Holy Grail of Golf

The holy grail of golf is something like the holy communion of the catholics. Holy communion with the catholics means one has to go to confession first before one can go and partake of the holy communion. One needs to be cleanse of sins and be worthy to receive the host - or holy communion. Without the preparation and worthiness, the communion or the host cannot be taken. Same thing for the holy grail of golf, one cannot partake if one is not prepared to receive it.

So what is really the holy grail of golf? Is it the knees that Hogan once mentioned was his secret? Maybe it is. One can argue a lot about it being the holy grail of golf. But like the real Holy Grail, it may always end up as a big debate. One thing is clear in my golf development is that the knees are really a major factor of my success. However, thinking back and relating to all I know now, I would say that the big secret in golf is learning how to hit the golf ball with the body. This is a concept that is highly debatable and it so vauge to be an end by itself. So, although I know it is not, I will say that we should stick with the knees for now as the holy grail of golf. But for those who really are looking for the occult, try sifting through my blog and feel the commonality of all.

The Knees and why they are important

Now that we have intentionally forgotten the mechanics of the golf swing, it is time to concentrate on the next level, the knees. What do you really do with the knees? Why are they important?

First, in our journey, and I hope you are with me now, we intentionally have forgotten the "how to" of the golf swing. It has been said that the ultimate in the perfection of skill is the absence of awareness of how one's skill is executed. At this stage of my golf skill development, I have not fully forgotten the "how to's" but have expoused the active involvement of the knees. Somebody said that the knees are the secret of Ben Hogan. If Hogan at his prime still thinks of the knees, then I intend to do the same. Now that I employ the knees, I would say that I have arrived! My golf quest is done, I have found the Holy Grail of golf!

Having said that, what do I mean by the knees? Well now I just imagine that I hit the ball with my knees. In my mind, when executing the golf swing, there is a connection of the ball and the knees.

At the setup and while the my eyes are focused on the "entire" ball, I start my swing with the forward press of the right knee. In my mind my right knee squeezes the ball. The forward press can be a real bending of the knee to the left but now I just feel my right leg muscles tightening up. This forward press can be a personal preference and may be ommited if desired. As for me, without it, I cannot consistently start the golf swing the same way. One has to experiment and find out himself.

Immediately after the forward press, the left knee takes over. In my mind, I find my left knee sliding left to right across the ball and as far as my knees can do it. I firmly believe that in golf, a full turn and a full cock is extremelly important. Depending on the degree, in the absence of a full turn, a shank can happen, shots are not caught flush on the club face, and ball direction strays to the right. By sliding the right knee to the right, it pulls the left waist in, ultimately the left shoulder in, the left hand cocks the club, and so forth. That is how important that left knee slide is. So without the left knee going to the right as much as possible, the other body parts are restricted and the golf swing suffers.

After the left knee sets you up to the top, the right knee takes over. Still looking at the entire ball, slide the right knee from right to left across the ball. Like the left knee, you can do this a far as you want. The sliding of the right knee ensures that you end up in the reverse-C position. With this move, it guarrantees that you will not end up with the weight falling backwards. You will look like a pro. The sliding right knee, most importantly, straightens your ball flight - for without it, you may tend to go around the ball which will cause a pull or a hook.

Now that you know the mechanics of the knees, you can use it to limber up before your first shot of the day. With the knees, start swinging the driver back and forth, left knee, right knee, again, again - longer and longer until you have fully flexed the muscles. By the way, you will notice that by doing this, your club and arms have followed a pattern. Hogan calls this the golf plane!

Equipment Evaluation

Now that I have achieved consistency, maximizing the distance is now necessary. It is time to evaluate my equipment.

By the way, I use to have two offset clubs in my bag, the fairway 3 and 5 woods. Whenever I have a nice hit with these two clubs, I have the strangest feeling that the ball stayed with clubface for a split second. I can feel the weight of the ball on the clubface! I think this is due to the offset feature of the club. Therefore, I was inclined to buy, the offset Hogan BH-5 irons. I like the weight of these clubs when I tried it at the beginnng of the season.

I have gone to EBAY and bought all the clubs. Now I have the Hogan BH-5 irons, all offset. I love these irons. I wish they make similar wedges (I still have my 60, 56, 52 Titleist).

As to the woods, I bought offset 5, 7 and a driver - all from King Cobra Golf. My putter is a special Callaway. I did try the rescue woods but really did not like them. I, however, love my offset 5 and 7 woods.

