Pitching Version 2.0

Again you will notice here elements of the "Isosceles" and "Separation" techniques at work.

Essentially pitching in general is the same technique as the full swing (see Shoulders Version 2.0). The obvious difference is the swing plane which, instead of the shoulder to the ball plane, is hands to the ball plane. Consequently, it is a flatter swing. This technique is designed for high shots with full back spin.

Here is how to do it:

1. Setup with weight favoring left side. The club is resting fully aligned with the left arm and the ball more to the right of center aligned more to the right foot.
2. Visualize the low plane - hands to ball, parallel to the shaft. Because of the "Separation of Church and State" theory, the right hand INITIATES the swing by cocking the club shaft towards the two o'clock direction and bringing the club along the low plane. Somewhere at the early part of the takeaway and as soon as the club enters the plane, the shoulders take over swaying the club along the low plane, hip high - the body turning around the vertebrae. (Read the last pointer)
   
3. Pivot (more like swaying) the body (not the shoulders since the plane is by the hips) around the hip high plane until the desired feeling (for the distance) is felt. This can be half, three quarters or partial swings - it is not necessary to go all the way.
4. Again, make sure that the turn is full as signified by getting that "enough" feeling. (Read the last pointer)
   
5. The shoulders make the hit by turning the upper body towards the ball along the hip-high plane.
6. As in putting, rhythm must be established by making a connection between the upswing and the downswing.

There are so many mentions of the plane that you must now realize it is very important. With this technique, you can open the club face and make a LOB SHOT out of this pitching technique. However, there must be a clear distinction between the plane for full shots (shoulder-high) and the plane for pitches (hip-high).

The Shoulders Swing Version 2.0

Now is the time to visualize the golf swing as hitting the ball with the shoulders - all the other parts purposely ignored. After several practices and developing the previous chapters on the "Isosceles Triangle" and the "Separation of Church and State", I realized that a few written chapters need to be modified. WORD OF CAUTION - DO NOT FORGET THAT THE MAIN INTENT IS TO MENTALLY THINK OF THE SWING AS A SHOULDER SWING - the arms and hands just automatically executes by centrifugal force. The small wheel and the big wheel concept must be junked.

Here is how to do it:

1. Standard setup for targeting purposes - feet, shoulders aligned. However, the club is resting fully aligned with the left arm - to the point that the hands rest to the right of the head (vs. directly below).
2. Feel the right thumb and forefinger wrap and resting on the club. Feel the right palm comfortably sitting on the left hand. Right fingers are not jammed towards the left fingers - it is gripping comfortably the club. The right hand will actively lift the club like a hammer towards the two o'clock direction.
3. Be consciously aware of the knee-locked right leg.
4. Firm up the left arm and hand.
5. Because of the "Separation of Church and State" theorem, the right hand INITIATES by cocking the club shaft towards the two o'clock direction. Somewhere at the early part of the takeaway, the shoulders take over finishing the up-swing. (Read no. 10)
   
6. Pivot the shoulders right locked leg until the left muscles is pulled all the way and the left shoulder is way under the chin. Of course, for half or partial swings (as in pitching) - it is not necessary to go all the way.
7. Again, make sure that the turn is full as signified by the left shoulder hitting the chin.
8. The shoulders make the hit by moving the weight and turning towards the ball.
9. The weight movement should automatically force a reverse C finish.
10. As in putting, rhythm must be established by making a connection between the upswing and the downswing.
    

I REPEAT AGAIN - DO NOT FORGET THAT THE MAIN INTENT IS TO MENTALLY THINK OF THE SWING AS A SHOULDERS SWING.

Please do not be fooled that this section may not be important. At the moment, I would say this is the most important section that I have written.

The locked knee is a crucial part of it for it maintains the body's alignment to the target. The shoulders pivots around the knee - as far as it will go. This mental change, that is, having the focus on the weight of the upper torso while swinging is very, very important.

THIS IS REALLY A VERY SIMPLE MOVE AND LEAVES YOU WITH THE FEELING THAT YOU EXECUTED TIGER'S SWING. MINUTE CHANGES TO ACCURACY IS ACHIEVED BY APPLYING THE THEORY OF THE ISOSCELES TRIANGLE.

Separation of Church and State

Like the law of separation of Church and State, there should also be a law of separation in the golf swing. First, let us identify the entities involved in golf - the big muscles and small muscles. Big muscles can be the shoulders while small muscles can be the hands. We can also refer to it as the upswing and the downswing. And the rule should be the "the muscles employed in the upswing should not be the same employed in the downswing."

The Tiger swing - a modern Hogan version?

Have you noticed Tiger's swing? It is different from most of the professional golfers. He has a delayed shoulder jerk. His swing is not a normal pendulum swing. He seem to turn slowly and at the end gives his shoulders a jeck-like movement.

I tried simulating it in the driving range but the closest I can get to it is making a pronounced weight transfer to the right - by pushing the left shoulders in until the weight is on the right and the hands fully cocked - , then making a weight transfer to the left followed by the shoulders' hit. It is hard to incorporate naturally in the swing. I think the weight shift must be transferred to the upper body and at the downswing, the upper body fires first naturally. This is hard but it does look like this is the natural progression from what I have been learning in the previous posts.

