The 2013 Swing

thepete · Jan 27, 2012

Another couple of sessions done. We're pretty happy with where it's at now, but we changed one thing which will a) get me closer to the plane (I sometimes get too steep) and b) more speed. I'm just letting my right leg straighten a bit more, a little less flex and it feels kinda Hogan-esque to be honest. If you look at the third image from the top in my previous post, you can see there's no air visible between my legs (insert rude joke). If I'd taken a pic today, you'd see a gap between them down the line. This gives me a lot of power and speed, more drive.

thepete · Jan 31, 2012

Not entirely unrelated, but I put in about 3-5 gym sessions every week to bulk up. Becoming stronger, more explosive and more flexible is a must. I've become a lot of more flexible which I can feel in my swing, my hips separate from my upperbody a lot easier and faster.

In summer I weighed in at a manly (...err) 137 lbs. On January 1st I was at 150 and I'm hoping to hit 155 before the season starts.

the_paulo · Jan 31, 2012

thepete said:
Another couple of sessions done. We're pretty happy with where it's at now, but we changed one thing which will a) get me closer to the plane (I sometimes get too steep) and b) more speed. I'm just letting my right leg straighten a bit more, a little less flex and it feels kinda Hogan-esque to be honest. If you look at the third image from the top in my previous post, you can see there's no air visible between my legs (insert rude joke). If I'd taken a pic today, you'd see a gap between them down the line. This gives me a lot of power and speed, more drive.

Great updates Pete, sounds like you're really embracing the changes and understanding what you're trying to do - which is key when making any dramatic change, I reckon.

Funnily, last year I spent the whole season trying to stop myself straightening the right leg too much, and lessening that gap seen between my legs! It's a confusing game!

thepete · Jan 31, 2012

the_paulo said:
Great updates Pete, sounds like you're really embracing the changes and understanding what you're trying to do - which is key when making any dramatic change, I reckon.

Funnily, last year I spent the whole season trying to stop myself straightening the right leg too much, and lessening that gap seen between my legs! It's a confusing game!

Thanks paulo! I was a bit confused as to why I'd want ease the flex in my right fleg, but when I felt it understood.

TC · Jan 31, 2012

I enjoy following along with your process Pete. I think you do a nice job of explaining what you're working on, and of course, tons of pictures. Sweet beard to bro!

Nate · Jan 31, 2012

Nice updates Pete! Need any help with chipping let me know.

CharlieMoy · Jan 31, 2012

Fantastic work pete. Good job. Looks great!!

thepete · Jan 31, 2012

Nate said:
Nice updates Pete! Need any help with chipping let me know.

Nonsense, forward press is the only way!

thepete · Feb 7, 2012

Had another session today...and I'm done with my changes for this off-season. Basically what we've achieved is a much more centered swing that stays closer to one plane than before. It's a bit flatter and much more compact, with the clubface being square for a longer period of time. There're no flips with the wrists or anything, so it's much more economical and easier to repeat.

In the coming weeks I'll just keep working on keeping the plane and my body centered in the backswing. Will be a lot of fun to try this out for real in Spain from february 17-24!

thepete · Feb 19, 2012

Verdict after one day of practice and play here in Spain: it works. I've never hit the ball straighter. I missed one fairway (the first) and no greens yesterday when we played 9 holes. My clubhead is square for a longer period of time = more margin of error. I'm hitting it about half a club further with what feels like an 80% swing. Obviously it's warm and the ground is dry, but I hit 3 drives that were over 330 yards yesterday.

Nice to see all the hard work indoors and in the gym pay off.

MarcH · Feb 20, 2012

Good to hear Pete. Keep it up, work hard!

thepete · Feb 28, 2012

Spawned from the discussion in the driving range session-thread. It doesn't look quite like it felt too me, but it looks a lot better than it did!

the_paulo · Feb 28, 2012

That looks pretty good now Pete. You can really see a difference with the before and after. Looked like your body was trying to come into play before, now it's looking a lot smoother and more controlled - more natural if you will. Look forward to hearing how you get on with it when you hit the course.

thepete · Feb 28, 2012

Cheers paulo! I was probably exhaggerating a bit but that was the jist of it. More arms and shoulder involved, now it's more touchy with the hands.

interlooper · Feb 28, 2012

thepete said:
Spawned from the discussion in the driving range session-thread. It doesn't look quite like it felt too me, but it looks a lot better than it did!

Thank you, Pete. I can definitely see what you were talking about. It is not as exaggerated as I envisioned in my head, but I can definitely see it. I am going to experiment some more... including your technique with a belly.

thepete · Mar 2, 2012

Put in some reps with ye ole SAMs Putt Lab.

Hello Star Trek!

This is good.

Very frustrating day. Wanted to swing the club but my morning gym session left me crippled. Damn deadlifts! Could only putt and didn't do it very well. Eventually gave up and went home, realised I'd been holding the club too much with my left hand. Rolled some putts using only my right hand it was back. Gripping it solidly with my right and then featherlight with my left does the trick.

Stupid game. You think you've got it figured out and...

interlooper · Mar 8, 2012

That is a sweet system.

thepete said:
Put in some reps with ye ole SAMs Putt Lab.

Hello Star Trek!

This is good.

Very frustrating day. Wanted to swing the club but my morning gym session left me crippled. Damn deadlifts! Could only putt and didn't do it very well. Eventually gave up and went home, realised I'd been holding the club too much with my left hand. Rolled some putts using only my right hand it was back. Gripping it solidly with my right and then featherlight with my left does the trick.

Stupid game. You think you've got it figured out and...

thepete · Mar 10, 2012

Another swing. Worked on ground pressure and keeping my back posture through the swing. I have a tendency to get a bit of Quasimodo going, which makes it hard to clear the hips. I'm a lot more centered through the swing, which is one of the things I've focused on this winter.

thepete · Apr 6, 2012

Did some bunker practice. Technique looks weird but it's great.

sharkwrestler · Apr 17, 2012

thepete said:
Did some bunker practice. Technique looks weird but it's great.

Pete I tried this last week and I was very surprised of the outcome. Quite different with the front foot position, but with the weight forward everything came through very smooth with the swing. I will put into practice this week and see if I have a similar outcome.

Thanks for video's and in put.

thepete · Apr 18, 2012

sharkwrestler said:
Pete I tried this last week and I was very surprised of the outcome. Quite different with the front foot position, but with the weight forward everything came through very smooth with the swing. I will put into practice this week and see if I have a similar outcome.

Thanks for video's and in put.

That's great to hear. I love this technique, it's very repeatable. Early on before you get the hang of it, you might fluff a lot of them (esp if there's lots of sand), but you learn to adapt soon enough.

interlooper · Apr 18, 2012

This is pretty similar to the Ben Crane technique. It works well out of a lot of the sand here in Chicago too, where it isn't as fluffy as you see in Florida regions.

Nate · Apr 18, 2012

Interesting bunker stance there Pete. What's the though process behind it? What are the pros and cons? What about a semi-buried lie, can you still take the same stance and approach?

thepete · Apr 19, 2012

Nate said:
Interesting bunker stance there Pete. What's the though process behind it? What are the pros and cons? What about a semi-buried lie, can you still take the same stance and approach?

You swing on the plane, rather than the old steep-as-heck-technique = you dig less and get more spin. You also hit it with straight spin, which is cool.

For buried lies...I don't know, haven't tried that. I would assume it works, just a matter of ball position, club selection and how you use the face and bounce.