| Author |
 Topic  |
|
|
malbrook
USA
7 Posts |
 Posted - 04/10/2009 : 18:29:49
|
I have a restricted range of motion in my neck due to a surgery where my neck was fused from the C-2 to T1 vertabrae. When I attempt to make a full shoulder turn on take away I end up looking about 3 feet behind the ball. I can't keep my neck still where I am looking at the ball. I realized this doing the PVC drill. This I think has been a big source of my distance problem. i.e. I can hit my 4 or 5 iron longer than I can my driver. Is there a way I can get the distance back with approximately a 1/4 shoulder turn?
|
Chuck |
|
|
Toddg
Administrator
USA
2425 Posts |
Posted - 04/11/2009 : 07:50:14
|
I dont know your entire situation however, I would be interested in how the fusion is affecting your range of motion with your shoulders. What I suggest is that you make sure you are turning your hips as you take the arms back. One thing that would help me help you is if you could send me a video of you performing the PVC drill. I would like to see how I could help you get full range if possible. As far as distance with 1/4 shoulder turn, you must use your arm and hand action fully for sure so make sure you use your arms and hands correctly as they produce quite a bit of speed.
One another note, try something. Sit in a chair and swing a golf club and let me know how far you are able to move the club. I would be interested in how much range you have when your hips are immobilized.
Thanks.
Todd |
 |
|
|
malbrook
USA
7 Posts |
 Posted - 04/12/2009 : 12:32:59
|
| The problem is that when I rotate the shoulders to the right, hopefully 90 degrees, hips 45 degrees, my neck which has only about 20 degrees range to the left cannot turn far enough to maintain sight of the ball. My shoulders will pull it back to a point approximately 2 feet or so behind the ball. I will try to send you the PCV video. Is there an address to mail it to you? Or is there a way I can attach it to an email? |
Chuck |
|
|
|
moe kelly
7 Posts |
Posted - 04/25/2009 : 13:09:27
|
Chuck.......
If you're out there reading this.....I have a question for you
Kelly |
|
|
|
malbrook
USA
7 Posts |
Posted - 04/27/2009 : 23:56:20
|
| Go ahead Kelly. |
Chuck |
|
|
|
moe kelly
7 Posts |
Posted - 04/28/2009 : 02:19:42
|
Hi Chuck...
You say you are hitting your 4 or 5 iron longer than your driver....are you able to keep your neck still when hitting your 4/5/6/7/8/9 irons and wedges??
Kelly |
|
|
|
malbrook
USA
7 Posts |
Posted - 05/07/2009 : 23:49:17
|
| It seems easier to stay still with the mid to short irons that it does with the long irons and woods. |
Chuck |
|
|
|
DougClark
29 Posts |
Posted - 05/20/2009 : 12:48:27
|
Chuck,
Also, you might be a candidate for a shorter driver. The best way to get one is have a decent clubmaker build one. They will know how to add weight so the club retains the proper feel at the shorter length. |
|
|
|
moe kelly
7 Posts |
Posted - 05/28/2009 : 21:38:16
|
Hi again Chuck....
I know everyone is different...but I want to share this with you. When I first started using Moe's swing (in 1999)...suffice it to say that things got worse for me before they got better. It got so bad for me at one point that I STOPPED PLAYING. I couldn't make what Moe called "the longest walk in golf"....(from the practice tee to the first tee).......
There was a facility here in Los Angeles that had a deal at their practice range....ALL YOU CAN HIT for $15.00!!!!!!! Ha!!!!! So I stopped playing....and went there EVERY DAY for eight (yes....8) months. Rain, cold, wind, heat.......NOTHING WAS GOING TO STOP ME!! ha!! The teaching professionals who worked there didn't even try to change me.....they knew I believed in what I was doing, and probably spent half of their time there laughing at me. While they didn't agree with what I was doing....they respected my work ethic....and as it turned out....they are all very dear friends of mine to this very day!! So I went there every day for eight months and hit (at age 40) 600-1000 balls EVERY DAY!!!!
