Golf Strokes Are Possible After a Scary Stroke

Written on 9-9-21.

        It’s the day after the two-year anniversary of my stroke.  I am so happy to still be here, and, of course, I played golf yesterday.  

Belinda is up at Mancos camping with her sisters, so I am “bach-ing” here at home with Kody.  I managed to get a tee time for tomorrow at Hillcrest at 9:13, so Eric and I are going to play.  The Bishop’s Classic was completely full, so we won’t be playing, but I am hopeful for next year.  We just didn’t get our team together fast enough.

Yesterday, I ended up playing with Dave (not his real name) from church, and we played the front nine at Pinon Hills.  I think he was nervous to play with me, but I honestly didn’t pay much attention to how he was playing.  I shot a...

A Major Epiphany That is About a Half-Inch Long

Written on 9-1-21.

I am sitting at my computer desk, and I am giving my feet a soak.  B is at work, and I walked Misty and Kody earlier, but it was sprinkling when we started, so I had to put them in the garage to dry off.  They are back inside now, and they are continuing to dry off.  I look out my window, and it is coming down more steadily now.  Great to get some moisture, but not so great for walking dogs.    

I had another epiphany last night before going to sleep, so I wanted to voice it here.  What an adventure golf can be!  I went to the range yesterday, and I was working on posting around my lead leg and taking thunderous A+ divots again, and I watched the videos when I was back at home, of course.

I have been pointing my arms at the ball at address, because I have been using single plane.  I noticed on the videos that I move my head down lower at impact to make up the half-inch or inch to make those explosive divots.  

Then I remembered what Todd Graves said about conventional golf and the “one mistake,” which is hanging the hands and arms hang down at address.  At impact, a conventional golfer has to “make room” for impact to occur by raising up on their lead leg or by twisting.  What if I start my club hanging down and then not get out of the way?  Just straighten my arms more?  I have wondered how Tom Saguto is able to straighten his arms so much at impact and just let it rip.  Is it because he is not raising up at impact, because his hands are hanging down at address?  He is allowing for that half inch or inch (just a guess on the distance) by not getting out of the way as Todd talks about?

What does this mean for me?  I am betting that golfers who have used the “stack and tilt” method have already figured this out, but it’s better that I come to this discovery myself.  

It means I should experiment with standing a little closer to the ball and letting my arms hang down a little bit at address.  How much, though?  Half of an inch?  An inch?  The amount of space from the bottom of the club to the third or fourth groove?  I will need to find out.  Instead of me getting out of the way, the ground after the golf ball will be getting in the way and that will make the divot!  Skadoosh!   

Our Bishop's Classic Team and Saguto Divots

Written on 8-14-21.

        I am sitting on my “Freestyle Rocker” chair outside our Alto, and B is sitting in hers right across the table from me.  The awning is up, and Kody is lying down on the small rocks at our campsite here at North Canyon Campground next to Vallecito Lake.  We are at spot #8.  It’s 10:51 AM, and it is a gorgeous summer morning.  B goes back to work more officially next week, and I should start in September.  In the meantime, I will play as much golf as I can.  A and E are coming for lunch, and they should get here around noon.

We sent some incredible pictures of the lake and the mountains out to our families yesterday, and they replied with the spirit of two thumbs-up.  Kody got two walks this morning, a longer walk with B where he got to run free, and then a shorter walk with me through the campground and down the road a bit towards the lake.  B just brushed him, and he looks more handsome.  He looked a little haggard and muddy, especially after his longer hike with B.

On to golf…

Eric is going to ask Dan to see if he can play in the Bishop’s Classic with us.  Debbie will be the alternate if Grant can’t play due to work.  I hope Dan can play, because he can bomb it, and we might...

Impact is the Key

Written on 8-5-21.

        I am attending a Graves Golf Single Plane Workshop, and they are talking about how what they teach is a system.  Herman (not his real name) was telling me today that he is trying to keep it simple with his daughter by telling her to simply turn behind the ball and then get the club face square at impact.  I agree that keeping it simple helps with tips like that, but that is not a system.  Since I started playing in 1999, I could see with other golfers and myself that there was no system with conventional golf instruction.  So many different ways of swinging a golf club and many more ways of teaching the golf swing.  It differs from volleyball very much in that way.  

Herman agreed that there are millions of different kinds of swings, just like there are millions of different people who play golf, but Graves Golf has a system that uses the biomechanics based on Moe’s swing.  I am not trying to figure out my own swing right now.  I am doing my best to match the model, just like Shot Doctor’s Successful Six for shooting a basketball.  

About Herman’s advice to his daughter, will she...