Most overlooked aspect of the swing?
 

What do you think is the most important aspect of the swing that is not commonly emphasized? The 3 imperatives are not eligible for nomination.

I think footwork and dynamic balance (I think they go hand-in-hand) are often overlooked. I don't think there is any reason for a player not to have excellent, professional quality footwork in their swing. It's easy, just a matter of practice.

Two of the best as far as footwork go in my opinion are Mac O'Grady (look at historicgolf.com) and Steve Elkington.

By the way, if your heel doesn't lead your toes (face-on view) in the first part of the downswing, you probably don't have professional quality footwork. If you are off your heel during the transition of your swing, again, you probably have some room for improvement.

I found out I had an ankle mobility issue that led to coming off my right heel almost immediately. Solution? Practice rolling onto the inside of the right foot, just as Nicklaus did with Jack Grout, hitting balls while not coming off the right heel.

Matt

I think setting up properly so you can get where you want to be at impact is commonly overlooked (outside TGM circles). In particular, getting one's alignments, radius, and head set correctly. You see a lot of people setup too close/too far from the ball, and you'll also see head positions too high or low because players just haven't been taught to go to impact fix. The compensation moves to get to the ball, whether it's bobbing, swaying, OTT, bending the left arm, etc... are killer. The reason I think this is the most overlooked is because you see quite a few really good players, even tour pros with this problem, and it takes no coordination, talent, or physical ability to get right.

I always felt balance was a by-product of good mechanics. Important, yes indeed. Most over looked- Start Down.

Discounting the imperatives AND the essentials (of which balance is included), I think it might be the finish swivel. I know I've overlooked it since I started playing and even since studying TGM. My focus was on the FLW and more recently on rhythm.

At my last range session I tried to make sure I "did it" and the results were incredible. Shots went from solid and straight to incredibly solid and straight (and quite a bit longer).

But it's easy "not to do" (for me anyway).

CG

Annie's First Lesson
 

Recently, I gave my 5-year-old granddaughter, Annie, her first golf lesson. She grabbed hold of a little U.S. Kids 7-iron I had nabbed from the Pro Shop, and at first I could only laugh: She hit ball-after-ball, as many as possible and as fast as possible. I mean, she was basically swinging continuously with her head down and hardly looking up; right foot planted; and left foot totally losing its place and dropping back 'in the bucket'.

Whack! Whack! Whack! Whack! Whack!

Address? Fuggedaboudit!

Whack! Whack! Whack! Whack! Whack!

:laughing9

I let her whale away -- learning to make contact is important! -- during the first 10 minutes or so of our 'lesson'. Then, I went to work:

First, I fixed her Grip a bit, so she at least had a chance. And she learned that word . . . Grip. Next, I showed her how to align the Clubface to the ball. She learned that word, too -- Clubface -- and she learned to check it before she attacked the next one. And I showed her how to put the ball in the middle of her feet.

Finally, we concentrated on Station 3, and Annie learned its name: the Finish. Let the learning begin now! I showed her my own Finish and had her imitate me. I adjusted hers a little here and there, and without telling her, made sure it incorporated the five alignments of the Mechanical Checklist for All Strokes, Section 12 (12-3-12):

"Look like this, Annie. See my back foot? It's off the ground. And see my head? It's looking here! And my hands and club, they're up here. See?"

"Is this right, Poppy?" she said as she lashed the air vigorously and showed me how she could do it all by herself.

"You bet, Annie. Now hit another ball."

Whack! Whack! Whack! Whack! Whack!

:laughing9

"Slow down, Annie. And hold your Finish, like this."

Whack! Whack! Whack! Whack! Whack!

"Annie, I'll buy you a milkshake at Johnny Rocket's if you hold your Finish until I count to five."

:shock:

Whack!

:cheers:

"Did I do it, Poppy?"

"You bet you did, Annie. Now let's do it again."

Whack!

Fellows, with God as my witness, Annie was posing in the most beautiful Finish you could imagine. And, she continued to do so on shot-after-shot, all hit after taking her new Grip and aligning the Clubface to the ball. Oh, and putting the ball in the middle of her feet. On many of those swings, she made wonderful contact and sent the ball zipping off into the range. Guys on both sides stopped their own practice to watch. And like me, they were all smiles. It was something special to watch.

So, after the basics, what do I think is the most underestimated (and least taught) aspect of the Stroke?

