Back to basics - again

Last weekend I had planned to change my grip, takeaway, wrist position, transition, and a few other things, but on Friday I got lucky.

I happened on a website that contained the most detailed, technical, analytical and, I hesitate to say, long-winded golf swing discussion I've ever seen. The material on this site (and I won't name it) was the result of one person's quest to understand and then explain the swing.

Since I've gone through the same kind of search and felt the same kind of urge to discuss what I've learnt, I fully support the effort made. But, to be perfectly honest, much of what this person said, though undoubtedly correct, is of little use to the battling golfer.

The average player, no matter how intelligent or persistent or athletic, cannot absorb so much material, let alone incorporate it into her or his game. The reason is, of course, that too much information will lead to the proverbial paralysis by analysis.

The 'secret', and I use that word advisedly, is to identify the key elements of a good golf swing and put them into practice.

Seeing that website reminded me that a simple approach is what's needed - not more analysis. So, I dropped all my plans and set to work identifying two (and only two) key elements of a good golf swing.

It didn't take long. One look at a good golfer's swing (preferably in slow motion) should be enough to identify what they do and what the average player doesn't do. They are as follows:

1. The good golfer swings on an 'in-square-in' plane. That is, they do not cast or throw the clubhead out and around on the downswing. The way to achieve this swing plane is simple but difficult. The trailing elbow must pass close to the trailing hip pocket on the downswing. Whatever else is done with one's grip, takeaway, backswing, transition, etc. is personal choice. How the trailing elbow finds this position is the challenge. This comes down to persistent practice during which it almost feels like you are practising to be a contortionist. This move has, however, been likened to skipping a stone or a side-underarm pitch, and it is achievable, although it just doesn't feel 'natural' in the golf swing - at first. Believe me, I know!

2. The good golfer also swings with rhythm and balance. This sounds like a 'motherhood statement'. That's obvious, I hear you say. But how many weekend golfers instead swing out of their shoes in the mistaken belief that they will generate more clubhead speed this way? I'd say 80 - 90 percent of us. The simple reality is that clubhead speed (let alone accuracy of contact) comes from the timing that occurs when the club is swung easily and smoothly. Tempos vary, certainly, some people are quick moving, some slow, but good golfers have a rhythm that allows them to stay in balance and hit the ball powerfully and consistently.

The good golf swing comes in many shapes and sizes. Professional and top amateur golfers come in all shapes and sizes. But all good golfers have the above elements to their games - although no. 2 might desert them on their rare bad days. Very few average golfers have ever experienced or retained the feeling of a rhythmic and on-plane golf swing. If they had, they would no longer be destined to stay average.

Thanks to that website I now feel strongly that I need to consign most of my technical golfing knowledge to my brain archives. I'm not going to reject or ignore the fundamentals of a good grip, athletic set up, proper alignment and so forth, but as for the golf swing itself, it's back to basics - again.

Try try again

If I had any sense, my motto would be 'if at first you don't succeed - give up!' - but since I don't have any sense, I am going to try something different next weekend.

I recently re-read 'The Four Magic Moves ...' by Joe Dante. This book and the ideas therein impressed me mightily when I first read them, so why did I forget about it and them? Please see the above paragraph for a clue.

Anyway, my most persistent difficulty with the full golf swing has been fairly consistent fading and occasional slicing. This is not such an issue when its a fade, but I am not happy with face or slice on aesthetic grounds, regardless of the score. I really want that straight shot or slight draw that most people want - and almost never achieve!

Like most amateurs, no matter what I've tried - stronger grip, more turn, tighter elbow, hand rollover drills, etc, etc. - I've not been able to find a satisfying and permanent solution to this problem. I now realise that my focus, having been mainly on swing plane (which the golf student will know is not the main determinant of golf ball spin and trajectory) has probably been wrong. I believe I should have been focusing most of my attention on the clubface direction at contact.

So, I've gone back to Joe Dante's four magic moves.

The last two of his moves are things I am already doing on a reasonably conssitent basis - the hip bump and turn and the retention of the 'magic triangle' (the passive arms and retention of the wrist cock for as long as possible in the downswing). In reality, I don't play enough golf to get really good at these, but I'm working on them, because they are generally agreed to be of importance.

But these two moves are mostly about achieving good distance, whereas direction is my main concern. So the first of his magic moves (an early down-facing wrist cock) and his second and related 'move' (a firm and straight left wrist - for righties - at the top of the backswing) are of more interest to me.

These 'moves' relate to shot direction because they directly affect the clubface angle during the backswing and down into contact. The alternative (and more common) approach is to progressively cup the left wrist as the club reaches the top of the backswing.

The Dante approach involves keeping the clubface closed throughout the swing rather than rely on timing to open and then close the clubface. Obviously, my timing has not been good enough to get the clubface closed at the right time, either that or I have not been rotating my hands enough on the follow through. Either way, I've often been leaving the clubface open.

