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Question? Where is your ‘Driver Ball Location’? Teed-Up how high? Student Answer: “Driver ball location is just inside the left heel. I do tee it up higher now than I did previously. I want to hit the ball on the upswing.”

Let me see if I can make quick sense herein? How much teed-up ball is above the Driver Head Top Plate? Think of the simple science. Every golf swing has a ‘Bottom Of Swing Arc’ (BOSA). In generality, this BOSA is where the sole of the golf clubhead ‘Pinches The Grass’. We are familiar with this ‘Location In 3 Dimensional Space’. All our ‘Non-Teed-Up Balls’ are struck there! Why get cute or difficult with the Driver? When people tee the ball up in the Driver situation, they SHOULD HOVER THE CLUBHEAD so the Sweet Spot matches the ‘Ballistic Target’. (BIC … Bottom Inside Cheek’) Efficient but quite challenging! How do I know this difficulty to be true? Top plates of so many Driver heads are all beat up! We call these ‘Rosies or Rosettes’. When using this very teed up ball, ‘Inside Heel’ location, we unnecessarily suffer a lot of ‘Fat Thins’. This is proof of a lack of stability.

If you already have an effective, compatible and ‘Gaining Ground Instructor’, can you apply the ‘555 Golf Principles’ without upsetting the apple cart? Will I run headlong into method conflicts?

No! As long as the instruction you are receiving is designed to work with very predictable and disciplined Musculo-Skeletal Biomechanics of the human body, you will not run into substantial conflicts. There are actually a relatively small number of very specific needs in making a sound and repeatable golf swing that make you happy. Embrace and apply these without delay through using a professionally designed ‘Pre Shot Routine’ (PSR).

Your ‘555 Team’ refers to these as ‘Mastering Golf Basics’ (MGB) and ‘Focusing On Fundamentals’ (FOF). They are all provided in writing so you avoid confusion. You shall be rewarded by ‘Setting Up For Success’ (see ‘The 5 Set-Ups’ and ‘The 5 Essential Elements’)

What is your propensity for striking the ‘Little White Ball’ “FAT THIN”? This learned and passionate Country Gentleman Golf Teacher knows first-hand that this propensity of taking a divot behind the ball is a torturous event. We often refer to this ‘No - No’ as turning the sod over the ball! Even taking a deep shovel full of turf and dirt in front of the ball is not a good thing! Not much can be worse in golf … perhaps only missing a two-footer for the win?

Is fat better of worse than thin? The saying ‘Thin To Win’ is actually true … unless you are needing to cross a pond in your approach. At least thin has an opportunity to run a helpful distance under control!

Have you ever dug a ditch with a #LW (Lob Wedge) under a really short shot from the fringe while looking at the cup? Not a great moment! So, you used a very lofted tool when you did NOT have to cross or get over a blocking bush or piece of bad ground? “Oh I am going to make Mickelson Magic!” How many clutch short approach shots has he missed in critical moments? Far too many! They do not call him ‘The Brides Maid’ for no reason. He has come second in dozens of Sundays mainly due to bad and perhaps arrogant decisions!

1. Stroke is executed with both ‘Wrist Cock and Pivot’ ‘Components’ involved and is, therefore, very close to being a Full Swing just with less ‘COIL/Un-COIL’ (‘ROM’)(‘BHTD’).
2. Knock Down is simply an ‘Extended’ version of the ‘Chipping Stroke’. There is more ‘Range of Motion’ and thus, more ‘Clubhead Speed’. The Ball goes farther! Trajectory is simply a matter of the factories ‘Loft’.
3. There is a ‘Putting Stroke’ in the ‘Knock Down Stroke’.
4. ‘MORE AIR TIME THAN GROUND ROLL TIME’. Ball tends to run very little upon contacting the ground and, if there is much ‘Back Spin’, the Ball may even ‘Back Up’.
5. ‘GRIP’ may be Shortened (‘Choked Down’).
6. ‘Moderate GRIP Pressure’. Don’t squeeze and kill the chicken!

We have had many requests for information and opinion concerning the ‘CaronaVirus, COVID-19’ (Sars-CV2) over the past several weeks … how to deal with this socially serious, highly unstable problem from a golf perspective. The feeling that there is ‘Main Stream Media Fearmongering’ is pronounced and problematic. Fear increases susceptibility! Conservative and cooler heads must prevail in order to abate this potentially dangerous and devastating viral activity. Be practical and fend off much of the hype!

