12 pound gain in 60 days

I have reached 170 lbs.  I thought I could get to this weight quicker than 60 days.  I obviously was not eating enough.  My sites are set on 175.  If I concentrate on the eating I should reach that weight before the first of the year.  My strength gains have increased weekly.  I have noticed some muscular size.  My legs, shoulders and back have noticeable growth.  I will be curious to see if my club head speed has increased with my strength gain.  If it does that will be an added benefit.

Titleist 913 D3 "slider" experiment with pictures

I believe that the invention of lead tape has allowed players to manipulate their golf clubs for decades.  TaylorMade built drivers with moveable weights and was credited for something that players have been doing for decades.

I have been trying to find a setup that will lower my trajectory and reduce spin.  With the 913 D3 Titleist driver I have experimented with a few different concepts.  First I adjusted the weights in the back of the driver.  I liked the 4 gram white dot weight.  I felt that I noticed a slightly lower trajectory with the 4 gram weight vs the 9 gram weight.  Titleist puts the different weights in the head to offset total swing weight based on shaft length.  They claim that the different weights will not alter the trajectory.

My latest experiment is the 913 D3 Titleist "Slider".  I was fortunate to play with two engineers recently and they explained the concept of the TM SLDR.  I also discovered that TM staff players are making adjustments to the SLDR by reducing the amount of weight in the driver.  The weighted slider portion of the driver is not removable but the staff players are having their drivers built with much lighter sliders.  The stock slider is 20 grams and the staffers are putting in a piece that is 8-10 grams.  With this new info I present the 913 D3 Titleist "slider".  I learned that having the weight low and towards the leading edge would create the effect I am after.  I have played 3 rounds with this new setup and I feel like I hit lower knuckle balls.  That makes me happy.  The sound and feel is completely different after I removed the weight from the tail end of the driver.  I tried with the two strips of lead but felt that was to heavy.

I am playing a Diamana White board 63x in with this setup.  This is the original white board with flower band.

The two strips of lead was to heavy.

Muscle and strength gain in the off season.

I had a tough finish to my season.  Neck injury forced me to withdraw from a couple of events.  I am feeling healthy now and I am on a mission to add 10 pounds to my little frame to help prevent further injuries.  I have been at 158 for the last 5 years.  That is mainly due to my routine in the gym and diet all reflecting a maintenance phase.  I have decided to change things up and I gained 6 pounds in the first 12 days.  The main reason for the gain is the increased calorie intake.  4 Hour Body is a book by Tim Ferris.  This book is the bible of body composition.  He wrote a chapter on how he gained 34 pounds in 4 weeks.  I am following his advice with some slight adjustments.  His main point is that nearly all people overtrain which does not allow them maximum growth and gain.  My workout routine looks like this:

First off every rep is 10 seconds.  5 seconds up and 5 seconds down.  Every set is to failure.  8 to 12 reps for each exercise.  Minimum rest of 3 minutes between sets.  3 to 4 days rest between workouts.  Concentrate on eating.

leg press
cable rows then superset with db pull overs
kettle bell swing 50 reps
db shoulder press
bosu ball abs
dips super set to cable flys for chest

add ons are:
drag curls
rear delt with cables
hip abduction for stability

my goal is to gain 10 pounds by the end of the year and then try to maintain a 4 to 5 pound lean muscle mass gain through next season.

Trophy Lake Golf and Casting Club, Washington. Titleist 913D3

After a long two days of travel, a practice round and then the qualifier for the Sahalee Am Scott and I ended up here, the first tee at Trophy Lake.  This place is AWESOME!  In Washington outside of Seattle, this gem of a golf course is off the beaten path.  We did not see many other players.  The place was very quiet.  The course was cut out of a forest.  It was...serene.  The yardage was near 7200 which included some long holes.  The course received lots of rain through the night and early morning so it played much longer.  We really lucked out on the weather.  When we decided to trek over there it was still raining but the day was absolutely perfect for our round of golf.  It started pouring on our drive home.  I think that area gets about 60 days of good weather a year.  We got 2 of them.

