Wednesday, October 24, 2007

Strangling the baby bird

Sam Snead suggested that the way to visualize your grip when you're getting ready to swing is to imagine you're holding a baby bird. Poor baby.
When I start, I picture a little sparrow nestled under my right hand. By the time I'm done with my followthrough, my grip has squeezed it into an infant ostrich.
As a result, I'm going to the two (center and ring) finger grip with my right hand. That should ease my pressure on the sparrow. If not, I'm turning it into a dead duck.

Monday, October 22, 2007

Revisiting Voyager Village

I played Voyager Village near Siren, Wis., last year, and two friends and I renewed our acquaintance on Saturday. In a way, it was bittersweet: sweet in getting out with two buddies on a warm sunshiny day in October in the upper midwest. Bitter in the way my game fell apart after the first 9.
It certainly wasn't the course's fault. Fallen leaves were at a minimum, and the greens were in fine condition. Temperatures were in the 60s. My various aches and pains were at a subdued level most of the time.
No, it was probably my grip. Apparently I had gone to a stranglehold on the club, so my right hand overpowered my left. Once my pal had clued me in, I eased up to only two fingers from my right hand during the swing, and I lengthened and strengthened.
Just another thing to remember in the golf swing. For instance, a pro suggested that since I tend to sway, I should put my weight on the left foot and use my right toe for balance. (I'm replacing the polo player insignia on my golf shirts with a stork on one leg.) I have to line up the vee on my left hand, then remember to grip with only two fingers on the right, "like picking up a baby bird." Remember, long club, ball forward, short club, ball back. Limit my turn to having my left arm horizontal. Keep the right arm close to the side on the swing. Stay down on the follow through. And so on.
The golf swing takes a fraction of a second, but the mental checklist I go through takes half an hour. I'm going to write a list and tape it to my toe.