Adjusting how I play

I found an old 4 iron I played the amateur and California mini tour with back in the 1970’s and into the 1980’s. I thought about those days and when I used to play 1 irons and long irons. Now My Bag consists of an 8 dg driver, 13dg 3 wood, 15 dg 3 wood, 5 wood, 7 wood, 9 wood, 6-pw, 52 and 66 dg wedge and 1920’s style hickory shaft putter. Those are the 14 clubs I carry now and I really don’t need the 6 iron or 7 wood but I carry them anyway.  Things have changed so much over the last 40 years, yes 40 years since I was 23 and heading to Studio City Driving range to see Joe Norwood, my Grandfather (Charter member of the SoCal PGA until 1990).

I’ve always gone for the pin. Since I could throw darts with my irons and woods, it made sense to me yet it hurt me in scoring and it has come back to roost now, although the height of my shots with my 5,7 & 9 wood far exceeds the height of my long irons which was really quite amazing when I starting changing to metal woods and letting go of the thoughts of using long irons.

I play only one course these days. It’s 6100 yards long, very small greens, bunkers so well placed that going for the pin is quite rewarding when one hits a perfect shot and at 63 years of age I no longer wish to play the longer courses. When I was younger I played the Wilson Course in Los Angeles and it was 7200 yards and during those days I could hit the ball longer but today, I keep it simple, I deserve to play from the men’s tees now.

I used to be able to visualise a 62 or lower at Willowwick Municipal Course although never came close. Even now I can visualise a 64 and have come to grips with the fact that my course management is very poor. Last round I was staring at the pin just 20 feet behind the bunker and into a heavy head wind. I thought to myself “This is where the glory or the disaster comes into play”. I hit an absolutely fantastic 9 wood, traveling straight at the pin, going high in the air, only to hit the wooden bunker sign right in front of the line of the pin. We could hear the sound of the ball hitting the wooden sign 160 yards away. Disaster had happened and all I had to do was play the same shot 20 feet to the left and I would have been pin high putting for a birdie.

I’m throwing away a good 10 shots a round, most likely more because when scoring starts to happen – lower scores seem to follow.

I’ve played this course for over 40 years and am just now going over each hole in my mind, picking out the correct club to tee off with rather than Driver, Driver, Driver.

All in all I’m playing pretty well for a senior, yes it’s a short course but accuracy is rewarded. I’m also playing 27 holes now but also riding in a cart. The days of carrying my bag are long gone and walking 18 holes is not so much tiring as it is demanding on my body and 27 holes walking is just out of the question.

Tomorrow will be a great day just because I get to play with my friend Louie and he plays a pretty good game. Also the weather in Southern California is superb even with 20 million people and a drought that is severe. As long as I stick to my game plan my score should be lower, I had so many game plans in the past, the key now is to stick to it and take what it gives.

Joe Norwood conceived a perfect golf swing with all the parts to hold and move and he really tried to impart all this in his book Golf-O-Metrics and our video (1988) now DVD called The Anatomy of Golf by Joe Norwood. His book is so packed full of knowledge and how to do things that is dismays most teaching professionals as they conclude the writing was not professional but I’ve read his book and am rewriting a new book on his swing for dissection and perfection purposes but the challenge of reading is offset by the perfectly hit straight ball. In my mind there are only two paths towards a swing that delivers. The other one is Moe Norman but his swing has been adjusted and other people are teaching it their way. I remember Ken Venturi’s commercials called natural golf on a swing that is not natural, neither is Joe Norwood’s. When he says “Poor Golf is a Gift” he is relating to the natural movements of the body which produce error and evidencing it with facts that the playing professionals have become better at preventing these errors.

When he says “Good Golf is Acquired” he is taking us into a swing that must be taught to the subconscious through metric exercises called Golf-O-Metrics designed so the golfer can teach his or her body to rethink and relearn new methods. Once these methods are drilled into muscle memory they become part of the subconscious.

