I notice that when I work with dowels a lot, I tend to shank when I go out on the course. I believe this is because I am aiming the shaft at the ball. When you trace with the shaft of the club, do you trace to a line inside the plane line (the shaft line)? In my desperation I have tried to visualize the shaft location at address or impact fix and aim to pass through that location - that seems to help me a bit. I have heard something about feeling the sweet spot but I can't seem to get that to work. Is it OK to try and aim the shaft rather than the sweet spot?
You have to take into account the sweetspot of the club.
It can be dangerous to work on your swing with an object that doesn't have a sweetspot. However, I'm sure there are people here who can better tell you how to work with the dowels so that the shanking problem doesn't happen.
I read some of the archives on the plane and tracing and had some further thoughts.
I have read that the shaft rotates around the sweetspot. To illustrate this, the example is to hold the grip end in the fingers, let the club hang by gravity and spin the club. Here the shaft clearly rotates around the sweet spot.
But I can't believe that this is what happens in a golf swing. If this was true, then swinging a dowel would result in a very different swing motion than swinging a golf club (or maybe even think of a hockey stick). Rather - it seems to me that the shaft of the club travels on an inclined plane. The base of this plane is along a line that goes through the point where the shaft touches the ground at impact fix - a couple of inches inwards from the center line through the ball. So at halfway back for example, the butt end of the grip should point towards this more inward plane line. Assuming this shaft plane exists, then it's easier for me to envision the sweet spot or club face rotating around the shaft rather than the other way around. I believe this also implies that plane boards are valid training tools.
So, when you swing your dowel you shouldn't be aiming the tip of the dowel directly at your imaginary ball, but rather an inch or so inside the ball where the shaft would hit the ground. Perhaps this is wrong or just extremely obvious, but it subconsciously threw me out of whack for a bit. Once I started thinking about the shaft traveling on this more inward plane, I was making very clean center contact.
I know my "mind should be in my hands" instead of in the shaft but I'm still working on that. Or maybe I just need to get some clubs with the face centered on the shaft .
I am not sure if the following is correct but see what you think...
Homer stresses the importance of the sweetspot plane. The plane between PP3 and clubhead sweetspot. The trouble is that it is invisble... except when the clubhead is turbed to the inclined plane - when shaft plane acts as a surrogate for sweet spot plane.
The crucial thing about sweet spot plane is that it is the plane that you feel rather than see... but if you want to "see" it then use shaft plane as an approximate.
The dowels "look" like a shaft and there is no distraction of clubhead so it is a good way to learn the concept of alignment rather than position... this alone is a leap of conceptual thinking that you have already made!
But in "swinging " a dowel... you won't really feel much because of the lack of clubhead mass... maybe if you added a point mass ( round lump of lead) at the tip of the dowel and swung it then you would feel and see the elusive "sweetspot plane".
typing "off the cuff" at the moment so see what others say ...
Yes - perhaps I just can't feel the lag pressure properly. Here's one other observation though. If the sweetspot plane and the shaft plane coincide when the club is turned to the inclined plane, then this would imply that the shaft should be pointing at the plane line on the ground that runs through ball center. However, when I try doing this with a half swing (like acquired motion), it feels very awkward to me.
Yes - perhaps I just can't feel the lag pressure properly. Here's one other observation though. If the sweetspot plane and the shaft plane coincide when the club is turned to the inclined plane, then this would imply that the shaft should be pointing at the plane line on the ground that runs through ball center. However, when I try doing this with a half swing (like acquired motion), it feels very awkward to me.
I think that the "sweetspot plane" and "shaft plane" only appear the same from down the line view once sweetspot rotated to plane.
Hitters, who tend towards single wrist action. do not turn their sweetspot to inclined shaft plane in acquired motion - clubhead "feels closed"...
Many pro swingers turn sweetspot, or sweetspot is turned, later in swing ...more into total motion... you may feel an early turn to plane as "unusual" for you....
lag pressure will be easier to feel with a "point mass" at end of dowel, i think...
Yes - perhaps I just can't feel the lag pressure properly. Here's one other observation though. If the sweetspot plane and the shaft plane coincide when the club is turned to the inclined plane, then this would imply that the shaft should be pointing at the plane line on the ground that runs through ball center. However, when I try doing this with a half swing (like acquired motion), it feels very awkward to me.
ejhong, Are you hitting or swinging ? I see them as manipulating the LCOG differently. I'm sure you are aware that a clubhead lag pressure point is imperative.
I have been working on making some pictures showing the LCOG....I will try and get something together for you sometime soon.
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"Golf is not a subject but a motor skill which can only be learned and not taught." - Michael Hebron
"The Body, Arms and Hands have specific assignments during the Golf Stroke, and they must be coordinated into one efficient motion." - Lynn Blake
The Dowel has a Sweetspot (located at its tip). The Golf Club has a Sweetspot (located on the Clubface). Both should be pointed at the Straight Plane Line.
And except during Start Up and Release, the Dowel/Clubshaft is the On Plane Visual Equivalent of the Clubface Sweetspot's invisible Centrifugal Line of Pull.
Shanking is (1) a total loss of Clubhead Lag Pressure Feel and (2) the ability to deliver that 'Feel' Down Plane into the inside-aft quadrant of the Ball. But the Good News is ...
The same Pressure Point Pressure that will deliver a Dowel's Sweetspot into Impact On Plane will deliver a Clubhead's Sweetspot into Impact On Plane.
Not an expert, but this might help.
For me dowel is best used for alignment to trace the plane line esp. Basic and Acquired Motion. To avoid shanking, dowel with impact bag will be more useful for Full or Acquired Motion. When placed at ball position, at impact I look at my hand and make sure it's verticle to the plane( ground). (So when using the club, the club face,not the hosel, will come into impact)
Thanks for the clarifications and suggestions. I obviously have some more figuring out to do with respect to feeling and directing my lag pressure. I'm trying to learn swinging - it seems to be progressing although somewhat slowly - I've had a lot of incredible AHA moments but I'm sure there are many more to go.
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