, I just start my round with more pressure on my leading leg.  Eventually the rhythm and bump work their way into my natural backswing.]

6/ Special Setup for my Driver and Woods: Line up the center-line of the club face beyond the ball for a wide takeaway and “swing up the inside slot” (AKA Jim McLean’s mantra) to avoid hitting off the toe.

Create your critical swing factors and then put them to the test. Track your success on every hole by marking the corners of the square for each hole on your score card: Upper left mark a 1 for hitting the fairway, upper right corner mark 1 for GIR and lower right for number of putts. At the end of every round total these numbers and count your pars (birdies count as 2 pars). Compare your progress from round to round and keep track of your Personal World Record.

Of course GOLFSTR+ is the training aid that I use to help build a consistent swing for every club in my game. Buy one today at www.golfstr.com

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Don’t Forget Your Brain When You Go Golfing

Golf is a game that we all love to play or you would not be reading this article. Golf is a challenge that we all enjoy because we have the mental and physical power within us to master our own minds to play a wonderful round of golf every time we play. We know this because we have all pared or birdied many holes in our lives. If we can do this on one hole why can’t we do it on every hole? That’s the challenge and that’s why we love this game. It really is a mental game so don’t forget your brain when you go golfing.

Every time we start a round of golf, we start with a different physical body condition and a new set of historic memories. Our physical activities and memories in the previous 24 hours, will impact the way our bodies and minds react for every new round of golf. That’s why you may often hear your golfing friends wonder out loud: “I wonder who’s going to show up today.” Or after an amazing first drive they say: “Who is that guy.”  Exercise or lack of exercise, mishits on the range or no range preparation and problems with your family or at the office are all baggage that you carry to the first tee. 

Ideas to Keep your Brain in GOLF MODE:
Build Confidence on the Driving Range: Start with a 60% swing speed with your short irons to feel your rhythm and your club head. Then increase your speed to 80% to build confidence in your swing. [Even if you don’t have time for the range, practice your iron swing and your driver swing as they really are 2 unique swings but both must be controlled with their own unique cadence.]

Sam Snead was so right. Get positive and make the shot.

1. Calm and Relaxed: User words like “Calm and Relaxed” to prepare your mind for the perfect swing cadence as you line up your shot.

2. Tense arms and wrists will only kill your shots: A relaxed mind and body are the only way to make a perfect golf shot. Use your setup time to drop your tight shoulders, focus on the shot that you want, take a deep breath & exhale and swing with a 2:1 cadence (with a backswing which is twice as long as your downswing).

3. Count Your Cadence: You may need to count 1, 2 during your backswing and 3 during your down swing. Saying words in your mind will prevent you from thinking any other thoughts. [I use the words: “Sweep-In-Pose” to anticipate the next movement in my swing: Sweep wide as I loop and lag my club from the inside and up my target line to a balance pose.]

4. Play Your Game: Remember that this is only a game between yourself and the course. Performance by others in your foursome can be impressive but you need to setup for the shot that you know that you have completed perfectly in the past. Make it YOUR shot.

5. Consistent Swing Tempo: It’s the only way to keep your shots consistently under control. Swinging with one speed for all of your longer clubs will allow you to keep your arms stretched to the same length at the point of impact.

Why not print this blog and take it with you for a quick review before you play or even when your game is going sideways. Get back on track. Have fun and enjoy those wonderful shots. Practice with GOLFSTR+ for every shot in your game. Buy one today at www.golfstr.com

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To Leave it In or Take it Out ?

It’s surprising that the new golf rule allowing players to leave the flag-stick in or out, is causing some soul searching for all golfers. Ultimately the decision is a preference for each golfer but you may want to consider the scientific facts to improve your score. On the other hand putting is a game of feel for the break. That flag stick in the hole may distort your mental feel for putting firmly to minimize break. Leaving it in or taking it out is a serious decision for every golfer.

