Swing man by Mohammad Alauddin

Elite Insider Circle

Monthly Handicap Improver

Lesson Volume 2 • February 2015

Long Drive Q&A with Ryan Steenberg » pg. 3

Getting the Most Distance Out of Your Driver » pg. 4

Nutrition Basics for Golf » pg. 6

CONTENTS Elite Insider Circle Monthly Game Improver .......................................................................01 Long Drive Q&A with Ryan Steenberg.....................................................................03 Getting the Most Distance Out of Your Driver By Tom Wishon..............................................................04 Nutrition Basics for Golf By Adam Young.............................................................06 Forget Grain on the Green By Geoff Mangum.....................................................08 Your Questions Answered

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Member of the Month

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Finishing Up With Fun

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Forget Grain on the Green » pg. 8

Elite Insider Circle Monthly Game Improver Hello Fellow Golf Enthusiast,

his is Jaacob Bowden of Swing Man Golf with the Elite Insider Circle Monthly Game Improver.

Last month we recapped 2014 and looked ahead to 2015. In looking back to 2014, commonalities were observed from our long drive Q&As which included:

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All of the longest long drivers physically work on their swing speed.

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Most of the guys use one of the three main types of training aids that are good for developing speed: overspeed type clubs, heavier clubs, and wind resistance devices.

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A lot of the guys use a Sports Sensors Swing Speed Radar or another similar speed measuring device to track their speeds.

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The best long drivers are working to tweak their technique and equipment to achieve optimal launch conditions for their swing speed.

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Despite the stigma that long drivers aren’t good golfers, many of them actually are very good amateur players or even professional caliber. For example, Jamie Sadlowski just made another cut at the Bogota Championship on the Web.com Tour.

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Most of the guys are over 6’0” and 200 pounds, but that’s not every case. However, most of them are incredibly strong. Part of being fast is also being strong.

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On average, they are quite flexible and have long back swings.

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In most cases, the 400-yard drives were aided by conditions. That being said, it is doable to achieve a 4-bill drive under normal conditions if you have at least 138 mph of club head speed…which many of the top guys do.

Looking ahead to 2015, I expect Rob Hogan and Eri Crum to continue to do well in Speedgolf. In long drive, Joe Miller, Jamie Sadlowski, Tim Burke, Ryan Winther, Matt Hanger, Jeff Flagg, and Connor Powers could all do well. On the PGA TOUR, I am curious to if Rory would complete his career grand slam at the Masters. Patrick Reed and Ricky Fowler seem like they may be ready to win a major. Dustin Johnson has returned, although he missed the cut in his first event back. And of course, it will be interesting to see how things pan out with Tiger Woods new swing consultant Chris Como. As you may have seen, in his return Tiger shot his worst round ever as a Pro and missed the cut in Phoenix. Then the following week in San Diego

In addition to our review and recap, we had a Q&A with top long driver Matt Hanger. Matt has made it all the way to the Final 8 the last 2 years. I didn’t point anything out about his Q&A like I normally do, so if you want to go back and read through it again in your physical issue or in the archived issue in the member area, I would say to take note that: •

He uses equipment that is appropriate for his swing speed. We didn’t get in to specific numbers, but I suspect that he is hitting up on the ball and is pretty close to achieving optimal launch conditions for his club head speed.

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He plays a shot comfortable with.

He works with a couple different training aids.

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He works on his body in the gym.

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He talks about swinging under control, which in all the measurements I’ve taken of golfers is about 92-95% of their max speed.

Last month I answered Insider Circle member questions and we also had equipment expert Tom Wishon field a couple of questions for the members. One was about whether or not a club’s smash factor can drop over time due to wear. The other asked about the affect that shafts and moving the center of gravity around can have on launch angle.

he withdrew from the tournament at Torrey Pines sighting “deactivated glutes”. While there can be an adjustment period when you make changes to your game, I also think this supports what I had said in December about this being a subconscious issue for Tiger. While he says he wants to play and win, I get the sense that deeper down he doesn’t really want to right now. That’s manifesting in to injury, unusually poor shots around the green, etc. Perhaps that will change in the future, but unless he resolves some of the things going on internally, I believe that no amount of technical coaching (even if it’s a good change) or bodywork will get him back to his old winning ways. Something in some form or another will continue to pop up.

