Working Out During the Pandemic and Even "Moe" Lessons

Written on 8-3-2020.

        It’s a Monday in summer at the Swope household, and we have our son, James, with us.  It’s wonderful!  It’s a half-off day at Durango Joe’s, so I bought two coffees this morning, one for him and one for me.  It’s a bit reminiscent of when Matt and Danielle were with us at the beginning of the coronavirus, but now we are in our sixth month of it.  I went to the store this afternoon, and I wore my mask.  I felt a little stifled by the end.  I bought three meals worth of groceries, the most I have had to buy since this all started, and I just wanted OUT of there by the end.  It’s just no fun, and I am sick of it.  I know we have months and months to go still, though.  

After a shower, however, I feel refreshed, and I realize again that it’s (the pandemic) also a gift.  How often do we have time to do the things we want to do, to really focus on them.  Not often.  I have worked out consistently lately.  I run on our treadmill for fifteen minutes every day except Sundays, and I am covered in sweat by the end.  I sweat so much, because I set the incline to three or above, and the uphill really challenges me.  Oh, and it is hotter, too.  

What I want to say is that I hope to...

learn the single plane swing, and get really efficient with it by the end of this pandemic.  What an opportunity!  I don’t want to waste it.

I am watching Todd’s videos on Rethinking Your Golf Swing series today, and I am starting on the first one out of five.  What stands out is that he had Hank Haney as his teacher in the early nineties, and he didn’t improve, and it wasn’t for a lack of effort or hard work.  He said he would hit around 1,000 golf balls a day.   It appeared that the lower he put his hands at address, the worse he became.  Then he got a video tape with Moe on it.  He drew a line on the television screen through Moe’s club, and that’s when he saw the big difference.  Everybody else was swinging on two planes, but Moe swung on one.  

When he met Moe for the first time, he witnessed one of Moe’s demonstrations, and he was blown away.  Nobody hit it as accurately.  Through the same trajectory windows over and over and over again.  He hit the 50 yard sign with his first three wedge shots!  The fourth almost hit it, also.  Then he hit the sign that said 250 yards, too.  With drivers.  Off the deck.   A hard, dirty, dusty deck.  Every fourth shot or so would ding the target.  Amazing!  The rest is history.  Later, Todd earned the nickname “Li’l Moe,” and he started the Graves Academy.

Written on 8-5-2020.

I am watching the Rethink Grip Pressure, Ball Position, and Shoulder Alignment in Your Golf Swing, and it’s Part 3 of the series on YouTube.  I just learned something, and I need to check it with my swing.  Todd said that the club is always right beneath your nose at address no matter which club.  I had never heard that before.  The ball position never changes.  I knew that from before.  I just move my trail foot forward for more lofted clubs, and I move it backward for less lofted clubs.  The ball stays in the same position for irons.  It is moved up for the driver only, and then it is even with the lead foot heel.

He is now saying that he wants the torso open, but the shoulders closed.  Torso open, front of the shoulders closed, and the club will be square.  Open torso. Closed shoulders.  The club is always releasing on the left side of the body.  It will help the club to stay square longer with the club face.

Boy, this is interesting.  At address, the heel of the club should be lined up with the ball and back from the ball, depending on the club.  Closer with the higher lofted, farther away with the lower lofted.  Todd is saying that the torso at address is 15 degrees open (remember torso open, shoulders closed), but at impact it opens up more to around 30 or 35 degrees.  He states that that is the reason why you need to line up the club more with the heel, because with a more open torso and shaft lean at impact, the ball will meet the club right in the middle of the club face.  Whoa!

Written on 8-6-2020.

I went to the range today, and I had a breakthrough.  I have been watching the Rethink Your Golf Swing series on YouTube, and Todd is talking about the book he wrote throughout the series, the one I bought for my Kindle App.  I’ll try and articulate what this breakthrough was, but my swing “matched the model” more than ever today.  I still didn’t have the most consistent contact or ball flights, but I got my “positions” to a better place.  

Here’s how I did it.  First, I watched those videos on YouTube, and I really listened.  I have read the book two times now, but I was still learning new things from these videos.  My first reading was akin to gobbling up something really tasty.  I read quickly and just got a sense of it.  During the second reading, I slowed down and paid more attention, especially when it went over the different parts of the swing.  

In this third “reading” of the book with Todd, he explains why he wrote the book the way he did, and he gives some insights that I would not have received in simply reading his book.  

Todd does an excellent job of describing the single plane swing and all of its components in these videos, but the one that really stood out to me this time was the “hitting your positions part,” particularly my lead knee position at impact.  

I videoed my swing here at home first after reviewing this key concept, and I really struggled with that particular piece of the swing.  I was bending my knee way too much, and it was sometimes out of position.  Often, I would bend my knee out past my foot.  It was really obvious on video.  I finally figured out that if I stood a certain distance from the ball, my knee would go into that stable, perfect impact position consistently.  

This helped me in two ways.  First, it gave me the right distance from the ball and the proper spacing that that distance provides.  I nearly feel like my upper torso is falling over, or bending over too much when I do it this way, but it looks great on video.  Second, it really improved what it says it will improve…better consistency at impact.  With my knee locked in, the club effectively releases in a more consistent way.  

I learned some other things, too, but that lead knee position was the biggest takeaway, for sure.  Another thing worth mentioning is the ankle weights.  I put two of B’s ankle weights on my trail foot to help me to keep it on the ground.  That really helped me to “match the model” even more.  Now, my swing feels more up and down (not so around), and I have more arm action.  My lower body helps me stabilize my swing, so I can let my arms and the club go.  

That’s enough for now.  It’s 10:38 now, and James doesn’t know it, but we will be picking up Danielle at the airport tomorrow at close to 11:00.  We will have our little immediate family together for the first time in a long time!  I believe the last time was due to my stroke.  Glad it’s for better reasons this time.  

Until next time…