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Rojo Jul 23, 2014
I almost get this – However if you stand with your arm hanging by your side with your club in it is aligned with your front arm- but you would not surely put your ball on the outside of your left foot? So what is the approx angle of your arm away from straight to where the ball is placed?Also once you are doing your backswing and keeping elbows facing each other and squeezing at which point does this change? . When I look at your videos at the top of your swing your right arm is bent at the elbow and indeed it looks like your wrist has broken so when does this happen?
Hope all that makes sense!
thanks
Ross Jul 23, 2014
The angle varies depending on the club and desired shot. First, you want to always make impact with the shaft in a straight line with the front arm! Sometimes you want to meet the ball at the bottom of the swing arc (hybrids, fairway woods etc.). Sometimes you want to meet the ball just before the bottom of the swing arc (Sand Wedge). Learning to setup takes many hours, weeks, years of practice. There is no exact (works for everyone, every club, setup). You have to put in the time and gain the experience to know what works best for your needs.Yes the back arm can bend, but it is the elbows staying towards each other that is important. Now, the wrists or hinging is something that has been changing over the last year or so… please read this: To Hinge or Not to Hinge
I think that beginners with my method can speed up the process learning to turn and use the body, if they learn to have no or very little hinging. If you hinge, you’ll have to “un-hinge” during the downswing and when you do, the body will stop turning to let the hands throw the club… so, remove the hinge so you can learn to turn and know how it feels and works, then put the hinge back in if you think it helps… I have my doubts
Richard Jul 23, 2014
Thank you for the response. Maybe I am not flexible – but on the backswing by turning my shoulders I can only get my arms to 9 0’clock without changing anything in my arm position – is this far enough?Also re angle for arm & where to place ball this seems like a lot of guesswork & trial & error – I thought this system was going to help me have something repeatable? Did I not see something about a ball in line with your hip?
I am also a bit concerned if I am not getting this right & I go for a lesson that a pro will take me back to “regular” swing
I thought I understood set up apart from ball placement & angle to the ball – now I am a little more confused! Sorry!
Ross Jul 24, 2014
– You can use your shoulders to rotate your hips a little on a full swing, but the shoulders must control this.– For the most part you can play the ball just inside your front foot… then adjust your back foot for comfort. This is so you can pick up the ball just before the bottom of the swing arc as you rotate.
– Sorry, not sure about this question. You will get this… keep looking and ask questions and practice the drills and you will get it. It does take work.
– Setup takes practice too. A big key is to have the arms setup correctly, and let that hang, then use the feet to move over to the ball and sit down. FYI… there can be a bit of a gap between the club face and ball for comfort…not written in stone that the club head must be right behind the ball (if this helps). We rotate into the ball anyway.
louman Jul 29, 2014
It seems when I set up with Shaft in line with front arm and pointing to my left arm pit that my shoulders are setup wide open. Is this correct or may this be whats causing my misses to be massive slices? What am I doing wrong?Thanks.
Ross Jul 29, 2014
Something is off with your setup and you’re not keeping the face square if it slices. Even if you had open shoulders, if the face was square at impact, the ball would go straight… maybe a little left, but straight (right hander). You want to get all the body lines parallel and learn to keep the face square.First, everyone will setup a bit different due to different heights and body types. You have to find what works for you. Ideally, the body lines are all parallel to each other and those lines are parallel or a bit open to the target line. Also, you want to be setup athletically and balanced (the sit down look).
Many times golfers end up with their shoulders open because their feet are closed. A slightly open stance is perfectly fine and allows more freedom for rotation and gets the club head closer to the ball with the shaft in line with the front arm. You can see this in other sports too. Most baseball batters have a slightly open stance so they can rotate easier.
Other golfers might have the front shoulder slightly higher to get the club head over to the ball without opening the shoulders. This is more how I’ve played over the years.
Sometimes my students think weight 60% on the front foot means, shifting only their front hip over to the front foot and they leave their chest behind… that is not correct… everything (balanced) is more on top of the front foot. You should be able to raise your back foot off the ground. I feel more of my chest on top of the front foot. FYI, 60% is the minimum, you can have more on the front at setup.
Next, I’ll say that it is not mandatory that the club head be right next to the ball. You can have a “gap” for comfort, since we rotate into the shot. Sometimes golfers open their shoulders trying to get the club head over to the ball. One of the best all time ball strikers, Moe Norman, had about a 2 foot gap on every club. Essentially, so he could get that shaft in line with the front arm. This idea may not be for everyone … I’m just saying it’s okay to do if it makes you more comfortable and it may promote a better rotation.
DaveF Aug 03, 2014
My left arm “only” goes to 9:00 as well – I had the same question. The club stops short of perpendicular to the ground if I am moving my chest/torso only (arms stay connected).
Takes sometime to get over the urge to overswing, shift weight etc. But once it starts clicking it’s totally awesome. I am not lacking distance at all now that I actually finish up on my right toe and rotate through the ball vs. stopping my hips and throwing my arms through, which now feels like a very “weak” move to me.Ross Aug 04, 2014
Keep in mind, sometimes the backswing I am describing is for a “drill” and to help teach you how the “shoulders” start the backswing and control the backswing… BUT, on a full swing (if needed), the “hips” are turned a little too by the shoulders winding up. This is NOT an “okay” to slide to the back foot or move off the ball. The weight still stays 60% on the forward foot. It just means, the shoulders can wind a bit farther (as the hips come along), but you have “correctly” wound up from top down (the shoulders moved first and then the shoulders turned the hips a bit).Richard Aug 04, 2014
In regard to the left arm stopping at 9:00, I hit my irons best with a “shorter”, more compact back swing. My son comented last saturday that I really turn fast thru the shot with Ross’ s method. Have broke 80 several times this summer and am averaging about 82-ish. That was but a pipe dream last year, so I credit Ross with making the game REALLY fun again. I don’t hit long with my irons (55 yards with my 6 iron), but I KNOW how far with every stick…told my son I don’t care how far but want to know how far I hit em. He hits a sand wedge…I hit a 9 iron…we both get the same result.In conjunction with that, I no longer carry a 4 or 5 iron, replaced em with hybrids…love em!!!
With driver, if I need a little more punch I drop my back foot behind me one “shoe length”…gives me a bit more turn…but I still use Ross’ s driver swing. I can get about 20 to 25 additional yards, but only do this if I gotta have it. Rather be in the fairway fer-sher than risk a wayward shot.
Femgolf1 Apr 20
Must the but of the club point to the left armpit at setup when the shaft is properly in line with the left arm.? I find this kind of hyper extends the left wrist thumb angle instead of the nice and comfortable position. And also keeps the club too erect almost perpendicular to the ground. Asking for optimisation of the Ross method. Please help.Ross Apr 20
No. Everyone is different. Just hold the club comfortably in the front hand and move it a little using your arm, to find the strongest position and alignment. You have to find what works for you. You just don’t want a bowed “in” front wrist. You want a flat to bowed out front wrist.
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