shape

•

This month, we have an audio interview with Eddie Fernandes, who won xyz and is abc. Eddie is convinced that in long driving, age is not an issue, competed in PGA Tour school 5x, played against Duval, Lennard, Furyk and played AND WON against Mickelson in his career. We also go into what equipment he uses to train as well as what he sees as the biggest area of handicap improvement, after distance. (This text will be changed a little still.) Tom Wishon is also back to talk about how to get more distance out of your driver. Additionally, we have two more experts joining us. Nutrition expert Adam Young has written an article for us about the basics of nutrition from a golf standpoint. Putting expert Geoff Mangum is also joining us to talk about grain. Lastly, I’ll field more questions from Insider Circle members. Let’s get started.

ext month, we will have an audio interview with Tom Wishon, where we talk about the advantages of getting custom fit clubs, why big golf companies need to launch so many new products every year, what incremental impact new technologies these days have on the average players game, and much more!”

Long Drive Q&A with

Ryan Steenberg Age: 32

Height: 5’10’’ Weight: 245 Driver Specs: Krank 6* degree, XXX House of Forged LT2, 48.5inches (LDA). Sponsors: Krank Golf, House of Forged Shafts

Special Accomplishments: 5th place finish at the Mile Shootout in 2011, 16th place finish at the World Long Drive Championships in 2012, 2013 Master’s of Long Drive Champion presented by American Power Golf, World Long Drive finalist in Mesquite Nevada 2011 - 2013.

What is your longest drive in competition? • 409 yards. Longest on-course drive was 445 (#2 at Wolf Creek) What were the conditions of the drive? • Early morning set in Mesquite Nevada, calm conditions. What are the fastest swing speeds you’ve recorded on a Swing Speed Radar and/or Trackman? • The fastest swing speed recorded on Swing Speed Radar - 161 mph The fastest swing speed recorded on Trackman - 148 mph What lead you to choose your particular equipment specifications? • I met with the Krank golf team at the PGA show in 2011 and entered their indoor open long drive exhibition. I qualified for the finals and ended up winning the championship beating

out Landon Gentry and Ryan Winther. Beyond that they provided me with the opportunity to kit their equipment and work into the role of a sponsored athlete. Do you favor a particular shot shape to hit it long? • Normal shot shape is straight or fade. Do you use any training aids to work on your speed and power? • THE GYM is my training aid. I have been a sports performance coach for many years and certified

in golf fitness through TPI. The combination in using traditional training methodologies for building strength and power with a golff ’ish twist has proven to be successful for myself and many of my clients.

Do you do any other types of training to drive it further? • Power lifting, Olympic lifting,

Functional Training, Sprint conditioning etc....

Is there any particular bit of advice you would give the regular amateur for him or her to hit the ball longer? • Seek out a certified professional and get screened in an effort to understand your bodies limitations

physically, functionally, and movement specific (coordination). Once your body is out the way and the foundation is laid to build a bigger and stronger engine only then can length really be fully realized.

Quick tips - finish your shoulder

turn, stay relaxed, and swing fast not hard.

Where can people contact you or learn more about you? www.foreperform.com foreperformance@gmail.com facebook - Ryan Steenberg instagram - @golffreakfitness

Getting the Most Distance Out of Your Driver By Tom Wishon

driver length longer than 43.5” for men or 42” for women. Going shorter in length will help improve your control and your on-center hit performance. And if you unhinge the wrist cock angle early to midway on the downswing, a longer length will not give you a higher clubhead speed to even possibly get more distance.

o question about it. Everyone wants to hit the driver longer. Show me a golfer who doesn’t put more distance off the tee as a high priority for their game and I will show you a golfer who either, a) is a bald face liar, or b) has been so abused by poor performance of his or her present driver that a little wisdom has set in which finally makes them realize keeping the ball in play is more important than hoping they can hit that long drive more than one out of six swings. For the vast majority of golfers, the driver is by far the most difficult club to hit consistently well. Why? Because it is the longest club in the bag by far and also has the lowest loft. There happens to be an old saying well known to custom club fitters that says: The longer the length, the lower the loft, the heavier the weight and the stiffer the shaft, the more difficult the club will be to hit. Unfortunately the driver qualifies in two out of the four points in this saying. That means many golfers are already at a disadvantage when trying to find a driver they can hit longer and with reasonable control.

long, too confusing for what their loft truly is, and made with a standard weighting and standard grip size that when combined with the longer length rarely fits each individual golfer’s swing tempo and timing.