I have not had the time but I think this is like the Hogan's knee swing or Nicklaus' rolling feet tip.

Well now that we have Tiger performing his swing at any time we want to, we can practically copy his swing. Watching him at perform the slo-mo way tells me that he has simplified his swing very much. This must be why he is so accurate. Notice his body twists like a book page flipping from the spine? He is not even minding his arms or the club - he just flips his shoulders to the top and let the club find its own way to the slot.

And how about the downswing. It is just the total left side simultaneously throwing its weight to the left side . Then, of course, the delayed socket-popping hit follows.

A very simple move indeed.

At the driving range, I tried to see if I can do Tiger's opening a page upswing and a delayed weight transfer first downswing. What became apparent is this might be really the Hogan swing except Hogan just got too technical in explaining his swing. I find that at address, I can visualize the plane, start the club with a little right hand flip of the club and bring the whole left side around the spine up to the top with the shoulders and arms following the plane. Downwards is the pronounced weight shift to the left with the delayed big hit immediately following. This is the Hogan swing masquerading as Tiger's!

During another session at the driving range, I noticed by concentrating on my left knee, I was able to put the club head right into the "slot" at the top - without much effort on my brain. Hitting the ball with the same left knee seems to have delayed the hit a little bit. What is important to remember in this paragraph is by "throwing" the club head with the left knee towards the 2:00 o'clock position, it made the upswing fall easily on a "groove" and it hit the slot smoothly - thereby, promoting a complete turn at the top.

The Isosceles Triangle

Technically, the secret of the accuracy in all swings - whether it is the full swing or the putter - is to be able to return to the Isosceles Triangle at the point of impact. This explains what I discovered and presented in my last post. Let us review what an isosceles triangle is.

An isosceles triangle is a triangle with (at least) two equal sides. In the figure above, the two equal sides have length and the remaining side has length . This property is equivalent to two angles of the triangle being equal. An isosceles triangle therefore has both two equal sides and two equal angles. The name derives from the Greek iso (same) and skelos (leg).

A triangle with all sides equal is called an equilateral triangle, and a triangle with no sides equal is called a scalene triangle. An equilateral triangle is therefore a special case of an isosceles triangle having not just two, but all three sides and angles equal. Another special case of an isosceles triangle is the isosceles right triangle.

For golf, let us not dwell on the other special isosceles triangle but just the one pictured above. Picture your shoulders as the side "a" and the sides "b" as the distance of both shoulders to the ball. On the upswing, the "b" sides will no longer be equal - the left getting longer and the right getting shorter. You can test this by facing both hands together and looking how the left hand gets shorter in relation to the right hand while moving the shoulders around and the arms moving up. What happens, technically speaking, is the face of the club or putter opens up. To get it back to the square position (the isosceles triangle), one has to let the shoulders wait for the hands to catch up at the point of impact.

Have you not noticed that when you really want to hammer the ball and let the body work more - the ball slices? Yes, that is the body not waiting for the arms (the other way around - hook - is possible but usually new golfers cannot do this). Now that you know the technical stuff, let us go to the practical side.

"Putting is probably a very personal thing. It is so easy to do for everyone and you really need no skill to hammer a ball to the hole. " This is what I have said for so long a time but this just changed in the last couple of days.

Here is another fallacy I have been advocating before, "The technique follows the same intention as the full swing - use the big muscles for consistent accuracy." Well not entirely wrong in a way - this statement is correct when you think of the putt as two pieces. The first is the big muscles; the second is a rebound with the absence of the big muscles. Sounds confusing isn't it?

• First, practice how hard you far you want the ball to go.
  
• When satisfied, lay down the club with the left hand roughly square to the target, both feet together.
• Start aiming the club to the target while the right hand joins in to fully grip the club.
  
• With both hands now on the club, finish the targeting of the putter face to the target.
  
• Once satisfied and while still looking at the target, move the feet apart for the proper stance.
• Start the back swing with shoulders up to the point you previously (first bullet) practiced.
• With the shoulders relaxing, let the putter bounce back with the arms guiding it back to the target.
• The isosceles triangle is achieved at point of impact - then becomes a scalene triangle again after impact. Note that the reverse scalene triangle happened at the upswing also.
  

Getting Really Technical

I just got back from a 5 day trip to Palm Coast, Florida. I played three golf games in three consecutive days. I took pictures of my friends' swings and ask them to take my picture too. After the game, while perusing my digital camera images, it became apparent that my finish form is not that good looking. My friend has a better looking form. That was the first day. Even though I was out driving my friend and out-scored him, I decided that his form will help me improve further.

The difference between my form and his is the finish of the swing. He turns his shoulders around and stays there even at the end of the swing while I seem to be standing up erect when I finish. On the second day, I decided to put that end of the swing form into mine. Disaster. I started pushing and fading my ball to the right. Although mostly serviceable, this was a night and day difference from the previous day where my ball is going straight to my target with a slight draw at times.

