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Ross 12 days ago
No worries. This is a tough element in the golf swing. You can even create different kinds of shot results using different grip pressures on purpose… but that’s a whole new ball of wax as they say.Ross 12 days ago
The ideal grip pressure for every golfer, is about controlling the club so it does not “flop” or “flip”. I use the term “flop” to replace the word “hinge” (they had different meanings). Here are my definitions so you understand the difference.Flop: If when the grip pressure is light or soft, and the shoulders do move the club and arms to a point in the backswing, where the club shaft/head starts to fall (towards the golfer) due to the weight of the club head passing over the top of the shaft… or, in other words, where the club head passes the grip. This is difficult to explain but, what happens with a light grip is, the wrists hinge without the actually being activated. The wrists are not moving the club, the weight of the club head falling pass the center line of the shaft (due to gravity) is hinging the wrists… or the club “Flops”.
Hinge: The wrist muscles contract and bend to prepare the hands to throw the club head at the ball (like and axe at a tree).
Flip: Flip or flipping is the result of the wrists having been hinged (either by flop or hinge) and now have the need for the opposite reaction* … to be un-hinged and this many times results in the club head passing the butt end of the shaft just before impact, resulting in thin shot, weak shop, opened or closed club face and other bad things. Many times if there was control on the backswing, there is no (opposite reaction) need to “flip” and the body can just rotate and trap the ball.
Restrict the shoulders: If the golfer grips the club so hard that the arms also tighten … or the arms extended and elbows towards each other with a very firm grip, can hinder or restrict the shoulders from turning freely.
… again, grip pressure (with my method) is about controlling the club just enough that you don’t “restrict the shoulders” (too tight)… let the club head “flop” in the backswing… or “flip” into or just after impact.
* There is a saying: For every “Action” there is an opposite and equal “Reaction”. This means if you ‘do something’ the energy potential stored will have the need to ‘un-do’ it. Like a child on a swing… if you push them one way, as some point the potential energy will want to do the opposite.
Ross Jul 09, 2021
Great… and try to keep it there through impact. Just after impact, the club will release on a full shot. Don’t confuse this with the Fixed Wrist Drill I have in the Lesson Videos that teaches you how to maintain the wrist angle through impact all the way to the finish (and is a great technique for short shots around the green). That is a special use.Ross Jul 09, 2021
Yes, because this is how the wrists must be at impact. The back wrist is bent in and holding to keep the left wrist flat or even bowed out a little. If you start any other way at setup, then you’ll have to find this critical position during the swing before impact. It is also why hinging during the back swing does not help, but only causes problems.Ross Jul 05, 2021
In a way it is similar to how I teach, in that the arms hang under the shoulders so you can just “rock” your shoulders and (if done correctly without anything changing) the path will straight back and return the same path through. Now, it is critical that the body lines are perfectly parallel to each other and the face of the putter is exactly 90° to the path. Ball position is important (more forward). Also, he leads the top of the shaft ahead of the putter head which is also very important to achieve the correct roll after impact with the ball. You want to make contact with the ball after the bottom of the swing arc, so you’re making contact on the upswing. Nothing but the shoulders can move during the stroke.Ross Jan 03
I do not have a specific drill to “correct” an over the top swing. That term is not something I use since it does not say what the issue is and it means different things to different golfers. One example is: If the arms/hands continue lifting higher on their own once the shoulders have finished the backswing, and the hands allow the wrists to hinge or the club drops at the top of the swing, then arms/club are kind of wrapped around the back of the neck creating the need for the hands to grab the club and take over moving first on the downswing… trying to get back down to impact. Another example: The hips start the backswing (instead of the shoulders), and over rotate the body bringing the club way inside creating the need at the top to get the arms/club back down in front. All these problems disappear when you use only the Large Muscles to control the arms/club. Use the Shoulders only on the backswing (not allowing the arms/wrists to lift and hinge)… that way they’re totally controlled by large muscles… then the body can unwind all the way to the finish. I would suggest… The Finish Drill. The Stop Rotate Drill. The Large Muscles Drill. To teach your body how to let the Large Muscles do the work.Wow… awesome! It is surprising how removing the ball (the stop rotate drill) frees you up to accelerate to the finish. Great improvement.
Ross Jul 21, 2021
I sounds like you are flipping. You are using your back hand to help. This can happen for many reasons, but I will focus on two.#One reason: You are subconsciously change your wrists on the backswing. Maybe rolling the face open or more than likely, hinging. Then on the downswing, you will have the need to do the opposite (to undo what you did on the backswing), and many times that turns into a flip (throwing the club head into the ball at impact… thin and picked shots). Fix: Learn to setup correctly and use only the shoulders to execute the backswing, keeping the hands fixed. This takes practice (see the Fixed Wrist Drill). This will help oliviate the need to throw the club head and allow you to just hold the correct shape and let your body rotation, accelerating, move the ball. It feels more like dragging the handle of the club to the left using your body turn (for right-hander).
