CEgolf.com
Casey Eberting Golf Schools and Golf Instruction
In Texas Hill Country between San Antonio and Austin, Texas
(40 minutes north of San Antonio International Airport)
Contents—descriptions and links to the varied topics at CEgolf.com
CE Golf Schools—Casey Eberting's San Antonio CE Golf Schools and Private San Antonio CE Golf Schools
Q & A - Page 1
Q & A page 1 Table of Contents
About Dalton McCrary's "Straight Shootin Golf"
Golf schools and David Lee's "Gravity Golf"
Club selection and playing golf
As we age, should we give up any hope of improving?
Q.
I recently saw an infomercial on a guy named Dalton McCrary who has a "Straight Shooting Golf Video." Have you heard anything about this?
Tim
A. Tim,
I don't know anything about Dalton McCrary, other than what I've seen on his "Straight Shootin" infomercial, and I haven't seen the video. I suggest you check some newsgroups to see for yourself what others are saying. Use a search engine to search—go to Google (Groups) and type in straight shootin and hit the "search" button and you'll get a lot of postings on the subject.
Remember, infomercials are marketing tools for companies and if they're done properly, they will make you want to buy. Doesn't it seem odd that every club is the longest and straightest ever made, or how a particular instructor can get you playing like a pro in no time, or how a training device can cut your handicap in half and make you hit the ball 40 yards longer.
Don't be a sucker—do some research! In my opinion, if you want to shoot lower scores and hit the ball further and straighter, you already have everything you need—a golf swing. Put some effort into making it better, whether it be with McCrary or another instructor you believe in, and if you've chosen well, you'll see more results than if you were to spend a million dollars on gimmicks. Best of luck.
Q. Dear Sir,
I'm an instructor who agrees with all of your advice and opinion on finding a qualified instructor. I have recently come in contact with Manuel de la Torre. His ideas seemed very muchlike you described, different. The major difference I see in Manuel is his ability to communicate with the student. He encouraged us to challenge the physics of the movement of the golfclub: i.e. the golf has no downswing only a back and forward swing. Manuel seems to be right, because I'm playing better golf without worrying about my swing and concentrating on playing the game. I would like your opinion of Mr. de la Torre and the Ernest Jones Concept. I enjoyed your articles and look forward to your response. Your golf vacation seminar [now called CE Golf Schools] is a great idea, every school I've done comes down to survival of the fittest for the teacher as well. We should never lose sight of the art of playing the game, Mr. Hogan was best at this and to date probably the most successful at explaining the tool(the golf swing) by which he used to master it with. I've enjoyed your site.
Sincerely,
Joel
A. Joel,
Thank you for writing. Unfortunately (I should probably be saying fortunately), I can't keep up with all of the different swing theories, including Manuel de la Torre's and Earnest Jones's. I do agree with the concept that there is no downswing, and while there is a back swing and forward swing, I prefer to think of them as one continuous motion rather than two separate motions. As instructors, we are forced to break the swing into pieces but we sometimes forget to explain to the student that the pieces are part of a whole and are worthless by themselves.
The reason I don't make an effort to keep up with other instructor's swing theories is that 1) there are too many, and 2) I am fascinated by Hogan's swing—as far as I am concerned, it's as perfect a swing as will ever be.
Because I look at the golf swing as a continuous motion, I feel it's important to teach the whole Hogan concept—that is, I don't feel that it is possible to intermix other instructor's ideas with what Hogan did, just as I don't think you can mix Rick Smith's ideas with those of David Leadbetter, etc., etc., etc...
As for golf schools, I swore I would never be part of another school, but then I started thinking about what was wrong with them and I realized that it wouldn't be difficult to try a different, better way. Anyway, I am leaving tomorrow to instruct my first Seminar. I am confident everything will go very well, but because it is experimental, I really won't know for sure until It's over.
You're absolutely right about schools sometimes being grueling for both students and instructors. I remember times at the end of a day when I couldn't concentrate no matter how much I tried. This was very unfair to the students, but I had no say as to how the school was run.
Thanks again for taking the time to visit with me.
Q. Casey,
I'm interested to hear how your first new seminar turned out. Do you believe that a student should play a particular shot(draw or fade), if so, why? Being in the heart of Hogan territory, I get many interpretations of Mr. Hogan's concept, what is yours? You're absolutely correct about the whole motion, I think a majority of today's teachers are more lost than the students when it comes to leading someone. Teaching is a fine art of few words when correctly carried out. A person can always repeat an action with ease, not the case with a thought.
