Todd and I are sitting here in the airport, about 2 hours after the final day of our last 3 day school here in Orlando, and as always we are talking about our previous weeks schools... what we saw, what we taught, is there a better way or different way to teach our students, etc.. And as always, there are a few points that always seem to "pop" up after all our schools... I wanted to share these with you, as in the next couple of etips we are going to start our winter practice recommendations and want everyone to get a "jump start" on recommendations.

Before I start, I want to say that in NO WAY am I pointing out anyone in particular... and hopefully as many of you know by now, I tend to tell it as it is... I believe "sugar coating" anything only leads to confusion and that is definitely something we want to avoid in golf instruction...

So here we go.... (hold on for the ride...) - Before we go on - Todd and I figured out between us, we have now taught for close to 30 years... and played competitively and taught for over 60 years combined...

1. Todd and I are continually amazed how many students come to our school with (I will say it as tactfully as possible...) poor fundamentals. Not fundamentals of being on plane, leverage angles, etc.. but rather grip and set up fundamentals. Let me give everyone a hint out there - if you have a poor grip and/or poor set up - THERE IS A HIGH LIKELIHOOD you will not and can not swing the club on plane. The grip and set up should be two of the easiest fundamentals to master.... as long as you have a reference and you check your positions to that reference. Guys..... and again I'll be as tactful as possible.... this is NOT that hard... get your reference (The ABSOLUTE best is the our Single Plane Solution) and video or even take still pictures of your set up - compare them. Be hard on yourself. Where is your lead hand, compare to all the views on the instructional material - what does your set up look like... again compare to the reference.

Now I'm going to really be as honest as possible..... and for those who don't want to hear this... I'll apologize before I go on.... if you have the NG training material - it is NOT good enough... this is why we produced the Single Plane Solution.... this is also why everyone who signs up for our 3 day school gets the Total Game Overview with the school - it is an ABSOLUTE must to learn Moe's swing..... here is a challenge I want to throw out to everyone out there - please, please, please let me know if there is any better instructional material about Moe's swing... this is exactly why Todd and I produced this instructional material - because we couldn't find it. This is 15+ years of studying Moe's swing put on videos/DVDs....

Sorry for that rant... now I'll get back to the points...

2. At the beginning of every school - I typically give a talk about topics such as "Taking Responsibility for Your Own Swing", "Peaks and Valleys of Learning the Swing", "Perceptions vs. Reality", etc.. The reason I give this talk is to set up our students expectations and to help them understand what they are about to go through. During that talk I always tell them - during our schools you will NOT see improvement in your ball striking until at the earliest the
middle of the third day to the end of the third day. As I tell this to the students on day 1, they look at me with this blank look on their face, basically telling me "Ya, right... you'll see, you'll tell me a thing or two I'm doing wrong, and I'll have it... perfect.." Then the school starts, and WITHOUT exception, it happens every time... first day - a lot of learning, but you see frustration with the students.. they want quicker results. Day #2 - continued learning and improvement - but still some sense of urgency as the school is nearing the end. Then bingo... day 3. The students ALWAYS comment on day #3 about how they are starting to see and feel the changes. Are they hitting the ball good/perfect yet.. absolutely not, but they can see the path in front of them and are starting to understand the process. I guess this comes from 4 instructors sitting behind them telling them and showing them over and over again what to do. (This past school we had a student whose lead hand grip was too strong on the club... I asked Clay to count the number of times in 2 hours he told him to rotate the hand to the left in the correct position. Clay stopped counting at 15.) Question - Did the student not understand what was being said... Clay told him, I showed him, Todd showed him, Jarod told him again.. problem is the student wasn't focused on solely fixing the grip - he was focused on the entire swing and hitting the ball. After a couple of days, maybe the students get tired of hearing the same things over and over again and due to not wanting us to same the same thing again to them... maybe that is why they start to make changes.. And this is common with 99.9% of our students... focusing on results rather than the CAUSE.

Subnote - this is exactly why we started teaching the 5 day camps and really teach very few one day schools anymore. Imagine if you were in a 5 day camp and on day 3 started to see some improvement. Instead of going home and hoping it "sticks" - you still have 2 more days to ingrain...

3. Focus - This leads us to the topic of focus. We have NEVER met a student who could focus on more than one swing change at a time. Let me rephrase that - NEVER! It is human nature and definitely the nature of golfers to want to work on the entire puzzle rather and perform it a piece at a time. Problem is, we learn a piece at a time. Especially when you are trying to undo "bad" habits or learn new habits...Look at your game and think of it in the smallest terms... "If I could fix one thing in my swing in the next month, it would be ________" Fill in the blank. Make it specific. For example - Grip, Takeaway, Setup, Leverage angles, spine tilt, etc... If you can not fill in the blank or if you are telling yourself, "I just want to fix my swing" remember - A good golf swing is a series of moving parts in proper position making impact in appropriate sequence. If any of those moving parts are not "set correct" the others must either make up for that or there will be an "error" in the system.

4. What do you see???? Have you ever seen your golf swing? The second day of the schools we always film each person's swing. (In our camps we basically film 3 to 4 of the 5 days). It is amazing how many students will see themselves for the first time on video (V1 system) with their swing on the right of the screen compared to Moe's on the left, and they will say "That's not me - or at least not my swing".. Todd and I are always saying to ourselves.. okay, then who is it?? Or, you're right, we got someone who looks just like you to swing like that and we put it in our computers.... As we hear this, we know immediately, they have never seen themselves swing a club before. I will challenge anyone and everyone out there - take a video camera, set it up and film your swing (only takes a couple of minutes). Go home and look at it... be honest with yourself and describe what you see. Now take a reference, (like our Single Plane Solution) and compare the swings and positions..... THERE IS NO BETTER WAY TO LEARN AND DETERMINE WHAT YOU NEED TO WORK ON AWAY FROM A SCHOOL OR LESSONS!!!!!! DON'T allow this to be a guessing game - We see WAY too much of this and you're time is WAY too valuable to make it a guessing game.

