Sorry....this isn't golf-related, but I had to post it..........

I just got a youtube PM from a guy (or gal) that said I'm a loser and need to get a life and find a better hobby.

Soooooooo, I took their advice and did a quick google search for "what's the best hobby for me?" Well after searching for a while, I ended up stumbling across "The 10 most unusual hobbies in the world." http://smashingtops.com/weird/10-of-the ... the-world/

I'm still laughing at it LOLOLOL!!

I think I'll stick with golf for now....I don't think Kim would be able to deal with me laying on the living room floor like a corpse!

Tonite I'm gonna put on my most serious face and tell Kim that her wish has come true....I'm giving up the Hogan Project, and I'm gonna pick from one of those on the top 10 list.

I'm taking a family trip to Mardi Gras this weekend. Bruce said he's bringing his clubs. I'm bringing mine too wooohooooo!!! I've had enough of this stinkin basement.

Although I shouldn't get too excited......I'm probably gonna be the only guy on the first tee that tees the ball up like Hogan, steps away from it like Hogan, steps back into it like Hogan, waggles 3 times like Hogan, then picks the ball up and says "OK guys, that's all I know right now. Who's up next to hit?"

Yesterday, I was sitting back relaxing on the phone talking with my Dad about our upcoming golfing season.We plan to crank up the tournaments on March 3, 2012. He is in his late 60's and retired. He's going on and on about how we have no chance against him this year because he now has the time to focus on his complete game. Says he will be counting the number of days per month that he DOES NOT practice. He says this number will be counted on one hand. He knows what I've been doing since last summer and says I will not improve my game at all hanging out in my basement. So he rambles some more about his advantage over us and that he will be offering us strokes so we don't get depressed and quit the game. (trash talking is the fun part; helps build the hype up until game time!) He mentions that he is on ebay trying to buy some irons, but can't get past the credit card section. I tell him to add his bank account as a backup funding source and everything goes smoothly. I ask what he's getting. He says "a couple of Cleveland wedges and a Hogan hybrid." I kind of joked that there is no such thing as a Hogan hybrid, cause Hogan wouldn't be caught using one. It would make the game too easy lol...he liked tough things!! I tell him that he just needs to get a complete set of irons instead of buying one here-n-there and having a mismatched set. He says that he will eventually. Then he said "yahhhh, I had a set of Hogan irons a couple of years ago....I gave them to OP (his brother). WHAT!!!! I NEVER KNEW HE HAD A SET OF HOGAN CLUBS!!!! Dad had been playing with them since we got into the game in 2007 and I had no idea. I didn't know who Hogan was until last summer. And in those days, my Dads clubs didn't spark any of my interest because they didn't have a name like TaylorMade or Ping or Nike. When I watched PGA golf on weekends I never saw any Hogan commercials. So my next question was "SO DOES OP STILL HAVE THEM???????" Dad said, "yep..I think so." Lol....all this time he knew what my project was all about and he didn't realize that maybe I would want a set of clubs made by the guy I'm studying????

Now I'm standing up pacing in the living room lol.

OP plays once a year. So I ask if I can possibly get his bag and conviently swap all the Hogan irons. I would put my set of Sports Authority specials in his. Dad went to OP's house and got the bag. I went by Dads house and picked them up. Grips are kind of ugly (some type of Lamkin royal blue with white barbells all over it. I like old-style leather wrap grips. Clubs are 3i thru E. What the heck is an E club??????? Extra????? or Evil??? or Equalizer?? or Elevator??? or Easy????

The faces are a bit worn in a spot. Looks like someone was hitting it in the same place every stinkin time! When I picked one of them up and did a practice swing, my stinkin wrist almost snapped. WHAT THE HECK IS THIS CLUB MADE OF???????? FEELS LIKE I'M SWINGING AN IRON PIPE!!! Or maybe the clubs I've always used are just extra lite or something. Whew...gonna take some time to get used to.

Club description:
Shaft label is red with Hogan Apex and a #3.
Clubhead : Hogan with red underline. Forged. Edge. Club number.

Anybody got weight specs on these? Anybody use them now?

Full set of Ben Hogan Producer irons found at the Mobile, Alabama flea market. 2i thru 9i. And Spalding leather bag with working zippers and 1, 3, 4 head covers.

We were on the way to Mardi Gras in Mobile and Anita recommended that we stop by the flea market to browse. Of course I complained because the wives can lose their minds in there for hours. Then Kim reminded me that "you know, somebody might have golf stuff laying around....." She said the magic words!!

My daughter pointed out a golf bag at a nearby vendor. As I approached, I could start to see the "Ben Hogan" name imprinted. I tried by best to control my emotions, but I sorta yelled out and jumped in the air as I saw they were a complete set (Kim is still shaking her head on that one....says I acted like a kid on Christmas day! "Really????? Do you have to make a scene....you got people staring at us like we have no home training!") Well what does she expect lol??? She was absolutely right. Santa had come by the flea market and left me a gift!!!! You should have seen me trying to "act" unconcerned about the clubs. Lol, the lady at the booth had already seen me jumping like I won the lottery lol! I started talking loud to my kids saying "yea, these clubs are old and crusty. They are not worth anything. They look very used and no one would play with them cause they are so old and outdated. Even the bag is ancient. I can't think of anybody that would be caught being seen with it." I was saying all this really loud so the lady wouldn't jack the price up cause I squealed like a pig with I initially saw them. I walked over and said in my most neutral, monotone, non-emotional voice "I see you got these old beat up clubs here that are so outdated, my golf buddies would laugh at me if I brought them on the golf course." She said, "the price is on the bag." There was a small neon orange ticket that said "$30." I said, "Yeaaa, I don't know if they're worth even $10, just cause they are so old." She said "they were my dads....I'm not sure what he paid for them back in the 70's, but probably more than $30." I said "ok...I'll do $30 even though I'll probably get them home and toss them in a corner of my basement and let em rot."

YEEEEEEEEEEEEEHHHHHHAWWWWWWWWWWWW!!!!!


http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=XpJTF2o-Elw

Pushing extra hard off the right foot....but probably need to push harder. I notice that my lower body and feet are always late in coming through, so I figured that one way to speed it up and get more in sync is to push with the right. I have no idea if I should be intentionally doing this or if it should just happen. Will investigate that more after I learn more about the takeaway.

The Ben Hogan Swing Project: Take 26 - Front-on - HCD Takeaway to the top - 4-20-12


Focus is on takeaway to the top. But I did a few full swings just to see where the mechanics are right now. From takeaway to the top, things are progressing ok. Major thing that need work is my lower body; specifically the left side. It appears to get set too early. I think its outracing the upper body when going to the top. Also, you can't see from this angle, but I'm getting too upright at the top (will do a DTL analysis too). Now I haven't gotten into the transition and after, but wanted to compare what I see anyway. For that portion of the swing, I'm just doing in my mind what I think is happening, although I'll get into the details of it in next few months...........or years.

Things I notice right now:
- I don't fall towards the target during transition. (I'm intentionally just doing the HCD to the top and holding it for a second or two, then I swing around, so there is no type of falling forward momentum).
- My left arm bends from transition and thru rest of dwnswing. (No idea right now).
- My head (eyes) follows the ball. (Because I'm still want to immediately watch where the ball goes)
- My right leg/knee seems to collapse towards the target on the downswing. (No idea right now)