Saturday 27 November 2010

Hong Kong Swing Factories.































































Hong Kong, quite simply the most exciting city this golfer dude has so far had the great fortune to taste, smell, explore and savour. I've been fortunate to of spent time in many cities across the globe, including New York, LA, San Francisco, Miami, Melbourne, Barcelona, Auckland, Johannesburg, Singapore, Taipei and to this point my personal favorite Tokyo. This was my first visit to the Peoples Republic of China and one I must say will remain in my heart for many years to come. This recent adventure was fueled by one single goal, to study the game of golf and unveil a place to teach and further broaden my golfing horizons. Call me crazy, call me calm, for the past 2 months have provided one with countless pages of teaching insight and wide open angles of golfing perspective.
Having spent almost 2 weeks in Singapore visiting academies and completing interviews, my next stop was Hong Kong. Not ones first choice when locating places of golfing interest but one I just had to see for myself. Having located a healthy bunch of driving ranges, indoor studios, courses and retail outlets both in and around the city landscape I touched down with a packed schedule and seemingly mammoth task of securing a teaching position.

Having a map in Hong Kong is one thing but actually using it to locate premises of golfing action is by far another. Having made it to my first destination I now faced the seemingly impossible mission of finding the place.  Stood at the foot of an escalator in a busy shopping mall I was having my doubts, the Waterfall Golf Club (even academies the size of shoe boxes are referred to as Clubs over there) was on the very top floor, positioned way above the city and my highest expectations of any under sized golf learning facility. This place was impressive, seen in the first four images you can see how every key department is successfully accommodated (inc. 9 hole putting green) designed to satisfy the most dedicated of urban purists. They even possessed challenging bunkers, sloping lies and a wide range of teaching aids making this tight squeeze one of the best equipped facilities I've ever set foot in.

On the surface I was most impressed and felt I had quite possibly found a platform suitably equipped and adequate for my teaching needs. So I took a nose around, snooped the whole place out, every floor of the three story, 120 yard long, roof top range in search of a Professional face. With over a handful of keen players frequenting the hitting area I was expecting to find at least one of the clubs teaching professionals hard at it. But no, all I could locate was a wall of teaching fame consisting of purely non-PGA Qualified teaching professionals, AGTF (Australian Golf Teachers Federation) qualified teachers. The place was a no go area for the more qualified, internationally recognized professionals among us. It was a shame, a real shame, but even more so to see such an impressively high standard of facility clearly failing to maximize its slick inner city potential. The location was almost directly above the MTR Station and the many frantic shoppers each passing the time of day without a single thought for the game of golf or its high contrasting nature to that of the daily pace that surrounded it.

The game of golf in Hong Kong is most definetly one for the riches, only the wealthiest appear entertained by its status appeal and quality means of escaping the city treadmill.

TaiPEi FUN FACTORY.

Wednesday 6 October 2010

Steve STRiKER........../

The Ryder Cup ANCHOR.

Without doubt, during this years epic clash Mr Stricker once again confirmed himself as the number one player on the planet with a wedge in hand. His ability to consistently repeat exemplified feats of spin, distance and trajectory control, time after time, under the most intense of golfing pressure, stands him high above the golfing crowd that so eagerly surrounds him. 

So what is it this man has or so effectively grooved to such a unique level of reflex golfing action?

Simple.

Thats just it, SIMPLICITY.
Years of intense golfing exploration has delivered some key fundamental requirements to be honed and constantly respected in search of ultimate golfing consistency. 

Shaped around the key elements of:

CONSISTENCY IN.
DISTANCE CONTROL.
TRAJECTORY CONTROL.
SPIN TO ROLL CONTROL.

Mr Stricker has shaped a reflex action that allows TIME, PACE, RHYTHM and GRACE.

How's he do it?

He simply eliminates any wrist action as much as possible. Where as a great many Touring Pros add variations in wrist hinge and swing length for different shot types and distance, Steve simply plays every short approach shot with the same swing length and degree of wrist hinge. He simply varies the club strength to suit the distance and situation before him.

