Old Dog, New Trick
 

This whipper-snapper has been playing golf longer than many of us have been alive. He's 76 years young. Even though he'd been doing it wrong for 60 years, he changed it in 15 minutes.

I don't know if you can tell it, but in the second set of pics you can actually see lag pressure. The shaft on the left has the clubhead slightly forward of the shaft (loss of lag pressure), where the shaft on the right has the clubhead trailing the shaft (sustained lag pressure). Needless to say, the sound was very different.

He was elated with the results.

Hello Ted,
He looks great... Look forward to meeting you friday morning!

Sheesh...
 

Good Gravy, Ted...of all the before and after shots I've seen of your students, this is the most amazing!

It's never too late
 

I told him that he would be a great encouragement to those that thought they were too old to learn. He said he was tired of "picking it".

You know I didn't notice it until now, but there was a divot in the last pic. The ground didn't know he was 76. :)

Looks like you gave his motion one of them "hydraulic" pills. Nice work!

Doin' What Comes Natur'ly
 

Well, as you can see from Ted’s Amazing Changes success story above and Slimshadysc's countdown for one of his own on Friday, there’s a lot hap’nin down in The Swamp!

Today was a perfect spring day -- the best of the year -- and ol’ Yoda spent it in equally perfect fashion: Namely, at the PGA TOUR's BellSouth Classic with Brian Gay and his caddie, Eddie Grace. We started with breakfast at the Waffle House off Exit 104 (there's a significance here that I will tell you about next year) and within the hour were unloading all my video gear onto the back practice tee at Sugarloaf. We shot a ton of good stuff -- the man can hit a golf ball :) -- and I will be putting up clips (courtesy of Brian and with my instructive commentary) in the days ahead. Tomorrow afternoon it’s back out to the course and Brian’s opening round. No doubt more practice time will follow as the shadows lengthen in the remains of the day. But first…

In the morning, I have the great privilege of working with Cal Neeman, Sr., grandfather of Collin (of LBG Gallery fame!) and his golf professional daughter, Suzanne. They’re coming in from St. Louis, and we’re going to have a ball of fun. It all starts tomorrow at 8 a.m. with breakfast at the Cracker Barrel. I’ve persuaded young Luke (Ted) to join us – it wasn’t hard…just had to offer a ‘tall stack’ of Moma’s Homemade Pancakes =P~ – so things will be in full swing (or is that ‘hit’?) before the traffic clears. Ted better warn his right triceps though, because it's about to meet its match: Cal for years was catcher for the Chicago Cubs and could fire a 'frozen rope' to second base without leaving his squat. Now that's a Papa Bear Right Triceps!

Friday morning, it's out early to Oceanside, California, and the Titleist Performance Institute with Brian Watts (runner-up in the 1998 British Open and thirteen-time winner in Japan) and his long-time teacher, Rob Noel. We’ll spend that day all 'wired up' and reading 'Golf Stroke EKGs' with the Titleist folk, and then much of the next simply working together, making sense of it all within the dynamics of Brian's own great golf swing. These are constructive times for Brian: He's just picked up his Japanese PGA Tour Card in their unprecedented, weather-plagued, two-trip qualifier; he’s healthy for the first time in a long time; and he’s rarin’ to go. He played well last summer in the last PGA TOUR events on his medical exemption and this year could complete the turnaround. Nobody’s worked harder to 'make it happen,’ and nobody deserves it more.

Brian and Rob head out mid-afternoon Saturday, but I’m hanging around for a couple more hours to visit with our own Mike O, who lives in Oceanside. As long-time readers may recall, Mike is the guy who called me up (out of the blue) in December of 2003 -- twenty years after I went into hibernation -- and basically got all this stuff started again. Although he steadfastly maintains, "It's not my fault!", he also has been quoted as saying, "My God, what have I unearthed?" :shock: We’ll talk a lot of TGM ‘shop,’ and then he’ll ferry me to the airport for a short hop to Las Vegas. Trust me, I know from our first-time meeting last fall after our LBG Academy at PGA of Southern California Golf Club, I’ll be riding in style! :cool: And as far as Vegas goes, The Tables will have to wait: I’ll be working all day Sunday with a promising junior player and his dad. But not so fast…

That Saturday night it’s dinner with John Riegger, who lives in Las Vegas and who will have just returned from his week with Rob at Money Hill in Abita Springs, Louisiana. I talked on the phone this morning with John, and he was excited about the video Rob shot yesterday. He had not seen his swing since implementing the TGM changes earlier this year, and he was delighted to see the differences when compared to prior years. Happily, the ‘Before & After’ will make its way soon onto these pages. Look for John next at Hilton Head. As for me…

I’m out of Vegas at 6:02 a.m. Monday and into Atlanta mid-afternoon. About 90 minutes after the wheels touch the runway, I’ll be back on the Lesson Tee with two of Homer's Finest, both PGA Professionals who are 'making a difference' every day. They're out on Tuesday, but I can't get comfy, because as you may have heard, this is Masters Week, and I’ve got Bagger and Bambam coming into town. :D

They say, “Do what you love to do, and everything else will follow.” Well, I am…

And by the Grace of God and with the help of a whole lot of other people...

