15th Excerpt from My Original 2000 Golf Diary

    In this excerpt, I expound on what Mike wanted me to do that was so drastic during one of my full swing lessons.  It worked, but looking back now I know it was only a temporary thing.  It was sure fun for that day, though.  I found a secret to some power.  

    I also recall a sand save I made on hole #7 at Pinon Hills, a sand save where I applied everything Mike had taught me about playing from a bunker/trap.  Not much has changed there.  This advice for playing out of a bunker still applies today. 

    He told me to flip my wrists over at impact violently.  He also said longer clubs will help me tremendously, and a lie angle suited more for my type of swing, but he wanted me to flip my wrists hard right now!  I thought I was supposed to use big muscles in my golf swing, but I tried it.  I ripped one off right at the target.  Then I ripped off another one.  Same result.  This one lands twenty yards right behind the one hundred-fifty yard marker, my target for that day, and I am using a teed 7-iron.  I rip off yet another one, and I am smiling the whole time.  This “wrist flip” is pretty cool and accurate. 
    That was my last lesson on the full swing for a while.  I told Mike I wanted to take a break from the full swing, and go back to...

the short game for my next lesson.  I also feel like I need to go play some more.  I have taken lessons consistently (they are paid for now so they aren’t costing me anything anymore), but I haven’t played much.  I did play with Eric, Dan, and little Craig again at the Country Club this time, but that’s it.  I shot 108 on eighteen holes, and made par three times, but I feel as though I am not playing enough right now.  I need more practical applications to all of these lessons.

Pinon Hills-Hole 7

    Although I had been focusing on the full swing since my playing lesson, I did take a break to take a lesson on sand saves, and it paid off on this hole.  I hit a nice drive with the old persimmon driver James found for me at Char and Ed’s during a hike.  I got it onto the fairway, and a little to the right (not my usual direction on this hole).  I hit a smooth five-iron right into the trap left of the green and below the hole a little. The hole was behind the lip of the trap and pretty close.  I didn’t have a lot of green to work with. 

    I did everything I could remember Mike had taught me. I lined up like a normal shot, opened the clubface to get some bounce going, and brought my left foot back to open up my stance.  Looked at and hovered the club right above the sand where I intended to hit it.  Dug in with my feet and took a couple of practice swings above the ball (I don’t do that anymore after topping the ball one time while practicing with Mike).  Then I took my swing remembering to hit the sand hard, but to stop the follow-through short to get the ball to stop close to the hole.  It worked!  I looked at the divot in the sand and it was a beautiful one!  I was only four feet from the hole and I made the putt for par.  I was very happy.