Tag: jason sutton

20 Days With the Guru, Day 4: A Forward Leaning Shaft (Even For Putting)

December 9, 2010

Do your putts ever bounce or get airborne? How do those putts turn out? Not so good, huh. When I teach putting, I stress the importance of solid contact in order to control distance. Solid contact is second only to club face control in the order of importance in a good putting stroke. The question is,”Should you hit up on the ball or hit down to achieve the best roll?” About 10 Years, I had the same question, so I decided to put a video camera on the ground to see what impact characteristics produced the best results.

What did I find?
A ball hit with a shaft that leaned toward the target slightly produced a ball that had a small skid and then a consistent roll. The ball that was struck with a neutral to backwards leaning shaft tended to hop or bounce. Which way is going to be more consistent, the forward lean of course.

The worms eye view:
Even though the golf ball weighs slightly less than an ounce, on a soft putting green it creates a slight depression on the ground (a hole perse). If you hit a putt on the upswing, you will drive the ball down into the front of the depression and the ball will hop.

A Forward Press Helps:
A typical putter has 3 to 5 degrees of loft on it. In order to get a consistent roll, the last thing you want to do is add more loft. Good putters tend to be neutral or take loft away at impact. This is why I like to see a slight forward press at set up. This means that your hands will be positioned just ahead of the club face. I use high-speed video when I teach putting and I have found that 4 to 5 degrees of forward shaft lean seems to produce the most consistent roll and contact. The more I use “The Kure” putting solution training aid, the more I like it because it forces you to get your handle forward at impact in order to make the green light to come on. So why not go ahead and start there.

Hit Down Not Up:
If you have always hit up on your putts for whatever reason, when you lean the shaft forward you will have the sensation of hitting down. If you are topping your putts, you are doing one of three things.
1) your lead wrist is breaking down
2) your weight or your head is too far behind the ball
3) your ball position is too far forward. Start with placing the ball a putter head length inside your lead foot.

A drill to find low point in your putting stroke
Place the grip end of a golf club about 6 inches behind your putter as you set up to hit a putt. Hit putts as you miss the grip in your backstroke. You will feel your stroke swinging from high in the backstroke to low in the follow through. This will help get your hands ahead at impact.

This something that you can work on in the house on the carpet. Best of luck and I will

See you on the lesson tee,

Jason

20 Days With The Guru: Day 3:The Claw Drill

December 8, 2010

Thanks for joining me on day 3 of 20 days with the Guru. Today I have hooked up a small segment of one of my lessons that includes a live look at how “The Claw Drill” will help improve your impact position. Here is your 3 step release program that will help you with that scoop or flip

1) 25 left arm only swings with an 8 iron off of a low tee

2) 25 Claw drills with an 8 iron off of a low tee

3) 25 3/4 punch shots until you can control the shaft of the club through the hitting area.

I hope you enjoy the video and a special thanks to Eric Ballard for allowing me show off his golf swing and my drill. Please leave a comment below, thanks and enjoy the claw.

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See you on the lesson tee,

Guru

20 Days With the Guru: Day 2: Set Your Expectations Accordingly….This Just In – GOLF IS HARD

December 7, 2010

Day 2 of the Guru blogging chronicles leads me to a topic that I have been thinking about for some time. STUDENTS EXPECTATIONS!…..When a student asks me how long it is going to take to reach their golfing goals, I try to be honest with them as to not dispirit their eagerness to learn. Every case is different. As like a marathon race (not a sprint!), some get to the finish line quicker than others. The catch is, with the right coach, philosophy,plan,  time, commitment and sacrifice…..Everyone will cross the finish line. The key is to set your goals and expectations accordingly. In the golf swing, we are using a bent stick with a weight on the end….making an 18 foot circle and trying to hit the ball on the clubface in a sweet spot the size of a dime. Let’s face it. GOLF IS HARD and any person that tells you otherwise or any teacher that says,”I try to keep it simple,” Is out of their mind. I have coached many great athletes that have played NFL football, Major League baseball,  Division 1 college basketball, tennis and professional lacrosse and they all say the same thing. Why can’t this be as easy as (______). Because golf is hard people. Harder than any other sport I can think of.  That is why I love it so much because it doesn’t matter what level that you get, you will never be satisfied, never mastered and you never completely own it. You are lucky to just rent it for a few months like Tiger Woods in 2000. Ask Tiger how hard golf is right now….you with me?  Here is an example: I consider myself a better than average athlete. I played baseball, basketball and football at one time before deciding to play golf in college. I haven’t played or shot basketball for several months (since the Achilles rupture, hehe), and I can guarantee that  I could go out to the court, practice for a few minutes and then shoot at least 80% from the free throw line and make a few three pointers. If I took that much time off from golf, there is not way that I could play to the equivalent level. I could go into the batting cage and make contact with a fastball after a short amount of work (I actually did it last week with my kids). Not that I could play professionally but you get the point, right.

