More on Moe and My First Lesson with Luke

 Written on 6-23-2020.

        I am watching another YouTube video on Moe, and this one it titled Moe Norman Documentary Full Demo Reel/Sample.  I’ve waited to watch this one, but it piqued my interest, especially because of the frame that shows Moe wearing a black mask introducing the video.  

It says that Moe could hit 800 golf balls in a day without a problem.  Is that what I am about to do?  I rather doubt it.  I’ve still been unable to make full swings, because my clubs are in the shop.  I called Don today to check on their status, and he said they will be ready by tomorrow at 11:00.  I am thrilled to get going with this, and I have my lesson with Luke on Thursday, but I want to go to the range first and give this new swing a go.

Somebody on this video just said, “Golf was a refuge for him.  Through golf, he just found this place of serenity and peace.”

Todd Graves said, “You should watch him hit a golf ball.  It’s freakish how good he is.”

Tim O’Connor said, “I believe it is the most efficient, simple way to hit a golf ball ever devised.”

Inspiring stuff.

Written on 6-25-2020.

I just had my first lesson with Luke (last name) this morning, and it was great!  I told him that I had really only used the newer swing the night before at the Pinon Hills range.  This was only the second time, so I wasn’t sure how it would go, but it helps that...

it’s such a simple swing/motion that I couldn’t really mess it up too badly.  I hit many shots purely and effortlessly!  Hooray!  These were the takeaways that Luke noticed, and he would like me to focus on before our next lesson on July 8th.

Right arm relaxed and underneath

60/40 weight 60 on my left

Left shoulder returning down and not up (to the same position at address)

Neutral position, don’t forward press

Maintain spine angle tilt

    My arms were a little too pointed at the ball for him, and I had too much rigidity in my arms, so he asked me to relax my right arm, which caused me to actually stand a little closer to the ball.  What that did, though, was allow me to make the rock skipping type of throw more easily with that trail arm.  

Todd Graves said weight distribution, despite the necessary shoulder tilt, should feel even on both feet.  Luke asked me to be slightly heavier on my left foot.

Luke asked me to always return my left shoulder to where it was at address.  It should come back down to the same position, and not move up or down, which can cause all sorts of problems.  It helped me to feel that, because I stayed down and through the shot when I did that.  

A pattern developed last night, and a little bit during the lesson this morning, too, and that was a pull, or a right to left motion with my golf ball.  Luke said that it probably was coming from the small forward press I was doing just before I took the club back.  I didn’t even notice I was doing it.  

That forward press was de-lofting my clubs and causing them to close at impact, and that was why my ball flights would move left and low sometimes.  When I just took the club back (one motion or one piece takeaway) while being consciously aware of not doing a forward press, I had better results.  I was aware of the pivot point and pointing my club shaft at the point (just left of my belly button), and that seemed to work.  If I did a forward press that went outside of my left side of my body, it would result in the dreaded pull.  I will keep working on keeping a neutral position at address.

I mentioned a steady head, and that was when Luke told me about the steady vertebrae at the top of my spine instead.  He said it was better to focus on that, because that thought allows for a more rotation of the shoulders.  The steady head thought keeps some people from doing a complete turn.  

We worked our way from my pitching wedge to my 6-iron.  He teed up ball after ball for me, and I think that was to keep my club faces clean.  I had really good success with my 6-iron off that tee, though.  It was fantastic to see it get up in the air, because I have had trouble getting my 5-iron and 6-iron getting the height I expect.  We finished with my “3-wood” driver and my Wishon driver, and he said he preferred the “3-wood” one.  The Wishon one had a new graphite shaft, and that made it a little less consistent.  I hit some good ones there, and I didn’t expect to use those, but I had such success with my irons, so he wanted to look at my driver swings, too.  I hadn’t swung either driver with the new swing, but I did fine, just fine.

I am going back this afternoon to pay him in cash for my lessons (I have three more lessons coming up, and the next one will be on July 8th) to work on those things I just wrote about.

He said I had done a good job with the lesson, and he doesn’t usually go all the way to the driver with other students.  Interesting.  

Until next time…