Grease her up!

[Lamma]

After reading Who's Your Caddie by Rick Reilly, I went out and got a jar of vaseline. I got the idea from the book where in one chapter Reilly hangs out with some big time bettors who gamble as much as a million dollars over the course of a round. All these guys apply vaseline or KY Jelly to the face of their clubs in order to hit the ball longer and straighter. Reilly said that after a liberal application of petroleum jelley to the face of his driver that he hit the ball longer and straighter than he ever had before.

Of course this is a violation of the rules. No doubt about that. But to see if it actually makes a difference I've experimented with it a couple of times out on the course when my swing has totally disappeared and I have nothing else to lose anyway.

Actually, the first time I used it was when I went to Sandpiper, which is a beautiful course a few minutes north of Santa Barbara. I didn't get a chance to warmup because a tournament was about to start and I didn't want to wait two hours to tee off. So I went from the car, to the pro shop where I paid for my round, and then right out on to the course. They were really rushing me so I was a little frazzled standing on the first tee.

The first club I greased up was my driver. With no warmup and a week between hitting balls I hit a pretty decent shot that landed in a fairway bunker. Not great but not bad. It was about 230 yards and while it seemed like it wanted to hook into the foothills it kept a more or less straight line.

The next time I tried it was on the 10th hole, a dramatic dogleg left with a very narrow fairway. I greased up the face of my 5 wood and stung the ball about 240 yards which landed on the far end of the fairway just short of a fairway bunker.

The next experiment came on a long par five where I had about 190 yards to an uphill green with the ocean breeze blowing right to left. So I greased up my 4 iron and unfortunately made a terrible swing. But the ball really fought to stay on line and then at the very end hooked just a little.

Since then it seems to come in handy when I'm really struggling. I've tried it on a 7 iron here, a three wood there, and while my swing is still not that great it does seem to take the severe hackers edge off of things.

I don't do it all the time and I think pretty soon I'm going to throw that jar of Vaseline in the trash because more and more when I come across a tough shot and I'm having a hard time making a good swing, the thought comes into my mind to grease up the club face.At any rate, it does seem to work. Not spectacularly, but it will give you something extra.

I wonder if someday we're going to see pros getting disqualified because they've applied Vaseline to the bill of their caps like Nikro and Catfish Hunter used to do. I could picture it now, Tiger thoughtfully thumbs the bill of his cap and then casually rubs the face of his club. Then out from behind the tee comes a rules official demanding to examine his club. Tiger refuses and then a heated argument ensues where Tiger kicks grass on the official's foot before stomping off indignantly. That'd be great.

[Fuzzifus]

I play with a guy who used chapstick. I have seen it in action, and he still does it every now and again. This technique is more subtle, he just acts like he is using it on his lips, gets some on his fingers, smears it on the face and off he goes. I called him out on it, and now all of our freinds constantly check his club face after a good shot, and occasionally we find the lube. The real answer to the problem is to practice, and learn why you spin the ball the way you do and correct the problem.......

[cabinessence]

I would be none too pleased if anyone I was playing against pulled that stunt.

[Lamma]

Originally Posted by cabinessence

I would be none too pleased if anyone I was playing against pulled that stunt.

I would never do it if I was playing for money. It's just an experiment that I wanted to try.

[Silver]

I've heard that book's hilarious. The part with Deepak (sp?). Oh, kills me, I have to get the book!

[IrishGolfer]

So what you are saying is that by applying vaseline / grease onto the clubface, it will enable you to hit it straighter and / or further? And that this is illegal? I reckon we have right here added a whole new dimension to the game.

Ima gonna greese up ma barnet this Saturday. So as I stand over the ball collecting my thoughts, I will push my locks back in a stoic sorta way, and then in a "matter of fact way" wipe the old clubface, as if to clean off some grass or dirt off. This will then translate immediately into a recovery of form, rocketing one away dead straight?

And I'll look like Elvis? How cool is that?

Thanks ShotTalk!

[Loop]

From what I gather, it seems more like a psychological boost for the lamma in despair.

[IrishGolfer]

Originally Posted by Lamma

I don't do it all the time and I think pretty soon I'm going to throw that jar of Vaseline in the trash because more and more when I come across a tough shot and I'm having a hard time making a good swing, the thought comes into my mind to grease up the club face.At any rate, it does seem to work. Not spectacularly, but it will give you something extra.

LMAO
I can just see it now, come September, Dave Ireland, Kilted Arab, Teh Master and I are having a match. Imagine one of us hitting a good shot and the others running over to examine the clubface.

"Is that grease or are you just pleased to see us?"

Or Mr. Ireland juggling his ball about in his pocket while waiting for his turn to tee off, secretly applying WD40 to his Srixons!!! (He is that tight he could just be peeling an orange in his pocket, not wanting to share it!)

[Golf Monkey]

Pouring baby oil on the face of a driver also works, If anyone got the tuitional DVD along with June's 'Today's Golfer' they'd have saw it being demonstrated!.

[Kilted Arab]

Originally Posted by IrishGolfer

LMAO
I can just see it now, come September, Dave Ireland, Kilted Arab, Teh Master and I are having a match. Imagine one of us hitting a good shot and the others running over to examine the clubface.

"Is that grease or are you just pleased to see us?"

Or Mr. Ireland juggling his ball about in his pocket while waiting for his turn to tee off, secretly applying WD40 to his Srixons!!! (He is that tight he could just be peeling an orange in his pocket, not wanting to share it!)

Quality!

So now we know what you were doing in those bushes. And good call on tight-erse with the orange!

[caddyshackgolf]

Sounds like a good idea but I am not going to try it. I have a qestion, how does putting vaseoline,babyoil, or chapstick on the clubface help the ball go farther and straighter?

[Dave Ireland]

Jaysus it's impossible to keep track of the libelling nature of you 2 wise guys ... I see a thread "Grease her Up" ... I sez to meself ...naw it's not for me .... there's enough profanity here, I'll desist from adding to it (for a change)..

Thread turns out to be a very interesting article til youse 2 slapheads get yer mitts on it .... I'm off now to the archive section to labouriously vet each posting you 2 comics have ...

btw ..... it's not an orange in me pocket it's a banana ... once you peel the skin back the rest comes easily ...

[IrishGolfer]

Originally Posted by Lamma

I think pretty soon I'm going to throw that jar of Vaseline in the trash

Hey Lamma
Stick it on eBay and Dave Ireland will probably buy it!

(sorry Dave, couldn't resist!)

[Dave Ireland]

Originally Posted by IrishGolfer

Hey Lamma
Stick it on eBay and Dave Ireland will probably buy it!

(sorry Dave, couldn't resist!)

No No No Irish ... don't apologise ..... I'm on a trawl of the 'Ho Place (ebay) as we speak ... I'm searching in the category Adult Lifestyles => Butch and Bears => Workout equipment .... there's a fella sellin 2 jars of vaseline at a knockdown $2 a jar ... he sez they have hardly ever been used ...sez himself and his "tango partner" were at the beach and there's some very fine sand grains in the vaseline and that he can't use it anymore .... wow he must take his workouts seriously ...

[tsiguy96]

if my thinking is correct it helps keep the ball straighter because as we all know a slice or hook is caused by rubbing across the ball with the face of the club making it spin, well if the stuff is put on the clubface that same rubbing motion can happen, but instead of making the ball spin as much it will just get the distance from the shot without the nasty hook. just a thought :P