Swing Plane

Swing the putterhead

We're all attempting to learn how to 'swing' the club. But some may forget this most basic of all functions of the club when putting.

'Swing' means the clubhead moves further and faster than the grip end. If the grip end and the head move at about the same rate, there is no 'swing'. A good swinging action gives us a solid strike, proper distance and consistency. Lydia Ko demonstrates the classic swinging action:

At no time does the putterhead stop moving faster than the grip end. The stroke is rhythmic, continuous, unforced. On the forward stroke, she is allowing the head to contact the ball with a square face. This is difficult as our instinct is to aim the face at the target during contact. 'Aiming' the putter i.e., guiding the face along the target line, results in decreased swinging action and inconsistent distance, for one. 

So your idea when putting should be what? 1) Ensure the putterhead travels fairly down the target line with a 2) square face. Then, when the putterhead is in motion, do not aim it. Simply apply the required length/speed to the stroke the distance requires, without aiming!!

My book, "The Y Shape", has more good info on this and exercises to help you putt better. http://www.theyshape.com/Y%20Shape%20Info.html

How is a 'good shot' defined?

Your ball ends up two feet from the hole. Is that a good shot? Well, it depends where it came from. From anywhere beyond 30 feet yes, but from 5 feet, not. A good shot is usually relative to a player's current ability. Good shots can be creative, imaginative. Maybe using a 3wood for a simple chip from tall grass and making it look easy is a good shot. I think so...So good shots are relative.

But what IS a good shot? In my view, a good shot can be defined by 1) solidness of hit, 2) travels fairly straight, 3) has the correct trajectory, and 4) travels a proper distance for the club used. For a series of good shots, 5) consistency ranks way up there.

Distance cannot be the sole or leading criteria as to a shot's 'good'ness. And grandma's first time at a golf course: knocking it on the 103 yard par3 green. A great shot!!

More on how to hit good shots: http://theyshape.com

The 75% Theory

The golf swing is simply an arm swing coordinated with the body turn. The path of the club the arm swing creates thru the ball and the rotation of the clubface during this swing determine the ball's direction.

Swinging the club/arms from over the right shoulder on the backswing to over the left shoulder at the finish creates the correct path thru the ball. Proper body turn and leg action are required and become the basis for the club's thru-the-ball path.

At the same time, a credible grip enhances the player's ability to keep the club square to the body during the swing.

Notice that the initial 'Y' shape structure of the arms and club at set-up is maintained thru the entire swing. This is the main idea of the Y Shape swing perception. These two concepts constitute 75% of the golf swing. More here: http://theyshape.com. 

New Posting: Y Shape Detailed Explanation

Somewhat satisfied with my new swing posting. As I'm still in Minnesota it had to be done inside and what a better place than my living room!

Nine foot ceilings make for a sweet environment to practice the full swing, and foam rubber golf balls make no marks on the wall. This is very helpful for an old guy as I am able to stretch out and keep the feel all winter. And the carpet runs at about 10 so my putting is so good!

Anyway, here's my effort to showcase The Y Shape swing:

The Grip, with Exercises

Keep swinging the club all winter. Work on your grip and your swing the EZ way. Get in touch with the clubhead. Moving the clubhead with the hands sets up the entire swing, just add body action and you've got it. Be ready for 2013!!

Lower Body Action

Just posted my revamped hip and leg action seen here. Trying to get to a Hogan style bump at the target on the backswing, then a simple turn through the ball. By keeping my legs quiet, or as I say in the video 'grabbing the ground with my feet', I hope to be able to push out more through impact, adding power from the ground up.

And Now, Deeper into the Putting Grip

I talked about my putting grip change a couple posts ago on why the putter in the lifeline of the left hand is a good idea. This, of course, was from my personal point of view, that is, my personalcrosshand point of view.

I don't think the grip I advocated would work for most people that putt conventionally tho. The left can't be very dominant in the stroke if held this way as the last three fingers cannot hold strongly enough to maintain constant firmness through the forward stroke.

(I read somewhere that Arnold Palmer did use the lifeline left hand grip but his case was different from what we do today. He actually anchored his left hand to his left thigh then dominated the stroke with the right hand only. And, according to Jack Burke Jr, so did others, including Bobby Jones.)