Tall pines surrounded every hole.

At times it looked like an enchanted forest.

Swinging out of my shoes on a par 5.  Scott hits it 290 in the air so I am always chasing.  I had 4 birdies on the day and kept the ball in play pretty well.  I am hitting the Titleist 913D3 8.5 with a Graphite Design Tour AD 7S tipped 1 inch.  The flex was 6.5.  It seems to fit my swing just fine.  My driver club head speed average is 110 mph.  I play the ProV1x.

Scenery on the course.

Some fly fishing after the round.  I wanted to take advantage of everything I could that day.  We had a 7:40 flight out of Seattle that night and we made it thanks to my impersonation of Mario Andretti.  We rented a Nissan Altima Coupe.  It was pretty fun to drive.  More fun than the cherry red Impala we had in Chicago.

We stopped at Gig Harbor on the way to the course.  Instagram helped me edit this photo.  We ate at Kelly's for breakfast and the food was excellent.  I had a smoked salmon omelette with capers and coffee from a local roaster.  Satisfaction was achieved.  Gig Harbor seemed like a nice vacation spot.

Scott is about to launch this ball into orbit.  Another drive over 300 yards.  It's obvious he can hit it well with lag like that and a very grounded base.  Great footwork.  It would be nice to be 6 foot 4.  He is hitting the Titleist 913D3 8.5 (white weight) with a Graphite Design Tour AD 7X.  He plays the Titleist ProV1x.

Titleist 913 Hybrid H-d 18

Hook machine:  I've had this hybrid for a year and I have hated from day 1. Every swing I make is an anti hook swing. It's finally out if the bag. 

I went with a toursauce favorite, Titleist. What I like most about this hybrid is I can adjust the lie angle .75 flat. That equals anti hook. It's in the bag for next weeks Sahalee Am. 

Monterey Peninsula CC

1st hole on the shore course. Downhill par 5.

There were deer in every hole. 

234 par 3 on the shore. 

Tap in birdie.  In the practice round of course. 

My caddie, Nicolai. Also my cousin. 

Par 3. 175 yards. 

Monterey Peninsula CC Score Cards

California State Amateur at Monterey Peninsula CC

I am very excited to be playing in the CSA at MPCC.  I played my first practice round at the dunes course yesterday. The course is very well maintained, minty. The greens are firm and running about 13.  You have to stay below the hole. 

This hole is a 177 yard par 3.  As you can see you can't go right. The wind is into and slightly from the right at about 15mph. The green is fairly large compared to the others on the course but they are all very undulating and have defined sections. 

Warming up on their second range, Point Joe.

3 wood up the hill on number 11.  This is a blind shot, dogleg left with a large fairway and the beach right behind you. It's June and the temperature never broke 55.

Another par 3. 186 yards. 

Original Penguin

These new Original Penguin shorts fit great. I like the leg on these because they are more tapered than most other brands. I am wearing a polo from their golf collection in this photo. It is made with the stay dry fabric. I like the cotton polos as well.  They have a nice fitted look. 

More of the Original Penguin shorts. I want them in every color. 

Golf swing analysis with video. Drills.

I have been working on keeping the club in front of me during the swing.  I was getting the club and my hands way behind at the top of the swing.  My hands were also very high at the top.  This started causing me to pull hard from the top and kind of cast the club early and come over the top a little.  My divots were toe heavy and pointing left.  This drill has really helped keep the club in front of me which has also improved the plane of the club head through the swing.  As it turns out the plane of the club head is much more important than the plane of the shaft.  Just remember that when you are drawing lines on your shaft.  The drill also helped square the divots, my hands are closer to my body at impact.  In the video you can see the right elbow staying in front at the top of the back swing, it does not slide past the seem in my shirt.  The club exits in a much lower position which is something I work on. 

In this video I am making a swing thinking of the towel drill without the towel under the arms.  The swing is getting longer here and you can see I was a little off balance at the end.  Aside from the lack of balance I love this swing.