5. What tools do you use when you practice? How many have check systems as they work on their swing? I can tell you right now, I have practiced with literally 1,000s of touring pros, many you know the names very well. And WITHOUT exception, when they are working on their swings, they always have an alignment tool at their feet. May be as simple as a club laying on the ground, or some other method. Ernie Els always uses his umbrella as a guide. Imagine - you have just gone through a great practice session working on some issue in your swing... and after you finish you realize you were lined up 20 degrees to the right of your target.. what do you think will happen when you get on the course and line up correct (or now differently) at your target..... make a bet it's not pretty... We see this all the time... not practicing with the right tools and check systems which many times are very simple to use.

Anyway - As many of you are probably saying to yourself, enough of your soapbox talk again. But, also as many of you know, Todd, Scott, Trent, Rhett, Clay, Dave, Ron and myself are passionate about making you a better golfer. Like I always say, spending about 1/2 the year 1,000s of miles from your family working with 1,000s of students better be a passion or I would suggest finding other forms of work. If you ever question our passion - I'll give you another "dare" - Give Scott a call... ask him about the swing, your equipment, or any golf related topic.... call anytime.. (you have no idea how many calls we get after midnight) - leave a message if you don't get him right away... see how long he takes to call back.. listen to the passion in his voice about making you a better golfer. That's what it is all about!!!

To finish - this is a start to our winter practice schedule/routines that will be out in the next etips. I have been told by many fellow instructors (many PGA that have taught for years) - you need to tell the student what to do and then get out of his/her way. Let them try and fail, try again, try again.... this is how we learn.

So here is your start -
1. Go to our chatroom http://www.moenormanforum.com/ - talk to our alumni about how they have improved their game.

2. If you don't have reference material to start working toward swing improvement - get it. We recommend to start with our Single Plane Solution, and for advanced work - look at our 7 Principles of Golf Improvement. All this material is guaranteed 100%.

3. If you have a question about the swing, equipment, etc.. call or email us anytime. That is what we are here for.

4. Be prepared to learn and understand what Moe always said "When you get it, you won't believe your eyes".

5. Continue to follow along with our etips and instructional material.

You'll be amazed the changes you'll see the next golf season!!

The 1 hour golf lesson.

For the life of me, I can't figure out why as amateur golfers that we believe that a 1 hour ball beating session overseen by an instructor is going to produce long lasting benefits to our golf game.  What's even more troubling is that the majority of these 1 hour lessons are done without any video feedback.  Having worked through many swing changes myself, and having taught thousands of students in our schools, the majority of golfers simply cannot "feel" a change.  For true success, you have to match the feeling to the correct movement, and video is the only way I've ever seen to match up our perception (feel) to reality (real on video).

The best rationalizations I've come to thus far are these:

1. Golf is a hobby for most amateur golfers.  The goal is simply to not embarrass themselves when they play, so they go to an instructor for a 1 hour lesson to find a way to accomplish that goal.
2. Many amateur golfers still mistakenly believe that there is just one 'secret' that's keeping them from true golf prowess.

For many years I was baffled that Todd and Tim wouldn't take on 1 hour private lessons, but insisted upon a commitment of time from the student before they would even consider teaching them.  As they years have gone by, I now understand the "why" behind that thinking.  You see, for an instructor interested more in their reputation than making a quick buck, the 1 hour lesson is a minefield, which can rarely be navigated safely.

Here's how that minefield works; an instructor agrees to take a 1 hour lesson with a student, and during that lesson immediately realizes that there are some major issues that need to be addressed with the student's swing.  So the instructor has a choice - (a) ignore the major issues and try to get the student to hit the ball better during the lesson (the band-aid approach), or (b) suggest the necessary changes that the student must make for true improvement.  It's a catch 22 for the instructor, and unbeknownst to the student, for him as well.

Why you may ask?

If the instructor tries to put a band-aid on the big problems, the student will inevitably regress to old, bad habits in a matter of days, if not hours.  If the instructor suggests and insists on the major changes needed, the student leaves that lesson and gets invariably worse, because they have not or will not implement the recommended changes.  And who gets blamed for that?  The instructor.

Nobody wins in either situation, and it's a travesty of modern golf instruction.

One of my favorite quotes from Todd to students in our schools is this - "You're either trained, or untrained".  What does he mean by this?

Simply put, if you are trained, you have developed sound fundamentals through coaching and training, over time, through diligent and meaningful practice.  Everything else is untrained.  As much as the golf industry would like to tell you that it isn't true, I believe you know deep down that it is.

So if you are untrained, and you are tired of putting Band-aids on your swing's internal bleeding, what should you do?  Well, there are several options:

1. Devote yourself to matching the Moe Norman model.  It works 100% of the time.  Simply put, the closer you match the model, the more trained you become.
2. Develop a long term approach to becoming trained.  This can include, but is not limited to; attending a school once a year, participating in the Internet Golf Academy, our long distance coaching program, learning to study your swing on video yourself.

Simply put, you have a choice with your game, like every other golfer out there - keep putting band-aids on and hope it stops the bleeding long enough to play a respectable round, or get trained.

Here's what I know to be 100% true 100% of the time - the closer you get to matching Moe's swing with your own, the more consistent and accurate your ball striking will become.  How do I know this?  Because I've experienced myself, first hand, and I've seen it in hundreds of our students who've taken on the task of becoming trained in the Moe Norman swing.  I've never seen a golfer who made a change to match Moe who did not become a better ball striker.

So are you up to the challenge of becoming trained?  What are you willing to do to accomplish that task?