Joel
A. Joel,
Thanks for asking—I am very pleased with my first Seminar. I think it is significantly more effective than watching students make futile attempts to change their swings while hitting balls during a lesson. I am almost tempted to not give traditional lessons anymore, except that many of the conservative golfers won't stand for anything other than the standard lesson.
I would prefer that my students play a fade, but I don't force the issue. Most, if not all, of the great ball strikers have played the fade and I think this can be explained with one simple explanation. The hook is the worst shot in golf (I don't consider a shank a shot)—it is totally out of control, unless it is hit with intention. A draw isn't too far from a hook, so at times, it may actually become one. A fade, on the other hand, is quite distant from a hook and will almost never turn into one.
Like you, I have seen or heard of many interpretations of Hogan's swing fundamentals, but I have yet to be made aware of any that are true to Hogan's swing. I have studied his swing and read his ideas, not just in Five Lessons, and I feel I am pretty close. Of course that is only my opinion. I am sure all of the other instructors attempting to teach his methods believe they know what they are doing also.
What I have found is that if you go by what he says in his book Five Lessons, The Modern Fundamentals of Golf, you will not understand his swing. He leaves some crucial information out of the book and some of the information that is in the book isn't quite correct—he describes the swing from a players perspective, which isn't necessarily what he actually did.
Take his concept of swing plane for example. If you look at his (in his prime, not early years), it is about a foot to a foot and a half below the ball to shoulder plane he speaks of in the book. He does mention that the club should always be below the plane, but he never talks about the plane actually being significantly lower than he describes it
Anyway, I could go on and on, but I don't have the time. Hope your lessons are going well.
Q. Why does the average pro hit the ball so much farther than most amateurs with seemingly much less effort?
GENE
A. Gene,
In a word, the answer to your question is efficiency. The professionals have spent years developing their swings to produce long and accurate shots. Almost every movement they make during their swings works toward that goal (distance and accuracy). Amateurs, on the other hand, often have many movements that are not only wasted (not contributing to clubhead speed), but actually impede clubhead speed.
Other reasons professionals hit further include having stronger "golf muscles" from hitting thousands and thousands of balls, and greater flexibility of those same "golf muscles" for the same reason.
Thanks for visiting my site.
Q. Dear sir:
I was searching the web looking for info on golf schools, when I happened onto your site. What you say makes sense (about how long it takes for one to learn the fundamentals), but how many people have the time or patience to practice so much or wait so long between instructions? I read every golf magazine, and have purchased videos from Dalton's Straight Shootin' Golf, David Lee's " Gravity Golf",and various other videos and books. Dalton tries to simplify the swing by using a One...and...roll...swing thought. I've used it, and it really helps. David Lee's conceptual understanding of the swing is incredible, but his practice drills are bizarre! Do you have any opinions on either of these two gentlemen? I also wonder if it makes sense to keep reading every type of instruction which comes along, but every once in a while I read or see something which causes a breakthrough for a certain problem I'm having, so I keep on reading and searching!
I've had numerous lessons, but never had my swing videotaped. I know I'd learn a great deal from this. I know I come over-the-top or have too vertical a backswing, yet I read one article which said the ideal swing would be straight up and down!
I agree that the quality of instructors varies greatly, and would enjoy one of your seminars. How about one near the New Jersey shore this summer?
Regards, Bob
A. Bob,
Thanks for writing. Here's a quote from an article on Ben Hogan in the February 1998 issue of Golf Digest:
Hogan once said in disgust that he didn't teach because he "couldn't find anybody who wanted to learn." Two generations of golfers have proved Hogan wrong, and even he would probably agree it was the happiest mistake he ever made.
The author of this article obviously didn't understand Hogan's statement. There have always been many people who want to learn—as long as it can be accomplished in a week or so, or if it is learned easily. Hogan's statement still stands—there are very few people who are willing to put in the time and deal with the frustrations of developing a good swing. As you mention, most don't have the time, although I would argue that time isn't the biggest factor—it's dealing with the frustration, that most golfers can't handle!
I blame part of the problem on those in the golf instruction industry—because most instructors teach what I call band-aid instruction, golfers have come to believe that they can achieve quick improvement. The problem is that with most of this short term improvement, the results are only temporary. I, like Hogan, believe that to become a good golfer, one must work on fundamentals. There is no secret move that will make someone good.
