R-rated swing

Narrow backswing leads to restricted motion

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.

Thursday, Oct. 17

ORLANDO, Fla. -- So much time passes between my golf lessons with Brian Mogg that he usually has to spend half the session propping up my fundamentals. "When did you start addressing the ball with your right shoulder higher than your left?" he'll ask. Or, "I think you could make a freer turn if you got your chin off your chest."

This morning, however, he had nothing but praise for my setup. "I like your posture, your alignment, the whole package. There's just one thing, something that I've never seen in your swing before." (What was that? Athleticism?) "But it'll be easy to fix." Apparently, the fix involved some basic carpentry, because Brian picked up an unfinished 2-by-6 and approached me as if he were going to nail it to my right hip.

Brian, I will remind regular readers of this column, is no longer at the David Leadbetter Golf Academy. After nine years with Leadbetter, Brian has started his own outfit, the Brian Mogg Performance Center at Keene's Point. Many of Brian's students seem to have followed him, including PGA Tour veterans John Cook , Bart Bryant , David Peoples and Skip Kendall , as well as celebrity hacks such as Orel Hershiser , Doc Rivers and Derek Lowe . "I'm calling it a 'performance center' rather than a 'golf school,'" Brian said, "because I've got so many kids who come out here and hit it great, but the next day when they're on their own, they go off the deep end. The objective, I have to remind them, is lower scores, not perfect practice sessions."

I, of course, am on the exact opposite course, wandering like Diogenes with raised lantern in quest of the perfect driving range. Fortunately, Brian's new setup has plenty to offer the range rat. The Golden Bear Club, just down the road from posh Isleworth Country Club, has a gargantuan, double-ended practice facility -- 475 yards from tee to tee with enough lateral space to land a Space Shuttle.

And speaking of lateral space, that's what Brian wanted to restore to my swing. Analyzing a videotape in the GBC clubhouse, he noticed that my backswing had become narrow; my arms were not reaching away from the ball with full extension, and my shoulder turn was restricted. "You're giving away the biggest advantage that goes with your height," he said. "You're not exploiting your natural wide arc."

"I've had some back problems this summer," I murmured. "My swing is a bit tentative."

"You know what to do for a bad back, don't you?" Brian, a master of the rhetorical question, looked at me expectantly. "Water!"

That led to a fascinating dialogue on the relationship between hydration and spinal health ... but, as Max Schulman used to say, I digress.

Back on the range, Brian put the heavy board on the ground and had me address a range ball with the clubhead behind the ball and one end of the board behind the clubhead. "Take the club back as if you're going to hit the ball," he said, "but push the board back as far as you can." I did so (it took some real effort), and the board slid back a couple of feet.

"Look at the difference," he said. "You've got complete extension away from the ball, you're not fanning the clubface open, and your shoulder turn has increased from 70 degrees to 80 degrees."

After a few minutes with the board, Brian had me hit some 6-irons to a target green. Not only did I hit most of them solidly, I actually pushed a few to the right of the flag with a slight draw. "I haven't been able to do that in a while," I said. "My best shots have been pulls."

Pleased with the lesson, I promised Brian that I would work his new Web address into my next column. ("It's www.moggperformance.com," he said.) I then hit balls by myself for another 30 minutes.

I would have stayed longer, but my back was thirsty.

Friday, Oct. 18

ORLANDO, Fla. -- The Disney people held a cookout last night for the players and their families, and I was delighted to run into the '95 Disney Classic winner, Brad (Dr. Dirt) Bryant . Brad's tour appearances are infrequent these days, thanks to back problems more severe than mine. But he had shot a first-round 67, which startled even him. (He said, "I now gauge the success of my round by whether I start and finish with the same ball.") Anyway, Brad passed along Brad Bryant's Three Rules for Retirement Golf:

Rule 1: "There are no three-putts on the first hole."

Rule 2: "If you don't use your mulligan on the first tee, you can use it somewhere else."

Rule 3: "If there's not a house on the lot, it's not out of bounds."

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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