The golf unification secret - Left and then right!

(make sure you read the progression of changes (shown by dates) to the original thesis)

ACTUALLY, THE SECRET OF THE SWING IS THE LEFT WRIST FLICKING THE CLUB UP AND THE SHOULDERS FINISHING THE MOMENTUM THE FULL BACK SWING UP TO SLOT (COILED UPPER BODY IS NECESSARY) WITH THE LEFT ARM KEPT STIFF. THE SHOULDERS AGAIN UNCOILS DOWNWARD AND THE RIGHT HAND/ARM ASSISTING AT IMPACT. One can imagine this as the roped arms of Hogan but that mental picture may let one erroneously conclude that all the three - shoulders, left arm and right arm - are all important but they are not. Only the two, left arm and shoulders are important. IT IS EQUALLY IMPORTANT THAT THE ALIVE GRIP IS PERFORMED (FOR EASE OF THE WRIST FLICK ALSO) - MEANING THE FULL COCKING IS NECESSARY. IN OTHER WORDS, THE L ADDRESS OR EARLY COCK IS ESSENTIAL FOR ME. ELSE I SHANK.

Now why is the the golf unification secret? It is because the shoulder turn, the stiff left arm and the right hand assist is the essence of every golf swing - putt, chip, pitch, half swing and full swing.

Let us talk about putting. Once the body has been set up, the only thing to do is perform the "mechanical" move. With a stiff left arm, the shoulders brings the putter back as low as possible. In putting the shoulders do not initiate the hit - it is all right hand bringing the putter face forward. However, it is still shoulders back and right hand hits. TO MAKE THE PUTT HOOK OR GO STRAIGHT (NOT PUSHED), THE BACKSWING SHOULD ALIGN TO THE SHAFT'S PLANE. 11/25/2010: Remember to incorporate the AJ technique (baseball club) - let the face open and right hand slap afterwards.

In chipping, it is exactly like putting. However the shoulders pulls the club forward and the right hand follows and assists.

All the others (pitch, half swing, full swing) is the same except the cocking is done early with the "alive" grip and the shoulders are turned until the upper body is coiled. This coiled feeling is the power behind the golf swing.

11/25/2010: Maximizing spin on chips and pitches? Keeping the club low at back swing and forward swing and apply the AJ technique (still has to proven).

In order to have a standard stroke as I have learned in putting (shoulders first then right hand hits), the right hand must hit also. This is necessary in all shots, chipping up to full shots. However, this is only can be done if the backswing is coiled at the top and the forward swing is initiated by pulling the body towards the ball and the L cock performed. The right hand only comes in just before impact and at the same time the weight is transferred to the left foot. REMEMBER, THE LEFT WRIST FLICK STARTS THE VOYAGE OF THE CLUB WHILE THE ROPED FEELING OF THE CHESTS BRINGS IT UP TO THE DESIRED SLOT. THE ROPED FEELING OF THE CHEST ALSO PULLS THE CLUB BACK AS HARD AS DESIRED TOWARDS THE CLUB AND BEYOND.

16Jun2010: Instead of the flick of the left wrist, use the alive grip to send the club to start the centrifugal force up. It makes is easier to get a full cocking which is needed for a longer ball.

17Jun2010: The secret of the flick is the alive grip alright but it works like this. The right forefinger cradles the club while the left hand pad pushes the club grip downward. At the same time the left shoulder pushes down and around to start the body centrifugal force upwards. I hope I remember the feeling because this explanation is not exact. The shoulders then twist as much as possible and the down stroke is automatic. The chip is in the pudding - the same technique should be followed.

22Jun2010: Alive grip is correct but the one move that is really necessary and needed is the cocking of the club done by pushing the pad and the pulling right hand middle fingers. It is not the grip but the resulting extreme cocked back swing.

23Jun2010: Important Point to learn: arms and hands do not actively work in this type of swing. WARNING: DO NOT USE THE RIGHT HAND TO GAIN DISTANCE. AT THE MOST, USE THE LEFT ARM AND WRIST ONLY. REMEMBER THAT HOGAN IS A NATURAL LEFTY AND HE MAY BE ADVOCATING THE RIGHT HAND USE BUT THAT IS BECAUSE IT IS IMPOSSIBLE FOR HIS RIGHT TO OVER POWER HIS LEFT (LEFT SIDE OR LEFT HAND).

