The 4th Annual Moe Norman Memorial - It's time!
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The Moe Norman Memorial is just around the corner. Our annual event to celebrate Moe's life is 2 1/2 months away.
On September 27th & 28th, 2008, Moe Norman fans will gather at Eagle Creek Golf Club (GGA's Orlando home) in Orlando, FL for 2 days of golf, fellowship, clinics, contests and fun!
For
those who have attended in the past years, you know how much fun we
have spending time with fellow "Moe Norman followers" - for those who
haven't attended before, we guarantee one of the most fun times you
ever have on (and off) the golf course including 2 rounds of golf,
clinics, contests, camaraderie, and much, much more. Don't miss the
once a year opportunity to join other Moe Norman fans from around the
world in honoring the memory of the World's Greatest Ball striker!
One common question we get about the Moe Memorial - "What if I don't feel I can play good enough to compete in the golf scrambles, etc.."
GGA Answer: The golf is set up in a "fun atmosphere" type
tournament. The first day is a scramble which is set up with all
different levels of golfers on the team - teams are set up equal and
fair to all. The 2nd day is individual play with many different
flights with golfers of similar ability playing with each other.
The days on the course are primarily set up to meet other single axis golfers and to have a GREAT time!!!
Also, you can contact Scott Renfrow at scottr@swinglikemoe.com with any questions.
Looking forward to seeing you there!
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Moe Norman / GGA Open Forum - For Everyone!
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Just a reminder to visit the Moe Norman Forum. This is a GREAT place to interact with other Moe Norman fans, ask questions about the swing, research instruction, and MUCH, MUCH more.
Visit the forum at http://www.moenormanforum.com
We monitor the forum to keep for those interested in swinging like Moe - it is open to everyone who is trying to swing like Moe.
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Chicago, Chicago, Chicago.....FREE Ball Striking Demo Plus more.
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Here we come.... in 2 weeks, we'll be in the "Windy City".
In the past couple of days, one spot has opened up in each of the 3 day
schools. We now have one spot open July 25th - 27th and another in
the 3 day school July 22nd - 24th. The schools are being held at
Prairie Landing Golf Course - a wonderful facility that has taken great
care of us the past few years.
We are also having a free ball striking demonstration by "Little Moe"
Todd Graves on July 22nd at 3:30p and July 25th also at 3:30p. Please
feel free to bring anyone interested. Watch Todd demonstrate and
explain Moe's swing.
Plus, if you would like any of our products, instructional videos,
training clubs, leverage bag, etc.. you are more than welcome to stop
by anytime - someone will be able to help you and will save you a few
dollars on shipping. |
A Hook Waiting to Happen.
by Tim Graves, PGA
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Had a couple of great email questions this past week and then spent
today playing in a 'marathon' golf match in Wichita, KS that reminded
me again of "A Hook Waiting to Happen".
First will describe the match and what I saw, then will discuss the
couple of emails from this past week; hopefully will give everyone a
little insight to their grip, etc.
Yesterday, July 7th, I was playing in our annual South Central PGA Match
Play Championship. This year it was held at Terradyne Country Club in
Wichita, KS. Terradyne is a great golf course - a links style course
(very few trees) with extremely large mounds on most of the holes, many
bunkers and too "top it off" a second cut of round that is over waist
deep. In fact, rough is so deep, when I asked one of my fellow pros
what he thought of the golf course (after our practice round) - he
responded, "I'm not worried about my matches, I'm worried about running
out of golf balls!"
In the quarter finals, I was paired against a new/young professional named
Bobby J. Bobby is a very nice young man who recently graduated from
the PGA school in Southern Mississippi.
As we prepared to tee off, I was introduced to Bobby (for the first
time - he is a "rookie" in the section) and watched him tee up his
first shot of the day. Something quickly came to my attention.
As Bobby set up for his first shot, his lead hand (Bobby's left hand)
had an extremely strong grip. In fact, the V formed between his thumb
and forefinger of his lead hand pointed to his right shoulder and the V
formed on his trail (right) hand pointed right of his right shoulder.
In his backswing, this grip caused his club face to be shut and in
order to not hit the ball to the left every time, he "held on" at
impact (or in other words, greatly minimized his release).
As Bobby hit his first shot, I couldn't help by tell myself "There's a hook waiting to happen".
The match went on, and to be honest, Bobby did a pretty good job
keeping the ball in play and Bobby is a very good putter. I played the
front nine 3 under par and was 3 up at the turn (Bobby won the first
hole, I won 4 of the next 8). When we made the turn I was pretty
confident the match was going my way today...
