Face Facts, AJ

[Shanks A Million]

And his "Instant Power Move!"

Q & D:

[Harmonious]

I had a friend who watched the AJ video before going on a golf trip. Before then he took a hellacious swing, and could slice the ball 50 yards. After he watched the video, he started making some decent contact and could hit it straight every so often. I am not a fan of consciously opening or closing the clubface during the swing, so I don't do it, but I don't see why AJ's method couldn't help someone who doesn't know what a decent release of the golf club feels like.

For all the vitriol against him, you'd think AJ manned the BP drillrigs! You may not agree with his method, but his golf analysis resume probably trumps anyone here.

Maybe, like what some on here have said about S&T, incorporate what works for you. Maybe it will help you , maybe it won't.

[Shanks A Million]

I had a friend who watched the AJ video before going on a golf trip. Before then he took a hellacious swing, and could slice the ball 50 yards. After he watched the video, he started making some decent contact and could hit it straight every so often. I am not a fan of consciously opening or closing the clubface during the swing, so I don't do it, but I don't see why AJ's method couldn't help someone who doesn't know what a decent release of the golf club feels like.

Well, as many people here have pointed out, A.J.'s "method" is a quick fix. It will help a slicer become a somewhat reliable puller for a while, so long as his timing is good. S & T is a bit more accepted, and many tour pros use it, or some version of it. It's really only a model based on the more effective moves of great players over time.

A.J., however, has no tour pros on board.

[iacas]

he started making some decent contact and could hit it straight

There's no really "decent release."

The bolded portion is the part that tells your friend (or you) that AJ's tip doesn't really work. It's a quick fix at best that will lead to pulls and pull-slices and pull-hooks depending on his timing. 90 to 95% or more of the people who slice do so with a clubface that's relatively square to the target. What they need to work on is their path.

[Shanks A Million]

90 to 95% or more of the people who slice do so with a clubface that's relatively square to the target. What they need to work on is their path.

The one thing A.J. Bon

e r doesn't actually fix. At best, he can make a slicer into a two directional misser.

[Harmonious]

Never said it was the formula for becoming a scratch player. Like I said, I don't subscribe to his idea of rotating the clubface through the ball. All I know is we spent less time looking for my friend's ball in the right trees than before. Whatever it was, it worked for him, at least for that day.

[CG031]

this reminds me of how everyone says the major flaw in tiger's swing is his head moving quite a bit. well he's always done that, hasn't he? all the announcers on T.V. ALWAYS point to that once he hits a bad shot...

[The Recreational Golfer]

Same with Phil. People act like he's on the verge of weighing 300 pounds. The guy just isn't THAT big when you see him in person.

It's a pretty established fact in The Business that TV adds weight.

[deronsizemore]

It's a pretty established fact in The Business that TV adds weight.

Which is why I don't understand why everyone seems to get hung up on Phil's weight.

[Shanks A Million]

Which is why I don't understand why everyone seems to get hung up on Phil's weight.

Cause they're idiots, but my guess is you didn't need to be told that, you've probably seen it enough in daily life in your 28 years.

[Titleist_ProV1x]

There's no really "decent release."

Absolutely, couldn't have said it better myself iacas

[Weezy]

Well you do realize that the greatest ball strikers ever from at least 1-7 all play with a cupped left wrist right? ALL OF EM!! And Tiger always had tons of club head rotation as evidenced by every analysis ever and his own tip "turn the left knuckles to the ground" Also gary player and lee trevino both stated that tigers problem is his flat left rist and being laid off. So if his tendency is to rtate the club shut anyways then what part of open it up in the backswing would be wrong? You basically have the haney method of the laid off flat left wrist fighting tiger's natural ton of clubhead rotation. I agree that its not necessary to rotate the club open and shut but if the greatest ball strikers EVER did it then how can you say it is wrong?

[Plox]

I often use this 'technique' with very good results. I never try to get bogged down in technical issues, but when I'm playing at my best, my hands always feel very 'loose' through the impact area, and I think that's what AJ is getting at; one thing you can't dispute is that Woods' has actually lost distance...and accuracy. It may not be text book but I've always found 'handsy' players hit it the longest, not the Nick Faldo clones.

[Weezy]

For me i try to get my hands back to the ball as close as i can to how they were at address. If i fan it open on the backswing then i can't get it back to square. However i do naturally cup my wrist and can't get rid of it so i just try to keep the face sort of "looking" at the ball and that works out for me the best asi can turn it over or hold it open from that position at the top (ends up slightly open). I wonder what AJ and you guy's take on conscious opening and closing of the club face. I don't consciously do anything except turn my left knuckles down a bit for a draw or not for a fade.

[Harmonious]

For me i try to get my hands back to the ball as close as i can to how they were at address. If i fan it open on the backswing then i can't get it back to square. However i do naturally cup my wrist and can't get rid of it so i just try to keep the face sort of "looking" at the ball and that works out for me the best asi can turn it over or hold it open from that position at the top (ends up slightly open). I wonder what AJ and you guy's take on conscious opening and closing of the club face. I don't consciously do anything except turn my left knuckles down a bit for a draw or not for a fade.

Trying to control the clubface with your hands is so difficult, as it relies on perfect timing. That's not to say it can't be done, but it takes a lot of practice. Once I preset the clubface for draw, fade or straight shots, I don't try to manipulate the clubface at all. I don't try to manipulate my swing path either. Just pick my target line and go.

[iacas]

Trying to control the clubface with your hands is so difficult, as it relies on perfect timing. That's not to say it can't be done, but it takes a lot of practice. Once I preset the clubface for draw, fade or straight shots, I don't try to manipulate the clubface at all. I don't try to manipulate my swing path either. Just pick my target line and go.

I would agree virtually 100% with that, yes.

[mtsalmela80]

Dont all missed shots come down to timing whether or not you are trying to rotate the club face with your hands?

If it goes left or right of the fairway, you screwed something up right?

[Harmonious]

Dont all missed shots come down to timing whether or not you are trying to rotate the club face with your hands?

A missed shot could be caused by many things. You might hit a perfect shot, but you were aligned wrong or your grip was off, the ball will not go where you wanted. You might hit a perfect shot, but your ball position was wrong, the ball will not go where you wanted. You might have everything lined up right, but your swing just didn't quite come together, the ball will not go where you wanted.

My point here is that golf is all about your misses. That's why it is important to eliminate, as much as possible, the variables that can cause poor shots. Attempting to control the clubface with your hands at the bottom of a 100 mph swing is just about impossible, and introduces another unnecessary variable that is not needed. If I can swing on plane with a clubface that is perpendicular to that plane, I have eliminated most of the bad things that can happen. There is less reliance on perfect timing.