Here's what I'm willing to put forth to help - I'll give you 2 months of our Internet Golf Academy for the price of 1.  $99 for 2 months of personalized coaching on your swing.  In 2 months, we can get 6-8 coaching sessions done with you, and having worked with students in the Internet Academy, we can accomplish a lot of training in 6-8 sessions.  If you're up to that challenge, click here to get signed up.

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The following account isn’t about state championships, All-Ohio accolades, or lucrative college careers. It is about a sometimes larger-than-life kid whose example personified life it isn’t always about the destination, but more about the journey… As I lazily stomped from the saturated turf at Lima Shawnee High School on that dreary and blustery November Friday night in 1993, the scoreboard that just went dark was another painful reminder that I had played in my last high school football game. For a senior in high school, that feeling was an internal Armageddon. While my final muddy steps across the all-weather track grew heavier, I noticed my classmate, Joel Broering, standing awkwardly in the aisle yelling in our direction as we exited the field. Through the years, Joel’s voice was always booming, and this particular time it was difficult to ignore.While I was overly-busy pitying myself after the loss, Joel stood there alone on a pair of crutches, unbeknownst to any of us that he was only a few weeks away from his own funeral.

Growing up, Joel’s head housed one of the keenest sports-minds I had ever known in all of my ten or eleven years of childhood and he wasn’t afraid to let you know. Without the convenience of up-to-minute tweets and text messages, Joel had a knack for reciting the latest scores, injury reports, and roster moves of seemingly every team from Major League Baseball to the USFL, and his bedroom was decked in memorabilia that made even the most humble kids ooze with envy.

Anytime there was a pickup game to be played – whether it was baseball behind Greg Balster’s house on Walnut Street, basketball on the driveway in front of my parent’s garage, or wall-to-wall football in Doug Speck’s living room, there was little doubt that Joel would make an appearance. While most of the time he was welcome, it all depended on whether he was in the mood to argue when things didn’t go in his favor. The funny thing about Joel was how he would rather run through a lion’s cage in a meat suit than lose a game, which was interesting because as smart as he was when it came to sports, he wasn’t all that talented of an athlete. His participation worked out pretty well for me because at 5-5 and 112.75 pounds, he was one of the few kids other than the girls at that age that I had a chance at beating.

Once high school seemingly slammed into us from out of the blue, Joel’s attention faded from football and baseball, and leaned more toward golf and girls. This concept is another fascinating tidbit because while he absolutely excelled at golf, his game toward the girls was in the same relative ballpark as the ones we played in Greg Balster’s backyard, my driveway, or Doug Speck’s living room. One afternoon in 1991, I popped into the downstairs restroom at St. Henry High School and Joel was slouched on the floor in tears. Abiding by the certain code forbidding boys our age asking other boys the same age what was wrong, I headed back to class. A few days later the news broke - Joel had been diagnosed with Acute Lymphocytic Leukemia.

Suddenly, rather than sports, cars, girls, and school dances, Joel’s spare time was filled with coming to grips with chemotherapy, hair loss, countless medicines, and weight fluctuation – experiences no teenager should ever have to burden. Following a nearly-immediate remission, the reigning MVP on St. Henry’s golf team relapsed about a year later. Joel submitted to a bone marrow transplant in early 1993, and for a few months the cancer went back into remission. For a moment, Joel evolved back into the kid we all knew – an energetic ball of, well – Joel.

His progress didn’t last long enough. That summer, Joel was granted a wish by the Make-a-Wish Foundation, and he elected to hang out with his favorite professional golfer - Payne Stewart. For the 1993 Skins Game in Palm Desert, there sat Joel on national television resembling a miniature Stewart as he was decked out in knickers and a tam-style headpiece. After winning the third Skins game in three tries, Stewart presented the trophy to Joel. He returned home and in early December a group of us visited Joel, who was bed-ridden to his living room. To lay there and joke with his friends, only to witness us leave and return to our ‘normal’ teenage lives, had to be excruciating for him and his family, but not once did Joel seem to feel sorry for himself. As we left, I had an unsettling feeling that it was going to be the last time we spoke with our buddy. Unfortunately I was right.

Eighteen years ago this week, we all paid our final respects to our classmate. Joel would be 36 years old in a couple of months. It’s difficult to predict whether he would be married, have kids, or still live in the area, but I think we are all pretty certain that he would be making a living either as a sports writer, broadcaster, coach, or maybe even a defense attorney. There weren’t many people who didn’t know Joel. Whether you engaged in nonstop debates with him or just rolled your eyes when he demanded he was right, the undeniable truth is that on December 11, 1993, St. Henry and the Class of 1994 in particular, lost a good kid at much too young of an age. A generation later, as real life has morphed us from careless high schoolers to warriors fighting a daily barrage of mortgages, deadlines, disciplining kids, and every other curveball imaginable, it is hard not to drift back to the words my cancer-ridden friend hollered from the bleachers that night in Lima as we limped from the field – “Get your heads up guys, life is too short to get this upset!”

Joel Broering, February 13, 1976 – December 11, 1993

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Merry Christmas to all.   Thanks for sharing this with us Gary.

"People don't understand what it takes to improve at golf".

I hear this comment from All instructors and coaches and they say this because of the difficulty of the game and the complexity of teaching the golf swing. Furthermore, if you really observe great golfers, it seems that every one of them is trying to do the same thing (play golf) but they all look different doing it.  In other words, if you want to learn by watching, who do you copy?   Also, learning any physical skill takes time and repetition and most people are not willing to invest in the time and effort necessary, especially if they are unsure of what to do when the y DO practice.

