Effects of grip pressure on off center strikes

The below high speed (1000 fps) video is fascinating because it shows us what happens when a ball is struck off the toe with a blade.

The first part of the clip shows a ball being hit with passive hands with very light grip pressure.

The second half of the clip shows us a similar ‘toe hit’, this time with a very firm grip pressure. The nice thing about the shot hit with a firmer grip pressure is that it will still travel in roughly the same direction as a center strike, only slightly less far.

To me this footage suggests that a firm grip is the better option. A good firm grip can also keep twisting of the club face to a minimum when you’re in the rough.

DISCLAIMER: Proceed with caution…
A firm grip has to be compatible with your type of swing! And even if that’s the case you’ll still need to train your wrists to stay ‘loose’ while maintaining a good firm grip with the fingers.

I won’t go into the details of the different swing types; I just wanted to show you this video.

For more information please visit lagpressure’s website here.

Cohesive Body Tension - Part II

Here is some extra information on what I'm working on in the swing. I got some questions about this and I hope that the following information answers those.
You can find the original post here. I really recommend reading that post before trying any of this stuff...

Left: What happens if I take my left hand of the club.
Middle: What happens if I take the right hand of the club.
Right: Both hands on.. duh...
The arrows show direction of force/pressure. The arrows that are at 'finger' height are merely a result of deliberately attempting to move the wristbones outwards while holding on the club. (For the right hand it feels like a hinging action around the two middle fingers.)

Here is a vid with me demonstrating these motions in more detail:

Hogan’s Chipping Technique

Hogan practicing his chipping skills.

Here we see Ben Hogan practicing his chipping. Note the unorthodox technique he uses in this video. When I first saw this I immediately thought that it might be a good way to play short chip shots. I like that there’s very little moving parts, which would help consistency. Also, the fact that the wrists have to do the bulk of the work allows you to go at it a little more aggressively and really trap the ball against the turf.

Technique

On the way back it looks like he uses a combination of bowing and turning of his (left) wrist. Below you can see what I think that he’s doing with his wrists. Note that the forearms may or may not participate, depending on the length of the shot.

Address (left) and end of ‘backswing’ (right).

On the way down simply pull the club through using the pivot while performing the exact opposite of the move you made in the backswing.

There is a document floating around on the internet which supposedly contains transcriptions of letters that Hogan wrote to friends. I seriously doubt that it really is Hogan who wrote those letters. But anyway, since it contains a few paragraphs about this chipping technique I thought I’d share it anyway.

Here it is:

"The Hogan Letters: Written by Ben Hogan 7-20-78
---

As to your inquiry about chipping I haven't explained it to you because you've never asked and I thought perhaps you had no problems with them. The best method that I have ever used was explained to me and demonstrated by Bobby Jones many years ago when I was a neophyte golfer. It has proven to be invaluable in salvaging pars from fifty yards into the green, and I have yet to find a better method. With a little practice it will give you accuracy and you can hit it to the pin with assurance that you will have an excellent chance for a one putt and a par.

Snead stole it from me when we were playing together in the Tam O'Shanter in Chicago and the rascal went on to win the tournament. Snead is very observant of other golfers unique or special shots and watched me knock one up to within four feet on the second hole from twenty-yards. The ball floated up hitting about 10-feet and rolled like a putt right at the cup. He didn't say anything but on the sixth hole, a 540 yard par 5, he was about 25 yards from the green and he pitched one up using my technique and almost holed out, but had only a two-foot putt for a birdie. "You see," he said, "us mountain boys learn fast, and are not as dumb as you think." Since then I have revealed it to Trevino and of course Dickinson. It has salvaged a list of pars for them.

The basic idea (and now we get down to brass tacks) is to take a normal square stance (not open or closed) and a good grip (V's of left and right hand pointing midway between chin and right shoulder with the club face square to the line (be sure to not open or close the club face), then take the club back turning the hands clockwise 90-degrees bending the right elbow which folds as the hands move up in a short arc all the while keeping the upper part of the right arm in the same position as it was at address (in other words the upper part of the right arm does not change position in relation to the body). Very little movement of the legs is involved if any (keep knees flexed and limber). Keep your eye on the ball and swing the club head down to the ball. The hands will automatically revert to the position at address and will move the head of the club head (a nice delayed clipping action).

The ball should be struck crisply and a nice divot taken, which will be in line with the flight of the ball. The firmer the ball is hit the higher the arc it will take with less run as it hits. The shorter the hit the more run involved but the ball will settle down and run as a putt. It is simply a matter of practice, but one can be very bold with this technique because it minimized the amount of roll to a far greater extent than chipping with a seven or eight iron. Jan salvaged 5 pars with it and shot ? in the grocery tournament and was eight strokes up on second place. If she keeps it up they will ban her so she has to lose a couple.