1. How can I stay on my left side after the hit? Of course, uncoil the shoulders towards the ball, moving to the left at the same time.
2. How do can I consistently use my shoulders to uncoil to the ball? Use the shoulders "only" to bring back the club to the top. Start to push the club head with the left shoulder and keep on coiling up to the end.
3. What happens to the cocking of the hands? Using the alive grip at setup, once the left shoulder push starts, start also the left pad push and the right middle fingers pull.
4. Is there a different feeling with this swing? Yes, at the top you will feel coiled and also feel that there is nothing else to do but uncoil to hit the ball. The arms and hands are just pulled by the uncoiling shoulders.

2Jul2010: Tiger Swing

1. Forearms stiff but springy, directly dropping down.
2. Stiff springy wrists forming almost an L with the arms and club
3. Alive grip forming a solid grip - firmly holding the club above the ground. The last three left finger in command.
4. The feeling of the whole body and arms is tight but springy.
5. The left shoulder goes down toward the ball but immediately the focus changes to the left arm tightening the upper body twist along the plane.
6. Weight transfers to the left and the club is pulled along the path of the plane toward and past the ball.
7. Full left side finish.
8. Objective was to have a simple twist back and twist forward. No other mental thought is intended - just pure mechanical action. The body feels like a robot - firm and simple move.
9. If done correctly, the right arm muscles becomes like a wall that stops the club from cocking lamely. There is a strong tightness of the right side muscles which forces the turning of the shoulders more - but the effect on the downswing is brutal. 11/25/2010: Watch out - this may have caused my back pain. Do not try to force this move to stretch the muscle - bad thing to do. MAY EVEN END YOUR GOLFING DAYS!
10. One more thing, when the alive grip is taken, it is forgotten afterwards, only awareness of shoulder turning is left consciously in the mind - the "roped" feeling of the arms is put in automatic mode.
    
11. 25Nov2010: In addition, as learned recently from my vacation at Orlando, incorportate the AJ technique to everything, putting, chipping, pitches and full shots - especially the drives. Take care that you do not over-do the pronation, shoulders must still be aligned with the target line. Try to remember how it is done with putting - a push of the shoulder that opens up the putter head slightly, then the slap of the putter by the right hand back to the ball.
12. AJ technique - let the club open and slap it back. This is the same as Hogan's pronation and supination teaching except Hogan did not emphasize it as AJ. For full shots, the shoulders push the clubhead away, allowing purposely to let the club face to open, and then coming back with the whole weight in the attemp to slap back the ball - AJ style (remember the AJ bat style club?).
13. The grip must be solid - not left hand or right hand domination. The last left three finger must be holding the club. The alive grip employed - left pad pushing down, right middle fingers pulling up.
14. The arms must be tight - forming a roped feeling - together with the L-forming solid alive grip.
15. VERY IMPORTANT - ESPECIALLY FOR 3 WOOD USE. Make sure that the club at the top (even waiting for it is good) is fully cocked by the right middle fingers. This ensures a solid descending hit on the three wood club - else, you top the ball most of the time. It seems that I tend to hit faster and not letting the full cocking happen at the top. Most clubs will allow this but the three wood would not. Further effects of the full cocking should be tested in the future and posted here.
16. Start cocking with the left hand and expect the best swing ever.

Deliberate swing with hips, firm grip and centrifugal force

When swinging by ROTATING the hips, it makes it possible to create a no nonsense swing. Every move by the body and the club is deliberate, nothing wasted that is not planned or anticipated. Basically, what I am trying to say here is the swinging of the club by centrifugal force, started by the ROTATING hips, create (eventually) a deliberate repetitive swing.

What we want to accomplish is the ROTATION done the same every time.

Remember when you set-up, firm grip, firm arms and use the ROTATION of the hips to create the centrifugal force to swing the club up. This swing has been tested in the driving range. 8 iron, 3 wood, driver - all going straight.

