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Ross Nov 14, 2017
Hi Gary
I’m glad you’ve improved your drives and the main reason is that you moved the ball forward allowing you to rotate freely and pick up the ball as the club is ascending. NOW… I don’t think you’ve spent enough time to learn the DUPLESSISGOLF method which plays the ball much more forward and weight forward to be able to use the body’s rotation and body mass for the source of power (and repeatability). There is no way you can rotate playing the ball in the middle or near the back foot. You should watch in the “Swing” section the “Ball position and the front hip rotation” lesson video to start to get a sense of my method. It is also critical that you setup with at least 60% weight on the front foot and it stays there on the backswing. This will help you make great contact just inside the front foot through impact. Sorry there is no quick fix.Ross Nov 12, 2017
Hi Gary
I want to know the names of the clubs (and their lofts), that you’re having problems with and where in your stance you’re playing the ball (for each). There are different reasons for shanking and fat shots, so I suspect there is a combination of things going on.Gary’s reply came to me in an email:
(From Gary)
Thank you for your reply….My Fairway woods are..Integra Sooolong…The lofts are as follows (9) is 40 degrees…Pitching Wedge is 45 degrees…Lob Wedge 50 degrees.
Playing positions..Ball..(9) middle right….Pitching Wedge 1ball back from above…Lob Wedge..just inside right foot at address..I am a right handed player.Struggling with these lofted clubs…( So much so that I still carry stranded irons in these lofts as cover)Ps.Today used your driver set up on 18 holes and never miss a fairway all day,and out drove other players by 40 meters.So l have now dialed in your setup nerver to be left at home again.(Where have you been for the last 40 years, Lol.)Thank you for your advice.
Gary Trethewey NZ,Ross Dec 25, 2017
Grip pressure is a tough subject. The goal is to be in the correct position back at impact when so many different body parts are moving. Again I’d say experiment and maybe look at a swing video of yourself at impact to see what your wrists look like. These days I’m preferring a little tighter to keep that shaft in line with the front arm through impact.Ross Jan 05, 2018
Yes. If I recall, I originally read about it in Dave Pelz book Putt Like the Pros. You float and spin a golf ball in a salt/water solution and the ball will eventually balance out with the heaviest area at the bottom. You then make a mark with a sharpe on the heaviest spot*. The idea then is to place the ball on the ground with the spot on the bottom so the ball will roll end over end and stay on line better. If the heavy spot is not placed end over end, it could cause the ball to move off line because it is lop-sided and out of balance. That’s the best of my recollection.* You could also draw a line around the circumference through the heaviest spot.
Ross Apr 27, 2018
Hi Dan
Glad to hear you’re still improving. I was just thinking, you would not throw a ball to your left without letting your head turn to the left as your body unwinds. It is really just the same thing. Thanks for the nice comments.Ross May 30, 2018
Your first paragraph yes. Your second defiantly no. With my method the downswing starts and unwinds from ground up not the shoulders. If you’re doing this, it is a fix for something else that is not right. Sorry.Ross Apr 19, 2018
To make sure you understand my comment about the shoulders getting a head start (and not to confuse other students)… the shoulders getting a “head start” is on the takeaway (not the downswing). The downswing unwinds from ground up (not the shoulders moving first from the top of the backswing… if that is what you’re saying).The shoulders start first on the takeaway to wind the back muscles from top down like a rubber band. Eventually, the shoulders will turn the hips a little on the backswing. This is also why at impact, the hips are slightly turned open. The shoulders have not quite realigned with the hips yet and everything is accelerating and still unwinding.
Ross Apr 02, 2018
Absolutely! I think of giving the shoulders a “head start”. Then eventually the shoulders rotate the hips (if needed on fuller swings). Again, this move takes the “slack” out of the back muscles which creates a continuity (throughout the muscles) from top down. This is like winding up a rubber band.Ross Mar 27, 2018
Essentially all we’re doing is using the body’s rotation to bring the arms back down and around to the left (right hander). You don’t have to use the hips. What ever you can do using the body’s rotation to bring the arms back down is fine. This is a very natural idea (exactly like throwing a ball). You want to let the body swing the arms.No, the elbows or arms don’t ever move themselves. They just go along and are “pulled down” by the body unwinding. Again, let the body unwinding, bring the arms/club back down in front of the body. It is like letting gravity take over. You don’t lift the arms up on the backswing and you don’t hold them up as the downswing starts. They just come back down. The shoulders move the arms/club on the backswing, then they just follow back down.
Make sure you’re winding up correctly on the backswing. On the takeaway, the shoulders move first and take the slack out of your back… then they keep turning a bit more to turn the hips a little… THEN, when you start to unwind the downswing, you should see (and feel) the club/arms immediately coming down too or you’re disconnected. You should not be able to unwind your body without the arms/club coming down too. If you can, you did not windup correctly.
Ross Mar 26, 2018
My first thought is you need to watch the “Ross Move” so you’re sure you’re getting your arms/club (template) back in front every time. You must be able to sense, at the top of the backswing, unwinding the arms/club back in front. I feel my hips bring my template down and around in one complete movement. You will know because your arms/club and body rotation all end exactly at the same time facing the target. You do not want the body to have finished and then the arms/club arrive late (would block the shot or cut). Your over draw might be a slight flip or the arms are getting ahead of your body rotation. You may be using your arms (not good) to help the downswing. You must let the large muscles unwind the arms/club back down and around to the finish. That should keep the timing perfect. You might be keeping your hands quiet, but your arms are helping. Again watch the “Ross Move”Ross Jun 17, 2018
Essentially, what the front hip socket represents is the bottom of the swing arc. I do mention Driver in that video, but in the Driver Video, I explain how we want to make contact after the bottom of the swing arc, when the club face is ascending back up the arc. That is why we move the ball forward for Driver. Sorry for the confusion. Thanks for the heads up.Ross Jun 24, 2018
You said “no” you don’t leave your arms/club behind on pitch shots. Are you consciously maintaining an upper left arm (front arm) connection to the chest for your pitch shots? If your answer is “no” then, what moves your arms down on a pitch shot? Or, what might you be doing differently on your full swing that you don’t do on a pitch shot? Or, at what point, as you take further and longer pitch shots, do your arms/club start getting left behind?I suspect that as you want to hit a longer shot, you may be adding a “lift” with your arms in the backswing to get more distance. This move disconnects and can create a tension or a holding of the arms at the top of the backswing. Make sure your shoulders are controlling the arms in the backswing. At the top of your backswing, you should feel like your arms are still in “front” of your chest (so to speak)… that they didn’t pull themselves across your chest behind you. If the arms activate and “help”, they can disconnect and get stuck. The “Ross Move” can help keep the arms in check and teach them how to be controlled by the shoulders. BTW… gravity and the body unwinding, bring the arms back down… just like a pitch shot.
Ross Jun 23, 2018
That is not something I teach. I agree that it is too restrictive and can cause other issues. I teach to have your arms close together, with the elbows close together, and that “template” drops or hangs on top of your pecs. With that done, the shoulders can control the arms/club on the backswing.