You are going to love the drill I have for you today: getting the feel of what a full turn will do for your width, where you will no longer get collapsed arms in your backswing or your down and through swing. More width means more consistent and effortless speed in your swing, your ball speed, your club speed — the whole enchilada!
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Instruction
Clement: Laid-off or perfect fade? Across-the-line or perfect draw?
Some call the image on the left laid off, but if you are hitting a fade, this could be a perfect backswing for it! Same for across the line for a draw! Stop racking your brain with perceived mistakes and simply match backswing to shot shape!
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Instruction
The Wedge Guy: The easiest-to-learn golf basic
My golf learning began with this simple fact – if you don’t have a fundamentally sound hold on the golf club, it is practically impossible for your body to execute a fundamentally sound golf swing. I’m still a big believer that the golf swing is much easier to execute if you begin with the proper hold on the club.
As you might imagine, I come into contact with hundreds of golfers of all skill levels. And it is very rare to see a good player with a bad hold on the golf club. There are some exceptions, for sure, but they are very few and very far between, and they typically have beat so many balls with their poor grip that they’ve found a way to work around it.
The reality of biophysics is that the body moves only in certain ways – and the particulars of the way you hold the golf club can totally prevent a sound swing motion that allows the club to release properly through the impact zone. The wonderful thing is that anyone can learn how to put a fundamentally sound hold on the golf club, and you can practice it anywhere your hands are not otherwise engaged, like watching TV or just sitting and relaxing.
Whether you prefer an overlap, interlock or full-finger (not baseball!) grip on the club, the same fundamentals apply. Here are the major grip faults I see most often, in the order of the frequency:
Mis-aligned hands
By this I mean that the palms of the two hands are not parallel to each other. Too many golfers have a weak left hand and strong right, or vice versa. The easiest way to learn how to hold the club with your palms aligned properly is to grip a plain wooden ruler or yardstick. It forces the hands to align properly and shows you how that feels. If you grip and re-grip a yardstick several times, then grip a club, you’ll see that the learning curve is almost immediate.
The position of the grip in the upper/left hand
I also observe many golfers who have the butt of the grip too far into the heel pad of the upper hand (the left hand for right-handed players). It’s amazing how much easier it is to release the club through the ball if even 1/4-1/2″ of the butt is beyond the left heel pad. Try this yourself to see what I mean. Swing the club freely with just your left hand and notice the difference in its release from when you hold it at the end of the grip, versus gripping down even a half inch.
To help you really understand how this works, go to the range and hit shots with your five-iron gripped down a full inch to make the club the same length as your seven-iron. You will probably see an amazing shot shape difference, and likely not see as much distance loss as you would expect.
Too much lower (right) hand on the club
It seems like almost all golfers of 8-10 handicap or higher have the club too far into the palm of the lower hand, because that feels “good” if you are trying to control the path of the clubhead to the ball. But the golf swing is not an effort to hit at the ball – it is a swing of the club. The proper hold on the club has the grip underneath the pad at the base of the fingers. This will likely feel “weak” to you — like you cannot control the club like that. EXACTLY. You should not be trying to control the club with your lower/master hand.
Gripping too tightly
Nearly all golfers hold the club too tightly, which tenses up the forearms and prevents a proper release of the club through impact. In order for the club to move back and through properly, you must feel that the club is controlled by the last three fingers of the upper hand, and the middle two fingers of the lower hand. If you engage your thumbs and forefingers in “holding” the club, the result will almost always be a grip that is too tight. Try this for yourself. Hold the club in your upper hand only, and squeeze firmly with just the last three fingers, with the forefinger and thumb off the club entirely. You have good control, but your forearms are not tense. Then begin to squeeze down with your thumb and forefinger and observe the tensing of the entire forearm. This is the way we are made, so the key to preventing tenseness in the arms is to hold the club very lightly with the “pinchers” — the thumbs and forefingers.