So lets review:

Golf is complicated,

Teaching golf is complicated

There isn't a concrete model to follow

It takes the dedication of Time and Effort to improve

Based on these points, doesn't it make sense to, in some way, find a model which simplifies the golf swing, instruction, and takes less time and effort to improve?  You see, the PGA Tour isn't important.  Moe Norman's golf swing is about you, not the PGA Tour.

So instead of arguing the point of why you don't see Moe's s swing in the PGA Tour, which by the way you see in Steve Striker's swing, I would rather talk about all of the things that the Moe Norman swing can do for you.  The Single Plane Golf Swing is about simplifying the golf swing.  It accomplishes this by a very simple concept that most other methods ignore - biomechanics.  The Single Plane Swing is the easiest way to move your body to strike a golf ball.  This alone is enough to want to make everyone try to swing like Moe.  But there is something that most people don't consider because they don't know better, that golf is a game of consistency.  Those who are the most consistent are the best players.

If you look at golf from this perspective, you would be looking for a consistent golf swing. And if you do your homework, you would learn that there has never been a player more consistent at ball-striking than Moe Norman.

No, I don't argue about Moe Norman's golf swing,  The truth of it is self evident if you understand it.  If you don't understand it you should and if you at some time in your life want to improve, and you continue with learning conventional methods, I will see you sometime in the future if you don't quit first.  So before you quit, do yourself and your golf game a favor, give us a call and learn about an easier more consent way.

After this past week, after receiving a few emails from different students about their swing model, after talking on our forum to a few about following a particular model and after watching the golf channel the other night for only a few minutes, I thought it would be good time for a "refresher" course and the "Tough Love" email again (with a little update of course).

"Tough Love" Email

Okay - going to warn you before you read on. This is one of those "Tough Love" emails - I'm getting back on my soap box (gets a little bigger every year) and am going to try and help you a little through the process of improving your game/swing. To be honest, some of what I'm about to tell you, you might not want to hear or at least, will say "I've heard that a thousand times". But, as many of you know me, I'm not too shy to give my 2 cents; so, if your eyes/ears are a little sensitive you might want to stop reading and come back to this email a little later.

Early each year we get hundreds of emails from students/alumni/customers, etc. who are starting their golf season. Clubs are coming out of the closest, trying to get "rust" off the swing....

Like all of us (yes, include us in the equation), we start setting goals and prospects for this year's golf game. Want to shoot certain scores, want to play in certain tournaments, or even as simple as just want to hit it better or maybe just hit it straight.

This past couple of months we have spent at our academies in Orlando, Oklahoma City and in CT and DE teaching over 250 students at our schools/clinics/camps. Have had a great time with our students, but as usual, have seen a lot of the same issues in their swings and games that can be solved or at least addressed if they use the learning process we discuss quite often.

Here's the process we believe you MUST follow to reach your golfing goals or at least start the process to get to your goals:

1. You MUST have a model to follow. Obviously we believe Moe Norman's Single Axis Swing is the ideal model. You must understand this model and be able to determine the areas of your swing that need work to copy/mimic this model. If you don't have some type of training/teaching material that will teach you this model or help you understand this model, you will be lost - you will have no where to turn.
There are 3 ways you learn a subject: 1. Kinesthetic, 2. Auditory or 3. Visual. 85% of adults learn primarily by visual / sight (what we see). If you don't have material to look at, you are hindering your learning process.

Obviously we recommend our Single Plane Solution Instructional DVDs for this visual (and auditory) learning. This is why we wrote this instructional material. It has NO advertising/ NO commercialization - we have set this up so you have a model to copy and learn from. That is why we give so many views from different angles of all the positions from the grip, set up, back swing, top of swing, leverage angles, impact, and many many more. Also, why we cover the short game with the same emphasis (never forget that 70% of scoring comes within 50 yards of the green) and finally we give instruction on how to take your game to the course and maybe the most important part - how to practice what you are trying to master.

Yes, we do like pictures and feel pictures are an aid to developing a good golf swing. But, you CAN'T beat video or seeing video of a model swing then seeing still positions and graphics that support that video of the model. As we say, a picture is worth a thousand words and a video is worth a million.

Yes, I'll say it here (and probably will be criticized; but again - most of you know how I feel already) - a majority of the material out there pertaining to the single axis swing is LACKING much of the core teachings: that is why we wrote our instructional material in the first place- PLUS - we guarantee 100%.

For more information about our instructional material please see our Products page on the website.

2. Get coaching/instruction if necessary. Nothing beats hands on training if you can take the time and afford the process.

Let's be honest, it's not cheap and we understand that. This is also why our staff works as hard as they do to make sure your experience at our training facilities and teaching locations meets, and we hope, far exceeds your expectations.
Almost every student we have taught (in fact, I can't remember one that didn't) will tell us before they leave our instructional school/camp - "I couldn't believe I needed to change that much" or "I couldn't believe how much different the change feels than I thought it would". To be honest, that is exactly what we want to hear. As any good instructor will tell you, "The student must feel like he/she is giving you a mile to actually give an inch". Meaning - if you think you might be making a change - chances are you aren't. It will feel very different during the change, but over time, it will become "normal". This process is greatly shortened and enhanced with good teaching/coaching. And we see this every day. In fact, about the 3rd day of or 5 day camps we always see dramatic change. The students have enough time to "soak in" the new information and have had some time to "trust" the changes. In our 3 day schools we do start to see the changes, and hope they become permanent, as it typically takes a few days for the realization of the needed changes to be made and processed within our students.

To see our upcoming teaching schedule, please visit our School Schedule page on the website.

And please don't hesitate to call or email us if you can't make one of these locations and would like us to travel to your area or possibly suggest another means of instruction for you.