At this point, I am very happy with my equipment. I can now cover the 150 - 180 yards range with my 5 and 7 woods. My driver is good but I am still stuck with my 200-yard carry with it - I would love to add more distance so I am still shopping. And my Titleist wedges - I can play with them but I still do not have the confidence. They are a little heavy for me and the grips are a tad thick.

I would like to add that going to the offsets widened the fairways for me. Now I know that my shots only will either be straight or they will go left - not right (especially the driver). I can now aim more to the right of the fairway without fear of losing the ball to the right side.

The Evolution of the Golf Swing

Learning golf is a journey. Learning the all the techniques at the same time is an impossibility. This will explain why in the beginning, the instruction for the golf swing carried detailed techniques, e.g., swing plane, waiter plate, etc., but later on it became much simpler, e.g., Tiger Woods technique. Why then should I not update my earlier instruction? Which then should the reader follow?

I had this dilemna too but thinking this out carefully, I came into the conclusion that what I learned previously must also be essential. Before I was focused on learning the plane, how the left hip is very important, and so on. Now I don't even think about it. I just do what I said about Tiger Woods, lift the club up and turn around to a picture-perfect finish. But I don't think I could reach this point if I did not start from the basics - which now became ingrained as muscle-memory.

So if you readers find some inconsistencies from the start to the end part of this blog - that is essential and part of the journey - the search of the perfect golf swing. This is what is missing in most of the golf instructions and maybe this is the key to learning how to play golf. Everybody is so focused on finding a secret but all along, the secret is the search or the journey, rather than a technique itself. Most golf instruction books will mention this subtly, e.g.,:

• "I practice the mechanics in the golf driving range, then forget it in the course".
• "Muscle memory."
• "I do not conciously remember what I hit the ball with, left hand or right hand."
• "At the beginning of the golf season, I go to my golf professional to remember the basics again."

Remember, all these instructions are saying that after learning the techniques, the ultimate golf instruction, is to "forget all of them" when playing!

One Chip One Putt

Chipping, as far as I am concerned, includes every shot excuted around the green - except sand play. It should be executed by muscle memory. The chipping thought should be the "ball flying with the desired trajectory into the desired landing spot and rolling in the hole."

The procedure should be (very similar to putting):

• Visualize the shot needed and where the ball should land.
• Perform some practice chips but remember to think result - not how to do it. Remember that the forward press starts the swing and the left hand and arm sets the trajectory. A higher trajectory requires a sharp upswing by the left hand. The forward swing is done by muscle memory - usually just the shoulders in very short chips but may include the body on longer ones. The key here is, it should be automatic - the body doing it without any thinking.
  
• With an open stance, repeat the practice swing for the real shot.
  

Skill progression - left wrist, Tiger Woods, Hogan's secret

The left wrist, as it turns out, is the beginning of all things in golf, whether it is swinging, pitching, chipping or putting. It is, therefore, important to always keep in mind its function. Its purpose is to bring back the putter or club so that it can bounce back like one falling with bungie cord. It stretches the club or putter so that the body, in turn, catches and brings it back - like a flail, or like a fly-fishing with the lure bouncing back. Remember, left arm rhythmically brings the club or putter back, the body, in turn, catches it and bounces it forward.

The main application of the left wrist is the active cocking of the club on full swings. Remember that it does not pronate - the only action of the cocking wrist is the up motion. Again, I cannot over emphasize it enough, it does not hit - the turning body does that. Apply this to putting, chipping, pitching, full swings, everything.

As our skill progresses, be prepared to intentionally forget what you have learned and go on to the next level. After the firm left wrist above, the skill to learn next is the Tiger Woods method.

The turning body is different depending upon the level of golf skill already acquired. It could start simply as turning around the body or can be a two-part downswing like Tiger Woods. Have you seen him whack his drives - no smooth form at all? This shows exactly what he does on his downswing - a two-piece downswing. First, he moves his weight to the left, then turns his shoulders violently (when distance is needed) to hit the ball. So in other words, one can start simple and eventually graduate to the Tiger Woods way. By the way, as an observation, I think the turning of the shoulders (along the plane) promotes the accuracy and consistency as it throws and makes the clubface stay longer along the target line.

From left wrist to Tiger Woods... The ultimate, it is believed, is when everything is forgotten. However, for now we will progress after the Tiger Woods shoulder shot and start on the left knee and right knee hit.

It has been said that Hogan's secret is the right knee. We will stick to that at this stage of our development. At this stage, the swing should be: after the right knee forward press, perform the backswing with the left knee; then the hit the ball with the right knee. Simple.

