Keeping the head still
 

How do you keep your head still during the swing? How still do you keep it? When you focus too much on keeping your head still do you find you do not transfer through to your front foot?
If you can't tell by now I think some of my inconsistent ball striking may be caused by head or upper body movement.
Any one else? How do you deal with it?

Steve

Re: Keeping the head still
 

I am pretty much a TGM rookie. But until you get better answers you might just as well try my current interpretation (based on reading here and there):

• Stationary is not the same as sitting in a vise. The idea is that it should not move all over the place.
• The head will swing slightly, but focus on keeping the upper part of the spine stationary (= the tab inside the collar of your shirt) through the swing.
• Do not let it bother you too much what the head does after impact. It has to go.

Still very still - as yoda once said (paraphrasing) - Homer used the word stationary for a reason.

Any head movement in the stroke would move the low point and impact point of your clubhead orbit. Your left arm and clubshaft and head form a radius., If you move your head, you will move your radius of that clubhead orbit

Yoda stated in an earlier post if your view of the ball changes during the swing you have moved your head.

At least my last point was probably ok. ;-)

Last night I hit a couple bags of balls. My first few hits with my gap wedge were pretty good, then I started hitting down on a steeper angle. The ground was dry and hard so it was quite noticeable in difference in feel. I think as happens too often my first few swings are easier and smoother with little or no head movement or sway. Then I start swinging harder to hit it further. I may be pushing off with my back leg too much. But at any rate I get sway and head movement causing various direction and trajectory changes.
As a side question, do you focus on a specific point on the ball or look at the ball as a whole and swing through that place?
Steve

After seeing Ben Doyles video & reading discussions about this I've applied observing a point at a point some "17 minutes past the full hour". Ben said "aft back quandrant of the ball" - the place where you want to hit it.

I believe Ben said: "My mind is always on my hands, my eyes are always on the back aft quadrant of the ball". I really like that "split vision" idea. Just rest or leave the eyes in a "blind stare" at the ball & keep your mind on what the hands are doing. NB: WITHOUT trying to control the hands.

I like it. Keeps the brain from having other ideas. Also I believe that with practive you can get to a point where your mind is basically blank.

Only really specific to me - I actually put my eyes very slightly out of focus (very light fuzz) because of phychological reasons. I find im more consistant in my execution maybe because of nothing else I just feel more comfortable this way, the ball looks far less intimidating...something I have done for a long while....IMO I don't think it really matters as long as you understand the thrust is down and out till both arms straight and the clubface is slightly open at impact (dependant on Hinge Action) and square at seperation....

lots of times i even lose sight of the ball in the backswing...

also a stationary head is optional. Very few touring pros employ it..

Precision Golf
 

In 2.0 Homer lists three Basic Essentials and Three Basic Imparatives.
2-0-A
1.) A stationary head
2.) Balance
3.) Rhythm

He also offers some good advice. "The Three Imperatives and Essentials operate to correct faulty procedures, so if they seem elusive it is invariably because you are trying to execute them while you hit the ball - in your accustomed manner. That must all be reversed. Learn to do those things even if you miss the ball - until you no longer miss it. There is no successful alternative".

1-L also lists the Stationary Post (players head), as #1 out of 21 items that are "characteristics of a Mechanically and Geometrically correct Golf Stroke from the Longest Drive to the Shortest Putt."

In 7-14 Homer discusses the Hip Turn -
"Weight Shift is strictly a HIP MOTION. Substituting a Head Motion and/or Knee Motion will make Swaying inevitable."

Glossary -

STATIONARY HEAD

Golf - Choosing the head - rather than Between the Shoulders as the Pivot Center.

PIVOT

Golf - A multiple universal-joint assembly between the Stationary Head and the Stationary Feet holding the Clubshaft "On Plane" by positioning and adjusting the Lever Assembly, through the #3 Accumulator, as directed by the Right Forearm.

These are Homers words, not mine and since this is a TGM focused site, forum, and chapter thread I felt it was important to provide these tidbits. There is more of course, not only in the book but also from Lynn's posts. I recall one post, (or maybe it was a lesson) where Lynn described setting the head position at Impact Fix and not moving it from that location as you go into adjusted address, backswing, downswing, and follow through.

Bagger