My Education At The Hayfield's

[Rick Dandy]

Dear Fella's,

I can't give you all the gold nuggets 'cos we might play some day, but little by little, bit by bit(and less than an hour), The Stallion salvaged what was left by my doing, and opened some light on the path to swinging left enough. He tailored the changes to what was best for me.

My only consternation was my little ragtop was toast during rush hour headin' home. The sweetest lady you can imagine at speed, didn't see me at a standstill and rear-ended my convertible which plowed me into a Pathfinder(ah, the irony...). My clubs are still in the trunk, waiting to be cut out for inspection, this Monday. I hope they'll be alright. So far, I feel some strange things in my neck, shoulders, back, arms and hands, but that should end.

I didn't have time to make my notes that night, you know how emergency rooms can be. I keep replaying those 6 irons I was capturing for Brian so he could figure me out. Of course he did. I rehearse the lesson over and over, then I let it go. Like that accident let me go. Maybe the Manzella Matrix will be, also known as, The Pathfinder. Watch out for nice lady's in your rear view mirror.

Rick

 

[spktho]

Ice the neck and upper back--10-15 minutes every hour. Whiplash is very painful and you will be very sore for at least a week or two. I would suggest that you see good Chiropractor-not one that runs PI mills. Unfortunately, it's probably best to not swing the clubs for a couple weeks also.

Did Brian video part of your lesson? He did when I had mine. That is great to go back and look at what you need to work on. Hope everything heals up quick and you can get back to hitting balls how Brian got you to.

 

[Erik_K]

Sorry to hear about the car, Rick! That is aweful that you got nailed on your way home.

I, too, had a lesson from Brian the other day. We got a lot done. Basically my takeaway needs a lot of work. Brian also suggested some equipment upgrades...I still have this old S2H2 driver with a grip that is all but deteriorated off the shaft. For years Brian has told me to dump that old thing and get a better driver. I will take care of that soon and also get the correct size grip installed.

The lesson went extremely well. We got a a lot covered and, as always, Brian was at the top of his game - upbeat, enthusiastic, full of good stories, etc.

For those of you on the fence - get a lesson from Brian. You will be hitting the ball A LOT better by the time he's done with you! In my case, I am working on the soft draw pattern and the takeaway was giving me some issues. I was also standing a bit too far from the ball. On the way down I need to focus on getting some more axis tilt. I did hit some awesome 8 iron shots with the face just a bit open. But I tell ya - I could really feel the solid impact alignments. The SD pattern, if performed correctly, is a powerful one.

I didn't get a chance to bump into Damon Lucas, but I'll make an appt to see him soon!

Erik

 

[Rick Dandy]

Brian is in full form right now, and in my estimation, there are, maybe, three people in the country that, if they sat down with Brian, over a weekend, would appreciate the quality of his understanding of the golf swing. The intricate details required to get to the bottom of it, and then move on. Those three people would have had direct experience with Hogan, Nelson, or Snead, and at least 150 years of learning combined. You must understand, that while Brian is evaluating a "golfers swing", he is also very carefully absorbing inflections of your ability, your emotions about golf and of life. It's like going to see Oscar Peterson, or Sarah Vaughan live at the Blues Alley. They're getting something from the audience while improvising. In return,they are giving, and putting it all out there for you, to do it right. It's what makes the greats great. All the while you get to take it home with you and follow the sun. Man, it doesn't get any better. Like the blues man say: "You got to dust off your broom."