Richter Park 78 with 2018 comment

2018-09-22:  I know now what I was doing. It is the pull swing with the automatic snap at the end - the snap that creates the divot.

Richter Park 78

On August 29,1998, at Richter Park Golf Course, for the first time in my life I broke eighty and registered a score of 78.  In my foursome are Dan O’Reilly, Denise and Bill.

 Here are the topics (in sequence) that I was working on that led to this new event.  The purpose of this is to document the steps that may be needed to recollect in case the found swing is lost again.

1.  Set up and fire technique.
2. Swing is timed to explode on the ball position.
3. The 7 o’clock set-up.  This is a grip where the hands are set-up in relation to the shaft.
4. Left shoulder must go up to the fullest. 11/13/2017 Comment: What must be missing but happening at the time is cocking at the fullest with the wrist bent practically.  This allows the club to automatically hit late and promote automatic divots and back-spin.  The ball flight also changes because of the back spin.
5. Left shoulder dips and go around the plane.
6. Full left shoulder swing, no arms at all.
7. The right shoulder, when lowered at set-up, helps the visualization of the plane.
8. ALIVE putter -the left hand palm pad pushes the club down while the right middle two fingers acts as a fulcrum cradling the club shaft.
9. Ernie Els has the one-piece swing.
10. Actively cock the club by pushing the left hand pad down while the left middle two fingers support the club.
11. Roped feeling supports the club.
12. Left hand leverage helps a lot.
13. Putt with “Alive” putter.  Left shoulder push toward ball (the back swing) while putter is cradled by the right hand two middle fingers acting as the fulcrum and the left palm pad pushing down with enough effort to balance the putter slightly above the ground.  Hitting should be automatic and done by the shoulders.
14. Extend the alive putter technique to chips (the plane employed).
15. Bingo! Hit with the shoulder like Tiger but look…
16. Full shoulder turn with full cocking is needed.
17. Yes, there is an automatic back swing!
18. Cocking is not consciously done.  Set-up with the alive putter, neutral left palm,drill left shoulder towards ball (resulting with the shoulders finishing parallel with the plane) .  At the top, pause slightly and fire ala Tiger Woods with the shoulder (along the plane!).

9/15/98 - The key to the accurate results is the neutral left palm (club face) staying looking at the target all the time during the entire swing (of course, up and down swing).  In addition, both shoulders hit (ala Tiger) along the plane which is the secret to the professional shot (ala Duval).  

Here are the mechanics of the 98-swing:  

1. First set up with all the simplified body parts (explained in the previous section).  
2. Next, feel the alive putter - the right middle two fingers must be cradling the club.
3. Visualize the neutral (like a left handshake with the back facing the target) left palm (and feel the weight of the club against the left pad) in relation to the ball.  
4. Now forget the left palm and look instead at the ball and see the plane cutting through it.  
5. Now push down the left shoulder imagining that it is drilling straight (yes, straight not around) to the ball and pass through it.  
6. There is no conscious cocking (else the neutral palm is not neutral anymore) – it happens only by the centrifugal force generated by the up swing.  
7. At the top, the shoulder must be along the plane (else the lower hips moved by itself – not pulled by the upper body).  
8. A slight pause and 
9. the hit  is performed by the shoulders going around the spine but along the plane.  
10. It must be emphasized that the shoulder must hit along the plane and assumed to have finished at the top along this plane during the back swing.  
11. If not, then the drilling motion of the left shoulder straight to the ball must have been flawed.  
12. The usual error is letting the shoulder turn around.  
13. Accurate straight shots should result.

Now back to the present.  What I remember that day is at hole number one, I just told myself that I will use my four wood because it seems that it is always has the perfect balance for me.  When I bring it back and hits with it, everything seems to be perfect.  So I did and I started the practice swings.  While doing so I just felt like just letting the feeling take over and just let go no matter where the ball goes.  I did this end everything just started coming together.  I remember using only the three wood on all my drives and just letting the feeling take over - everything even on chips.  I shot a 78 and even beat Bill who shot a 79.

WHAT I DID NOT REALIZE THEN WHEN I WROTE THE ABOVE IS WHEN I SWUNG WITH ABANDON, I ACTUALLY PULLED THE CLUB "THROUGH".  HOWEVER, a more important aspect is WHAT TO CONSCIOUSLY DO ON the upswing. WHAT IS IMPORTANT IS MAKING SURE WHEN I BRING BACK THE CLUB THAT my "INTENTION OR THOUGHT" IS TO STOP ONLY WHEN I AM IN THE POSITION TO PULL THE CLUB ALONG THE TARGET LINE OR PLANE. THE IMPORTANT THING IN THE BACK SWING IS NOT HOW IT IS DONE BUT WHEN AND WHERE THE LEFT ARM SHOULD BE POSITIONED (ALONG TARGET LINE OR PLANE) AND ONLY THEN STOP. THE MAIN THOUGHT THEN IS NOT HOW FULLY MY BODY IS TWISTED BUT INSTEAD POSITION THE LEFT ARM WHERE I CAN INSTINCTIVELY PULL IT THROUGH THE BALL .

20SEP2016:  One of the nuance of a golf stroke is learning that a stroke in golf is not a stroke at all but actual a "pull through".  I will edit the the writings following to incorporate this fundamental and basic golf move.

15SEP2016: Today I learned the split grip. It is where the right middle fingers cocks the club while the left hand pulls against it. At the top, the right hand let go and the left hand expels the static power generated by pulling the grip towards the ball. 20SEP2016: Pull the grip as long as possible pass the ball and just let the club turn around with the turning of the body also.  There is no hammering at all but the force is all a pull through force.  10OCT2016: But how do I execute the upswing? Just remember that the upswing is a reverse of the downswing. If you are pulling the butt of the club (with the body) towards the ball on the downswing, the upswing is thrusting (with the right middle finger) the club head up and around the body into the slot.

06NOV2016: JASON DAY TIPS (with my ONGOING additions. MAKE THIS MY SWING FROM NOW ON). 

1) Triangulate your setup. Establish a triangle with the arms and another one with the legs. Arms are frozen and straight in line with the shaft. This is TO HAVE A SOLID BASE.

2) ArmS stiff and RIGHT middle fingerS cradle the club WHILE THE LEFT PAD PUSHES. Left arm IS dominant and balances the club using the fulcrum finger/s. The act of cradling or fulcrum here makes the cocking EASY TO BRING THE CLUB TO THE DESIRED "PULL" POSITION. 

3)  USING the left hip, PUSH THE CRADLED CLUB up until the shaft IS ALIGNED WITH THE TARGET LINE AND UNTIL THE FEELING SAYS "GO".  No conscious attention is given to other parts of the swing, e.g., THOUGHTS, arms or hands.

4) This essentially makes the DOWN swing an automatic right hip move - UP TO A PHOTO FINISH AT THE TOP. The tightness of the upswing is the key to make the downswing hip move automatic.

5) There is no hammering at all but the force is all a pull "through" force - the turning hips doing all the work.  Finish picture perfect. You can use the right hand to hit but make sure the left hand leads.