This does not mean that the low handicap golfer is going to drop 10 strokes but it does mean he or she has a much better opportunity of dropping strokes when not having to consider their swing. There is one absolute guarantee with the Joe Norwood Golf Swing and that is the very high handicap golfer, with a bit of commitment and discipline, will drop a lot of strokes.

For a golfer to score a 108 and hit 3 good shots a round and be happy only concludes that he or she is happy to be out and playing at all. There is no reason why every golfer who plays can’t break 90 or be close to it with this swing but it does take commitment and discipline but then again, golf is a game to be played for the rest of our lives.

Day 1 Practice – not all that great

I just finished practicing hitting about 150 balls in my backyard and the results were certainly mixed to say the least.

I began with regular golf balls and my 60 degree wedge left to me by my Grandfather and it was very clear my swing is rusty and proving that just doing golf-o-metrics and swinging a practice trainer will not give me the same feeling as hitting the ball does.

My backswing was tight and at first I was working on feeling the clubhead at impact but after about 15 shots I went to just playing the swing and feeling the hands as they go through the impact area. This helped a lot because as I became more focused on the swing the impact became much better.

I also realized that since the stance on the short game is open with the JNGS then as I took my stance I realized my hips were facing to the 11:30 position with the left hip so while I turned the hip back to the 7:30 position (right hip) it was apparent (as with the putt) the hips are completely parallel on the short game and that there is no inside move on the 10-40 yard shots as the right arm does not even get to position one. There is only a fold and unfold of the right elbow but even that is brief due to the short swing.

I’ve known this for a while now but I haven’t really talked about it on my forum and since this blog is for my playing time I feel it is appropriate to post it here.

One quarter back and one-quarter though and hold. I also found there was a 5-8 yard difference when I accelerated through the impact zone with my right elbow versus when I eased up on the elbow extension. It also became apparent when I eased up on the elbow extension I tended to come off the ball on my right foot rather than to hit through to the left sole or left toe.

As I warmed up I started to hit some really nice shots and out of 50+, I sculled two, had 20 within 1-6 feet, 20 from 6-15 feet and the rest were about 15-20 feet outside the target so for my first practice in 2 months I had 95% makeable par puts from 40 yards.

It was a much different story when I pulled out my 8 iron and started to hit plastic balls. Right off, I was all over the place and I was not feeling the swing. As I warmed up I began to understand the great players of yesterday when they would make a lateral move towards the target and began to implement my cross lateral move as my right elbow got to position one on the down swing. Performing this move at the initiation of the down swing disrupts the cross later but I could feel  the weight shift on the down swing as I went into the cross lateral – the impact was just phenomenal. I could feel the sitz.

I began to hit some fine shots as my 8 iron travels about 40 yards and on one occasion when I hit it really pure I flew my neighbors fence so tomorrow or later I play to the end of my yard which is 50 yards. Not much room for error there due to it is a corner.

I wasn’t very happy with the results as only about 40 percent were within birdie position and at least 15% were real up and down shots with the remaining being lag putts or short chips shots.  I won’t be posting daily but it’s a good thing to post on the first day of practice to see where I am.

I got tired and could not hit my driver with the “Holed Whiffle Balls”. I’ll be doing that later this week as my plans for playing next week are increasing. Today is going to be about 85 degrees and at 10 am the sun was out. I’ll hit balls at the range next week but for now swinging in my back yard is not only inexpensive but it also allows me to start honing my swing. I have a ways to go:)

It’s a beautiful day in the neighborhood

Monday was a beautiful day. My friends who follow me and my Grandfather’s golf swing have a lot to look forward to in the coming year. Time passes so quickly and there is so much to do. I’ve been shooting some video for Golf-O-Metrics and begin more shooting on the dissection of the Joe Norwood Golf Swing. It is a difficult task to say the least because I must do this on my own and shy away from financial assistance due to the need to keep the Joe Norwood Golf Swing in its purity.