The reason I'm bringing this up is because I came across a Milas Filmater article where he talks about a putting grip being a palm grip and that "A good grip will significantly enhance your chances to achieve these goals (direction, distance). He doesn't say why. Here is why.

For proper direction, proper distance control and consistency of contact, the wrists should remain constant during the stroke. This means any bending, or side to side breakdown, should be eliminated. Shoulders (the 'engine' of the move), arms and hands working together. Gripping the club in the palms helps with this wrist firmness.

You will return the putter from its set-up position to impact position more consistently by applying this exercise and gaining its unique feel. Notice in the above exercise the club is held upside down. Do not grip the shaft, merely press the hands together. Retain this feel when you putt normally.

This will, as an added benefit, ensure that the shaft always extends into the body center, good for a pure swinging action of the putterhead.

The Y Shape Blossoms

The learning ... 'flower'? A 'blossom'? Whatever you call it, this is the picture I have when I attempt to educate the student on the golf swing. As you can see, it begins with the Y Shape idea, coupled with the 3 'musts' of the swing. Hopefully, a learning experience will 'flower' from this seed.

The Y Shape is the main idea which should be explained immediately into the first golf lesson. This is also the idea the student will be coming back to as problems may (and probably will) arise in this struggle to understand and implement the golf swing.

Once we understand each other – that is, the Y Shape relates the club to the body, do not swing down the target line, etc. – then we can begin the learning process. The Y Shape does not have to be performed perfectly at this point, just envisioned fairly.

The Position by Position Swing is now the basis for feeling the correct moves. Regardless of what I'm working on with the student, be it Swing, Plane or Square, the Position by Position Swing is practiced as the Y Shape is very holistic, meaning that by going through the moves, even with a narrow thought – say Square, the student is simultaneously practicing other important moves. I always want to work on the WORST area of a student's swing.

Advancing further in each area: again, working on the WORST part of the student's swing, I add grip, turn, balance, set-up etc, whatever 'tool' is needed to improve the aspect of the swing that is needed. 

I consider Swing, Plane and Square to be the fundamentals of the swing. Grip, posture, alignment, ball position, turn, balance etc. to be merely 'tools' to accomplish our goal. These tools will be pulled out of the toolbox as needed. 

Going further, more detail. If the student crashes at any point we go back to the beginning, mainly the Position by Position Swing.

This may be where I start with better players. Better players may be more difficult to work with as they may have some weird ideas or may be confused in parts of the swing. Through the ball is the area of the swing that gives better players fits. OK, we chip and pitch then. For the instructor problems are easier to spot; for the student changes are easier to implement, feel.

Obviously we all need to practice the short game, this is a given. 

Exercises can be thrown in anywhere along the way. 

Putting Grip Awareness

As winter has made its arrival in Minnesota, and my move to a warmer climate has been postponed, I've been practicing and experimenting with the putter on the living room rug, 30 - 45 minutes a day, is all, to keep the touch.

I've been putting crosshanded for 30+ years and I'm comfortable with the left hand low style. There have been good and bad putting days, of course, but overall I'm satisfied and would never use right hand low again. The yips that preceded the left hand low change over im-mediately disappeared and are 99% gone to this day. Other than reversing the hands vertically on the shaft, grip positions are exactly like my standard right hand low grip style of years earlier. 

The left hand grip position on the set of 2 pictures on the left is a replica of my right hand low days. The shaft is tucked under the heel pad ensuring the last three fingers kept a firm left side ahead of the right coming into the ball. For me my right hand was becoming too active and the left hand weaker. Other pros kept telling me to "...firm it up, grip harder with the last three fingers". But this was awkward. 

So I changed to left hand low but kept the old left hand grip.

30+ years ago.

I recently remembered advice I had heard or read somewhere years ago that the shaft should embed in the lifeline thereby aligning the shaft more inline with the forearm (right). A couple putts was all I needed to feel Square and Path like never before. Balls are struck more solidly and the sound of solid contact is great! And it seems very repeatable, simple; the club is literally locked in. And I don't get the feeling that I have to watch the club so much during the stroke. 

This is a huge change.

