Wanted to congratulate Macs for shooting a career best 74 today including a fine 33 on the back nine. Good stuff. Macs was one of the first ABS students I worked with at the inception of the program here.
We chatted a bit about his journey with ABS so far and he agreed to discuss a bit about the process and how he has gone from a 20+ handicap mid 90’s shooter down to a 7 since starting the Module work here about 2 1/2 years ago. Playing now off 6 degrees flat and very heavy irons, he discussed with me some of the highs and lows of the journey, but the module #8 work seems to have been a significant catalyst to improvement. Macs has also been working on the putting concepts that have been developing on the back side here over the last year and I know a few have been having very positive results including myself.
We will look forward to having Macs share his thoughts and insights into his continuing transformation.
Inspiring stuff. I’m really happy for the guys that have had big improvements in the early modules, but it is very reassuring for the rest of us that big ‘aha’ moments are still to cone in the later modules as well. Congrats macs–how heavy are you set up?
thanks guys
I will just give a little bit of my background. I am 47, played cricket at college level and played grqde B squash for a long time (I grow up among the champs). In late 2005 I was living in Queens New York and was looking for an accible squash court but played nothing for more than a year. One day driving around the neighbourhood, I saw a sign for golf close out and went in to may be find some shirts. The guy was an exellent salesman and seeing that I picked no shirts, he tied to sell golf clubs to me. He had a ton of mismatch golf clubs, but said for a start I only needed what was called a driver, a six iron and a putter, so I bought those. Looking through the yellow pages, I found the little pitch and put course inside the Flushing US tennis Center. Went in there with those clubs; the club pro literally to get out of there as I might kill someone with those two clubs on a course with 88 yards as the longest hole. On his advise and out of embarassement, I went to a local Dick’s and bought a PW. The first time I came to putting on the first green, I felt like I belong here. I still remember that day with exhalaration. After a little while I found a bag with a set of classic Magregors with persimmon and lots of kids clubs placed outside some one home for pick up. Now I wish I had not traded them for my next set of irons.
Any how I tried to figure the golf swing myself at the Douglaston driving range and in the process got stress fractures of 7 ribs, after which I went in for a lesson package and thats how I started golfing. Since my first round on Kissena Park in Queens, in July 2006, I hardly remember missing a possible golfing day. I live in Edmonton Canada with 6-7 months of golf a year.
Like most everyone had lots of frustration and kept spending money on the next most forgiving set of clubs; the last one Nickent 3DX hybrid set (gone now). In my first winter in Edmonton, I bought a range mat and hit balls in the basement every day. Took a golf conditioning course that winter. No headways. The next winter I enrolled into an indoor golf facility (also training the local unviersity team) which involved an instruction package along with hitting balls on simulators. (these guys had a Trackman on site but only used as a ball tracker and did not know the more useful info). Just before I found Lag on Iseek, my coach Steve (plays on some kind of tour in the midWest during summer) would make me do the takeaway for hours while looking at a TV screen (god that hurt). At the same time was getting winer lessons from some one called Kiwi Golf Pro (would always start the lesson with description of the teaching offers he is getting from South. California).
contd:
At this time, I was fishing everywhere. Started communicating with Jeffman and as a physician had great trust in his “wisdom”. I believe that how I got into TGM and followed him to Lag’s Golfing Machine Forum. At the start I could not believe how on earth can an ex pro like Lag be more correct in comparison to the scientific method of Jeffman. But some how during the course of that thread and especially Prot’s thread got convinced enough to join ABS. This was March 2009, and the intial feeling of hitting balls with M1 felt good. I am rather non trusting to sales pitch and thought Lag is going to sell us some special impact bag to be followed by a new gadget for every module. The thing that really got my trust was the simple idea of an army bag filled with carpet that I jumped into the dumpster for, near a carpet store.
The idea of having to buy a blade irons was a whole new challenge. My first one were Ram Featherlites (the lightest clubs on earth) bent 6 degrees glat. In Dec 2009, while on module 4, I visited wiht Lag (alongwith Arnie) and played some really insignificant golf but Lag shot an under par round in drenching rain for 18, holes at Lincoln Park.
On the way back I played some golf in Vegas with a set of Lag’s Bounce Soles and was literally cursing Lag for the idea that every one of us can play these monsters. Was really humiliated by a young University of Nevada golf team member with all the shiny gear and was so glad he quit after 9.
All this while I have been doing the modules pretty religiously, always using my untrusting brain to question them a lot. Golf had been up and down, mostly down. I lost a significant amount of money to our clubs senior champion as I refused to take strokes against an 8-9 handicapper golfing for more than 40 years, although would still beat him once in a while. This past winter I did a lot of chips in my basement trying to hit and stop at least two balls on a three foot door mat(can take a lot of chipping some days) or try to land a couple in a shirt pocket hung on a wall. So that part has been pretty much at scratch level this year.
During this time till last year my only significant achievemenbt were three under 80 rounds last year and a 38, on the back nine at the TRGA in Vegas this January (Bradley had 38). I imposed myself on our club’s interclub team this year but did not win anything. Late July was when I was feeling to put the module work on the course. For me at least, module 8 has been a big step forward because I have finalazed my grip (probably) the way it should work through the hitting zone (P3- P4). We had our club championship at his time and although I made big numbers, I was hittig my driver with a freedom that I had not had before. I mean during those two days I was putting the driver where long time members had never seen anyone put it. But I still sent a few into the woods.