3. If you can't make a school/camp, the next best thing is our mail in video program.

Again, we understand, for many it is impossible to see us in person. That is why we set up the email video program. You can email a video of your swing to us and we will review/analyze and make suggestions for changes in your swing to you. We analyze your video on our V1 Video Swing Training Analysis System in which we can split screen the video and, for example, have your swing on ½ the video and Moe's or even Todd's swing on the other ½. We voice over suggested changes, and will get on the video ourselves and show you drills or positions you need to work on and always use graphics to highlight areas of your swing that needs work.

This is a GREAT way to get instruction from a distance and is a VERY simple procedure.

You can see more on the Internet Golf Academy page of the website.

4. The next topic is our advanced instruction. Many single axis golfers want advanced work -more than is offered in our Overview Instructional Material. Again we believe this is the place to start (Single Plane Solution), but we wanted to give more, and in particular, information surrounding our 7 Principle of Golf Improvement. These include Building a Sound Repeatable Swing Based on Moe Norman's Swing Model, Develop an Efficient Short Game, Become a Good Putter, Have Clubs That Fit Your Game, Learn to Take Your Developed Skills to the Golf Course, Learn How to Practice, and Learn How to Think. These topics are covered extensively and in detail in our 7 Principles Series.

For more information, please visit our 7 Principles page on the website.

5. Finally, want to discuss a little about clubs.

As many of you have heard before, the key is to get clubs that fit YOUR swing style and body make up/frame/size. Swing style is easy - we fit to your ideal single axis swing though a series of static measurements (not in person) or a series of dynamic measurements (in person). Both are extremely effective because we are fitting to an "ideal" model swing taking your body size (height/arm length, etc.) into account.

As I always say, I would much rather you hit a set of 20 year old clubs that fit you than a very high priced set of the "hottest thing" on the market that doesn't fit you. Yes, many of us like and want new clubs (me included), but PLEASE make sure those clubs are fit to your ideal single axis swing. This includes the shaft length and flex, grip size, lie angle and loft and overall weight. As you are working toward the model, if your clubs don't fit, they will only let you get to a certain point in your path to a better golf swing. For example, if your clubs are too upright, you will dig the heel of the club into the ground as you are changing your swing to the model and you will pull your shots. This will ultimately cause you to think the changes are not working and the changes in your swing will only be temporary.

You NEED, if not MUST, get or fix your clubs to fit if you truly want to work toward the model.

We are always happy to help anyone obtain clubs that fit the "model" swing and are more than happy to give suggested recommendations for fitting your current clubs. As always, we can get most major makes/models of clubs. Please feel free to email or call us anytime concerning any of your needs.

As hopefully you have read, and for those who we have seen us in schools/camps, have seen, we are SERIOUS about making you a MUCH better golfer. We just see so many golfers who really "beat themselves up" while trying to make the journey to better golf.

We will NEVER say it's easy to get better at golf, in fact, the first thing Moe Norman ever said to us was "Its hard work" to get better at this game. But, we also believe, most of you are willing to put in this work to get better. We just want to make sure this work is productive and is leading you to get a little better everyday.

Imagine - where your game would be in a year, ½ a year, or even in a few months if you could get a little better everyday?? That is your ultimate goal - get better at this game every time you practice, every time you work at your game, every day. Hopefully this email will help you on your journey to a better game.

As always - we suggest to talk to other golfers just like yourself who are on this journey to a better game. Many have already made great strides in their game with very significant improvement. Many have lowered their handicap in ½ or even gone to single digit when starting in the 20's or higher.

Many will be more than happy to tell you about their journey on our Swing Like Moe Chatroom at http://www.forumco.com/fuzz2moe/default.asp

To best illustrate the concept, I want to share with you  a picture this student shared with me, which I believe best exemplifies our theory of success vs. the reality of success.

To me, the left side of this image sums up why a vast majority of golfers never truly improve their games.  They, like most, believe that they just need that one "secret" to instant improvement; just a little 'tweak' here or there on their swing, or their putting stroke, and viola!, they will be shooting better scores, hitting longer, straighter drives, etc.  In other words, they have bought into the hype of "lose 30 lbs in 10 days" that is so prevalent in marketing today.  On a sidebar, this has been and continues to be our biggest struggle as a company trying to market in the golf world.  How do you market something that will take some work and effort on the part of the consumer?  As one student told me after a school; the truth is the hardest thing to sell.  But I digress.

The right side of the image is, in my own experience, what success really looks and feels like.  It's a mess.  Frustrating, sometimes confusing, often fleeting, and never as satisfying as we expected.  However, if you study the "mess" of success, notice how the trend is generally in a positive direction most of the time? Such is the reality of success.

Many years ago, Todd and I were in Orlando, and I was frustrated with my own 'success' with the Moe Norman Single Plane Swing.  I couldn't deny that I was hitting the ball better than I ever had, but I still wasn't happy.  To be honest about it, I was whining to Todd about it.  And he finally got tired of my whining, and said something to me that will stick with me as long as I live.  "Scott", he said, "if you went on a diet and had a goal to lose 50lbs by a certain date, but got to that date and had only lost 45lbs, would you consider yourself a failure?"

I have to admit that his comment hit me like a ton of bricks.  Of course my answer was "No, I didn't fail, I just came up short of my goal, but I did make progress in the right direction".  Our conversation then turned to how that analogy parallels success in golf.

When you apply that same analogy to your golf game, here's what you get;  the game of golf is a game of misses.  The 'better' your misses are, the better you play, the better you score.  Even Moe Norman was still working to 'miss it better' at age 74 just prior to his death.

As I've written before, the game of golf is so great because it parallels the game of life; there is no perfection, just the pursuit.