For the first time in my 30 plus years of playing golf, this is only the time I can say that I now play golf without thinking. What a wonderful achievment! Full muscle memory is still not the case but I ain't complaining! The process as it stands now is:

• As usual the pre-shot routine is done - aiming at target, remembering a spot (or aligning the ball when on the tee), feeling the "alive" grip.
• Set up in front of the ball and align the body parallel to the target line.
• Look at the ball, the whole ball (not a spot since looking at the whole ball promotes accuracy and consistency).
• Forward press with the right knee.
• Back swing by pointing the left knee to the ball.
• When the feeling is fully set, fire the right knee towards the ball.
• Finish with a full C posture.
  

Bunker Shots

Rounding up the golf skill necessitates an intimacy with the sand as it is usual to meet them in the course of a golf game.

So what really is the "Alive" Grip?

I have used this term "alive" all throughout this blog. It is so important to me (although I only rate it as a G-8) that I cannot play well without it. With the short irons, if I forget to employ it, a resultant shank painfully reminds me immediately. To me, it is a feeling that the club is taut and ready to pounce like a cobra. So what is it?

When I use my right two middle fingers as a fulcrum to perfectly balance the club between the force excerted by the pad of the left hand and the weight of the club head, that is the description of the state of being "alive". The grip is alive when the right hand is employed this way and that state of perfect balance is achieved.

Imagine a see-saw when thinking about the alive grip. If only one person is on the see-saw, it is not alive. But if two persons are on it, the see-saw, becomes alive. Put this analogy on you hold the golf club. If you leave it dangling from your grip, it is hard to impart the force of the body to the club head. However, if you balance the club, by pushing down on the left pad of the hand with the right two fingers supporting the club, any force excerted by the body is easily transferred to the hands and the club head. And the other way is true too. Hitting the ball will not tend to twist the club head since it is dynamically attached to the body. This is what I mean by an "alive" grip.

The Golf Swing Simplified or the Tiger Woods Way

I have always believe from that start that Tiger Woods cannot not be long and consistent at the same time without him simplifying the swing. I have watched him a lot of times and he seems to be just like a machine - no extra moves. He just goes up, down, and done!

After a long quest, I believe I know what he is doing - and it a very simplified swing. He does not hit with the hands. He hits by turning his body around! So all he does is bring the club up and turns around to a C-finish, letting the body drag the arms and the club back to the ball and through.

You may have different swing thoughts or techniques as long as you "hit" with the body. Here is how I do it at the moment. Depending of the evolution of my swing, this may change. However, right now, here it is:

1. I set up the regular way, making sure the "alive" grip is employed.
2. Waggle.
3. Forward press with my right knee and immediately lift the club with the right hand. For a higher trajectory (irons, especially the long irons), I lift the club abruptly with the two middle fingers of the right hand (pronounced cocking). Doing this with the woods encourages a draw or hook. For the driver and fairway woods, I rely on the jammed-up grip which ensures a little push or a very light fade. The jammed grip ensures a consistent direction.
4. At the top, the down swing is started (and hit) with the body returning to the C-position (picture-perfect position). Please see the topic about the left wrist as it is an detailed extention of this. I sort of learned this after writing this section.

There is no thinking involved. The set-up takes care of aiming and the club grip takes care of the trajectory - pure target golf.

Why do I do a forward press (read the muscle memory section also)? I find that the essential swing thought or technique, which is the left hip starting and bringing the club up in the upswing - I cannot keep up thinking about it throughout the game (18 holes). I lose it, especially, when the adrenaline goes up in competition. With the forward press, my mind is empty - the muscle memeory takes over.

Rating of this Tiger body-turn hit is G-10.

How important are all these tips? The G-ratings.

I has dawned on my that we have all read books in golf and took up some of the golf tips that we read. But one thing has been missing and I realized it as I write my golf observations. Nobody has rated the importance of the golf tips. This said, I will try to rate my advice as I write them so that you and me can remember what is important and what is not. Let us give it a 10 point system.

Rating 10 must be the most important one. Rating 10 must always be part of the swing. Without it, the golf swing cannot be a perfect swing. One that comes to mind that is 10 is the right knee staying perpendicular to the target line. It can never bend (or sway), else the direction of the ball is like crap shoot - not consistent at all.

Rating 1 must be a nice to know golf tip. Nice but one can even not use it and still one can execute a perfect golf swing.

Let us leave the in between ratings for now.

Muscle Memory

It is a necessity to commit to muscle memory all the techniques learned. It is not enough to know them and think about them when executing a golf swing - it is a necessity to forget them! The ultimate phase of the perfect golf swing is executing them automatically - letting muscle memory do the work. When in the golf course and playing golf, the golf mechanics must not be brought with you. Instead, one must be enjoying the game, playing the course, thinking about how the ball will carress the wind and grab the ground. No thoughts of golf swing mechanics should cloud the mind.