This is my full swing.  I prefer the swing above.  I like the shorter backswing.   My club does not cross the line.  The interesting thing is that the ball went the same distance in both shots.  I am also flighting the ball a bit lower with this drill.  That is because my plane has shallowed on the way down and with the shorter backswing I have more shaft lean at impact, greater lag.  I will post some face on shots which should show the increased lag.

Titleist Vokey SM4 58.06

After much debate and experimentation I decided to go with the proven winner.  I put the S300 shaft in the wedge.  Danny Kupfer grinded the heel of the club some.  Through my experiments I noticed that the wedges with even slightly more bounce gave me trouble in the bunker and on tight lies.  In the bunker I felt like I could not get as much spin on the ball.  With this club, low bounce, I can "pick" the ball out of the sand and spin it.  In the following photos you will notice how low the leading edge is to the ground.  The picture was taken on bermuda grass that was tightly mowed.

The right wedge for you, more importantly for me.

When you are comfortable with your wedges you can hit shouts without doubt.  Confidence.  On the PGA tour those guys are confident with their wedge shots.  I am still trying to get their.

After reading the post below I have spent some time hitting the Taylormade ATV wedge.  I like it.  At impact i feel the common Taylormade "crunch".  It seems to go through the turf easily.  I used multiple shot selections and felt very comfortable with this wedge.  The big question remains:  what shaft to use?  The wedges are all so similar, you just need to find the right shaft.

I thought it was interesting to read how the grooves were less important to spin than the milling on the face of the wedge.  The milling on the Vokey wedges comes off in about a month but I am still capable of producing spin on the ball.  I guess the Trackman would answer the question of how much less spin.

Off to Roger Dunn to get the Vokey 58.12.  Maybe I will pick out a Taylormade ATV as well.  Roger Dunn has a 90 day return policy so I can try equipment from large manufacturers.  I wish Scor had some wedges at Dunn.

Ultimate Spin Wedge Shootout

My teacher Billy McKinney sent this article. Ultimate Spin Wedge Shootout The Line Up We should all be looking to spin the ball around the greens. Which of the current crop of wedges will give us the best chance to do that? If you have read any of my previous research on wedges you will know that friction between the face and the ball plays a huge role, not only in generating spin, but also in lowering trajectory – both vitally important forcontrol. Milled Face The most important part of the clubface of any wedge is not the grooves, but the texturing of the flat areas between thegrooves. Keep in mind that the primary purpose of grooves is to channel “matter” away from being caught between the flat areas and the ball – they are not in place to create spin. When you look carefully at the flat areas between the grooves of your wedge you should see some fine milling which looks like corduroy to me. Most club manufacturers will mill the clubface of their premium wedges and it makes a massive difference to the control and ball flight. The idea behind the test was to see which wedge generated the better grip between face and ball. I had four very new 58 degree wedges available for the test: Titleist Vokey SM4 with a DG Spinner shaft – conforming grooves with standard mill pattern on face Ping Gorge Tour with a DG Spinner shaft – conforming “gorge” grooves with standard mill pattern on face Callaway X Series Jaws CC with a stock steel shaft – additional conforming grooves with no apparent milling on face TaylorMade ATV with a KBS shaft – conforming grooves with two-way mill pattern on face You may notice that the wedges had differing shafts – I obviously would have preferred to have had all the clubs built to the exact same specs, but that was not feasible for this test. Apologies to all Cleveland Golf fans – would love to have had a Cleveland wedge in the mix, but did not have a new version. I had four golf professionals each hit four shots with each wedge. All shots were hit off a mat in order to limit friction being interrupted by matter being caught between face and ball. Titleist ProV1 golf balls were used and each shot had to land somewhere between 40 and 60 yards (ideally at 50 yards). The clubface was cleaned often even though it never appeared to need it. The “normalize” feature on TrackManwas off. Here are the results: TaylorMade ATV 58 Titleist Vokey SM4 58 Ping Gorge Tour 58 Callaway X Series Jaws CC 58 ATV 7365 rpm average Vokey 7210 rpm average Gorge 7193 rpm average Jaws 7163 rpm average As you can see the ATV wedge led the way in generating the highest spin of the four – albeit by a slender 2%. If I was a betting man I would have bet the ATV would generate the most spin as I have always loved the two-way milling treatment on the face. I would also have placed the Jaws wedge at the bottom of the pack, as no matter how many groove edges come in contact with the ball, there is way more flat surface area contacting the ball and it should be milled. If you do take one thing from this research let it be the following: A fresh wedge with a clean, milled clubface will allow you to generate more spin and a lower trajectory – both important factors in controlling your golf ball around the greens.  Thanks to Zack, Mark, Rick and Joe for your help with this article!

