Thanks to everyone for their support during the week. Your questions are very good and I hope to answer them either in this post or separately. I think that this thread may have taken a negative turn (mostly my fault) and I want to make sure that everyone understands how much fun I had this week.
The postives far outweigh the negatives and as I look back I was very blessed to have this opportunity. This week was very similar to last year's Nationwide event in Valdosta except I got the better end of the draw last year. We battled severe wind the last round and a half last year and I fared worse. I feel I was actually more prepared, knew the course better, and was playing better than before Valdosta, you simply can't fight mother nature.
I had a great time doing what I love most: playing competative golf while increasing my knowlege base so I can help others. As much as I feel that I can play at this level, I must also remember what I am, a teaching professional and clubfitter. After watching some of the best players in the world I really see that the line is not so big, but the amount of strength required to jump over it is immense. The PGA TOUR is not about ball striking, although it does play a major role. I watched these players on the range and said "I can do that." You must be able to get the ball in the hole regardless of how well you hit it. Brad Adamonis and Tommy Gainey hit the ball poorly yet still found a way to save par and make birdies and eagles.
I was concearned about my distance, especially off the tee. After playing and watching the leaderboard I now realize that I could hit it a few yards farther off the tee but the real key to success is from inside 50 yards. I remember posting this last year after Valdosta but it really rings true now. If I had been able to convert what now look like simple saves around the green and make the putts that those guys make more regularly, I actually would have made the cut, regardless of the weather.
Putting has been my issue for a long time and what happened this week unfortunately is more "normal". Just missing is great to talk about, but in the end they still miss. Bill Parcells has said that "you are what your record says you are". I am still a great player that needs a better short game to compete at this level.
Making the cut would have been great; having a chance to win with 9 to play would have been even better. Nothing that happened this week can take away from the experience that I had. I had my family fly in from Cleveland, OH and Las vegas. I had so many friends come out to support me that I felt like I had my own gallery. I got to help Augie learn about what life was like inside the ropes so he can gain a better perspective on how to "play golf". My best friend Chris carried the bag and gave me support the entire time regardless of the situation; I can never thank him enough. Lynn and I got to share with the LBG crew a few cool moments of life on the TOUR. Most importantly I got to share the week with my wife and son. Their love and support is ultimately what matters.
I now turn my focus to the PGA National Championship at Reynolds Plantation in June. What I learned this week will definitely help me with my ultimate goal: win the National Championship and play in the PGA Championship in August.
Jeff,
Truly, playing the tournament was a great accomplishment, and these past few days of posts demonstrate your great attitude. I admire and respect you for both. Good luck in August.
Jeff,
All right, so how do you plan to improve that short game?
I feel that LBG and TGM have focused on the mechanics of the machine in
the full swing, but as you spotlighted, scoring in golf is a lot more than that.
I'd like to see LBG begin to put the short game under the magnifying glass to see if we all could improve our scoring. It seems like the tour players use a lot of half and three-quarter shots (controlling the spin) inside 100 yards. How do they do that?
Once again, congrats for your accomplishments. Being able to watch you practice the last three holes has added a great deal to my enjoyment while watching the network coverage of the same three holes.
In fact, CBS (or the Golf Channel) would do well by featuring a walking interview with an amenable PGA pro while practicing the closing holes of every tournament. It would be fascinating to watch replays of that when the leaders come down the stretch.
Jeff,
Congratulations on qualifying for this tournament and doing an excellent job under adverse conditions. I looked at the paper yesterday am and saw a number of "big name" players that finished behind you. Keep pluggin' away and best wishes for a great summer of G.O.L.F.
Just curious, "what's in the bag?"
Jeff,
Congratulations on qualifying for this tournament and doing an excellent job under adverse conditions. I looked at the paper yesterday am and saw a number of "big name" players that finished behind you. Keep pluggin' away and best wishes for a great summer of G.O.L.F.
Just curious, "what's in the bag?"
Henry-Griffitts RDH 460 11.5 driver - 65 gram low torque mid kick shaft
Henry-Griffitts TS-1 irons (5-tw) - Dynamic steel
Henry Griffitts RDH 55 & 60 degree wedges - Dynamic Steel
Bridgestone J36 22 & 19 degree hybrids - VS Proto 80 gram
Bridgestone J33 3 wood - VS Proto 85 gram
Taylor Made Spider Putter
Bridgestone B330 ball
AHEAD Glove (best glove you have never heard of)
Orange an yellow reflector sticks (Only at Lowes)
Any fitting tips or specifics considering the driver loft and B330 ball? Also, is my count of 13 correct? Thanks.
DRW
I checked the HG website. The count is 14. Gnome is a 4 wedge player (46*, 50*, 55*, and 60* - assuming standard HG lofts). Plenty of short game options with this bag makeup!
BTW, it was truly awesome reading this thread. Jeff, congratulations. Despite the weather, the learning experience must have been intense. I would probably wet myself playing with that many world class players. The Yellow book builds mental toughness as well as educated hands and machine strokes.
__________________ _________________________________
Steph
Distance is Magic; Precision is Practice.
Congrats on getting to play in one of the "big shows"! When they say "these guys are good", they mean it (although I think that fact is very unappreciated by the casual observer). To be able to tee it up with them (as a non-exempt player) is truly a great accomplishment.
I just got a chance to check out a couple of the videos from the gallery and the clip on "alignments" is tremendous. Many thanks to you, Lynn and company for posting that one. I just got back from a big 3-day event in which I hit it just horribly. I realized after viewing that clip that one of the primary reasons I hit it so bad was that my hinge action and rhythm were way out of synch. Watching that one clip may have put me back on track.
It's amazing what you can pick up on hanging around this place.
Jeff,
All right, so how do you plan to improve that short game?
I feel that LBG and TGM have focused on the mechanics of the machine in
the full swing, but as you spotlighted, scoring in golf is a lot more than that.
I'd like to see LBG begin to put the short game under the magnifying glass to see if we all could improve our scoring. It seems like the tour players use a lot of half and three-quarter shots (controlling the spin) inside 100 yards. How do they do that?
Once again, congrats for your accomplishments. Being able to watch you practice the last three holes has added a great deal to my enjoyment while watching the network coverage of the same three holes.
In fact, CBS (or the Golf Channel) would do well by featuring a walking interview with an amenable PGA pro while practicing the closing holes of every tournament. It would be fascinating to watch replays of that when the leaders come down the stretch.
I plan to improve the short game the same why I would improve any other aspect of my game, find a pattern in the book that works and practice. The problem with the short game is that it is much harder to prepare for the multitude of shots that you can get around the greens. The key is understanding hinge action and being able to reproduce all 3 at any speed from any lie.
Homer talks a great deal about power regulation in the book. On one of the videos we talk about eliminating accumulators and reducing speed to create softer shots. The key to great golf is being able to compress the ball at less than full power. The more you play and practice, the better you become at this. Watch a tour event during the practice rounds and you will see these players working on hinge action around the greens, whether they know they are or not.
I would like to have Lynn's input on this but I think there is quite about about the short game in the video section and in the forum. Remember, short shots have the same execution as full shots, just fewer accumulators and less power.
Jeff,
Truly, playing the tournament was a great accomplishment, and these past few days of posts demonstrate your great attitude. I admire and respect you for both. Good luck in August.
Thanks Daryl! It was all because you got me to understand the importance of Hip Action.
Hybrid Mode