The Finish.

If you know where you're going, you just might find a way to get there.

:golfcart2:

Oh, one more thing. Not surprising considering all the balls hit, Annie wore a blister. Where?

Her #3 Pressure Point (right forefinger).

This is going to be fun!

:toothy1:

I see a lot of people at the practice range ("grown-ups") that don't seem to have this level of patience or attention to detail.

Annies Lesson
 

ROFL.... I can just picture that session! Thanks for letting us sit in.

Priceless.

CG

Pavlov Got It Right
 

That's because no one has ever promised them milkshakes at Johnny Rocket's!

:eyes:

Thank God For Google!
 

ROFL -- Rolling On the Floor Laughing.

Not so Net savvy after all!

But I'm learning!

:salut:

Yoda,

You're plenty net-savvy, and I'm still chuckling at the image of the perfect follow-thru after the "carrot" has been dangled. :)

CG

Sweet Story
 

Great story Yoda...that is one for the memory banks that will be with you forever....but I have got to know...how big was that milkshake & what flavor did Annie get?:)

Milkshakes Tab
 

Actually, hg, to get the job totally done, I ultimately had to pledge three milkshakes.

:(

Big . . .

Chocolate ones.

One down.

Two to go!

Hi Mike, if you read my old threads about balance then it probably comes as no surprise that I think that one can and should consciously use balance to improve mechanics...."balance drives, not balances is..." is what I said then and still believe...

Balance is the body's ability to maintain COG in an appropriate position relative to stance, in the context of forces acting upon the body (forces which may vary), so that the body as a whole can maintain a desired position. - my definition. Websters does theirs:-

http://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/balance

If G.O.L.F. is about force management and maintaining stability of "stationary post" then balance in the very heart of G.O.L.F.. Adults have forgotten how to use balance to learn motor tasks - IMO.

Children ( and grandchildren - like Yoda's Annie:golf: ) I suspect are more used to learning motor tasks with their balance at the core... I think of kids learning to ski and then compare that to adults learning to ski... the subtle movements of the body are too refined to be learnt purely through "seeing" and copying them -ie. imitation...but they spent the first 2-4 years of their lives struggling and playing with gravity and the way their body reacts to gravity makes them experts in force management...maybe not consciously but experts none the less.

I also think waiters carrying trays...dashing through crowded restaurants, tray held above their heads... nobody would teach that through consciously telling an apprentice waiter how to move their body to counteract the wobbly glasses full of wine and beer...instead they use their hands controlled pivot technique....remember the sensor homunculus.... enormous hands....teach the young waiter to appreciate the varible forces through the pressure receptors in his/her fingertips and trust in balance is a more refined method.

I agree with Mrodoch, dynamic balance and footwork...my footwork improved alot when i consciously worked on balance...and the mechanics improved ... but , for me, balance was the first egg and mechanics my chicken.

Balance, being conscious of ones balance and improving balance are key to so many life techniques...gets alot worse with age sadly...

Balancing Act
 

The Mechanical Checklist For All Strokes (12-3) starts with Balance (Item #1) and ends with Balance (Item #45). So, from Preliminary Address to the Finish, the entire operation depends on Balance. This, in turn, demands mastery of Zone #1 (the Body and its Pivot Components).

Balance . . .

It is an Essential (2-0).

:salut:

from the frozen tundra
 

Does anyone out here think Annie has a decent chance to get good at this game? :)

One aspect of the swing I have overlooked is the overtaking of the hands by the club through impact. In good swings the hands slow way down at impact. Then the club takes over. If done well, the centrifugal force of the club is what pulls on you through and post impact. I may have been aware of this before, but I have forgotten it for about ten years or so. Hogan said it. Lynn said it. Homer laid out the three lane freeway in Chapter Nine. I just didn't get it. Till this week. :sleepy:


UPP in snowy Ohio

Address v. Impact
 

I have noticed that most people do not have even the foggiest clue that address and impact are two seperate things...and are a combination of alignments not positions.

My pops tried that milkshake deal with me . . . didn't work . . . . so I played hoops of all things until I got to college (that's right . . . COLLEGE . . . I went and got out). I think if Dad had a pocket full of potted meat and crackers that day . . . I coulda been Tiger Woods y'all.

You'll remember that forever PoppyMachinusMagnus. Good story.