This effect made me to think and figure out why. There is a similarity to my putting - when I open my shoulders during the stroke, the ball goes right. The explanation is the face of the club or putter must be striking the ball with an open face. When you think about it, this is really what is happening. If you think of your shoulders as two points of a triangle and the third point is the club head, the distance of the shoulders to the club head must remain the same for both the time of set-up and the time of the hit. Opening the left shoulder makes the distance to the ball longer while the right shoulder's distance get shorter - the effect of which is an open club face. Vice-versa can happen too but seldom.

This said and proven, I reverted back to my old form and played happily ever after. By the way, this topic has a very important implication to putting. The face of the clock should be visualized, the shoulders turning like a pendulum, the force measured by the "hours" separating the backward and forward stroke - and all successfuly implemented to be able to putt straight.

Putting

Putting is probably a very personal thing. It is so easy to do for everyone and you really need no skill to hammer a ball to the hole. This is the reason why no one will believe if I say follow this technique. What I will write here is my own, designed for me, works for me, and put in writing for me to remember.

The technique follows the same intention as the full swing - use the big muscles for consistent accuracy. It also use the grip techniques extensively. It is important to note the techniques employed here. It is like the grip I rated G-10. The right hand starts and then the focus is put on the left hand. The intent is to leave the right hand immobilized, the left hand in charge and the shoulder make the hit. Here is how I do mine.

Lay down the club with the right hand roughly square to the target. Now let the left hand cradle (literally cradle!) the club. The focus is still on the on the right hand until it is laying and sitted comfortably on the putter. Usually the right thumb should find itself on top of the flat spot of the putter grip. Now comes the finer aiming with the left hand. Once satisfied, the left hand pushes the putter head out and upwards (at around two o'clock) - the shoulder instinctively following. The forward motion is done with the turn of the shoulder.

Things to note: the big muscle is employed (shoulder); the cradle position of the left hand prevents fanning, same purpose for the full grip of the right resting on the putter grip. The last focus was on the left hand.

My major problems in putting are twofold: number one is my eyesight, I have a major case of astigmatism; second is my natural tendency to push the putter. Astigmatism is really bad because you see the ball where it is really not - your vision is distorted. I really on logical memory to sight the putter. Combine this with yips and it is disaster big time.

I am thinking of not fighting this and maybe working my handicap to my advantage. In order to do this, I will open my stance from now on. This thing works! Also, from now on, thinking the result is far more important than thinking shoulders, etc. This leaves everything to muscle memory, the ultimate golf skill! The putting procedure now should be:

• Read the putt, decide on the break, and align the ball (with line) towards the target.
• Do several practice putts to get the feel for the length of the putt that is needed. Remember to the ball rolling there.
  
• With an open (including open shoulders), align the putter lines to the line on the ball, and repeat the same practice thought - move the ball to the target spot. Note that the shoulders should have taken over.

All the above were written one year ago. It is amazing that when you find a golf secret, then you somehow also discover the key to somebody else's. Here is what I read about Lorena Ochoa how she won today the Samsung World Championship golf tournament.

"She got up this morning and went for a run and then was totally calm when she got to the golf course," said Dave Brooker, her caddie. The night before at the home of Tom and Kathy Mahoney and with the help of former Bel Air assistant pro Nick Bradley she worked on keeping her weight on her left leg during her putting stroke to avoid her tendency to lift her head back too soon and open the putter face.

Well I discovered the same thing in the past few days. My putts are going to the right because I do not stay still after I hit the ball, in effect, not following through. Another error is that I always imagine that the putter must stay square to the target when that is really impossible - it actually sends your ball to the right. If you try to push the ball to the target without a back stroke, you will know that you cannot do so with the putter face square. The putter face must close after hitting the ball - else it goes right.

The putting procedure now should be:

• Read the putt, decide on the break.
• Do several practice putts to get the feel for the length of the putt that is needed. Remember to think the ball rolling there.
• Hold the putter with the left hand and aim.
• Try (only) to keep the shoulders and feet parallel to the target line.
• Bring the putter back with the left shoulder.
• Bring the putter forward with the left shoulder and instinctively letting the putter close after impact.
• Do not look for the ball - keep the eyes rooted to where the ball was at impact.
  
• Observe how the putter face naturally closes on the follow through.
  

Divots

It is fortunate for the rich golfer who started in a country club. Here they started and practiced their golf swing on real turf. With them, they must have mimicked what they see on TV, the divots flying after every shot. Divots to them become second nature - their muscles always anticipating that dig-into-ground feeling.

Pity us poor golfers. We bought our first golf set from the "SALE" rack and can only practice the swing on a piece of carpet inside the bedroom. We even have to use the shortest club and purposely flatten the swing to avoid hitting the ceiling of the bedroom. Worse is we learned to instinctively jerked up the left shoulder after hitting the plastic ball lest we ruin our floor. It is not unusual that the Missus to find scratches on the floor and ceiling. On my case you can even find a hole in my dropped ceiling caused by the rubber trainer that is not suppose to fly out of the head of the club. I still wonder where that rubber trainer went when it created that hole. After thirty years + years, it has to be still in there.

