I've been working on how to hit a draw with my driver. Now that I've figured it out, I CAN'T GET IT TO STOP!!! Seriously, my driver took a trip southwards over the weekend. I was pull-hooking everything. I mean, I was getting some awesome distances with a nice easy swing, but a 300 yard drive doesn't mean a whole lot if it's in the woods now does it.

I moved up to the red tees yesterday just to get in a round while keeping the driver in the bag.

I was out yesterday on the range (there was a league or something on my home course) and practiced not dropping my head during my downswing. I do this a lot, and it costs me distance. I took longer backswings and focused on maintaining the same position with my head. Got 250 out of my driver, which is something I've rarely, if ever, done.

Last night I worked on shots to the green from 130 to 150 yards. also worked on wedges, this was all done in my yard at my practice area, I really need a putting green. If anyone wants to donate one I will be glad to put it out there. LOL

worked on putting. keeping loose and not freezing over the ball. worked on gripping lightly in fingers, feeling the clubhead swing through the ball and keeping bowed left wrist, was rolling them decent by the end of the practice session. i can read and align fine, just been getting way too tense and cutting off all feel when playing, can't get distance right playing that way.

more chipping and putting, rotating the upper body through both and not being so 'armsy'. staying loose over the ball and not overthinking. it's remarkable how efficient and accurate your mind can be if you get out of your own way and simply allow yourself to see a target and get the ball to it, rather than toil and strain mentally to try and perfectly hit a ball with a club down a line to a certain distance.

I`ll be on the range tomorrow trying out a 64 degree wedge I bought on sale.

Course closed all day because of state-competition finals. Thus: practice weekend. Putting, chipping and bunkers yesterday. More putting today I guess.

Practice nothing.You get to hit the ball more that way:)

This thread has sat idle for nigh on four months now. What, no one practices anymore?

Haven't played as much as I'd like lately, but believe you me I have been working on it. Earlier in the year I made very good progress by focusing on the left arm-chest connection. Ben Hogan says the arms should maintain a firm connection with the pecs. I found that it helped me to achieve a more consistent setup position. I would stand too far away, leaving me prone to toe hits.

Recently I began to focus on the *right* arm at address. Old Ben believes that the cups of *both* elbow joints should face skyward at address. Until recently I never really compelled myself to do it, because it didn't feel quite right.

Which has been the story of my whole attempt to learn Hogan's lessons. For years I picked and chose which parts felt right, while glossing over the parts that didn't, figuring that maybe they weren't quite fundamental. Maybe they aren't--there are many good swings that don't involve all of Hogan's so-called fundamentals. But the point is I am in no position to determine what is and what isn't. Maybe someday I'll achieve some kind of mastery and be able to suss it out better but at this point I'm still pretty clueless so I ought to follow the lessons more faithfully.

Keeping the right elbow cup pointing outward ensures full extension. It helps maintain a tighter forearm triangle. It helps me to take the club back more around myself instead of up and away. It promotes a steadier spine angle and deeper shoulder turn. It strengthens leverage which produces more speed with less effort. It has also triggered a keener sensation of starting the club back with my right hand. Per Hogan there is a definite sequence to the backswing, hands move first, then arms, shoulders, torso, hips, etc. Whereas I used to kind of just lurch everything back in one crude motion.

Setup is really more than half the battle. A bad swing doesn't begin the moment the club goes back, it begins as soon as I start to set my body up to the ball. And there's like a hundred little variables involved in every setup. That's what makes it so hard. And it's not just positions either, it's achieving the right tension in certain muscles, looseness and suppleness in others, and doing it all simultaneously.

So many golf swing problems--bad tempo, poor balance, overswinging...I'm starting to understand how all these are actually predetermined at setup.

I haven't gotten to practice much either. Nothing of note. Same old stuff i guess. More recently i've been spending a lot of time with the putter. a lot. Grooving a stroke, getting a comfortable position with the hands. I just couldn't find anything with the flat stick for the longest time. Its really tough not making anything outside of 4 feet and missing 2 footers. I've been practicing that mostly, and chipping into my couches downstairs. Other than that, it's low-flighted 6 irons into the front of the cushions with almost golf balls. Just trying to keep the takeaway grooved.

Tomorrow i have a scramble, so i'll at least be on a golf course for some target practice. I've been spending most of my time cleaning grips, marking balls, and creating a yardage book for the LVAC in two weeks. practice round up there at Green Pond this weekend. 6:50am Tee off. It's packed i guess.

i've read that Hogan stated that 'there was no bull****' in 5 lessons and that he wouldn't change anything in it. as evidenced by the way he writes, he is very specific. i recently had a brief aha moment in my last round regarding tension in the calves at address that called to mind a passage from the book. i've been trying to work on that recently.

So yesterday we played a "shamble" and i used the time to practice my new putting grip and some swing thoughts that i put into effect. I also took the time to figure out my misses and the dumb stuff i do when i try to get too much out of any particular swing. Worked wonders. The putting has gotten SO much better. I didn't hole a ridiculous amount of putts but i did birdie 2 holes in a row with putts that i may normally have pulled. Also had a lot of 2 putt pars from all sorts of distances too. So i got that goin for me... which is nice.

Between my limited range time and hitting plastic practice balls in the back yard, I've been trying desperately to get everything to straighten out. I had a lesson several weeks ago and I've been slicing ever since. In my attempts to straighten the slice, I've also started pushing the ball left. My wife bought me a package of three lessons and I've only used one. I'm afraid to use the others.

Frankly, I'm starting to think that in some cases, lessons cause more trouble than they solve. I've actually started going back a little to the "old" swing that my coach was trying to stop, and I've had much better results than with what he wants me to do. I think it's a balance between trying to get better and trying to enjoy the game.

We're heading to The Homestead next weekend and I'll be playing The Old Course twice. I hope I can get everything a little settled by then.

I don't practice....

I am the Allen Iverson of the golf world............

I have been working on my balance with a weighted driver. I want on all swings to have a picture perfect finish. I tend to lean too far forward.