Photo by Christian Erfurt on Unsplash
Being cooped up for the last month has put everyone on edge. I’ve always had a short fuse, as many of my golfing buddies can attest (props to the course in Myrtle Beach that was able to find my four-iron from the depths of a pond into which it was deposited and shipped it back to me). I’ve managed to avoid snapping at my family so far, but lately the little things that previously made me just shake my head are now making me churn. As a service to my family, I shall now vent these frustrations to you, dear reader, and this will hopefully keep me on the right side of the anger cliff. So here are the things that were proverbial pebbles in my golf shoes in the past week:
Shipsticks Golf Buddies
Either Shipsticks prepaid for a bunch of ads well in advance of the pandemic or they actually think there are enough destination courses open that people are willing to visit, but Golf Channel has continued to air the dumbest commercial of all time…
It would be great if in some universe there was such a thing as a female golf buddy trip, but that’s not this universe. The inanity of this ad would be forgiven if it actually made me want to use Shipsticks at the end of the 30 seconds, but the feeling of “what the hell did I just see?” is a far stronger reaction.
More wrist!
As a guy who has fought being “flippy” with my wrists at impact on my full shots (an affliction I wouldn’t wish on anyone), this post is nothing short of golf malpractice. In the four photos shown, the first two look normal, but then things go haywire in the third and fourth. Pick any slow motion swing of a PGATour player, and you’ll never see the post-impact positions shown in the third or fourth pictures. Trust me, trying to exactly time the “flicking” of the wrists at impact is a losing endeavor – it might work on the range, but you can’t bring that to the course under even the slightest bit of pressure (I refer you back to my opening paragraph and my “separation” from my 4-iron).
Here’s my favorite example of how the wrist action should look at impact and just past the ball…
Rory lifting weights
If this video (you may need to sign up for a free trial to view) was just Rory taking us through his workout, everything would be fine, but the trainer’s overly enthusiastic comments make this one unwatchable. “I know it looks like these are just hammer curls”. Yeah, it’s because they ARE just hammer curls, not the key to unlocking 340 yard drives! And “the golf swing is a ballistic movement” is the kind of hand-wavey, new age golf teaching statement that should make all of us cringe.
One bright spot
The one thing I saw that made this week more bearable was this drill that demonstrates the concept of a flat wrist at the top of the swing. Master this position at the top, and you’ll be hitting it a lot straighter.
Stay safe!
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