My putter: RayCook M1-X

Phil

Anchoring and the PGA

PGA of America says tougher rules could hurt game

NEW YORK, Dec 11 (Reuters) - Limiting how far the ball travels and the type of putters players can use could do more harm than good for golf, the PGA of America said on Tuesday. A survey of PGA members showed 63 percent were against a ban of anchoring. I, for one, voted in the minority on this one and can not understand why so many PGA pros would go against a basic tenet of the game – it's not a swinging action.  And I consider Note 2 to the Rule 14-1b to be as important to understanding this situation as anything, as an arm affixed to the body considered the same as a club affixed to the body. It's not a swinging action. 
"I've already had players in my club that are using long putters ... saying 'are you going to make it a local rule that's going to allow me to putt this way?'" said Bishop. Good question. Got to check with the USGA on that one. 

He added, "It puts us in a tough position as club professionals trying to administer events at our club level." I would think whether to allow anchored putters is a board decision, not a club professional decision.

But imagine banning croquet style putting today, with all the social media! What a circus! Croquet style, in which both arms really do swing, would be a tough sell. Straddling the target line? So what? It's a swing!

As far as distance the ball travels: "If you do anything that's going to cause the rank and file amateur player to not hit the ball as far, there's no way you're going to enhance their enjoyment of the game," PGA President Ted Bishop.  "This game is a hard game and anything we do to make the golf course play longer, play more difficult, is certainly going to deter from the enjoyment of the game for the average player."

Well, I thought the enjoyment of the game of golf comes from lower scores, the social setting, weather, exercise derived, etc. Certainly there are those whose only real pleasure comes from hitting the ball as far as they can. But the game is stacked against them, always has been. And whether the courses need to be lengthened is questionable. Certainly the tour courses need extra length but the average player, for whom the PGA purportedly speaks, is definitely challenged by a 6,800 yard course. It's not like 15 handicappers are all of a sudden continually four under par on 6,800 yard layouts. Why courses have lengthened to over 7,000 yards in the first place is beyond me.

Weighted Clubs

One of the qualities of a good, repeating swing is the coordination of the arms and body. When properly working together, as in my Y Shape method, maximum power is delivered to the ball with minimum effort. Troubles begin once either the body or the arms becomes too dominant.

Warming up with an object which weighs more than a normal golf club tends to make the arms and hands very active in handling the extra weight. Weighted clubs may be three times the weight of a regular club and in swinging these heavy objects the hands and arms become overly dominant in trying to effect your regular move.

Two cases in point: 1) The transition area at the top of the swing should be a change of direction with both the shoulders and arms completing the backswing and then both starting down together. Warming up with the additional weight is hard work and this extra effort tends to destroy this coordination as the arms will tend to swing past the point where the shoulders stop. Additionally, there may be extra effort to get the club started down, promoting casting. Since Bobby Jones said that this is the most difficult area of the swing I would recommend not using any kind of extra weight which would severely tax this part of the swing.

2) Through the ball the club should not be pushed or forced. The feel of extra weight will force the right hand to push excessively through the shot leaving the player with hooks, mis-hits etc. – overall, a very 'handsy' type of move.

The softer and more relaxed your upper body, and especially your hands are, the better you'll feel the clubhead and the better you'll play. A golf club is weighted so you can deliver mass to the ball and swing the club with speed. Golf clubs are not heavy objects. As a result it's important to feel the weight of the clubhead. So as feel, with a capital F, is so important in this game, isn't it a bit ironic that you would put extra weight (2x-3x times) in your hands and then, when you tee off, be asked to feel something much lighter?

I would rather see a body type motion to warm up, with importance being placed on a full turn with the proper leg action to accompany it. The next time you arrive at the course with no warmup time and are  forced to get in a few swings before that first shot, grab a club upside down, holding it near the head. Now as you swing your body will be forced to make a full turn, you will feel your feet as apart of your body turn and your hands/arms will be as they should be, passive. And you'll feel the clubhead!

Save weighted objects for baseball's on-deck circle.

Anchoring Thoughts

Anchoring thoughts and the heart of this issue:

Anchoring in any way the club to body (Note 1) or the forearm to the body (Note 2) does not constitute a SWING. This is, after all, a game of SWINGING the club. I believe Note 2 to be more important than Note 1 in understanding this issue.

