How to Read Greens

How to Read Greens

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After the August e-tip I received quite a few questions about “How to Read Greens?”

Thought I’d write this practice tip on some ways to learn how to read greens and some helpful hints/drills that will help you read greens better.

Reading greens is not difficult if you have learned through a “trial and error/ trial and succeed” type process. Let me explain with a few examples I have witnessed and put into my teachings from some of the best putters in the world.

First – You need to test your putting. Remember – good putters have the following – 1. Square face at impact, 2. A good putting path, and 3. Good speed.

To test these, it is pretty simple –

  1. Checking Putter Face Alignment – Place a yardstick on the ground (flat ground). Put a golf ball at the end and on top of the yardstick (for example on the one inch mark). Set up to the ball and putt down the yardstick. You should have no problem keeping the ball on the yardstick. If you have a problem, you need to work on your putter face squareness at impact.
  2. Good Putting Path – Place two tees in the green about 10 feet from the hole. The tees should be apart the distance of your width of your putter plus 1/4 inch. In other words, you are making a “gate” to putt through. Now place a ball in the middle and just in front of the tees. Putt toward the hole. You should not hit the tees. If you do, you need to work on your path.
  3. Good Speed – This is the most important factor to reading greens. Take 10 golf balls – go 20 to 30 feet from a hole. Putt toward the hole. At least 7 of 10 golf balls should be made or should come to rest within 12 inches PAST the hole. If you cannot get these results, you need to check the following – Are you hitting the putt in the middle of the putter face? This is very easy to check – place a piece of masking tape on the face of the putter or pour some babypowder on the face of your putter. Putt a few golf balls. Check the marks on the face of your putter – they should be on the sweet spot of the putter face (typically about 1 quarter size circle in the middle of the putter). If not, you need to check your putting fundamentals and repair them to get a majority of your putts to hit the sweet spot of the putter. Remember – missing the sweet spot by as little as 1/4 inch can make a putt come up 10 feet short from 30 feet on average speed greens….

If you are having issues with any of these putting fundamentals – before you start to work on reading greens, you need to fix your fundamentals. Please refer to our past e-tips, our Total Game Overview instruction and our 7 Principles of Golf Improvement (Volume #4) – You can see more at: http://swinglikemoe.com/index.php?customernumber=831295589116541&pr=Products&=SID

Okay – now that you have checked the 3 keys to good putting (and passed them) – let’s talk about how to teach yourself to read greens.

Reading greens is an “art” that is acquired through a process of what I call “trial and error/trial and succeed”. Let me explain.

First – remember – 60% of break occurs within the last 3 feet of a putt. But, there is an issue here. That 3 feet should be 2 feet before the hole and up to 12 inches past the hole (with good speed). Problem is if we don’t have good speed. For example, if you hit a putt too hard – goes 3 feet past the hole if missed, 60% of the break will occur past the hole. Meaning, only 40% of the break will occur between the ball and the hole, 60% of the break after – very hard to read with consistency – in fact, impossible to read with consistency, if you don’t have consistent/good speed.

So – if you want to be a good reader of greens, you MUST FIRST HAVE GOOD SPEED CONTROL on the greens.

Second – How to you teach yourself how to read greens?

I believe the best putter in the world is Tiger Woods – if you question that, just watch him putt under pressure, or count how many putts he makes in a given round… he makes more “long” putts in a given round than most professionals make in a tournament. I saw a stat last week – Tiger won the Western Open a few weeks ago – he made 49 of 50 putts from 8 feet and inside – WOW!!! To be the best putter – you must be the best “reader” of greens…

Now, how did Tiger teach himself to read greens??

Let me tell you what I have seen being around Tiger and watching him in the past on the putting green (I have put most of these practices in my preround routines also…)

  1. The first thing he does when he gets to a tournament/round of golf is he works on the speed of the greens. The speed of the greens will change – even from day to day. He putts mid to long putts to “learn” the speed of the greens. He continues to putt these putts until he has developed consistent speed. (You must get used to the speed of today’s greens – especially when playing public/private type courses that might be mowed one day, not the next, or even if the greens are being played in the morning/afternoon or evening – the pace of the greens will change.)
  2. Next – he takes two golf balls and does the tee drill as described above (putting between tees to check his putter path). He does this for a few minutes to make sure his putter face and path are good.
  3. Now – he goes to the reading greens part. He takes ONE ball. Goes about 10 feet from the hole. He reads the putt, and putts the ONE ball toward the hole. If he makes the putt he goes to another spot (typically 90* from where he is to the same hole). If he misses the putt – here is the part most golfers DO NOT DO. He goes back to the same spot, reads the putt again, and putts again. He continues to do this until he makes the putt. He does this from all 4 “corners” around the hole – so typically he will have a left to right putt, right to left putt, downhill putt and uphill putt. After making all 4 putts from around the hole (only one ball, reading the putt each time and putting until he makes it) he goes to a different hole and now putts from about 15 feet. He does the same “four corner” drill. After making the 4 putts from 15 feet – he does the same from about 20 feet on a third hole.