The only clubs I took with me to these daily sessions were my 6 iron through SW. NO WOODS. I finally broke through after about 3 months and found a way to get maximum distance with minimal effort. After all...I figured...Moe Norman said "effortless power, not powerless effort". It was the best feeling I have ever felt. I was playing the Natural Golf P3's at the time....and was delivering the most punishing blow to the ball I have ever delivered, with a backswing somewhere between my hip and right shoulder. I finally figured out how to keep my right heel down way past impact....and the release!!!!!! OH MY GOD!!!! THE POWER!!! OH MY GOD!!! I was in heaven!!!
My goal was to groove my new swing with my irons to such a degree that when the day came I picked my Driver out of my bag there would be only one swing I could take. I didn't want to take it back any longer...I didn't want to swing it any harder....I didn't want it to be any more violent.......and that was always MY PROBLEM. Longer club....bigger swing.....longer club....harder swing.....longer club.....more violent swing. When I watched Moe on tape (and I had every tape available at the time) he took the same swing no matter what club was in his hands....correct me if I am wrong.....he took the exact swing from wedge to Driver. In fact, when asked "what is the easiest club to hit?"............Moe's answer was always "The Driver"..........and then he would say "I got a perfect lie with it every time!!" (ha.....)
Anyways, I continued hitting shotswith my irons every day until seven months had gone by. I realized I had fought off the temptation to hit my Driver for seven months!! You know how hard that is to do?? ha!! I had the move pretty much trapped at this point. Effortless, fun little flat-footed shots pure and simple. Okay.....at this stage I was no longer calling it the "practice range"....no.....this was now "the office" ..........ha!! I decided to take out the Driver one day.
All I can say is.....I took the same swing. There was no other swing I could take. It felt so weird. Short backswing....slow tempo....flat feet (probably the MOST important part for me)....balanced....no swaying....it felt SO WEIRD to be swinging a long club like that. The result?? The feeling of greatness!!!!!! The range was lightly uphill with a berm out at the end at about 265. The result was the same on every shot.....pure contact....one hop....second hop....OVER THE FENCE AT THE BERM!!!!!! And let me tell you....when that ball went over that fence IT WAS SCREAMING!!!!
As I said at the beginning, everyone is different......but I think ALL GOLFERS (regardless of what swing they use) should spotcheck themselves to make sure they aren't trying to do anything with their move when there is a driver in their hands that they wouldn't do if they were holding a 7-iron.......I may be wrong....but I THINK with your full-swing move it should be the same regardless of what club is in your hands.
If you are hitting your short/mid irons well enough....you may actually be much closer to crushing your Driver than you may know....and possibly the only thing stopping you from doing it is that little extra OOOOOMPH!! we all (myself included) want to try to put on the ball when a longer club is in our hands....and that's the great thing about this move.....LESS REALLY IS MORE!! Good luck to you Chuck and I hope the situation with your neck will improve for you. I have bone spurs in my neck and have to go see the chiro and accupuncture people once a month.......
Kelly |
|
|
|
malbrook
USA
7 Posts |
Posted - 06/19/2009 : 11:21:33
|
| Kelly, Thank you. I believe you nailed it. I know that my backswing is sometimes out of control and too far back. The other thing you nailed is the practice time. I,like most amateurs, do not practice enough. But you gave a great tip for my "practice with a purpose". I know I can't stop playing that long, however, I can work more intensively on my shorter swing and keeping the right foot on the ground till after contact. Those are my two greatest faults. Thank you again Kelly. |
Chuck |
|
|
|
malbrook
USA
7 Posts |
Posted - 06/29/2009 : 00:23:31
|
 Kelly,
I just wanted to let you know I have been working your tip. It is not ingrained yet but it is improving things already. Got a way to go but it sure makes for better shots. |
Chuck |
|
|
|
moe kelly
7 Posts |
Posted - 07/03/2009 : 04:28:59
|
Hi Chuck.....
I'm very happy to have helped out and it's nice to hear you're working so hard at it....