The secret to finding that driver which will maximize your potential for distance is to work with a knowledgeable custom clubfitter who has So how do you get the most the experience to analyze distance possible out of a driver? your clubhead speed, swing First off, stop thinking about characteristics and your playing buying a driver off the rack ability to determine YOUR from any of the retail golf stores, best driver specifications for on line stores or pro shops. length, loft, face angle, lie, shaft The standard specifications weight, shaft flex, total weight, that all the big companies swingweight and grip size so build into their drivers are too that YOU can get the absolute

most distance and control for your ability. Proper Fitting IS the key to driver improvement. Here are the 5 most important driver fitting tips to maximize your driving distance:

Unless you are a golfer with a handicap under 16 with a SMOOTH tempo, with an inside out to square swing path, with the ability to hold your wrist-cock angle until later in the downswing, do NOT use a driver length longer than 44” for men, or longer than 43” for women. If you are a middle to higher handicap golfer with a faster tempo, or with an outside in swing path (slice), or with an earlier unhinging of the wrist cock angle, do not play with a

Always, always have the actual driver loft fit to your clubhead speed and your angle of attack into the ball. What is the angle of attack? The angle of attack is whether you swing upward through the ball, level through the ball or downward through the ball. It has a big effect on how high you hit any particular loft angle on a driver. The rule of thumb is the slower the clubhead speed AND the more downward the angle of attack, the HIGHER the driver loft must be to maximize your distance. Here’s some tips as to whether you are playing with a driver loft that is too low – if you hit your 3 wood or 5 wood as far or farther than your driver, then you know for sure you need more loft on the driver. If your driver clubhead speed is lower than 90mph and you are playing a driver loft of 11* or less, you are probably playing with too little loft to maximize your distance. Working with a good, experienced custom clubfitter is how you find the right driver loft for your game.

Be sure to be custom fit for the right Face Angle to reduce any tendency you have to slice or hook the ball. Some drivers can be made today so the face points a little bit to the hook side of the fairway when you rest the driver head on the ground to reduce a slice. Or some are made so the face points a little bit to the slice side of the fairway to reduce a hook. Again, working with an experienced clubfitter is how you find the best face angle to reduce your slice or hook tendency. If you keep the ball in play more often from the correct fit of the face

angle, you will experience more consistent results with the driver.

The weight of the shaft, the weight of the whole club (called the total weight), and the amount of weight in the clubhead (called the swingweight) are VERY important to fit to each golfer’s strength, swing tempo, swing timing to be able to achieve the highest level of swing consistency and oncenter hit performance. If you are a stronger person with a faster tempo and a more aggressive downswing, you will need a heavier shaft,

heavier total weight and heavier swingweight to be more consistent. Conversely if you are below average in strength with a smooth, easy tempo, you will be more consistent with a lighter shaft, lighter total weight and lighter swingweight. Again, this is the job of the good clubfitter to analyze you and your swing to determine the right weighting for your driver to maximize your swing consistency.

Finally, always use a grip size that is most comfortable to you and your grip. The goal of proper grip size fitting is to use

the grip size that allows you to maintain a secure hold on the club with the least amount of grip pressure. Too small of a grip and you clench the grip tightly which contracts your arm muscles more and makes it more difficult to swing with a good tempo and timing. Too large of a grip and it could prevent you from releasing the club smoothly and correctly through impact. COMFORT is the key for grip size. While measurements of the hand and finger length can help to predict a proper size grip, in the end each golfer should experiment with grip size and use the one that simply feels the most comfortable.

