The next plateau for me..

[Maverick]

Okay, a friend of mine, a low 70's player, told me a tip I never heard but used today at the course. For years I knew about the concept of hitting down on the ball, descending-trapping the ball, to get a pure, clean hit. Well he told me that also that the ball should meet the 3rd/4th scorring line on my iron also! This was an absolute revelation for me!

So with this new tip in mind I play my game, but consciously make an effort that when hitting to make contact higher up on the face. I thought previosuly that the proper contact on the face, with the descending shot, was the 1st-2nd line, not the 3rd-4th!

Anyway, I was hitting them so pure and EFFORTLESS. I hit my all time best of 4 over on the back 9.

--

Is this one of those hidden secrets? Golf became fun again..

[iacas]

Yeah, pretty high on the face. If you set your iron down behind the club, it'll line up around the 4th scoring line. You want to try to meet the ball and the earth at almost the same time (obviously ball first). So, yeah...

[Maverick]

for some reason this has really shed alot of light.

[DBake]

I like the tip, next heard it explained that way though.

[Maverick]

is there any use of the right hand, index finger, at impact? Another firend says I should try to put some right index into the swing right at impact..but noticed if the timing is not there it can have very adverse reactions..like a bad hook..

[iacas]

is there any use of the right hand, index finger, at impact? Another firend says I should try to put some right index into the swing right at impact..but noticed if the timing is not there it can have very adverse reactions..like a bad hook..

Vijay Singh's entire right hand practically comes off the club at impact.

Some people think the right hand helps you to deliver the club, to really snap it through at impact. But as you've seen, that can lead to a hook. If you're prone to snap hooking, this is bad advice. Otherwise, if you need a little power and never snap it, sure.

[upandown]

If you have that kind of control, you belong on tour.

[iacas]

If you have that kind of control, you belong on tour.

Tough to tell who you're talking to, but this is the second semi-patronizing post you've made out of (currently) four.

Chill, man, and use the quote and smiley functionality if you can, particularly if we're misunderstanding some attempts at humor or sarcasm... I can only assume you're referring to the ability to hit the ball higher on the face:

make an effort that when hitting to make contact higher up on the face

You're a single digit player. Can you hit one thin on purpose? If so, I suppose you should be on Tour as well, given your astounding level of control.

[jbgolfsmith]

New to the forum and was perusing the threads....

I have always treated my right hand as a passenger in the golf swing...it's just along for the ride. And I agree, if you can concentrate enough on flexing your right index finger at the point of contact, you've got more control than I.

Ben Hogan has said that your right index finger and thumb should not be flexed because it engages muscles in your right forearm and right shoulder that aren't intended for use in the golf swing.

On page 24 of Ben Hogan: 5 Fundamentals of Golf, Hogan writes: "If you work [pinch] the tips of the thumb and forefinger together and apply any considerable amount of pressure, you automatically activate those muscles that run along the outside of the right arm and elbow to the right shoulder. These are not the muscles you want to use in the golf swing."

Through the hitting zone, your right forearm should be roll over your left as you take your club face from open to closed, but other than that, your left arm should dominate your golf swing. I try to keep my right hand as quiet as possible.

[NCGolfer]

During my lesson this year the one thing the pro wanted me to work on was weakening the right hand. I currently have it in a strong position. He wants the right hand more on top of the club and, more specifically, the right index finger separated from the right middle finger and in a 'trigger' postion on the grip.

This instantly made my right hand feel less powerful and was very difficult for me to get use to. I'm going to work on getting it on top a little more, but to get it to the position he wants will take some time. His goal in this is to make me hit the ball with my right side rather than my right arm/hand...and he wasn't the first person to tell me this. I consider this to be the biggest fault in my game right now...my grip.

[iacas]

I would think that moving your finger further down the shaft is an attempt to add leverage, thus making your hand/wrist/arm more in play than your "right side." Then again, maybe you need a tad more leverage because your hand is more on top of the club.

I think that the move is a good idea. You had previously told me you had trouble hitting controlled fades on command - and them not either drawing or slicing - and this move seems like something that will help you to do that.

So this and checking your driver's launch angle, they may be the two biggest things you can fix or improve this year.

[NCGolfer]

So this and checking your driver's launch angle, they may be the two biggest things you can fix or improve this year.

I'm hoping the grip might help the launch angle by keeping the head from rotating and de-lofting. We'll see what happens...