See you soon sincerely

Ben Hogan”

Cohesive body tension

I’m working on keeping my upper arms ‘packed’ close to the body. It’s funny how doing the exact opposite (of what you think you should be doing) often produces the best results. In this case it certainly did for me.

Take 1

I started out by doing the obvious by pushing my upper arms towards my chest and armpits. (see picture 1)

This felt good but somehow it didn’t feel quite right as I felt it promoted a flipping release of the club for me.

 

Picture 1

Take 2

Ok. So I needed to find a way to keep the upper arms packed which also promotes the proper hand (release) attitudes.

When I tried to pull the arms away from the body (to the sides), I noticed that they didn’t really move away from the body. That’s because they are attached to the shoulder joints at one end and attached to the hands (which hold on to a golf club) on the other... (see picture 2)

I also found that the pulling sensation of the back of the hands puts additional pressure in the fingers and pressure points. This pressure equals feedback and clubhead awareness. These opposing forces stabilize the arm club unit, making it easier to find the slot and repeat the motion.

Picture 2

Elbows and finish

Another thing to consider is that you must make sure that the elbows stay close to the body throughout the swing. Only well after impact, after the club has reached parallel to the ground (See picture 3) you should start to actively pull the arms & club unit upwards, away from the body. (See picture 4) Even though this is a different topic altogether I thought it’d be good to mention it briefly.

Disclaimer

I’m a student, not a teacher; and therefore I reserve the right to change my mind at any time. I am writing this stuff down merely for future reference. If it helps someone else along the way that is great but again, I’m not pretending to have any, let alone all of the answers…

I’m swinging on a very flat plane with clubs that have lie angles that are 8 degrees flatter than ‘standard’. It is easier to keep the arms close to the body when you’re not swinging as upright as many of the modern more upright clubs promote.

P.S. Please visit the Advanced Ball Striking site and Forum for loads of good information and discussion on all things golf.

Gary Player Swing and Clinic in Poland

Moving up thru the bag. Wedge, irons and woods.


Driver swing:


The clinic:

Tony 'Champagne' Lema - Instruction and Swing

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Tony_Lema

Putting Notes

The putter

Get yourself a simple blade style putter that let’s you know how well the ball has been struck. During training it’s very important to know what you are doing wrong. Say for instance that you don’t strike the ball with the center of the club. With some of the perimeter weighted putters this is very hard to feel. In my opinion, a good putter will give your hands the necessary feedback and will teach you the feeling and sound of a solid strike. Such a putter will make it easier to ingrain good habits. A simple ‘blade’ style design with less visual clutter allows for more precise aim IMO. I also prefer a putter that has enough weight to let you feel the clubhead during the stroke. With a heavier clubhead it’s also easier to start the backswing with a smooth, steady motion. If you go too heavy, you may find it hard to judge distance.

 

Setup

There lots of different ways of setting up to the ball. In the end it’s about finding a setup that allows you to rock your shoulders up and down square to where you want the ball to start.
For me that means that I basically stand square, or maybe slightly open to the target. If I grip the putter I feel that my shoulder line is slightly open (and the putter’s face is closed). From there I just square up my shoulders until the face of the putter is square to the target. I take a few practice strokes to check and groove this ‘dynamic’ alignment and if it’s good I take a small step forward and pull the trigger.
As far as your head is concerned, try to keep your chin against your chest. The more vertical your eyes can look down at the ball the better you will be able to see your line. Also, if you set up this way you can turn your head and trace the line to the hole with your eyes better.
I usually set up with an equal amount of weight on both my two feet but it may help to get some more weight on your front foot.

 

Grip

I use the a ‘standard’ putting grip with the right hand down. Most of the grip pressure is in my right hand, between thumb and index finger. My left hand, on the other hand, I wrap around the top end of the grip and my right hand very lightly, where it can function as a stabilizer.

 

Ball Position

Just slightly forward of low point is where I prefer the ball to be. It depends on your stance width but this will either be at the center or forward of the center between your feet. It also depends on the loft of the putter but the main purpose is to get the ball rolling as soon as possible after the strike. If you hit the ball after low point (on the upstroke) the ball will get some topspin, which is what gets the ball rolling faster. The ball needs to be struck at the top half to eliminate skidding.

 

Distance From the Ball

I try to get my eyes directly above (or slightly inside) the ball and let that dictate the way I stand to the ball. Besides that, you may need to have the lie of the putter changed so you can stand more comfortably. It’s important that the sole of the club is flush to the ground.