Well it is time for me to learn to make a divot. I am still not a member of a country club so I cannot learn it from real turf. I must learn it on artificial turf in the driving range - I can afford that now... How do I do it, that is the question.

Swing Check Points - the New Testament

Check points for a total body swing:

1. Club set-up:
   
• The left hand holds the club while aiming to the target. The right hand then grips the club. Purpose: To ensure that one does not open up the shoulders while aiming.
  
• The shaft points to the left shoulder and aligned with the left arm which makes the right shoulder droop lower than the left shoulder. Purpose: This simulates the clubface allignment at the moment of impact.
• The arms are purposely held hanging straight down towards the ground, thereby, accentuating the drooping of the right shoulder plus there is a noticeable right angle created between the club and the arms. Purpose: The arms are hanged straight down and the club held almost at a right angle (almost cocked already) to promote the automatic cocking of the club. Like mentioned in the PLANE - cocking by the right hand along the plane should never be employed.
  
2. Grip: The interlocked fingers are more in. The palms are facing each other where the left hand you may think is weak and the right hand may think is strong. The hands are felt as a one solid mass. The V of the right hand is felt more - to make the cocking easier and automatic. Purpose: Not too sure - ensures against fanning the clubface at the same time having a stronger grip? Or, maybe the grip works better with the chin-to-chin technique?
   
3. Stiff right knee: The relative position of the right knee stays at right angle to the target line at all times during the backswing. Purpose: The same as the next one - accuracy and power.
4. Flat foot stance: Ensure that both feet are planted on the ground securely. The left sole and heel only lifts up when pulled by the upper body, else it stays down. Purpose: To ensure that the club comes back consistently.
5. Plane: DO NOT USE WHATSOEVER. Purpose: Shanks can easily happen when visualizing of the plane. Just stick to the chin-to-chin technique. However, although it is not conciously employed with this technique, the roundhouse swing of the shoulders functions the same way.
   
6. Chin-to-chin: The left shoulder pushes the whole club away into a roundhouse motion until the left shoulder hits the chin. Then the roundhouse motion is brought down, around and through the ball - without stopping until the right shoulder hits the chin. Purpose: to make a complete pendulum swing for power and consistency.
   

Swing Check Points - In the beginning...

1. The flail, the flail.
   
2. Club set-up: The club shaft points to the left shoulder and aligned with the left arm. Purpose: This simulates the clubface allignment at the moment of impact
3. Grip: The thumb and foreginger pinches the shaft "actively" with the feeling that the club is to be taken initially by the hands toward the two o'clock position and eventually along the swing plane until the upper body is flexed. Purpose: To ensure that the hands start the swing and the clubface is not fanned open.
   
4. Plane: The hands points at the bottom of the plane and takes the club head toward the two o'clock position and along the plane. Purpose: For fine targeting and accuracy.
5. The left shoulder pushes the clubface along the target line at the start of the swing. Purpose: For accuracy - the proof is in the putt (use left shoulder also to bring the putter back).
   
6. Coiled Upper Body - Upswing: The hands and arms bring the club up until the upper body is coiled to the maximum. Purpose: To make sure that shoulders are fully coiled and the power transferred to the upper body. This is the upswing of the flail technique so "feel" the flail with the left shoulder!
   
7. Flat foot stance: Ensure that both feet are planted on the ground securely. The left sole and heel only lifts up when pulled by the upper body, else it stays down. Purpose: To ensure that the club comes back correctly and to maximize coiling of the upper body - for power.
8. Stiff right knee: The relative position of the right knee stays at right angle to the target line at all times during the backswing. Purpose: The saem as no. 5 - accuracy and power.
9. Coiled upper body - Downswing: Once the hands and arms have coiled the upper body, an entwined power is felt, and that coiled feeling is the one that hits the ball. Purpose: Delayed hit. This is the flail hitting the ball so "feel" the failing done by the left shoulder.
   
10. Reverse C: The coiled feeling is imagined as going around and through the ball - which imparts more power. The right shoulder is way in front of the left shoulder at the finish position. Purpose: P-O-W-E-R.
    

Flat Footed Golfer?

With the golfer image that we always see on TV, we tend to imitate it so closely that we tend to pose like a golfer. One of the things I am sure I am guilty of is raising the left foot because that is how the pros look at the top of their swing - the left heel raised. But have we stopped and thought about how the pros got to that position? I "pose" to that position but the pros' left heel was pulled to that position - the difference is that they have the muscle tension but mine is just for show - no valid tension (in golf parlance) at all.

Maybe, for the neophytes in golf like me, we should just stay flat-footed on our backswing and let the tension happen by itself. As matter of fact, this flat-foot rule can be elevatedt to the same stutus as the rigid-right knee rule. Let us try this out for now.

Practicing the Shoulders Swing

You know that finshing your backswing is integral to hitting good shots. Yet pressure and impatience make it one of the first fundamentals you forget (the real problem is time - you tend to forget over time - in weeks - and the shoulders get lazy and the arms take over). First your backswing gets short, then your transition gets quick, and suddenly solid contact is elusive (and you start shanking!). This creates a nasty cycle: the more your ball striking deteriorates, the more you shorten and quicken your swing to compensate.

