2021 Part B Forward FUNDEMENTALS Flashcards
This class starts late July 2021 then goes forward.
Note: I have tried many swings in golf and now I think I have a winner that mimics the pros.
Late July, 2021. I named it the PRO SWING.
All the tips up to this point were good, but now I will mimic the pros.
Basic idea is to mimic the pros. I do this by incorporating check points in my swing and only make minor changes going forward. I think of it as a recipe with a small twist. So here are major factors:
1) I do not swing with my arms. The arms are like my skeleton, they support the swing and are used ONLY FOR GUIDING THE CLUB!
2) My entire body is the swing, not my arms. It’s a body dance. The body is swinging the arms, but the arms themselves have no inherent motion. I DO NOT use arm muscles to swing the club. Visualize replacing my arms with a piece of rope. I don’t use the rope to power the swing, I only hold the rope in a structure and use my body swing dance to whip the ropes around my body. Golf beginners try to swing WITH their arms to hit the ball. This is a natural instinct, but a huge mistake for the arm muscles are very small compared with the total BODY shifting force. You make POWERFUL long shots with your body motion, not your arm motion.
3) Right before setup, I practice waggle the structure of arms, the weight shift, the right arm underhand hammer, holding the “V”, the 12 to 6 shoulder rotation, the FOLD, the hip shifting and the footwork of my swing.
I may waggle this 5 or 6 times until it looks and feels perfect.
Only then do I go into my setup, aim and get ready to make my swing.
If any component doesn’t feel correct, I start over.
4) Some guys I play with just use arm muscles to CHOP down at the ball. I too am guilty of chopping, casting, jerking my head up, not transferring weight, etc, etc.
You have to do PREVIEW swings before going to setup. Pros do this all the time BEFORE setup. Speith, Jimenez, DUSTIN JOHNSON, DECHAMBEAU, ETC, all do this preview swing.
If I skip the preview, I make any number of mistakes.
5) Things I look at in preview.
A) Is BS in, straight or out. SB in.
B) Left arm straight? The “V” being held in extension throughout swing?
C) Do I make 90 degree fold? Wrist cocked? Grip pointed toward target?
D) Then I waggle grip pointing at target and right underhand hammer, right elbow folding correctly, holding extended straight arm structure in full BS and DS waggle. Then I insure hip rotation and left heel raising, then right foot going up on toe action.
E) I make sure 12 to 6 shoulder motion is included.
F) Am I on plane, in my slot, weight transferring?
G) is transition timed with weight shift?
H) Shoulders same angle as ground?
I) Weight angled back foot uphill and angled down downhill?
Lots of checkpoints in a perfect swing. For this reason, you must create neural pathways to handle everything automatically.
6) Actual swing. What I like most about this swing is, it’s a perfect mimic of how the pros make their swing. No homespun screwball concoction, just a perfect copy. Build upon this and I will only get better.
If you suddenly start topping the ball, the most common fault is you ARE NOT KEEPING ARMS RIGID STRAIGHT and keeping the V.
Another fault is with wedges on pitching and 8 & 9 irons. Lately I hit lots of worm burners with these short irons.
I think the problem is I see the short iron and hit it with my arms instead of body swing. Also I think I am casting them instead of guiding my body swing. July 27th, 2021.
Tennis ball held wedged between your wrist is the way you must hit a great golf shot.
Take a long, long time in BS to get it right.
Your triceps and shoulder turn power the hit. Your wrists fold and swivel to execute the shot. BIG-TIME!!
Hold that V RIDGID! Never chicken wing.
Part 1
1. Rigid “V”. Left arm straight. Eye always on ball contact and swing direction after contact. Hockey shot grip throughout swing.
2. BS, go way back shoulder turn to 12 & 6 to good width. Do 6x6 stretch to reach out to ball. BS into FOLD.
3. Both feet pointing right. Left knee kicks in with left heel raising HIGH. PREVIEW RIGHT ARM FOLD so I
I don’t get locked into straight right arm swing around ball on DS. REMEMBER to return shoulder turn to a shoulder swap, impacting ball with RIGHT shoulder down low.
4. Left heel way up on BS, then left heel starts back down on start of transition. Left knee kicked well in, then weight transfer to start DS. Take lots of time in weight shift and transition. Feel weight shift, shoulder swap, grip starting toward target, between foot and ball. Get shaft back on plane. Remember, this is transition, weight shift, shoulder swap, hip movement back to left. SWING has not started yet. You are getting setup to swing. ITS A BODY SWING led by grip circle. Take full 1.5 seconds to get everything in place before you swing. Nice and slow!
Part 2
5. As you are BODY rotating in your circle fire your magic moment underhand and SWING! Remember shoulder swap and all weight is leaving right foot which is raising heel off ground with NO WEIGHT on the right foot pivot.
6. IMPACT. Hockey shot impact straight and slightly right FF to prevent pull left.
7. Main thing to remember is ITS A BODY ROTATION SWING, not an arm swing.
Note: on shoulder swap DS, tilt your head down with right shoulder. Keeps head behind ball and makes FF high for good carry!
9/10/21 Range
Decided to go to half swings because full swings too much gear action, topping ball, and casting. With the double fold short swing (SS) it’s much easier to do footwork, weight shifting and good impact contact.
Also I eliminated gear action by knuckles down during impact on teed up balls.
I eliminated slice by using weak grip with driver.
I noted that on SS I can really hit ball straight and long nearly every time. Footwork is much easier. So is weight transfer.
I had great success by halting DS until weight was transforming. Also my right leg now pivots easier and I never impact with weight on right foot and top the ball.
On BS I take club back to almost shoulder level. I hold the V. I hold then rotate the two folds.
I need to hit all shots to determine if I twist forearms into impact, or if I turn knuckles down. Be careful because if ball isn’t teed up, I will top balls hit on the deck.
When I left the range, I was very confident with my shots.
Range 9/27/21. THROW GRIP FIRMLY between body and ball on DS. This helps immensely getting weight forward into impact and prevents casting the club. Also starts the magic move. Good Crisp shots.
Also, go ahead and use strong grip on ALL shots, but remember to knuckles down on teed up ball with driver!
Also noted to barely tee up irons and woods. Make top of tee about 1/8 inch to a 1/4 for every club except driver. Tested well at range. It’s like my puffed up lie in the rough.
lol
Card #1: Trying new procedures. The goal is to have a slow smooth as butter swing on every shot!
1: Don’t even think about hitting the ball. Just concentrate on TA, BS. Transition and FF motions. Especially the footwork and body turns through the swing. On each swing, focus the entire BS and entire DS on where you will impact the ball.
2: Visualize swinging a bucket w/o spilling any water for the entire swing.
3: Swing slow, moving bucket of water and on DS get club shaft low as you can go while keeping spine angle and form.
4: Together it makes the swing an easy job.
5: On Driver close CF 3/8” to aid hitting square. Choke down on the driver so grip extends 1 1/4 to 1 1/2 behind my hands on the grip. This helps a lot in closing the CF on driver.
6: On top of BS, make a box to ascertain I have proper amount of wrist hinge.
Remember Arnold Palmer’s quote on when he wanted to hit the ball very far, he would slow down his entire swing to smooth it out.