BUT THE MOST IMPORTANT ROTATION OF THE HIPS - TURNING LIKE A CHAIR RIDE IN THE PARK - CREATES THE CENTRIFUGAL FORCE TO SWING THE CLUB AROUND AND UP THE SLOT. THE HIPS IS ROTATED AROUND IN A RHYTHMIC WAY WITH THE FULL INTENTION OF MAKING IT (THE HIPS NOT THE CLUB) BOUNCE BACK! THEN IT BOUNCES BACK ROTATING AGAIN AS FAR AS IT WILL GO WITHOUT REGARD TO WHERE THE BALL IS. IN THE PROCESS THE WEIGHT TRANSFERS BACK TO THE RIGHT FOOT AND BOUNCES FORWARD TO THE LEFT FOOT AND EVENTUALLY STAYS THERE WITH A NICE HIGH FINISH.

4-10-2010: In addition, it is very important that a firm solid grip is employed, with the left three last fingers in command, the left pad pushing the club down using the right two middle fingers as a fulcrum - MENTALLY, the club head is pushed upward by the left hip (as in the previous paragraph) into the slot - UNTIL A FULL COCKING IS ACHIEVED. The downswing is done by the hips but the main thing here is the club is fully held by the hands firmly downwards - in total control at all times. You can test this by going slow motion with the hit - should hit the ball straight. The reason why the hands must be solidly in command is that using the hips as the hitting mechanism, going around with the body should just bring the club head squarely to the ball if it is being held firmly in the same position. Finally, without really writing about it, we are assuming that the arms have that tied up feeling also. It logically must be there to be able to say that the grip is firm.

FEELING: When all is said and about to be done (the swing), it must not be forgotten that the main thing is we are launching the clubhead like a satellite into orbit. More specifically, the feeling must be like bringing up the clubhead like a yoyo up and away until it pulls the hips and can no longer turn. The downward feeling is the reverse, the hips pulling the yoyo down towards the ball and the SMACK - the STIFF left ARM and left THREE FINGER grip and BACKHAND is PULLED by the HIPS towards the ball. This is what is felt and done.

At the end, the main thing to concentrate on is having a full tightened hip turn BACK SWING. Forget the FORWARD swing. It happens AUTOMATICALLY without the need of thinking.

12May2010: In order to get a stronger swing, roll the left foot Clark. To accomplish this, make the stance with the two feet just below the shoulders, like Hogan said. In addition, make sure the weight is on the heels of the both feet - not the balls toward the toes.

18May2010: SOMETHING NEW! The weight on the heels works. Remember this. Also, the extreme "alive" grip works with the heels very well. The two sets up nicely for a stance that becomes like my putting technique - meaning just worry about the heels, bring up the club with the left hip and the extreme "alive" grip (the left pad pushes down, the right middle two fingers pull up) and FINISH the back swing. BUT WAIT, SOMETHING HAPPENED WHILE DOING THIS. THE CLUB AT THE TOP BECAME SO COCKED THAT THE TIGHTENED BODY AND THE LEFT ARM CAN JUST PULL IT DOWN - with a bang TO THE BALL!

Yes, the swing is all done by the hips

Start with the hips and end with the hips? Yes I can.

The above statement was posted on Oct.1, 2009 and meant to be a memory aid on what I was working on before (which was very promising).

I believe if golf instructions can be sorted by how basic it is, I believe this will be most basic-est!


Here is what I am working on now and found to be working.

1. The grip is mostly the last three fingers of the left hand. Emphasis is placed on deactivating the left thumb from lifting the club; it is the pad of the palm that essentially supports the club. All the others are just going for the ride - you may say. TRUE.

2. The left waist bone is the total or all-encompassing inertia driver of the whole swing. It pushes the club to the slot at the top of the swing. Once the top is reached by feeling the armpit close then... the left waist bone pulls the club around to a reverse finish. No conscious hitting effort by any other muscle.
Again, every body part only goes for the ride to the top! MAYBE.

3. All other techniques are the same as taught by other golf gurus. NOT TRUE.

4. Found out in the Philippines and noted by the lady caddy that I was stopping my lower body rotation in an attempt to throw the club at the ball. This is wrong. The turning of the hips (waist) is continuous and is the hitting portion of the golf swing.

5. Because of no. 4, it resulted in the realization that the set-up of the club face and the rest (grip, hands, arms, club shaft angle) is done initially and forgotten at the start of the swing. After this set-up, the mind is totally just thinking of going around the ball - with the hips as the hitting source! The thinking is not hitting the ball but going around with the hips and through the ball.