i used the 3 skills and nailed it!

[BrianW]

Re: i used the 3 skills and nailed it!

I am beginning to think maybe Cmays is a prophet.

How many have reduced their handicap by more than 3 strokes?? Convince me....or is it just Bulls***???

I am not being antagonistic, I just want to see if there is true improvement or is it just grandstanding???? Show me the numbers......



Chessbum....

To be honest it means nothing to me if you buy the book or not, it's not my book. Why do you think people like me are exaggerating our experience, I have nothing to gain by that!

I said I would get the book, try it then report back. I have! You can also do as you wish, good luck with your Golf

[slater170]

Re: i used the 3 skills and nailed it!

ok guys this will be my last post in this thread
it has worked wonders for my game (hoorah for me) or maybe i was a better golfer than i previously thought.
there's no selling angle on my part im not on commission!

do what you want guys, buy the book or dont buy the book

i was trying albeit naively to promote something i thought would help my fellow high handicappers.

i resent the inference that im "dishonest" and "disingenuous"

so enjoy your game guys

[bdbl]

Re: i used the 3 skills and nailed it!

ok guys this will be my last post in this thread
it has worked wonders for my game (hoorah for me) or maybe i was a better golfer than i previously thought.
there's no selling angle on my part im not on commission!

do what you want guys, buy the book or dont buy the book

i was trying albeit naively to promote something i thought would help my fellow high handicappers.

i resent the inference that im "dishonest" and "disingenuous"

so enjoy your game guys

Ian

I really do apologise if you were offended by the use of "disingenuous" and I withdraw it.

I know, because we have exchanged PMs on the subject that you are genuinely trying to help your fellow high caps based on your own success with the 3Skills; I tried them out on the course today and, yes, I was striking the ball better - sadly my short game and putting showed all the finesse of a blacksmith on PCP - add in a 3 club wind and unfortunately I didn't score any better.

All I was endeavouring to point out - for the benefit of those who are struggling to implement the concepts - was that you are a golfer who, for example managed a PB of 82 the week before seeing the 3Skills at Arden albeit coupled with a 103 the same week.

So perhaps "forgetful" would have been a better word than "disingenuous" in that your enthusiasm for 3Skill blinded you to just how good you potentially were, which is where I think I came in i.e. 3Skills liberating the good golfer.

You've posted your last post so thats fine but the apology & explanation is here to be acceopted if you want.

[slater170]

Re: i used the 3 skills and nailed it!

Ian

I really do apologise if you were offended by the use of "disingenuous" and I withdraw it.

I know, because we have exchanged PMs on the subject that you are genuinely trying to help your fellow high caps based on your own success with the 3Skills; I tried them out on the course today and, yes, I was striking the ball better - sadly my short game and putting showed all the finesse of a blacksmith on PCP - add in a 3 club wind and unfortunately I didn't score any better.

All I was endeavouring to point out - for the benefit of those who are struggling to implement the concepts - was that you are a golfer who, for example managed a PB of 82 the week before seeing the 3Skills at Arden albeit coupled with a 103 the same week.

So perhaps "forgetful" would have been a better word than "disingenuous" in that your enthusiasm for 3Skill blinded you to just how good you potentially were, which is where I think I came in i.e. 3Skills liberating the good golfer.

You've posted your last post so thats fine but the apology & explanation is here to be acceopted if you want.

thanks robin
im not meticulous in keeping stats so i suppose there is little integrity in the numbers i supplied
the bottom line is 3skills is working for me, im just sorry the summer has ended now, but i will be putting in a ton of practice over the winter and i think 15 is a realistic figure for me next year.

[Ian Hancock]

Re: i used the 3 skills and nailed it!

Purely in the spirit of debate, how much of this is because you have fundamentally sound swing mechanics anyhow?

Perhaps using 3Skills is liberating for you because of Bradley, The Swing Factory et al - you might be letting them go on one level but they are still there subconsciously.

I wouldn't disagree that the simplicity of 3Skills is freeing users of the techniques up to play better golf - how could I? the evidence is in this forum but I'd respectfully suggest many of the beneficiaries were half way there already.

