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Getting a boost from a surprise source
Sports Illustrated senior writer John Garrity was a 42-year-old 8 handicapper when he suddenly lost his swing. Since December 1989 he has been looking for it -- a modern-day Odysseus adrift on the troubled waters of swing theory. As Garrity travels the world reporting on golf, he visits as many driving ranges as he can, avoiding the dreaded "mats only" ranges that prevent him from teeing it up. Wednesday, May 2 GAINESVILLE, Fla. -- I don't want to add to the national debate about how to kill a practice range. Lethal injection, spraying Roundup, failing to replace divots -- it's all the same to me. Still, there's something spooky about my recent practice sessions at the University of Florida Golf Course. The whole property is going to be ripped up next week as part of a year-long renovation project. The green hills will become mountains of sand, the ponds will be drained, and broken trees will litter the landscape. I played the old course for the last time this afternoon -- by myself, jumping from hole to hole -- and I felt as if I was paying my last respects to a dying friend. There were a bunch of college kids on the course; to them, I guess, it was more like saying goodbye to grandpa. All of us, I noted, filled our fairway divots with sand and repaired our ballmarks on the dry, fast greens. That's class, as my dad used to say. A few days ago I was hitting balls at the west end of the range, where the golf teams practice. My divots were square -- that's good -- but my shots were fat or pulled or toe-hooked, which was not so good. I was about to quit in confusion when Steve Melnyk drove up in a golf cart. Melnyk, a former Gators All-American, long-time touring pro and now a television golf commentator, is president of the University of Florida Athletic Association. "Lookin' good!" he said, proving that he hadn't really been looking. "Hey, Steve," I said. "Are you giving lessons today?" "Sure." He came over and watched me hit a few balls. First, from behind. "I like your swing," he said. "What are you, a 4 or a 5 [handicap]?" I rolled my eyes. "I was an 8 ten years ago, when I stopped turning in scores." "I get it." He watched me hit a 6-iron about 180 yards and 15 yards left of the target flag. Then he watched me hit a 6-iron about 120 yards and my divot about 100 yards. "Let me look from in front," he said, moving around the pile of Titleist range balls. I hit two more shots, through a glass, darkly. "I see it," he said. "You're starting out with too much weight over your left foot. You need to get back to your right side more and lower your right shoulder a bit." He demonstrated. "Just do that, and the club won't come in so steep." I didn't even have to hear the last part of his advice. The instant he said I was leaning left, I knew what had happened. I had been trying to make square, flat divots, but I was practicing from tightly mowed grass. Trying to ensure crisp contact by hitting down on the ball, I had gradually crept ahead of the ball, creating a steeper swing plane. Adjusting my setup as Steve suggested, I hit a couple more fat shots; but they were flat fat -- the divot was square and shallow, which is good. Then I hit a few on the nose, nice, long draws that flew over the flag. "Case closed," he said with a smile. Steve drifted off to work with his son Dalton, a 6-foot-4 freshman who plays for the Gators, but he looked up every now and then to check my progress. When I switched to my 3-wood and ripped a few downrange, he yelled, "Look at Garrity! He's stripin' it!" Of course, that's the story of my life. I hit it great when I have a golf pro standing a few feet away, checking my vital signs every swing or so. I go bad when I'm on my own. "How much do I owe you?" I yelled to Steve. "We're looking for a naming sponsor for the golf course! How does a million dollars sound?" I puffed out my cheeks and resumed hitting balls. Good help is expensive these days.
Watch this space for another installment of Mats Only. To send John Garrity
advice, share your experiences, or suggest a driving range, click here.
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