YOU CAN’T CHEAT GOLF, SO DON’T TRY

To improve at golf, there has to be many hours of dedication, repetition and sacrifice. You can’t just pick up a club, read a tip from a magazine and go play your best. I have no sympathy for the student that takes lessons, doesn’t practice and complains that they aren’t getting better. It takes repittition people and you can’t fake it.

BE EASY ON YOURSELF

After asking the question why did you think you could shave 25 shots in 6 months to a student, here is the excellent feedback that I got that helps me understand why people fall into this trap.

1. the professioanals on TV make it look so easy

2. I work hard and anything I set me mind to I usually succeed at (I love this attitude by the way)

3. I have the best coach in the world (I swear he said it….just kissing up but I will take it)

All valid points but we have to understand that unless you are playing for a living, golf is a hobby. We shouldn’t take it so serious as to let it affect us as people. Your golf score is not who you are as a person.

STICK TO YOUR PLAN AND SET MINI-GOALS

Now I am not saying that if you are getting worse that you should be happy, just fire the coach (just ask the Cowboys). I am saying that if you trust your coach, your plan and are seeing improvement…..keep plugging away and you will get there. Set reasonable goals so you aren’t always disappointed and enjoy this great game. Remember……It is a marathon not a sprint and you will be fine. Talk to you tomorrow

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See you on the lesson tee,

Guru

20 Days with the Guru: Day 1 “Physical Basics Of the Instrument”

December 6, 2010

I feel like I am in a bit of a golfing rut. Writers block as they say. The problem isn’t the lack of ideas, it is too many ideas to choose from. So in an attempt to get some blogging “FLOW”, I will be writing a tip, idea or whatever is on my mind for “20”, yes “20” straight days. The golf channel has 12 days at the academy…I have twenty days with the guru. I will attempt to educate you and entertain you as only my warped little golfing mind can do. So here is your idea for the day………………Understand the golfing instrument. “the club”
1. The club face, the club head and the club shaft all make up the tool that we use to propel the ball at the target. There are many methods, styles and ideas on how to create an efficient golf swing but it doesn’t matter as long as you adhere to the physicality of the way the club is built. (now it is up to you and your coach to figure out which one works for you). No matter what you are trying to do, there is no debating that there are two things the club must do to direct the ball in the manner that you wish.
1. Swing on a tilted “circle” on or parallel to the angle that the club rests on the playing surface “the ground”.
AN EASY WAY TO UNDERSTAND PLANE: The 5 Parallels
Assuming a stance that is square to the target, the club should be parallel to the target line at waist-high (1), parallel at the top of your swing when the club is perpendicular to the ground (2), parallel to the target line at waist-high on the downswing (3), parallel to the target line at waist-high on the front side (post impact)’(4) parallel to target line at three-quarters in the follow through.(5)2. Club face should be slightly open to the target line at impact and the ball should be struck on the inside quarter. The face of the club is only square a split second as the ball separates from the face.
3. The shaft of the club must lean towards the target in the impact zone as this is the key to compression and solid contact (also is the way the ball gets airborne).
For you expert golfers out there, you would be surprised at how many golfers don’t know these key physical basics of how to use the club, so bear with me as I never assume that my students or my audience knows anything……like a shanker that thinks he is hitting the ball off the toe of the club so they stand closer to the ball……what?
As we approach the winter season, get your golfing area in your house that will allow you to do some mirror work. I will expand on the importance of indoor practice as we move towards Christmas.
This is the best time to take a golf lesson because you aren’t playing as much so you are more likely to commit to a swing change. Stick with me and we will get an improvement plan in place.
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Until tomorrow,

Guru

The Key to Staying on Track With Your Golf Game: A Journal

November 29, 2010

As I reflect on my year and look ahead into the future, a key tool that I use is a writing journal. I have a journal for each area of my life: Spiritual, Family, Personal Development and Teaching. Before I can move forward, I must make certain that I am heading in the right direction. If you are serious about improving your golf game, I encourage you to start writing. No, you don’t have to write a book. Heck, you don’t even have to use proper grammar. As long as it makes sense to you, that is all that matters. I encourage all of my tournament players, elite juniors and serious golfer fanatics to participate in this practice of journaling. I have read hundreds of golf books over the years, some good and some not so good. No matter what I try to take something out of every one of them that will make me a better teacher or player. Nick Price wrote a book in 1997 called,”The Swing: mastering the Principles of the Game.” Although the instruction portion was average at best, the last chapter was interesting because Mr. Price published his swing journal that he kept while working with David Ledbetter. (The before and after pictures of his swing was quite interesting as well). Here is what he wrote which I think does a nice job of summing up the importance of keeping a journal from a major champion. He writes, ” During the course of my career I have kept a journal of my thoughts, primarily about my swing as I was working on it. I did not do this on a regular basis, but simply jotted notes down as they occurred to me, to reinforce ideas in my mind. Often after working with David Ledbetter I wanted to think about what we had discussed and to work things out in my own mind. Writing thoughts down helps me focus on what I want to do, and why.” When I look back through the journal now, I am struck by how I was obviously struggling toward the clear understanding of the swing that I sought. It is a never-ending journey that I enjoy-most of the time and keeping these notes helped me clarify matters.