I'm not familiar with Dalton's "Straight Shootin Golf", but I did recently see David Lee's marketing piece on the Golf Channel [and I have since seen him teach on the Golf Channel's Golf Academy Live]. Talk about great marketing! I almost wanted to buy the video myself. As for my opinion of the two, obviously I can't speak of Dalton, but I can say something about Lee. My comments are based only on the information I have seen and are therefore not an in depth analysis.
On the one hand, anything that simplifies the swing is great for the golfer who doesn't have the time or who isn't willing to put much work into developing a fundamentally sound swing. These simple approaches can be effective in a limited way and you might even find a few who have been helped considerably. The ultimate test of any swing method is—do you see top tour players swinging that way? In David Lee's case, I can tell you I haven't seen one player on tour who swings like he does (watch him swing, does that look like the swing of anyone on tour).
I will say that I do like some of his ideas, he seems very nice, and he has obviously put much thought into his theories. The swing he teaches will probably help golfers generate more power, relatively speaking, but I strongly suspect any gain in distance may come at the price of less control for all but a very few who have incredible hand-eye coordination. The problem is he advocates a shifting of swing planes, which essentially means there is no plane. He definitely doesn't teach Hogan's fundamentals, but if his ideas sound good to you, go ahead and give it a try.
You also ask if it makes sense to keep reading every type of instruction. If you prefer the band-aid approach, then yes, you can try every remedy you come across. Some will work better than others. Some won't work at all. But in the long run, none of them are likely to make you a better golfer. Be careful, there is a lot of junk out there. The article that said the ideal swing would be straight up and down is a great example. Straight up and down may be ideal for a machine, but not the human body.
Unfortunately I won't be having any Golf Vacation Seminars in the Northeast in the near future.
Q.
hello, i read your complete web site.i thought it made a lot of good sense. thinking about october golf schools but gets cold here early so practice after seeing you may not be in the cards. please advise.
thanks, d.s.
A. d.s.,
I grew up in Southern California where the golf season is year round. I used to think that the only true way to practice was to hit balls, but I always wondered how golfers from places like the northeast and Colorado became good.
I now know the answer—practice doesn't necessarily mean hitting balls, and I believe that when learning something new, it is actually better to limit hitting balls, or avoid it altogether, until the new movement can be performed comfortably during practice swings.
Golfers who live in the cold climates actually have an advantage if they don't put their clubs away for Winter because they can train their muscles to swing properly without the distraction of trying to hit a ball (I go into this in more detail at my site).
October would actually be a great time for you to attend a Seminar—you would have all Winter to develop your swing (it actually takes longer than just a Winter, but you would get a great head start).
I will be offering Golf Vacation Seminars next year, so if October doesn't interest you, go ahead and wait. I'll put you on my e-mail list so you can be kept up to date.
Thanks for your interest and regardless of whether you attend the October Seminar—practice at home this Winter! Good luck.
Q. Dear Mr. Eberting:
Just finish reading material posted on your WWW site. I understand and agree with the principles you communicate. There is no experience void of learning and caution must be exercised to avoid the time and expense of flawed teaching.
After forty years of doing it the wrong way, I've renewed my commitment to get it right. A strong upper body and a decent short game has kept me scoring under 100 for all these years. A dense skull and an inflated ego has kept me from advancing my game beyond that point. I now understand that to improve my game, I will have to start over from the beginning. Even worse, I will have to recondition a lot of muscle memory in order to make a clean start; but this is a price I'm willing to pay.
Before going forward, I would appreciate you comments on what I understand is basic information. Example: golf clubs are graduated in ten yard increments. Distance is a product of clubhead speed. Therefore, if the tempo is consistent (as well as all of the other elements of a proper swing), an eight iron will carry ten yard farther than a nine iron....a five iron is ten yards longer than a six iron; etc.
Although the swing rate depends on the individual player's physical condition, skill and consistency, it follows that the clubhead speed would increase incrementally with the length of the club; i.e., an nine iron would have a slower clubhead speed than and eight iron....the five iron would have a faster clubhead speed than a six iron....albeit this is purely theoretical as is the accepted information about the incremental differences in club distance.