#Two reason: You are raising up through impact. Raising up happens from not setting up “Athletically” in “Balance” to start with. This is usually from bending over to get down to the ball in a non-athletic way and then not being able to maintain that “out-of-balance” setup during the swing, so you raise up to “right yourself” (the body finds balance for you). Fix: Learn to setup “Athletically”. Watch “Athletic Setup” and “duplessisgolf Setup” for help.
Ross Jul 06, 2021
It kind of depends on the shot you’re trying to hit. A basic shot, the ball for 3 wood might be just inside your front foot to on the front foot so you’ll hit slightly up or ascending into the ball. This is not done with the hands doing anything, it just naturally will happen as your rotate to face the target. Teeing the ball is also up to the individual golfer. Experiment for different results.Ross Feb 25, 2021
There are many reasons or combinations of reasons to shank. There are many different discussions here (search the word shank) in the forums that address these reasons. In general… you start at setup with the club face square and the ball lined up in the center of the face, but at impact the face is very open and the ball can make contact anywhere on the face. This usually sends the ball going to the right (for a right handed player). One aspect that is usually part, if not all, of the problem is the hands opening the club face on the backswing and then not getting it back to square by impact.Start by searching shank here in the forums and read all the different discussions to get answers and see where you fit in. The best way for me to know what is causing it is to look at a couple of swing videos through a golf swing analysis and direct you to the Lesson Videos that will help you build a repeatable swing.
Ross Aug 06, 2014
Hi Patrick
It is essential that the wrist angles at setup, are maintained as your rotate through impact. Eventually, the club head will relase (after the ball is gone). If you’re getting a high draw, you are either flipping (throwing the club head, closes the face and can add loft)… or you tried to help move the ball with your arms, which stops the body’s rotation and moves the ball left (right hander). You may have a driver with too much loft or regular flex, and the new ball position, makes the “effective loft” too high. If I see a couple swing videos, I can tell you for sure. I suspect you’re flipping vs. rotating. The body’s rotation must dominate through to the finish. You want to learn to keep the wrist angles from setup, the same as you return through impact. Sometimes holding the back wrist bent in a bit, helps keep the shaft in line with the front arm as you turn through.Ross Aug 04, 2014
Yes. If that works for you use it.For many years, I taught the “knees” start the downswing (from ground up), but many of my students had trouble with that concept, so I moved up to “hips”. I guess the feet might be helping initiate the start, by pushing against the ground in a rotary move. I feel more like I use the feet as “anchors” for the body to unwind against. The good thing is… it is repeatable and powerful (if the backswing wound up correctly to begin with). Thanks Davew
Ross Oct 14, 2014
I always think of the rotation as if I’m throwing a ball. It is exactly like it just bent over a bit. If you can turn faster throwing a ball than you can with your golf swing, then you should be able to speed up your golf swing once you find what’s holding you back or is in your way.It may be your front foot. Some golfers have their front foot pointed 90° to the target line and that can choke off the knee and limit the rotation (if they are not rotating to the outside of their front foot – some can’t). The answer is to setup like Hogan with the front foot flared out about 30-40°. Then there is more freedom to turn and I’m thinking for you, maybe faster if you don’t feet so restricted or that you may hurt your knee.
Ross
Ross Oct 11, 2014
Great. Yes, wish it was that you learn something and from then on it would just work and you would not have to ever worry about it again. I have found though, that it does become easier and easier to get back on track.Ross Aug 25, 2014
More and more, I’m thinking that a real focus on keeping the shape from setup, fixed during the backswing, and then back into impact and through, helps keep the hands busy “holding” vs. flipping and trying to help. You may need a bit more grip pressure to maintain the setup angles. That club wants to flip, if you don’t hold it from flipping… but your body must keep turning and accelerating.Traditional instruction has the hands doing many things on the backswing, and just before impact, trying to find this “ideal”* impact position. That take exceptional skill and luck… and is the first thing to go under pressure. You want impact to feel like a rotary/trapping move vs. a hit at the ball feeling.
* Shaft in line with the front arm, being supported by the back hand/wrist bent in. Then, this shape is essentially, drug through impact around to the left (right hander). This has the shaft leading the club face for a solid golf shot, and the body controlling. So, instead of trying to find this at impact, during the swing… we just setup like impact and maintain this using the Large Muscles for a repeatable golf swing. Makes golf more fun.