If This is it, I Feel Stupid

[Travtex]

I'd been reading the S&T; threads a bit over the past few days, and a couple quick glances through the book seem to confirm... That's kinda what I've already been doing. I tend to keep my weight a bit on the front side of 50/50 thanks to a somewhat questionable rear knee. Coupled with that, the latest focus which has brought about my most recent leap in quality contact has been keeping my center over the ball. I'm still a bit hesitant to go all-in with a S&T; swing simply because I lack access to instructors. My current leaning is to just go right ahead and lack full swing instructors and spend my lesson money on short game instruction.

ANYway, that wasn't my key point.

Since I began, I'd really struggled with the advice that talks about 'maintaining your wrist angle' with regard to lag. When I hear it phrased that way, I was thinking of it as an active process... when I try to hold my wrists at that angle, the results were not pretty.

In any case, I was taking a few hacks in the yard this morning, not really paying much attention to anything but getting my hips going before the backswing was completed. I could really feel the hinge at the top of my backswing -- Because I was keeping my wrists completely passive, it was simply the inertia of starting the downswing that cocked the wrists and acceleration that kept them there.

My swing speed, at first glance, jumped significantly. Also, as a lifelong athlete, THAT felt much more natural and easier to coordinate than actively trying to cock my wrists and hold them in any particular way.

Is that right?

If so, I'm feeling like a pretty large moron, as everything I've read seems to be explaining an active process at play with the wrists... this is simply momentum, and a natural extension of flowing into a swing. It's -easier- than what I thought all of these instructors/books/etc were telling me.

Also, my swing path seems to have transitioned from a over-the-top sort of thing to almost TOO in-to-out. Obvious, an adjustment period will be necessary -- But I thought I'd ask to make sure I'm on the right track. (Hopefully I'm explaining what I mean effectively. Seems a big part of the learning curve is trying to understand how other people try to explain their kinesthetics.)

Does this ring any bells?

[iacas]

If so, I'm feeling like a pretty large moron, as everything I've read seems to be explaining an active process at play with the wrists... this is simply momentum, and a natural extension of flowing into a swing. It's -easier- than what I thought all of these instructors/books/etc were telling me.

You haven't read my posts on the subject.

I've been saying for awhile now that I view lag (and a few other things in the golf swing) as the result of doing some other things properly, not something you actively create, maintain, or work on. I also think this: most people flip at the ball and lose their lag "early" because they have to... because their low point is too far back and they're flipping to try to save the shot and not top or fat the ball.

[Rexx]

I think you got it. The wrists are fairly passive in the downswing and allow themselves to be manipulated by the different physical forces exerted on them during this time. The difficulty for most is that the wrists are active in the backswing (i.e. intentionally hinged), so it seems only natural to actively "undo" them in the downswing, but that is simply not the case. And I wouldn't worry about being "too inside" or "too steep", especially if you just transitioned to this new motion. Very few amateurs actually suffer from these swing faults (and not many professionals). For "too inside", you would have to loop the downswing behind you. However, you can trap your arms behind your hips if you turn your hips way ahead of the rest of the downswing. Again, this is a problem usually reserved for very good players. And "too steep" is basically only possible if you have a breakdown of the left arm, where you allow it to bend significantly on the downswing.

[Travtex]

You haven't read my posts on the subject.

Hah! I actually have, though it was at war with the legions of those telling me to 'Maintain the Wrist Hinge'. Probably fixating on the verb. "Maintain" to me is an active process, so I was clinging to that position and probably slowing down the swing with the necessary tension.

I've been a bit at odds with golf instruction from the start. My first miss was a pull hook, my hands were "too" far in front of the ball, etc. Improved when I traded in my Super Game Improvement shovels for thinner toplines and less offset. (The frustrating thing being these instructors telling me how great that was. Missing to the opposite side of what Your Average Beginner misses... is STILL MISSING, haha.)

[steve8820]

I agree with keeping the wrists loose. However, I have seen some dramatic changes in my ballstriking after working some drills from Bobby Clampett's "The Impact Zone". I definitely recommend picking it up. There is a thread about it somewhere on here. There are a few key things that I picked up from this book, one being maintaining wrist cock. I misinterpreted wrist cock and the book clears it up. Focus on gripping the club in your fingers. When you cock your left wrist, do so with the lower three fingers of your left hand. So keeping with a light grip, more pressure is in those lower three fingers. Don't tense up your wrists. Try to hold this angle through impact. You will notice as I did that it is impossible to hold it through impact and naturally your wrist will uncock. The difference in power is quite dramatic.

[Leftygolfer]

I agree with the above. The unhinging and hinging of the wrist isn't something I think about at all. You can't actively preserve this angle coming into the ball. All I do is swing to the top and let my wrist cock naturally, swing down, and let the wieght of the club unhinges the wrist naturally. Things are happening to fast in the down swing to have this not be a reaction of a good move.

[Travtex]

I agree with keeping the wrists loose. However, I have seen some dramatic changes in my ballstriking after working some drills from Bobby Clampett's "The Impact Zone". I definitely recommend picking it up. There is a thread about it somewhere on here. There are a few key things that I picked up from this book, one being maintaining wrist cock. I misinterpreted wrist cock and the book clears it up. Focus on gripping the club in your fingers. When you cock your left wrist, do so with the lower three fingers of your left hand. So keeping with a light grip, more pressure is in those lower three fingers. Don't tense up your wrists. Try to hold this angle through impact. You will notice as I did that it is impossible to hold it through impact and naturally your wrist will uncock. The difference in power is quite dramatic.

Grip's good, pretty lightly in the fingers. Only bad tendency I have there is that if I don't pay attention to what I'm doing I can close the clubface a bit. I think it's the word 'maintain' that always throws me. Same with what you're saying above, "Try to hold this angle" -- When I translate that into how I feel I'm holding (actively) the angle, the results are inevitably disastrous.

The feel I'm getting now is... I bump my hip toward the target a bit before the top of my backswing, and it kinda feels like the hips are pulling "down" on the club. Kinda like someone snuck up and dropped a wet rag over the clubface at the top of my backswing, and I'm just pulling it through the impact zone with the body turn?