It is!

Come join me in my world…

Old Waverly is just three weeks away!

http://www.lynnblakegolf.com/forum/s...ead.php?t=2248

Yes!
 

Ted, I'll be honest- I see very little in any still picture. I'm just not that good. But the divot- and the difference in his clubface, and where it was pointing- were the first things I noticed. Well done!

Mike O Noooooooo!
 

This is a picture of Mike O's HOOPTEE Ride. Make sure the rope keepin' the door shut is tied tight. He's got an awesome human head collection in his fridge too! Word to the wise . . . practice very very good hand washing.

Where you at Mike O????!!!????

Heads!?
 

12 Piece, 12 Piece, 12 Piece- couldn't let the sleeping dog sleep- Yes, it's true, all my dishes in the fridge are full- but after reading the previous post- I've now got an empty bucket in the fridge- and I'm headed to the east coast to bring back my prize! Better get off that couch- and get near the front door with your wedges, impact bag and whatever other impact support you can muster - my guess is that when I blow through that door- your going to have compression leakage like you've never seen before, but if you can learn to support the impact forces by the time I get there- then I guess I'll be on my butt and headed back home. :smile: See Chapter 2, Chapter 6, for your own protection!
And for anyone else reading this post - I wanted to point out that my car is the Red one and Bucket's car is parked in front of me.

How big a boy are you? My grandmaw taught me all kinds of WCW Wrasslin' moves (yes that's right I said wrasslin' the real kind). I'll meet you half way if you want.

You are a funny b@st#rd!:D

Last night, May 19, 2008 Chicago Cubs catcher Geovany Soto hit an inside the park homerun against the Houston Astros. The last Cub catcher to do that?
July 17, 1959......Cal Neeman

Batter Up!
 

Great stuff, tradekid. Thanks! Now, for those so inclined . . .

Let's PM CalSr! A 50-year record finally broken.

I'm leading off! http://www.lynnblakegolf.com/forum/p...o=newpm&u=1162

:clap:

Cal Neeman's 'Inside the Park' Home Run
 

Just off the phone with Cal Neeman, Sr. (CalSr). As usual, the gifted ones discount their achievements:

"I just did a good job at rounding the bases."

:shock:

"It's always a fluke when someone hits an 'inside the park' home run", he said. "A funny bounce off the wall, a wrong-side throw to the relay man. That kind of thing."

From 'The Man' himself, here's the story behind Cal's homer:

Chicago Cubs versus the Pittsburgh Pirates.

Bottom of the 8th.

Cal hit a "semi-line-drive" -- :) -- into left field. Pirate left fielder Bob Skinner had the innings mixed up and thought it was the bottom of the 9th. With the winning run at second base and now faced with his own 'make or break' play, he knew he had either to 'trap' the ball on the fly or field it and throw the runner out at home. He chose to trap it and missed.

:crybaby:

Quoting Cal:

"Bob Skinner tried to make a great play, but the ball got by him. There was no error, and in his own mind, no reason to try to get the ball. So, he simply heads for the clubhouse! And the centerfielder, Bill Virdon, who's supposed to back him up, just follows him in."

Finally, shortstop Dick Groat, who did know what was going on, retrieves the ball from the ivy against the fence and relays it in. All of which was too late to nab Our Hero, who crosses home plate with a 3-run homer.

"I could run," Cal said, "but not good enough for an 'inside the park' home run. Like I said, something strange has to happen."

Interestingly, both Virdon and Skinner went on to become sucessful big league managers.

"All on a play," says Cal, "that would have Little League managers across the country pulling their hair out."

:salut:

You got it. I am suprised at your expertise in getting a story right with a phone call.

You are a man of many talents,

CalSr

Phone Mates
 

:toothy1:

:wink:

Virdon is spelled with an i. Virdon. not an e

Soto's inside the parker was an actual home run except 2nd base umpire, "Country" Joe West, blew the call (as usual). Replay showed the ball caroming off the MinuteMade park facade above the yellow line. Actual home run but West doesn't give an indication. Center fielder confused because he saw it hit above the line. Ball took a weird bounce away from him allowing Soto to touch em all.

Designated Speller
 

Unforced error, Cal. Thanks for the backup!


:laughing9

Yep, I remember Bob Prince, the late Pirate announcer, making the call on that play---and the reason I remember it is because my mom, a HUGE Pirate fan, was screaming at Bob Skinner (his nickname was "Dog") through the radio. Those were the good old days. Very little TV coverage and had to rely on radio announcers to "paint the picture" for you. Thanks for the replay CalSr. Was Clemente as good as I thought he was when I was a kid?? (sorry for the mini threadjack!)
And I see Dick Groat whenever I play Champion Lakes Golf Course--he owns the course and works the counter during the summer and takes your money---nice guy and very humble.