Then the match turned a little. On the 10th hole, I hit my drive in
the first cut of rough, cut a little "flier" on the 2nd shot and didn't
get up and down - Bobby made par - now I was 2 up. We halved the next
3 holes with one birdie and 2 pars, and on number 14 and 16 Bobby
made great putts to make birdie and even the match. He was doing a
great job "holding on to the club" to keep from turning over, it was
obvious he practiced a lot and I keep thinking to myself, it's a good
thing he has a "young" body, I can guarantee my 40+ body couldn't take
his twisting and turning he needed to compensate for his strong grip.
On number 17, I hit my best shot of the day - a down hill 550 yard par
5. Bobby hooked the ball off the tee into the 2nd cut of rough. He
hit a long drive, but due to his lie, couldn't go for the green (creek
short front of green). He laid up to 100 yards. I was 220 yards out
with a 20 mph cut wind, slightly into my face. I took out my Cobra 3
hybrid - told myself this was "all or nothing" and hit a high cut 3
hybrid which landed and stopped within 5 feet of it's divot about 6
feet from the hole. I went on to make the putt and go one up.
As good as I played 17, this "pro" committed match play "sin" on number
18. We both hit good drives and Bobby was away. He hit his second
shot in the left bunker - pin high. I was 170 yards out, and instead
of playing safe (sure par would win) I hit a solid 6 iron (into the
wind) and caught it "too good" - the ball skipped to the back of the
green - 40 feet away with an incredibly difficult putt (looked like a
"roller coaster"). Bobby hit is bunker shot 2 feet from the hole, I
putted to 8 feet (to be honest, was a good putt to get it that close).
I lipped out - and gave Bobby his putt - we were even - needless to
say, "I was STEAMING at myself!!"
Off to sudden death.
Holes number 19 - 21 - we halved with pars. (Number 19 and 20, Bobby
had 15 footers to win match, missed both. Hole number 21 - I had a 18
footer to win, missed.)
Hole number 22 - Needless to say, I was wearing down. This is a par 4
uphill (carry about 250 over water for short cut) or can hit to right
and add about 20 yards to the hole. Bobby had the honors and hit his
drive in the first cut of rough to the right. I thought, let's do it
here; I took the shot cut - hit a thin drive into the wind and saw a
splash, match was over - at least I thought it was. I went to
the other side of the lake, looked for a couple of minutes and Bobby
found my ball literally floating between a patch of moss and the mud
bank. I stepped into the mud and hit backwards toward the fairway (all
I had). Now I was 150 yards out - still further than Bobby. I hit a
8 iron uphill to about 20 feet. Bobby played conservatively and hit to
about 30 feet below the hole (thinking match was over..). Bobby putted
to a few inches, guess what - I made my putt; match continues.
Hole number 23 - into the wind - tight par 4 - only about 380 yards.
Bobby has the tee and is pretty shook up after the last hole. Pulls
out driver - HOOK - not a small hook, but out of play to the left
hook. Ball is gone. I put away my driver (little "mind game" pulling
out driver - wasn't going to hit anyway) and hit a 2 hybrid down the
middle. Bobby hits a 2nd ball (provisional for the first) - now with a
3 wood - HOOK - again out of play. Before he leaves the tee box, he
removes his hat and shakes my hand - match is over..... I win one up.
Couple lessons to learn here-
1. Never say die and never say never (I reminded myself of this one today.)
2. Grip - you may think you can get away with a mediocre or "bad" grip
with a lot of practice, but I can guarantee when the pressure is on,
when it is on the line, (maybe when you are about to shoot your best
score, or whenever you feel some pressure) - your poor grip fundamental
is going to haunt you. I have seen it too many times. And here
is the kicker - the worse the grip, the more practice you will need to
even be able to keep in play or play consistent at all!!!
Bobby will learn in time, and with his short game, I guarantee he will be a player to watch in our section.
Email # 1
From: "Rudy" <rudy@***.com>
To: timg@swinglikemoe.com
Subject: Thank you for your web site
Date: Sun, 6 Jul 2008 14:01:34 -0500
Dear Sir:
I wanted to thank you for posting the many informative instruction you
have on your site. I am an avid Moe Norman student and have been
playing [ ] golf for the past few years. Recently I developed some
habits that caused me to hook the ball something awful and produce
very low ball flight.
I stumbled upon your site while trying to find some Moe Norman
information to try and analyze my problem. I found that my grip had
lost it's correct position and I had too strong a grip with too low a
swing plane. I just got back from the range and was able to correct
all my issues based largely on the correct grip mechanics and swing
plane adjustment.
Thank you for your efforts to help the amateur golfer.
Rudy C...
Dallas, Texas
Email # 2
From: "RICHARD J." <dicj**@****.com>
To: "Tim Graves" <timkgraves@sbcglobal.net>
Subject: Re: Question
Date: Tue, 1 Jul 2008 08:51:46 -0600
Tim:
I have the [ ] grips purchased for $49.00. I assumed they would be
better for the [ ] Swing since they were recommended by (that
company). I wear a medium large golf glove. I assumed a larger grip
would promote a fade. I usually have a hook no matter what grip size I
use. I had a wrist problem for a while and the doctor advised using a
larger grip. Should I take off (those) grips? I would have no problem
doing this.