But hanging on to that feeling has transformed into ginormous driving, I am hitting my 9 degree titanium (the lie measures 55 degrees ??? flat) with an extra Stiff Fujikura 360 (75 gram shaft), 280 yards plus. And I can go round after round without putting one out of play. I dont go for every fairway given the rough is not too thick. But boy this has freed me to concentrate on my game inside the 150 yards.
Today me be the last nice weather day here, but could not have been better this year. Hitting 9 small greens makes this game a whole lot easier. I missed birdies from 5,6, 10, 15, 25, and 4 feet. Is this going to be me during this next year??. I hope so. One thing I am really happy about is that I am going to enjoy this game for a long time.
I am so proud to be one of the first one to have found and put my trust in Lag. I feel very smart for having done that almost three years ago when few knew him. Along the way have met some really nice Homosapiens. Bradley you are a gem of a person. Robbo, Teddy, Arnie, Cheese Donkey, NRG it feels like I am finishing another residency with another bunch of great guys. Will count in the rat and Bom too, for their contribution.
@CRR
I think the issue of equipment has been a big one. Playing on a country club where you are required to spend $2000 a season in the club house and tinkering with $11, $17, $50 (shipped) golf clubs certainly raised eyebrows. I have owned two sets of Rams(the XPD 100 are still here and one of the heaviest), two sets of bounce soles, a set of Twomaster’s Aussie Blades, three different sets of Magregors and set of Wilson Pros. When I recieved the Wilson Pros from Lag, they just fit in at 5 iron 37.5". So I have adjusted all my sets at that length. That to me has been a big advantage of owning a number of clubs.
The MacGregor VIP limited that I used today are the heaviest clubs I have seen so far with the 5 iron at 16 oz (453 g); 37.5 inches and D5. They were bought for $11.00, 2-PW, set up by Lag himself. The original shaft is unique tourney No. 2 which is fluted and non stepped.
One thing I went on with my iron sets was to hang on to the original grips out of nostalgia. I think that is very wrong because a 30-50 year old grip just is’nt good enough. If Lag was to ever write ABS commandments, I will suggest “THOU SHALL NOT HANG ON TO OLD GRIPS BUT CHANGE THEM ASAP TO STURDY CORDED ONES”.
Well done Macs, yours is a great story and I’m really pleased for you. I remember our visit to Lags place fondly. The pattern is clear - those students that have shown sustained commitment to module work have experienced the greatest improvements.
Great stuff Macs, as we well know, what Lag teaches here isn’t easy for some of us to do, but I think you are demonstrating that you have the bloody minded determination to succeed. Well done!
Nice account Macs…pretty cool you didn’t take strokes from that guy, or anyone for that matter…says a lot.
Seems like only yesterday I was walking around the rat’s nest with these yellow sticky things attached every which way trying to figure out what the hell you guys were talking about in referring to lie angles.
As for contributions…well I can’t speak for Bom, although his thoughts on things are right up there with the best, but my goal is to steal as much cheese as possible before the rat sniffer doesn’t work anymore.
Well done macs! I bet you’ve had some moments where you wondered whether it was all worth it but now you are reaping the rewards of all the hard work. An inspiration. Cheers, Teddy.
Frankly I dont know. I was not particularly concerned with distance but it sure does not hurt. I picked up accuracy and distance together. Most times now I am trying to swing the driver below full throttle. I have stopped taping and analyzing my swing. I am doing more module 6 but do not think of it on the course. The only thing that feels different is my right wrist feels like its holding on to a ton of weight at p3 (almost like something heavy fell onto it). That must be better dropping of the club but for the first time I am feeling this huge pressure in my right wrist at p3 which I needs to be released with full force. I hope that makes sense.
Intention wise I have only two. Swing the club back followed by squeeze your feet as hard and for as long as you can.
thats a great improvement in such a short time. I know so many 18+ handicappers at my course who have been so for decades so its great to see people break the mold.
At what point during the modules did you feel you swing fall into place? or is it a never ending progression of small improvements?.
Also what driver do you use? I noticed you said you use a Titanium?.
I was making progress by bits and pieces and back and forth, but as I said two months ago I started hitting the driver straight or with a slight draw and long. It took about a month to get adjusted to aiming more on spot rather than always to the left and playing off a fade or a push fade. That freed me up to concentrate on controlling my shots inside 150 yards and more recently Lag’s advise to take club upto the front of the green.
I have a ton of persimmon clubs and used to play them but rarely since the last two months as I am on a ride hitting my (now bankrupt) La Jolla 400 CC 9’ driver. I have amassed 10 of these heads to last me for a long time. They still can be had for dirt cheap on E-bay. Best Titanium driver available IMO i.e smaller head; a no non sense deeper face design and no funky markings on it.
I remember our visit to Lags place fondly. The pattern is clear - those students that have shown sustained commitment to module work have experienced the greatest improvements.
