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Ross 25 days ago
The chip shot is a much shorter shot and does not require more than a simple up & down movement (like a putting stroke) to lift the ball up a bit out of the grass, land it on the green and get it rolling. For control and repeatability, there’s no need to move anything else to produce the result we need. The shoulders can move up & down …or they can also move around the spine for much longer pitch shots or even for the full swing. This is why there are two different ways to move the shoulders to produce shots depending on the situation.Ross Aug 27, 2014
Yes, Move Less … Get Good! for sure.Now, on the downswing, once your back shoulder touches your chin, you want to allow your head to come up and out to face the target. This means the you do not try to keep holding your chest. It too, comes along. In other words, you don’t want anything restricting the body’s rotation… you go along with it to the finish.
This “chest hold” idea is about staying on the ball… which makes the golf swing a “wind”, “unwind” movement vs. slide off the ball, then try to slide back (really not good). This works with setup 60% weight on the front foot, and keep it there on the backswing, which makes for very solid impact. Yes, it takes practice, but you’ll want to do it once your see the results. Also, when you practice this, you’ll have many solid hits, and then know immediately when you’ve moved off the ball and how to fix it
I like your “Mantra” term. I’ve used mantras for over 20 years to help each student have a 2 or 3 word – rhythm, or tempo with words*, for their specific needs. Example for someone who slides off the ball to the back foot, I might use the word “hold”, that will represent them bracing the back leg to the instep of the back foot during the backswing to keep them from sliding. So instead of picturing the entire sentence, they have a “word” for the “change” we’re wanting.
* Each “word” represents a single “change”… like “Shoulders” “Rotate” in rhythm, could represent the entire backswing (Shoulders turning around the spine) and the downswing (Unwinding or Rotating the body completely to the finish). So in this example, the complete golf swing has been reduced to 2 words. This is advanced, but I use these mantras for beginners too, to learn setup and other elements. They make practice and routine on the course, simple and repeatable.
Ross Sep 16, 2018
Yes, for the very reason you mentioned. I always swing better when I feel the backswing finish…then the downswing starts. This is really good when the downswing is not “rushed”. It needs to gather speed to the finish.Ross Mar 09, 2015
No worries [smile].I spent many years to have more of a “method” (setup through to the finish), so I didn’t just throw out “golf tips”. Real lasting change comes from practice and incorporating the change into your routine. Following a “routine” is the only way to ever be consistent out on the course.
If you have an analysis coming, send me a couple videos: (1) swing front view and (1) swing from behind looking down the target line… and we can dial in on your specific issues.
Additional Analysis are $20 … more
Ross Mar 07, 2015
Please re-read my response. Unless you’re “left handed”, I did NOT say to keep your right arm from folding. I said:“Focus on the front arm staying straight.” (not the back)
Also, I do not debate methods*. It just confuses others. If I thought Hogan’s method was complete, consistent and reliable, I would not have spent the last 30 years searching for improvements. Don’t get me wrong, he was awesome and very talented, but everything has room for improvement.
With my method, we just start with the elbows correct pointing back at the hips and keep it that way, since we want it that way at impact.
Always, the best way for me to help you (or anyone), is to look at your swing videos vs. guessing.
* FYI… Hogan also taught to turn the front elbow back at the front hip through impact (so he would not “shank”), and since he opened club face at the top of the backswing, he also needed to supinate just before impact to square the open club face.
Ross Mar 01, 2015
Possibly because you’re not flipping as much. Sometimes winter fairways allow the ball to run more.Ross Mar 01, 2015
Focus on the front arm staying straight. The back arm will be “folded” a little. The more the arm(s) pull on their own across the chest on the backswing, the more the back elbow needs to fold. The more the elbow bends, is usually a sign that the arms/hands are involved (not good).Ideally the arms (pretty much), stay in front of the body on the backswing, maintaining the radius and extension. The back elbow does not need to bend much when done correctly. We want to let the shoulders move all of this. If you do, you are developing potential in the back muscles for more power. Bending and lifting ruins this.
A correct backswing is much shorter than most golfer’s think. When backswing get longer, it is usually do to breakdown in the arms/elbows/hands, or over rotation of the hips. Keeping the elbows working towards each other helps keep them in check.
Ross Mar 30, 2016
Nothing else that has not been said without seeing a video. There are many, many things (combinations of things), that can go on during the backswing, that can cause issues.Unfortunately, terms like “steep” and “over-the-top” are too general to have a simple answer.