Variations in shot length, trajectory and spin are simply controlled through a manipulation of some key fundamentals in the address. They are as follows:

DISTANCE - Vary the club strength, loft to suit the distance and spin versus roll required.
TRAJECTORY - Beyond loft of different clubs, simply move the ball further back or up in the stance.
SPIN OVER ROLL - Experiment with various ball positions/ stance alignments/ weight distribution.

These key demands are simply shaped through great insight and respect for the fundamentals presented before everyone of us as we address every shot. Consistency of swing length and wrist hinge is what completes this ultimate scoring zone wizard.

The same principles flow through this great mans entire golfing makeup, he really is a master of the wedge and one we should all look to follow and continually respect as a world leader in the art of scoring from 100 yards in.

Enjoy his talent as I do and you will surely become the player you always knew you could be.



ENjOY the game./







>


  

Friday 10 September 2010

Compositions.



Composition is the placement or arrangement of visual elements or ingredients in a work of art, as distinct from the subject of a work. It can also be thought of as the organization of the elements of art according to the principles of art.
The term composition means 'putting together,' and can apply to any work of art, from music to writing, that is arranged or put together using conscious thought. In the visual arts, composition is often used interchangeably with various terms such as design, form, visual ordering, or formal structure, depending on the context. 
Wikipedia.

As a teacher of all golfing elements, one is driven to a common goal with every pupil before him. To compose, shape, motivate and create a masterpiece of individual human intelligence. 

Sounds DEEP?  

Well it really isn't, its just a simple moulding of you.
Handled carefully, the most complex possibilities submerge into themselves and adopt their rightful place.
A golfing composition of all natural beauty and consistent strength.

STRENGTH OF YOU!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! 

Composition by Kandinsky./

Criminal golfers.


The greatest crimes in golf and life are not committed by people breaking the rules but by people following the rules. Its people who follow orders that drop bombs and massacre villages. These sheep become slaves to the process, dependent on one mans order and never fully take own of their single most cherished gift. 

The gift is you.

Taking ownership takes more than just a pair of balls.

To own, shape and ultimately dictate your own self is a journey only you can take.

Take the simple lessons form those in the know then go explore you.

From the fundamentals of both life and golf you have the boundless potential to shape and ultimately create anything, shape, shot or endeavor this beautiful game has to offer.

GO PLAY.

HAVE FUN.

PROSPER........................../




Simple intelligence testing.

A lot of people never use their initiative because no-one told them to.


A dude named Banksy taught me that.


./

Art.




All artists are prepared to suffer for their work but why are so few prepared to learn to draw?


Ask your new teacher to draw and fade, hit it high and then some low, a few hooks then a slice before sharing their secrets to controlling the golf ball. They may not have the mental strength to win an Open but you had better at least expect them to have the knowledge and instinctive flair to execute your ultimate golfing dreams right before your eyes. By this Im directing your attention to the bare essential requirement of any one serious enough to call themselves a teacher of this great game and respectfully take payment for their beliefs. 


The art of controlling the golf ball is a simple science that lay within the grasp of each and everyone of us. Finding a teacher that actually has this basic skill at hand is ones ultimate test as a teacher searching pupil.

Find one then share his knowledge with as many fellow golfers as you can.





Enjoy the game./

Monday 16 August 2010

PLAY? - doh .. ... ./






















shAPE & MOULd, creATE & diCTaTE.........../


The art of great instruction is so much more than simply teaching a pupil to strike better golf shots.
The true art of great golf is a process of natural, instinctive shaping, most commonly known as teaching but so much more.

Ones role as a dedicated teacher of this great game is to produce and mould, shape and create magnificent shot makers, human studies of unique golfing prowess. 

The entire teaching process, one of constant evolution and creative development is effectively down to the quality of the individual standing before you. Yes you the individual who's decided this person is sufficiently educated and effectively passionate to express the correct and most infectious lessons from the game we all pursue with the same degree of appealing fascination. 

Its simple.

The games a game, the process of achievement within it is one of constant appeal and unprecedented infatuation. Ones role as guiding force is to simply assure the creative subject before them is no longer lost or tempted into the appealing world of in swing technique and in vogue like tendencies so commonly seen and practiced by the worlds seemingly golf like elite.

PEOPLE!!!!!!!!