The Dante method was once referred to as the American or shut-face method by the more traditional golf club swingers from the 'old country'. It is no longer a minority approach, but there are, of course, many variations on the theme - see Graeme McDowell or Dustin Johnson or even Lee Trevino for some of the more extreme versions of the shut-face method.

The method has the primary benefit of taking the timing out of closing the clubface - it gets and stays closed throughout the whole swing. The main danger with this approach is the possible failure to keep the body turning far enough and the hands ahead enough to prevent hooks and smothers. For a chronic slicer this seems a distant concern.

Whatever happens this weekend, it will be interesting. I just hope the Dante magic moves will be good magic and not cast an evil spell on my golf game.

Simple modification

My simple approach simply did not work on the weekend. In fact, I had so many thoughts complicating my simple approach that my game was simply atrocious.

The problem was mainly around inconsistent ball contact, the consequent gradual loss of confidence and the consequent increase in ball focus. I've revisited Paul Wilson and drawn up a few new 'ground' rules for my next game.

1. Stick with the set up and takeaway principles (athletic, one-piece, flexible wrists). Nothing wrong with these ideas.

2. Keep both feet on the ground - for creation of torque and for balance and stability. Bobbing has likely been a problem for me. It's OK if you have perfect timing and hit millions of balls, but otherwise its probably best to stay as quiet and level as possible, with the head moving back just a little on the backswing.

3. Start the downswing with the rotation of the hips and core in as calm and unhurried way as possible. See above re balance and stability and lack of bobbing.

4. Try to stay down and swing through as far as possible to the target. Part of my problem with poor contact and occasional slicing might well have to do with coming up and not completing the through swing.

I can't think of anything else to do and don't want to think about anything else for my next round. One backswing thought and one down or through-swing thought is as much as I can manage - assuming I can even manage these. Eventually, hopefully, even these thoughts should become unnecessary, except for the occasional refresh or review.

A simple method

I mentioned that I would outline my method for the full golf swing, so here it is:

1. Set up in as athletic, square and balanced position as possible. Obviously, alignment and allowance for the lie must be made. It's OK to copy a good set up, like Adam Scott's. The spine angle at set up must be maintained until the end of the follow through. A good grip is also important, nothing too strong or weak, and not too tight.

2. Use a one-piece takeaway, ie. keep the Y in the arms/club relationship until the arms are roughly level with the ground. This promotes a good, on-plane backswing path - not too inside or outside. Let the wrists cock naturally by keeping them as flexible as possible. The takeaway is much more important than it might seem - it is a crucial indicator of the likely accuracy of the ball strike.

3. Start the downswing - without any rushing - by pressing (planting) the heel of the front foot into the ground while simultaneously dropping the trailing elbow down and in front of the trailing hip. The arms are 'connected' to the body and the tucked trailing elbow promotes an inside-out swing path to the ball as the body turns. The planting of the foot promotes a transfer of weight from the inside of the back leg to the front leg and side - without excessive body sway.

4. The weight transfer that occurs naturally after the front foot is pressed down will promote a downward strike of the ball. For the driver, the forward positioning of the ball will mean the clubhead has levelled off by the time it reaches it. For irons, the downward strike is critical in promoting good contact and spin that will lift the ball. The ball is struck first with all iron shots, including chips and pitches. Using the same tempo for ALL shots is very important.

5. The follow-through is important in two respects. Firstly, it must be completed (in all normal shots) because the target is not the ball, the target is the target, and the swing is a complete entity. Being ball focused (the hit impulse) will make it unlikely that the swing will be as free-flowing and effective as it can be. Secondly, the follow-through is a great indicator of the commitment to the swing or shot and whether good tempo, balance and body angles were maintained during the swing.

There are plenty of mechanical technicalities that go into a golf swing and lots of other issues in the playing of golf. In my view, the golf swing is in part a natural athletic movement and in part the refinement or re-direction of that movement.

The above is a summary of what I think is important. I am trying to think of the golf swing as an organic whole, where the 'whole' is greater than the sum of the parts. It doesn't mean each element is not important, but the elements must be brought together and integrated into the swing for a good golf swing to be achieved. This takes time - it involves unconscious processes like muscle memory - but hopefully I am getting closer to that hold grail.

There's Madness in My Method

Those of us who set out on a search for a better way to hit a golf ball are destined to encounter innumerable ideas on the best way to do this.

Sometimes the ideas we hear or read about come to us in the form of 'tips', and at other times we are seduced by somone touting a method, often a new 'secret' method, that they will reveal to us for a very reasonable price.

From time to time we come across an idea or a theory that resonates, and from which we learn something. It might be about the creation of clubhead speed, or the importance of using the lower body or some other technical or mechanical aspect of the golf swing.