When something goes wrong, check your full backswing first. Your entire swing should feel long and slow, powerful but almost effortless. To make sure the backswing does't get short, Freddie Couples practices hitting shots without it. Instead of addressing the ball, start at the top of the swing, hold it for a few seconds, and then swing through. Hitting a few dozen balls this way not only helps your body get more comfortable with a full backswing position, it's a good way to work on your downswing timing and hand-eye coordination.

The Shoulders Swing

Now is the time to visualize the golf swing as hitting the ball with the shoulders - all the other parts purposely ignored. After several practices, I realized that this really works. And in the process, I learned quite a few other things. WORD OF CAUTION - DO NOT FORGET THAT THE MAIN INTENT IS TO MENTALLY THINK OF THE SWING AS A SHOULDER SWING - the arms and hands just automatically executes by centrifugal force. At the same time, the small wheel and the big wheel concept must be employed.

Here is how to do it:

1. Standard setup for targeting purposes - feet, shoulders aligned. However, the club is resting fully alined with the left arm - to the point that the hands rest to the right of the head (vs. directly below).
2. The small wheel in motion: Feel the right thumb and forefinger wrap and resting on the club. Feel the right palm comfortably sitting on the left hand. Right fingers are not jammed towards the left fingers - it is gripping comfortably the club. The right hand will actively lift the club like a hammer towards the plane of the big wheel (Hogan's plane).
   
3. Be consciously aware of the knee-locked right leg.
4. Firm up the left arm and hand.
   
5. Shoulders is push towards the ball and bring the club head along the path it will take on the downswing making sure that the (small wheel) right hand cocks the club shaft fully along the (now merged small wheel, big wheel) plane.
   
6. Pivot the shoulders around the right locked leg until the left muscles is pulled all the way. Of course, for half or partial swings - it is not necessary to go all the way
7. Again, make sure that the right hand fully cock the club shaft along the plane at the top (small wheel).
   
8. The shoulders make the hit by moving the weight and turning towards the ball.
9. The weight movement should automatically force a reverse C finish.
   

I REPEAT AGAIN - DO NOT FORGET THAT THE MAIN INTENT IS TO MENTALLY THINK OF THE SWING AS A SHOULDERS SWING.

Please do not be fooled that this section may not be important. At the moment, I would say this is the most important section that I have written.

The locked knee is a crucial part of it for it maintains the body's alignment to the target. The shoulders pivots around the knee - as far as it will go. This mental change, that is, having the focus on the weight of the upper torso while swinging is very, very important.

AGAIN, AFTER SETTING UP WITH THE DOMINANT LEFT HAND, THE SHOULDERS PUSHES THE CLUBHEAD ALONG THE DESIRED PATH TO THE TOP (COCKING OF THE CLUB). THEN THE SHOULDERS PULL DOWN AUTOMATICALLY TO THE BALL WITH THE LEFT ARM GUIDING DOMINANTLY THE CLUBHEAD TO THE BALL AND THEN AROUND TO A C FINISH.

THIS IS REALLY A VERY SIMPLE MOVE AND LEAVES YOU WITH THE FEELING THAT YOU EXECUTED TIGER'S SWING. IT IS CONSISTENTLY ACCURATE ALSO.

Together at Last, Small Wheel, Big Wheel and Shoulders' Swing

The small wheel and big wheel concept is only the beginning. It is an integral part of learning the full swing but they are just parts of the real swing. They must be melded together to produce the correct full swing. But let this be a warning to all, the small wheel concept must never be forgotten. As a matter of fact, it should be always be a part of the warm up routine - to let the hands know that they are suppose to take an active part in hitting the ball. But why don't I have a warning for the big wheel? Because the small wheel becomes a part of the big wheel and the big wheel becomes the full and correct swing. It becomes the correct swing only when the big wheel incorporates the essence of the small wheel. When both are employed with the shoulders make the hit (see the Shoulders Swing section), then you got the correct swing mechanics.

Let me repeat. The cocking of the right wrist is the center of the small wheel. The cocked wrists hits the ball like a hammer. The big wheel is the like the Hogan plane. It is the wheel where the neck is the center and the shoulders (particularly the left shoulder) acts as the prominent trigger that do the backswing and the forward swing.

The objective of the left shoulder is to push towards the ball and turn the body pulling the left side muscles as much as possible. In the process, the right hand ensures that the small wheel becomes melded to the plane (of the big wheel) by making sure the wrists cocks fully with its plane melded to the plane of the big wheel. While the left shoulders is twisting the body, the eyes are sensing and making sure that the club is set fully by the right hand at the correct slot (along the plane). When this is done fully, then the shoulders start the untwisting motion (downswing) to hit the ball automatically.

This section takes too much for granted. Details should gotten by reading again the section of the wheels and the shoulders swing sections.

Big wheel, small wheel

Here is what I learned while studying the Carlos Franco's (see previous posting) chipping technique. The chipping swing must consists of two wheels, the big and the small wheel. The attention is on the small wheel and this is the one that imparts the back spin. I never thought about a two wheeler swing before - I wonder what this will do to a full swing?