Listen to me when I say the game of golf is quite probably the most complex study of all sporting endeavors, but lets please not lose sight of the most essential requirement of every stroke we play for the remainder of our golfing live's.

YES.

You got it, the game of golf is a simple matter of ball in hole.

CONTROL IT BETTER THAN THE NEXT PERSON AND YOU WIN.

Its all about ball control, and to do that one must simply understand the art of IMPACT.
Dive into the true art of ball control through the only point in the swing where the ball is made contact with. Thats the point of impact, the area so many players never fully realize as vital to the successful safe and effective score landing of their golf ball.

As a world class golf teacher, one is constantly faced with the same, commonly seen as BASIC ritual, to improve the 'BASICS', yes, the key and quite simply only thing that ever matters to success in golf, the FUNDAMENTALS that shape and effectively allow the best players in the world to CREATE great golf shots when the situation before them demands it. Its my daily duty to first educate and install the level of respect for the KEY FUNDAMENTALS before effectively INSTALLING them on every pupil before me. If I can do this, well, I have every opportunity of developing a player that will undoubtedly reach their own golfing mecca before the end of their golfing life.

Upon first viewing any player, or idea of oneself playing this game, I am immediately drawn to the key requirement of ball control, I so hope you guessed it. Thats it, a great hold on the golf club, a most beautiful piece of art, a moulded formation of the two hands and all their fingers combined to create the signiture of any great golf teacher. The hold of any great shotmaker is what defines them in this class apart, YES the hands hold the key and this teacher defines himself along with subject with a signiture like no other. To hold the golf club in perfect individual formation of two hands is what its all about. Please trust these words when I say, if you do nothing else but assume a hold so perfect, so efficient, so pristine, I assure you the golfing world that surrounds you is un-boundless and quite perfectly yours for the taking.

Like an artist so patiently and creatively moulds his masterpiece from one single lump of clay, the greatest of golfing teachers shapes his. We as golf teachers must continuously imprint our creative prowess upon the clay before us in an effort to shape the ball flight before us both. Its from this vital source of feedback that our masterpiece of artwork will flower and ultimately create the master works we all so passionately strive to be apart of.

Golf is as much an ART as it is a SCIENCE, but please lets not forget, the true science lay in the mystery of the ART.

Work it out and it works for you.

ART to SCIENCE, SCIENCE to ART.

MOULD to CREATE, CREATE to MOULD.

GOLF to CREATE, CREATE to GOLF.



Just play................/

Friday 13 August 2010

Swinging matters...












The golf swing is a series of movements performed within the fundamental confounds of efficient body angles. Its sole purpose being to consistently exert maximum power upon impact on delivery of the club head to golf ball. Its unique human nature is what truly allows it to repeat and perform under the most intense outside influences.


Its a measure of time in motion that very few players have ever truly learned to time and pace.




./

Tuesday 3 August 2010

Total Golf Techniques.



From a range of essential reading material from the greatest golfing champion of them all so far.
Mr Jack Nicklaus was an undisputed winner, illustrated to perfection from a master of golfing illustration Mr Jim McQueen.


READ IT.
ENJOY IT.
BE AS GREAT AS YOU CA BE.



./

Monday 21 June 2010

Winding Up........releasing energy.

Back hand throw sequence.


What's the purpose of the backswing?

To create power. 

The single most vital purpose of the back swing is to create a series of reflex movements away from the golf ball to create maximum power on delivery of the club head on its return back to the golf ball through the point of impact. 

Finding the most powerful path for delivery is a matter of creating a position at address that will allow all the body parts to blend and respond equally. In essence we are looking for total connection at address in a search for total connection at impact.  




./

CreaTiVity iN SpoRT.



Its all over it. 

Any form of human physical movement is done so in response to something else, an inspiration, motivation or reflex instinct. Its an opportunity for a creative response, a unique creative reaction by the individual. 

In sport one has two distinct avenues of style, flair or ideology to pursue and follow. 

1. TECHNICAL.
2. CreAtiVE.

As coaches we must be open and able to satisfy both avenues in our quest to create equality in our impression of both methods upon our pupil. 

Once the swing has been setup, continually aim to educate the pupil with the laws of impact to establish the pupils understanding and burning hunger for a self sufficient golf game.