So, those are what I believe are the four fundamentals of a good grip. Anyone can learn them in their home or office very quickly. There is no easier way to improve your ball striking consistency and add distance than giving more attention to the way you hold the golf club.
More from the Wedge Guy
- The Wedge Guy: Golf mastery begins with your wedge game
- The Wedge Guy: Why golf is 20 times harder than brain surgery
- The Wedge Guy: Musings on the golf ball rollback
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Instruction
Clement: Stop ripping off your swing with this drill!
Not the dreaded headcover under the armpit drill! As if your body is defective and can’t function by itself! Have you seen how incredible the human machine is with all the incredible feats of agility all kinds of athletes are accomplishing? You think your body is so defective (the good Lord is laughing his head off at you) that it needs a headcover tucked under the armpit so you can swing like T-Rex?
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RBImGuy
Jan 9, 2019 at 12:35 pm
width is one thing and Hogan was wrong about his swing.
anyhow
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Q90frDvMG6A
geohogan
Dec 26, 2018 at 3:00 pm
The wide range of motion of arms shown in this video is a result of proper use of the scapula. At 1:32, Shawn says he Opens up his arms. He elevates his scapula (closer to his ears) when he does this.
Elevating scapula increases ROM hugely.
Prove it to yourself. Stand upright with both arms extended parallel to on another, shoulders down. Note how far arms extend away from the torso.
Now elevate only the left scapula and note how much further the left arm extends with left scapula elevated (about one inch elevation toward the left ear is sufficient)
geohogan
Dec 26, 2018 at 2:43 pm
With artificial legs, the pro golfer can still pivot torso, on his hips. It is the torso that creates the power in the golf swing.
The dvd produced at the same time as the book,is for more advanced golfers. The main subject of the dvd being a single hdcp golfer, frustrated by the total confusion created by mainstream golf instruction. eg power is from the lower body and legs, keep the head still, keep the left arm straight, width, keep your eye on the ball and whatever ogo has to say, etc , etc.
Austin 1968
Dec 23, 2018 at 11:14 am
Reminds me of Mr Penick taking us to the Colorada riverbank and skipping rocks. That was our golf lesson for the day.
He said “the hard part is finding a flat rock”
shawn
Dec 23, 2018 at 5:01 pm
“Golfers are gullible.” H. Penick, Little Red Book
geohogan
Dec 21, 2018 at 11:17 am
@Stevek, we use mental imagery ie our brain to create an external focus.
How else do you create an external focus, other than mental imagery?
Not all external focus is going to contribute to a good golf swing.
stevek
Dec 21, 2018 at 12:41 pm
That’s not what Gerry Hogan writes on pages 29 and 30 – The Power of Mental Imagery…. and advocates:
“You have time in the golf swing for only one conscious thought, and this thought must be devoted to the one conscious action you have to perform — namely, preventing the hands rolling over in the downswing as they are naturally inclined to do. The rest of the golf swing is pure reaction. You can’t control it, so leave it alone — don’t think about it. Keep your mind free.”
No “external focus” on the implement, only internal focus on the hands.
geohogan
Dec 23, 2018 at 12:01 pm
@stevek, try the companion DVD , The Hogan Manual of Human Performance: GOLF, 1992
ogo
Dec 23, 2018 at 3:09 pm
That’s a stupid reply to a valid question. You are a fraud and you fail to defend this (not Ben) Hogan Manual.
geohogan
Dec 21, 2018 at 11:13 am
When the torso is turned in BS, using scapula for extra extension
we see, Shawn ” fart behind our left heel” in BS.
To make it simple, fart behind the left heel first, then take the BS.
Ref. The Hogan Manual of Human Performance: GOLF. 1992.
ogo
Dec 22, 2018 at 8:41 pm
Please provide the reference page in The Hogan Manual of Human Performance: GOLF. 1992…. otherwise shthfkup… !!
geohogan
Dec 22, 2018 at 11:59 pm
If you have trouble reading, get a kindle. AH
ogo
Dec 23, 2018 at 3:10 pm
You are a fraud…. soooo obvious !!
ogo
Dec 21, 2018 at 1:36 am
If the ball is not the target why are you looking at it in the BS and DS? Of course the ball is the conscious target and no amount of fantasy imagery will change that. Only very low handicap golfers can “whip” through the ball while the average duffer is perpetually frightened of not hitting the ball with the eccentric golf club.
