Forward Press to Start Swing

[lhagsjr]

thoughts? Does anyone else do it?

To me it has completely changed my golf game. Im now using it to start my swing and my contact is so much better...

[joekelly]

I do the same. My experience is that pressing the hands forward a bit sets my mind to the result i want.  I want the flat left wrist and the arms extended so this little pressing forwards helps achieve that goal. Helps reduce  flipping, IMO.

[ghalfaire]

A small forward press is good, a big forward press, not so good.

[Ernest Jones]

I just try to make sure my lower body keeps moving aggressively through the shot, that will generally ensure a flat left wrist.

[colin007]

  Ernest Jones said:

I just try to make sure my lower body keeps moving aggressively through the shot, that will generally ensure a flat left wrist.

@Ernest Jones , You mean shifting weight towards the target and turning? Or mostly just shifting weight?

[Ernest Jones]

  colin007 said:

@Ernest Jones, You mean shifting weight towards the target and turning? Or mostly just shifting weight?

That probably depends on what the individual player needs to feel. For me it's a feeling of mega pressure into my lead foot while ripping my lead shoulder UP and around which obviously is a turning component, but I don't think or feel turn or I get handsy and come OTT. The imaginary "foot switch" feel combined with the "shoulder rip" drags my lower body through the shot, but these are all just feels so YMMV.

[mcat12]

I also fall into the forward press camp. Its basically my trigger to start my swing. I think that back in the very early 80's when i was 5 yrs old or so (intro to golf by my dad and grandfather) the tour had more forward pressers...which seemed to be accepted at the time. My concern is that my forward press ends up opening the face conciderably and i become more susceptable to shanks. (among many other reasons)

[SteveH]

I had improved my ball striking quite a lot by adapting a forward press, at least that was the way I saw it. Now I am taking lessons my instructor has me bringing my hands back in front and says I was delofting the clubs by using forward press.

[chris3putt]

For chipping, sure. It's one of the key parts of making a good hands-leading-clubhead contact IMO.

[colin007]

  Ernest Jones said:

That probably depends on what the individual player needs to feel. For me it's a feeling of mega pressure into my lead foot while ripping my lead shoulder UP and around which obviously is a turning component, but I don't think or feel turn or I get handsy and come OTT. The imaginary "foot switch" feel combined with the "shoulder rip" drags my lower body through the shot, but these are all just feels so YMMV.

what do you feel in your hips?  that they stay square to the line for a long time and then turn?  or do they feel like theyre turning early on?

[NuckandCup]

I have messed around with it, with the putter as well...but I find that I had a tendency to push the club into the ground...not forward, but down. LOL

So these days, especially with the putter, I hover the club...makes for a smoother takeaway IMO. I get the need for a "trigger" to initiate the takeaway, but I found, for me, bearing the weight of the club helped with tension...and the ability to start the takeaway.