Nevertheless, despite his talent, drive and career-long pursuit of perfection, his Game eighteen months ago was a trainwreck. Putting it charitably, it just 'wasn't hap'nin'. Last week, he and I presented our three-day LBG Academy at the PGA of Southern California Golf Club. He would be the first to tell you that many of the principles presented there were first presented to him only eighteen months before.
The prior week, Ted finished solo second in a championship field of approximately sixty Georgia Section PGA Professionals. The following day, he shot 70 - two under par -- in a Pro-Am featuring many of the same professionals (but where low pro scores were not recorded). All of which is really 'more of the same': In a major Georgia Section PGA match play event three weeks after last summer's birth of Ted, III, Ted, Jr. -- who had been virtually AWOL from the golf course for weeks -- and his partner finished second.
Bottom Line:
Ted Fort is today playing a different Game. A Game based on Alignments, not Positions. A Game he teaches daily to his students.
And, in case you haven't noticed...
I am so very proud of him!
I have seen Ted,s action first hand and his ball striking is very impressive . The ball just never leaves the stick and you get the feeling that Ted is really thinking about and doing his best to hit it not just get it close.
Yoda: I understand that Ted was formerly a swinger . What was it about his action that made you feel that he was better suited to being a hitter?
Ted: How many shots a round do you feel you have improved by making your change to hitting.
I have seen Ted,s action first hand and his ball striking is very impressive . The ball just never leaves the stick and you get the feeling that Ted is really thinking about and doing his best to hit it not just get it close.
Yoda: I understand that Ted was formerly a swinger . What was it about his action that made you feel that he was better suited to being a hitter?
Ted: How many shots a round do you feel you have improved by making your change to hitting.
I'll answer both, if I may...
I decided to go to hitting because of the feel of angled hinging. I had been taught to swing with angled hinging, which was a disastrous combination. And the thought of a start-up swivel and release swivel made me . Also, the idea of simultaneous release of the power package was interesting, when I had been taught that you had to "keep" clubhead lag. I now create lag.
I feel that my present pattern is about 6 to 8 shots better for me than the (so called) swinging that I was being taught. Hitting is not for the faint of heart, though. It takes conscious thought, on every shot, for the rest of your life. It's not like swinging, where you can place it on cruise control.
Thank God I met Lynn Blake. I'd still be switting!
Hitting is not for the faint of heart, though. It takes conscious thought, on every shot, for the rest of your life. It's not like swinging, where you can place it on cruise control.
Thank God I met Lynn Blake. I'd still be switting!
Since centrifugal force is not throwing the club out and straightening the right arm, drive out or the conscious straightening of the right arm is always the thought.
[quote=YodasLuke]I'll answer both, if I may...
I decided to go to hitting because of the feel of angled hinging. I had been taught to swing with angled hinging, which was a disastrous combination. And the thought of a start-up swivel and release swivel made me . [quote]
Hi Ted...
Just curious...
Do you feel your improvement is due to hitting being more compatible with angled hinging (perhaps your feel preference) or due to your overall motion - meaning, its not necessarily the angled hinging piece, but just that hitting fits you better.
I ask because sometimes I feel Homer spoke in absolutes and of course perfection in alignments - which I am all for. However, I personally feel people shouldnt get too carried away on alot of the components (I'm in trouble now!)...and should always allow for psychological preferences.
There are a ton of swingers on tour using angled hinging. Just curious as to your thoughts on why the change has worked so well for you.
[quote=phillygolf][quote=YodasLuke]I'll answer both, if I may...
I decided to go to hitting because of the feel of angled hinging. I had been taught to swing with angled hinging, which was a disastrous combination. And the thought of a start-up swivel and release swivel made me .
Quote:
Hi Ted...
Just curious...
Do you feel your improvement is due to hitting being more compatible with angled hinging (perhaps your feel preference) or due to your overall motion - meaning, its not necessarily the angled hinging piece, but just that hitting fits you better.
I ask because sometimes I feel Homer spoke in absolutes and of course perfection in alignments - which I am all for. However, I personally feel people shouldnt get too carried away on alot of the components (I'm in trouble now!)...and should always allow for psychological preferences.
There are a ton of swingers on tour using angled hinging. Just curious as to your thoughts on why the change has worked so well for you.
Thanks.
In my own game, I wanted structure, minimal body participation, and to be "so darn accurate", as Homer said. I knew in my heart of hearts that all of this turn, turn, turn crap had something that was not right. I just didn't know what it was until Yoda explained TGM to me. I was being taught pivot controlled hands, and I felt like a spaz. As a result, I was tracing the arc of approach (not recommended). It really saddens me that there are so many instructors out there that teach band-aid after band-aid with no regard to root causes of problems. TGM's just "too complicated." To that, Homer said, "making golf instruction simple makes it incomplete."