 

Anchor Points

Before (and during the stroke) I make sure that my left hip and my throat remain in a fixed position. I need to feel some stability in my legs/knees too. Practice this until it becomes second nature. This will give you a stable base upon which to swing the putter.

 

Starting the Stroke

I start the stroke by simultaneously dropping my left shoulder and taking the club away with my right hand. Ideally the shoulders and arms should move as one unit, with the shoulders moving in a vertical, up-and-down manner. During the stroke I keep my eyes focused on a small spot of the back of the ball. Sometimes it helps to stare at the ball without focusing on it. What you don’t want to do is follow the clubhead on it’s way back. I know this can be very tempting but it will only make for a wobbly takeaway.. Try to take the club away with a steadily accelerating tempo, gradually adding grip pressure.

 

A Change of Direction

The change of direction in the putting stroke is very important if you want to get any good at distance control. It should be almost effortless in the sense that the intensity and length of the backswing determines the timing and length of the downswing. It should be a natural reaction to the backswing without any interference from the hands and arms. The only thing to monitor is that the left shoulder moves upward during the downstroke.
Once you get this you will start to hit more putts with perfect speed and see lots of balls dying in the hole. It can be tricky to kill the hit instinct, even with putting, but the results are worth it. It may seem like you are giving up control of your downswing but in reality you’ll get way more control once you start seeing the true relation between backswing and downswing. The backswing being the action, the downswing being the reaction to that action. The added benefit is that your stroke will become purer because you won’t have to be steering the club on the downswing and contact will be better as well.
If you have trouble getting the hang of this you may find this helpful: Take a backswing, and pause the club at the the point where the change of direction takes place for just one second, and then let it all ‘fall’ towards the target. The momentum is set up by the intensity and length of the backswing and it can be stored by holding the club still before releasing it all on the downswing.

Strange Backswings

Much has been written about the backswing; it’s a topic that instructors love to talk about. You don’t hit the ball on the backswing, and there are many touring pro’s who hit the ball very good with a non-standard backswing. An instructor that teaches static positions will explain this by saying something along the lines of: “This player is so talented that he can make split second adjustments so he will still come through the ball in a proper manner despite his awkward backswing..”.

I disagree with this. Teaching someone the proper positions is no guarantee for proper movements. In my opinion the backswing is merely a move that allows you and your club to find the right ‘slot’, from which you can swing the club through the ball in a dynamic and efficient motion.

Here is an example: Lee Trevino; one of the greatest ball strikers of all time. He uses a figure of 8 model:

Of course there are things you should and shouldn’t do but a basic truth is this: Eliminate any unnecessary movement; remove as many variables as you can and you’ll be left with a simpler, more efficient motion. A simpler move is also easier to repeat and you have less stuff to think about. If looping the club outside on the backswing makes it easier for you to come from the inside on the downswing then it’s a perfectly valid move. You just need to make sure that you can repeat it.

Jim Furyk is a good example of a very successful player with a very strange swing. Notice the 'helicopter move' at the top of the swing.

And here's a compilation of strangely effective swings:

Enjoy!

From Field Hockey to Golf

Over at the Advanced Ball Striking forum there is this great topic, started by bomgolf222. It has all kinds of pictures from other sports that have similar movements (or positions) to golf. It’s also about how, in order to find the most efficient motion possible, we should learn what we can from other sports.

The golf swing is generally thought of as a very unnatural motion but I think that looking at the similarities in different sports can aid our understanding significantly.

Here are a few examples:


   

Hockey

I had been playing field hockey as a kid before taking up golf recently. Field hockey is the 10th most popular sport where I live and obviously there are many players that make the transition to golf later on in life.

If a former hockey player starts taking lessons from a local teaching pro, the pro will typically shake his head in disbelief when he sees the player hit a ball. You can almost hear him thinking: ‘Oh no, another hockey player! It’s going to take lots of lessons to turn this hitter into a swinger…’ The average pro sees the hit as something bad, probably because they themselves have been taught a pure swinging protocol.

Consider the two pictures below; the golfer being Ben Hogan and the Hockeyer is Theun de Nooijer. They are both considered to be the best players of their generations and as you can see there are lots of similarities in their movements. Hogan is a classic hitter with a very flat, pivot driven swing. Hockeyers typically swing very flat as well.



I think it would be far better for the player to embrace his hitting instincts and use them to his advantage. Hogan has clearly shown us that a hit with the hands (not arms) that is properly supported by the body can be a very effective move through the ball.

It's a shame that pro’s don’t recognize this because they could be having much better results with these players.