Saturday, Feb. 4, 2006

Toronto -- Tiger Woods and I are down, as in, we share things, golf things.

Not millions of dollars, mind you, not the hundreds of groupies, and right now at least, he is a better golfer. But we do have some things in common.

Originally I was going to share my putting insights this week, but in another chapter of this Life of Reilly (where is that other shoe, and when is it going to drop?) I had the opportunity to watch Tiger from up close at the U.S. Open last week for most of his round on Saturday and learned some things, so we'll deal with putting next time.

He played well, Tiger did, firing a 72, which was good for the third-best round of the day in some very demanding conditions at Pinehurst No. 2.

But even with that, and while tying for third in the demanding championship, Woods said he had moments when he was struggling with a glitch in his swing.

I've been struggling with my swing lately also. So as I walked around and saw him try to work out his mechanical glitch, with a national championship on the line, in front of a gallery that stood 20 deep and counted a minimum of 30 reporters, photographers and cameramen, not to mention a few million folks at home, I felt I could relate.

The last few times I've been at the range, by myself, with no one caring but me, I've been hitting the ball very inconsistently -- like five or 10 range-ripping fat ones, followed by five or 10 worm burners -- and it's been frustrating. So I felt for Tiger as I watched.

He said last Friday that he was working with his coach Butch Harmon to "add more width to his swing," because he was "laying the club down" on his backswing. It had been a long process to fix the problem, he said, and it needed constant maintenance, even during the U.S. Open.

When I got back on Monday I met with Henry Brunton for the sixth installment of this series, and mentioned that, sort of like Tiger, I simply seem to get in these ruts where I don't hit the ball cleanly, not even close.

Brunton already had his video coaching system -- two cameras that send pictures in digital form to a computer loaded with a software system that allows for instant swing feedback -- set up, as if anticipating my plea for help.

A few swings later and he called me over for a look. He replayed my swing several times, to the point that even I could see the problem.

I'm laying my club down on the backswing! Just like Tiger!

In golf terms, what I tend to do is bring the club back off-plane, he said. That can mean that at the top of the backswing the club is too steep in relation to the ground (outside plane), or in the case of myself and Tiger, it means the club is too flat (getting inside).

My problem is a bit more exaggerated than Tiger's in that -- at it's worst -- by the time I'm starting my downswing, the club is roughly in the same position as Toronto Blue Jays' third baseman Tony Fernandez's bat when he's been jammed by a low and inside fastball and he's trying to muscle the ball the opposite way.

Since a golf ball doesn't move, even I know this is a bad way to look.

Henry went to the magic video machine and cues up an image of Nick Faldo, the formerly brilliant English professional who happens to stand about the same height as I do.

He freezes Faldo at the top of his swing beside mine. My club is almost 10 degrees flatter than his, a massive difference in golf. Always emphasizing the positive, Brunton said even getting my club around to hit the ball at all is a remarkable athletic feat. Even back-handed complements are welcome when you're in my boat.

He said my goal is simple -- I need to bring the club back into a more upright position. A mental image? Brunton suggested during the first part of my takeaway -- up to the point where the club is parallel with the ground -- my hands should move in a merry-go-round fashion, a flat circle.

As I take the club to the top, my hands should move in a path more akin to a Ferris wheel -- a much steeper path than I've been taking.

The result should be cleaner, more consistent contact and higher ball flight. Sounds good.

As a drill he had me lay a club on the ground with the shaft making a straight line in front of my feet. For the next 15 minutes or so he had me checking my swing at the halfway point to make sure my shaft was parallel with the shaft on the ground, and then taking it to the top and checking it there to make sure it was parallel again.

On the downswing the natural -- and proper -- tendency, Brunton said, is to drop your hands slightly and lay the club down slightly. It's a key to power. But if it starts out too flat to begin with, like mine does and Tiger's does sometimes, you're in for real problems.

It felt strange, but Brunton said that's to be expected. "Top tour pros do these types of drills thousands of times until it feels right," he said. For extra feedback he encouraged me to check my shadow.

I recall that Tiger said he's been working on the this change for two years. Sensing my mood, Brunton hastened to add that because my bad habits are so much fresher, it shouldn't take nearly so long to fix my problem.

Still, I can't help but think -- what does golf have against instant gratification anyway?

Maybe my buddy Tiger has some patience I can borrow.

HOW LOW CAN YOU GO

The experiment: Take a high handicapper, set him up with expert instruction for a full season and see what progress can be made.

The subject: Globe and Mail sports reporter Michael Grange, who took up golf in 1997 and generally plays in triple digits.

The scientist: Henry Brunton, one of Canada's top teaching professionals. He will meet Grange regularly during the summer, although he accepts no liability.

Most recent lab report: I played at Angus Glen as a guest at the Canadian Ladies Golf Association media day, and was sitting at 15-over par for 13 holes, on pace for something in the low 90s, shattering all previous records. Then I played the last five holes in 14-over par, to finish with a 99, an eight stroke improvement over last year. I'm pumped, but still, those last five holes . . .

Practice thought of the week: Think merry-go-round then Ferris wheel as a cue to getting the club on plane. Check yourself at the halfway point and at the top of the backswing.