Looking to the future, children will SWING the club with all the clubs in their bag, creating uniformity within their game. I also think that the USGA, which banned croquet style putting in the 60s, would have a harder time convincing the public considering present social media etc. With croquet style, at least the arms were SWINGING...

Now the question remains: will the USGA permit a Local Rule allowing anchoring at a club level, casual events etc.?

Swing Plane

Draw a line from my neck to the ball – this is my Swing Plane. To swing 'in plane', the hands should parallel the swing plane line for the entire move. Results are a straighter shot as the path through the ball is correctly inside to inside.

I do not use a line across the shaft to indicate swing plane as it tells me nothing. Try this swing plane line on your fave player...

Starting into the Ball

Realized how important visualization is in attempting to create/change a move. I've been coming over the ball (flat shoulders) lately, hitting it on the heel etc. I also wanted to improve my extension through the ball and get more compression on the ball.

I returned to a visual I had a number of years ago and it's wonderful:

The act of the clubhead lagging behind the hands allows power to be built up from the core outwards to the clubhead. The arms stay in plane longer into the downswing, preventing wayward shots.  Solid contact is virtually assured if you lag the clubhead.

The left arm/shaft structure at the top includes a 90º angle which must be held as far into the downswing as possible. To accomplish this, picture the entire left arm/shaft structure revolving around your neck and maintain this structure to impact. That is, it feels as though the structure is held to impact (and beyond?).

You’ll gain more distance if you don’t try to accelerate the clubhead into the ball. Clubhead acceleration comes after impact. Lagging the clubhead is not a block; the clubhead must eventually drop down to the ball and the clubface must eventually rotate. 

This is not visual for the beginner, but the better – medium to low hdcp – player who wants more control, more distance, more compression. This visual really works.

Sloppy move gone

The trick is to stay back, keeping the shoulders in their top-of-backswing position longer as you pull down. Of course, I could turn away better (working on that) but for now a fix!! And there's more compression at impact.

I'm using my 'Half Back Start' exercise, listed on my youtube/peejay3 channel to try and achieve a better turn. The hands are set at the 1/2 way back position and now turn into the top-of-backswing position then hold that position with the shoulders for as long as possible into the downswing. Phew!!!, this is difficult...

Sloppy move

Must firm this up.

So, referring back to my last post re problems with my head and spine angle movement, I figured I needed more hand/clubhead action thru the ball. But this is ridiculous. I'm throwing the right hand so much that the face becomes totally out of square 1/2 way thru. No left arm, no square, no compression, no Y Shape! 

I'm thinking it's my hips that have to be more dominant; I'm trying to do too much with my hands. Will wait 'til Tuesday then try again. 

MidSummer 2012

With a very hot July it's tough to work on anything. Except my head is flopping around so much – where did that come from? And my spine angle! I'd like to have an assistant to hold my head but they're unreliable and don't show up. How to hold my position through the ball?

I looked at a few swings of the greats re: holding the spine angle, how long etc and I realized how cool Billy Casper's swing really is. 

Back in Minnesota and the Warm Springtime

After an eventful winter of '11-'12 I am back in MN to enjoy the warm weather. Thanks to Mother Nature!

I spent most of the winter hitting balls in CA. Really. Gave myself plenty of time to experiment with different thoughts, moves etc. I think I hit about 200 balls (plus chipping and putting, of course) five times per week. A great opportunity that I've not had for soooo many years to delve into my golf swing.

It helped me physically by allowing me to stretch out, make a fuller turn, strengthen my legs. And after a couple months of work I settled on what I wanted to do with my positions. For instance, I was opening the clubface too much going back, forcing a strong rotation through the ball to get back to square. Since I teach that the clubface opens going back, and because of always working with people that bring the club back along the line, i.e., shut, I had developed a too open face.

The physical part was harder. Just turning the shoulders 90º was difficult. I was leaning left at set-up making things worse. My posture was bad; my back looked like I was slumped over the steering wheel. I would look at the video back home and go: Is this me?

The result of all this was a loose, sloppy swing with no repetitiveness. Most shots trailed off to the right. I was losing distance. Mis-hits were common.

Historically, I seem to always look for problems, and am always changing this and that.