Let’s talk about this drill Tiger is performing (to be honest, I have seen many professionals/good players do this drill in practice many, many times – in fact, I watched Dr. Gil Morgan do this drill for about 2 hours one day…). This drill is teaching the player how to read greens. The reason it is teaching him to read greens is because he is putting only one ball – reading every putt and when he misses a putt – he goes back to the same spot, reads it again and putts it again. He does this over and over until he makes the putt. This is the “trial and error/trial and succeed” method I described above.

Tiger (and any other golfer performing this drill) is teaching is eyes to match his mind to match his stroke… In other words, he is training his eyes to tell his brain what the putt is going to do (reading the putt) and then testing it. If it is a success – he goes on. If it is a failure – he does it again – this process is a process of training the eyes to read the greens.

What else does this drill do:

  1. Many golfers are good at reading some putts, not others. The putts that “match” their stroke or “eye” (for example, most right handed golfers putt right to left putts much better than left to right putts) are much easier than ones that don’t. This drill works on all types of putts – as you are circling the hole, you will work on different breaks and uphill/downhill putts.
  2. The drill builds a “positive” thought over the putt. Most golfers will putt at a hole, miss a couple of putts and go on. You are not moving to another putt until you make the previous putt – leaving with a positive thought.

We putt on many different types of surfaces. Bermuda, Bent, Zoysia, Poana, (weeds..dirt..). All these surfaces putt and read different (some have grain, some don’t – some can be affected by wind, some aren’t – some are faster when dry, some aren’t. The key is to teach yourself how to read greens by a “trial and error/trial and succeed” type process. The process is set up to improve your reading of greens and ultimately your overall game by lowering your number of putts each round.

Lastly – couple “tricks of the trade” –

These “tricks of the trade” are used by many good players and will enhance your green reading:

  1. Circle the hole when you are reading the putt. In other words – read from behind ball, then go on the otherside of the hole and read from behind the hole – when you return to the ball to putt go the opposite way you came to the hole. In other words, circle the hole so you can see the putt from all angles. Many professionals will tell you your “feet” will help you feel the slope of the green and will enhance your green reading.
  2. Watch what the other putts are doing on the green (and chips). When you are on the green, watch what the other golfer’s putts (and chips) are doing – how they are breaking – how fast or slow they are, etc… Let the other golfer’s shots “educate” you. If you don’t think the good players do this – you are greatly mistaken. A few years ago, Jack Nicklaus was paired with Arnold Palmer at the Masters. On one of the greens Jack was lined up to putt his ball, back off, looked at Arnold Palmer and said “Come on Arnie, you’re practically standing on my line”. (Palmer was trying to “sneak a peek” down Jacks line when he was putting to give him a read).
  3. For many – on mid to long putts – go to about 5 feet from the hole – pick a spot on the green you think the putt needs to travel over to make it, hover your putter over that spot and practice stroke from there. Do not touch the green with your putter as it is a penalty, but practice putting on your line from about 5 feet will give you a much better feel for the break around the hole (which is typically the majority of break…)
  4. Shade your eyes when you are lining up a putt. Many wear hats which help, some wear sun glasses (actually one of big reasons I wear mine) because getting the glare off your eyes will help you see the putt better. As they say, wide open eyes read better than eyes half closes (squinting).

Good Luck – Remember – Always Practice with a Purpose

Fastest Way to Lower Your Scores – The Putter

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What is the fastest way to lower your scores??

Let’s review a stat or two (very telling…). 43% of scoring occurs on the green (with the putter). Meaning if you shoot 90, you will average close to 40 putts per round. If you shoot 80, you will average 35 putts per round. There is no question, the quickest (and for most, the easiest) way to lower your scores is to work on your putting. In this e-tip, I am not going to discuss the proper fundamentals (we have discussed many times and talk about these in many of our instructional videos) – but rather common faults many have with their putting.

#1 – Improperly fit putter.

Many golfers have improperly fit putters. For most, the putter is too long for their set up and many times the lie angle does not fit. To determine proper length of a putter for you, do the following:

  1. Bend over (at the waist) like you were going to putt. Bend comfortably (no stress on your back).
  2. Hang your arms down comfortably (like you are going to putt) with slight (nature) bend in your arms (at the elbows).
  3. Measure the distance from the top of your upper hand to the ground (may need someone to measure). Add one inch. This is a good approximation of the proper putter length for you.

