[airair]

ANTI SLICE CURRICULUM

LYNN BLAKE

There are two things you must learn to do. First, you must learn to keep your

Left Wrist Flat. You say you are doing that. Look, look LOOK to make sure.

Second, you must learn to swing through the Ball and not at the Ball. Swinging

at the Ball is 'Hacking the Ball' and that produces only Hackers.

Here's how to get started. Take your normal grip -- hopefully it is a Strong

Single Action per 10-2-B -- and a Square Stance. Be sure that the Stance is

actually parallel to the Target Line. Put a Club down and check it out. There's a

very good chance you are aimed to the right.



Now start the Club swinging continuously over the top of the Ball as if you were

going to hit a short Chip Shot. No more than three feet back and three feet

through. Back and through and back and through and back and through.

Continuous motion. Don't Cock your Wrists. Instead, just Turn and Roll your

Left Forearm as you swing your Flat Left Wrist back and through and back and

through. Turn and Roll and Turn and Roll and Turn and Roll and Turn and Roll.

It is the Rolling of the Flat Left Wrist that gets the Club through Impact, not the

Flattening of the Right Wrist. Please read that last sentence again. And one

more time. Thank you.



As you continue this motion, be aware of the pressure created in the right

forefinger as you swing down and through and down and though and down and

through. Continue to be aware of that pressure and keep it 'pointed' at the

Straight Target Line as you swing back and through and back and through.

Turning and Rolling and Turning and Rolling. Keep pointing at the Line,

'Tracing' it with the Pressure in your Right Forefinger as you Turn and Roll and

Turn and Roll the Flat Left Wrist. On each Downstroke, be very aware of

theRight Hand Tracing and the Left Hand Rolling.



Now lower the Club behind the Ball and make the exact same Motion away from

the Ball and through it. The Ball will go straight. If it did not, first make sure

that you properly 'Traced' the Line. If you did not, try again. If you did and the

Ball went to the right, Roll more. If it went to the left, Roll less.

Moving the Head backwards during the Downstroke is a Sway (the Fourth Snare

3-F-7-D), and it is the product of a malfunctioning Pivot. Before diving into

work on that problem, though, make sure your head is set properly to begin

with.



Do you set your Head position first at Impact Fix, and then attempt to keep it

Stationary? Or do you, like most people, start with your Head in an Adjusted

Address position that ignores a proper Impact Fix position (and therefore

cannot possibly be maintained through Impact)? My guess is the latter.

So, what is a good Head position at Impact Fix?



First, a plumb line from your chin to the ground should fall precisely between

your Feet. Your Head should form the tip of an isosceles triangle whose base is

the Feet. Most people hang back -- probably in response to instruction that

emphasizes that the Head should be 'behind the Ball' and even 'over the right

knee.' Consequently, their Head and Feet form a right triangle.



Second, the Head should be located a good deal lower than most people's

'normal' Address position. The exact position will be dictated by the amount of

Knee Bend and Waist Bend. In turn, these are determined by the distance the

Hips must move to enable the Right Forearm to return precisely to its preselected

Impact Fix Angle of Approach (pointing at the Plane Line well in front

of the Ball).



Bottom Line: Most people -- even good players -- move their Head entirely too

much during the Stroke. And one of the primary reasons is that they have failed

to set it properly in the first place.



As nearly as your current skill allows, assume a static position replicating your

precise Impact position and alignments:



1. Body position (comparatively squared away with the Head between the Feet).

2. Arms position (the Flying Wedges with the amount of Knee and Waist Bend

necessary to allow the Right Forearm to point at the Plane Line).

3. Hands position (Impact Hand Location with the Left Wrist Flat, Level and

Vertical).



Wherever your Head is located now...

That is where it should remain until the end of the Follow-Through (Both Arms

Straight position).