What will further testing show? A lot! First, it revealed the techical explanation on how professionals can put a spin on the ball to be able to back it up. Second, and foremost, I realized that I am missing this in my swing techniques.


Chipping I think is the best way to show how to do this technique. Let us learn how to lob a ball. On the address position, keep the clubface open. Break your wrist backward, yes backward. Now slide the clubface under the ball with the left hand. See the difference?


Now let us go incorporate this "back-hand" with all our swing, including putting. Let us see what happens. I think this will add distance to my game...

This is the way to play the normal golf swing using this technique:

• On the setup, make sure that the position of the arms, hands and club shaft is almost straight and it is in the hitting position at the moment of impact. If this is followed correctly, the hands will appear a little left of the chin position.
  
• Start the swing by starting the small wheel. This is done by breaking the right wrist backward toward the two o'clock position. The feeling is also the motion goes in the direction of where the thumb and forefinger presses together - which I should remember easier than describing it.
• The small wheel will start the rolling of the big wheel and will end only when the feeling of tightness is encountered.
• The start of the foreward swing is the automatic rebound of the bound muscles. The body shifts the weight to the left.
  
• The hit is automatically done by the hands when the body and the arms are already at the hitting zone - all the power on the left leg already.
  

Lob Chip to Putting to Hammer

The title of this section is not indicative of its importance in the total realm of the golf swing. You must consider the mechanics employed here as the same mechanics for the full swing. Having said that, let us start.

The lob chip is so difficult to execute that if the mechanics are not recognized correctly, it cannot be done consistently accurate. The main secret is the grip, which the hub of the little swing (vs. neck for full swing), and the direction of the break of the right wrist.

Let us talk about the hub of the chip (or putting). If the neck will sway or bob while you are executing your full swing, you will never hit a straight shot consistently. You may even entirely whif the ball. That is the very reason why all golf instructions emphasizes the stillness of the head on the golf swing. Now, bring the concept to the chip and putting. You cannot make the hub of both these little movements be the neck also, should you? I know this goes contrary to what I have been saying from the very start but this revelation only got started because of what I learned from Carlos France (see GHO section).

With the chip and putting, the golf plane is really a small wheel with the hub as the clasp hands. The object of that little swing is keep that hub or the hands very still. Of course, not to the point of restricting the movement.

If you do this, you will notice that to move the club head or putter head away from the ball, you naturally will have to break your wrist backward. Upon a lot of repetitions of this movement- the breaking of the wrist and while keeping the hands almost dangling over the ball - you will notice that the effective and consistent flip of the right wrist is like a small cocking (as in full swing) which effective moves the right clasp hands throwing the club to the 2:00 o'clock position (hey, this was mentioned in the full swing way back in some chapters of this blog!).

Now, here is the important effect of this method in putting: You do not have to control the direction of the backswing and forward motion of the putter - it is automatic. The only thing you have to worry about is the direction and the distance. Again, this is the secret to putting. If you noticed in the other chapter, I referred to this as Tiger's secret. At that time, I was not able to really comprehend why it was working (sometimes). It was really keeping the center of the little swing or plane as immobile as possible.

Here is the putting mechanics that work for me now. Remember the object is to keep the hub as close as possible where it started - dangling under your chin.

1. At address (which is very open for me), align the club perpendicular to the line of target.
2. The right thumb must rest on top of the flat portion of the grip and must be welded tightly together with the forefinger.
3. Break the right wrist backwards, like hammering a nail, towards the 2:00 o'clock position or towards the center of the bound two fingers above. In other words, towards where it will normally break if you are hammering a nail.
   
4. While executing the above, make sure that the clasped hands (hub or center) stay as much as possible to the same spot, intentionally making that perimeter (club head) of the little circle (plane) as small as possible.
5. The downswing is done by the left hands.
6. After the ball, ensure a smooth follow through without regard to the hub any longer.

What am I saying here - that a hammer swing or putting is the correct way? Unbelievably, I must eat my words. The hammer is a part of the small wheel of the plane. There is a big wheel and small wheel and the hammering motion is done by the small wheel. Mea culpa, mea culpa.

Watch out, you may cry out of joy! This will make you a very accurate putter. Ten footers will be nothing after this. The chip is executed the same way.

Greater Hartford Open

Yesterday, Wednesday, June 28, 2006, I was invited to go to the Greater Hartford Open, aka, Buick Championship Open. Next year, I was told that it will be Travellers Greater Hartford Open - or something close to it. It was the Pro-Am day so we were allowed to take pictures. And pictures I took a lot. As a matter of fact I took a lot of multi-burst photos on my digital camera. It would really help if I try to learn what I have seen.

Well here is one that I noticed. I stayed for a while just admiring the view of the 18th hole on my left and looking at all the professionals in the driving range on my right. After a while of seeing the professionals hit balls, it hit me too! All of them are finishing like a statue at the end of their swing, fully on their left side facing the target. Some are motionless more than the rest but really very different from us mortals. I resolved to do this from now on.

