March, 2018 | Wayne DeFrancesco

Lesson of the Week: Jamie Kilmer PGA Part 2

Jamie came back for another look about a month after seeing me for a few hours and there was significant improvement. In this lesson we continue to work on the takeaway, right arm and shoulder control getting to the top and in transition, and especially the idea of keeping the head out over the ball in the forward swing instead of pulling the upper body away in the impact area. Jamie is a strong guy who has had playing success in the past, and from the look of his swing when he does the drills he should be able to get back to being competitive if he can work the feelings the drills give him into his full swing on the course. He is well aware that this takes time and repetitions, and he is prepared to put in the effort to get his game and his ball striking back in shape.

Swing Analysis: Charles Howell III- Perfecting his Transition

By Wayne | Videos: Swing Analysis

In the past I have looked at Howell’s swing (I believe I’ve done at least one video on him) and wondered why the odd move at the top of the swing where the hands move backwards and down momentarily in transition. I taped the Match Play and caught this clip of Charles rehearsing his transition and downswing with the type of move I’ve been hoping he would use. It’s one thing to rehearse a swing change and another thing to put it into action, but the swing (a 3 wood) shows that he has vastly improved his swing. I think it looks great and that he will break through with the big season he’s never really had (his stats are mind-boggling: 17 years in a row with between 1.25 and 2.85 million dollars in earnings with 2 wins and 16 seconds).

Announcement: PGA Middle Atlantic Section 2019 Hall of Fame

By J | blog

Next year Wayne will be inducted into the PGA Middle Atlantic Section Hall of Fame:

From the MAPGA:
The MAPGA is Proud to announce its 2019 Hall of Fame Class!
Next year, we will induct two new members to the MAPGA Hall of Fame: Mike Ahrnsbrak, PGA and Wayne DeFrancesco, PGA.

Lesson of the Week: Matt Shubley – Turning Behind the Ball and Adding Lateral Hip Drive

By Wayne | Videos: Lesson of the Week

Matt plays for the golf team at Sacred Heart University in Fairfield, Connecticut, and came to see me looking to improve his ball striking heading into the 2018 Spring tournament season. He finished T-4 in his first two events, so it appears that what we worked on had a positive effect on his game. We started with some short wedges, and the two things that stood out right away was his odd head movement in the backswing and his lack of any lateral pelvic movement in the forward swing.

Lesson of the Week: Tim Feld

By Wayne | Videos: Lesson of the Week

Tim is a low single digit handicap player who I saw for a lesson some years ago and has come back to see why he is hitting the ball so poorly. Tim’s main bad shot is weak right, with the club glancing across the ball and the impact feeling flippy. At regular speed Tim’s swing is like most good players, smooth and rhythmical, with no obviously apparent flaws, although someone with a good eye for the swing might pick out Tim’s posture as an issue. After slowing it down, however, I saw right away that Tim was backing well away from the ball in his downswing, which I attributed to first his posture at address and then to his loss of control of the pelvic, lower back, and abdominal muscles, especially during the transition and all the way through impact.

Notable Forum Threads

By Wayne | blog

From time to time a few forum threads are worth noting for everyone to read through. I’d like to see more of you adding your $0.02 and below is a short list. Some are good to just read for the information and others are a good place for you to join in the discussion if you haven’t been. Just click the link below each title.

USGA, R&A proposed rule changes for 2019, Plus Distance Report

By Wayne | blog

If you haven’t seen these they’ve been out for a few days. I wanted to share the links and offer them up for discussion in the forum. The first link is to a pdf with proposed rule changes for 2019. I can’t imagine no changes or additions will made so it will be interesting to see what makes the cut, what does not, or if they all do. The second links to a pdf of the distance report.

Playing for Money: Derek Gillespie- Fixing Downswing Pelvic Movement

By Wayne | Videos: Playing For Money

Derek is on the cusp of being a high- quality Tour player, but he has been held back by inconsistency in his ball striking. His pattern since we have first worked has been to overuse his right arm and shoulder in the backswing, cross the line with the shaft at the top, and then move both his knees forward toward the ball in transition.

Online Lesson: Taylor (TJ) Reser: Young Golfer’s Tendency to Overturn

By Wayne | Videos: Online Students

TJ is now 9 years old and has performed well in the U.S. Kids championships for his age group the past two years, finishing in the top 30-40 both times. TJ’s father watched some of my videos, liked my ideas and methodology, and sent in TJ’s swings to get some ideas and a direction for what to work on. At TJ’s age I don’t think it’s a good idea to get into too much in the way of mechanics, so here I address what I see as two major items that are common among thin, young players, the grip and the tendency to swing the arms back too far behind the head.

TP&C: Gary Hallberg- Better Posture to Keep Hips Deeper

By Wayne | Tour Players and Celebrities

Gary and I go way back to Wake Forest days in 1977 and 78, and I have worked with him off and on since then. He was the first player ever to achieve First Team All-American status four years in a row and was PGA Tour Rookie of the Year in 1980. He is one of those guys who stands out as an enigma, like how did this guy not become one of the great players of his generation? The simple fact is that when Gary hit his first ever slump back in the mid-80’s he became a swing nut, asking anyone and everyone for advice, taking lessons from everyone you could think of and some you can’t think of.

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Monthly Archives: March 2018