Matt Kuchar??

Mr. Nice Guy?

We all believe that Kuchar is Mr. Nice Guy but I recently heard a story about him that suggests otherwise.  This story comes from a very good source but it is second hand.

This year there was a tournament in which one round was played at Cypress Point.  Matt went to play his practice round.  Before the round he heads into the pro shop and asks for a yardage book.  The head pro was behind the counter and says something like this, "Hi Matt, we don't have those fancy yardage books you guys get on tour for free.  All we have are these ones, which provide good information but are mainly for the guests that play our club."  Matt says ok, I will take one.  The head pro says they cost $20 bucks.  This is when Matt shows his true colors:  "TWENTY BUCKS"  wha, wha, wha, I'm matt kuchar do I really have to pay for this.  HP:  Yes Matt, very sorry.  So the kuch throws a wadded up twenty on the counter and walks out shaking his head.  What a Prick.  This is when somebody like Phil Michelson would break out a grand ($1000) and say:  "here man, take care of your staff."  It gets worse.

Five hours go by and the kuch comes back in the shop.  He takes out the yardage book, now with folded up corners and an overall used appearance, and says:  "Dude, this thing sucks, give me back my twenty bucks."  The head pro, with a shake of his head, pulls out his own wallet and gives him a twenty.

Maybe the kuch was having a bad day.  I believe that when a person is under stress there true colors fly.  That was opportunity for the kuch to stay off the radar and just shut the hell up.

When I am up there for the California State Am next month I have a 50% chance of playing Cypress Point.  Please, please, please, please...make it happen.  If I get in there I am going to the head pro to get the skinny on this story and will report the news when I return.

Do you have any dirt on our beloved tour pros?

Vokey Wedges

I heard from a good source that Vokey wedges jumped past Cleveland wedges in sales last year.  Is that due to marketing or do they make a better product.  I am sure everyone has there opinion about that.  I have played both wedges.  My favorite Cleveland wedge was the DSG made with the 588 metal.  I think that came out in 2005.  I have Vokey wedges in the bag now and I have been playing with them for a few years.  I am always experimenting with other wedges and bounce/grind configurations.

Scor wedges look interesting.  I have used there 60*.  It feels good but ultimately it has too much bounce.  There "V Sole" technology has a low bounce on the leading edge and then 28* of bounce on the back end.  I like the idea of the wedge and would like to experiment more with them but at the moment I am going to stay with the Vokey.  Vokey has many bounce options.  The last 6 months I have been using the 58.06 and I grinded the sole some more.  I did a very amateur job on the grind.  It looked uneven but the wedge performed great.  This week I am going to experiment with the 58.12.  I feel like I hit many different wedge shots...what bounce is best?  It varies depending on lie and shot selection.  So the question is what bounce/grind configuration gives me the most versatility and the least possibility for error?  Experimentation.

I qualified for the 2013 California State Am which will be played at Monterey Peninsula CC in June.  I think the courses in that area will be soft.  If that is the case the experts suggest using a wedge with more bounce.  I will take both wedges and decide what to use after the practice rounds.  I wish I was on  tour and Bob V. would just build me a few.

I am only particular about my 58* wedge.  I also play a 52* and a 48*.  They are basic since I am not usually opening up the club face on shots with those clubs.  I sometimes use the 52* for long bunker shots (20-30 yards of carry).