 

A recent “Morning Read” blog by By Mike Purkey provided these comments:

Bryson DeChambeau is one of the few professional golfers who is keeping the flag-stick in for most of his longer putts.

1/ “Bryson DeChambeau raised eyebrows when he said that he would leave the flagstick in the hole almost always. He said it is an advantage. While he didn’t use the flagstick all the time at Kapalua, Sentry Tournament of Champions,.he still led the field in strokes gained putting that week.” [Of course his semi-anchored putter up his leading arm is helping too.]

2/ “Recently, European Tour player Edoardo Molinari did some research with three pros from his golf academy in Italy. They used a Perfect Putter training device and rolled putts with three different speeds and three different entry points into the cup, with the flagstick in and out, 100 putts with each combination. Their conclusion was that with slow speeds, there was no difference; medium speed was better with the flagstick out and; and with fast speeds, it was better with the flagstick in.”

Putting is Personal
Brandt Snedeker likes to use his caddie to hold the flag-stick in the hole for most putts as it gives him the feeling for distance and a stopping point.

Jack Nicklaus always tried to “die the ball into the hole” on lag putts. [Unfortunately 100% of his putts that were short, never sank.] On the other hand his short putt strategy was to putt through the hole to give every putt a chance to go in.

You really need to give every putt a chance to sink in order to lower your scores. Putts that are dead on line and stop short of the hole are very frustrating.

Any putt on a slope will break more as it slows down and the slower the putt the more the flaws and minor indentations near the hole will deflect your putt. A high percentage of golfers use their putters for balance as they bend to remove their ball from the hole and that unseen flaw remains near the hole all day long. Some ball speed at the hole gives you the best opportunity to keep your ball rolling with speed over a depression and into the hole.

I subconsciously putt to stop at the flag-stick when I leave the stick in the hole. I know that my short putts are missing because I hit for the flag-stick and not for the break. I need to putt with enough speed to past the hole by 10- 15 inches and plan for a less break at the hole.

In general you can benefit by keeping the flag-stick in for long putts and taking it out for the short ones. Downhill putts can really benefit with the stick in. Practice with your GOLFSTR+ to lock your wrists during your putting stroke to hit more consistent straight putts. Buy one today at www.golfstr.com

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Is Your Shaft Length Killing Your Game?

We all know that a long tee shot will shorten our approach shot to the green. That’s why we pull out the big dog and prey that our planned draw will draw or fade will fad. Unfortunately it’s starting to look like the driver is the riskiest club in our bag. The pros know this and that’s why they drop to a fairway wood or an iron on most narrow holes. If the length of our driver shaft may be killing our drives, you may want to shorten up on the grip by 2 inches for better control.

Shorten Your Grip for Control and Speed:
I got this idea when I saw a Top Speed Golf Blog with suggestions to use when your game is falling apart. Clay recommended that we should choke-down on our driver by about 2 inches to create more consistent drives with better control. I know that golfers are using longer driver shafts to get more power and distance and that would be the opposite to sliding our hands down to shorten our shaft length.

PAY ATTENTION ! This is EARTH SHATTERING STUFF!
1/ Clay then demonstrated that he thought he would lose distance by gaining more control as he gripped down on his club. On the shortened grip his Trackman distance was over 300 yards. When he changed back to his normal grip near the end of the club, his club head speed increased by about 5 miles per hour but he lost 15 yards in distance. He chalked this up to a slight mishit on the face of the club. He did not reshoot the video which illustrated the opposite of what he expected. Better control of your impact point definitely give you more distance with your driver.

Rickie Fowler and many other pros choke down on their clubs for more control. You should too.

In reality, we should understand that finding a balanced rhythm using about 80% of our swing strength will most likely produce the best results for our driving distance. The pros on the Tour always keep about 15%-20% in “reserve”. Average handicappers tend to swing too hard and rarely catch the ball flush on the center line of the club face. [ALERT: Rory McIlroy was chocking down on his driver in the Kailua Tournament of Champions last weekend — for better control. ]

2/ John Richmond, a teaching pro on the Golf Channels Golf Academy demonstrates how he choked down on his driver grip; generated more club head speed; got better direction control and more distance. Again, this is contrary to the thinking of most professionals but as recreational players, you will really improve your game using a shorted grip on your driver by hitting more consistently on the center of your driver face.