In Dave Tutelman's Club Design Notes (http://dunkin.princeton.edu/.golf), makes reference to The Golf Works catalog which contains a table which estimates clubhead speed (MPH) based on Driver Carry Distance (YDS). My driver's clubhead travels between 70 and 80 MPH as measured by the 911 TEMPO TRAINER. My driver carries between 180 and 205 YDS which conforms to the Golf Works table.
Another table (Golfsmith catalog) referenced by Mr. Tutelman, suggests 5 iron carry distance based on driver clubhead speed. According to this table, my 70/80 MPH driver club speed should produce a 120 to 140 YD 5 iron carry; however, in repeated tests, I consistently hit 160 YDS (65 MPH clubhead speed) with my 5 iron (clubhead speed measured by my TEMPO TRAINER).
Admittedly, I have worked with my 5 iron more than with my driver. I have good consistency with the 5 iron. My swing is at tempo which measures 1.14 sec. +/- .02 sec. My 5 iron clubhead speed is measured at 65 MPH +/- 1 MPH. At this point, I have not achieved consistency in my tempo nor clubhead speed with the driver. My question is whether I should work on reducing my 5 iron clubhead speed to conform with my 80 MPH driver clubhead speed or focus on increasing my driver's clubhead speed to 90 MPH?
The reason for my question is that I've come to realize that "more" is not necessarily "better". To swing the 5 at 65 MPH, to get an average of 160 YDS, takes a great deal of effort. In addition, it takes hitting a bucket of balls to warm up to that level of performance. At 65 (66 next month), it might be better to design a game that requires less effort. In other words, I think that building a game around a driver clubhead speed of 70 may produce better results than reaching to improve my driver's speed to 90 MPH.
Back to my purpose in writing you and your comments on improving and individual's golf game, any suggestion you can offer regarding how to estimate or target clubhead speed for the complete bag based on measurements made on one or two clubs would be greatly appreciated.
Arch
A. Arch,
Thanks for writing.
One thing you may want to think about before you get stuck on your clubhead speed measurements and ten yard difference per club theory. First, you have the ability to hit each club in your bag a range of distances, i.e., if you hit your five iron 160 yards when you swing hard, you should be able to hit it 130 yards swinging easy and 110 yards with an easy three quarter swing. Therefore, there is a tremendous overlap among clubs, which is where course management comes in to play. If you have a 140 yard shot to a green, it may be a full 7 iron, an easy 6 iron, a punch 5 iron, etc.. I recently read that Ben Hogan didn't want to know the yardage of his shots, for precisely this reason—he picked a club based on which club would work best for that particular shot, he didn't pick a club based on the yardage. Golf is a game of feel and understanding how the environment will affect a shot—in the morning the full 7 might be the best club, while later that afternoon, the punch 4 iron under the wind may be the better choice.
As far as how much clubhead speed you should be trying for, developing the ability to hit the ball further is always a good thing because there will be times when that extra distance will be necessary. Just remember that most of the time you won't be swinging as hard as you can.
Here is something else you may not have considered and may want to look into. Quality control in club manufacturing, while much improved, is still usually lacking when it comes to iron lofts. If you have your set checked, you may find that your five iron actually has a loft closer to your four iron, or your 9 iron may be almost the same as your wedge.
Technically speaking, a ten to fifteen yard gap between clubs seems to be an ideal range, but that is assuming the same effort with each club and that the lofts are correct.
I hope this helps. Good luck.
Q. Hi Casey,
I just went over your webpage for the second time. I think you have a great deal of valuable information there and it has been a good reinforcement for my own efforts to improve my swing fundamentals. One thing puzzles me. If a golfer should concentrate on the target, not swing thoughts, how should the shape of the shot enter in? That is, if the best way to get the ball to the target is a draw, how does the player execute a draw if he is only thinking of the target? Strictly with the set-up? Visualization of the ball curving in the air on its way to the target?
Thanks,
Bob
A. Bob,
You bring up a good point, one which I did not address because most golfers don't have the ability to shape their shots at will.
In answer to your question, you'll want to evaluate your situation and decide what type of shot will give you the best result. Once you've made your decision, then visualize everything about the shot—the swing, the ball in flight, the ball landing and stopping on the green (this is the way Nicklaus described his pre-shot routine in "Golf My Way"—it's the best, and most thorough, that I have seen). Once you have the shot visualized, make a practice swing or two and address the ball. Your thoughts should be of your target, with an awareness that the ball flight will have a certain shape to it. Note, to hit a draw or fade, good players only have to think draw, or fade. They don't focus on the mechanics that are required to produce the shot—they've hit enough of each type of shot that their bodies know what to do.