I moved on to the practice chipping area. Carlos Franco caught my eye. He was trying to tell somebody how he was doing what he was doing. You must have an idea what is going on. This is a green where all the professionals are chipping on. When I say chipping, they are really not chipping in my sense of the word but actually lobbing the ball near the hole and stopping it. Carlos Franceo seems to have a very pronounced wrist style. With the same (looks to me) swing, he can lob the ball straight up in the air and land the ball by the hole and stop it with a plenty of spin; or make the ball go very low, but land by the hole and stop it the same way with plenty of spin. You can tell by the reaction of the ball when it lands, the ball looks like a braking car. That guy really knows a lot more than the other professionals out there who seem to have a cookie-cutter method. You can tell he uses his wrists more than others. It is pronouncely cocked more at impact and stays open for lofted shots; but rolls around more for the low brake shots.

One thing everybody has is the very thin and lofted club. It looks thinner when they lay it by the ball. Everybody opens the face for this shot. One, John Engrel, a lefty, was so close to me that I even asked his name. The openness of the clubface seems to depend on how far he was going to land the ball - very open if the hole he was aiming was closeby and a little close when he is aiming at a farther hole.

A friend who was with me said he is going to learn that kind of chipping. I told him that when we see each other again (hopefully while playing golf), we are going to compare notes on who got to learn better.

Before I end this topic, one thing common that every professional is doing in the range or in the chipping area is - they dig down into the ground. I can tell so in the chipping area; more so at the sand trap by the chipping green. Their hands are not woozie looking - the club going through the grass makes a statement every time - every time.

Well, a day later after a trip to the driving range and trying to execute what I have seen during my trip to the GHO. In order to come out with a picture perfect finish and be able to hit the ball with an wide open face club, I had to do two things: 1) Make sure the right wrist is fully cocked before initiating the hit; 2) The hit is done with the firm left hand and by the body turnaround and weight transfer to the left side. It is like a right hand, left hand routine!

The Slow Mo Loop at the End of the Swing

Did you ever wonder how Michelle Wie and some other good golfers have that slow motion loop of the club at the end of their swing? The swing is usually so fast but at the end, there usually is a slow motion of the club wrapping around their neck. Is this a mannerism or a result of certain mechanics that they employ but not discernable? I believe that when the left hand is used to slap the ball like Hogan, the slow-mo finish is the result.

I am making this a section by itself to emphasize that this is a key part of the swing. I can include it in the preceding section but it might get lost as a minor point, considering all the other major points in that section.

The Right Middle Fingers - Secret of the Very Few

Wonder why there are only a few pros at the top? Because only a very few knows the relationship of a full swing and a putter stroke. Most are applying, often times unconciously, the correct use of the right middle fingers but are not aware of its importance. Hogan never found it. Tiger did. How would you know who are aware of this? They have to be one of the best drivers and at the same time best putters of the golf ball. Nicklaus, employed it but I doubt if he was aware that he is doing it. Only Tiger probably realized the connection of the middle fingers to all facets of ball striking.

Remember I often write about the right knee and how important for it not to twist (locked knee) on the upswing to avoid swaying? That right knee controls the upper body (or the orientation of the shoulders to the target) from changing its orientation to the target. I would say that keeping the right knee locked during the swing is the number one rule in the golf swing. It limits the spray pattern of your balls (smaller controlled pattern) so as to make you be able to appreciate your game. When you apply the locked knee, you are more or less in control - you can actually apply "course management" because you, in a sense, knows where your ball is going.

But what is this secret that separated the boys from the men - the second most important rule in golf? The right middle fingers! Hogan was never a good putter (he had the yips) so I can say he never found the secret. Let me explain further... But before I do, let us not forget that this works only when shoulders swing the club, as in my previous posting.

How is it executed? On the upswing (shoulders turning - not body), you have to feel the middle fingers (the tip part after the knuckles) acting like a claw pulling the club to the right and UP and around, as it follows the turning shoulders. (The tuning shoulders should follow the 2 o'clock path as it turns upwards since this is essential to initializing the inside out path.) At the top when the shoulders cannot move any longer, the two middle fingers bring the club up some more until the upper body is so coiled that it cannot go any longer at the top. This position will be the same every time, the "slot". At this moment, the upper body is about to explode. Just let it... it will come back to the ball the same way it left it with an inside-to-out path.

How does this technique work and why does it help? The answer is this technique forces the club face to come back to the ball, not only the same angle at set-up, but comes back in an inside to outside path. This tendency promotes accuracy. However, due to the action of the middle fingers forcing the club to set at the top consistently at the same slot, it also ensures a repeating swing. Be aware that the way the club left the ball on the upswing is the way it will come back on the downswing.

How would one know that he has executed the correct movements? When correctly done, upon the release of the shoulders (downswing), you will feel that the club is righting itself accurately towards and past the ball. You will have that feeling that the club did it all. However, if you cannot still get it, buy a weighted trainer club, something heavy. Once you start swinging with an extra heavy iron clubhead, when not done correctly, you will notice that your left hand arm muscles is working too much to straighten the club face towards the imagined ball (I do this in my cathedral ceiling bedroom). The inverse is the right way - when no effort is done and the heavy club rights the club face automatically and the path is a very definite inside out, then you got it.