Lie Angle – Set up over your putter (like you are going to hit a putt). Have someone hold your putter in that position. When the putter is set up, slide a card (business card…) under the toe of the putter and under the heel of the putter. It should be even from the toe to the heel. If not, the putter’s lie does not match your setup. You may need to bend to match your set up.

#2 – Improper Set Up The proper set up is to have the ball slightly forward in your stance and under your eyes.

Problem – if the ball is too far back in your stance – you will hit the ball on a downward blow causing it to “jump” on the green – you want overspin on the ball – caused by an upward blow at impact.

Problem – if the ball is not under your eye line it will be difficult to perform the proper putting stroke and when you set up over the ball, you will not be looking down your putting line (you will be looking at your putting line).

#3 – Hand Dominance

Test – Have both hands free. Clap a small/light clap. Determine which hand is moving and which is still. The hand that is moving is your dominant hand. The hand that is stationary is your non-dominant hand. If both are moving – you do not have a dominant side. (For most, you will clap one hand into a stationary hand…)

Issue – ideally you want your trail hand in your putting to be your dominant hand. For example – if you are a right-handed putter, ideally your right hand should be your dominant hand.

Why? Because, it is much easier to control your putter on line when your dominant hand is your trail hand. It is much harder to “wave” your putter off line when your dominant hand is your trail hand…

If you trail hand is your dominant hand – GREAT. If your lead hand is your dominant hand or if you don’t have a dominant hand – we recommend the following. 1. Practice one hand putting with your trail hand until it becomes more comfortable to putt with that hand than your lead hand. 2. May want to experiment putting cross-handed to “give your trail hand more emphasis” in the putting stroke.

Remember – the trail hand runs the putting stroke… the lead hand basically goes along for the ride…. #4 – Improper Grip

What type of grip do you hold your club with (how are your hands on the club)? Are your hands on your putter the same as your full swing grip?

They should not be…

Why? The reason your grip should be different is the following – you are “training” your body/hands to release the club when you are gripping your irons/woods, etc.. You do NOT want to release your putter. Meaning – you need to have a different feeling on the club (a different grip) on your putter.

Examples – I recommend trying the following –

  1. Reverse overlap – putting the entire trail hand on the club and overlap one finger of the lead hand over the trail hand (this is the most popular grip with professionals).
  2. Cross handed – put your right hand on top, left hand on bottom of the grip.
  3. Whatever is comfortable for you (this is no “wrong putter grip”) as long as it is different than your full swing grip.

Remember the following facts about putting (and practicing putting):

  1. There are only 3 things to work on when practicing putting – face alignment, path and speed. Everything in putting is affected by these 3 points. If you are not practicing at least one of these topics, you are not practicing your putting…
  2. Your trail hand should “run” the putter – if not, your putting will be very inconsistent.
  3. You should have VERY LITTLE body movement when putting – basically only your shoulders and arms.
  4. You cannot be TOO OPEN in your putting stance (within reason) – but 1* closed is too closed. Check your alignment often to make sure you do not have a closed stance.

Good Luck!!

PLEASE don’t hesitate to call or email us anytime!! Remember – ALWAYS PRACTICE WITH A PURPOSE

Moe’s Wisdom

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Recently, I was given an audio tape of Moe speaking in an interview. The interview was about his great golf swing and his legacy and my name were brought up. The interviewer asked Moe if he thought I “had” his move. I thought Moe’s answer was perfect. Moe said “yes” and paused. Then Moe said the most important thing. “Because he wants it.”

I have reflected on that statement many times. And, like so much of the knowledge I have gained from Moe, I have found his statement to be most profound. Because of the act of “wanting it” is the beginning of success. Furthermore, if you don’t want it, you will always fail. So it comes down to how badly you want it. In other words, it comes down to another word Moe used often… motivation.

What is it?

When I describe it, I am describing whatever it is that helps you get to the next level. In this case we are talking about mastering Moe Norman’s golf swing and the “Feeling of Greatness”. “It” is also playing better golf because of this mastery.

So what does “wanting it” really mean?

I work with a talented 14 year old. I have been working with him for over 4 years. There have been ups and downs during the process. He has reached high levels of frustration often getting worse before he gets better. What keeps him working at it… wanting it.

I recently worked with a student who flew me out to his home 1,800 miles away. I worked with him for 3 days costing him thousands of dollars. Why did he make such an effort… because he wants it.

