Palms up, laying off with driver

[Hacker James]

@GolfLug made a post in another thread that caught my interest and I was wondering if this is recommended for all clubs. I read more detail about it in this article: 

http://www.hermanwilliamsgolf.com/right-wrist-action-perfect-golf-swing/

 

[Blackjack Don]

So funny. I thought you were giving up on the driver. Probably good advice that a whole lot of golfers take. But I'm determined to learn how to hit a driver on par fives. 

Yesterday I had a thought while practicing with the big stick. "Embrace the fade." I can hit a draw all day with a seven iron. I have been trying to draw the driver and can't get it there. I pull, I hook, I fade and hit some titanic slices. So, I decided to try aiming a bit left instead and embrace my fade.

My thinking is I'm giving myself room right to miss, and if I actually do hook it, I won't be too bad. Maybe this would widen the fairway. When I did the "Embrace the fade" thing, I started hitting nice drives, with nary a slice, certainly closer to my aiming line. 

With regard to the article, I have a big problem with it. My left arm is my biggest concern. Keeping my left arm as straight as I can, keeping my left wrist straight at impact, my left arm is the weakest part of my swing. Heck, until I started working on it, I couldn't wave left handed. None of this is even addressed in this article. It's all right side based, and I think that's a mistake. Just my uneducated opinion, but I think for most hackers, this is not a good article. I see more people having problems with the left side than the right.

[Hacker James]

9 minutes ago, Blackjack Don said:

So funny. I thought you were giving up on the driver. Probably good advice that a whole lot of golfers take. But I'm determined to learn how to hit a driver on par fives. 

ern. Keeping my left arm as straight as I can, keeping my left wrist straight at impact, my left arm is the weakest part of my swing. Heck, until I started working on it, I couldn't wave left handed. None of this is even addressed in this article. It's all right side based, and I think that's a mistake. Just my uneducated opinion, but I think for most hackers, this is not a good article. I see more people having problems with the left side than the right.

I never said I embrace the article, nor did I intend on following it. I was curious and googled and found the article and wondered how it compared with @GolfLug experience. This instructor also mentioned other of his articles dealing with left side as he also mentions. Like anything, articles can often mislead one, if they have other problems.  I will probably continue with a driver, but there are days that I should not touch it.  By the time I get it all figured out, I will more than likely not even remember that I once played. Of course, we all were much, much better waaaay back when.  My way back, sometimes is only a year or two.

Edited January 6, 2017 by Hacker James

[GolfLug]

@Hacker James, didn't read through the entire article but in general 'pizza tray' carry feeling at top of the backswing is a good thought and yes sorta similar to mine. But I have a specific set of pieces that make it good for me. There are people who push slice or pull hook with that piece all day.   

So very little or nothing works in absolutes especially in isolation from rest of the pieces. I have lived that trap for years.

Reason lot of TST folks keep harping on a need for a good set of eyes on YOUR specific move is that this can be complex and lines of what is good structurally and dynamically together are VERRY fine. It has so much to do with how we are built, tendencies etc. This is my experience as well.

 

 

[Hacker James]

1 minute ago, GolfLug said:

@Hacker James, didn't read through the entire article but in general 'pizza tray' carry feeling at top of the backswing is a good thought and yes sorta similar to mine. But I have a specific set of pieces that make it good for me. There are people who push slice or pull hook with that piece all day.   

So very little or nothing works in absolutes especially in isolation from rest of the pieces. I have lived that trap for years.

Reason lot of TST folks keep harping on a need for a good set of eyes on YOUR specific move is that this can be complex and lines of what is good structurally and dynamically together are VERRY fine. It has so much to do with how we are built, tendencies etc. This is my experience as well.

 

 

Yes, that is what I was thinking also. Thank you for the response. 

[Marty2019]

On 1/6/2017 at 10:49 AM, Hacker James said:

@GolfLug made a post in another thread that caught my interest and I was wondering if this is recommended for all clubs. I read more detail about it in this article: 

http://www.hermanwilliamsgolf.com/right-wrist-action-perfect-golf-swing/

 

I think the article is right on the money, and I kind of stumbled into the exact same thing last week when i saw a video by Nick Faldo about his pre-set drill.  

Faldo Pre-set Drill

You address the ball normally, usual stance and grip, and then you hinge the club into what they call "the slot" parallel to the ground and parallel to the target line.  With left wrist flat or even slightly bowed.  Then you just turn your shoulders and you're in the perfect backswing position.  But what it does is it puts your right hand in the pizza tray attitude and it puts your right elbow pointing at the ground.   You stay connected at the top of the back swing. 

The important thing for me is to eliminate the cupped left wrist.  The left wrist needs to hinge, and the right wrist needs to set in the pizza tray position.  I hit my irons a lot better that way. 

But I haven't tried it with my driver. 

[Hacker James]

@Marty2019 I had almost forgotten about this drill. Its good, but you really need to pay attention. For example, it is easy to fan your club in that when you get to the parallel position your club points too much behind you, the trick is to just cock/set your wrists as Faldo mentions without moving your arms, then turn. Likewise, you can also have your club toe pointing to much to the left. Its almost like the square to square method, except you do make a full shoulder turn. So, it works, just be careful and deliberate.  I used to do something similar by intentionally fanning the club back drawing a line in the air. As long as I routed the club correctly coming down, all is well, but again, you can get offline easily. 

[Rainmaker]

Interestingly (perhaps) . .the pizza tray idea never did anything for me...at all.  

However, an idea that I have been working a lot on and does work with me is that of keeping my forearms close together.  The other day I was doing some practicing and I noticed that when I keep my forearms close together - wa-la . .I could hold a pizza tray at the top of my backswing . . .however that thought, directly, didn't work because I would still have my right elbow flying away.  

[Hacker James]

@Rainmaker That too, definitely. Several weeks ago that was one of the main things I had been working with but somewhere along the line I had gotten sidetracked. The forearms together, pits of elbows facing up, does several things, helps with extension, torso turn, and position at the top. It is funny how we can discover little things that really seem to work,and then how easily they can fade away. I am glad you posted this, it brought me back.