An analogy might help. Imagine a professional basketball player dribbling through traffic, trying to find a shot. He knows exactly where the basket is, even though he doesn't look at it. The basket is the focus of his attention, yet he is also aware of the other players on the court, and what they are doing.
The basketball player is focused on the basket (when trying to shoot), yet is also aware of other players. The golfer is focused on the target, yet is also aware of the intended ball flight—it is possible to be aware of more than one thing at a time.
Focusing on the target connects the target with the golfer. Being able to add awareness of the intended ball flight helps solidify that connection.
I hope this helps. If not, please let me know and I'll try again. If you're going to try this, you'll have to experiment to find what works best for you, but give it plenty of time—it's tough to do if you're not used to it!
Q.
I have visited your website, and would like to say that your words make perfect sense. I am a newbie to the golfing world, and I shoot anywhere from 125-165! I play mostly with my brother-in-law, and he is not much better than I am, but he always tries to get me to "keep my head down" or get me to "move up on the ball" and on the next swing he's wanting me to "move back about 1.5 feet more"!!.
I have read and studied the mechanics of the swing, but I never could make my body do what my mind was telling it to do...and after reading your website, I now know why! I will use your approach to "muscle memory" and wait on the results to take care of themselves! My question for you is this:
I am 5'8". Is there a way for me to know what lengths of clubs I need? I am left handed, as is my brother in law, so I have borrowed a set of his clubs, but while swinging, I feel as if the clubs are too long. Is there a way to tell if this is true? Is there some ratio to height, arm length, etc.?? Any help you can give me would be greatly appreciated.
Sincerely,
Ricky
A. Ricky,
The longer a club is, the more difficult it is to control. A golfer's height isn't as much a factor (except for unusually tall or short golfers) as is the golfer's playing ability when trying to determine a suitable length of club. Since your new to the game, your clubs should be standard length to maybe a little short of standard. For now, you might consider purchasing a second hand set then, as your swing develops, you can get a new set that is fit to your swing. Good luck with your golf and maybe someday you'll consider joining me at one of my Golf Vacation Seminars.
Q.
I am considering attending a golf school this winter or next spring. I am a 17 handicap and 38 yr. old female. Are there certain schools I should look at that tailor teaching to women, or is it all the same?
I take your comments re expectations to heart, and am committed to practicing. Is a weekend school too loaded to remember and practice once I leave? If so, am I better off just sticking with my pro instructor who can spoon feed me between practicing over the course of weeks or months?
You are my first resource of info. Thanks for any advice you can give.
Terri
A. Terri,
If you would prefer an all women school, that would be fine although swing fundamentals are the same for men and women. As for a weekend school being too loaded, it all depends on what the school teaches. As I mention at my site, the important thing is that you make sure you understand what you are being taught because the real learning doesn't begin until you get home and begin practicing—in other words, you become the instructor, so you better know the information. My complaint with most schools is that they focus on the physical, not conceptual aspects of learning. You can still make a school like that work for you as long as you make sure you understand the concepts behind what you are being taught.
What you learn at a school, or from just about any other instructor, probably won't be compatible with what your local professional teaches—each instructor teaches their own interpretation of the golf swing and no two are alike, although there may be similarities.
Good luck and if you have any further questions, feel free to write.
Q. CASEY I JUST FINISHED READING YOUR WEB SITE. I HAVE BEEN PLAYING GOLF FOR FOUR YEARS. I DIDN'T START TILL I WAS 61. I STARTED WITH 20 HOUR OF INSTRUCTION BEFORE I WENT TO A GOLF COURSE. IN THE LAST FOUR YEARS I HAVE HAD ABOUT ANOTHER 20 HOURS. AFTER READING YOUR WEB SITE I THINK I MIGHT HAVE PICKED THE WRONG INSTRUCTOR. MY QUESTION IS IS IT TO LATE TO DEPROGRAM MYSELF AND START OVER???
A. Weldon,
The only time it's too late is when you decide it's time to stop trying. Golf is a game, but for those who know what golf really is, it's a challenge of the spirit.
If you've learned the wrong things, then you've learned the wrong things. Does that mean you give up the challenge? Only you can answer that question.
Personally, as long as I play golf, I will be striving to improve. As I age, I will inevitably start a gradual decline. Regardless, I will always be trying to get better.
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