I got an email yesterday from an MCS 2.0 student (who claims to me that he’s watched my video over 200 times, which is a feat in itself, I have to say), I’ll just call him by his initials C.B., and he had some great things to say about his progress.
I wanted to hook up with him for some personal lessons after he’d contacted me, but I was unable to land a free-lance location to give lessons, which was disappointing. However, C.B. seems to be doing some fine by himself!
From an email he sent, I will quote verbatim (although the “Thanks DJ Watts!” are his actual words, I’m a little embarrassed, but the email is the email), and keep in mind that this gentleman is in his 50′s:
Here is some feedback of my swing from this week and these are true:
I played 18 holes with a few buddies from a year ago. I was driving using my 3wood 260 yards off the tee, while they were using driver and only going 250. On one par5 I used driver and hit it 280 yards. They were in amazement. (Thanks DJ Watts!!!)
Today I was at the range practicing. I was hitting my driver and 3wood perfect. My 3wood was flying balls 260 yards plus roll. The guy next to me got mad and left saying he couldn’t concentrate and practice with me hitting it so far. (Thanks DJ Watts!!)
Friends, I will be re-making the MCS 2.0 into the 3.0 Hd format, and I apologize for the delay, but life, family and work always push my plans to a later time. Rest assured it will be available this summer, and as I said already, anyone who has or purchases MCS 2.0 before it’s ready will get the higher-priced Hd video as a free bonus for their support of the site. Thanks for bearing with me this far.
On a more personal note, I’ve been working on the flatter left arm plane on the back swing ala Mike Dunaway as I had mentioned earlier that I would look into, and things are not bad. I have reached the point, I believe, where I think it’s happening naturally without having to think about it, and I hope to have video after the U.S. Open weekend to look at and, if I’m right, to share with you.
Have a great U.S. Open and Father’s Day weekend!!
—
P.S. – I will get that Arnold Palmer swing analysis up before Sunday night, if possible.
Cheers.
DJ Watts
Hey Dj, your post a week ago about the counter rotation has me curious..what exactly did you find out??Are you going to be implementing the action into your own swing?? and I think you’d be happy to know that I came up 5 yards short of the green on an uphill 363 yard par 4 yesterday golfing with my dad, using my new ping i20 driver.
Hi Fred,
5 yards short, that is a long blast, indeed! I’m sure your dad was suitably impressed. Good stuff!
As I and others were discussing in the comments section on that subject a few days ago, I came to the conclusion that it is not so much a counter-rotation that I want to make as much as it is a non-rotation. I believe the counter-rotation as a conscious move is a compensating move for an improper right hand position on the club, and it helps to avoid losing the ball to the right. If one has the right hand position to begin with, the proper grip, that is, then then the move is more of a non-rotation.
Below, I have two photos – the first would be a conscious counter-rotation, and you see the club face and my right hand would be very closed. The next one is my natural non-rotation back swing, and you see the club face is still not opening, but not as closed.
Hey DJ,
Just a thought….. John Marshall has stated in his video that he wanted the club face even with his spine angle in the take away. In your pic 1 above the club face looks closed in relation to your spine angle. In your pic 2 it looks perfect. Instead of thinking counter rotation and rotation I have been thinking “face even with my spine angle”, instead of the counter rotation move and it has worked well (very good ball striking round for me today). Maybe a way of using body awareness rather than a specific move? Looking forward to your thoughts.
Thanks
Ball Game
Hi Ball Game,
That’s the whole point I’ve been making about the “counter-rotation” issue. I thought I was counter-rotating but when I looked at the video last week, what I was actually doing was not rotating the right forearm on the takeaway. That would be Photo 2. In the first photo, I was actively counter-rotating. So, the correct term (for me, at least) is non-rotation, not counter-rotation.
Some people might actually do what I’m doing in Pic 1, but that’s not what I do. I do what I was doing in Pic 2.
I am getting to the point now that if I have opening or closing of the club face in my swing I can feel it. It just does not feel right. Another surprising aspect I have found from this initial take away position is that it is a fantastic way for me to chip the ball (no weight transfer, or shoulder turn, just arms to the figure 7 and club face even to my spine angle….for chips 20 yards and in only). I would love to hear your thoughts on the short game.
Thanks
Ball Game
I don’t have any keen insights on the short game, BG. It’s so simple and straight-forward, I don’t spend much time thinking about it. With the proper grip and ball position, you really can’t do much wrong.
Hands ahead of the ball for pitches and chips, and more or less above the for lob shots, and other than that, I take the club back and drop it through impact, and the ball usually goes where I’m aiming it. The only concern for me is distance control.
DJ,
In regards to your flatter left arm plane, do you find that you are getting the same distance? Also, could you please give your opinion on the one plane vs two plane swings assuming
that the steeper left arm swing would be two plane and the flatter left arm swing a one plane. The trouble that I have when I have my arms so high up is having to reroute the club back on plane. I do find that the steeper left arm swing seems to be more powerful. Thanks.
I just got back from the range, ed, and wow! I couldn’t be happier with the changes I’m making in my left arm plane.
The swing is still taking some getting used to, because it feels so much shorter that I keep being tempted to hoist my hands higher, but like I said, once it feels normal, I don’t think I’ll go back.
I am getting the same club speed with the driver on my “playing golf” swings, and much more shaping ability. As I suspected, my shot shape with the flatter left arm is now a straight shot to a draw. I can still fade the ball, but it’s much easier to draw the ball with the flatter plane.
And as for flight – high, low, everything in between. I was sizzling 5 irons to a 210 yard green into a stiff breeze… couldn’t believe how much power the shorter swing was generating. I didn’t want to leave the range!
Sorry DJ for so many questions but does the counter-rotation result in hooks if done incorrectly? For some reason, I like to counter-rotate on my irons but try to keep it flat on the woods.
Thanks again.
It can if you over-do it, ed. As I said, I prefer not to counter-rotate, instead I make sure of my positions and grip and the back swing is a non-rotating or non-manipulated move.
For me, hooking occurs when I rotate through impact, which is bad habit of the modern swing. There you open the club going back, so you have to close it until impact, hence the forearm rotation. But since you don’t fan the blade open in the MCS, it should travel through the ball square. So my swing thought is “clubface facing the sky” after impact, ala Dan Shauger. Of course this is just a thought that will prevent too much rotation.
T.
Hooks are a signal your overrotate something (spinning out) which can have several causes. There is no need to counter-rotate, it adds timing and might even be counterproductive. If you sit down on the right hip, inside right foot, check the armold Palmet/mickey wright video to see how much they both sit down and Arnold is the more visual example, once your able to do that right you find no counterrotate is needed at all.
Its hype.