Thanks,
Dick J.
Answer:
Here
is a question for everyone out there - If you were going to run a race
or walk and wore a size 10 tennis shoe, would you walk into a store and
buy a size 13 shoe to wear? If you were wanting a new golf glove and
wear a medium, would you go into a pro shop and buy an XL glove?
You
need a grip that fits your hand size. One size grip DOES NOT fit all
hand sizes. If a grip is too big, it will inhibit leverage which will
in turn decrease your distance, solidness of hit, etc.. Your
recommended grip size (at the biggest) would be a mid size grip with 4
additional wraps under the lower hand, 2 under the upper (for a ML hand
size). This will allow you to hold the club properly and create the
maximum leverage and thus distance with your club. You can see more
about recommended grip sizes on our free club fitting page of our website.
All our recommended grip sizes are based off Moe's grip size and
correlated to different hand sizes. For example, Moe had a medium cadet
hand size and his grip size (on his clubs we have and when Todd
measured his grip size when he played golf with Moe) would equate to a
mid size grip with 2 additional wraps under the lower hand, 0 under the
upper.
Please see our chat at: http://swinglikemoe.com/index.php?pr=Free_Club_Fitting&=SID
(middle of the page).
Remember - grips that are too big will not allow
for proper hold of the club which will in turn not allow for proper
hinging of the club which will in turn not allow for proper leverage
(angles) during the swing which will in turn dramatically DECREASE power at impact which will in turn DRAMATICALLY decrease distance and solidness of impact.
Easy solution - Put on grips that fit your hand size.
Tim Graves, PGA
timg@swinglikemoe.com
NEW GGA GRIP ANNOUNCEMENT
The Graves Golf Academy will soon be releasing our new grip - a grip
that is USGA conformed, can be used on all clubs and has markings so
you will be able to put your hands on your clubs exactly like Moe
gripped his own clubs.
Todd (Graves) put a plan in motion about 4 years ago.
First part of the plan: Develop a grip training club so
everyone (whether they are with us in person or 1,000 miles away can
put their hands on the club correctly and feel "Moe's Feeling of
Greatness" everything he/she grips the club. He produced the grip,
and it has been a "best seller" for the GGA - if you don't have one yet
- just ask the 1,000s that have it.... ask them what it has done for
their game. Imagine - every time you go to the range, pulling out the
grip training club, hitting shots with "perfect" hands on the club.
You can see more on our Training Grip and Club page of our website (short video about the grip/club).
Second part of the plan: Produce a video teaching everyone how
to hold the grip training club and how to grip the club "just like Moe"
so everyone can then work on other fundamentals to swing like Moe
rather then always "fighting" their grip. This was done and with every
training grip club order - the training video/DVD is included.
Third part of the plan: Produce a grip that can be used on the
students clubs, is USGA conformed and is a "good looking and good
feeling" grip that has the same markings as the GGA grip training club
(without the molding). So, now EVERY student can train with the
GGA Training Grip Club and then match the same markings on their clubs
(with the GGA grips) and grip their own clubs just like Moe - perfect
EVERY time.
The third part of the plan was completed early this year, the grips are
on their way and are expected to arrive in a couple of weeks. We have
already received the first 100 - they are AWESOME. They are already on
our clubs, many of our demo clubs, and hopefully all our students clubs
soon.
Fourth part of plan: A video on our website (free) - how to install the grips and tips to using the grips. Due out later this week.
And now the first public images of the GGA Transitional Grip. By the way, in ONE grip, both right AND left handed golfers (yes lefty friends, you read that correctly) can now feel Moe Norman's grip. Here's the pics:
 
Right Handed side Left Handed side
Finally - hopefully by now, everyone reading our etips knows the
importance of a good hold/grip on the club. Without a good hold/grip
on the club, you will be building continual compensations to make up
for your grip - and I guarantee this will create poor/inconsistent
golf.
We are hoping by creating these new grip "tools" they will aid everyone
and help short cut the process of developing their swing to Swing Like
Moe!!!!
Please watch upcoming etips and emails about our new GGA grips - we
GUARANTEE you'll love the look and feel of the grip and who doesn't
want to hold the club like Moe???
Remember - Always Practice with a Purpose.
Good Luck!!
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| Todd and the Golf Channel |
Hopefully everyone has had a chance to see Todd and Moe on the Golf Channel the past few months.
The Golf Channel has been showing a program titled "The 10 Most Unique Swings" and Todd comments about Moe and his swing.
If you haven't seen it yet, keep watching, it is due to air throughout the rest of July.