In no particular order, here are the spoken and written ‘Golf Specific’ opinions provided to your ‘555 Team’ by golfers from all sectors of society. Thank you for your input!

1. Set all the cups one inch above grass level so the ball will NOT hole out. If the ball is deflected in any manner, it is considered to be holed. This simple practice will stop golfers handling the ‘Flagstick’ and potentially transmitting dangerous and contagious pathogens.

Don’t you find it distasteful or a little insulting to get promises that are really quite undeliverable? One thing golfers are is ‘Savvy’ even though not always practical or totally realistic or absolutely honest! Spontaneous ‘Mulligans’ are taken!

If you heard a promise or guaranteed to ‘Lower Your Score By 5 Strokes In Just Two Weeks Or Get Your Money Refunded’, what would be your intuitive or gut feeling? Yes! “Hogwash!”

If you are at an 80 handicap, the new normal will be 75 … a huge event-winning reduction! If you are a 75 … improving to a player or even professional 70 emancipation? Playing to a ‘Minus 2 Handicap’ from a 75 in two weeks is a blessed, monstrous improvement! That kind of a ‘Guaranteed Reduction’ would get you tour players standing in line ten deep! “Hogwash!”

Let me firstly remind you that, when your Brace Shoulder moves first, starts your ‘Down Out Forward & Through Swing’ (Front Swing), you shall invariably get ‘Above Plane, Over The Top and Outside-In’. (see ‘Cut Shots, Fade-Slice Spin Rate’) This is your ‘Clubhead Path’, a critical ingredient to ‘Golf Happiness’.

I you think of your ‘Shoulder Blades’ (Scapulae) hanging back just a little, delaying your ‘Front Swing, Chest and Shoulders Un-Coiling’, (see ‘Lower Body Machine [LBM] Core Un-Loading or Un-Coiling’), your Trunk, and Core [LBM] rotationak action shall be delayed slightly. As you know we refer to this as ‘Lead’.

If the ‘LBM Leads’, the ‘Upper Body Machine naturally falls behind or ‘Lags’. This is highly useful and effective in ‘Getting Your Clubhead On Path & Plane’.

The ‘5 CONTROLS’ ..... always!

1. Stroke is executed with the Arms & Shoulders and requires quiet Hands with ‘Fixed Wrist Forearm Triangles’ and a very ‘Stable Target Lever Length’ or ‘Fixed Swing Radius’. ‘Dead T/L Rope’
2. ‘BUMP & RUN’ is a Stroke and NOT a Hit. (‘Longer BHTD Chip’)
3. ‘POSTURE’ is similar to a Putting Stroke’ with a different Club producing a ‘Putt With A Hop’. The hop requires more ‘Energy’ and a greater ‘Brace Hand Travel Distance’ or longer stroke length.

Clubhead Path comes in three flavours! … Inside-Out, Square and Outside-In. We know by now that the ‘Fade Slice Spin Rate and Ball Flight Shape originates from 1) Outside-In Path, 2) Open Clubface at Separation and 3) Slow Hands. (see ‘Too Tight of a Grip Pressure’)

If you get the ‘Fade Slice’, you also have a grip on the ‘Draw Hook’!

Let us also look at another contributor … ‘Weight Distribution’

The '5 Controls' Always!

1. Stroke is executed with the Arms & Shoulders and requires quiet Hands with ‘Fixed Wrist Forearm Triangles’ and a very ‘Stable Target Lever Length’ or ‘Fixed Swing Radius’. ‘Dead T/L Rope’
2. ‘CHIPPING’ is a Stroke and NOT a Hit
3. ‘POSTURE’ is simply like a Putting Stroke’ with a different Club producing a ‘Putt With A Hop’. The hop requires more ‘Energy’ and a greater “Brace Hand Travel Distance’ or stroke length.
4. ‘MINIMUM AIR TIME WITH MAXIMUM GROUND OR ROLL TIME’. Low-flying Balls are always more accurate and predictable than high-flying Balls. Running balls are even better! Get the ball on the green acting like a ‘Putt’ as quickly as possible.