Continually challenge and make them feel uncomfortable, both with their work ethic and desire to achieve their goals. 

They must remain self aware and ready to be challenged.

Challenge their skill level. Skills testing on a regular basis, always creating a similar pressure situation. The feelings you can only experience from the feel of a pure strike, the sight of a controlled ball flight or the pressure of the stretch in a big tournament. 

Get creative with all areas of your game and life. Open your mind and free your thoughts, your anxiety, that doubt and stray from the positive. 

Total focus on your target and complete detachment from yourself. 

Believe it, Trust it, Do it.






./

Centre the World around you.






















Take what you need but never forget to give back what you learn.

There is nothing selfish about the force you create and fuel around you. 
Centre the world within you and use its great power to deliver inspiration to all who surround you.

Never aspire to be anyone other than you. 
You are the inspiration that others aspire to. 
Lead by action, motivate by leading. 
The passion that leads you is the master that drives and ultimately succeeds you.

Perseverance is the key to achievement as all achievement is ultimate perseverance.

Live from your heart in search of your soul. Don't be real, just be you. 





./

Monday 3 May 2010

gaMiNG........./

The game, a structured activity, typically undertaken for enjoyment and sometimes used for the purpose of education. In its purest form, a game is a creative avenue for escape, it provides a platform for its players to challenge and commit their concentration. In essence, the games we play are simply that, easy to play games, endeavors of unique intrigue and excitement, they provide us with an opportunity to escape the routine of everyday life and embark on a more personal discovery of our very self. Whilst this may sound some what deep and profound from the surface, lets not forget we are discussing something as simple and second nature as a game, only if one is to fully grasp the raw essence of its very existence then we must first realize its most precious place in the bigger game, the game so readily brand as life itself. While the depth of this focus could easily go on, the point of its worth will forever dive deeper, with mans need for the games we have created becoming ever more central to their long term happiness.


The game of golf has now lost its real title, its acceptance as a sport, one consisting of superior athletes each equipped with the athletic tone and muscular physique of a triathlete. Such metamorphic events have thrown us into a mega modern frenzy of research, theory, analysis and adversity. We have lost the point of the pastime, the sense of the word game alongside the notion of the word golf has all but lost its struggle to the power hungry world of sport. While the players within the game welcome the acceptance of golf as a sport, I have little reason to believe a healthy percentage have taken the time to realize what they have lost and what such a simple change in terminology actually means for the future. No longer is a talented golfer accepted as a prospect unless he or she lives to a strict and balanced lifestyle made up of fitness, nutrition, detailed swing analysis, psychology and analysis. Resting in the arms of the sport is a severe shift in creative priority, not a conscious action but one reflected by the mass appeal of the games first golfing athletes. Goodbye we salute to the flair hungry shot makers of the once seen games past, and welcome to the future age, priority programmed machine like monsters that now so readily surrender to the stress of competitive sport.


The fighting debate over the games founders will forever continue to excite and frustrate the many who surrender to its mystery. For myself, the only thing that really matters is why this great game was ever conceived and created in the first place. Simple, to escape, challenge and discover the boundless potential that lay within us all. Its sole purpose is fun, fun and games, mystery and adventure, the art of escape, the pure essence of the game is ultimately one of great beauty and should be cherished by all who choose to surrender to its mass appeal.


A game is a platform to escape, as in life itself, the game we all find ourselves submerged in daily, the key to maximizing its endless potential is an open mind for total enjoyment of whatever it has to throw at us.


Go play, escape, and don't forget you're there to be challenged so be sure you create.




./

Saturday 17 April 2010

Gift from GOD.


























A kid named Rodney, a boy on a board, a wally on wheels, a genius on the ground. The creative wizard that is named Rodney Mullen is a Skateboard magician in a league of his own. Born a child, Mr Mullen never felt any urgency to grow up, continuing his journey through life on a little board with four wheels his story is one of continued creative progression. Self expression and expanded capability lay at the core of his every move, his every inspirational motivation, the next trick becomes the next mark of minimum standard. The Skateboard king that is Rodney Mullen is and will surely remain the most innovative, forward thinking, creatively expressive individual known to the world of boards with wheels.

