Andrew Rice Golf

Posts Tagged ‘david leadbetter’

News and Notes from the PGA Show

February 1st, 2010 |

Author: Andrew Rice

Here are a few interesting tidbits from the recent PGA Golf Trade Show:

Loudmouth Golf has definitely gone way too far! Their line is turning into a veritable assault on anybody’s unfortunate retinas. Blatantly obnoxious!

Would you be seen dead in these?

Just in case you were wondering they even have a handy dandy matching jacket that goes with these.

As much as I don’t agree with Hank Haney ’s teaching philosophy I do like the latest putting aid he has created (I even like the name they chose!):

The Putting Impact System

This system is available from Eyeline Golf (enter IMPACTBOOK for a discount). To putt better the putter face must be square at impact – very true! TrackMan experts have found that the clubface plays a much bigger role in where the ball goes than the path and this becomes even more of a factor at lower clubhead velocity like in putting. This teaching aid works and I like the ball liner that is included in the package.

V1 Golf remains cutting edge as they continue to pull tricks out their technology laden sleeves. This year students will be able to not only view their lessons online (this is not new) but they will be able to upload those lessons to Facebook to share with their friends and even download the all new iPhone V1 Golf application at iTunes.

v1golf

Another excellent putting aid from Eyeline Golf (enter IMPACTBOOK for a discount) is the Putting Laser+. Use this training aid indoors to get a sense for how the face opens and closes in the stroke while the path should remain on a straight back and through.

The Putting Laser +

During my time spent walking the floor I saw quite a few golf celebrities including David Leadbetter, the aforementioned Hank Haney, Gary Gilchrist, Dottie Pepper, Duffy Waldorf, Anna Nordquist, Paula Creamer, Nancy Lopez, Mike Shannon, Rick Smith, Mitchell Spearman and Jim McLean. It was almost like being at the Grammy’s….

And lastly, if you are travelling to Orlando and plan on staying in the International Drive/Lake Buena Vista area I would highly recommend the Hyatt Regency Grand Cypress. Beautifully refurbished and a steal at the Priceline price of $85 a night! And if you love sushi don’t miss Tiger’s favorite sushi stopover in Amura.

Posted in Commentary |

Tags: amura sushi orlando, Anna Nordquist, david leadbetter, Dottie Pepper, Duffy Waldorf, eyeline golf, Gary Gilchrist, hank haney, Hyatt Regency Grand Cypress, iphone v1 golf app, Jim McLean, loudmouth golf, Mike Shannon, Mitchell Spearman, nancy lopez, Paula Creamer, PGA Golf Trade Show, putting aids, Rick Smith, trackman, v1golf |

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Swing Methods and the Fifteen Second Flameout

July 9th, 2009 |

Author: Andrew Rice

Butch Harmon

Have you ever noticed how various swing fads seem to come and go? It seems like just the other day that Bennett and Plummer’s “Stack and Tilt” swing was the only way to hit a ball properly. How about David Leadbetter? When was the last time you heard from him or one of his players? Do you remember Jimmy Ballard and “connection”? What about Jim Hardy and his “One Plane Swing”? It boggles my mind how these methods pop up, become the hot item and then flare out almost as quickly as they arrived on the scene. They all have one thing in common that led to their ’success’; a tour golfer who wins an event or two with this ‘new and amazing swing’ they just learned. The golfer, feeling indebted to the teacher, proudly proclaims that they could not have achieved their success without this newly discovered way to swing. Please!

Understand that most of these ideas are thought up by very intelligent and well educated golf teachers. The problem I have with these methodologies, however, is that they set their own style of swinging the club. In other words, the club must be swung in a certain fashion for it to work or function correctly. I say an emphatic, “Nonsense!” I do not claim to know everything about the golf swing, but I do know that every great player has a different swing that produces fantastic results – or they would not be great! There cannot possibly be one ‘correct’ way to swing the club!

David Leadbetter

It’s a classic case of putting form before function! “If you swing this new and amazing way you will achieve desired results!” The best players of all time have always had a knack of getting the club on the ball correctly and the game today is no different. A feathery needed to be stuck the same way a ProV1X needs to be hit. Well almost! If every golfer out there could understand impact and physics that make the ball go in the right place AND the wrong place they would be far better off. What difference is perfecting the wrist angle at position seven in the moveaway going to make in your game and ability to compress a golf ball! Form will always follow function. Just ask Lee Trevino, Arnold Palmer, Raymond Floyd, Bobby Jones, Nancy Lopez, Walter Hagen, Bobby Locke…….

Function must be King when you work on your game. Get the ball to sound, feel and fly like you want it to and you are a happy, and very good, golfer!

Things to Ponder:

Watching the AT&T on Sunday looked like the King (Tiger) was taking his young Prince (Kim) out for a little schooling.
Anyone got an over under on the number of days before Carolyn Bivens is out as the LPGA commissioner?
Why when a golfer sets up with their body aiming left it is an ‘open’ stance and when their clubface is aiming right it is an ‘open’ face? Blame the Scots and single malt whiskey for that one.
I have a feeling Paddy Harrington will be back in contention at next weeks ‘Open’ Championship.
A claim could be made that Phil has choked away both majors so far this year!?

Hey, thanks for reading and please tell your friends about this amazing new website that is the latest and greatest golf blog in the whole wide world!!

Posted in Commentary, Swing Philosophy |