Nothing wrong with listening to these ideas per se and tucking them away in our brains for later use. But the dangers of information overload and 'paralysis by analysis' are extreme, especially for the typically inconsistent and often frustrated average amateur golfer.

I believe there comes a time when this golfer should call a halt to the acquisition of golfing knowledge and put into practice what they've learnt as best they can. The alternative is to go on tinkering forever; a danger for many amateurs and professionals alike.

The difficulty is in knowing when you have reached the point where you should say enough is enough. Some weekend warriors reach that point long before they have developed a good golf swing. That's fine if you are content to play 'social' golf, and don't aspire to play 'real' golf. It's not fine for players, like me, who are invested in improving their golf and lowering their handicap.

Several times in the past year or so I've come to believe that I had the answers, that I was now ready to take the final step to a sustainable better standard of golf - nothing special - just good solid A / B grade golf. Unfortunately, each time, I was wrong.

What I lacked was a realistic golf swing method. By realistic I mean a method that I could implement, that is, play with, without having to think about all the do's and don'ts I'd been studying. Too often I would go out to play with several 'keys' that I was going to use that day. Just as often I had to abandon most of these ideas before the second nine as the hacking set in.

I've come to realise that these so called 'keys' are only good for so long or in certain situations (as Sam Snead once said). What we need is a method or a set of keys or fundamentals that work together, and that we stick with and work on concertedly for a period of time.

We arrive at this method by trial and error, and hope that the errors are gradually replaced by the right answers. We have to stay with this new method unless or until we are absolutely sure that it is wrong. And I emphasise method, an integrated whole, not a collection of interchangeable keys or ideas or tips.

One thing is certain, someone else's method is unlikely to be absolutely right for us. Elements of it might be, but we need to take these elements and combine them with other ideas that we think are right for us, and develop our own integrated method for the golf swing.

This is very hard to do. The temptation to add just one more thought or technique is extremely strong, especially for the expert player whose expectations and standards are higher than ours. The will to say 'that will do' and to work only on our integrated method is out of reach for many of us.

Anyway, I think I am finally at a point where I have a set of fundamentals, an integration of ideas and techniques, that I am satisfied qualify as the minimum requirements for a good golf swing. In the next blog, I will summarise these fundamentals (my method) and report on any recent golfing experiences. There's method in my madness.

Taking stock

I've read, heard and seen just about everything on the golf swing that I can possibly absorb. The potential for information overload for any keen golfer is enormous. Consequently, I am constantly trying to identify the elements of golf swing theory that are really important in the golf swing.

This process seems to be going on forever, mainly because I keep coming across golf teachers who claim to be teaching the swing or game in a new way. Most recently I came across so called 'Perfect Connection' golf. Before that I was smitten with 'Swing Machine' golf. And before that I was fascinated by 'The Impact Zone', and many others.

Now these examples of golf instruction methods are worth taking into account. Unfortunately, no one theory or approach is likely to suit all golfers. We have different physiques and mental approaches to the game. One size does not fit all.

Therefore, to try to cut a long story short, I am going to start by simply identifying what I think are the key elements of the good golf swing. I concentrate here on the full swing, though there is much more to playing golf.

Good golfers do three things:

1. Strike the ball consistently
2. Control the distance the ball travels
3. Hit the ball in the desired direction

1. Probably the most frustrating and common fault of the average golfer is the tendency to hit the ball fat or thin, on the toe or heel. The Machine Golf forward tilt instruction is good on this. Failure to transfer the weight correctly (to the front foot in particular) is another common failing. Views on how to do this vary, but the bottom line is that at impact nearly all ones weight must have moved to front foot. The 'Impact Zone' is interesting (if rather too complex) on this also.

2. Good golfers know how far they hit the ball with each club. Noting that the accuracy of the ball strike (see point 1.) is highly relevant here, this knowledge is not quite enough. Golfers need to know how to control the crucial partial shots, pitches and chips, by working on their own distance control method. One error average golfers tend to fall into is to assume they will hit their best shot all the time. Again, refer to point 1. on consistency. There's a theme here.

3. The direction the ball goes and where it finishes up is obviously important. How many million words have been written on curing the slice - that bane of the average golfer. The average slicer is happy to try all sorts of tips on curing the slice. Unfortunately, the slice is the result of many factors, some physiological, some mental. 'Curing' the slice is probably best handled by going back to basics: grip, set up, backswing, transition, weight transfer, etc. There is no reliable quick cure. The same goes for hooks, pulls and pushes.

That's it: three elements identified, three areas of challenge. If there is a unifying theme it is that the golf swing is not a collection of parts or positions, it has an integrity. A good golf swing is more than the sum of its parts. Just occasionally I feel that in my own swing. It's when I can say that 'I've just hit a golf shot'. It happens rarely, but maybe each week I hit one or two more of these 'real' golf shots. Hopefully, this is an accurate observation and not just wishful thinking.