MISINFORMATION | TRUTH
Flat Spot In Swing | Geometry of the Circle
Hit Up On The Ball | Plane
Swing Down The Target Line | 3-D Impact
Hips Create Power | 4 Power Sources
Hogan’s Plane of Glass | Hitting & Swinging
Ball In The Same Spot | Club Design
Hold Club Lightly | Grip
Squeeze with the middle 2 fingers
The world of golf is FILLED with mis-information! It’s no wonder that players around the globe are confused and NOT getting any better. It’s not their fault! They are basing their golf swings on information that will NOT help them.
The TRUTH is that all things in motion, whether it’s a golf club, a moving vehicle, a door opening or closing, all must obey the Laws of Force and Motion. Disobedience of these Laws result in faulty execution and operation.
Have a long flat spot in your swing
What a bunch of garbage! Whoever thought this up knows NOTHING about geometry. The golf club is swinging on a circle and there are NO flat spots in a circle! The player may FEEL like they are moving the club on a straight line but that is not humanly impossible.
How about “Hit up on the ball”
Another fallacy that has grown in proportion simply because someone that has a “name” says to do this? Again, it doesn’t take a “rocket scientist”, to understand that there is a Low Point in a golf stroke. ANY ball struck prior to this Low Point would dictate that the club would have to keep moving downward to the bottom of the stroke – Low Point – NOT swing up at the ball either BEFORE, AT, or AFTER Impact!
Swing down the target line for better accuracy
Now this one would be correct IF we played golf on a vertical plane! BUT since we play on a slant – the Inclined Plane – then this falls under the heading of COMPLETE IDIOCY!
The golf club is on the target line at two points. At address, if the club is NOT grounded, and at Low Point. Otherwise it is working on the “Alternate Target Line.” Again, simple geometry dictates that the golf club movebackward, upward and inward on the back stroke. This also means that the club MUST work downward, outward, and forward in the downstroke.
How many times have we all heard that the hips create power. This was brought about, NOT by scientific research but, by what great players FELT like they did. The hips do have a responsibility but that is to create a separation between all of the trailing parts.
The downstroke starts from the ground up, meaning feet, knees, hips, shoulders, arms, hands, and club. This is called “pivot lag” and when done correctly creates clubhead lag. Basically there are four power generators and they are;
1. The Bending and straightening of the right arm
2. The cocking and uncocking of the left wrist
3. The “roll” of the left wrist
4. The left arm blasting off the chest
In Ben Hogans classic book, “Five Lessons: The Modern Fundamentals of Golf” Mr. Hogan is depicted as swinging under a pane of glass. While this is a great visual it is not THE plane, it IS a plane and is completely the players choice. The plane is described as the angle of the clubshaft at address. The club may, or may not, move to other plane ANGLES during the stroke.
Hitting or Swinging can use any of the definable plane angles
1. Hands Only Plane
2. Elbow Plane – most widely used
3. Turned Shoulder Plane
4. Squared Shoulder Plane
5. Turning Shoulder Plane
What IS important about the Plane is that the player can move the club on ANY Plane Angle they choose as long as the base of the Plane doesn’t move.
Play the ball in the same spot, another of those, “what are you thinking idioms.”
Golf clubs are NOT the same length nor are they the same loft. This in and of itself dictates that the ball be positioned according to the design of the club. There are other factors involved with ball placement as well and these are; the players hand speed, the downstroke Plane Angle, and the pivot motion.
Hold the club as lightly as if you had a bird in your hand
Have you ever seen a picture of Sam Snead holding the golf club? The veins in his forearms are popping out! This is NOT the sign of someone holding the lightly!
Think about it.
The club is moving around 100 miles per hour and meeting an object that is stationary. If you hold the club lightly two things are likely to happen.
1. You lose your grip
2. The clubhead twists at Impact
Hold the club tightly but keep the wrists, forearms, elbow joints, and shoulders soft.
The choice is yours. Keep making the SAME mistakes and assumptions OR start using proper mechanics.
Likewise the hinge will stay in alignment with the shaft if the club is swung correctly and you will be able to hit the balls with ease.