I have been experimenting with wedge shafts for years as well.  In my wedges I have used s200, s300, s400, DG spinner and KBS wedge.  My irons have x100 shafts and I think they feel great but I have not played x100's in the wedges.  I currently have s300's in the wedges now.  I like the feel with the 58 but seem to get a lot of spin on the 52.  When I had the s400 in the 52 it seemed that I lost yardage with that club, over 5 yards of carry and it had much less spin.  The 2 shafts are so similar on paper that I just can't wrap my head around why this occurred.  the weight difference is 2-3 grams.  The frequency was supposed to match up as well but I did not build them.  Must have been a difference in flex.  More experimentation needed.  Any input on wedge shafts would be appreciated.  I know a few tour players who match wedge shafts with their iron shafts.  A lot of guys on tour use the s400's in there wedges.  Bobby V, will you come to costa mesa and fit me for some wedges?  I will come to you!

equipment review

I have been playing the Titleist 913 D3 8.5 with the white 4 gram weight.  The shaft is a Graphite Design DI-7s tipped 1 inch.  I like the setup.  I feel like the driver maximizes my distance.  On miss hits the shots feel terrible but they seem to loose less distance than other models.  I was playing the R11 with a white board 63x.  When I put them on flight scope the titleist out performed the taylormade in all categories the most important was the dispersion.  The miss hits on the R11 had a greater distance from the intended target.  I really like the titleist head but believe the shaft and head combo are a perfect match for my swing.

I have been testing balls this off season as well.  The Taylormade Lethal ball is leaps and bounds better than any ball they have produced yet.  I feel that the Lethal performs well in all conditions including windy and cold conditions.  It is long off the tee and spins good on the greens.

The new prov1 and prov1x are still my ball of choice.  All others are still trying to compete with the best.  I play the x.

Callaway and Taylormade are making good balls but since I am buying my balls, I am going to buy the best, Titleist.

The Srixon balls do not impress me at all.  Bridgestone is still in the rearview mirror.

PGA Tour Canada Q-School

So much has happened since my last post and unfortunately I did not post any of it. I will try to do a recap in the coming week.

 Today was day 1 of Q-School for PGA Tour Canada and was a big day for me and Eric who was caddying. I have been playing really well leading up to the event and felt great about my game. However in the two official practice rounds the last two days, I had a bit of a rough go. I was nervous, played tight in both rounds and was steering the ball the entire time. My confidence was shattered and I thought this week was going to be a disaster. But after a great night last night and some much needed confidence boosting from a new, wonderful person in my life, (to be named later), I woke up feeling calm and settled. Its an hour drive to the course, in which I had a long talk out-loud with myself. Through this talk I decided what I wanted out of today and the week. The expectation and pressure that I put on myself and that I get from others can be overwhelming. So I decided what I wanted out of this experience was to have fun and be free with my swing. That was all. The entry fee for Q-School was $2,500 and I was not going to pay all that money to be stressed, tense, nervous or pissed off all week. On the range, all I focused on was being free and letting go of everything else. I felt great on the range and headed to the first tee. I had a real sense of calmness on the tee and hit a great drive down the middle. After a solid par, I was off and running. I only missed 1 green on the front and shot an easy 1 under 35. I birdied 10 and eagled 13 to go 4 under par. The last 5 holes were back dead into the wind, which was blowing 20-30 mph all day. I started thinking about my score and got a little ahead of myself. I bogeyed 14 and tripled 15, which was a killer blow but I walked off the green smiling and told Eric I am enjoying the day and still having fun. After two more pars and a bogey on 18, I shot 73. It was a tough finish but I am happy with the way I played and how free I was. That was the goal and I did it all through the round except for a couple swings coming in. I learned a lot about myself and my game today and proved once again I have the talent to play on the highest level. I just need to keep having fun and staying free, which allows my swing to be natural and repeatable. For 15 holes I played very near my potential and it was an incredible feeling.
 Having Eric on the bag was an immense help and I owe a ton to him. He keep me calm, in the moment, guided me through the shot and reminded me to stay free. I cant remember a time when I thought my way through a course so well, which was all his doing. We had a great dialogue and it allowed me to commit fully to each shot.
 My mindset has completely changed from yesterday and I am looking forward to these next three rounds. I feel confident and believe in myself more than ever. Its gonna be a great week!

