[jkpassage]

I am also new to formally learning and applying TGM and AG. My first lesson was on Sunday, November 7, with fellow forum member bambam (aka Ben). Below is what we both reported in a group e-mail exchange.

Thanks, Jeff. It was fun today, and I'm confident you'll get this stuff.

Initial Impressions & Assessment:
- Had trouble keeping it to 2 ft. back, 2ft. through. Tended towards a long backswing, short through swing.
- over-acceleration and a stalled pivot, which turned into a flip. Jeff was swinging at the ball.
- Had an almost vertical hinge at first when attempting to keep the left wrist flat.

What we worked on...
- how to setup his dowels for basic motion practice
- grip. left thumb and pp #3 on the aft side of the shaft. right forefinger hooked around the grip.
- hammering the plane. Focused on zone 2 (arms) power being directed more up and down than back and forward. No horizontal wrist motion. This is a big one.
- left arm only chips to feel different hinges, especially horizontal + letting everything finish with a swivel on longer swings
- lower hands through impact into follow through, especially with a horizontal hinge / knuckles down at impact
- limit basic motion to 2 ft. back / through

Jeff hit some sweet left arm only chip shots. It's harder to over-accelerate and flip with just the left hand and still hit the ball; this is a great drill for feeling the hammering action and hinges.

Once the right hand came into play, the flipping, over-acceleration, and throwaway showed up. I think this is just a misunderstanding of how the right arm generates power (swinging or hitting). He was very much swinging at the ball and/or the target instead of hammering the ball into the ground. Some hitting concepts from Scott on Tue may work well for Jeff, as he won't have to coordinate his pivot as much while learning the downward strike with a bent right wrist.

On Tue., we're going to try some right-arm only basic motion, and I would suggest a little practice with that before Tue. We did a bit out on the course, and the correct move was a big change from what Jeff was doing before. I think the right arm, right hand will be the key.

We also tweaked his putting, by zeroing out the #3 accumulator, which resulted in higher hands, a more level, soled putter, and more controllable putting stroke. He drained a slippery 8-10 footer the first time he tried this!

Ben

On Sun, Nov 7, 2010 at 3:53 PM, Jeffery Passage CPA CPCU wrote:
Good practice session with Ben, plus 9 holes on the par 3 course. I can tell that I will get better over time but the mechanics and feels will be very different as well. I will let Ben summarize what he saw and what I drills I need to work on. Thanks, Ben, taking the time today. Jeff P.