Why did I say Hogan did not get it? Because he never learned how to putt like Tiger Woods. Tiger is the one that started to make 20 footers easy. Before, pros usually are expected to miss when it goes beyond the range of six foot. But Tiger started making those ten footers easy. The secret is the same. You must feel that the putter is being moved by the shoulders and the right middle fingers only helping to claw the handle back and up slightly (pendulum) - the shoulders putts the ball. In that little instant and short distance, a mini version of the full swing is executed - the pendulum-claw action forces an automatic, repeating, and accurate putting technique.

The Takeaway

My problem in golf ever since I can remember is the takeaway. I do not fucking know how to bring the club up. While I was in the Philippines last February, one of my nephews who is supposed to be really good in golf gave us a little golf clinic. What he showed us is to bring the club from address to the side and when it is pointing to your right side, he said, isn't it easier to bring the club up when it is already aligned with your shoulders. One thing this clinic showed me is the plane he is showing. It is not like a glass from the shoulders to the ball (like Hogan's) but a plane from the shoulders to the grip (or hands at rest).

Today I went to the driving range to apply what my nephew taught me. The takeaway he taught was a lot better that my old one and it definitely adds more distance. However, there was still that jerkiness in it.

I tried a variation which seems to be perfect. I think this golf season, I will try to feel the body in the takeaway and downswing - ala Tiger Woods.

• I changed the grip to the inter-lock to remind myself that this is an upper body swing.
  
• Also, I made sure that the grip with the fingers is a little solid - in order that the club will swing the same every time - no loosiness.
• The left knee (going 2:00 o'clock) pushes everything in one solid motion.
• At the top, the feeling is that the upper body cannot twist anymore.
• The upper body swings down and through.
  

Pitch and Putt

Pitching in golf is learning the in between shots, in contrast to the full shots. It usually refers to golf shots around and inside the 100 yards range. However, I believe once this is mastered, one will also acquire the skill to use all clubs without executing the full shots - shots you need most of the time for windy situations.

The technique to be followed here is the one expoused by David Toms - a low trajectory body only shot that skips twice and stops on its tracks.

The procedure here is:

• Usual routine full shot should be employed. In addition, make sure about the target spot, how far it is. Visualize how the ball will land, brake and trickle into the hole.
  
• Practice the shot first - decide on the shot (one fourth, half, or three fourth). Tighten the left arm; make sure the alive grip is ready; make a full cock and
  
• Turn around (to the finish position) let the club hit the ball by the forward motion of the body.
• Imagine the "result" not the technique.
• Do not forget the ice cream scooping motion (see chipping section also) which will prevent skulling or chilli dipping mistakes.
  

A lot of practice is still needed to get to know the distances between the clubs and the trajectories. So practice and measure, practice and measure, practice and measure.

One very important thing to remember (same as in chipping and putting) is that the left arm brings back the club but the body brings it forward. Proceed to learn chipping.

Common Denominator: Pitch, Chip, and Putt

There is a common basic swing technique between the pitch, the chip and the putt. (This is true for full swings too) This common technique is the essence of chipping - without knowing this, you will never be able to fly your chipping softly or make them run at will. What I am saying here is even though they are the same for all the three, chipping is really where you know you cannot get around without it. Once learned, you will know how crucial this technique is. The test to know for sure that you have learned the technique is when you are capable of the chip-lob shot. This chip is the one where the club head passes under the ball before it (the ball) can come down.

Essentially, this technique follows one rule (this was mentioned somewhere else): the backswing is the left hand, the forward swing is the body turning around. In short, the hit is always done with the body - always, no exception. The motion of the backswing is like a reverse scooping of ice cream by the right hand (remember the left hand is the prime mover). The forward swing is like scooping the ice cream forward and throwing (with the body and arms) the ice cream (ball) to the target spot. This ice cream scooping motion makes it easy to come back to the ball without skulling it (or chilli dipping).

To learn this easier, start with the pitching section first of this blog. Try to learn how the technique is done in pitching. One learned, then go to the chipping section. Last is the putting section.

Note: this topic is huge and I am not done yet explaining the whole thing. This will include update of the other sections - pitches, chips and putting.

After a long lay-off, Disaster!

Well living in the northeast USA one has to contend with laying off the club for a few months. It a good thing that I can afford to travel down to Orlando with the family and enjoy (not true) golf in between trips accompanying the grandkids to the, what else, Disney World.

What a disaster! I thought I know the secret of golf already - the knees - but after a long lay-off, the muscle memory is no memory no more! Military golf takes over - left right, left right...

It is wonderful that I started this blog. Now I have to use it myself and read again what I have written so my body will replenish the muscle memory banks again. Golf is indeed a journey, an annual journey in my case.

Upon reading the whole blog again and comparing my recollections of my latest adventure in golf, the number one culprit that destroyed my game is probably the left hand and left arm losing the golf muscles built in by last year's constant golf. The winter months have weakened my left arm and left wrist to point that my right hand was taking over in the grip, the hit, almost everything. Lucky you lefties (playing rightie golf), winter months must be your recuperation months while us righties degrades. I hope God remembers and balances this out somehow.