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Moe's Movie Update
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Barry Marrow, executive producer and writer of the upcoming Moe Movie -
"Dancing the Green" called Todd the other day and said he is still "on
hold" for the impending actor's strike. He expects the strike and told
us it would be too costly to shut down shooting and restart again after
the strike. Todd is looking forward to working with the actor(s) as
soon as he can to get them to swing like Moe and to share his
experiences with Moe. We will keep everyone updated the minute we hear
additional information about the movie.
P.S. PGA.com has asked us to run an "ongoing" video diary as soon as
the training/shooting begins. This will allow everyone in the "golf
world" to learn more about Moe and see the inside to the making of the
Moe movie.
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GGA Event Schedule
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Please don't hesitate to give us a call or email if interested in
attending any of these events... all schools/camps have sold out so far
this year - these probably will too.... great thing for us, not so
great for those who wait until the last minute to sign up.
2008
July 22-24,
2008 - 3 day school - Chicago, IL - Prairie Landing Golf Club - West Chicago, IL (1 spot open)
July 25-27,
2008 - 3 day school - Chicago, IL - Prairie Landing Golf Club - West Chicago, IL (1 spot Open)
August 22-24,
2008 - 3 day school - GGA Academy @ Coffee Creek Golf Course - OKC, OK -
GGA Academy (Open)
Sept. 24-26, 2008 - 3 day school - GGA Academy @ Eagle Creek Golf Club - Orlando, FL (3 spots open)
Sept. 27 & 28, 2008 - 4th Annual Moe Norman Memorial @ Eagle Creek Golf Club - Orlando, FL
Sept. 29 & 30, 2008 - 2 day Alumni school - GGA Academy @ Eagle Creek Golf Club - Orlando, FL (Open)
Oct. 20-24, 2008 - Build
Your Game Camp - Barona Creek Golf Club - San Diego, CA - (Open)
Oct. 25-27, 2008 - 3 day
school - Barona Creek Golf Club - San Diego, CA - (Open)
Nov. 7-9, 2008 - 3 day
school - GGA Academy @ Eagle Creek Golf
Club - Orlando, FL- (Open)
Nov. 10-14, 2008 - Build
Your Game Camp - GGA Academy @ Eagle Creek Golf
Club - Orlando, FL-
(Open)
Others TBA
Please visit our website at www.swinglikemoe.com for updated events and more information.
Online Registration available.
If you would like more information about the schools agenda, etc..
or would like more information about a particular area, please feel
free to call or email anytime: TimKGraves@aol.com or 866-377-2316
within US, 405-823-9693 (outside US). We have brochures we can send
and/or email.
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Moeisms - the wit and wisdom of Moe Norman
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"Never too wide, never too far from the ball."
Please feel free to comment on this or email any of your
favorite "Moeism's" to us if you'd like to share with
others....
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GGA Club Specials
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Adams
is still running their special on their new drivers. But here is the
"kicker" - I can guarantee they won't last much longer. We have
literally sold 100s of these drivers, and that is only one vendor -
with this great driver and everyone selling for the reduced price -
they will run out soon!!!
The ADAMS INSIGHT XTD A3 and A3 OS are now
$169.
A savings
of $130+. (Don't wait if
considering this driver - I can guarantee supplies will run out soon.... this
special is "blowing" these drivers off the shelf....haven't seen a special this
good in a long time..)
Both are top drivers in the market and are very popular.
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To save space, we have made a slight
change in the Club Special section of the newsletter. Below you will
find a link to a page that will list all club specials with better
pictures, more information, and full pricing for our Club specials.
See all club specials by clicking the link below:
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Call the GGA at (866)377-2316 or email timg@swinglikemoe.com for all your club questions, club needs, etc. Let the experts help you!
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GGA Instruction Materials
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This is where EVERYONE should start to learn Moe's
Single Axis Swing - a MUST HAVE!!!!
GGA Total Game Overview Instructional DVD 10 minute Freeview.
See our latest and newest release - TROUBLES AND SOLUTIONS - great reviews (visit our chatroom to read them)
GGA "FEELING OF GREATNESS" GRIP TRAINING CLUB: $129.95
GGA / TGGS INSTRUCTIONAL TAPES:
Please see:http://swinglikemoe.com/shopping/pgm-more_information.php?id=7&=SID
"Little Moe's" Swing for Life $24.95
GGA Short Game: $19.95
Course Management/ "How to Practice": $19.95
Get all three on VHS: $64.95
All three on DVD: $64.95
Volume #1 - #6 - 7 Principles of Golf Improvement - $64.95 each
Entire Series: $299 - ***Special, FREE DVD with purchase of full set***
Mind of Moe Norman DVD - featuring NBA coach Rick Carlisle w/ Todd Graves - $49.95
Leverage bag: $35.95
GGA Putting Training System - $54.95
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* A small shipping charge will be added to all orders.
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