Copy and paste his video in your browser:  https://www.golfchannel.com/video/richman-choke-down-more-distance

Case in Point:
Why do you think we often hit worse shots into the wind? The more wind we feel in our face and hear in our ears, the more our adrenaline increases. Our minds go into panic mode and we swing faster and harder. You don’t want to do this. It just happens. It’s a human reaction. Big mistake!

When hitting off the first tee or when playing into a strong head wind or cross wind, avoid over hitting by choking down on your club and making a nice controlled swing. It’s so much easier hitting your next shot off the short stuff. The next time you go to the driving range, loosen up, relax your shoulders, grip down 2 inches on your driver and swing at 80%. Practice with your GOLFSTR+ for every shot in your game. Enjoy controlling your shots and staying in the fairway. Buy one today at www.golfstr.com

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Golf Training Aids: Miracles or Duds?

Golf is a crazy game. It looks so simple but it’s so frustrating. You are only trying to swing a club at a stationary ball. That really should be easier than playing tennis or baseball where the ball is flying at you with different speeds and unexpected curves. Golf gives you as much time as you need to prepare for a shot. You can relax your mind and muscles and take full control of your body so why is it so damn difficult to consistently hit that stupid little ball?

Of course we all know that our personal emotions play a big part in our ability to consistently hit a perfect shot for every unique location of the ball. Practicing with GOLF TRAINING AIDS appear to be the best solution to improve our performance. So why is it that they turn out to be the MIRACLE CURE for some and a DUD for others?

Why buy 6 training aids to fix every swing in your game when GOLFSTR will do it all.

1/ Unique Designs to Solve Specific Problem: Every Training Aid has been developed and tested by someone to create a more consistent swing. I designed GOLFSTR+ to remind me to keep my leading arm straight in the back swing. I immediately learned that I did not have the physical ability to rotate my body and arms like Rory McIlroy but I learned that by limiting my backswing AND KEEPING MY LEADING ARM STRAIGHT (WITH WRIST LAG), I was able to generate more powerful, consistent shots.

2/ Commitment to Succeed: Over time you may be able to develop more flexibility in your body but I quickly learned that flexibility in my shoulder and spine rotation does not happen overnight. You have to work with the physical limitations of your body. I have learned to accept the fact that I will never generate the power of those young bucks that we admire every week on the PGA Tour.

3/ Exercise to Improve Performance: We lose flexibility as we age but we can exercise to improve our performance. Golf-Info-Guide by Thomas Golf provided a simple stretch exercise at the end of this video: Right Way to Keep YOUR Left Arm Straight.  Copy this URL and paste it in your browser:  http://golf-info-guide.com/video-golf-tips/the-right-way-to-keep-your-left-arm-straight-video/

4/ Endorsement by a Professional: Anyone can pay enough money to get a professional to endorse a golf training aid. Pros don’t need to use GOLFSTR+ to remind them to keep their leading arm straight. They do it naturally. Fortunately pros RECOMMENDED 5 MORE USES for GOLFSTR+ to improve putting, chipping and lag training to generate more power and distance. Michael Breed (a PGA Certified Trainer on the Golf Channel) complimented me personally for developing a training aid with “6 swing fixes that you can just slide in your pocket”. GOLFSTR+ really is the Swiss Army Knife of golf training aids.

5/ Pay Attention to Testimonials by Real Users: Rich Gula, a 70 year old golfer from the Boston area with a handicap index of 11 responded to my recent weekly blog “Get Your Game Back on Track!”

