How to Slide the Clubhead Under the Ball Effortlessly

The usual hit of the ball by the club makes the ball jump out. How does one slide the clubhead under the ball to impart maximum spin?

Let me just make this clear, when one is trying to hit the ball, which is 99% of the time, one is not trying to impart a spin on the ball intentionally.  However, there is the 1% of the time that one really wants to put extraordinary backspin on the ball to make it stop or reverse.

In order to do this, the club face must slide under the ball, with the club head entering beneath the ball from the left edge and sliding around the ball until it leaves contact on the right edge.  This movement cannot be done intentionally.  It can only be done by centrifugal force - meaning the club is pulled and the head allowed to slice through the ball by the reaction to the pull.

Let me demonstrate how to execute a short pitch with the intent of stopping the ball abruptly.

Take an open stance and hold the club with the extreme style grip explained in the previous chapter. Hold the club to the metal part (this is not essential). The clubface must be at least slightly open to facilitate the clean slicing entry under the ball.

Raise the club with the right hand in a roller coaster motion where it leaves the ball and arcs upwards until the shaft is at least almost parallel to the plane and the butt of the club almost pointing to the target.  When this position is reached, just pull the shaft towards the target until it passes through and around the ball.  A slow motion hit make one feel this slicing motion better.  This type of shot must be learned and experienced.  It feels like one is slicing the butter.

The rule to remember here is the club must be brought back up to the point where the shaft is parallel to the target line and the butt is pulled along that line.

IMPORTANT (April 9, 2015)

What was discovered here is the essence of the golf swing.  On chip and putts, the axis is the hands is while in a regular swing, the axis is the shoulder.  The pulling force is dependent on the individual.  The main point to remember is the golf swing is the fluid motion of bringing the club up pivoting along the axis with the body feeling the weight of the club.  When the desired moment is reached when the club has stopped its acceleration, the pull of the body is started and the club thrown towards the ball, letting the pulling force be as violent as desired towards the target and then the body closing up to the picture perfect finish.

We must remember that this is the whole objective in the Imperfect Golf Swing - to create this fluid motion of bringing the club up and feeling the weight of the club and pulling and throwing the club head along the ball towards the target and turning the body to the perfect finish at the top.  All the rest, the grip, the stance, etc. are dependent on the capability of the individual to execute this move.

This topic is copied in different postings to remind us of this fact.