[Yoda]

I am at the Nationwide's Henrico County Open in Richmond, Virginia, and worked about an hour and a half today with Grant. Some major light bulbs went off, and he was clearly excited about tying a lot of loose ends together. This improved understanding led to a distinctly superior execution and compression. As he told John Riegger, who came up toward the end of our session, "No one has ever explained these things I am trying to do so simply."

I took some before and after photos, but don't have my 'download' equipment with me. I'll post them when I get back.

Grant Waite and I worked again after the third round of the AT&T Classic in Atlanta. Specifically, the alignment in question was the Hands to the Right Shoulder (and the Turned Shoulder Plane) at the Top. His were a bit low -- he knew it -- and we were immediately on the same page. Also, his Left Hand was slightly Rolled (to the left of Vertical) in his Grip. Finally, in part because of the above misalignments, his On Plane Right Forearm Tracing during Start Up was not as he wanted it to be.

We saw each other again at the Nationwide's Melwood Prince George's County Open in Maryland this week. In Atlanta, we had talked of getting together then, but given my prior commitments at the tournament site, our schedules unfortunately didn't jive. So, except for a few minutes during his pre-round Tuesday warm-up, we saw each other only coming and going from the practice tee and golf course. We did manage to spend 15 minutes of very productive time in the locker room after Thursday's round. There we discussed his 'work in progress' and the possibility of a Swamp visit in the next week.

Grant is known for his search for Golfing Truth. I am not the first golf instructor to experience his pick axe. Nor will I be the last. But for now...

We have met in the arena.

Our mutual goal is the best Golf Stroke he is capable of producing at this time.

We have an understanding.

And that is enough.



--------------------------------------------------


The Photos (from Tuesday of the Henrico County Open in Richmond, Virginia, April 27, 2007):

#1 Before: Right Forearm at Address. Note that it points well inside the Plane Line.

#2 After: Right Forearm preliminary positioning at Address -- down the line view.

#3 After: Right Forearm positioning at Adjusted Address -- front view. Note the background pole marking Pivot Center (Head) aligned "precisely between the feet." [This is a natural landmark, not a super-imposed graphic.] The Clubshaft is Right Angled to the Line.

#4 After: Back to Adusted Adress. Note the Standard Address alignments (10-9-A) with Left Wrist Bent and Right Wrist Flat (or nearly so). Again note Centered Head.

#5 Addressing Positioning, confirming Target/Plane Line. Note Pivot Center (Head) background mark. Per 1-L #2, "The Stationary Post (Player's Head) can turn (Pivot) but it does not Sway or Bob."

#6 Fully-Assembled and Programmed Adjusted Address. Again, note Pivot Center (Head) background mark. Compare to the Centered 'white-marker' in 9-1-3 (Address) and 9-2-1 #1 (Preliminary Address).

#7 At the Finish. The Head has moved freely to align itself with the Left Leg and Weight Shift at the Finish. This alignment reduces the strain on the back (after the Follow-Through / Both Arms Straight position) and is always the player's option.