In order to accomplish this, one must practice, practice, practice. Practice the body as well as the mind. And, take heed that muscle memory is important. If not ingrained, during competition or any time of stress, the lack of it (muscle memory) will haunt you.

It is easy to say muscle memory but almost impossible to execute. In my case, I found I cannot do it. I am a target golfer. I will set up, follow my routine, and fire. This works for me and I doubt if I will ever be able to change. Sorry to say that I cannot follow what I preach. Lots of luck to you who can.

In order for my technique to become more or less like muscle memory, I rely on a forward press (G-8) of my right knee to start the swing. With the forward press, I was able to forget the mechanics of the upswing. Of course, this works best with the extreme alive grip (G-8).

The Grip

Golf instruction books have always taught that the grip pressure is mild and like holding a live bird. I find that this is not true for me whenever I play my best golf.

In order to eliminate extra unnecessary movements (enemy of consistency) of the club, it is desirable to make the two hands act like one. In my case, I jam - with a lot of pressure - the right two middle fingers against the fingers of the left hand and hold the club a little firmer - enough to suffocate a bird.

The other basic grip techniques follow the usual golf instructions. I like Hogan's.

It should be noted that at times the above grip pressure is important but at times concentrating on other contrasting move is better. For example, if you want a long iron (the ball), e.g. four iron, to come out jumping (with higher trajectory) at impact, then it is important to cock the club more. In this case, the right hand cannot be jammed to the left hand since you need it (the two middle fingers) to immediately lift the club after the forward press. This example happens a lot so one must be aware of it. Read the "Evolution of a Golf Swing" to be aware of other things.

At the moment, I use the jammed grip with my driver and fairway woods. The quick-cock grip with all the irons, especially the 4 and 5.

Ever since I have written this though, I have realized that a compromise between the two techniques above is the best and only type of grip that must be used. I am even giving this a rating of G-10, same as the fixed right knee/leg.

Here is how the new grip is executed in detail and why it is very important to do it this way (G-10):

1. As a part of the set-up routine, lay the club face behind the ball.
2. Assume your normal grip.
3. Now focus on the right hand. Wrap the fingers around the club. Feel the right palm snugly rests on the left thumb and adjust until it feels snug and right.
4. Now focus on the left hand. As the right hand craddles the club shaft, check for the "alive" club by gently pushing down with the left hand pad against he two right hand fingers. The club shaft at this point should be almost at a right angle with the arms.
5. With the right hand, adjust minutely the club face to the target line before starting the waggle.

Here is why this grip is so important. First, by setting the left arm as the last focus, we have told the brain that the right hand is not in control. It is only acting like a fulcrum (alive grip) and the right forearm muscle is totally disengaged. Second, the left hand being the last brain focus as the controller, the only thing a right-handed golfer (like me) can do is to tighten up the left forearm muscles and just bring the club up with it (nice consistent takeaway). The tightening of the left arm muscle is conducive to the Tiger body-hit technique. Third, the combination of one and two, gives an order to the brain that the only thing to make the ball go is making the body turn faster - which brings the ultimate effect, the clubhead drags along rather than getting ahead of the body.

Why is it better than the two techniques? The grip is still jammed and tight. The L-position (alive club) of the shaft promotes a high trajectory, same as conciously bringing the club up. The bad thing about the "conscious right hand bringing of the club up" is it promotes a right arm hit - rather than the desired body turning hit.

Golf Swing 101 - Details

In line with the objective of using only the big muscles and using simple moves, this is how the swing is to be executed. Essentially, the function of the body or torso (really big muscles) is to bring the club up and down; the left arm is just to stiffen up (brings the club face back to original position); the right hand is to cock the club. I call this Target Golf.

1. Employ an extreme alive grip starting at the address position. The club must be held tout (see grip section) and well balance - almost like an L at address.
2. Firm up the left arm, waggle, execute a forward press with the right knee, and bring the club up with the right hand automatically. In reality, the upswing mechanics, when done consciously is a push of the left hip towards the ball. This motion essentially is the correct movement to bring the club up because it automatically puts the left arm along the plane. In practice though, I found it hard to consciously do this - thus, I have relied on muscle memory which in turn is called and started with the forward press.
3. A positive feeling of the club already cocked and the butt pointing at the ball must be felt at the top.
4. The beginning of the downswing is characterized by the firming of the left arm and grip.
5. The hit or downswing is all the body coming back around - no hand movement at all. The arms and hands are there to just follow the body turning and guide the club head towards the ball.
6. Finish with a picture-perfect golf pose. 14Jul2015: This is essential as it squares back the "fanned" club face back, as well as, scrapes the ground and prevents a fat hit.