Here are some attributes to those who really want it.

  1. They are willing to go an extra mile to get it.
  2. When going an extra mile doesn’t get “it” they go another mile.
  3. They are willing to make sacrifices in time, money and energy.
  4. They make the process of getting it fun.
  5. They realize that it is a process.
  6. They love the process.
  7. They are willing and enjoy working at it.
  8. Everything is a learning experience for

These attributes are the actions of a highly motivated person. And, in my 20 years of teaching golf, I have never seen anyone reach mastery without this type of motivation.

Here are some very powerful words that are synonyms of motivation:

  • Incentive
  • Inspiration
  • Drive
  • Enthusiasm
  • Driving Force

Aren’t these words great? Don’t you find these words emotionally charged and exciting? The opposite of motivation is not to be unmotivated; it is lack of clarity of a goal.

Lack of motivation is caused by many things. Usually, it is that the goal is not clear enough. In other words, for some reason, the path to the goal is blocked by too many barriers. I often find this when I am approaching daunting projects. I look at the project and all I see is 1 million things I need to do to get my outcome so I just don’t start. It is easier to make excuses. Often I get halfway into a project and I just let it sit there. In a few months, I have ten or more unfinished projects just staring at me. It is easy to feel this overwhelmed. But there is only one way around it. Take ACTION.

But, before you take action, there is an important step. MAKE A PLAN.

So before I get too far into this ACTION PLAN, let me clarify my process and what I went through to learn Moe Norman’s golf swing.

  1. 15 years of trail and error learning golf and competition.
  2. The University of Oklahoma Team as a player.
  3. Coach for the University of Oklahoma Golf Team trying to understand the golf swing.
  4. The Asian PGA Golf Tour with little success.
  5. The desire to improve.
  6. Dozens of the world’s best instructors (3 Years).
  7. Hitting up to 1,000 balls each day for 3 years.
  8. Frustration to the point of quitting.
  9. Finding Moe.
  10. Understanding Moe.
  11. Making a Plan.
  12. Learning from Moe.
  13. Hitting thousands of balls like Moe.
  14. Results

So here is the great news. YOU DON’T HAVE TO DO WHAT ID DID to achieve Moe Norman’s golf swing. Another great thing is that I am even going to take it a step further. I am going to lay out the plan for you!

Here is my plan for mastering Moe Norman’s golf swing and achieving the “Feeling of Greatness”.

  1. Dedicate yourself to understanding Moe’s Golf Swing by getting video of his swing and our BASIC TRAINING which explains Moe’s single plane golf swing and gives you the tools to practice it. You can also visit our website to read our e-tips and instructional information.
  2. Dedicate yourself to understanding your swing and compare it to Moe’s golf swing. You can do this by mailing a video to our golf academy or attending one of our golf schools.
  3. Learn what you need to do to go from where you are to Swinging Like Moe. Understand very clearly what you need to practice and how to practice it – a lot of this is found in our TOTAL GAME OVERVIEW instruction.
  4. SCHEDULE time for dedicated practice.
  5. Evaluate your progress and get help when you need it.

This is, I believe, a MUCH easier way to start working toward mastering Moe Norman’s swing and improving your game that I went through. Why – because I didn’t have instructional material as a reference to help me with the process…. this is EXACTLY why we wrote our instructional material – to help you SHORT CUT the process.

As I step back on occasion, as I mentioned earlier, and look at where we are, where we’ve come from, and where we are going, our mission is to be a SOLUTION and not just another golf company out there selling a “tip” or “secret”. There are plenty of those out there to be sure, however, I can only tell you that every product, school, e-tip, and email from our company has only one purpose, and that is to HELP YOU “Swing Like Moe” and more importantly, play the best golf of your life.

Enjoy the journey.

Good Luck!!

PLEASE don’t hesitate to call or email us anytime!!

Remember – ALWAYS PRACTICE WITH A PURPOSE

How to Play in the Wind

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We have had a few single axis golfers ask us our advice on how to play golf in the wind. What we recommend for handling different shots and how the wind might affect these shots.

Especially this time of year – it seems the wind seems to pick up (especially if you live in the “flat” states as we do…). You have a choice when playing in the wind – you can either “fight” the wind or not. Let’s talk about what we mean in some different situations.

Wind Into Your Face: (When you are hitting shots directly into the wind).

First – remember – when you hit a golf shot, the lift on the shot is produced by hitting down into the ball, the hitting down action produces spin which lifts the ball. When you are hitting into the wind – you DON’T want more spin. This will produce too much lift and a “ballooned” shot which will go up and come down short of your target.