And just to be mischievous, when we talk about the mechanics of the swing just what are "the clubface going back and coming through on the correct path, hitting the ball with the correct angle of descent for the club in use and closing the club through impact" if not swing mechanics.

From my point of view I will be persevering with the 3Skills concept because I think I've [with Brian's help] solved a problem with Skill 2 that was really holding me back but I'm still not sure that its stands alone as a technique but rather something that frees you to [as previous posts have explored] just to "twat it albeit to "twat it" with control and purpose.

OK I'l retire now and await the bombardment.

Great Post,

Of course a lot easier and quicker success depends on ones ability to play sport, hand eye coordination etc, I believe I had a pretty decent game anyway so yes the 3skills simply released me from all other un-becoming thoughts.
On point I would correct you on is there is no swing thoughts, you look at the ball and simply imagine the club coming from the inside, downward and through the ball, no actual feelings during the swing (hard to explain) I have said we had the benifit of a one to one lesson with Kevin.
The revolution for me is also the ball striking, it has got better by each round, I'm just keeping my fingers crossed the rest of my swing is ok, because I have forgot what else i'm doing, but it doesn't seem to matter.............Quote.......just let go.

Ian.

[BrianW]

Re: i used the 3 skills and nailed it!

I will retire from this thread as there appears to be a school that suggests some of us are either on commission or are telling lies on the subject of 3 skills, I really do despair with the levels of cynicism in life these days. I, like Slater have found the system has been a benefit to me so thought it may be helpful to let others know.

Before jumping in with criticism of Joe Hagan's thoughts on letting go of other swing thoughts it may be better to actually read the whole book and consider what has been said. Nowhere does it imply that the swing other than 3 skills does not matter, it rather suggests that when the skills are improved the swing should improve with it.

Like any golf system or other it will suit some more than others, some will find this particular method easier to learn than others. I have to say that I have read and studied many golf swing systems and have taken more lessons than most in my life, no book, video or lesson has clarified to me the essence of ball striking like this book does. You are absolutely at will do do it your way, feel free.

Signing out,
Pissed off,
May feel better after a few beers

Brian.

[ubizmo]

Re: i used the 3 skills and nailed it!

Of course a lot easier and quicker success depends on ones ability to play sport, hand eye coordination etc, I believe I had a pretty decent game anyway so yes the 3skills simply released me from all other un-becoming thoughts.

This is an important point, I think. One's ability to play sport, one's basic hand-eye coordination and timing--these things make a difference. If your fundamentals are pretty good to begin with, then it makes sense that focusing on the three skills, and sweeping out lots of other ideas, can help take you to the next level.

On point I would correct you on is there is no swing thoughts, you look at the ball and simply imagine the club coming from the inside, downward and through the ball, no actual feelings during the swing (hard to explain)

After several weeks of working on the three skills, at the practice range and on the course, I agree. This approach is very single-minded. You focus on impact, you visualize the correct path and you swing the club. That's all. The feeling of doing things this way is almost disembodied. As I said in my last post in this thread, when I working the three skills I lose all awareness of what my body is doing, especially from the waist down.

The question is this: Is it a good thing to lose awareness of one's body like this? I think the answer is: It depends. If what you're doing with your body is basically sound, then I suspect the answer is yes. Focus on the three skills and your body will take care of itself. Some of us, however, have little or no athletic instincts, and our "natural" ways of moving are awkward and unbalanced. I put myself in this category. I never played any sport. So when somebody like me takes up golf at age 50...I just may not be the kind of person who can let my body take care of itself.

Will swing mechanics help somebody like me? I don't know. It's what I've been doing for a few years, and I've wrestled my average score down from the 120s, to 97 or so--from a handicap so high only dogs could hear it to about a 25. I don't actually keep a handicap, but my playing partner does, and he's a 25 and lately we're about even. Or we were until the last few weeks. The progress I've made has been the result of trying to understand what I do wrong and fix it.