So, let me summarize before I get too far gone into this and end up writing a book on this subject:

1. Success with your golf game is about the pursuit of developing ideal fundamentals, not about shooting better scores.  Better scores are a by-product of better fundamentals.  Obviously, Moe Norman's Single Plane Swing gives each of us not only the simplest way to achieve better fundamentals, but also a clear and concise model to compare ourselves to along the journey.  The undeniable truth here is that the closer you are to matching Moe and the way he moved the club, you will become a more consistent ball striker.  The same holds true with your putting stroke, or chipping stroke.
2. Your journey on the 'success' pathway will be a damned mess sometimes.  It's inevitable.  Sometimes  you will regress, other times you'll get frustrated.  You'll have flashes of brilliance followed by maddening mediocrity.  How you deal with these times will be the key to your long term success.

The bottom line my friends is this; those of us who have taken up Moe's Single Plane swing have a huge benefit over our less enlightened golf brethren.  You see, we have a model to compare ourselves to at each step along the way, they do not.  In order words, we have a gauge to compare ourselves to.  We always know where we stand in comparison to the model, as long as we take the time and put the effort in to compare ourselves to the model.

My challenge to you - get out of the 'instant gratification' mindset of success, and immerse yourself in the "mess" that success truly is.  Work to match the model in every aspect, and know that when it gets maddening and frustrating, you know you're in the 'success sweet spot'.

“I say, you do” explains Mr. Miyagi.

They agree.

But then, thinking that he will reveal special Karate secrets, Mr. Miyagi hands Daniel a rag and tells him to wash and wax his cars.

“But why do I have to wash your cars” Daniel asks.

“Remember deal, no questions” says Mr. Miyagi.

Later, after washing and waxing all of Mr. Miyagi’s cars, painting his house and sanding his wooden floors, a frustrated Daniel accuses Mr. Miyagi of not teaching him anything about karate.

Mr. Miyagi responds, “Not everything is as seen” he says and then he demonstrates how all of the chores that Daniel had reluctantly completed, including waxing the cars, painting the fence and sanding the floor were actually ways of teaching the same movements as needed for karate.

Mr. Miyagi had taught Daniel Karate without actually “teaching” him karate.  He did it through teaching the movements of Karate without actually teaching Daniel Karate.  Mr. Miyagi’s household chores were actually karate, disguised as drills.

Golf, like Karate, is an art form.  It is a learned set of bodily movements that when sequenced together, form a golf swing. The golf swing, once formed, is then used to strike a golf ball at a target.

Historically, however, most people do not approach learning golf in a similar fashion to learning martial arts.  If martial arts was taught the same way as golf, you would begin your training by fighting the most skilled martial artists - black belts.

Just think of the frustration (and pain) you would feel, attempting to fight the most skilled  black belt opponent.  Quite frankly, you are going to get your but kicked.  Why?  Because you are untrained and unskilled.

This is not the way to learn martial arts. As a matter of fact, over the thousands of years of martial arts training, they developed a color coded belting system - a way to measure and test skills.  This way, you could learn, improve and develop skills in an organized way to eventually reach higher degrees of skills to compete against your opponent.

Golf is not quite as punishing as side kicks, blocks and fist fighting, however, your opponent in golf is thousands of yards of fairways and rough with 18 holes of bunkers, water hazards, and undulations.  The Golf Course is always a black belt and he is often quite formidable.

So why do untrained and unskilled golfers keep fighting him?  Maybe its because of an occasional long drive or squarely struck putt (a lucky punch) but most of the time, golfers are getting their butts kicked.  Could losing the fight be why so many golfers are quitting the game each year?

Golf is a game that is meant to be enjoyed as a recreation however, the attrition of golfers (golfers quitting the game) and the frustration of those who keep trying exemplifys the need for better ways to develop the skills necessary to enjoy the game at a much higher level.

Golf, in my opinion, must be trained and learned in a systematic and efficient way - similar to martial arts.  Simplifying the golf swing technique - using the single plane and effective skill training and there are key positions that are mandatory to become skilled at ball-striking.

Drills

When Daniel discovered that he actually learned Karate without “knowing” that he had learned it, he realized that by washing cars he had developed karate skill

When thought of this way, does it really matter if you are hitting golf balls when you learn the movements of the golf swing?  Like waxing cars to learn the necessary arm movements of karate, doesn’t it make more sense to train the movements of the golf swing without the results a ball to interrupt the learning process?

The “Making Feel Real” Drills video is designed to teach you, thorough various drills some with a ball and some without, the necessary movements and feelings of a perfect single plane golf swing.  This ebook is a supplemental guide to explain how the drills you are learning improve your overall movement and mastery of the Single Plane Golf swing.

If Mr. Miyagi was teaching you the art form of golf, the Graves Golf Academy Drills Video "Making Feel Real" would be his guide to helping you master the Single Plane Swing without you even knowing it.  So buy the video and get to work on mastering the Feeling of the Single Plane Swing and -  “don’t ask questions.  Deal?

As my conversation went along with George, it became very obvious a common theme was emerging. There is no question, the GGA teaches in what I call the "Why". Not y, but rather, W... H... Y.... our philosophy and model of Moe Norman's swing revolves around Why...

Let me explain - hopefully this will help you with your swing and your work toward mastering the swing. As I explain, I will also try and help you with references and if possible "short cuts" Todd and I have created to "speed up the process".

I believe a person (any person) will start with good intentions or a very positive attitude toward change if he/she believes it will deliver a better outcome. In other words (in golf), if you think a change will help you hit the ball better and ultimately score better - you will want to make the change.

The "kicker" is when the change is hard, or in other words, isn't comfortable when you first start to change. And if you don't hit the ball better right away - most will very quickly doubt the change.

As humans (human nature) I believe if you don't understand WHY you are making the change, you will not continue and will revert back to your "old ways".

Thinking to yourself, "I am making the change to hit it better" isn't good enough.... you need to define more explicitly WHY you are making the change and WHY that particular change is so important.