To find a good clubfitter with whom you can work to be custom fit, I recommend that you search these following links where you can find some of the best clubfitters in the world listed by their location. The AGCP (Association of Golf Clubfitting Professionals) www.agcpgolf.com/locator The ICG (International Clubmakers’ Guild) www.clubmakersguild.com/index.php/membership-directory/ guild-google-map The TWGT Clubmaker Locator at wishongolf.com/find-a-clubfitter

Nutrition Basics for Golf By Adam Young

ith the fitness industry making a big impact on golf, specifically at the elite level, we are now seeing incredible feats of human performance. Guys are regularly bombing the ball over 300 yards, and Rory is hitting 340 yarders on occasion. But all the fitness in the world is useless – even detrimental – if the nutritional aspect is not cared for. What do I mean by this? Well, if you’re hitting the gym hard on top of your regular golf training, you are putting your body under a lot of stress. As your energy demands go up, so do your nutritional demands. If you are not fuelling your body with the right nutrition, you will be hindering your recovery, and may experience burnout on the course. A lack of quality nutrition combined with highenergy demands can also lead to illness.

gain. Understanding these concepts more can really help you speed up achieving your performance/lifestyle goals. Let’s start with the concept of fuelling a round of golf.

During this series, I will look at basic nutrition concepts from fuelling your round of golf to recovering from a workout. We will also look at some ideas for health, as well as ideas for weight loss and muscle

Typically, when I ask elite players how their nutrition is on the course, they proudly state that they are on top of things. I ask them what they tend to take on the course with them. Normally, players will tell me that they only eat healthy things, such as a banana or an apple. Whilst that is great that they are fuelling with whole foods, what they don’t realize is that they could be selling themselves short, particularly on energy. Conservative estimates for number of calories (units of energy) burned during a

round of golf can reach over 1000. And that often doesn’t include the energy your body burns from simply staying alive (basic metabolic rate). When you consider than a large banana only contains 130 calories, and an apple contains around 100 calories, you may need a bit more to successfully make the end of the round with energy. Our body can tap into fat stores too, but if our fat stores cannot keep up with the demands of the round, we may be left flagging and lacking in concentration towards the end. For that reason, I often aim to replace almost all of the energy lost during the round. This means supplying a constant stream of nourishment for your body as you are playing. While you could have ten bananas during your round of golf to replace the energy, this may cause some gastric distress from the sheer bulk of food. And who wants to be swinging a golf club with ten bananas in their gut? For this reason, I also tend to look towards foods that are more energy dense – they supply a lot of energy without filling you up drastically.

So, while nuts are my favorite choice, not everyone can eat them (due to allergies). Another energy dense alternative is to munch on some dried fruit. This is typically around 350 calories per 100 grams, so you may need close to 300-400 grams of dried fruit to cover the round – but it is easier than a kilo and a half of bananas As a side note, while eating nuts will tend to release the energy quite stably, I would aim to spread the food intake evenly

throughout the round. A few nuts every hole or so will do that nicely and maintain good energy levels throughout the round. And you can still eat your apples and bananas too, just understand that you may need a bit more fuel than those alone. As always, don’t forget to stay hydrated. Drink plenty of water and avoid sugary sports drinks. They may be good for tennis players who need a big energy spike, but

they may be detrimental for a golfer. So, in summary, eat enough fuel to get through the round of golf comfortably. Whole foods are great, but make sure you are getting between 800 and 1200 calories per round of golf to ensure energy amounts are covered (as an insurance). Don’t fill up on burgers or beer though – choose nutritionally dense and energy dense foods that you can comfortably graze on throughout the round.

100 grams of banana supplies around 90 calories. On the other hand, 100 grams of almonds supplies 550 calories – a 6-fold increase in energy density. So eating 100 grams of nuts can comfortably fuel a 9-hole stint on the golf course without making you feel full and bloated. They also release the energy rather slowly (they are low on the glycemic index scale) and, as a bonus, supply quite a nice chunk of vitamins and minerals. Almonds, in particular, are very high in vitamin E. They also supply a huge chunk of your daily fiber amount, as well as having a good chunk of protein for satiety.

Forget Grain on the Green By Geoff Mangum

he “urban myth” of “grain” -- the USGA agronomy experts have long told golfers that grain has not been a significant factor on ball roll for the vast majority of greens since about 1980. Even if detectable, at today’s mow heights and greens maintenance practices, grain has only inconsequential effect on ball roll, and wind and surface defects (“not true” surfaces) have much more effect on ball roll. Here is the USGA article entitled “Grain on the Brain”: http://puttingzone.com/Info/Bag/1.%20 GrainontheBrain.pdf

In the early 1980s, university agronomists engineered better grasses , growing deeper roots, able to withstand low cuts and heat and aridity and rolling and packing. These better grasses continue to be developed and improved. Also during the 1980s, architects, designers, ownerdevelopers and others learned better greens construction and agronomist science, and saw improvements in equipment and maintenance technology. The result is tighter, truer, healthier putting surfaces with insignificant grain.

