BR_Little Red Book Harvey Penick Flashcards
Q: “When I ask you to take an aspirin, please don’t take the whole bottle.”
Sometimes a tiny change can make a huge difference. But don’t overdo the tiny change. Many times in an effort to improve more, you soon are lost and confused.
What’s the problem?
First decide if it is the swing itself, or the angle of the CF at impact.
The looking up alibi. By the time you look up, the mistake has already happened Hogan says he loses sight of the ball “somewhere in the DS”.
Hand Position on setup.
I like to see your hands toward the inside of your left thigh on every shot except the driver. With driver, I want your hands at your zipper. If this moves them behind the ball at address, that is fine.
Most important club: The putter. The woods are full of long drivers.
Grip: One grip does not fit all. Go back to Vardon grip and see if it works with catching a raindrop swing.
Grip the shaft like I grip my bird. Hold club firm but not tight.
Waggle. It relieves tension Never take more than two waggles.
Beginning. Master putting, chips and pitches, then irons. Drivers will be last thing to master!
Need help? One bad day, forget about it. Two bad days, go back to basics. Three bad days, get a professional lesson.
Right elbow – Always extends on BS. Always folds back to body on DS. [MN: keep the triangle extended start to finish on swing.]
Take dead aim!
Concentrate on where you want ball to go and end up position. Forget about making a fool of yourself in front of your friends.
[MN: Tell yourself your mission plan before you address the ball!]
Refuse any negative thought and swing away! You will be surprised how often your mind will make the muscles hit the target! Take dead aim!
Beware. The lousy player reaching your level. He has grooved his faults and knows how to score! REM Roy Taylor thinking about you being a horrible player then making excuses to leave our singles match when we was about to lose the match.
HT knock 5 strokes off your game.
The average golfer doesn’t improve stroke by stroke. He improves by plateaus. The 95 suddenly becomes 90. Once you reach 75 or so, you are no longer an average golfer, but you are approaching the expert level where improvement comes more slowly.
[MN: A par golfer is considered an expert golfer.]
** Short game – Magic words.
The higher your score, the faster you can lower it with the short game. Half your score is within 60 yards of the flag!
At the driving range, average golfer is hitting drives! Average golfer spends about 5% of the time on shots 60 yards and less. This is half his score, and he ignores it and hits drivers and long irons! Short game SB 90% of your practice. Only 10% for irons and drivers.
Bobby Jones said the secret of shooting low scores is the ability to turn 3 shots into 2. Shoot 100 - 1/3 the shots = 67!
Emerson said, “Thinking is the hardest work in the world. That is why so few of us do it.”
Practice swings – Always aim your practice swings at a target. Then repeat the swing when you hit the ball! ie: Square the CF on practice swings.
** Aiming: Take your stance and hold a clubshaft along the front of your thighs Look where the club is pointing, and you will see where you are aiming. Laying a club on the ground at your FEET will tell you very little.
Seasoned Citizens:
Like chess, golf is a game that is forever challenging but can never be conquered.
Seniors: Let the left heel come up and the left arm bend for a longer, freer swing. Keeping the left heel down makes it all the harder to pivot and turn on DS. Do not raise your heel, just let it come up as it will want to do.
A straight left arm inhibits the turn. A senior should try to swing longer, not shorter, as the years go by.
Another block to the swing is keeping the head down too long. This prevents a good FT because the golfer cannot swing past hip high with the head still down.
Older golfers must play with softer shafts. “R” shafts or even softer is “A” shafts. Seniors cannot get the most out of stiffer shafts.
A longer club causes a big change in swing plane, from upright to flat.
Flat swings require more turn, which is harder for older players.
[MN: Maybe I should flatten 3W and Driver swings because of longer shafts]
** Do not hit down on the ball in fairways. Just do it on hard pan lies. Hitting down on ball is an out of date technique.
A senior golfer should devote 75% practice time to short game. A retired person has time to practice short game Short shots do not require strength or flexibility.
The left heel:
Old school but good for swing. Don’t lift it but let it come up on BS when it wants to. Jack Nicklaus and Ben Hogan raised left heel when it wanted to come up.
Approach:
If you want to add one more club of power of to your approach, choke up one inch. Never try to hit too much club softly.
Sand Bunkers:
Longer shots hit less sand and closer to the ball. Shorter shots, the more sand you need to hit and reduce the flight distance.
Keep head behind the ball
Nobody keeps their head perfectly still in a swing. If you move your head forward on DS or impact, you will hit a weak ugly shot. Normally a slice.
“Stay behind the ball!”
Keep knees bent until after impact!
- Slowly do entire BS.
- At top of BS replace left heel solidly on ground and at same time bring right elbow to your side. Take the club down about 1/3 of the way to the ball. Then stop a moment and hold and feel it.
- Next start from your holding position and do it again back to the top of BS. Do this 4 times in a row.
- Next make the full swing at last, still in super slow motion into a high finish with elbows out front and your head coming up slowly as if to watch a good shot. Hold the
You are teaching your golfing brain and your muscles are learning to start DS by planting your weight and moving your lower body to the left, and you are coming to the ball from inside with your hands quiet, trailing and still cocked, not leading and spending energy.
Powder the ball:
Use talcum powder on CF to see your contact point.
Maxims:
- The CF going offline produces more poor shots that anything I know of.
- Learn to pick the ball clean. Don’t hoe it!
- Let the ball get in the way of the swing instead of making the ball the object.
- Hitting “fat” is caused by the weight being on the back foot. If weight is forward, it is impossible to hit behind the ball.
- Keep your feet moving to the line of flight. Don’t let them freeze to the ground. [talkng about the DS]
- Let the club go where you expect the ball to go.
- Finishing the swing is very important. Without a good finish, to keep the shot straight is luck!
- Topping the ball is normally caused by stiffening the knees. Also Topping the ball is caused by closing the CF toward the body” [MN: too early in my swing.]
More Maxims:
- A bad lie? Better try to pick it in preference to hoeing it out.
- Let the right hip take the club back and the left hip bring the club forward.
- Try holding your right shoulder back long as possible to give your left side a chance to get through.
- Let the hands start slightly before the club head on the BS (take away).
Be sure your eyes are trained on a practice ball. Your head will stay well back.
Remember that if the iron number is 3 instead of 7, it doesn’t mean you should swing the club harder! Most high handicap players should lock the driver in a closet and use a 3 wood instead. Overall you will play much better.