Keep grinding with those short irons....PW,9,8....those are the clubs to ingrain the correct full swing with.
When I first went to this swing....I immediately hit the ball straighter but lost distance.
I was losing distance because I came off the right heel too soon and was not balanced at impact.
Once I corrected these issues, and I learned how to release the club with my feet flat and my weight balanced....I regained the distance I had originally lost, and then ADDED extra distance over and above that!!
It is my hope that soon I'll hear from you regarding your newfound "added distance" that you never had before...this is when you'll know you're on your way....
When this happens, JUST KEEP INGRAINING IT with your shorter irons. All this work you put in will serve you well when you grab a mid iron, long iron, hybrid, fairway wood, or Driver......and when you do.....just take the SAME SWING.......
I recently changed my irons.......I was playing the Natural Golf Pipelines.....they were decent clubs....nothing great....I did pass the PGA PAT using them....but after I passed the test I knew it was time to step up and I got myself a nice set of Mizunos.
So as I am getting acquainted with my new irons (hitting 250 a day)I am kind of going through the same thing you are right now and my ball striking has improved quite a bit.....I haven't touched my Driver in about a month.....once I'm "dialed" with the new irons, I'll bring out the Driver.
Keep grinding Chuck I'm out here in Los Angeles rooting for you, and please keep me in the loop with how things progress........
Kelly
|
|
|
|
bobperry22
USA
447 Posts |
Posted - 07/03/2009 : 07:07:55
|
Chuck,
Great effort and story - you have inspired me. I can relate to the Driver issues. It has only been lately (after 5 plus years of trying to model Moe) that I am FINALY realizing that I must not try to do anything "extra" with the longer clubs. I don't know if I have your drive or ability to get it worked out in the same way, but you have given me hope.
Thanks, |
Bob Perry |
|
|
|
moe kelly
7 Posts |
Posted - 07/03/2009 : 14:51:36
|
To Chuck and Bob....
Think for a moment how fortunate we are to have discovered Moe Norman, his swing, and how it has changed things for us (for the better) as golfers....
I took ONE (1) lesson from a certified Natural Golf Instructor. This was after I had spent about three (3) years on my own learning this swing. I learned it from videotaping myself and watching videos of Moe.
I went to the lesson and started hitting balls. I'm tall....six feet six inches. You know what he told me? He said...."you look like a six foot six inch version of Moe"...I did by the way...it was about 95 degrees and I was wearing a black turtleneck!! Ha!! At the end of the lesson I realized he hadn't taught me ANYTHING. I was thinking to myself..."this was a pretty lame lesson"...then he said something to me at the end of the lesson that I will be forever indebted to him for.
You know what he said? He said...."Kelly....you're using Moe Norman's swing....now.....let's make it YOUR SWING!!!!"
That was EXACTLY what I needed to hear. I never went back for another lesson. He taught me all I needed to know with one sentence. When I left that lesson....it was MY SWING!!!! I don't think I have ever been so pumped up in all of my life!!
We all have a genetic swing we were born with. My swing will NEVER look EXACTLY like Moe Norman's swing. But My swing looks pretty damn close!! And as long as I remain true to the principles of Moe's swing and I GRIND hard....great things will happen for me in my golfing world.
I'll tell you this....there may be greater players than I am, players with more God-given talent, players who shoot lower scores or whatever......but no one....and I mean NO ONE will out-grind me!! And that's what it's all about....playing Beyond our potential through good old-fashioned hard work. That...in and of itself is the feeling of greatness.
Even Hogan said most golfers have "calluses on their asses instead of their hands!!!"
We all have the drive to do this....the fire is right there within you!!! As Moe said.....turn the "HAVE TO's into WANT TO's"...
So many people want to "TRY" this swing....but sadly, just as they get to the point that they are making progress with it, they give it up for some other "flavor of the month".....
Stay with it, work hard at it.....the dust will settle one day....and when it settles....I hope to see you all there standing there with me (in the middle of the fairway!)....
Kelly |
|
|
| |
Topic |
|
Impaired Neck Range of Motion