As far as the Tour, I think that there are many out there that are great in spite of instruction. Many use Hogan as a model in teaching, and instead of teaching alignments, they try to mimic his motion. That's fine as long as you know his history. Many say that Hogan was able to hook a SW 50 yards. He hated the fact that he hooked it so far. For numerous reasons (grip being paramount), he had a natural hook that wouldn't quit. Everything he did in his motion was designed to keep the ball from hooking. So, if a player comes to you that slices the ball off the planet, do you sit him down and teach him Hogan's Five Lessons? I've worked with hundreds of juniors and I've seen the evolution of students under many other instructors. Most start with a slice, the better kids learn eventually how to hook it. Then, they spend the rest of their lives trying to keep it from hooking (swinging with angled hinging.) Additionally, swinging is the only thing being taught in modern instruction. Hitting became a lost art when Homer died. It's our blessing that Yoda came back to the golfing world, and BOLDLY said, "there are TWO patterns." He's such a non-conformist.
The way that I built my pattern was by taking everything that was moving and made it stop. I first took the pivot completely out. I kept my head stationary. I made my left wrist stay flat in a basic motion. And, began with a one accumulator stroke (#1). As far as the changing of components, change one at a time and make it yours. Trying to change multiple components will be anyone's downfall.
I'll answer both, if I may...
I decided to go to hitting because of the feel of angled hinging. I had been taught to swing with angled hinging, which was a disastrous combination. And the thought of a start-up swivel and release swivel made me .
In my own game, I wanted structure, minimal body participation, and to be "so darn accurate", as Homer said. I knew in my heart of hearts that all of this turn, turn, turn crap had something that was not right. I just didn't know what it was until Yoda explained TGM to me. I was being taught pivot controlled hands, and I felt like a spaz. As a result, I was tracing the arc of approach (not recommended). It really saddens me that there are so many instructors out there that teach band-aid after band-aid with no regard to root causes of problems. TGM's just "too complicated." To that, Homer said, "making golf instruction simple makes it incomplete."
As far as the Tour, I think that there are many out there that are great in spite of instruction. Many use Hogan as a model in teaching, and instead of teaching alignments, they try to mimic his motion. That's fine as long as you know his history. Many say that Hogan was able to hook a SW 50 yards. He hated the fact that he hooked it so far. For numerous reasons (grip being paramount), he had a natural hook that wouldn't quit. Everything he did in his motion was designed to keep the ball from hooking. So, if a player comes to you that slices the ball off the planet, do you sit him down and teach him Hogan's Five Lessons? I've worked with hundreds of juniors and I've seen the evolution of students under many other instructors. Most start with a slice, the better kids learn eventually how to hook it. Then, they spend the rest of their lives trying to keep it from hooking (swinging with angled hinging.) Additionally, swinging is the only thing being taught in modern instruction. Hitting became a lost art when Homer died. It's our blessing that Yoda came back to the golfing world, and BOLDLY said, "there are TWO patterns." He's such a non-conformist.
The way that I built my pattern was by taking everything that was moving and made it stop. I first took the pivot completely out. I kept my head stationary. I made my left wrist stay flat in a basic motion. And, began with a one accumulator stroke (#1). As far as the changing of components, change one at a time and make it yours. Trying to change multiple components will be anyone's downfall.
...Yoda came back to the golfing world, and BOLDLY said, "there are TWO patterns."
And in the Stroke Patterns, 12-1-0 is Hitting and 12-2-0 is Swinging.
This does not mean that Hitting is better than Swinging. It does mean that Hitting is a bonafide way of moving a Golf Club through Impact. And almost everybody starts off that way: Hitting the Ball with the Right Arm. And that is why TGM was originally presented as a Right Arm-based System.
Over time, Homer Kelley came to see the distinct differences between Left Arm Centrifugal Throw-Out Action and Right Arm Muscular Drive-Out Action. Body Momentum Transfer into Left Arm Pull or Right Triceps Drive into Right Arm Push.
The way that I built my pattern was by taking everything that was moving and made it stop. I first took the pivot completely out. I kept my head stationary. I made my left wrist stay flat in a basic motion. And, began with a one accumulator stroke (#1). As far as the changing of components, change one at a time and make it yours. Trying to change multiple components will be anyone's downfall.
Ted, I've recently begun a conversion to hitting myself, after trying the technique with chipping and finding success I never imagined possible (I think hitting may just be a better "fit" for me because good contact seemed to come so much more naturally and with much less effort (physical and mental) than a couple of years of swinging did). I'm looking forward to the journey.
I feel like I'm at the point you describe in your quote above... I've become real comfortable with the short basic motion you describe above and even been able to extend a bit further back to hit low iron shots out of trouble. What are your recommendations for taking the next step in developing my hitting stroke? I'm conscious of the difficulty with (and my temptation to) changing too many components at once and after reading this thought I'd pick your brain regarding what aspects of the hit I should work on after getting a handle on the basic motion (also, the role of the wrist cock in the hitting stroke is not entirely clear to me so). Thanks!
. Also, the idea of simultaneous release of the power package was interesting, when I had been taught that you had to "keep" clubhead lag. I now create lag.
Hybrid Mode