Don Toth
Dec 20, 2018 at 10:27 pm
Hi Shawn, Very entertaining and well done video. You have a good way with words for sure!
Really enjoyed your video!
geohogan
Dec 20, 2018 at 9:05 pm
Dr Gabrielle Wulf is one of the premier researchers on external focus, which is proven to be most effective in learning motor skills.
External focus does not mean to focus on some distant target. External focus is on the implement we have in our hands, under our control.
As if our subconscious, controlling all motor movement and balance would know golf or stone skipping.. that is ludicrous.
stevek
Dec 21, 2018 at 1:45 am
Hogan Manual of Human Performance Golf. 1992, page 29, disagrees with external focus and promotes the power of mental imagery.
“So to have the right golf swing, you must have the right mental imagery of it. … What you see in your mind is what you will get.”
geohogan
Dec 21, 2018 at 4:19 pm
The Hogan Manual of Human Performance: GOLF, was written in 1992.
Dr Gabrielle Wulf was probably a little girl 27 years ago.
Gerry Hogan also wrote about the kinematic sequence in 1992;he simply used his own language rather than “Kinematic sequence” as Phil Cheetham wrote about more than 10 years later.
stevek
Dec 21, 2018 at 10:20 pm
So you disavow Gerry Hogan 1992 but espouse his superficial “kinematic” sequence which is nothing more than the geometry of motion? The real secret of the golf swing resides in the Kinetic Force Chain… which I was mentioning in golf fora in 1992 and was attacked by Top 100 dumby coaches and instructors.
geohogan
Dec 22, 2018 at 5:29 pm
Mental imagery creates external focus. The Hogan Manual of Human Performance: GOLF was written as a guide for beginning golfers. The author stayed away from highly technical terms to make it more understandable for beginners. Obviously not simple enough for you.
geohogan
Dec 23, 2018 at 12:08 pm
The Hogan Manual of Human Performance: GOLF, 1992 + DVD
has a great section on Kinetic Chain.
How power is generated by the rotation of te torso, NOT the legs, not weight shift.
How power transmission requires the elimination of slack.
stevek
Dec 23, 2018 at 3:19 pm
Please provide the page numbers in The Hogan Manual, 1992 where the Kinetic Chain is mentioned. Thank you.
Since the legs move they generate momentum within the kinetic chain. That’s basic Dynamic theory.
geohogan
Dec 24, 2018 at 9:26 am
@stevek, Check the DVD showing golf pro with two artificial legs hitting drives.
If you think power in the golf swing comes from the legs, more power to you.
stevek
Dec 24, 2018 at 10:34 am
The Kinetic Chain is defined by the relationship: KE = 1/2 m v^2
The legs have mass(m) and a velocity(v)… ergo the legs contribute to the Kinetic Chain “power”.
As for the “artificial” legged golfer, the same effect can be done by swinging while sitting in a chair…. albeit the distance is markedly reduced. The reason for this is the hips are locked to the chair, and I suspect with the paraplegic golfer too.
stevek
Dec 24, 2018 at 10:39 am
The Kinetic Chain is defined by: KE = 1/2 m v^2
The legs have m a s s(m) and a velocity(v), ergo the legs contribute to the Kinetic Chain “power”.
As for the “artificial” legged golfer, I suspect his hips are restrained and the power and distance is markedly reduced. You can swing sitting in a chair or on one leg to eliminate hip rotation.
geohogan
Jan 1, 2019 at 10:19 am
https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC3899668/
Real research to show source of power in the golf swing, by Nesbitt.
Its the torso, stupid.(pelvic basin, lumbar, thoracic)