paging dr. fort
 

making progress since the socal wkshp.i'm finally understanding and applying extensor action and my feet feel like they are rooted in the ground. when you start up at impact fix you make a slight hip hula back to adjusted set-up is that what i'm seeing??.

Hip slide
 

I never return to adjusted address, but I do slide in startup while keeping a stationary head (hula hula). A slight slide precedes the delayed turn and is done in both directions (startup and startdown).

address
 

sorry i misinterpreted your set up. you are at impact fix at address that doesn't include your body at impact just your hands?

Impact address
 

Impact address should be a true impact rehersal, body, arms, and hands. A forward press of the hands doesn't suffice.

back to #1
 

so...you are returning your hips to their "normal" postion at startup

hips
 

They do return to a 'square' position in startup, but only for a moment as they bypass that position on the way to top.

TF - What amount of forward slide/tilt and open shoulders and hips (?) you'll say you have in your impact-fix-address?

What amount?
 

I hope this doesn't sound like a unenlightened reply to my friend from Denmark. But, it is whatever amount that gets my right forearm exactly behind the shaft for impact support. I'm sorry I can't give you an exact amount, but it's not position golf. It's alignment golf, so my concerns are the flying wedges. Whatever my body must do to accomplish the tasks, so it begins. I hope that makes sense to you.

My new address routine is to walk into set-up, in a Ben Doyle kind of way. Setting up the right wedge, forearm on-plane, wrist bend, leading edge squre to planeline. Then I'll set my feet square to the plane line. Next step is to put my left hand on and check that it's flat.
I'll then square up my knees, hips and shoulders. I guess the last step is something you don't do. Am I right?

Stance
 

I tend to stand open, but oscillate between 10-5-A and 10-5-E. I like the way Ben walks into the ball with his feet. But, I pay very little attention to my body as my hands are my primary concern. In a miniature version, you can see my point in an arms only putt. I can face the hole or perpendicular to my line and still trace a straight line or stand square to my line. As additional power is necessary, standing "side-saddle" wouldn't be appropriate, but it certainly makes the point about tracing. I encourage people to start with square-square, when building their pattern. For me, so many of these alignments are now on automatic pilot. I was, as Homer said, a very busy person. And it was very conscious, but now many of the alignments have been delegated to the subconscious.

I think this is true any time your playing well. :D

thinking
 

I have spoken to Dr. Bob Rotella on separate occasions. He came to our GA Section PGA to speak. Once, we were talking at lunch about thinking well on the course. Mainly about the checklist with which you're consumed prior to executing the stroke. It's sort of a pilot's checklist. There are things that you have to do before flying the jet. A seasoned pilot can jump in the cockpit after twenty years of flying, and do as many as thirty steps in the blink of an eye. I, on the other hand, would need the instruction manual and about an hour. Without it, I'd miss something. Dr. Bob said, "you can't make a bad golfer great by just changing his thoughts." In other words, what I heard was, you have to change alignments and thoughts.

I can't tell you how many times I've had a student in a lesson say, I'm thinking about too much. My question is always, "why?" We'd speak about a number of things (3-F-5), but never did I say to assemble them all in your head and keep them during the stroke. It is a checklist, meaning you CHECK things off. There's nothing wrong with having A!! swing thought. But the checklist is done. You need to trace the plane line, OR focus on delivery path, OR whatever you need. Don't grab the tail of all 24 components at once. The lion will bite you.

[I can't tell you how many times I've had a student in a lesson say, I'm thinking about too much. My question is always, "why?"

IMO, not necessarily "thinking too much," but questioning your thoughts. Go thru the routine and pull the trigger;)