So after 3+ months of hitting balls I feel I have a swing that I need not change. And I will not change! So now my thought pattern is sequence, timing, leg action, stay with the ball etc. These are the thoughts I need to play golf with. This is all I think about, and practice, now. What a relief to hit balls and not be burdened with positions, theories etc. I have found peace on the practice range.

Will I play better golf? Yes. Stay tuned.......

Frustration in Westlake Village

Hey, haven't posted in a loooong while. That's OK tho, because I'm not a real writer, just mimicking one.

I've moved to Malibu to hang out with my son Phil while trying to find a job here in SoCal. Seems like the last place to look for a job but I can't find anything ANYWHERE!

While looking for a job here, I sat in the parking lot of a driving range before going in to the golf shop and watched this pro trying to no avail to help a teenager with his swing. The kid wasn't allowing the clubface to rotate with the body thru the ball and was also flipping, noticeably, from the top. The 'pro' never addressed either issue, but was working on leg action, which the kid was good at anyway. Jeeez, frustrating to watch that. Doesn't anyone know basics such as clubface rotation, lead with the hips and pull the handle? [The Y Shape]

And this guy has a job.

"He isn't gonna be a caddie all his life, is he?"

So if you are one of the 47 subscribers in the whole world to my youtube/peejay3 channel and were wondering where I went and why there aren't any swing videos lately, it's because I'm caddying, not teaching.
I came up to Minnesota this spring after looking all winter for a good teaching job but found nothing. For whatever reason, the economy, maybe my age or I-don't-know, I came up empty. But I'm still looking around for a range to do more videos on chipping, an EZ slice fix, half shots, sand etc. And although I seem a little hesitant in some of videos, I enjoy doing them.
I first started caddying when I was 12 and I got into golf from the caddying perspective. It didn't take long, after just a couple loops, that I was begging my mom to get me some clubs. Well, the 'clubs' turned out to be only a 6iron and a putter for a couple months before I got a used driver and 3wood for $5 each. This was my set for my first season.
Caddying became a daily thing. There would be about 100 of us, hanging out in the caddie yard waiting for a loop, playing handball in an old garage on the site, losing your money in card games. The old thin strapped, heavy leather bags, and getting stabbed (no tip) were all part of the deal.
What is interesting tho are the post round critiques each caddie gives players and how each player stacks up re: playing to his/her ability, knowledge of the game, adherence to the rules, general coolness, rapport with caddie, confidence in caddie's read of the green, club selection etc. Because a regularly employed caddie sees so many different players they observe the game of golf from a unique position. Most play golf; some play golf well. They all love the game.

Progress

Progress! Well, 2 out of three anyway.
1) Shaft is so much more inline with my left arm. I keep the hands and arms tight with the body as I turn, resisting the urge to pick it up. Because of this former pick up move, I was rolling the hands too much to get the face back to square. 2) Better, but only slightly so. Noticed that I've been leaning left at set-up, the prime candidate for a weak turn. The problem is that from this position I tend to come over the shot – pushes or pulls result. 3) Because the face is more square as a result of #1, I can pull more aggressively thru the ball maintaining my Y Shape, thereby eliminating the extreme right hand rollover.
Going to LA, maybe post some pics of Junior in a couple days....
Check out all my videos at http://www.youtube.com/peejay3 and my website:http://theyshape.com.

Mobile Post

I had hoped to post three perfect-position pics to fix my little
problems but my takeaway is still funky. Picking it up; taking it
outside. My turn is better and I like my thru-the-ball move - a lot. I
have definitely figured out my first move and will post tomorrow.

iPhone Phil

Three Positions I Hate

1) With the clubhead outside hands way too long into the takeaway the right arm tends to block a pure left arm/shaft plane. The right is pulling the club back. The right arm is IN THE WAY. I want the backswing to be on the same plane as coming down; it's simpler that way. 2) A result of #1? Probably. The left shoulder and hip haven't rotated resulting in a 3/4 position at the top. 3) Have no idea why I throw the shaft to my left as I don't have 'the lefts'. Too much 'aroundness' I think. PUSH OUT down the line – FIRM UP through the ball.
Check back as I will attempt to fix these problems pronto... phil