The Golf Swing

1. The golf swing is slow deliberate left hip push of the club head until the left arm is aligned to the plane continued by a left arm / shoulder turn along the plane, which centrifugally powers the club-head to a deliberate (two right middle fingers lifting) cock (like a waiter with a tray) at the top of the upswing. The shoulder unwinds to hit the ball on the downswing.
2. Ensure that the correct "Hogan" posture is employed. Make sure that the right leg is locked inward to prevent swaying. The left arm and the club shaft must be like one straight line at address (from the top) but angled (alive fingers) as seen from the side.
3. The right grip must be solid and angled to anticipate the waiter-with-tray position at the top. Plant the other fingers like a glove over the left grip - ala Hogan.
4. Upswing: The upswing is an "extreme" fulcrum method that feels odd and almost unbelievable. The left arm is held straight with the club shaft and at the same time the club is balanced with the two right hand middle fingers as the fulcrum and the left hand pad as the counter weight for the club (really balanced!). Remember that the right grip must be in a strong position, so that the waiter with a tray move can be executed. Start the swing by pushing the left hip towards the club head – sliding it laterally until the left arm is aligned to the plane. Centrifugally and smoothly swing the club head up with the left arm. At the same time, the left pad pushes up the club while the right two fingers assist in the cocking. With a continuous move, cock the club with the right two middle fingers visualizing a tray being brought up along the plane by a waiter. When executed correctly, the feeling of the upper body is like a page of a book flipping back and forth - repetitively! The primary purpose is to create a full shoulder turn and a deliberate, repeating swing.
5. Downswing: While the upswing winds the shoulders like a wheel, the downswing is the reverse, the wheel unwinds and the club, club head is brought to the ball by centrifugal force. This is the Ernie Els swing but may sometimes feel like the Tiger swing. There is no active hit at all. This should make the whole golf swing automatic and repeating!
6. 14Jul2015: Do not forget the picture perfect finish. This move squares back the club face to the target.
7. The same stroke goes for putting, chipping, and pitching – shoulders winds and unwinds back to the target. The alive-grip is very important on non-full swings. In putting, do not forget the left hand cradle grip to prevent fanning the putter.
   

Basic Beliefs

There are certain things that we will believe here as true - without further questioning them:

1. Hogan's plane, the imaginary plane that extends from the neck to the ball, is the key to accuracy and repetition. Further study of this should be done by reading Hogan's books. It is just believed by the author (me) that repetition and accuracy of the golf shot can only be done by knowing of or visualizing the plane during the swing. (04Sep07 - the plane from the neck to the ball is not important. Visualizing it during the swing is a handicap to one's swing improvement.)
   
2. Rhythm is the glue that binds everything. The pieces of the golf swing is practiced consciously (a piece or group at a time) but when in actual play situation, everything is left to the rhythm. The rhythm we espouse here is the rhythm of the wrist in fly-fishing. The shoulder will wind and unwind in the same rhythm as the wrist when casting the lure in fly-fishing. (04Sep07 - Rhythm is better thought of as the twisting and untwisting continuous movement.)
   
3. The use of the big muscles promotes consistency so it will be solely be employed for all golf swing techniques to be developed. Any small muscle technique will not be used nor pursued in the search of the perfect golf swing. (04Sep07 - True then and still true now.)
   
4. Accuracy and consistency is desired above distance. Accuracy first, distance last. If distance is pursued, it will be through better equiptment and/or better physical fitness - never incorporated in the swing technique. (04Sep07 - Not really ideal - distance first is better)
   
5. Simplify, simplify, simplify. The less moves, the better. Cosistency must be the result of simplicity. (04Sep07 - Definitely true)
   

Basic Objective

We can discuss almost every technique here but if we do not even swing and look like a Pro while doing it, we would never be able to swing like a Pro. So that said, the foremost objective always is to develop a swing that looks like a Pro. With the proliferation now of cheap digital cameras, I would say owning one is a must. At the very start, we should get our swing picture taken so that we can have a baseline swing to remember. By studying the baseline swing, we ourselves can figure out what is needed. Of course, one does need not a picture most of the time to know what is wrong with our swing. Even without seeing myself on a picture, I knew my problem is not being able to create a full turn (04Sep07 - Now I can say I can make a full turn. I tried and I succeeded.). I always make the excuse that my body built is just not capable of it. This is baloney.