The signature bearing author of over 30 distinct tricks, he has single handedly invented the art, the creative discipline of physical expression with a board on four wheels. He is without doubt the worlds most gifted Skateboarder on earth today. A somewhat shy and casually reserved individual, Rodney is a fragile being, an almost damaged human inspiration. Upon opening to question, one would be lead to believe his talent is one born out of an almost autistic state of mind. Pushing himself to the limit of human possibility from the age of 8, he was warned many times of his fathers discomfort with his chosen pursuit, undeterred by such worry Rodney remained focused and fiercely dedicated to the boundless possibility he was faced with.

When forced to retreat to a more remote part of Florida when the family moved to a farm in 1979, it is now this vital stage in his development that he cites as his "most creative time", 1979 - 1980. Its was during this period that the young Rodney, faced only with a flat space to skate in the family garage, in total isolation from the inspirationally creative influences of a more urban, rugged landscape he would hone and master the blueprint for which all others would follow and continue to challenge for the rest of our time on earth.


I can't wait to wake up in the morning... A lot of times I can't sleep because I can't wait to try something new. How many people never really experience that feeling? 


Rodney Mullen, 2003

A genius. A creative force. A child in a mans body. A unique human inspiration to boundless possibility. This guy is without doubt the most influential artist to of ever graced the creative discipline of Skateboarding.

Check him out, he's the man and couldn't give two hoots either way, just cares for one thing. He likes to skate, and skate real good is all he cares to do.






,/

Sunday 14 March 2010

Just like........

























TOMMY C.
A look of magic, a trick of laughter.

A man of simple motive, the late great Thomas Frederick "Tommy" Cooper was two part comedian, one part magician, he gave no regard to class or race, all he cared to do was put a smile on a face.

The gift of a smile is without doubt a gift of a god. Born within us all though only shared by a few, the art of expressing one is owned by only you.

Individual lust for laughter.

Take the time to share in one.

Be a friend to yourself and express in one.

RIGHT NOW.

GO ON.

Ha HA hA ha!




./

Sunday 28 February 2010

Winning & Losing, Existing in between.

























The following piece shall briefly discuss the varying perceptions of winning, losing and the void of existence that lay in between. Unveiling the definition of winning and losing on a universal level then discussing how a life committed to either achieving one or avoiding the other will either make you or break you.

Life / the condition that distinguishes animals and plants from inorganic matter, including the capacity for growth, reproduction, functional activity, and continual change preceding death.


Winner / a person or thing that wins something.

Loser / a person or thing that loses or has lost something, esp. a game or contest.

Existence / any of a persons supposed current, future, or past lives on this earth.


So what is life to you?

To me life is all about ones self and subject. Subject being the first category we all fall into, LIFE. Embrace yourself and subject matter in search of the key to ones own happiness. Its the journey we all take, some consciously, some not, its the journey through our own lives in persuit of our own key happiness. This is it, do what makes you happy and you have successfully identified the key to life that so few ever come close to.

"Success is getting out of bed everyday and doing exactly what you want to do"

                                                                                                                              Bob Dylan.

To many people, the gift of life is an entry fee to a competitive game of POWER, to some its mere SURVIVAL, to others its a LIVING HELL, to a few its a CREATIVE PROCESS, its EXPLORATION, of both self and subject, its an EDUCATION in everything. The point is, life really is whatever you want it to be, within reason, without bringing harm to those that seek their own motives around you, the beauty of life is the FREEDOM it presents.




./

Thursday 11 February 2010

Simply about SURVIVAL.




























Perspectives.

Having recently returned from a brief trip to South Africa where I accompanied a pupil of mine by the name of Darryn Lloyd. I was left with a vast array of deeply moving, thought shifting images. The purpose of our trip was a return to Darryn's homeland where he was competing on the Sunshine Tour for the most lucrative portion of their summer season.