I got Lil' Bucket Parfait clubs and we went to the putting green. He hit one putt . . . saw a mudpuddle . . . dove in . . .

I've only given two people lessons. This one dude who is like a 4. He can play. I go show me address . . . .

Show me IMPACT.

Nothing changed . . . I was like Duuuuuuuuuuuuuuude!!!!!

Concepts . . . .ARE . . . HUGE.

The Handyman can.
 

I like Yoda's concept for the rudimentary player. At all the junior lessons and clinics I run (which can be over 100 at a time), the junior has to show be the bottom of their back foot (right foot for the right handed golfer) at the Finish. I make it a point to look at what is on the bottom of their shoe or sneaker. Whether it is spikes or a Nike logo, I have to see it at finish or we don't move on.

For experienced player's looking for more precision: Educated Hands. Uneducated Hands can nullify it all and never be suspected (5-0). Think Mr. Kelley was on to something here?

When the Follow-Through Is a Finish
 

Remember, every Stroke has a Finish. Even short Chips and Pitches -- Basic and Acquired Motion -- that conclude at the end of the Follow-Through (Both Arms Straight position).

And the five Finish alignments (12-3-12) are just as important here as in the Total Motion:

(1) Finish Swivel (deliberately not employed; monitor the Hinge Action instead);

(2) Left Wrist alignment;

(3) Hand location;

(4) Clubshaft position;

(5) Balance and Body position.

In other words, the Finish -- even if it is merely the end of the Follow-Through -- is a precision destination. And, from the Top of the Stroke, it is this destination that the Hands are Educated to seek. The student practices the shorter Strokes, not just to improve his Short Game, but also to train the Hands to swing through Impact and into the correct Follow-Through / Finish alignments.

"Take advantage of the fact that the Hands are better at moving into a position than at holding a position. This is especially effective with Wrist Action and Release Motions." (3-B; italic added)

-- Homer Kelley

Using first the Putter and then the Chipper, that was Annie's second lesson.

:golfer2:

Hello Yoda, old friend.
 

I hope all is well with you, thought that was really cool Brian winning. It reinforces your knowledge of the golf swing and the game of golf. I always thought he would do great after learning from you. As for the most overlooked aspect of the golf swing, I still have to argue THE GRIP. IT IS YOUR ONLY CONTACT WITH THE CLUB. What I believe misleads almost all golfers is that they do not grip the club correctly in a Fixed Impact position. Most have the club pointed at their midsection at address. I fought this my whole life, too weak of a grip and laid off at the top. I had no choice but to Come Over the Top to square the clubface. I'll finish with this: I was fortunate to get one lesson from Harvey Penick when I was 14 yrs old and all he really changed was my grip to a stronger position. I tried it for a few rounds and did not spin the ball enough, or so I thought, so I abandoned it. "Oh what a stupid I am." Well, it only took me 28 years to realize my mistake. Mr. Penick was very specific: he said "The left thumb has to be on the right side of the club." I saw a lot of bad grips in 9 years of caddying and I always wondered one thing: Why do you see so many incorrect grips in golf when you do not see them in the successful athletes in tennis, bowling, baseball, darts, fencing, billiards, football, etc. It seems like the best of the best in golf have the best grips, at address and at the finish. Would love to hear your thoughts.

Eddie

Wouldn't the grip be far more important to the hitter versus the swinger?
CF will square up the clubface with almost any grip?

The First Fundamental
 

Agreed, Eddie.

:salut:

My story is similar: After a correct start gripping as Armour advised in his classic How To Play Your Best Golf All the Time, I got 'sophisticated' and moved to the weak grip being touted in the popular teaching methodologies of the day. My left thumb ran straight down the top of the shaft. What a disaster.

Today, I would much rather see a grip err to the strong side (Turned to the right) than the weak (Rolled to the left). Especially with the left hand.

As far as where I rank the grip in the hierarchy of golfing components, one need only look at Homer Kelley's own Stroke Patterns (12-1-0 and 12-2-0). Of the 24 Components, #1 and #2 establish the Grip (Basic and Type). Any questions?

And in my own work . . .

Remember Annie's first lesson (post #5 above):

"First, I fixed her Grip . . . "

:)

Great post as always Lynn. I hope that all on this forum appreciate what a wonderful resource you have provided over the years. Also, congratulations on the success you must be enjoying along with your ever growing stable of players.

EC