Ross Apr 26, 2015
I’ve found that when you try to move the front shoulder down, you’re dead. That move, does not wind around the spine and causes other issues. The Large Muscles Drill, shows how the shoulders turn around the spine, when upright. Then, you have to take that same feeling of turning around your spine, and do it once you’re setup and there is a bit of “tilt” to your spine. Takes practice, but there is a freedom turning the shoulders around the spine when done correctly. If it feels “labored” or you can’t turn the shoulders very far, you’re probably not turning them correctly. You can also feel your back shoulder “pull” towards your spine (not up). You want to get this down, because every club is a different length and your spine angle will change a little between clubs.Ross Aug 26, 2014
It is the hips or body that start the downswing JoeJacksonQ. The downswing unwinds from ground up, just like throwing a ball. You want to find what works for you. You do NOT start the downswing with the shoulders. The shoulders are done when the backswing ends. I rewrote a little bit of (post #4) since it could be misinterpreted as you did (sorry). Please re-read.Ross Aug 25, 2014
Yes, very close… especially the little pre-shot move he makes just before he takes his backswing… it is all shoulders (moving the arms and club as one piece)… then on the real takeaway, he uses his shoulders to move the arms/club. Then on the downswing, you see a lot of body turn, but since he hinged, he needs to release, so the body pauses a bit. He has a great golf swing.Hunter too. He has been close for years, but he too hinges and opens the club face, hence the shots missed to the right, when he does not get the club back to square in time, because he rolled the face open (on the backswing) and his rotation leaves the arms/hands behind a bit and he can’t get the face square in time.
Ross Aug 25, 2014
Hi JoeJacksonQ
First, with my method, there is no need for the term “swing plane”. Swing plane sends a signal to the brain, like an area that you will need to control… like a place you can take your hands/arms/club so things are “right”. It does not exist. There are too many non-repeatable levers (hands, wrists, elbows, arms, shoulders, spine tilt etc.) to ever be consistent. Every club and shot (condition) will dictate a different plane.Second, your setup should be Athletic. Bent over is the worst possible thing anyone can do in golf …for any shot …period! You can’t maintain it… the body wants to “right itself” during the swing… and you can hurt your back (because the lower back muscles are trying to keep you “out of balance”).
The most repeatable method is to setup Athletically (I have many videos and posts on this) and Balanced… then use the Shoulders turning around your spine to control the arms/club (as you keep the club face square), for the backswing… and then the body’s rotation unwinding, for the downswing. You are starting to see more and more tour players trying to using rotation for more consistency. The big key is to keep the hands out, so the Large Muscles can take over.
Ross Oct 01, 2021
The height the arms/club travel “up” (as you say) is different for every golfer depending on their body size, type and height… and the amount of tilt each golfer has in their spine, depending on the club selection and course conditions (level ground, on a slope, ball above/below). Age and flexibility is another factor that limits the shoulder turn.Now, your friends mean well, but actually lifting your arms higher does not necessarily equal more distance. It does equal disconnection from the Large muscles and the chance for more inconsistency with many factors, but usually, the arms/club getting left behind is one of the first. Keep in mind that if done correctly, the shoulders will move the arms/club up roughly perpendicular to the spine angle. Your maximum distance is about how efficiently you wind up and unwind and how square the club face returns, and how close to the sweet spot on the club face you make contact. There are other factors.
There is a difference in actually lifting the arms in the backswing and the arms being moved by the shoulders. The arms may continue slightly at the top of the backswing due to the momentum of being moved by the shoulders. This can happen to golfers with a faster backswing. I’m not suggesting to speed up your backswing, I’m only mentioning that there might be a little more momentum at a faster pace and it may take the arms/club slightly higher. This must be done by the shoulders or you’ll disconnect.
Ross jul 23, 2021
The chest stays in position and it does rotate due to the shoulders turning, but does not slide towards the back foot at all. At first, the hips and lower body hold while the shoulders start to turn, then when the shoulders can’t turn anymore without the hips turning, the hips are turned a little by the shoulders continuing to turn. It is a wind up from “Top down” like a rubber band. Once again, the chest will rotate, but not slide towards the back foot… it will not shift or move off the ball. Keeping at least 60% of your weight forward during the backswing will help this.