“Great stuff to start the New Swing Year! Bought your device some time ago and love it! It’s a very worthy successor to “The Bickler” of many years ago and “The Secret” of The Shark! Your support online however is superb! Your emphasis on fundamentals with the GOLFSTR+ keeps the ball in the fairway. The device is truly helpful for improving shots 50 yards or less as well. Thank you! “ Rich Gula

The Bickler was endorsed by Ken Venturi and John Cook to lock your wrists in a V shape for every putt. Greg Norman’s “The Secret” controls the angle of your trailing wrist for every shot in your game. GOLFSTR+ gives you both of these training solutions and so much more. Buy one today at www.golfstr.com

CORRECTION NOTICE FOR RULES UPDATE PUBLISHED DECEMBER 24

5/ Imbedded Ball in a Bunker: You can move the ball back and drop it in the bunker for a 1 stroke penalty or out of the trap on a line to the green for a  2 stroke penalty.

6/ Yellow Penalty Area (stream or canyon): drop ball back on a line to the green from the point of entry (1 stroke). Red Penalty Area (woods and water):  If the ball is lost, estimate the point where the ball was lost, return to the fairway an equal distance to the hole from the point of entry and drop within 2 club lengths of the edge of the fairway as far back as you want to go. (2 stroke penalty).  Ideally you should hit a provisional ball whenever you think your ball could be lost in a Red Stacked Penalty Area. (Your provisional ball, if needed, is lying 3 off the tee or take a stroke and distance at the point where you last hit.)

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Get Your Game Back on Track !

When you are playing a wonderful round of golf do you ever wonder when the wheels will fall off? And then it happens! Or have you ever played a great first nine holes and someone points out that you are playing over your head and it does go right to your head. You just can’t get back on track.

Here are some great ideas to get back on track DURING YOUR ROUND OF GOLF. Try these ideas before you step up to the next tee.

WAKEUP and get back on track.

1/ Flip your club and swing with your grip at the end to feel the club release and hear the whooshing sound at the point of impacts. Then flip your club and do the same with your normal swing.

2/ Choke down on your grip by 2 inches. You may hit a shorter distance but controlling your swing will make it easier to impact your ball on the center of your club face. Take some practice swings to adjust.

3/ Make sure that you are controlling for your natural fad or draw. For a Fade: Setup with a slightly open face and a lower tee height. For a Draw: Setup with a slightly closed face and a higher tee.

Recognize when your game is going sideways. Take action to get back on track.

4/ If you are falling backwards at the end of your swing, you are not shifting your weight properly. You are swinging too fast with your arms before your weight can shift to your leading foot. Try the Step Drill. Put your feet together and start to step forward (like a baseball player), as you reach the top during your swing. Do this just to get the feeling for your weight shift.

Another solution is to setup with a little more weight on your leading foot.  Avoid swaying back during your backswing, just rotate your shoulders and finish your swing on you leading foot.

5/ When you are tense, a tighter grip will close the face of your club and generate more draw or even a duck hook. Loosen up! Keep your grip at a nice light 4 out of 10.

You can get back on track in the middle of your round. Take control of your mind and your game. You can also practice these suggestions on the practice range before your round with your GOLFSTR+. Buy one today at www.golfstr.com

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Modernized Golf Rules Take Effect January 1 2019

It’s time to familiarize yourself with the New Rules of Golf.   USGA and The R&A have simplified the rules to speed up the game. One rule that they forgot to include is at the start of every round, players should agree to play ready golf.  If you reach your ball anywhere off the green and you are ready to take your shot,  just take it, as long as others are out of the way.

This is an abbreviated version of the 15 rule changes. Why not print them out and keep them in your bag in the event of any disputes. [The official rules are about 20 pages long but this summary will cover 95% of your concerns.]

Note: Points #5, #6 and #8 have been expanded for clarification.

Your luck in golf will only improve with practice.  Buy a GOLFSTR+ and get lucky.