Keeping a journal is a great way to keep thoughts that work (or don’t work) to remind yourself of what you are working on the last time you were on the lesson or the practice tee.  Here is an example of one of Nick Prices’ journal entries:

Supination : This is created when the left hand remains bowed through impact. The forearm rotates after impact, releasing the clubhead down the line of the target, still in the plane of the swing. This is undoubtedly the secret to consistent ball-striking, especially with the irons. When the left wrist is bowed incorrectly through impact, errant shots will result, the most frequent type being a hook. To insure against this happening, the thumb of the left hand must remain on top of the shaft, with the clubhead coming in low and after impact released. The normal result when this is done correctly is a very piercing flight of the ball, essential for extremely accurate iron play! The things to remember while trying or using this move are:

1. Make sure the club is taken away low from the ball

2. Make sure the backswing is completed

3. make sure the weight is transferred

4. make sure a  full turn is achieved

Wow! I don’t know about you but that is alot of stuff to work on in one session. This was only a portion of the post, believe it or not. I think this is the point of my career that I started giving my students less and less to work on in a lesson, right teachers. First understand that he is a tour player and it was his job to practice and secondly, he was a very analytical learner. The point is to jot down ideas that will keep you focused, you don’t have to write a book.

A Mental Excercise

For you “negative nellies” out there that only focus on the bad shots that you hit, try this in your journal. The next time you play, I challenge you to write down all the good shots that you hit (what club it was, yardage, how it looked, how it felt). This will start to project some positivity in your attitude and you will be amazed at how it will help your visualization skills.

So that is enough for now. Please share some of you goals for this past year and goals for 2011. I will post on how to help you set your goals if you are struggling soon. Leave a comment below.

Follow me on twitter @ twitter.com/onplanegolf or friend me up at facebook.com/onplanegolf

See you on the lesson tee (704-542-7635 to schedule a lesson)

Guru…….p.s. HAVE YOU PURCHASED YOUR DANA RADER GIFT CARD YET FOR CHRISTMAS?

Happy Thanksgiving Guru Nation: Black Friday Training Aids Ideas and Gifts for Your Golfer

November 25, 2010

Happy Thanksgiving to all of you golfers out there. This is my One Year anniversary of my blog (www.golfgurutv.com) and I am so thankful that you could be a part of helping me grow my community (Guru Nation). I hope that my posts and videos (Guru TV) have helpful and inspiring for your golf game. I am in the process of coming up with ways to improve my TV show and the overall way to promote the site in an attempt to reach more golfers around the world, so stay tuned as I try to make 2011 the best golfing year of your lives. I am often asked what my favorite training aids are and also what I am using in my teaching. As Black Friday approaches and Christmas shopping starts, here are a couple that I highly recommend you take advantage of for your golfing friends and spouses. Use the PROMO CODES and take advantage of some nice discounts. Here is my Christmas list and some archive videos to explain how they work. Enjoy and Happy Holidays to everyone.

The Kure Putting Solution : The best putting training aid on the market (promo code: 1.888.952.PUTT: USE DISCOUNT CODE PCD10231)

The Orange Whip: Great for off-season workouts and maintaining sequence and tempo in your golf swing (Use Promo code: GURU)

The Pivot Pro : Great for you lower body swayers

Follow me on twitter @twitter.com/onplanegolf or Friend me up on Facebook @facebook.com/onplanegolf (Jason Sutton)

To see these training aid in action, join me on the lesson tee by calling 704-542-7635 or visit our website @danarader.com

Guru

GURU TV – “The J and J Show: Biomechanics and Body Motion with Special Guest: Jason Helman

November 10, 2010

I was very flattered that Jason Helman, 2010 Ontario Section Teacher of the Year, contacted me and wanted to come on the “Guru TV” show. We had a great time talking about golf and teaching as we spent the afternoon together as he passed through on his way back to Canada. We shot 2 impromptu videos with very little planning. We just fired up the camera and let it rip. I hope you enjoy.

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See you on the lesson tee,

Guru

GURU TV – Faults and Fixes episode 1: “The takeaway”

October 30, 2010

Leave your faults ideas in the comment area and I will give you the fix and a drill that will help. I have simplified my way to fix the rollers. I still believe there are several ways to take in away (see one piece/2 piece archive video). I know there are exceptions to the rule but the majority of world-class players keep the club shaft ON or ON TOP of the shaft plane. Coincidence, I think not. Good luck with your takeaway and let me know how it goes.

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At the bottom of the page, feel free to share on twitter, fb or diggit.com

See you on the lesson tee,

Guru