Let's get into some detail (and "short cuts" if possible).

WHY is Moe's single axis swing method simpler than other methods.
There are many reason, but I want to focus on one in particular that is what we call Position #3, or the "Golden" position, or "Money" position or whatever you want to call it. In other words, all golfers, yes ALL golfers (conventional, single axis and everything in between) who hit the ball well will get into this position.
You can see this position in the following pictures on our online instruction:

http://swinglikemoe.com/index.php?customernumber=557713440700166&pr=Online_Instruction&curPhoto=10&curAlbum=Hand%20Action%20-%20The%20Next%20Step%20In%20Mastering%20Moe%20Norman%27s%20Swing

As you see, this position #3 is defined in the downswing as when the club is parallel to the ground, your trail elbow is in front of you and the club is down the target line or INSIDE that line. It is not and SHOULD not be outside that line - if the club is outside the target line you will come over top of the ball (in other words outside in path (slice), top, cut, etc..)

WHY is Moe's Single Axis Swing a simpler method to hit that position.
Because we stand further from the ball at set up. Because we stand further from the ball, it gives us more room for our forearm to get into position #3 without having to twist and turn our back too much. Yes, we definitely clear our hips, but we can keep square with our feet, knees and shoulders and "hit" this position a LOT easier and more consistently than all other golfers who stand closer to the ball than we do.

WHY do so many cut the ball or come over the top when this position seems "simple" to hit.

As Moe said when performing demos, "Most golfers swing at the ball like they are playing hardball (baseball), whereas I swing at the ball like I'm playing softball". What did Moe mean by this?

I want you to take a ball (any ball) and throw it at something (overhand) with some speed/velocity. As you do this, watch what your lead shoulder does. You will see it pulls out as you throw the ball. In other words it is pulling to the left (for right handers, opposite for left handers) and the faster you throw it the more it will pull out. You have created this "habit" since you were very young. It is the habit created to create speed on a ball and get from position A to B.

Now you are playing golf. And as you are swinging at the ball, you want to create speed toward the ball. The problem is, you body is used to creating speed on a ball by pulling your lead shoulder out which in turn pulls your trail should across your body. This is NOT what you want to happen in your golf swing.

In your golf swing, you want your trail shoulder to drop (Moe called this his "vertical drop") toward the ball from the top of your backswing. If your lead shoulder pulls past square prior to impact, you WILL come over the top of the ball - or in other words, you will slice, cut, top the ball as 90%+ of golfers do.

With that said, what do we need to do.... and how can we "short cut" the process to changing this habit/behavior.

The absolute, no doubt about it, best way to create new positions is WITHOUT a golf club in your hand. Yes, without a golf club in your hand.

WHY - You already have habits formed around a golf club, feelings you have created with that club in your hand, you need to change the BEHAVIOR and then put the club in your hand once the new behavior is created. We have seen INCREDIBLE success with 1,000s of students using the following:

PVC Drill - http://swinglikemoe.com/index.php?customernumber=557713440700166&pr=Online_Instruction&curPhoto=2&curAlbum=PVC%20Drill%20-%20Feeling%20Moe%20Norman%27s%20Swing%20Action%20Every%20Time

I would STRONGLY recommend getting our Troubles and Solutions DVD is you don't already have it. It explains this in GREAT detail (much more than I could ever write or you could see in these pictures) and it also has many other drills that will help you with your golf swing. You can see a lot more on the Troubles and Solutions DVD page of our website.

Next - you need to use the GGA Training Grip Club with an extension in it (drill or cut the end of the grip out and put a shaft or some type of extension in the grip).

WHY is this important.

There are two primary reasons:

#1 - If you are working on getting to position #3 and don't have a good/proper grip on the club, you are COMPLETELY wasting your time. Never forget, the path of the club is important, but not even close to the face angle at impact. The #1 affect on face angle at impact is having a good grip on the club. If you want a percentage - you can estimate face angle affects the flight of the ball 75%, path/spin affects 25%. If your face angle at impact isn't good - don't even worry about path - it won't matter. The training grip club will GUARANTEE a good grip and will take the face angle/grip issue out of the equation.

#2 - The extension will allow you to check Position #1, #2, #3 and #4 (please see Troubles and Solutions for more explanation), and will be the transition from the PVC to your golf club. Read very carefully what I just wrote - a TRANSITION from the new movement/behavior you are learning/feeling to the golf club. And you MUST do in this order.

WHY not skip the PVC drill?

Reason - because as stated above, you have developed habits around the golf club, or habits as to how to hold/swing/feel the golf club. I have wrote about this before - calling it the "Trigger" as you hit a golf ball. To change those new / better habits, you must completely change even the tools you are working with. You have no behavior to swinging a piece of PVC (or broom handle, or stick, whatever you want to use), so getting into the critical positions won't be a big deal... in fact, it might see easy as you have no preconceived "feel" or thoughts as to how to swing a stick..... then as you start to check and master those positions with the PVC/stick - you will then transition into the training grip club with the extension.

Finally after using the extension, take it out and practice just with the training grip club. Hit balls with the training grip club - acquire more/new feeling around hitting balls with the new on plane positions.

Lastly, go to your own club and work on the same positions.

So, here is what you need to think about. How serious are you about making changes in your golf swing? And if you want to swing like Moe, how and WHY are you making those changes?

We believe once you figure out the WHY, no matter how uncomfortable, how "different" it might seem, etc.. you WILL make the changes for the better.

We see it everyday, those who have figured out WHY and have become SIGNIFICANTLY better at this game. Doubt me?..... talk to them yourself... just go to www.moenormanforum.com for yourself and talk to them... guarantee they will be more than happy to tell you their journey and help you with your's.

Sometimes, I've seen making changes be difficult due to lack of flexibility or mobility in a necessary body part, however, those things can be overcome a majority of the time.