"On the other side of fear, lies freedom"

Scott Alpi
@scottalpi

Lessons & Swing Changes

It feels like a lot has been happening over this past week. I have been putting in a lot of time on my game, which I have to admit is out of the norm for me, and I already can see progress coming from the work. I've always been more of a go play and figure it out on the course type of player. I'm not really into beating balls on the range or making major changes to my swing. I am a natural player who has taught myself over the years, with help here and there from others, how to play golf  However to excel to the level I want, this is no longer going to be good enough. Now it is time to add my swing to the to do list and make the changes that will make me more consistent and overall a better player.

This is the year where I started doing what I have not previously done before. Doing the things I either did not want to do or made excuses for, such as working out, eating healthier, practicing, hitting balls and making fundamental changes to my swing. I not only see the benefits in my golf game but also in the way my body feels mentally and physically. This month my game has been coming together, I've been more consistent with my shots, having more birdies per round and making a lot more putts. This solid play has made me think that a swing change would be a bad idea right now, but since it is the year of change, I had a lesson yesterday. It was with Pete Wilman, a pro at my club (Glendora CC) and we worked on a few things, mainly getting my hips to turn left on the downswing and getting the weight off my toes and onto the outside of my left foot & heel through the downswing, into impact and the finish. I had one swing lesson last year and before that its been a long time, so for me taking a lesson, especially in the midst of good play, is a big step for me. 

I have always had the mindset of not being mechanical and just letting my body make the swing as long as my mind did not get in the way. This is a great approach to the swing, but there are still fundamental positions I need to get to in order to become a better player. What Pete and I worked on yesterday was the start of some great things but I did not realize it until today. What I discovered today was solely due to the persistence, knowledge and dedication of Eric. In the past Eric has tried to help me with my swing, but I always shut him down either because I get frustrated quickly when I do not see immediate results or because of the fear of becoming too mechanical in my swing. The lesson with Pete yesterday opened up a dialogue between Eric and I today, about my swing and the changes I am trying to make. That was all that was needed and Eric took it from there. He expanded on the changes and slowly began to re-build my swing. For some reason this time, I was not frustrated with his advice but open to what he was saying and the changes he wanted me to make. I had a break through today, not just in my swing but also in my ability to listen and apply the changes without the feeling of frustration or wanting to quit. It was a great couple of hours on the range today for me and I am excited to keep dialing in the changes. 

Tomorrow I have a tournament and it will be a great test, both mentally and physically, to apply what I learned today. I was hesitant to put the changes into play tomorrow, but Eric being Eric, told me this is the time when I need to do it and there is no reason to not commit to the changes right away.

Below are two videos of me with my driver. The first being from last week when I was simply trying to just turn away with my shoulders and let my body do the rest. The second is from today. You can see the change in my weight shift on the way back to my right side, my hips turning left on the downswing and my weight continuing left onto my left heel through impact and to the finish, which no longer is on my back foot. Overall it looks so much more controlled, sturdy and sound.

"Practice is not the thing you do once you are good, its the thing that makes you good"