Let's face it, breaking 90 is promised to no one. It's not written anywhere that anyone who plays, practices, takes lessons, etc. has the ability to strike a golf ball consistently enough to break 90. I like to think it's possible for me. For quite a while I wondered if I'd ever manage to break 100, but it finally happened. So I think I have a shot at breaking 90 too. But the way it seems to me right now, to do so I need to continue to be vigilant about what I do with my body. When I relax that vigilance, as the three skills approach suggests, I just don't do well. I'm not trying to make a "case" against the three skills approach, because my situation is probably not typical to begin with.

[Ian Hancock]

Re: i used the 3 skills and nailed it!

Guys,

What is going on here................For the record there is no commission and I am positive no-one is telling lies, this is simply the notes of a few that have purchased the book and feel it has been an instant benefit..............with the exception of Todd

Todd If I asked you to throw a stone into the pond............would you think about all the body movements involved in throwing the stone, grip, plane, turn top against bottom, release.............I don't thnik so, you would do it all instinctively.

I have just returned from the British Masters, I followed the winner Westwood, Monty, Sterne, Poulter and many more:

1) I pre-shot the same
2) I set-up the same
3) I use the same equipment
4) I swing on the similar plane
5) My ball position is the same
6) I use the same balls
7) I look stronger than a few, some are tall, some are short, fat and thin also..!!!

So I ask myself what is different It is there ball striking, it is so much more solid and powerfull.......?????


How is this achieved I ask myself...................3skills springs to mind.


Ian.

[kevinhendrix]

Re: i used the 3 skills and nailed it!

Hey guys ,

My laptop had some faults the last couple of days so have not been able to come on.
Please, there is no need to get so heated .

This book is designed to help the millions of people who simply have no clue whatsoever how to hit a golf ball. Joe Hagan's quote about how the swing evolves from the player's pre-determined use of the club through impact to affect the desired ball flight says so much. This has helped my game incredibly due to its focus purely on the clubhead, contact and imagery.

I am not trying to sell the book to anyone but simply tell you guys how it is. You cannot argue with Joe's quote.

The whole world at the moment wants you to think about your swing in terms of what you are doing body wise.........and then hit the ball

Surely this has to work the other way around. You dont think about your foot when kicking a ball. Your foot moves in a certain manner due to how you want to pressure the football.
You dont think about your arm or body when playing tennis. You act and react due to how you want to pressure the tennis ball and do this by thinking of the racket head.

All this is done by combining the contact you wish to achieve at impact with the visualisation of where you want that ball to go. This is crucial. Millions of people are frozen over the ball when playing or practicing. I see it everyday. This is due to them having their minds polluted with so much technical swing information either given to them by conventional teaching or by them accessing the incredible amount of such information available to people online.

I hit a ball alright : ) but this has made me score a lot better. It focuses me on getting a ball around a golf course in as least number of strokes as possible. By concentrating on contact and imagery. If only I could putt (a arden boys)

Lets keep it friendly on here and everyone is welcome down to our demo day at the Hersham Village GC coming up soon. We'll post all the dates out as soon as its arranged.

Good and HAPPY golfing to you all,
Kevin McDonald PGA

[miffin]

Re: i used the 3 skills and nailed it!

I have received my copy now. And very quickly too so good organisation there. The book is very well finished and nicely laid out. It is a credit to the writer and those involved. I can see a few snags with practising the skills though. The first one that shows is putting something in front of the tee. IE a leaf. Well at our driving range there are no leaves. So I thought perhaps a tiddlywink or the like. But if you succeed with the drill, this is going to shoot forwards. There is a line at our range and nobody is allowed to step over it. So, I can see a lot of tiddlywinks disappearing. So has anyone got any suggestions on that please. Also if it is new to you I do not know how you are going to be sure if you have done this exercise OK. That is where some have had the advantage of having an instructor there with them. I have not tried it yet so will post what happens but in the meantime any tips would be most welcome.
Brian

[BrianW]

Re: i used the 3 skills and nailed it!