Working on a budget, we were both forced to take slightly different routes into his home city of Durban. He decided to take the cheapest flight with Egypt Air, naturally connecting in Cairo before flying into Johannesburg and finally arriving in Durban courtesy of possibly the most relaxed air flight staff on the planet, Mango Air. Myself, having held onto my cash for slightly longer before diving in, was fortunate to find a road that would take me over such hairy destinations as Bagdad and Iran before touching down in what the Arabians call, the 'Gateway to the World'. Always eager to sample different airlines, my  Emirates flight was one of splendid quality and relative comfort, (naturally I was slumming it with the 'eco class', a sign of my life score to date I guess!).  It was my first experience of the Jewel in the desert, Dubai, possibly the fastest growing playground in the world. I had a painful eight hours to wander, wait, wonder and eventually wither before connecting in Dubai to Johannesburg at 5 am.

It was massive, I've been to a few of these places, Atlanta, Heathrow, LAX, Kennedy and as big as they are, none of them are shouting as loud as this place.

So what was it shouting?
SPEND, INVEST, SPEND, WEALTH, EAT, DRINK, SPEND, INVEST, ENJOY, RELAX, SPEND, SPEND, SPEND!

If this is the gateway to the world, Im not sure I want to go any further. If the first thing you see on the other side of the gate is lavish goods, high fashion and westernised consumerism then Im well and truely lost.

Or am I?

Its funny, it kind of sums the world up in as much as its just lavish expense. Plonk the best of everything in the desert, invite the wealthiest, most talented professionals of all walks of life, not forgetting some of the dumbest (celebrities) and see what happens. Thats right, the people will come and undoubtedly aspire all the same, each in search of a tiny piece of the icons they seek and continually follow with such misdirected passion.

Its a whole lotta B.S!

From what I can see, from my seat at the gate, there really isn't anything to explore and tap into here, nothing of any true worth anyway. Its just, as the modern documented world has so rapidly become, merely a lavish place to spend all evil on nothing but shit you really don't need and never find any happiness in.

But thats just it, western society has become all to engrossed in their search for happiness. Misdirected, lead astray, kidnapped and simply fooled into thinking the key to all happiness lay with expensive items of merchandise. Lavishly presented packages of comfort, good vibes with a fat price tag as used by the most fame hungry puppets on the planet.

So what is happiness?
What does it mean to you?

Happiness for me will probably mean nothing to you.

Whatever our individual perception of happiness is, lets all rest assured in finding it we have all experienced success. Success is the by product of happiness not vise versa. In a quest for happiness you will find your own level of success and appreciate your place in society and resulting influence on the people that populate your world. No matter how big or small that influence may appear to ones self, to influence a small part of life is to influence the entire spectrum of its potential.

How many people see it like this?

Lets take a look at the six most desired human needs.

1. CERTAINTY
2. VARIETY
3. SIGNIFICANCE
4. LOVE/ CONNECTION
5. GROWTH
6. CONTRIBUTION TO OTHERS

These elements are based on the conclusions of Anthony Robbins, the prolific motivational speaker and life coach from the United States. His conclusions suggest clearly the human elements Im sure all of us have felt consumed by at some point in our lives. Rightly positioned at the top of the list is CERTAINTY or CONTROL, we all seek it, as much as we all hate falling under it. We all wish we could see things for certain, the outcome of our endeavors, our investments or financial futures. Controlling forces are all around us, we are continually trying to escape them on a daily basis, weather at home from a loved one or in work and the societies that surround us, of course thats not forgetting the powers that be within our governments and law enforcement sectors. Life is unashamedly submerged in control.

From the moment we are born we know only life, but life is born and raised under the control and direction of the loved ones who decided to grace the planet with our presence.

What is a parent trying to control?

The safe guarding, healthy life and successful future of their child.
Its every parents dream, to see their little creation develop into a successful human being, one who needs for nothing more than the love and support of his family. But at the absolute core of each and everyone of us, parent and child, there lay the rawest human instinct of them all, SURVIVAL! Yes, at the very heart of us all is a very basic human will to survive. Our primary goal as humans is to gather a consistent supply of food and drink, followed closely by warm clothing and warm dry shelter. Its a pretty simple view of life but really this is all we really need to live long and happy lives.

SURVIVAL, its the most basic and essential human desire.

Which brings me back to first thing that jumped off this page and demanded your attention. The image at the top of the page shows two young boys on the side of a busy highway on a wet Monday morning in South Africa. Looking more like the Highlands of Scotland, our eleven hour journey was about four hours in when we passed through yet another township of which many children were playfully begging for food and outside interaction.

