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Shaking off the cobwebs Posted: Thursday October 17, 2002 1:10 PM
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. Tuesday, October 15 ORLANDO, FLA. -- The press room at the Walt Disney World Golf Classic is like any other, except for the tennis court painted on the ceiling and the two upside-down tennis-playing mannequins. Every time I look up for inspiration, I get the disorienting impression that I've been pushed out of a helicopter and am hurtling head down to a sorry end. The feeling is similar to one I get lately when I address a golf ball. Not that I've had many opportunities. Travel, work and lower-back pain have kept me off the mats for six or eight weeks. When I hit some range balls at home in Kansas City the other day, I felt like a beginner. I couldn't find a comfortable setup. I didn't trust my alignment. My hands looked too low at address. My forward press seemed exaggerated. I noticed that my toes pointed to eleven o'clock and one o'clock and I wondered: Is that the right time? A few days later, after observing a tempo-training session at a driving range outside Lawrence, Kan., I asked John Novosel Jr. to watch me hit a few balls. (John is the son of the man known in this space as the Tempo Titan.) "Your swing looks fine," Junior told me. "I'd say you're not hitting the ball solidly because you're afraid to test your back. You look a little tight." He was probably right, but an inner voice tells me that everything I have been working on these past months has been erased from my hard drive. My golf swing is suddenly like a beloved standard that I used to play on the piano and later forgot. Fortunately, I have people I can turn to. Knowing that I would be in Orlando this week, I called my East Coast swing coach, Brian Mogg, formerly of the David Leadbetter Golf Academy. Brian, who recently put out his own shingle, said that he had a few clients that needed his attention this week -- including John Cook and a couple of other PGA Tour pros -- but that he might be able to squeeze me in for a swing check-up. I then e-mailed Rob Stanger, my West Coast swing swami, and made an appointment for a November lesson in Rancho Mirage, Calif. In the meantime, I'm doing plenty of stretching exercises. My favorite is the one where I lay on my back with a pillow under my head, wiggle my toes, and then close my eyes. I hold this position as long as I can -- eight hours is optimum -- and then repeat on a daily basis. Wednesday, October 16 ORLANDO, FLA. -- I tested my back late this afternoon on the grass range at the International Golf Club, a daily-fee course down the road from my hotel. The air was cool, the sky was blue, the sun was bright. I hit 100 range balls ($13 worth) with nary a twinge nor a cramp. When I felt loose enough to try my driver, I blasted five straight drives to the foot of the fence at the other end of the range, all with a pleasing draw. I then reverted to form, hitting sweeping hooks that banked toward the sun before vanishing in a golden meld. Afterward, I took three Advils and did a few stretches in the parking lot. The days, I notice, are getting shorter.
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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