Published: July 26, 2008 11:18 pm            

RUGGIERO: Search for perfect swing is frustrating

Here’s a news flash for you. Golf is difficult!

Today, I’ll share a morsel of my lifelong mission to discover a proficient and repeating golf swing, an endless (and impractical) search for excellence on the links. As you meander through my admission, you’ll find that if your search for the perfect swing doesn’t break you, the rules of the game just might.

It’s taken me 40 years, but I have finally discovered the secret to golf — AGAIN!

The very first time I played at golf, I was 16. Bill O’Reilly of “Factor” fame and I hopped a chain link fence surrounding Salisbury Park (now Eisenhower Park) on Long Island. It was across the road from Billy’s home in Levittown. I played with a half set of Krylon clubs and a black and white plaid bag. I had no idea how to play golf back then, and for the most part, I still don‘t.

There isn’t a week that goes by that I am not trying something new, some small alteration in my swing, grip, or stance in order to achieve a consistency to my game that will allow me to move to that next level. Some changes work, some don’t, but none of the modifications prove worthy for very long.

My latest swing revision is the result of studying Jim Furyk’s move at the British Open. It reminds me somewhat of another fine fellow’s swing, one Lee Trevino. The essence of both of their swing motions is to consistently attain an inside path to their ball on the downswing by exaggerating the backswing to the outside, then dropping the plane radically to the inside.

This variation is not without merit. This column has time and again emphasized the importance of the inside path. Most literature on the subject suggests that all players should begin the swing with the shoulders by dragging the club head straight back along the ground for the first twelve inches. So I focused on this swing start.

The results on the range were startling. Pure hits. Sweet spot hits. Effortless. Even a gentle draw developed. Finally, I’ve found it after all these years. I took my new-found knowledge to the course. At first, it was pleasing, almost pro-like.

Then, a pull hook. Oops, I stayed back on my right side. Easy correction. Next shot. A push to the right, 20 yards off the target line. OK, I think, merely an overcorrection from the previous hit. I got ahead of the ball in an effort not to lay back. Next shot, pure again.

I did overall hit the ball better, shooting two-over par. However, I was reminded of the wearisome realization that golf is complicated. My hope is that I am on the right path. If only I could replicate those smooth strokes time after time. If only I were ... superhuman.

Rules ruckus

And, if the swing doesn’t get you, the rules just might.

Rule 6 involving player responsibilities and Rule 18 involving the unintentional movement of your golf ball came vividly to our attention over this past weekend. Michele Wie made the news by forgetting initially to sign her scorecard after her second round in the State Farm Classic. The 18-year-old played the entire third round and found herself one shot behind the leader before being informed she was disqualified of her gaffe on the previous day.

Rule 6-6b states that a competitor must check the scoring, agree that it is precise, be certain that her marker co-signed the card, sign the card, and finally return the card to the committee. Wie forgot to sign her card after her second round. However, what makes this episode questionable is that a tournament official caught up with her soon after she left the scoring area on Friday and had her sign the card.

The committee later determined, after she played her third round, that the day prior she had not “officially” signed her scorecard because she left the tent area. While I understand the intent of the rule, it seems to me that this interpretation and subsequent disqualification was unnecessary and inflexible.

Over the big pond at the British Open, 25-50 mph winds played havoc with the players golf balls as they sat innocently on the putting surface. As one who has had the great honor to play in these blustery conditions in Ireland, I can attest that the winds are borderline bizarre. Viewers could not get any true sense of the wind’s intensity by watching on the telly.

The rules describe an “address” as taking a stance and grounding the club. As network anchors made clear many times, once a player “addresses” his ball, he is penalized if his ball moves due to the wind, even if the player backs off from a shot.

Between its complexities and its customs, golf will forever be a source of profound frustration to all attempting to tame her.

Until next week, keep it in the fairway.

Ken Ruggiero is a local golf instructor and has been writing this column for the past 20 seasons. Write to him at radiomaniac1949@yahoo.com.

        

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