i used the 3 skills and nailed it!

good post oldwease
its the simplicity or purity of the instruction that makes it a success

Over Joe's 23 year teaching career he has studied and used many teaching methods (including AJB's method). 3skillsgolf is very different:

A quote from me in my book “Nail it” states:

“The golf swing happens as a result of the players predetermined use of the golf club through impact to affect the desired ball flight”.

If the golfer focuses on ANY part of their body or their swing during the process of hitting a shot they are effectively making it harder for themselves.

3skillsgolf focuses the player PURELY on the golf club itself, the ball and the ball flight, nothing else. This is what makes it truly unique.

Having had a few people ask of the various influences in Joe's career I asked him to explain a little further. Read it HERE on 3skillsgolf.com

Hope this helps chaps. It's great to hear all the positive feedback.

__________________
Greg Hutton
Director & Head PGA Professional
golftuitiononline.com | the global golf forum
3skillsgolf Instructor

Well, I just shot a 107, and I have to say it's not going well, considering the time I've been putting in practicing the three skills. I really want this to work, but it may be that some of us just aren't good enough to forget about swing mechanics. Because I really think the problem is not the three skills--there's clearly nothing wrong there. The problem is in the execution. It doesn't seem to help to forget about everything except hitting down and nailing the ball if, in fact, I can't manage to do that.

This morning I hit some amazingly good shots, and some horrifically bad ones. That's pretty much what happens at the practice range too. I'm wondering whether I should stick with this or try to at least get back into the 90s by returning to a more mechanics-oriented approach. Any thoughts?

__________________
Todd
Philadelphia, PA
USA

The reason the pro tells you to keep your head down is so you can't see him laughing. ~Phyllis Diller

I haven't even looked at the site but since picking up the book is fifteen squid in the pro shop at Hersham (and why wasn't mine signed?) then given the current worth of the US Peso then I assume the UK button is for shipping to UK addresses and the US button to US addresses and includes 14 dollar carriage.

OK Robin,

I do have a fairly useful swing already but it has never been natural or something I can just let happen, I have never been that happy with consistent sweetspot contact. I have posted here before that if I do not focus on an inside path I will swing outside, if I do not focus on closing the clubface I will leave it open at impact, I can and do manage these things quite well but it can easily go wrong. These have been some of the things holding me back from a very low digit handicap.

I am currently able to forget these things and concentrate on what really matters, working on getting them better and better without the clutter of thoughts pertaining to knees, hips, shoulders, elbows, etc etc. I find this quite liberating and my ball contact has improved in both quality and consistency.

Regarding what exactly qualifies as swing mechanics is not so much an issue to me as far as the semantics of them go. The important point in this for me anyway is that I am getting a steady improvement and I, like most have room for improvement.

I do take your point though, as Newton said, he sat on the shoulders of giants.

__________________
Best Regards
Brian

________________________________
Funny o'l game!

Dear Ubizmo,

You are the only one I believe is 100% honest in his assessment of this program.

Please keep posting your thoughts. I'll keep watching....

Thanks again for your honesty...

Chessbum....

is that post a wind up?
what makes you state that todd's assessment is the only honest one?
how can you comment on the 3skills program if you havent got the book
time to put up or shut up

I guess you are entitled to your opinion if you had one based on some experience. Don't get the book, keep doing what you are currently doing which is probably not getting you very far. But then again, I am probably feeding you bulls***!

nice one brian!

chessbum
i think you will be ploughing a lonely furrow on this one!

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....

Great news chaps...

There will be a 3skillsgolf demo day coming up

Following the great feedback from the GolfPunk review and the full feature on Setanta Sports, 3skillsgolf will be running a demo day at its base - Hersham Village Golf Club in Surrey.

I will let you all know when we have a firm date for this event.

It will likely be around March/April time.

Let me make it as clear as I can. I have no quarrel with the three skills. They are completely reasonable and presented with great clarity in the book. I'm not "blaming" the three skills concepts for my poor performance.

The book discusses the three skills in some depth, and presents a small number of drills to work on. These drills are meant to help one to master the three skills. I have no quarrel with that either.

The remaining point is this: The student of the three skills is supposed to work on these drills and not "pollute" his practice with other swing ideas and, presumably other drills. What this means to me is very simply: One should think about the three skills, and do the three skills drills, and nothing else. And that's how I've been approaching it. I think it's not the three skills and the drills, but the lack of attention to other aspects of my swing that is causing me to lose ground.