I've always found it fascinating that when a golfer is presented Moe Norman's Single Plane swing, and understands the golf swing as a motion to achieve an ideal impact position, they're desire to use and match Moe as the ideal human model is very, very high.  I mean, the Single Plane swing just makes sense.

But the question still remains, Why is changing, or making changes to the golf swing, difficult?

To shed some light on the answer to this questions, I want to take you back to your childhood.  The first question I have for you is this:  How did you learn to tie your shoes?

Funny questions, I know, but think about it for a minute.  Tying your shoes today is a mechanical process that you don't even think about to accomplish.  You just tie your shoes, right?

As the father of a 7 year old boy, this story is current for me, as we've been working with him to teach him to tie his shoes for about 9 months now.  (Maybe he's just a slow learner, or maybe he's more interested in wearing shoes now with velcro, but I digress).

When you learned to tie your shoes, you had someone show you how to do it.  You watched as an adult demonstrated how to tie the shoelaces.  Then, maybe they took your hands and tried to guide you through the process.  And then you tried it on your own, and although you likely can't remember, you probably didn't ace the tying on your first solo try.  As time passed, and you continued to practice the task of tying your shoes, you first were completely incompetent at completing the task, then you gained some competency, then, with practice, you gained mastery.

Now, thinking back on learning to tie your shoes, do you still tie your shoes to this day exactly like the person who showed and taught you?  I'd be willing to be that you do.

So let's bring that story into the context of our golf swings.  As we do, let's first think about the process you went through as a child learning to tie your shoes.

• First, you had a model.  Someone showed you how to do it.
• Second, you watched the model demonstrate the task, likely over and over.
• Next, you tried to imagine yourself completing the task
• You then tried the task by yourself, and likely failed miserably
• And you continued to practice the task, failing, correcting, and failing, until at some point, you were able to accomplish the task.
• With more repetition, you then mastered the task, and it became a subconscious habit.

When it comes to the golf swing, my belief is that we can have no better model than Moe Norman.  The greatest ball striker to ever live is a pretty good model in my book.  Many reading this will have watched Moe's swing, or even purchased instruction from us about learning the swing, like the Single Plane Solution.  And if you've watched Moe's swing, have the instruction, you likely have tried to implement what you've seen, and this is the point that most golfers get stuck.

Some of the most comical comments I get from golfers go something like this; "I purchased your DVD's, watched them yesterday, and tried Moe's swing on the course today, and it just didn't work."  The unfortunate and sad part of that comment is that the golfer skipped about 4 steps in the learning process, and made a judgement on those results.

Changing any dynamic bodily movement must go through the learning process, and in my years, this is where most golfers cheat themselves; they don't submit themselves to the learning process, and lose any chance of making truly significant and positive changes to their games.  It's a sad reality of this game, however, for those who understand that there is a process of learning and submit themselves to that process, the rewards are great.

In conclusion, in order to get past the difficulty of making changes that most golfers have, you simply have to return to your youth, and understand that you must crawl before you walk, and walk before  you run.  The process of learning doesn't exempt us because of age, experience, or wealth.  It must be adhered to, and for those that do, regardless of age, experience, or wealth, the rewards they reap are worth the effort and time that the process requires.

To your success,

Scott

The reason I mention these things is because during our daily lives of driving to the office, having lunch with friends or watching television with your family, you are making a choice whether you know it or not.  You are choosing to fill your life with "stuff", some good and some bad.  In my opinion, what you watch with your eyes affects your mind in the same way that eating affects your body - it can slows you down or energize you.

Would you invite a thief into your house?  

It is important to keep a mindful perspective on what we bring into our lives. "Garbage in, Garbage out" - thats how Moe said it. And its true, "What you think about you become" These statements are more than cliche, they are unarguable wisdom.  So how does this affect your golf game?

What do you watch on youtube, the golf channel, or read in a golf magazine?  Do you listen to your weekend golf partner about a putting tip?  Does this affect your thoughts when you practice or play?  Of course it does and this openness to listen to anything is a problem.  Why?  Because it shows that you are open to suggestion and more importantly that you lack direction.  When it comes to learning and training your golf swing, if you lack direction and don't know where you are going, you will end up somewhere you don't want to be - or WORSE.

This problem is really quite easy to correct.  Simply decide on what direction you want to go and then "watch" your mind.  Let me give you an example.

Lets say that  you want to learn to swing like Moe.  Doesn't it make sense to watch Moe hit golf balls?  Does it also make sense to think about Moe hitting golf balls?  Does it make sense to watch Luke Donald hit golf balls? Of course not. Not if you are trying to swing like Moe.  So what if you catch yourself watching Luke Donald hit golf balls, simply watch your mind and then think about Moe Norman's swing.  You see, its simple.

It was this type of Mind training that Moe thought was lacking in the golfers of the world today.  "We aren't using all of our mind, what a waste" Moe would say.  But there is a way to start using more of your mind.  This is nothing more than focus, paying attention and then training your mind.

Staying Focused

One thing that helps me stay focused is to always surround myself with things that help my minds direction.  For example, I have a picture of Moe on plane at the top of his backswing in my home.  I walk by the picture each day and it reminds me of Moe and the importance of swing plane.  I keep reminders of health around my office such as healthy food, plants and positive books.  All of these things effect your mind and your energy and your energy carries over into your work, family and relationships.

Today, commit to spending more time on what you want whether it be a Single Plane golf swing, better health or a family vacation.  Try to catch your mind traveling off in negative directions and bring it back again to what you want.

Consider the things you think about as seeds that are planted in your mind.  These seeds, whether you want them to or not will grow into trees.  Do you really want to plant what you are thinking about.  It is your thought. Your Choice. Your decision.