Hitting Rocks

[okie]

A compliment, an update and an inquiry:

Compliment:

At the range yesterday, minding my own business you know doing my basic, acquired and full motion thang. Well, every few balls I hit the guy practicing to the side of me stops looks over at me with a puzzled look, then goes back to what he was doing. On the third installment of what is eating Gilbert Grape I asked "May I help you?" He laughed looking a little embarressed, and repleid "No, I was just wondering what you were hitting over there...sounds like rocks or something." I was verclemt. We chatted and talked a little golf theory. I gave a cursory explantion of the importance of maintaining a FLW/BRW etc. He said that he had been playing golf for 45 years and had not once heard it explained that way. I have played some good golf on decent golf stages and have been complimented for those performances. All accolades paled in comparison to a total stranger perplexed by the sound of compressed shots, my compressed shots!


An update:

This is not so much of an update as it is an encouragement for those out there that are wrestling with TGM concepts. In recent weeks I have hit hundreds of balls with the primary goal of understanding "where the golfing machine lives" as Yoda put it - understanding the finish swivel. Yoda stated that understanding and utilizing it will take your game to the next level. When I execute 12-3-0 #22 I hit it purer than I ever thought I could. Frankly, it is surreal! I finally and truly understand the 1st imperative - nothing disturbs that left wrist, NOTHING! For those flailing, or not flailing around in pea soup out there do not abandon the "guided struggle."

An inquiry:

On occassion I hit the ball ever so slightly towards the heel. Any suggestions as to what I should monitor?


Second Inquiry:

What is pivotal for me is keeping the right wrist bent from start to finish. Is it the limits of two dimentsional photography or do a great many tour players flatten the right wrist on the follow through?

Okie out!

[Patrick O'Hara]

Okie:
I think we all are misled to a small/great amount when we look at player's at impact. The things I would like to know are:
how well did they hit the shot?
and
what were they trying to accomplish (what was the result)?

If we knew that info we could learn so much more and so much quicker.
Throwaway can be a friend, sometimes, if it is planned (see Yoda's new video with John Riegger) but not when you are trying to hit a driver into a 25 mph headwind on a 450 yard par four.

Per TGM:

Any loss in Impact Fix Right Wrist Bend during Release immediately becomes Left Wrist bend - Clubhead Throwaway. Which starts the Club swinging from the Wrists - in an "inside" and "upward" motion-the Clubface is rapidly Closing and the Clubshaft becomes "in-line" with the Right Forearm instead of the Left Arm-a very normal hazard Hitters (2-P) must deal with.

Hitters, especially, must learn to straighten the Right arm without flattening the Right Wrist.

I learn from this too...
Pat

[drewitgolf]

An inquiry:

On occassion I hit the ball ever so slightly towards the heel. Any suggestions as to what I should monitor?

Check out 2-J-1 last paragraph first.

[EdZ]

A compliment, an update and an inquiry:


An inquiry:

On occassion I hit the ball ever so slightly towards the heel. Any suggestions as to what I should monitor?

Okie out!

Hard to say for sure without more info, but you may be experiencing the 'snare' of bobbing. Either your swing center is not set properly at impact fix, or something is changing the swing center during your motion.

Do you use standard knee action or right anchor?

[okie]

EdZ:

10-16-C on the old "nobblies." I am eager to know what your thoughts are.


drewitgolf:

With regards to 2-J-1, I have had a great deal of trouble with this. For a while there I would throw the circuit switch because visually it was not what I was used to. I have a tough time trusting what impact fix is calibrating. At times I forget to apply the all important extensor action and keep that primary lever nice and stretched.

I hit a few balls (a few because it is a rice field out here in the midwest right now!) and when I payed attention to the correct clubface alignment courtesy of 2-J-1 i.e. "on center for impact" ( a great phrase by the way) I started to hit it on the button.Thank you very much for the help.


