Brian Manzella
Administrator
Sitting around one day about five or so years ago, I was thinking about the 1987 U.S. Open Qualifier in New Orleans at Timberlane Country Club.
I shot about 150, with a 74 in the second round. Ho hum.
So what?
So, although I only putted average—which wasn't very good at the time—I was right around par all day in both rounds, even with a lot of crooked tee shots.
I must have been stiffing a lot of iron shots.
The year before I was leading after 25 holes, at 3-under for the tournament.
I remember making all of my birdies from just outside of "lick-in" distance.
So...?
Right after that 1987 qualifier, I went out to California, to see Ben Doyle and get a leg up on becoming an Authorized Instructor of The Golfing Machine.
The day before I started working with Ben, I played Pebble Beach. Didn't break 80.
So?
So I hit 5-iron 3 feet on #2 from about 210 out, downwind. Hit the hole on #4 with a wedge. Hit it very close on 10, 13, and 16. Drove it great all day.
So?
So, the next day, June 6th, 1987, I went to Carmel Country Club, to start to work with Ben Doyle.
Ben said, "Hello, what club do you have in your hand?
I replied, "8-iron."
Ben said, "hit it."
I did.
If I live to be 120 years old, I'll remember the shots I hit on the perfect grass on that range. Every shot was a little draw, dead solid, nice shallow divot, literally nearly lipping out shots to a flag about 140 yards away.
That was the last of 'em.
The last of what??
The last of the swing I had come up with, all on my own, with zero help from anyone, with 15 years of struggle to get to the point where I was a better short game and a little know how from a pretty good player.
Ben changed everything.
Well, except for my bunker shots.
The big difference was the angle of descent. And the forward lean of the shaft at impact.
Ben says he teaches no forward lean. But, let me tell you, he wanted you to bang down on that ball. He wanted a lot of lag. He wanted the right shoulder way "down and deeply under," like Moe Norman talked about.
I hit it so much farther, it was joke.
To give you a concrete example, on the old #7 on the now gone forever New Orleans City Park East Course, a 425 yard par 4, I left for California hitting a Driver and a 5-iron on that hole. When I went back to see Ben one year later, I was routinely hitting Driver-8-iron, sometimes, just a little pitchin' wedge.
Why?
Well I had a touch more clubhead speed from a much better pivot. But mostly because I turned that 8-iron into a 6-iron. Some days, maybe a 5-iron.
Boy did I compress that ball...
It felt soooooo right, mashing that little pill.
It had to be right.
My male students at the time that could play a little, Mike Finney, Tom Bartlett, Rusty Shannon, & David Dorman, all mashed that ball.
My student that could play a lot, David Toms, was much more of a sweep/picker.
Thank God I couldn't convert him.
You see, it was all based on a lie.
(Side note: Ben Doyle told us NOT to lean the shaft forward!)
The lie was—and is—compression.
Ba-loney!
Any flipper that can hit the ball on the sweet spot, compresses the ball more with his Driver than Boo Weekly does with his 7-iron.
They are swinging about the same speed too.
Besides sweet spot (or not) contact, the delivered loft of the golf club is the #1 thing responsible for how much the golf ball deforms against the face at impact.
The Heavy Ht is a big ole fat lie.
What feels like the heavy hit, is the ball and the ground taking a club coming in at a steep angle of descent, face de-lofted, and slowing down the shaft and head that have been basically disconnected from each other since well before impact.
This makes the clubhead lag pressure on the grip end of the club that had been partially loss due to the shaft unbend, reappear, so-to-speak, and it feels so good. Like double catching a perfectly thrown long pass you should have single caught.
Everybody wants compression.
Ha!
You have to hit down on the ball a certain amount to get sweet spot contact. Any more than that is show biz.
As in, "Whataya hit dere, Joe?"
"Oh, just a wedge (from 150)."
Listen if you play better hitting the ball toward China, go right ahead.
You see, "Compression" ain't what it used to be.
Now, what about that pre-Ben swing?
Well, it lives again, all grown up and educated, in the Soft Draw Pattern.