  1. For every 1 mph of wind into your face add 1 yard. If 10 mph into your face, add 10 yards… Meaning a 10 mph wind into your face is what is called a 1 club wind.
  2. Swing EASY. It is recommended to take 1 more club than you need after taking the wind into effect. For example, if you hit a 7 iron 150 yards, have 10 mph into your face, you would play it as 160 yards (a 6 iron) than add 1 club (a 5 iron). Take 1 more club after factoring the wind so you will swing easy – this easy swing will produce less spin and thus the ball will not balloon up.
  3. Ball position – backup in your stance slightly. It is recommended to back the ball up in your stance slightly in order to help you hold the angles of impact and to help keep the loft off the club… meaning – make sure you hold angles of impact and don’t break down or “cast” the club. This casting increases loft of the club at impact and will also cause the ball to balloon.
  4. Hold impact angle (firm leading wrist) as long as possible. As stated in #3 – this angle will help keep the ball down and not balloon into the wind.

Downwind (Hitting Shots with the Wind):

  1. As with the wind into your face – factor wind the same way (except this will add distance to your shots). For every 1 mph of wind downwind – take 1 yard off your shot. Meaning, if you have 10 mph of wind downwind – take one less club than normal. If you typically hit a 7 iron 150 yards and have 10 mph wind downwind – hit a 8 iron (or very easy 7 iron.).
  2. Ball position is the same as normal shots (with no wind).
  3. When hitting downwind, the wind will take some of the spins off the shot. Meaning, if you typically hit shots that spin or hold greens, downwind shots will not hold as well (less spin). Play shots accordingly – meaning these shots will bounce further when they hit the green and roll out a little more.
  4. Severely Downwind Shots… If you have a lot of wind downwind – say 30 to 40 mph downwind – this wind tends to “knock the shots out of the air”. Or in other words, push the ball down to the ground. The reason for this is that amount of wind takes most of the spin off the shot and pushes the ball down. To calculate (a lot of experience) – if 40 mph downwind, you may only take 20 to 30 yards off the shot rather than 40 yards as that much wind will reduce flight of the ball.

Other Points with Downwind Shots –

There is a greater affect the longer the ball is in the air. Meaning – a 6 iron will be affected by the wind a lot more than a wedge. Both will go further than normal – the 6 iron a longer as it is in the air longer…

Crosswind (Hitting shots with wind right to left or left to right):

  1. We typically recommend to “ride the wind”. Meaning, for example, if the wind is blowing right to left and you are right handed, play the shot right of the hole and let the wind blow back to the target. This riding the wind will typically allow you to play the “normal” yardage shot (for example – if you hit a 7 iron from 150 yards, a crosswind 7 iron will still be 150 yards) unless the wind is very severe. If you choose to play into the wind – meaning if right to left wind and you play shot left to right, the shot will react more like an into the wind shot (as described above).
  2. When playing a cross wind shot line up accordingly. For example – if a right to left wind – line up slightly to the right and hit the ball as straight as possible – and let the wind do the “work” for you. Try not to push or pull the shot into the wind… typically causes side spin on the shot which is hard to control in normal situations, not to mention windy conditions.

Other Points to Consider When Playing Wind Shots:

  1. Wind DOES affect putts. There is wind close to the ground also. Play the wind accordingly when putting. Into the wind – hit a little harder, etc.
  2. You might consider playing a slightly harder ball when playing in windy conditions… a harder ball will spin less and be affected less by the wind.
  3. Play more fairway woods or hybrids when possible (especially when into the wind). These clubs produce less spin which will be affected less by the wind.
  4. Always remember to swing EASIER when in windy conditions – for many it is “instinctive” to swing harder – swinging easier produces less spin and thus the shots will be affected by the windless.

Good Luck!!

PLEASE don’t hesitate to call or email us anytime!!

Remember – ALWAYS PRACTICE WITH A PURPOSE

How to Hit Fairway Woods and Hybrids

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We have recently received quite a few requests to cover the fundamentals of hitting fairway woods and the recently popular long iron replacement clubs – the hybrid (aka the utility club, baffler, heavenwood, etc…)

We are also sure you have seen the increased popularity in these clubs (in particular the hybrids) by all players (both amateur and professional).

Reasons for the increased popularity include:

  1. The ease of hitting these clubs compared to mid and long irons. The fairway woods and hybrids are built with a low center of gravity, weight in the front and base of the club, and a beveled sole with rounded edges, all making it much easier to get the ball off the ground with medium to minimal club head speed.
  2. The ease of hitting these clubs high. As golf courses get longer and longer and greens get harder and harder, golfers are needing longer clubs in their bags that they can hit high and land soft on these hard greens… 2, 3, 4… irons with not do this. These clubs are built to come in relatively low and “hot” (minimal spin). The hybrids are built to create much more height on the golf shot with a soft landing on the green.

