The Cocking Is Not Part of the Swing

Why is the 8 iron the worst club in my bag?  Because it is the club that I at times I hit the ball with the toe.

And what would eliminate this weakness?  Weakness it is but it should be my special club from now on.  It is because of this club and the ensuing tendency to toe the ball that I spent time to study the cause.  Well the cause may be a little bit too hard to explain but the cure is easier.  What is needed is a full cock, closer to extreme cock of the left wrist.  As a matter of fact, this explains why I cannot hit long any more.  I can no longer hit a solid shot.  This full cocking delays the hit and imparts spin.

It should be noted that the cocking should be done by the left shoulder.  Don't ask why, just do it! However, more important is how to bring the club to the top. Forget the plane.  The club is is brought up by the right hand. The right hand bends at the wrist backwards in the same path as the fold created by the thumb and forefinger. The bending creates the extreme cocking... automatically!

19JUL2014:  Further experimentation of the right hand cock made me to conclude that:

1. Cocking is done by bending the right hand squarely backwards at the wrist.  It is not an upward motion but straight backwards from the wrist.
2. The backward move of the right hand is really not part of the basic swing.  It's main function is to shape the shot.  It can face more upwards to the sky to create a divot.  It can go low to create the low hugging shots or it can be a full cock to create more spin.
3. One thing sure is the swing or hitting the ball is fully done by the shoulders after the cocking has been executed.  Once the cock is set, the left shoulder takes over, bring the club up and bring the club down to hit the ball.  The cock just comes for the ride.

The secret of the tight roped forearms

Hogan mentioned that the forearms must be so tight and solid that nobody can pry them apart.  He however forgot to mention why this is necessary for the golf swing.  However from my experience, what is necessary is the left arm is suppose to be stiff and the left wrist and hand must be balancing the club with the left pad and left forefinger.  The purpose of this is to "measure" how far the ball is from the body... meaning it is the part of the swing that ensures that we do not dub the club to the ground.  It is the part of the swing that ensures that the distance between the shoulders and the ball are kept the same throughout the swing.  This is particularly necessary when chipping because we tend to bend out left arm when addressing the ball resulting in a dubbed chip.