Spent the morning in The Swamp working with new friends Tom Dyer, PGA, Director of Golf at Old Marsh Golf Club in Palm Beach, Florida, and his assistant, C.J. Perry. http://www.oldmarshgolf.com/
After lunch, we trucked out to spend the afternoon with Brian Gay at the AT&T Classic in Atlanta. Also spent some time with Andy Plummer discussing his recent article in Golf Digest. More later in the appropriate thread.
Here's to Brian playing well this week, but first, a walk down memory lane with another friend in the field...
Photos [After clicking, be sure to 'expand to regular size' for that 'be there' experience]:
#1 In The Swamp, Tom Dyer 'absorbing.' Note that little 'yellow book' beside him.
#2 Tom Dyer 'applying.' Note the beautiful alignments of the Left Arm and Right Forearm 'Flying Wedges' at the Finish. Compare to Brian Gay (and Ben Hogan) in #11 below.
#3 At the AT&T Classic, Brian Gay setting up.
#4 Brian 'tweaking' clubs with Mizuno & TaylorMade folk in a launch monitor testing session.
#5 Brian using dowels to demonstrate On Plane alignments to Mizuno's Jeff Cook and Gary Pierce. Also note Centered Head.
#6 More of the same. Note he is using the tee boundary as the Plane Line!
#7 Kip Henley, Brian's caddie, 5-time Tennessee PGA Player of the Year and winner of The Golf Channel's Big Break II, doing his version!
#8 Activity down the line with Grant Waite and Andy Plummer. Same prayer book -- The Golfing Machine -- different denominations.
#9 Brian at Address.
#10 Brian in Start Up. "The Stationary Post (Players Head) can Turn (Pivot), but it doesn't Sway or Bob" [1-L-#2].
Brian Gay tees off at 7 a.m. tomorrow morning at the AT&T Classic in Atlanta. That means we're at the course, then on the practice tee and putting green no later than 6:00 a.m. And that means working under those banks of floodlights that you never see on TV. It's the PGA TOUR version of 'Midnight Hour,' and no one is exempt.
This early time demands a wake-up call at 5 a.m. Not so bad for me, but Our Hero teed off this afternoon in the pro-am at 1:50 p.m. and didn't finish until after 8 p.m. This situation is called 'late-early,' and it's not a good thing. The glamour fades fast under such circumstances, but hey, that's life on the PGA TOUR.
The last time I was with a player off so early was with 1998 British Open runner-up Brian Watts at the 2005 Buick Open in Grand Blanc, Michigan. We were up and out of the hotel by 5:15 to make it to the course, grab a quick breakfast in the Caddie Central trailer and then head to the practice tee.
I love the photos, Brian in his finish is superb, it's such a structured position and says a LOT about what happened earlier in the swing!
__________________
"In my experience, if you stay with the essentials you WILL build a repeatable swing undoubtedly. If you can master the Imperatives you have a champion" (Vikram).
The reason you can't sustain the lag is because you are so eager to make the club move fast (a reaction to the intent of "hitting it far"). So on a full shot you throw it away too early, which doesn't happen for your short chip. (bts)
Congratulations to Brian Gay on another fine tournament at the AT&T Classic in Atlanta. His T58 finish will serve as a stepping stone on his way to another peak in the coming weeks.
The tournament over, I was on the 7:50 evening flight to Dallas. I had scored a Business Class ticket at Coach prices -- -- and had the pleasure of sitting by Steve Merino, a 2006 Q-School qualfiier who had signed his card only a couple of hours earlier (for an 11-under par 277). His T6 finish was the best of his young career and had earned $180,900. Needless to say, 'ol Yoda had more than a few questions for this young man regarding his golf swing and approach to the game.
Across the aisle was Glen Day, who mercilessly bantered back and forth with the rookie about his less than adequate preparation for his arrival in Dallas (and first appearance at Colonial). I laughed so hard I had tears streaming down my face, especially when David Feherty, also across the aisle, chimed in. Things were pretty lively until we got arirborne, then Steve went under listening to his iPod and tapping his knee, Glen fell fast asleep and David started scribbling furiously -- presumably his next Golf Magazine column -- on a yellow pad. The large Starbucks on his food tray no doubt helped.
As for me, I had my own study to do. I pulled out a book and went to work.
-- and had the pleasure of sitting by Steve Merino, a 2006 Q-School qualfiier who had signed his card only a couple of hours earlier (for an 11-under par 277). His T6 finish was the best of his young career and had earned $180,900. Needless to say, 'ol Yoda had more than a few questions for this young man regarding his golf swing and approach to the game. 
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