I remember a few years ago watching an old “Wonderful World of Golf” Show featuring Jack Nicklaus and Arnold Palmer. They were standing on the 17th hole (don’t remember the course) – a 200+ yard par 3. Jack pulled out a 3 iron and hit it just overhead high – the ball landed on the green, one hopped and stopped about 5 feet from the hole – a GREAT golf shot… but sorry to say Jack – that shot doesn’t work anymore. If he were to hit that shot on today’s greens (even the average municipal golf course’s greens) it would have on hopped over the back and ended up in the river… this is why Jack now also carries an addition fairway wood and hybrids… because, of course, the change in his swing – little slower now, not as easy to hit long irons…, but more importantly, because of the change in the golf course – much harder and faster and the need to hit those higher/softer shots.

As you go through this practice tip – think about the golf you play, the type of shots you need – How many times do you have 170++ yards into those par 3s or 2nd shots into the par 4s, etc.. that you need to hit the green that has a hard time holding even wedge shots??

How many times do you have to hit shots into tight pin positions from over 150 yards??

How many times do you set up over a long/mid iron thinking the percentage is pretty low to hit it solid and at the target??

A lot of these issues can be solved using hybrids and fairway woods and of course knowing how to properly play these clubs.

Good Luck! Remember – ALWAYS PRACTICE WITH A PURPOSE

Tough Love #2

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This past week I started to receive our annual increase in emails – sure due to “golf season” officially starting with the Master’s, etc… With these emails I received a few that “bothered” me… to the say least… Scott (Renfrow) and Todd always say they “fire me” up, I will say “bother” me a little.

Basically, the emails were questioning our method, Moe’s Single Plane Swing – reading a little more into them, they were asking about why golfers don’t improve, or improve at a relatively slow pace if any improvement at all… An example of an email stated, “I have seen hundreds of swing methods, this is just another one of those that I cannot figure out and have seen very little improvement over the past few months…”

So……… Let’s talk… now that I’m FIRED UP as I have been told… let’s have one of those “fun” talks. In other words, hide the children (cover their ears.) – here we go…

I am SICK TO DEATH of all the junk (that is as tactful as I can write) that states you can get better at golf overnight…, 7 minutes to better golf, buy this driver and hit it 30 yards further, buy this “speed thing” and in 10 days hit it 20 yards further and straighter, miracle cure to fix the slice…… (think you get my point).

Let me give you a hint, I have spent thousands upon thousands of “7 minutes” and it wasn’t a miracle cure in 7 minutes that fixed my game – it was HARD WORK as Moe said. Moe used to say “HARD WORK” will fix anything – but more importantly WORKING CORRECTLY HARD will fix anything and make you a MUCH better player. If you think you can “miraculously” fix your swing overnight with one magic move, I am sorry, but you are greatly mistaken.

Please, give it a try if you like, you will be searching until you quit. Last year, 3,000,000 golfers started the game of golf…. yes 3,000,000…. 3,500,000 quit. 95% of those that quit, quit from frustration of not getting any better, or worse, they got worse and quit. Those that are quitting are those that think golf is a game of quick fixes…

Hint #1 – The golf swing is a learned and acquired process. It is not difficult if you do it right. In fact, many will call it “easy” if you learn by process – not guess work.

There is now written literature that states the following (by research): Only 10% of those that practice golf actually gets better from that practice, 40% of those that practice remain the same (do not get better or worse), and more alarming – 50% of those that practice actually get WORSE. Why is this?? What is going on with practice?? Are we wasting our time??

Let’s now break that down to 2 categories, the following:

Category #1 – the 10% – We will call these golfers the 10%ers… those are the one’s getting better when they practice (little better every time).

Category #2 – the 90% – We will call these golfers the 90%ers… those that are getting no better or worse when they practice.

Not let’s get into some “nuts and bolts” about getting better…. What do I have to do to get better? How do I become one of the 10%ers.

First – STICK WITH A METHOD: No matter what method you choose to swing the club, whether it be Moe’s Single Axis Swing, David Letterbetter’s swing, Hank Haney, Standing on Your Head and swinging (little laughter here…) – You need to stick with that method 100%, learn that method, study that method, treat that method as your guide to much better golf…

Obviously, we believe the Moe Norman Single Plane Swing is by far the easiest, least complicated, most easily repeatable, easiest on the body, etc… swing there is, but again, no matter which method you choose – do NOT mix methods. You notice here, I am not telling anyone they have to use Moe’s swing – that is absolutely a 100% personal decision (for many I have seen, almost as much as choosing a religion…) – but when you to decide on or study and learn a particular swing – you CAN NOT and MUST NOT mix methods.