Right there, right at that moment the entire trip was thrown into a frenzy of clear cut perspective. Razor sharp were the teeth of this moment, it managed to cut straight through my soul, more than a wake up call, I suddenly felt a sense of higher purpose. As the journey continued we would pass through many a more densely populated town, each one bustling with action, so many people, so much to look at and nowhere to hide. I had never been so far from the comfort and security of my own home, I was in the wild and deeper than Id ever ventured before. Everywhere I looked, every new town we entered all you could see were people going about their everyday life, most were smiling, lots were laughing and naturally a great many were merely surviving. What I saw that day was a society at ease with itself, a massive array of individuals all sharing the same goal, each following the same daily ritual.

SURVIVAL. In their quest for daily survival not one of these people appeared frustrated or in anyway influenced by the other. The goal of the day was aim for tomorrow, then think about the next day, find some work, earn some money and find some food. Simple human instincts in their absolute rawest form.

Live to Survive and you succeed in finding simple highs of joyful happiness.






.

Thursday 21 January 2010

Harry VEE.


























A genius, a man who probably left us more than any other player in the games history. Unknown to many, the great gift Mr Vardon blessed the modern game with was not actually of his own experimentation. First invented by a champion Scottish amateur golfer by the name of Johnny Laidlay, it was however Vardon who first adopted it in his quest for golfing dominance.

What Harry Vardon adopted was a revolutionary new method of holding the golf club in search of that vital formation of the hands on the grip. This great man was the first to fully respect and appreciate the essential function of the hands as they rule the leadership over everything else in golf.

The hands are your only connection with the golf club and the golf club is what influences the golf ball. Which is why they say, Mr Vardon had complete mastery over his hands at all times. His grip was a major contribution to the progress of the game.

Complete mastery of the hands is complete control of the club face.

Don't think for one second this great man depended on his hands to 'save' a shot or ever find need to manipulate the club face with his hands anywhere in the downswing. Through a deep respect for a perfect hold on the golf club, Harry Vardon understood the hands would need to simply perform as efficiently as possible as they delivered the golf club through impact, which is why he desired absolutely no conscious thought to activate the hands as they reach their maximum speed at the bottom of the swing. A free wheeling golf club, one traveling without force created by himself would be much faster, more online and consistently effective than when consciously inflicted with the force of his own muscle.

In developing the Vardon Hold, (where by the last finger of the bottom hand on the grip simply overlaps the index finger of the top hand), Harry had created a connection with the golf club that promoted exquisite blending of both hands to form a balanced unit. When formed correctly they allowed the clubs handle to fit securely though without any need for tension across any point in the hands, wrists or forearms.

To this day the Vardon hold is still the most popular method of holding the golf club amongst Touring Professionals. Of the three principle methods, to label one better than the other would be pointless. It really is a matter of individual hand size, feel and personal preference as to what you are looking to achieve with the flight of your golf shots. As such a highly individual discipline that golf is, finding the most efficient hold is down to you, the best advice one could share though would have to be, stick with it and accept nothing short of perfect. The correct function in the hands as they connect with the golf club really is the most influential element of golf you will ever find yourself engaged in.

Take the time to master it and forever feel the benefit.






.

Wednesday 20 January 2010

Saturday 16 January 2010

Fundamentally Furyk.


























"I never look at my swing on tape. When I need to fix errors, I go back to the fundamentals."

On first glance Jim Furyk could be easily mistaken as one of many journeyman Tour Pros. His walk, his talk, his unassuming presence on stage make him one of the most appealing nice guys on tour. But what stands this unsuspecting Super Star from his illustrious crowd of 21st Century challengers is one totally unique and quite awesomely effective reflex action. Trained, shaped, groomed and driven his entire life through the wisdom of a great father, Jim and Mike Furyk have single handedly paved a brick road of solid gold for all others to follow. With a golf swing like no other, one totally unique, individual to the man who owns it, the family Furyk are hard evidence that the art of ball control is not and will never be a sure fire black and white notion printed on a page or imprinted in the mind. For as long as human beings are born as they eventually die, as unique bodies, with totally individual tendencies, of vastly diverse views, opinions, beliefs and capabilities, never, and I repeat, never will the game of golf fall victim to one single method of golf swing technique.