Thank God for science, Trackman, and a forgotten little pattern from a never publish book called "Absolute Golf."
I shot about 150, with a 74 in the second round. Ho hum.
So what?
So, although I only putted average—which wasn't very good at the time—I was right around par all day in both rounds, even with a lot of crooked tee shots.
I must have been stiffing a lot of iron shots.
The year before I was leading after 25 holes, at 3-under for the tournament.
I remember making all of my birdies from just outside of "lick-in" distance.
So...?
Right after that 1987 qualifier, I went out to California, to see Ben Doyle and get a leg up on becoming an Authorized Instructor of The Golfing Machine.
The day before I started working with Ben, I played Pebble Beach. Didn't break 80.
So?
So I hit 5-iron 3 feet on #2 from about 210 out, downwind. Hit the hole on #4 with a wedge. Hit it very close on 10, 13, and 16. Drove it great all day.
So?
So, the next day, June 6th, 1987, I went to Carmel Country Club, to start to work with Ben Doyle.
Ben said, "Hello, what club do you have in your hand?
I replied, "8-iron."
Ben said, "hit it."
I did.
If I live to be 120 years old, I'll remember the shots I hit on the perfect grass on that range. Every shot was a little draw, dead solid, nice shallow divot, literally nearly lipping out shots to a flag about 140 yards away.
That was the last of 'em.
The last of what??
The last of the swing I had come up with, all on my own, with zero help from anyone, with 15 years of struggle to get to the point where I was a better short game and a little know how from a pretty good player.
Ben changed everything.
Well, except for my bunker shots.
The big difference was the angle of descent. And the forward lean of the shaft at impact.
Ben says he teaches no forward lean. But, let me tell you, he wanted you to bang down on that ball. He wanted a lot of lag. He wanted the right shoulder way "down and deeply under," like Moe Norman talked about.
I hit it so much farther, it was joke.
To give you a concrete example, on the old #7 on the now gone forever New Orleans City Park East Course, a 425 yard par 4, I left for California hitting a Driver and a 5-iron on that hole. When I went back to see Ben one year later, I was routinely hitting Driver-8-iron, sometimes, just a little pitchin' wedge.
Why?
Well I had a touch more clubhead speed from a much better pivot. But mostly because I turned that 8-iron into a 6-iron. Some days, maybe a 5-iron.
Boy did I compress that ball...
It felt soooooo right, mashing that little pill.
It had to be right.
My male students at the time that could play a little, Mike Finney, Tom Bartlett, Rusty Shannon, & David Dorman, all mashed that ball.
My student that could play a lot, David Toms, was much more of a sweep/picker.
Thank God I couldn't convert him.
You see, it was all based on a lie.
(Side note: Ben Doyle told us NOT to lean the shaft forward!)
The lie was—and is—compression.
Ba-loney!
Any flipper that can hit the ball on the sweet spot, compresses the ball more with his Driver than Boo Weekly does with his 7-iron.
They are swinging about the same speed too.
Besides sweet spot (or not) contact, the delivered loft of the golf club is the #1 thing responsible for how much the golf ball deforms against the face at impact.
The Heavy Ht is a big ole fat lie.
What feels like the heavy hit, is the ball and the ground taking a club coming in at a steep angle of descent, face de-lofted, and slowing down the shaft and head that have been basically disconnected from each other since well before impact.
This makes the clubhead lag pressure on the grip end of the club that had been partially loss due to the shaft unbend, reappear, so-to-speak, and it feels so good. Like double catching a perfectly thrown long pass you should have single caught.
Everybody wants compression.
Ha!
You have to hit down on the ball a certain amount to get sweet spot contact. Any more than that is show biz.
As in, "Whataya hit dere, Joe?"
"Oh, just a wedge (from 150)."
Listen if you play better hitting the ball toward China, go right ahead.
You see, "Compression" ain't what it used to be.
Now, what about that pre-Ben swing?
Well, it lives again, all grown up and educated, in the Soft Draw Pattern.
Thank God for science, Trackman, and a forgotten little pattern from a never publish book called "Absolute Golf."
