==================================================== Newsletter - Issue 61 Date 07/13/08 ==================================================== ==================================================== Equipment - Books - DVD's ==================================================== Well, after much deliberation I bought the Bushnell Tour V2 Rangefinder instead of the SkyCaddie, but it was a close call. I leaned towards the rangefinder because I get double use out of it, when a student is hitting balls at the driving range I can scope out the distance and get an idea of how far his or her shots are carrying. I tried it out while playing with a friend who has (and loves) a SkyCaddie, and the yardages we got upon comparing were pretty much right on the money. The SkyCaddie is admittedly little quicker to use, it gives front, middle, back, and back pin locations at a glance, whereas my V2 Rangefinder requires a steady hand while you hold it on a target for a second or two. However, I think the V2 might possibly be a bit better than the SkyCaddie if you need an exact yardage. I say that because it gave me an good opportunity for an eagle putt that I wouldn't have had otherwise. Here's the story. We played number 2 at Batavia CC - http://www.bataviacc.com/howtoplay.html#ANCHOR2 from the whites tees into a pretty good wind. It's listed as a 472 yard par 5, and I hit a solid drive that landed in the fairway about 212 yards out according to the yardage on the sprinkler head. I had a perfect lie. Since there is water in front of the green, you have to make sure and carry if you want to give it a go, so initially I was thinking "hit a solid 3 into the wind and hang on for a little fade." I checked the distance to the front pin placement with the V2 and saw that it was playing 207 to the pin, which changed my club selection. If I had hit the 3 wood solid but deep into the green, it would be a tough 2 putt birdie because there is a severe back to front slope on the green. Tough to get the speed right on that one. Wanting to take a shot at an eagle putt, I decided to hit one of my favorite clubs instead, my Callaway 3 iron hybrid. I have a ton of confidence in the club and I put a nice swing on the ball, it carried the water with a little draw, and rolled up to the front edge of the green about 20 feet under the hole. I hit a nice solid putt that missed, but I had a 9 inch tap in for birdie. I don't think that would have been the result if I had selected the 3 wood, so the V2 probably saved me a stroke. FYI, I got a great price at Amazon.com, about $75 off the going rate. ==================================================== TCT Quick Tips - Swing Around Your Body ==================================================== If you have the habit of sliding laterally down the ball-target line during your downswing, try practicing hitting teed up 7 iron shots, half swing, with your feet and knees touching throughout the swing. ==================================================== Golf Tip : Coil Killers ==================================================== After a lesson last Friday evening, a student and I had an interesting conversation about maintaining your coil through your takeaway and backswing. Here's the essence of the conversation. A good golf swing is generally comprised of a coil behind the ball while we pivot on the rear leg, a very slight weight shift or lateral bump to center the downswing on the front pivot point - the front leg, then a gradual and accelerating uncoiling of the body on the forward swing. While we coil, the body naturally wants to relieve the stress caused by the coil as follows: 1) The body wants to allow the weight to shift to the outside of the rear foot, we need to keep it on the inside half of the foot initially, and allow it to transfer to the middle of the foot and the heel on a full turn. The weight is never allowed to go to the outside half of the rear foot. 2) The body wants to straighten the rear leg, we need to keep it slightly flexed. Try it both ways, when it's is flexed on the backswing coil you should feel tension in the upper inner thigh area. That's an integral part of the coil. 3) The body wants to straighten up on the backswing, avoid it. Try to keep the same amount of forward bend that you had at setup throughout the backswing and into delivery of the clubhead at impact. 4) The body wants to allow the forward arm to bend at the elbow, keep your front elbow firm but not locked. For 3/4 swings it should remain absolutely firm, for full swings a very slight bend in the elbow is acceptable at the very top of your swing. 5) The body wants to relax the grip at the top of the swing, you should maintain the same grip pressure, don't let your hands or fingers loosen on the grip. Enjoy, Tom