Let me be very specific. I tend to be an "arms" person, when it comes to my golf swing. If I don't make a conscious effort, my body below the waist remains pretty much inert. The three skills system focuses my attention away from my body and fixates it on the club face. Granted, the club face is where the action is. Nevertheless, at one point this morning, after a series of bad shots, my playing partner came up to me and commented on my swing, something he almost never does. He said "Boy I noticed you really rolled over on the edge of your right foot. I thought you said that was bad news." Mind you, he's not at all into swing mechanics. He just happened to notice this. And of course he was right. It is bad news, and it's a persistent bad habit that I had finally pretty much corrected just a few weeks ago. But it has crept back in, because for the past few weeks I haven't been focusing on "body parts" like feet and knees. And that's just what he happened to notice. As I focus on the club face, I become oblivious to things like what's happening at the level of my feet.

So if someone says that the three skills will help me to remember what is essential in golf ball striking, I agree. But if someone says, the three skills, and the associated drills are all I need to know, and all I need to think about, to strike the ball really well, then I have some doubts.

__________________
Todd
Philadelphia, PA
USA

The reason the pro tells you to keep your head down is so you can't see him laughing. ~Phyllis Diller

Always good to read a variety of views, and always intersting to read them when they are forcefully put!

It's not that I have any beef with the 3 skills concept - I do intend to buy the book at some stage, but (a) my game is going in the right direction, (b) I start taking regular lessons on Monday (hurrah!) and (c) numerically, as Cmays alludes to, I buy the Bob Rotella principle that at least 70% of ones practice should be on the short game, not the long game.

I'm happy with my irons off the tee, and I'm happy with my short game. That leaves me with drivers off the tee, and anything more than 120 off the deck. That - by my reckoning - comes to in the order of 25 shots a round. It's not that they aren't important (and indeed the first thing I want to cnocentrate on are my fundamentals with the pro), but they are half as numerous compared to the 50 shots from 120 in.

This isn't scepticism - far from it; just an explanation of my thinking behind my priorities...

__________________
~_~_~_~_~
Personal bests 2007;
Best 18: 78 (+12)
Best 9: 37 (+4)
Best Stableford: 45 pts
Best total putts: 28
Best total length sunk putts (ft): 54

Club tourney history this year: Captain's Day - 1st; Club foursomes - 2nd; Dimex Stableford - 2nd; Club Championship - 13/28 gross, joint 5/28 nett; Ferebee Shield - 2nd; Sept Medal 2nd; Autumn Stableford - 1st

i have come to realise that perhaps i am being a little naive to think that 3skills will work for everyone straightaway.
you know the old saying "you can please some of the people some of the the time but you cant please all of the people all of the time"

i looked at the my stats earlier and prior to 3skills i was averaging 97 per round.
since then my average has dropped to 88 thats 9 shots!
last week other than for a blow up at the last hole of a comp i was looking at carding a nett 64 i still got cut 1.2
the day after i won my companies golf competition shooting a 90 on a hillside course that id never seen before that was physically demanding and in shocking weather.
i will start next season on a 21 handicap im pretty confident that i will drop that by more than 3 strokes

__________________
cheers slats
"Golf can best be defined as an endless series of tragedies obscured by the occasional miracle"

OOH a bit disinenguous that Ian and a slightly selective use of stats. Do you not remember what you posted in July?

"43! What a great number

especially written twice on your card!
been a little off the boil of late the poor weather being a major factor.
managed 18 after work and felt i played a lot better.
front 9:- 4,6,6,4,5,5,4,5,4
back 9:- 5,6,4,5,3,6,5,6,3 = 86 -hcap @22 = nett64 yeehaw"

I remember it well because I was damned jealous at the progress you'd been making that far through the season.

Now don't get me wrong; I like the idea of the 3Skills - anything that allows a simplified focus on core fundamentals gets a thumbs up from me because, well as my wife and son will tell you I'm a bit simple anyhow

My point for debate was really twofold - or two sides of the same coin - first that in order to concentrate on the 3Skills you might need some half decent fundamentals to start with and second that it is possible to have a fundamental flaw that needs fixing before you can progress.

It is clear that 3S is enabling you to reach previously only occassionally attained levels on a consistent basis leaving you poised for the sub 80 break through (damn you ).

My question is whether 3Skills releases existing ability or whether it develops new talents for the game.

__________________
I firmly believe that we should try to experience all that life affords, except, perhaps, bestiality and of course Morris Dancing.