Pat:


I need to take a gander at Yoda's new offering. At this stage I don't want to know about the useful applications of throwaway! I hit my lob shots with a vertical hinge! For the longest time I used to throw from the right wrist to add a little "something", as it turns out the wrong thing! I want Demeret wrists, leaving that FLW undisturbed. As I eluded to in my original post when I connected the dots (thanks to Yoda's video on the swivel) with regards to the finish swivel my ball striking did indeed go to the next level. Yoda delivered from at least 900 miles away! OK I do want to know...Will you give me an example of a useful throwaway application? Thanks for the response.


Okie Out

[EdZ]

Okie - using a true right anchor requires a whole lot of flexibility. If you aren't flexible enough, often the result is some form of bobbing.

Experiment with going only to 'top' for a while and/or using standard knee action. That may allow you to keep a more stable swing center, and better achieve your impact fix alignments at impact.

[okie]

Good point (as usual) I noticed that when I was experimenting with hitting and only reaching "top" that I hit it on the button more often. Those that did not know better but wanted what was best for me when I was a junior player preached right knee anchor (without the terminology of course)as if there were no other viable alternatives. Ah the beauty of MY Golfing Machine!

I have to say that when I pay close attention to my impact fix alignments and sole the club per 2-J-1 I find the sweetspot more often. Still I think you have diagnosed a tendency of mine. Can you think of any modern tour players that have selected standard kneee action? I love to watch Bobby Jones' swing, talk about intuitive genius (with some Stewart Maiden thrown in on course!) Am I correct in identifying his knee action as being standard? One of my boyhood heros did the same...4 Opens! I noticed as well that (to me anyway) it seems easier to let Ben Doyle's big dog out from the standard backswing knee action than right anchor. Ya know what I think I will send the right anchor knee action back to the kitchen with a snort and order me a standard knee action...medium rare!

One passing curiosity: do you think height has any connection to what kind of knee action you select, or most cases fall into? I am 5.9, so my center of gravit is low enough as it is. Hogan always looks liked he "stood up" to the ball. As a teacher what do you look for in helping a student select the compatible knee action?

Thank you for your time Mr. EdZ

Okie out!

[Patrick O'Hara]

Question:
OK I do want to know...Will you give me an example of a useful throwaway application? Thanks for the response.


Answer from John Riegger sand shot video:

Situation: short sand shot from greenside bunker to tight pin location--
1. choke up to the steel on your sand wedge
2. Open up face as much as possible
3. Grip left hand strong (bent left wrist)
4. Grip right hand weak (hands DON'T match up)
5. Swing aggresively

In John's words: "you have preset throw away"

I haven't worked with it yet but he made it look easy...


Pat

[EdZ]

Good point (as usual) I noticed that when I was experimenting with hitting and only reaching "top" that I hit it on the button more often. Those that did not know better but wanted what was best for me when I was a junior player preached right knee anchor (without the terminology of course)as if there were no other viable alternatives. Ah the beauty of MY Golfing Machine!

I have to say that when I pay close attention to my impact fix alignments and sole the club per 2-J-1 I find the sweetspot more often. Still I think you have diagnosed a tendency of mine. Can you think of any modern tour players that have selected standard kneee action? I love to watch Bobby Jones' swing, talk about intuitive genius (with some Stewart Maiden thrown in on course!) Am I correct in identifying his knee action as being standard? One of my boyhood heros did the same...4 Opens! I noticed as well that (to me anyway) it seems easier to let Ben Doyle's big dog out from the standard backswing knee action than right anchor. Ya know what I think I will send the right anchor knee action back to the kitchen with a snort and order me a standard knee action...medium rare!

One passing curiosity: do you think height has any connection to what kind of knee action you select, or most cases fall into? I am 5.9, so my center of gravit is low enough as it is. Hogan always looks liked he "stood up" to the ball. As a teacher what do you look for in helping a student select the compatible knee action?

Thank you for your time Mr. EdZ

Okie out!

IMO it is mainly an issue of flexibility and balance.

Of the modern swingers, I think Payne Stewart is a great example, Johnny Miller, John Daley.

Most guys now are somewhere between a true right anchor and the 'free flow' motion of true standard knee/hip action.