It’s a bit shameful that national network golf analysts speak of grain with such authority, without actually looking at today’s greens or being up to date on the science, as this dumbfounds the greens keepers and agronomists. So the lesson is: despite Arnold Palmer supposedly discussing how to read and play grain in the 2014 issue of his in-house magazine The Kingdom, or NBC’s Johnny Miller (unable to putt since about 1980) opining endlessly about grain, golfers today should forget grain and focus on green speed, contour, and wind. That’s more than enough on the plate!

Your Questions Answered Member Question:

Member Question:

Hi Jaacob, When I play, my SS (swing speed) varies between 99 and 107. Is that normal to have so much variation? -Scott T

Jaacob’s Answer: There is definitely variation from swing to swing. Have a look at this page and you’ll see what I mean. There are some guys on TOUR with +10 mph variance from their slowest to fastest swings. http://www.pgatour.com/stats/stat.02401.html That being said, your 8 mph difference is on the high end. Perhaps you are slower during the beginning of the round and get faster as the round goes on and you loosen up. You might have a subtle level of fear or nervousness on certain driving holes, so maybe that can influence it. There are a variety of things that could be going on… but it’s not necessarily bad.

Member Question: I’m 66, in good health, but not “fit” or very strong. At what resistance should I begin my training and how often should I increase and by how much? David T, 66 years old, Tennessee

Jaacob’s Answer: That’s a bit difficult to tell without seeing you in person, but to avoid being overly sore from the initial workouts, you might work up to full speed and/or maximum resistance over 2-3 workouts. So you might go light and easy during the first one, then go mid level, then max. It’s pretty subjective, so just pay attention to your body and trust what you feel.

Jaacob, I just purchased your product. I am 48 years old have been playing golf for 36 years and have a handicap that fluctuates between -1 and 4 depending on how much I get out and practice. I live in Oakville Ontario and play at Glen Abbey (2015 Canadian Open Site). Last year I finished 3rd in the club championship and was paired in the final group with the individuals who finished first and second. Glen abbey has 5 par fives and my playing partners both drove the ball about 330, which made every par 5 a par 4 for them. In fact in the three-day tournament I beat them on the par 4’s and 3’s but gave up a lot of strokes on the par 5’s. I can currently hit my drives about 290 yards off the tee but having a hybrid in on Par 5’s vs. my opponents 7 irons is like entering a gun fight with a knife. I made the decision to get in better shape and work on my swing speed. It is winter here so the bulk of my training has been strength and agility training (insanity the asylum) and I have dropped 10lbs so far and am a lot stronger. I just set up a storage room with a mat and net and just ordered the swing speed monitor. I have identified that I underutilize the legs in my swing and also think I need to let it go and not guide it so much. Do you have any advice for me as I start working indoors with a net. The new Iphone6 is great with the slo-mo video feature. It has helped me identify a few problems. The hard part is separating what the main cause of power loss is vs. the symptoms. Thank you, Mike C, 48 years old, +1 handicap, Canada

Jaacob’s Answer I’ve experimented playing tour events as both a short hitter...and a long hitter. Some

courses it doesn’t matter too much but on the whole the game is so much easier as a long hitter. As you noted, coming in to a par 5 with an iron instead of a hybrid isn’t a fair fight. I wouldn’t argue against improving your fitness. However, where you’ll get the most applicable distance is through swing speed training. There’s also nothing wrong with doing technical work. But be careful with that. You don’t want to break anything that works from an accuracy and consistency standpoint in an effort to pick up a few yards. I haven’t seen you swing, so perhaps there are things you need to work on technically. I would be curious to know your swing speed, launch angle, and spin rate to see if you are optimized for distance. See this for more info on that: http://www.golfwrx.com/263615/threeways-to-longer-drives/ Anyway, if you hit the ball pretty well already, I think it’s better in that sense to just work on your body’s ability to make your current swing...but just faster. Two people could have the exact same swing technique, but the one that swings at 120 mph would hit the ball farther than the guy at 105 mph. So again that’s where swing speed training comes in to play. That’s good that you got a mat, a net, and a radar. Those things will do well for you in your indoor training. I don’t know if you’ve seen the November 2014 issue of the Elite Insider Circle Monthly Handicap Improver, but we actually had a case study of a tour player who was doing insanity and I went over with him how to make his workouts more oriented to gaining swing speed...and getting fitness as the by-product. So have a look at that in the Premiere Member area if you haven’t already seen it. The case study starts on page 6.

