spentmiles

I've been working on learning to slot the club by dropping the arms. Much of the advice out there says that it's the left hip movement, laterally and rotationally, that should pull the arms down. I'd like to understand this and I don't feel as though there's a physical barrier, but bumping and rotating my left hip always seems to turn my shoulders out at the ball, causing an over the top situation. I don't understand how guys like Sergio can slinky those hips around without seeming to affect their upper bodies. Should you actively resist the turning of the shoulders as you turn your hips? Doing so seems to create a great amount of tension down the left side of the body.

Hey, thanks Mike! That's what I was looking for.

Saevel25, So, at the top of the backswing, you don't turn the hands clockwise, lowering the club head behind the body and away from the target line. Rather, you lower the left arm while keeping the club head behind the hands? And this brings the right elbow to the torso? I think the picture is clear. Would you say that Scott has flattened the shaft at that point? I guess I'm having trouble understanding what McLean means by a flatter shaft plane. For some reason I got in my head that the hands allow the club head to tip backward, away from the target line. Is the picture what's meant by a flatter plane?

I've been working on the slot swing from Jim McLean's book. He's got a drills section at the end, but unfortunately, I haven't been able to find any videos that show the drills with live action. Can someone who is familiar with the slot swing, or who understands this drill, please interpret it for me: "Using your 8 iron, make small swings, stopping your hands at waist height in your backswing and in your through swing. As you swing your arms back to waist height in your backswing, hinge your wrists so the club shafts sits nearly perpendicular to the ground. Now, start your downswing by consciously dropping the club head behind you and changing the shaft position from vertical to more horizontal. (It won't get to horizontal, but it's a good idea to exaggerate the way it feels when you try to learn a new technique). Be careful to flatten the shaft, not your arms." I'm not clear on what he means by "dropping the club head behind you and changing the shaft from vertical to more horizontal." From the waist-high top of the abbreviated back swing, are you supposed to tip the shaft away from the target line so that it's laying down horizontally at the still waist high position? At full horizontal, your top hand (my right hand) would then be about even with my left hand, rather than on top of it. Is this a correct interpretation? I've read the book a few times and practiced the initiating hip move for the last three months, but I feel like I'm missing something essential in terms of how the shaft flattens in the down swing. Any help would be greatly appreciated.

Thanks for the feedback. I look forward to working on this change. I can see how my torso stops turning and my arms keep going, which seems rather pointless and destructive.

Looking at the front view, I see that my left arm bends a lot during the last part of the backswing. Then, when I start down, that left arm forcibly straightens and the force of that straightening motion throws the clubhead away from my body, which destroys the wrist cock. The club head then releases too soon and I have to stand up to get it to the ball. Would I be better off just learning to stop the backswing when my lead shoulder touches my chin? I've tried in the past to stop the left arm from breaking so much, but at this time, it's really unconscious. Should learning to limit the back swing be a priority for the off season?

Sorry, I was making a joke in another thread and changed it to -2. Just changed it back to something more accurate.

I've been Playing Golf for: 10 Years My current handicap index or average score is: 85 My typical ball flight is: Mid height, left of center The shot I hate or the "miss" I'm trying to reduce/eliminate is: High right Videos:

Well, after several attempts, I am unable to post the video here. Perhaps it's better this way... Knowing what I've told you and watching the video wouldn't leave much to decipher. Golf is a personal journey. I'm sorry I meddled, but I don't want to be a jerk either. If you send me a private message, I can send you the link to the video. Unfortunately, the only place I have it posted requires a small fee ($195 USD) to view hosted videos. I know a pay site probably strikes you as some sort of scam, but as a show of good faith, I will include a small device that I created, based on a training aid that Hogan gave me as a teenager. Between the video and the training aid, you will find truths beyond your wildest dreams. Take me, for example. My best round was a 54 at Pinehurst on a frigid day. There's no reason that some of the better golfers here couldn't improve on that.

Hogan was one of my grandfather's closest friends. When I was a kid and we'd go to get togethers at my grandparent's house, Hogan would often be there. He was a quiet and sulking kind of guy, especially after the accident, but if you got him alone then he was a fine conversationalist. My grandfather was big into golf and he got me into it when I was very young. Hogan would often join us, but he hated watching me swing. I hit the ball allright, but he was nevery happy with my technique. And he was always telling me this one thing that seemed simple, but took me many years to fully comprehend. And to make matters worse, he'd always tell me that I couldn't tell anyone. I had to take it to my grave. Well, I realize now that Hogan conveyed to me his "secret." It's not so much a "secret" as a way of using your right elbow and left knee. I promised him that I would never tell anyone, and I almost never speak of it, but I do get angry when people accuse Hogan of manufacturing a secret. He did in fact have a secret that has allowed me to average in the low sixties throughout my golfing life, which has been on again off again, more off, due to personal concerns and commitments. But all of you out there looking - keep looking. It's really almost clear exactly what he's doing in the video link below:

For the last year, I've been playing a G20 with a TFC169 D Tour Stiff. For fun, I picked up a Nike VR Tour with a Project X 6.0. Took both clubs to the range last night and noticed a big difference. With the Project X, I could feel the shaft bending on the downswing and then kicking through impact. I was hitting some bombs. With the TFC, I didn't feel much if any of that whip-release through the ball. Felt more like a bat hitting a baseball than a flexible stick transferring energy. I think the shafts are relatively similar, more alike than different, spec-wise. So, can anyone help me understand what property of the Project X might allow me to flex it like that? I do like that feeling, though I've only had one range session so I can't say if it's playable. Ball flights with each were straight enough for me though. As much as it means, the TFC is 63g with 3.9 degrees of torque. The Project X is 66g with 3.3 degrees. I'll probably play the Nike for a while, but I'd like to understand what exactly it is I like about this shaft for future purchases. Thanks.

I think this video explains it well: Hogan Power Drill Using a short club to practice this helps, though you make not see the point of it until you try. I use a kids club and do the motion 10 times for 3 sets, so 30 total, every few evenings or so. I think conciously trying to do it screws up your flow, but doing it over and over will help slowly work it into your scheme.

Some quick background: I'm a tall golfer (6'5") and I've always had a rather upright stance. I was a caster/early releaser forever, but this year I've been working on lag and getting the shaft leaning forward through impact. I feel like I've made good progress on the lag, but I'm finding all of my shots are high, right, with little compression and not much of a divot. I think I've traced it down to being too upright at the start and then standing up as I come into impact. I think this is a mental issue left over from my casting days, stemming from my fear of plowing into the earth a few inches behind the ball. When I stand up, the shaft straightens vertically at impact, adding loft and losing the shaft lean. I want to stay down more and trust that my lag will angle the shaft enough to clear the impact zone without me having to stand up. Now, being tall, my question is the best approach to closing the gap between my shoulders and the ground. Should I bend a lot more at the knees, or bend more at the hips? Or a combination of the two? I've been fitted multiple times for iron sets, and different fitters have come to the same measurements, so I don't think it's an equipment issue. But for me to ground the club and stay down, I've got to bend somewhere...

Functional strength training and daily stretching. Do that for twelve weeks and you'll feel much better.

That's a great post. It answered a lot of my questions about what people mean when they say "hit up with the driver." Do you think the club manufacturers are changing any structural elements of drivers that would affect this advice?