The answer is you have no control. I responded “this” to someone asking something along these lines…and added a few more thoughts for the post today.
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I am a believer that the body is smarter than the conscious mind and the golf swing is an action/reaction activity. Most swing flaws are just the body’s reaction to compensate for something that is already happening.
I can’t remember the last time I worked on something with someone that happened later than the transition.
You get the club moving correctly in transition, you are going to hit a decent shot. Even with a funky backswing, getting the club moving properly in transition is the key.
Now is you want to say the better the backswing, the easier it is to get the club moving properly in transition, you will get no argument from me.
Streaming Video Series
Great post.
“Transition” is another one of those things that people don’t define. Like slot.
I think it’s really like a clutch. If you have a stick-shift car, you can’t just pop the clutch (essentially bypassing it) and apply full power from a standing stop. At least, you can’t do it without putting a lot of stress on things.
My guess is that the transition lets you accelerate to the point where your body is in position to apply additional power.
Maybe you can’t control the hands at impact but you have to predetermine the attitude of the hands at impact or you can’t hit fades, draws, hooks, slices, pulls and pushes.
Or, malybe you don’t have to try that hard. I heard Bubba say yesterday (on TV) that he didn’t even know how he did those things.
Or, Nicklaus siad it did it by changing his stance and clubface at address and taking his normal swing. There are four or five pros on Youtube saying that they do it the same way: Rose, Furyk Kaymer, Poulter…
What does Bubba, or Freddie, know….?
I think both of you are right as there seem to be many ways and proponents of each approach to accomplish those shots.
I don’t know which one is right, but on the EE thread someone suggested that the hands must be lower and more forward at impact than at address and that this is what you should strive for in the downswing, another pro talked about the slot and that the hands should be or better feel to be parallel to the target line at that point and I personally seem to have some more success when I focus on having both arms extended after impact.
The way I see it, anything else than a straight shot with no sidespin is a controlled swing flaw. A draw can be swinging with a closed face while aiming right or swinging in to out while aiming straight. They will both send the ball right of the target with sidespin that will make it curve left.
Monte, what do you think of the OrangeWhip? It seems to get a lot of playing pro uptake and/as it seems to adress those sequencing issues in paricular.
Also, do you have anything (planned) on sand play?
I remember you touted yourself as an expert regarding it due to your TPC desert past.
Was wondering also as a) Shankbetter has started to tout another new way of bunker play, by swinging in/out! and b) that seems to be THE differentiating factor between high single digit and scratch handicappers as per the stats (leaving aside cause and effect here).
And lastly, what do you make of that recent dresscode setback at La Gorce?
Heard good things, never used it.
I will have some sand play stuff coming up.
He’s a moron. Don’t care what “new” method he “invents” that good players have used for years.
Cargo shorts…LOL
Talking about straight shots, they are the hardest to hit, actually there are no such thing as straight shots. It’s either a slight fade or draw. You will never see on trackman a perfect line from impact to ladning.
I guess you’ve never heard of Moe Norman. You could dig up at least 2 hours of him doing exhibitions on Youtube.
You couldn’t count the number of times he says, “Dead straight every time.” I never went to an exhibition, but nobody ever called him on it, as far as I know.
And I know a guy from the former Natural Golf who personally saw Moe hit balls.
(And I’m not saying that anyone should try to imitate his setup or what they perceive his movements to be.)
Oh, and if somebody says Moe wasn’t any good, why are Couples, Price, Crenshaw (and Payne Stewart?) watching him in this photo?
http://www.golfswinggallery.com/wp-content/uploads/2011/05/moenorman-275×228.jpg
Moe could do that.
Yup, and that picture was cropped. If you look at other versions, Faldo is there with Crenshaw, Couples, Price, etc.
It’s interesting though that none of those very accomplished pro’s ever tried to immitate Moe’s swing. Come to think of it, I can’t remember any major tournament winner talking about trying to immitate someone else’s swing…
Bingo, we have a winner.
Copying someone else’s swing is a recipe to be frustrated, injured and bad at golf…any exceptions trying to prove the rule not withstanding.
Pro´s are mainly clueless about their own swing no less someone elses 😉
Woody, I’m very aware of Moe Norman. 91% lifetime fairways in regulation. All straight fades or draws my friend.
Er, what’s your source? On one of Moe’s videos he relates a story of Hogan saying exactly what you say: “A straight shot is an accident.”
So, Moe goes, [hit] “There’s an accident.” [hit] “There’s another accident.”
Trackman does not trump real life. Funny thing, when I hit the ball well (not trying to imitate Moe) it goes dead straight. I don’t try to hit fades and draws (maybe next year). If I try to curve it, it curves too much. The courses I play don’t require it (shorter, narrow, small greens, trees block wind).
If you stand behind and to left of a straight shot the arc will show as fade and if you are behind and to right of the same shot the arc will show as draw.
bass ackwards. oops.
When making practice swings, is it better to start at address each time or is it ok to swing back and forth in a continual motion?
Woody, the swing is an arc. Impact time is what .0015 of a millisecond. Think of the timing that reqires. Just not possible. If they had trackman in those days, you’d see for yourself. Jack Nicklaus said the straight shot was the hardest to hit. Yes it is also true that standing left or right of a straight looking shot may appear as a draw or fade. As a side note, a Power fade can go as far as a Draw, and Draws do not have overspin, that’s a myth.