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New king of swing
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, July 4 KANSAS CITY, Mo. -- I didn't have to go out for fireworks. I just opened the Mats Only mailbag. "Garrity, you bastard!" begins an e-mail from a reader who identifies himself only as August O'Meara of Minneapolis . "Thanks so very much for leaving us hanging. I have to WASTE another week hacking it around, while you know the secret to making a perfect tempo swing." (O'Meara is referring, of course, to two recent Mats Only columns which feature "before and after" videos -- one of my best driving range swing followed by the same swing under the influence of tempo coach John Novosel .) "The two videos are night and day, for God's sake. The 'before' swing, are you even swinging? Then the 'after' swing -- a miracle caught on film! Absolutely the same pace as Geiberger's swing, from takeaway to follow-through. Amazing. How long did it take to learn that tempo?" About as long as it took you to write your e-mail. The second video was made about 90 minutes after the first, with most of that time taken up by the drive to Novosel's house, watching him mumble over his laptop, etc. The swing drill itself took about 10 minutes. Jack Feldman of Los Angeles submits this more skeptical message: "All well and good that your swing looks better hitting a Velcro towel. I haven't missed a two-footer on my carpet in years, but it's something else on the golf course. What happens when you hit a golf ball?" In a similar vein, Jay Morran, also of L.A., writes, "I can't believe you get 10 days to write such a short and silly article. Not that I didn't enjoy it, but come on! Tempo is very important, yet hitting the ball is what matters. Tell us how well your new, non-Velcro tempo worked on the course." Fair question, guys. I've only played three rounds since my session with Novosel. In May I played Colbert Hills, the new Kansas State University layout in Manhattan, Kan. I didn't keep score, but I remember about 13 pars, and I kind of liked my drive on the par-5 first hole, which sailed downhill and downwind about 365 yards. I would guess I shot around 80. The week of the U.S. Women's Open I played Pinehurst No. 2 with golf architects Bobby Weed and Scot Sherman and No. 2's course superintendent, Paul Jett. We played from the blue tees, and I shot about 81, finishing with the ball I started with. (I say "about 81" because I picked up on the par-3 17th when I was out of the hole. Give me a double bogey.) I three-putted four or five times on Donald Ross' tricky greens and missed three or four good birdie opportunities. My other outing, the week of the U.S. Open, was at the notoriously difficult Oak Tree Golf Club in Edmund, Okla., site of the 1988 PGA Championship. I played somewhere around 23 holes over two days, from the members' tees, and if you take any 18 holes as a round, I broke 80 (with two birdies, I might add). I'm not talking senior tour here, but all three rounds were better than the crappy play I usually report in this column -- as regular readers can attest. But then, I may be kidding myself. Or so Joe Davis of Millburn, N.J., would have me believe. "Quite frankly, old chap, I detect a bit of wishful thinking here. In fact, there's no great similarity between your swing and Al Geiberger's. Al's swing is a thing of beauty, a classic wedding of function and form, while your swing is rather ordinary. Granted, the timing is similar, but the mechanics are worlds apart. "But don't despair," he continues, imagining my crestfallen reaction. "It's not a bad swing, and if you can score with it, great. Carry on!" Joe, of course, is way off base. If you look at the two swings again, you'll see that Geiberger's swing looks so good because his pants look so bad. I, on the other hand -- a famously snappy dresser -- lose style points because I look so good before I take the club back. A less judgmental correspondent, Chris Crowe of Richmond, Va., writes merely to ask a pertinent question: "When you say you are 'casting' at the top of the swing, what does that mean?" "Casting" is just one term for the very common fault of losing your wrist angle. Most commonly it appears as excess wrist break at the top of the swing, which sends the clubhead plunging toward the ground before the start of the downswing. Most good players have little or no cast in their swings; it really screws up your timing. Finally, a bunch of you hissed at me for not providing an address or a link to Novosel. Frankly, I didn't include it because I'm not a shill for him or for anybody else who has a swing aid or a miracle club to sell. Plus, I don't want you coming to me in five months saying, "I was a 2 handicap, but now, thanks to you, I'm swinging faster than Alvin and the Chipmunks." But since you asked, the Web site for the XLR8R is www.xlr8rgolf.com. According to the site, the XLR8R is sold in kits ranging from $149.95 to $299.95, plus shipping and handling. While visiting the site I clicked on a button labeled "TourPro Tempo" and read a letter that made me gulp. "This stuff is so new and revolutionary," the letter said, "that to take lessons from John you'll need to sign a non-disclosure agreement promising that you will not reveal the secrets that he discloses to you. He gives one-on-one personal lessons and needs you for two days at a time in Overland Park, Kan., a suburb of Kansas City." And then the killer: "It's gonna cost you $5,000." Full disclosure time, folks. It cost me the price of a lunch at Hallbrook Country Club. Still, if you're one of those lucky ones who cashed in stock options before the market went south, you may consider $5,000 a small price to pay for a peek at the Rosetta Stone of golf. You can reach Novosel at (888) 411-1989. I, on the other hand, am going to go to the mirror and stare at my Novoseled swing. Apparently it's worth a whole lot of money. 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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