MIAMI, Florida - 2011 has brought the most fabulous run of winter weather South Florida has seen in years. While every day finds the temps hovering around eighty, at night the low 60s are heavenly. The always dependable offshore winds keep us cool while we play golf, go fishing or tourist around with the wife and kids. Day or night - South Florida in the winter is as good as it gets.
 |
| RUSH LIMBAUGH ON GOLF LESSONS - OVER THE TOP? |
Despite all the attractions, restaurants, sporting events and the great weather that allows us to explore it all, occasionally we have to go home. And so it was a few evenings back that I sat down, cracked open a Bud and started channel flipping. Lo and behold, before going too far, I happened upon the old golf teacher, Hank Haney. Hank was giving golf instruction to talk-show host Rush Limbaugh. As a rule, I avoid loud, hyper-critical, argumentative programs so I'm not too familiar with Rush. I assumed he had a horrible golf affliction similar to Charles Barkley and Ray Romano who preceeded him on the show or why would he be there? These hopeless golfers seem to flock to Haney as if he could heal like the waters of the grotto at Lourdes.
Now there's only so much fantasy I can absorb at one sitting. Watching Haney put Rush through all the same tired drills that didn't work for the first two guys started wearing thin real quick. But somehow before I could move on, with my right thumb hovering just nano-meters from the channel button, Rush Limbaugh said something profound. And his words were echoes of every one of us who ever took a golf lesson....
"You need an MIT degree to remember all the stuff he's teaching me."
I have no idea if Rush was there trying to correct a slice or cure a hook but my money says that his problems still exist. Has Ray Romano broken 80? I haven't heard about it. Is Charles Barkley's golf swing still the ugliest thing on Earth? You betcha. So why would this chubby republican think his fate will be any different?
OVER THE TOP GOLF student Matt Luciano wrote "It must be obvious to all golfers that a lesson from a golf professional like David Leadbetter is only as good as how often the student is prepared to go back for refresher courses. And be willing to practice.....lots of practice."
Haney, Leadbetter or any assistant pro at any golf course or driving range, take your pick. If you have one of them as a roommate then I recommend letting them teach you. If not, especially if a rigorous practice routine isn't your cup of tea, you are destined to fail. One constant about golf teachers is that they teach things that most of us cannot possibly do. Charles knows it. Raymond knows it. I'm guessing by now that Rush knows it too.
_________________
Keywords for this article: golf, swing, over the top, lesson, instruction, eBook, charles barkley, chubby republicans, correct slice, cure hook, david Leadbetter, golf, golf instruction, golf lessons, Hank Haney, Miami, over the top golf, Ray Romano, Rush Limbaugh, South Florida
Revised 09-03-2012
11 comments:
The Hank and Rush show was slightly more entertaining than Romano's but fell far short of Barkley's. Of the three, however, I feel that Charles has the best chance of ever becoming a good player. Limbaugh and Romano seem perhaps too analytical to grasp your swing but Barkley has the right tools - former athleticism and a simple mind.
When I saw the title I thought this would be a bash Limbaugh article. Not bad, Sonny.
When I first watched your DVD my first impression was "Gary Player on steroids" then I saw a little bit of Arnie in there plus a bit of Moe Norman which was intriguing. I not only learned your swing - which is "my" swing now by the way, but also the dynamics you referenced briefly (should be more of that IMO.)
What's the chances of Over the Top Golf getting a reality show on Golf Channel or one of the other cable networks? I would gladly let you film my own version of the OTG swing. Pure entertainment. Trust me.
It's rare to see an article about Rush that isn't heavily for or heavily against him. Nice job keeping it about golf.
Who's the next celebrity going to be to beat up on poor Hank Haney? Surely he will eventually make a golfer out of someone.
My neighbor used to be a golf pro and he's helped me tremendously, not only with his weekly look overs but also by being good company at the driving range.
Would I be out here under different circumstances? Probably not very often. I liked the theme of your article which says if you aren't going to practice much, stick with a simple, dependable golf swing, not a Hank Haney type overload.
Al Michaels didn't seem too impressed with Rush's new "Haneyswing" so he must have hit some real stinkers that we didn't get to see on the show. The director I guess was trying to put a positive spin on the results of the lessons he took but expressions don't lie.
You are a good writer. In fact, better than some of the people Rush has writing his material.
Funny article. How about you doing a TV show with all three of Haney's "success stories?" I'm sure you could do better-golf improvement wise.
How well a Golf GPS device works depends on both the hardware and software in your hand held device. Better hardware allows your GPS to more easily find more of the 30 satellites roaming the globe to pinpoint your location.
Being an aussie I like Adam Scott, and yes his swing always looked a lot like Tigers. Although so far as
their comparative ballstriking ability over the past few years goes,
I think it is time Tiger began trying to copy Adam Scott!
club for golf
Post a Comment