Scott Alpi
@scottalpi

3 Wood Swing & Review

This video is me hitting into a par 5 with a recently built TaylorMade RBZ Tour 14.5deg 3 wood with a Matrix HD RADIX 8X prototype Bright Orange shaft, built by ACD (Alpi Custom Designs). The swing looks better with less weight on my left hip that the previous video of my driver. As I mentioned before, I struggle with swaying so this process is taking a bit longer because I do not want my weight shift too occur through a sway back as I start the take away. It needs to be a turn with the weight transferring to my right thigh and hip as I go back and to the top. I have also been working on my grip, which I have a weird problem of the finger nail of my left thumb digging into the pad of my right thumb. Its due to my left thumb being on the left side of the grip and underneath my right thumb, instead of it being on the right half of the grip and tucked into the crease of my right palm. I will try to post some pics to help show the problem since its not easily explained. Just the small shift of my thumb from the left side of the shaft to the right, feels so awkward. It is so minimal but makes such a big impact throughout the swing because my grip of the club feels so different. Therefore I can feel my hands compensating through the swing, especially at the top and at the start of the transition.At the top, the club does not feel as supported as before so my hands feel loose and sometimes I can feel the club move in my hands as the club transitions from the top down to impact. This then causes my hands to tighten or my swing to get quick/jumpy because I think the club is loose in my hands. Its been a bit of work to be comfortable and trusting in the change even though it is such a small thing. Sometimes its the smallest things that cause the biggest problems.

 This 3 wood is amazing. The Tour 14.5deg RBZ head is outstanding from all points: looks, feel, playability and distance. I experimented with several shafts in this head. First a tour issue Rombax Z-series 8-S tipped 1", which is amazing but too low spinning and didn't launch the ball off the deck. Next was a Tour Spec Fujikura 757 Speeder. This shaft was a bomber off the deck and the tee but unfortunately just a little too light. It was tough to feel the club through the swing. I also tried a few lower end shafts with poor results and then finally this Matrix. Eric plays this same shaft, but in blue, in his Tour Edge CB3 3wd and absolutely kills it. After trying his out for a bit one day, I loved the shaft and the rest is history. I have tested my setup against a handful of other RBZ's built by Taylormade at their fitting center and this club blows theirs out of the water. The only shaft that was close to mine was the Fubuki Alpha 70X, which felt heavier than a 70 series shaft, and was a really great shaft. I love building clubs and love it even more when they come out as good as this 3 wood. Its a great feeling when you can play and enjoy the clubs you yourself have built. But as a true golfer, I already want to try all the new 3 woods that just came out; RBZ Stage 2, Callaway X Hot & RAZR Fit Extreme and also the Titleist 913. This shaft in one of those heads could be even better!!

On a Tour Sauce Tour Talk note, it only took one round before Rory put his Cameron back into the bag and took out that junk Method putter. I wonder what else he will replace. Also Phil was using the new Odyssey Versa putter last week out in the desert at the Humana but this week at Torrey he has gone back to his old Odyssey High Toe #9 blade.

"You never plow a field by turning it over in your mind"

Scott Alpi
@scottalpi

A fun day at Torrey Pines with the pros. Tour players swings. Tiger Woods on video.

This week I decided to head down to Torrey Pines with my pro Billy McKinney.  There are many advantages to being at a PGA event with a pro.  Billy is now a teaching pro at Marbella CC and he also played on tour.  He qualified for the AT&T.  I think he is the best teacher in southern california and he received the SCPGA teacher of the year award for 2012.  I could go on about him but the point I am trying to make is that we were allowed to go places that were off limits to the general public.  At Torrey they have an upper and a lower range.  The upper range is where all the club manufacturers are tweaking equipment.  I spent about 4 hours at the upper range.  When I first arrived Tiger was hitting and I stood about 15 feet from him and took some video.  If you have seen Tiger hit on the range you know that it is an amazing display.  He hits nearly every shot perfect.  As he claims, he is a "Ranger Rick", hitting every shot perfect on the range and then not taking it to the course.  I imagine the high amount of stress he feels in every aspect of his life has something to do with that.  However, this week is different so far.  On Thursday he hit a ton of excellent shots.  His swing looks very much in control.

Here are some videos:

Kyle Stanley

This guy is pure.  I really like his swing.  Very balanced with a nice bump towards the target and the hips stop moving before impact which creates the whip of the club and lots of power.  He had this tournament in his hands last year.  I watched the replay of the 2012 Farmers and the announcers put the trophy in his car before he finished the 15th.  I can't believe he won the very next week at the Waste Management...That's what we call "heart".

