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Hi,
I have just joined the GTO site. Looks very interesting and informative.
I have recently started to practice again after a 15 year hiatus from golf which was necessitated in large part by a bad back. Earlier this year things really got bad and I was forced to have major surgery (spinal fusion with rods and screws at L4 - L5.
The surgery has turned out to be a huge blessing in disguise. My back feels better than it has in 20 years, so good in fact that 3 months ago my doctor gave me permission to start to practice again (building up slowly, starting with the short irons). I am currently practicing with a full set of irons (4-PW) and a 3 hybrid and 5 wood. I will wait until next spring to actually play a full round, but so far the return to swinging is going pretty well. I am 60 years and in good overall physical condition. I used to play to an 8 handicap, seldom practiced, and was a poor putter, so my ballstriking was pretty solid way back when. I have a fairly conventional swing, based on Hogan's Five Lessons, which my father taught to me almost 50 years ago.
I have read several threads which talk about an open stance. This concept interests me because I find that the hardest thing about my return to swinging is that I have trouble clearing my hips, especially with the mid and long irons. My short irons, and actually the hybrid and 5 wood, are not too bad, but the 4 thru 7 irons are all over the place, good some days, really bad other days. So, a more open stance seems like a reasonable idea.
My main question is this: should I simply tweak my normal swing, or would I would be better served by learning an entirely new swing, a la Trevino or Mindy Blake? Thanks for any advice anyone has to offer.
Doug Benner
I have just joined the GTO site. Looks very interesting and informative.
I have recently started to practice again after a 15 year hiatus from golf which was necessitated in large part by a bad back. Earlier this year things really got bad and I was forced to have major surgery (spinal fusion with rods and screws at L4 - L5.
The surgery has turned out to be a huge blessing in disguise. My back feels better than it has in 20 years, so good in fact that 3 months ago my doctor gave me permission to start to practice again (building up slowly, starting with the short irons). I am currently practicing with a full set of irons (4-PW) and a 3 hybrid and 5 wood. I will wait until next spring to actually play a full round, but so far the return to swinging is going pretty well. I am 60 years and in good overall physical condition. I used to play to an 8 handicap, seldom practiced, and was a poor putter, so my ballstriking was pretty solid way back when. I have a fairly conventional swing, based on Hogan's Five Lessons, which my father taught to me almost 50 years ago.
I have read several threads which talk about an open stance. This concept interests me because I find that the hardest thing about my return to swinging is that I have trouble clearing my hips, especially with the mid and long irons. My short irons, and actually the hybrid and 5 wood, are not too bad, but the 4 thru 7 irons are all over the place, good some days, really bad other days. So, a more open stance seems like a reasonable idea.
My main question is this: should I simply tweak my normal swing, or would I would be better served by learning an entirely new swing, a la Trevino or Mindy Blake? Thanks for any advice anyone has to offer.
Doug Benner
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