 

For my friends who are not in fair weather, take heart things will get better. Yesterday is was 75 degrees, the putting course at Riverview was in top condition and the course itself was as it always is, a real good test of putting. Many of the holes have 10 feet of break, have uphill then downhill conditions and, of course the pins are always tucked into the tightest of these positions. Many average golfers can take 4’s and 5’s on these 20-40 foot putts and, of course, it is a laid out 18 hole putting course respected by all who play. It is not an easy challenge to play 2 ball for as much as 72 holes but what fun it is.

 

I’m “back”, I feel good, I walk up to the green and now know where the break is. A year ago leaving the ball 10 feet short or 10 feet past was a common thing and now with my stroke in hand and the feel of a chip with the best hickory shaft putting blade that is made today. I know because I had it made specifically so there is no loft opn the blade and the hosel is flattened another 2 degrees. Some of my friends play with it now, but I send them the standard 3 degrees loft without a flattened hosel. Some of my other friends have found their way to an authentic hickory shaft blade and just love it, speaking of Metagolfer on this one.

 

I’ve been preparing for January since November, I manage an office building, handle commercial financing and manage Dan Norwood Enterprises which mainly is focused on bringing the Joe Norwood Golf Swing to everyone but I also am getting excited about the prospect of playing. My feet are just about healed, my hip is healed and I’m swinging without a club as pure as I can possible swing so I hope to bring some video out soon of me playing on the course and talking to you. I hope to be able to do this on the putting green but Louie and I would need a 3^rd party to do the video shoot and that just hasn’t happened but the fun, the drama and the scores are just phenomenal.

 

Monday started out with me taking the first round by two and losing the second round by two. No would of, should of or could of’s in this. We fenced well on both matches. On the 3^rd and final 18 Louie had me down by two going into 18 but within a couple of seconds he 3 putted twice and there I was. I’ve often lost the match on the last hole and 18 had 2 feet of break, 15 feet uphill and 6-8 feet downhill and once the ball went past the hole then it was gone by easily 5 feet.

 

I knew I had to get the first one close to have a chance at a play off but nothing was guaranteed because Louie is a better putter than me and when he takes a 3, which is rare, that means I could take a 3 very easily.

 

My first putt rolls up 6 inches from the hole and then I said “ and this for the win” and I clicked the putt, watched it roll, and roll and just drop in at the last roll for the match. It was a putt I can still see in my mind right now. It’s great to have a friend who loves the competition of golf as well as you do and Louie has a great short game.

 

We don’t meet until next week so I have about 7-8 days to start hitting some balls in my backyard because I really want to play Willow Wick. Louie says the greens are in awesome condition and that’s a course I can score on so here’s to playing next week and seeing what I’ll score. I’d really like to score a round in the 60’s this year, 69 would be just fine but I know I have to hit the ball really well and make those putts. It’s nice to have goals again. I can walk again. I can swing again. I swing better at 62 than I did at 32 but the stamina is just not there, regardless, it’s time to have fun on the course in the middle of winter.

 

Next week, the temperature is expected to be around 80 degrees and sunny.

 

Till my next post.

 

1swing4all

Joe Norwood Golf Swing hits every Continent

What a thrill it is to see my Grandfather’s golf swing reaching every continent. This month no less than 20, yes 20 countries from every continent on the world other then the South Pole and that’s pretty satisfying.

No I’m not rated in the top 1000 teachers, I have no affiliation with the PGA, USGTF, 1234 or more. My affiliation is sponsored with golfers all over the world solidifying the fact that the Joe Norwood Golf Swing is truly 1swing4all. Soon I’ll have digital content download available so everyone can download Golf-O-Metrics, The Anatomy of Golf and other digital content to be made available. Everyone can email me to get help as long as you have invested into this swing.

This golf swing is for those who search for a better way other than to watch the professional players and try and or listen to some credentialed professional teaching establishment who wants $1500 or more just to make you think you’ll learn something. Come along for the ride and hit the ball straight on purpose. Learn a repeatable swing then learn the game, swing well and play better.

www.crosslateralgolf.com