Let me know if you have any other questions and please keep me posted on your progress as well. There’s no reason with a bit of work on your part that you couldn’t come out of the gates next season as long or even longer than these other guys.

Member Question: Hi Jaacob, I hope you are well. Thanks for the help you’re giving me. It’s a relief to find someone who says exactly what I have believed for years. Hitting the ball a decent distance is so important to scoring well. But I have always been told to focus on the short game, which is frustrating advice. My question: My best dry swings with my monitor are above 100mph but when I hit balls this drops to 75mph, which is frustrating. This must be down to tensing my fingers maybe? I have started seeing some 80mph swings which is a significant improvement but I suppose I need to focus on putting my practice swing on the ball, right? Over the past 3 years I have been doing regular weight training and definitely improved my strength and lean body mass (about 5kg?) But my distance seems to have dropped. Could this be due to more upper body weight reducing core turn speed? One more query: I can swing my 7-iron through a ball as fast as I can with the driver! How does that work? I hope you have time to reply. Thanks, Jeff J, United Kingdom, 47 years old, 14-handicap

Jaacob’s Answer: Yes, there’s definitely a correlation between swing speed and handicap when you go from 15-handicap to a +5 handicap. The short game is important, but so is power and distance. You might check to see if your radar isn’t acting up...as well as making sure the placement of the radar is consistent. But assuming those things are okay, it is definitely possible that you could be tensing up a bit when hitting balls. Some people freeze when the ball gets placed in front of them and they don’t swing as freely as

without a ball or during a practice swing. If that is the case for you, you might go back and forth with a ball and without a ball...and pay really close attention to any subtle differences between your faster noball swing and slower with-a-ball swing. You may also contemplate any difference in the swings in the shower or some other place where your mind is quiet and calmed down. Sometimes when our brains are going 50 million miles an hour, it’s hard to isolate problem areas. Regarding the distance drop you experienced with the weight training you were doing, it’s possible that the additional strength you obtained is of the slow-twitch variety. If you get stronger but lose speed, it offsets any power gain you might other wise get. So the golf swing is best trained for more speed by doing low reps, heavy weight, explosive movements, etc...and of course making the movements be golf specific. So

instead of general fitness, bodybuilding, etc, it’s more like power lifting where you are trying to call upon maximum physical effort for a short burst rather than something for endurance. If you haven’t seen it, have a read through the November 2014 issue of the Elite Insider Circle Monthly Handicap Improver. In it there are a couple of case studies that will elaborate more for you on these things. As for your 7-iron, that’s a tricky one without seeing you. Perhaps it’s related to what I mentioned above about a faulty radar, inconsistent placement, and/or tensing up with the driver. Especially for us guys with our egos (and since the driver is the club that is supposed to be hit the farthest), sometimes we can try to put a bit too much oomph in the swing and we actually end up slowing the club down while also giving up control.

Member of the Month “Just wanted to write about my experience. Tried this program for almost 3 weeks then Christmas came. Anyways, my swing speed was an average 93mph before the program. Just a week ago I decided to get back on the program, and just wanted to write down my swing speed. Took 10 swings with an average of 103MPH!!! With a top speed of 112mph!! I haven’t touched a golf club since stopping the program first time. It’s winter here in Denmark so I’m ready to try to get my average up to 112mph. Gotta Love It!” - Mark F, Swing Man Golf member

Finishing Up With Fun As a couple approaches the altar, the groom tells his wife-to-be, “Honey, I’ve got something to confess: I’m a golf nut, and every chance I get, I’ll be playing golf!” “Since we’re being honest,” replies the bride, “I have to tell you that I’m a hooker.” The groom replies, “That’s okay, honey. You just need to learn to keep your head down and your left arm straight!”

We hope you enjoyed this issueâ&#x20AC;Ś Let us know if you have questions at info@swingmangolf.com.

Have a great month!