1/ To speed up play, you have the option to leave the flagstick in the hole.
2/ Fix any imperfection or loose impediment on the green (including spike marks).
3/ Accidental movement of the ball is no longer a penalty. Just put it back.
4/ Bunker: You can remove loose impediments but if you move the ball it’s 1 stroke penalty.
5/ Imbedded Ball in a Bunker: You can move the ball back and drop it in the bunker for a 1 stroke penalty or out of the trap on a line to the green for a  2 stroke penalty.
6/ Yellow Penalty Area (stream or canyon): drop ball back on a line to the green from the point of entry (1 stroke). Red Penalty Area (woods and water): If the ball is lost, estimate the point where the ball was lost, return to the fairway an equal distance to the hole and drop within 2 club lengths of the edge of the fairway as far back as you want to go. (2 stroke penalty).  Ideally you want to have hit a provisional ball whenever you think your ball could be lost in a Red Stacked Penalty Area (Your provisional ball, if needed, is lying 3 off the tee.)
7/ Search a maximum of 3 minutes for a ball. If ball is stepped on or picked up, just replace it.
8/ Out of Bounds or Lost Ball: Stroke and distance penalty or 2 stroke penalty  at any point no closer to the hole from the point of loss to 2 club lengths inside the edge of the fairway.
9/ Putting a ball back in play: Use your longest club (excludes putter) & drop from knee height.
10/ Using a scope to measure distance is allowed.
11/ A bent or broken club CAN be used but it CAN’T BE REPLACED.
12/ You are allowed to replace a cut or broken ball if it is damaged during play.
13/ You can replace your ball with a new ball at the start of every hole.
14/ During a continuous swing you are allowed to hit the ball twice and count only 1 stroke.
15/ You can accidentally hit yourself or others with a ball. No penalty. [But you can’t intentionally ricochet a ball off an object and then hit yourself (1 stroke penalty).]

A Golf Training Aids like GOLFSTR+ gives you an unfair advantage when playing a round of golf. Don’t use it for any round used to enter your handicap. It’s a wonderful product to use for practice rounds or in the practice area for 6 swing fixes. Wishing you All the Best in Life and Golf. Buy one today at www.golfstr.com

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Cameron Champ is like a New Sunrise in Golf !

In last week’s Swing Tip we offered to expose the critical factors to make you a great golfer. We focused on the limited importance of your weight, height and age on your swing performance. As it turned out there are many examples of professional golfers who break the barriers for weight, height and age. The good news is that any golfer, including you, can be the world’s best golfer with the the right model for a swing and the right physical training.

Sean Foley was hired by Tiger Woods to convert his aging and very successful swing back to its winning form. Unfortunately Tiger still had a lot of physical and mental baggage. Sean had some success in getting Tiger back in shape but he did an even better job by working with Cameron Champ from the age of 14. Cameron had talent at a young age but Sean was able to turn him into a consistent long ball MACHINE.

Cameron Champ loops his club down to a lower plane from the top of his transition to generate more club head speed.

Tony Finau is one of the longer drivers on the Pro Tour. He commented at a driving competition in Utah where Cameron Champ was consistently hitting 400 yards and landing in the target fairway. Tony was amazed at how long and accurate each of Champs shots were. He is only 23 and short at 6-feet tall as compared to the competition but he out-drove the field. He commented that Cameron’s club head speed created the distance because his swing is efficient, his body is flexible and he consistently hit in the center to the face of his driver.

Champ has a wide takeaway that loops down about 10 inches at the top. He then swings down a lower plane and up the inside slot through his target line. He must have a light grip as his balls typically fly in a straight path. A wide takeaway with a slight loop at the top will definitely stop you from swinging over the top and slicing the ball.  TRY IT, YOU’LL LIKE IT!

Cameron Champ keeps his eyes on the ball, even well after impact, to drive his square club face directly up the target line.

To help you hit more consistently on the center of your club face, make sure that you focus your eyes on the ball. Most of the pros keep looking at the ball location after impact when putting and chipping. Cameron makes sure that he never lifts his head off the ball during every golf swing to ensure that he connects perfectly on the center of the face. Every great athlete who plays sports with a ball, including Roger Federer, focuses their eyes on the point of impact and you should too.

