Flower Child
 

"You don't steer dandelions."

-- Homer Kelley

what you said to Richard...
 

"You can't steer air."

--Lynn Blake

He never forgot that, by the way. :)

Two Men and a Mission
 

From afar over the past 18 months, I've watched Ted and Richard work their magic. Teacher and Student, each committed to a defined system of alignments, and each with a total trust of the other. What they have achieved is nothing short of amazing.

I encourage those currently engaged in the alchemy of golf instruction to re-read the second sentence above:

Student and Teacher, each committed to a defined system of alignments, and each with a total trust of the other.

Some think of the Student-Teacher relationship as a reversion to grade school: The dominant Teacher sends, and the subservient Student receives. Learning may or may not take place. That is not the way Ted Fort teaches. Instead . . .

Teacher and Student are adult equals. One with a superior knowledge of Golf Stroke Mechanics, and the other seeking to learn same. But the road to Golfing Perfection varies from student to student, and the Teacher's ability -- and willingness -- to explore those individual pathways defines his art. Those necessary efforts will be stifled if the Student does not trust -- and thus enable -- his Teacher to open and explore those pathways with him. Such Student resistance will quickly close promising doors and leave others unopened. Conversely, when the Teacher knows that his basic and exploratory efforts will be met with trust and 'can do', the fear of rejection evaporates, and the doors of opportunity open wide.

Attitude matters.

As in any quest, the treasure is seldom found straightaway. But, where two are bound together in sound principles and a search for truth, the answer always awaits.

This is what Ted and Richard have done.

Trusted Teacher and Trusted Student.

From the grandstand, I cheer.

:cheers:

new milestone
 

Richard couldn't keep from coming for a lesson two days in a row. He hated the fact that his practice swing was so fast and his real swing was slower.

Today was another breakthrough. At the end of the lesson, he hit a ball with 114 mph of clubhead speed! (84 mph to 114 mph!)

A 36% improvement in clubhead speed is pretty good for a 52 year old.

I wish we had captured it on tape.

New milestones
 

I didn't even think that this was possible when we started with the 84 mph driver:

108 mph 8 iron!

DUDE!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! How does that happen????? What was the main deal? Alignment? Physics? Speedchain? You gotta talk to us!!!

Agreed. Cough it up, Luke. Was that how fast his Porche was going or his clubhead?

Right Arm Throw, Aiming Point?

where do I start?
 

In our first lesson, he had numerous things that were giving him trouble. But, I saw some potential. He played every sport and even taught snow skiing. He was a little unusual, as his alignments were just as bad as any hacker but his strength and fitness level were off the charts. He's 52 years old, but really stays in shape. Another real problem is that he's left handed and playing golf right handed.

In his first lesson, his weight was on his toes, his hips would stall at Impact, his acceleration in Start Down was faster than humanly possible, he was over Plane, his Left Wrist would Uncock and Roll before the club reached his right thigh, his Left Wrist would Bend at Impact, his club would exit his forehead in his Finish, and his clubhead speed with a driver was 84 mph. But, other than that, he looked great. :rolleyes:

He's taken many lessons; often it would be more than one in a week. So, explaining the entire process is impossible. But, we started with Basic Motion and focused on the Left Wrist action. We've worked in all three Zones. His Pivot needed every change you could imagine. His Right Arm needed to learn how to throw, since he's left handed. He did many swings in slow motion, because he had difficulty in being slow in the Start Down. We pounded on the Impact Alignments.

I know it sounds impossible for someone to evolve from an 84 mph driver to a 108 mph 8 iron. But, I think he always had the speed. If you were able to measure his clubhead speed in Start Down in our first lesson, I'm sure it would have been 100+ mph. It wasn't doing much for him by the time it slowed at Impact.

It's amazing to see his new ability. He's capable of hitting shots that would make a professional happy. He told me about a shot that he hit, last time he played on a 215 yard par three with water front and left. It was into the wind and he hit a low trajectory 4 iron. When we started, I don't think a driver would have made it over the water.

I have the entire process on video, so I have the proof. But, Richard wishes my hard drive would crash so I'd lose his original video.

Great stuff Luke, he must be pretty excited about his game these days.

I guess its Geometry and Physics again, no magic pill.

Right arm throw, so he's hitting despite being left handed, interesting. Im fascinated by the Throws. They seem like a missing ingredient or component in a lot of people motions.

Thanks for sharing this with us.

Right Arm Throw
 

I've used the Right Arm Throw with many students. But, I've found it very useful for those that are playing on the wrong side of the ball. Even if I have no intention for them to Hit in the future, I find it helpful in the development of the stroke.

Swinging doesn't mean that the trail arm gets to wither on the vine. It drives me crazy to hear teachers say to "take the right side out of it." If that worked, you'd be able to hit a ball the same distance with or without the Right Arm. :eyes: Comments like those make my job recession proof. It doesn't hurt to have people like Richard playing golf with those that he hasn't seen in a couple of years. The wow factor never hurts the referral business. And, you're right. He's so excited about his game that it's hard for him to hide it.