Distorted Reality

Rob Rashell
Director of Instruction
TPC Scottsdale
Scottsdale, AZ
http://www.robrashell.com 
robrashell@pgatourtpc.com

More Information

As people come through working on their game, I always like to see what they’re doing, let them hit some shots and get a real time view of their current golf swing. Using Trackman and ideo, I can measure fairly accurately exactly how the club is moving for each person›s «stock» shot.

Trackman is great for giving a player a measurement on their feel. Matching a number with a feel is the first step in making a change. Telling someone to swing more right is great, but swinging 10 degrees more right is much more specific and measurable. Almost everyone can understand and move the number left or right no matter their level of ability.

If someone is comfortable swinging the club 12 degrees to the left, I need to help them make 12 degrees left feel very uncomfortable, or to say another way, swing the club closer to the target line.

This feeling, for everyone, is usually nowhere near what they thought. Having someone who is swinging the club 12 degrees left, swing the club as far to the right as they can, usually ends up not being right at all, just a little less left. The process starts here, getting a handful of successful reps under their belt and let them blend their feel with the number, hopefully creating a new normal.

Here’s an example with our same 12 degree left golfer. If we were shooting to land at 3 or 4 degrees left, perfect for a nice little fade, I’d have them hit as many shots as they can with path between 2 and 4 degrees right of the target. After 20 shots at 4 degrees right, when they make their normal swing club path usually lands right on 3 or 4 degrees left.

Trackman doesn’t know who is swinging the club and from the thousands of shots I’ve seen hit on Trackman, I’m still waiting for the following to not hold true. If someone has good path, good face and hits the ball in the middle of the clubface, I’ve never seen the ball do anything but go right at the target. Still waiting for someone to prove this wrong.

Find someone with Trackman and get to work!

Good Luck!