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

Weight Shift with Driver

This video was from last week during a practice round at Twin Oaks GC, in San Marcos, California. Eric and I are both doing our qualifying for the PGA Torrey Pines event, at Twin Oaks GC. As you can see I have been getting my weight onto my left hip throughout the take away and at the top of the back swing. I do not think it is all bad because my weight stays over the ball on the way down and through impact. I would like to however get it back to how I used to be, having my weight go from my right thigh and hip on the way back and at the top and then transfer to the left side on the way down, into impact and through to the finish. I tend to struggle with swaying instead of turning on the way back. I think this move slowly developed from trying to stop the sway going back to the top. My natural ball shape is a draw which can become a hook occasionally. This reverse weight shift, almost a stack and tilt move, has caused me to hit a very small draw now with more straight shots and when I miss, its out to the right. This is far more controllable but my mind still see the draw so there is still some adjusting. Plus I do not like how the swing looks at the top with the weight on the left.
 The driver I am playing is the new Titleist 913 D3 head. It is 8.5 loft, with the white dot 4 gram weight in the head, which is lighter than the stock red dot weight at 9 grams. The shaft is the Graphite Design Tour AD DI-7X at 45-1/2". This setup is a straight heater. The only downfall is the feel of miss hits. It feels awful when its miss hit but when you look up and its down the center of the fairway, you get over the bad feel. I hit just about every driver available in 2012 and this is the best, hands down. I cracked the face of my Nickent Special Edition Tour Spec T-Stamp head in January of 2012 and have been in search of a replacement ever since. It took until Decemeber 2012, countless fittings, custom shafts and hours of launch monitors before finding this combo. I now have a permanent replacement in the bag which feels amazing because I basically played the entire 2012 year with different drivers, not a confident feeling when standing on the tee! If looking for a new driver, check out the 913, its money.

"Luck is when preparation meets opportunity"

Scott Alpi
@scottalpi

9 Iron down the line.

I have been working on the lower body.  You can see the back foot is connected to the ground through impact.  I have also been trying to keep the club face square through the swing.  I used to be very shut at the top.  Let me know what you think.  Thanks.

6 iron on the range. lower body looks better.

The New Year

2013 has begun, the goals are written down, now is the time for execution.

I feel like my driver has been my achilles heel.  Therefore my number one goal is to hit more fairways.  I have to look at mechanics.  I think the mechanics of my swing are pretty good but I have one problem.  I am 5'10" and I try to hit it like I'm 6'5".  This causes me to "spin out", my lower body racing way ahead of my arms.  When I compare my swing on video to the tour stars that I want to become I can see my hips more open and forward which causes me to hit the ball everywhere.  To combat this I am making swings with the feeling that my lower body is not moving at all.  Literally not moving at all.  Of course, I will never achieve that but it has been working.  At first I lost some yardage which is unacceptable for my ego so I am dealing with that by feeling like I am pulling down harder with the arms.  I have always felt like I was a "one plane" body swinger but now my swing feels more dominant with the arms.  If I can keep the back foot on the ground through impact, I hit the ball straight. It seems simple.  Which leads me to the most important aspect of hitting fairways and that would be my mental approach to the driver.  I will post more on that at a later date.  It can get Freudian.

Putting is the number two goal.  I have to write a ton on this one.  Scott has been seeing the Stocktons for his putting but I like to think my short game instructor is the best in the business, John Ortega at Costa Mesa CC, aka The National.

First professional q-school attempt in Thailand.

What is tour sauce?

You have seen Tiger Woods hit a wedge over the flag thinking he over shot his target.  He has yet to throw a club or slam it in the ground.  Why?  He knows that shot was saucy.  When the ball lands it zipps backwards as if it is on a string!  That is TOUR SAUCE.  You can hear the caddie in the background say "That was saucy!".

We have all hit a shot with some crowd pleasing spin on it, full shots and short game shots.  Good players have become adept at the low one hop and stop shot.  That shot is super saucy with lots of Tour Sauce on it.  I have seen some guys make the ball move left and right with Sideways Tour Sauce.

I will get some footage of Tour Sauce and post it on this blog.

The Start

This is the start of a journey for two men. The journey has already begun, but this is the start of logging it down, making it public and sharing it with the world. For one, the journey began at a very young age, formulated from a childhood dream. The other started over a decade ago when he fell in love with the sport. The destination is the same; the PGA Tour. 

 This blog will chronicle various aspects of their lives on and off of the course, from their golf rounds, lessons & equipment to working out, diet and relationships. Along the way you will learn about these two individuals, discover their likes & dislikes, form opinions of them and hopefully take enough of an interest to follow them on their quest. 

And of course lots of sauce, Tour Sauce, that is. 

Enjoy

Scott Alpi

@scottalpi

"Go confidently in the direction of your dreams"