Cameron Tringale

Cameron is a pretty nice kid.  I played with his brother a year ago and when I told him that he talked to me for a couple of minutes.  You can notice he has 2 balls teed up here and he is hitting the first one.  This drill looks like he is trying to hit a cut and swing the club more left around his body.  Torrey is designed for cuts of the tee.

Seung-Yul Noh

Nice smooth swing here.  I think he was having trouble with the new nike equipment.  He hit a couple of shots out of the range to the right.  High slice.  I was told that nike does not manufacture anything.  It is all made from outside contractors  AKA "sweat shops in china.  They are just a big marketing company.

Aaron Baddeley

An exceptional putter and an average ball striker.  There are many ways to get it done.

Tiger

John Senden

This guy is known as the best ball striker on tour.

Eric Engelbert

I saved the best for last.  You might not have made it this far.  I probably would have stopped reading when I saw Troy Matteson.  The club face looks much better at the top.  I made that change over the last month.  In this video I noticed I was taking the club inside a little which may have caused a slight crossing of the target line at the top.  I fixed that immediately.  I am always trying to keep the club in front of me and that begins with the take away.  If I get handsy in the first couple of feet then the club gets behind me.  I try to start the swing with my body.  Letting the arms go along for the ride.


While I was at the upper range I saw JB Holmes hitting driver.  That was fun to watch.  His teacher Matt Killen was there with a TracMan.  A couple of guys were lined up to use the machine.  It is great to get that immediate feedback.  The staff asked JB to stop hitting driver because he was landing it next to the guys on the lower range.  I still think he is the longest hitter on tour.  No one said anything to Garrigus, Dustin Johnson, Jason Kokrak or Tiger.

Farmers Open Qualifying

This is a picture of the par 3, 7th hole at Twin Oaks in San Marcos. Today I played the Farmers Insurance qualifier there and unfortunately it did not go as planned. I struggled with ball striking from driver down to my irons but putted really well, which was great and made the round enjoyable.
 I've been meaning to write about my putting because throughout my career it has been the flat stick that has plagued me and is where the improvement needs to come from. I put a lot of work in with Eric last year putting and worked with Dave Stockton Jr as well. The last few months the putting has improved slightly but still not to the level it needs to be. Last week Eric & I discovered that the changes I made from Stockton were working but I was using my hands too much throughout the stroke. I've concentrated this week on using my back to stroke the ball and have kept my hands quiet. It has payed off in practice and today really showed in the tournament round. I had 5 one putts in a row early in the round, all of which were outside 5 feet. It was such a great feeling to stand over a putt you know you should make, feel confident about it and stroke it right in. Plus I'm glad my first entry about my putting was a positive one! Today my putting saved me, which is not always the case. So even though the ball striking was off, I'm really excited about the putting and to keep dialing it in. At this level its all putting, that is the great equalizer. You have to make putts.
 For some Tour Sauce Tour Talk, it was interesting to watch Rory decked out in Nike gear. I have mixed emotions about it because I'm a Rory fan but not a fan of Nike, so I cannot decide how I feel about the whole thing. But I watched his round yesterday and he was off his normal form. On his 9th hole he hit one of the worst 3 woods I have ever seen a pro hit. It was a drop kick toe hook, dead left that should have been out of bounds but due to the grandstand he got a great drop. Its hard to tell if its the equipment or just the rust from being the first tournament of the year. But putting 14 new clubs in your bag takes a lot of balls because you are starting fresh in terms of confidence & experience with your equipment. I guess that shows what money will do! I cannot wait to see how the year pans out for him and see if he sneaks any of his old equipment back into the bag. He did say though that the Covert driver was longer than his 913, which hurt my feelings because I'm on love with 913. Nike also swooped up Nick Watney and Kyle Stanley, both Titleist guys. What does everyone else think about the equipment changes? Some quick apparel changes came from Bubba Watson, leaving Travis Mathew and going to Oakley. And Webb Simpson leaving Polo and going to Izod. I guess it was the season for big money, and these guys all cashed in.

"Never regret. If it's good, it's wonderful. If it's bad, it's experience"

Scott Alpi
@scottalpi