Let me give you an example – (I have seen this personally last week): You decide to swing the club in single axis – you work on your grip, set up, etc… and decide the 36+ inches from your feet line to the ball with your driver at set up is too much for you… so you set up about 30 inches from the ball… Guess what – this is perfect example of MIXING METHODS. You CAN NOT swing the driver in an effective, consistent, powerful, etc… manner in the single axis swing that closes to the ball – NO WAY!!! You are standing conventional distance and trying to swing in a single axis fashion – NOT GOING TO WORK. By mixing methods you are a 90%er… not mixing methods – you are now on your way to a 10%er.

Second – Always, always, always (think maybe you get my point) PRACTICE WITH A PURPOSE!

What does that mean… practicing with a purpose is not “wasting” your time when you practice, having a very distinct plan when you practice… Pretty easy question before you practice next time – as you are walking to the practice tee/green, etc… ask yourself – What do I want to accomplish out here today? What do I want to start/continue to fix? Be VERY VERY specific. Meaning – for example – I want to try and hit it straight… is NOT a plan – It is a WISH.

I want to try and stop slicing is NOT a plan – It is a wish… A plan is “I want to fix my grip – fixing my grip will cause me to be able to get the club back on plane which will then allow me to hit it straighter”. A plan is “I want to work on getting the club in an on plane position in my backswing – this will allow me to get more leverage and thus hit it further with more accuracy”.

I think you get my point here… Develop practice around your plans – it only takes a couple of minutes… most of the time you can do it in the car on the way to your practice…

Side Note… Keep a journal or notepad of your practice sessions and what you wanted and did accomplish. You’ll be amazed how keeping notes will keep you on path…

Got a question for you – How many of you go to the grocery store without a list? When I go without a list, I seem to always come home with 50% of what I already have at home (didn’t need) and the other 50% seems to add up to nothing… 3 bags of potato chips, no meat, etc… Guess what is for dinner next week… we’ll have a bag of potato chips… Think you get my point here… Lists/Journals, etc… help you keep on track.

Side Note #2 – anytime – come to our academy and ask to see Todd’s and my journals… they number in the 100s…. you’ll see exactly what we are talking about…

Practicing with a Purpose is what the 10%ers do – Guessing and Wishing during practice is what the 90%ers do. The 10%ers are getting better, the 90%ers are hopefully at least getting a little aerobic exercise…

Third – HAVE CHECKPOINTS – When you practice – do you have checkpoints in your swing?

For example, when you set up over the ball – what are you looking at to check your grip, setup, stance, shoulders, etc… especially when you practice… you MUST have checkpoints. In fact, some of these checkpoints will carry over to on the course, and some will allow you to be “more comfortable” when you are in those nervous on course situations. Meaning – the better your checkpoints, the more you use your checkpoints in practice, the more confident and comfortable you will be when you “tee it up”.

Examples – (a couple).

Example #1 – What is your checkpoint between your set up and starting your backswing? Do you have one? Mine is glancing down to make sure the grip end of the club (but end) is pointing at my lead side (for me it is just above my lead hip and below my armpit) with every club (except my putter). I DO NOT pull the trigger unless the club is pointed to this position. Yes, 99% of the time this is an acquired habit – but I will also be honest, there has been times (when I am nervous, etc…) when I have caught myself “fudging” a little and the set up is too far back. Having the set up too far back for me leads to sliding through the shot, fat shots, miss hits, etc… An easy check that solves MANY problems.

Example #2 – What is your checkpoint for alignment when you are practicing? In other words, when you are practicing, how do you know you have proper alignment with our feet, shoulders, hips, etc… Is it a guessing game for you?? Or do you have a check system. I will tell you, every good player and EVER professional, EVERY time they are having a practice session to work on their swing, puts an alignment aid on the ground to check their alignment. It may be as simple as a golf club pointed at the target, a PVC pipe pointed at the target (hint, hint, hint alumni…), Ernie Els does not practice (when working on his swing) without his rolled up umbrella (typically) pointed at the target for alignment (if you doubt us, feel free to see all our V1 video of Ernie practicing – umbrella, umbrella, umbrella in them all…), even so far as Jack Nicklaus used to have a stripe painted from his practice area to the target so he could line up exactly…. now that is TRUE alignment.

