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Newsletter - Issue 99 Date 05/31/09
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Equipment - Books - DVD's - Instruction 
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SWING MACHINE GOLF DVD'S

I just finished reviewing several golf dvd's from Swing Machine Golf,
by Paul Wilson.

First of all, they were very professionally produced.

Second, they have some great content, and interestingly enough Paul's method
is very similar to the modern swing - which is based more on coil for power than
lateral movement and swing length.

I reviewed the basic swing theory dvd's - four in all - and the short game series,
another four dvd's covering pitching, chipping, putting, and greenside bunkers.

Personally, I teach some of these techniques different than Paul does, but as I've said 
before - there is more than one way to play effective golf, and these videos show
an effective way to swing the club.

I give all of Paul Wilson's Swing Machine Golf Videos two thumbs up, 
for well presented content as well as for value.

Here's a link to his website: http://www.swingmachinegolf.com/


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TCT Quick Tips - Swingweight
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I have quite a few students that seem to be confused about swingweight.

To feel swingweight, take a club, grip it near the clubhead and take a swing. Now,
grip the club correctly and take a swing. What you feel from the second swing is 
swingweight, and in a good set of clubs it should be consistent throughout 
your irons and your woods - although the woods and specialty wedges may have 
a different swingweight.

Swingweight can be modified by adding weight to the clubhead or grip end, although
I was told at a clubfitting school that butt end adjustments such as the weight
plugs that are attached to the butt end of your grip are not effective.

You can check the swingweight of your clubs with a swingweight scale, or if you
know the weight of the components and shaft length, there are programs which can
calculate it for you.

There is some equipment news that relates to swingweight which you might find
interesting. If you have been thinking about reshafting steel shafted irons with a
lighter steel shaft, it would be somewhat pricey to have it done in the past. Here's why:
the lighter shaft would change the swingweight and your clubmaker would have to 
take the time to add weight to get the swingweight where it was with your old clubs 
AND consistent from club to club in your set.

True Temper has solved that problem with their True Temper Dynamic Gold SL
shafts, which are 20% lighter than True Temper Dynamic Gold shafts, but retain the 
same swingweight characteristics because they changed the balance point of the shaft.

Here a link with info on this shaft: 
http://www.truetemper.com/golf/dynamicgoldsl.asp

I just ordered a set of Callaway X22's with this shaft and I can't wait to hit them.


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Golf Tip: Elevation Changes and Club Selection
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If you watched the 2009 Masters, you might recall how great Kenny Perry's distance 
control was with his irons. It was very impressive given that many of the iron shots at 
Augusta are uphill or downhill. Guessing with club selection can be very damaging to 
a player's ability to play the shot; doubt and uncertainty make it very difficult to commit to, 
and execute a golf shot.

The majority of golfers come up short on their shots the majority of the time. Hitting uphill
or downhill makes it even more difficult to club properly, commit to and execute the shot. 
Uphill and downhill par 3's tend to have higher scoring averages for this reason.

A major reason why golfers tend to play their own golf course better than others is familiarity 
with what clubs to hit. They are able to have more confidence in the clubs they select 
because of past rounds, are able to commit to the club they select and therefore execute 
better swings more often.

Try this simple experiment over your next 10 rounds:

Keep track of how often you hit the correct club on each hole. Record as well whether you 
landed short or long due to a clubbing error or just mis-hitting the shot.

Then compare your statistics between holes that are level and holes which involve 
an elevation change on your approach shot.

I think you'll find that on holes which have elevation changes, you'll mis-club more and 
mis-hit more shots.

The consequences of mis-clubbing to your score are large.

All golfers can shoot lower scores without physically improving ball striking or their 
short game (not that I'm advocating not working on those skills), by making better 
club choices. 

Enjoy,

Tom