I have received my copy now. And very quickly too so good organisation there. The book is very well finished and nicely laid out. It is a credit to the writer and those involved. I can see a few snags with practising the skills though. The first one that shows is putting something in front of the tee. IE a leaf. Well at our driving range there are no leaves. So I thought perhaps a tiddlywink or the like. But if you succeed with the drill, this is going to shoot forwards. There is a line at our range and nobody is allowed to step over it. So, I can see a lot of tiddlywinks disappearing. So has anyone got any suggestions on that please. Also if it is new to you I do not know how you are going to be sure if you have done this exercise OK. That is where some have had the advantage of having an instructor there with them. I have not tried it yet so will post what happens but in the meantime any tips would be most welcome.
Brian

Brian,

Why not snap a few cornflakes or the like into leaf sized bits. You will know when you are doing it right when you hit the tee then the cornflake or ball cornflake.

[ubizmo]

Re: i used the 3 skills and nailed it!

Todd If I asked you to throw a stone into the pond............would you think about all the body movements involved in throwing the stone, grip, plane, turn top against bottom, release.............I don't thnik so, you would do it all instinctively.

Yes, you mentioned this before, and my answer is the same. Throwing a stone into a pond is something I already know how to do. There are no skills I need to acquire in order to do it. I can do it instinctively because I already have the instincts, i.e., the motor skills for throwing small objects at huge targets. Therefore it's a false analogy.

Let's try another analogy that involves throwing (of a sort). This time you ask me to bowl a cricket ball at a wicket. Having never held a cricket ball in my hands before, and never having attempted that distinctive overhead bowling action, that ball might go anywhere. To learn this skill, yes, I might indeed have to think about what I'm doing with my body. And to teach it to me you would probably have to instruct me on what to do with my body.

The way I see it, Joe Hagen's book has been helpful to a number of people here, and that's a good endorsement of its content. It hasn't been especially helpful for me, but I suspect that's because I'm not yet at the level where I can really take advantage of it. Again, I'm not arguing that golfers won't find useful material in the book. That is clearly false. I am claiming that no one should think that this book has all that anyone needs to know about ball striking. If that were so, my scores would be going down, not up, because I certainly have put a lot of time in practicing those drills. But on the whole, the book has had good results with the golfers of GTO. I don't think anyone had a stake in the claim that it would help every single one.

[ubizmo]

Re: i used the 3 skills and nailed it!

Also if it is new to you I do not know how you are going to be sure if you have done this exercise OK.

Theoretically, if you're doing it right, when you switch to doing it with a ball you'll get good ball flight. This, however, is where I have encountered "false positives." That is, I'd hit the leaf but still hit the ball thin. I think this may be caused by using mats instead of turf, but I'm not certain. As you say, an instructor would no doubt be able to see what's happening.

[Ian Hancock]

Re: i used the 3 skills and nailed it!

Hi Todd,

Sorry I did mention this before, similar to the nail and hammer in the book, you don't focus on the hammer just the nail, if you miss the nail the answer would be " I missed the nail", not I was swinging the hammer the wrong way.

I would love to have 30 minutes with you and see if I could help you with your game.........!!!

These 3skills...........If you stand with both feet together, half swing hip high to hip high back and through and then simply apply the 3 skills you should make a good contact....!!

It is a case of progressing from there, My personal opinion is that this could work for any golfer if given a lesson as appose to just the book.

Regards

Ian.

[slater170]

Re: i used the 3 skills and nailed it!

Hi Todd,

Sorry I did mention this before, similar to the nail and hammer in the book, you don't focus on the hammer just the nail, if you miss the nail the answer would be " I missed the nail", not I was swinging the hammer the wrong way.

I would love to have 30 minutes with you and see if I could help you with your game.........!!!

These 3skills...........If you stand with both feet together, half swing hip high to hip high back and through and then simply apply the 3 skills you should make a good contact....!!

It is a case of progressing from there, My personal opinion is that this could work for any golfer if given a lesson as appose to just the book.

Regards

Ian.

perhaps the production of a DVD in conjunction with the book would be og greater help