That is only a couple of examples – but you must acquire CHECKPOINTS throughout your swing. Ways to check your grip, ways to check your setup, ways to check your alignment, ways to check your leverage angles, and on and on… Checkpoints allow you to determine what is good, what is bad, what needs work, what doesn’t – where to focus, etc…

Think about this… see if it sounds familiar… You have just gone through a 1 hour practice session on the range. You feel like you are hitting it pretty well… you didn’t use an alignment tool for practice. Now you step on the first tee. You line up according to the tee box, as straight as you can and hit it right into the trees. You playing partner says, “you looked like you were lined up there”. So the next tee, you think you need to close up a little to make up for your alignment – now, comes the slice…. or worse, tops… Guess what – tell me how effective your one-hour practice session was before the round??

90%ers have no checkpoints, the 10%ers have checkpoints, use them, understand them and check them often.

Last (For Now – I guess until my next “soap box” talk): You must have a REFERENCE. What do I mean by Reference – something that you can look at, listen to, maybe even “feel” that will help you in the process to a better golf swing. If you don’t have a reference, what are you trying to learn??

Let’s list some references:

  1. A lesson / school / camp – personal attention. This is obviously the best reference – someone telling you what to do, showing you what to do (and I will admit here 100% – if they are not showing you on VIDEO – in other words – filming your swing and comparing to a model – please go elsewhere. You are not getting your money’s worth). Your swing is MUCH more important than that to you and I can guarantee the $ you spent on the lesson/school, etc… well afforded you time on the video system. Please, please, please insist (and ask) for video instruction – I will GUARANTEE you an ENHANCED learning experience once you can see yourself.
  2. Some type of instructional material – Especially if you can not come to a lesson or school. As you have heard us say many, many times – a picture is worth a thousand words, and a video/DVD instructional piece is worth a 1,000,000 pictures. Our core instructional piece is our GGA TOTAL GAME OVERVIEW – What the Moe Norman Swing is All About. This was written by Todd and myself to help ALL our students with their long game, short game, on course, and as important – how to practice. This was written because of the lack of all other good single axis instructional material in the market. If you have others – great – I will personally guarantee this 100% – you will see no more detailed beginning instruction for Moe’s swing. If you know of any other, please let me know – would love to pass them on to everyone…

So when all is said and done… do you want to be a 10%er or a 90%er…. I know what I have spent my golfing career trying to do… let us help you… that is what we are here for.

(Last Side Note…): Scott and I (Tim) answer the phones during the day. In fact, basically from sun up to sun down, we are on the phones talking to our students/ single plane golfers…. Give us a CALL or email anytime. Don’t hesitate to pick up the phone and call us. Ask us anything about the swing, let us help you… want a good reference – CALL or EMAIL US!! And when we are in Florida, or during schools…. don’t hesitate to call then too…. you wonder why Scott always has an ear piece in…. he is very diligent about answering the phones, getting messages to me and Todd and helping you in any way he can… again – don’t hesitate to call anytime and call often.

Want to end with a quick story (ease off my soap box…)

This past week (actually yesterday), Geoff Shaw finished first in a large tournament at Gallardia Golf Course here in Edmond, OK. Many of you may remember Geoff from past emails – Geoff is one of my (Tim’s) students from Edmond. He is on the Edmond North High School team which has member’s that include Kevin Tway (Bob’s son) and others ranked very high in the US. Geoff came to me about 2 years ago, was having a hard time breaking 80 (mid-80s) and him and his father were very frustrated with a lot of instruction they had had. I began working with Geoff. He is ABSOLUTELY single axis – he is ABSOLUTELY a model of Moe’s swing – he works on it continuously, studies our instructional material often (studies and reviews our TGOV and asks questions about our 7 principles ALL the time) and is now beating all those that beat him in the past.

Yesterday, Geoff played 36 holes at Gallardia (home of the 2004 Senior PGA Tour Championship) and shot 69 – 70, for a two round total of 139 (5 under par). Moe Norman’s golf swing – Geoff (aka Mini Moe…. from the left side – Geoff is left handed) – is quickly on the way to being one of the top-rated high school golfers in the country. Already schools such as Duke, Arizona and others are making scholarship offers (Geoff is only a Junior)… if for one second you think Moe’s swing doesn’t work and isn’t on the way to being “part of the wave of the future” you are greatly mistaken….

Next time you are in OKC – at our academy, sure you will see Geoff hanging out in my office – ask him to hit a few for you… better than that, have Todd and Geoff face each other and give you a quick demo…. you’ll be amazed how easy it is…

Good Luck!! PLEASE don’t hesitate to call or email us anytime!! Remember – ALWAYS PRACTICE WITH A PURPOSE

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