As a former University of Arizona team member, Jim Furyk never owned much of a golf game. A regular high 70 low 80 shooter, Jim had a tough time adjusting to the demands of life as an aspiring PGA Tour Player. Clearly a naturally gifted talent, one built not on length but acute accuracy, he had the talent but did the swing fit? That was the question Jim Furyk was constantly faced with and no doubt left lying alone for many a waking hour in bed every night. From study of his early college scoring you are left asking one question;

What was going on in this dudes head?

With a swing all of his own, the kid from West Chester, Pennsylvania was about to encounter the kind of mental aggravation typically reserved for the socially inept. From pillar to post this young stars natural instincts were to be torn, tampered and down trodden to the point of near massacre. If it didn't look like a Tour Players Swing then how could it ever perform like one? From the very beginning of his college days, this future US Open Champion, with the swing once described with reference to an Octopus falling out of a tree, was about to begin the most rewarding three year training period of his career. Unlike anything he ever imagined it would be, Jim Furyks college grooming would fast become one of pure mental conditioning. Having to maintain a clear focus on the goal set before him whilst accepting all levels of critical swing punishment, self doubt and confidence damaging confusion. Which way to turn and how long before you can trust it?

Moving away from the natural instincts of his youth and raw talent that decided his future goals at the top of the game soon became a daily ritual for Jim. Pulled one way, then another, do I change, do I just go play, which way shall I play today?

This my reader, is the commonly polluted mindset of many an aspiring teenager with a bag full of talent. Fully ingrained with unique reflex actions commonly known as technique, the world is littered with potential greatness and potential boundary pushing revelations. Is it to bold a statement to express distaste  and appall towards the many 'Swing Connoisseurs', the techno scientists that quite frankly don't fully appreciate what the greatest players of the past so readily did in their own quest for the only thing that mattered, 'Ball Control'. Before the day of still photography and video playback, these guys only had one thing on their minds, controlling the golf ball better than the next guy, if they did that then the good times would eventually roll, and roll, on and on and on. Never did they go in search of something else, a new swing or in vogue method of presenting the golf club to the golf ball. From the moment their first ball was struck, the Nelsons, Hogans, Sneads, Thompsons and Nicklaus's of our great pastime all struck upon one clear ideal. Each and every one of them pursued the game with an undeniable appreciation for the fundamentals of the address. Not always perfect and to a model, but always in sync and perfectly tuned to themselves as individuals. Through hard work and total dedication to the art of ball control the greatest of the greats had complete trust in their own golf swing. Put simply, they each owned their golf swing and as a result, had total trust in themselves and reflex actions even during the moments of intense pressure.

So as you can begin to see, a young Jim Furyk, torn apart for the sake of his natural look, his god given looping golf swing. As much as it was nearly the death of him, the resulting torment has ultimately instilled the level of mental toughness demanded of the situations his very own, eventually mature golf swing has so consistently presented before him. The cruel reality of the modern game so nearly destroyed the boundless possibility of a man who shall undoubtedly be remembered as a funny looking swinger capable of striking the ball straighter than most.

For me, I shall prefer to remember this man as a testament to the individual. A man so strong mentally he has managed to sustain and achieve with a natural reflex for delivery of the golf club like no one before him. Lets all take a lesson from the Furyk's and seek nothing more than a total respect and understanding for all that truely matters in the art of ball control. Golfers everywhere should take note of the four key elements of great ball striking that Jim holds closest to the heart of his game.

GRIP./ Because the hands have the greatest influence over the club face.
ALIGNMENT./ The body lines have the greatest influence over the direction of the swing and ball.
BALL POSITION./ Has the greatest influence over the correct angle of approach into the golf ball.
DISTANCE CONTROL./ Controlling the rhythm of his swing enables total control of swing speed.

He swears by them, so should you.
There really is nothing else at the heart of a great swing other than a winning ATTITUDE. Engage in the process and submerge yourself in the understanding of these four basic elements and I guarantee you are well on your way to being the golfer you have always strived to be.

Enjoy the triP.








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