Very few long ball driving champions ever become Tour Professionals because their percentage in hitting fairways is too low. Cameron Champ has the complete package for driving distance to the fairway, greens in regulation and a low putts per green average. He is already a new top 100 contender and will give Tiger and the rest of the top 10 boys a run for their money in 2019.

I expect Tiger Woods, Brooks Koepka, Rory McIlroy, Jordon Spieth and Justin Rose to be dominant players and winners in 2019 but Cameron Champ will be in there working his way to the top of that list.

Use your GOLFSTR+ to learn a consistent swing with a straight leading arm and lag on a lower plane with your trailing wrist for longer drives and iron shots. These are only 2 of the 6 swing fixes that you can learn with GOLFSTR+. Buy one today at www.golfstr.com

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Does Weight, Height or Age Give You the Advantage in Golf?

I have always used these mental excuses for not hitting my drives as far as others in my foursome. Of course we are all looking for excuses. Now that we are starting a new PGA golf season, I noticed that there are some surprising results. By recent performance of some of the top players in the world, it looks like skill, strength and flexibility are more important than weight, height and age.

Are Weight and Height Key Factors for Your Golf Swing?
Brian Harman and Patton Kizzire teamed up to capture golf’s QBE Shootout at the Tiburón Golf Club in Naples, Florida last week. It’s a 3 day event with a Scramble, Alternate Shot and Best Ball formats. This is a great example of tall and short as well as heavy and light weight where these factors had limited effect.

Congratulations to the Harman/Kizzire team winning QBE Shootout where it clearly showed that size does not matter in golf.

Patton Kizzire: 32, 6 foot 5inches, 215 pounds. In RSM Classic his driving average was 286 yards, longest 312, accuracy was 72% and GIR 76.4%
Brian Harman:5 foot 7 inches, 31 years old and 150 pounds. RSM Classic his average drive was 275 yards and his longest was 308 with an accuracy of 87.5% and GIR 72.2 %

Another recent example of an aging, short and light weight golfer Louis Oosthuizen at 36, 5 foot 10 inches and 180 pounds recently won the South African Open. On the par 4, 9th hole, he hit a 341 yard drive to pin high (but missed the eagle putt). 4 years ago he won the 2014 PGA Long Drive Competition with a drive of 340 yards beating Jason Day by 2 yards.

Is Age a Limiting Factor?
Charles Howell III at 39 and Matt Kucher at 40 both recently won tournaments on the same day and exactly 4 years after they had their last PGA Tournament wins.  Tiger Woods is 42 and now that he has recovered from many physical and emotional problems he will most likely win more tournaments. Of course we can’t forget the near miss for Tom Watson at age 60 when he lost his lead and tied on the 18th hole of The Open in 2009. Unfortunately he lost the playoff.

Why is an Average Sized Guy Outperforming the Big Hitters?
Cameron Champ is only 23, 6 feet tall and weighs 180 pounds. At the US Open 2017 he led the field in driving distance at 337 yards. When he won the Safeway Open, his average club-head speed and ball speed, were the fastest at 129.66 mph and 192.67 mph. He swings wide in the takeaway and loops down at the top and then swings from the inside slot and up his target line.  [Try it, you’ll like it.]

Cameron’s swing coach from the age of 14, Sean Foley, pointed out, “Look how much his club lies down across the top.” It looping about 10 inches down at the top. “He’s really loaded without swaying off the ball.” He has a perfect straight arm swing and wrist lag with a delayed release for major whipping action and power. He also pointed out that Cameron’s drives are about 30 yards longer than Dustin Johnson.

Weight, height and age are not the controlling factors in the golf swing. In our next blog we will summarize why skill, strength and flexibility along with an efficient swing are so critical for your golf swing. Practice for the perfect swing with GOLFSTR+. Buy one today at www.golfstr.com

                              Merry Christmas!   Still Time to Place your Xmas Gift Orders

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