[airair]

SNARE THERAPY
LYNN BLAKE

In a geometrically sound Stroke (1-L #4, #6, and #16), the player insures the
correct Club head Line of Flight (2-N-0) -- the arc inscribed on the face of the
Inclined Plane by the orbiting Club head through Impact -- by Tracing (with the
Lag Loaded [7-19] Right Forefinger #3 Pressure Point) the Straight Plane Line
established at Impact Fix. He then insures the correct Clubface alignment
through Impact by executing (with the Flat Left Wrist) one of the three Hinge
Actions (2-G) so essential for Ball Control.

Unfortunately, players have discovered four magnificent ways to destroy this
essential geometry. These Four Snares (3-F-7-A/B/C/D) are Steering, Quitting,
Bobbing and Swaying. Each Snare disrupts the true downward-and-outward arc
of both the Club head and Clubface and is symptomatic of a malfunctioning
Golfing Machine. The first two are particularly destructive, and this post will
discuss their cause and cure.

Steering (3-F-7-A) is the applied misconception that (1) the Club head should
move through the Ball along the Target Line; (2) on a level or even upward path;
and that (3) the Clubface should stay Square to that Line. Each individual's Golf
Stroke tends to reflect his conception of the Basic Motion (Preface), and if the
player doesn't know that the Club head should be swung down-and-out
through Impact and Low Point or that the Clubface will normally be Square to
the Target Line only at the Point of Separation of Ball and Clubface, then it is a
virtual certainty that the correct Impact Alignments (2-J-1) will not happen.

Quitting (3-F-7-B) is how Steering does its 'dirty work.' In the subconscious
attempt to divert the Club head from its true down-and-out orbit through Low
Point -- and also in the misguided attempt to increase Club head Velocity by
Flattening the Right Wrist (4-D-1)-- the player slows or even stops altogether
his Hands during Release. This unintentional and improperly executed Pause
Minor Basic Stroke (10-3-J) forces the Club to be swung up and in (below Plane)
from the Wrists. The Upward Club head motion leads to Topping the Ball -- an
embarrassing problem the player easily solves by hitting more 'under' the Ball -
- Scooping! Which sad circumstance seems to be a bit more socially acceptable
than Topping. Unless of course, it is perfected into its Art Form: A Mighty (but
Powerless) Heave that causes about a foot of sod to simply flop over the still
motionless Ball. After that jewel, nobody in the group will even make eye
contact! ops:

The above 'Seems As Ifs' (Preface) are the major misconceptions in golf. That is,
they are perfectly logical ways that should make the Ball behave as you intend
but that are also perfectly wrong and will therefore never work. Interestingly,
these misconceptions (individually and collectively) cause the Clubface to Close
in relation to the Target Line. To avoid the inevitable Pulled Shot, the player
begins to habitually aim well to the right of the intended Target Line. Then,
when the Clubface dutifully arrives Closed at Impact, the Ball does not go to the
right (as it should because that is where he is aiming) but instead is diverted --
more or less -- toward the Target Line. Not exactly a procedure you want to bet
tomorrow's lunch money on.

And that brings us to the Inside-Out Cut Shot. This procedure is Anti-Steering
Therapy -- and hence, Anti- 'Seems As If' Therapy -- because it educates the
Hands to disregard the Flight Line with respect to both the Club head Line-of-
Flight and the Clubface Alignment through Impact.

Let's go back to our player who has learned to compensate for his Pulled Shots
-- the inevitable consequence of his Closed Clubface and Bent Left Wrist at
Impact -- by habitually aiming to the right. He doesn't know he is aiming to the
right, of course, and will in fact swear he is aiming straight at the Target! His
Computer is playing a major league trick on him: Given a Faulty Procedure that
can only send the Ball way left, aiming way right was the only way it could get
the Ball flying anywhere close to the Target Line!

Note this well: In this 'Aim to the right' Alignment of the entire Machine, we are
not talking about the Square Plane Line-Closed Stance Line combination of 10-
5-C. Instead, it is the Closed Plane Line-Square Stance Line combination of 10-
5-E. In other words, the player has unintentionally established a Club head Line
of Flight (2-N-0) that will actually cross the Target Line in a true In-to-Out
Stroke. This is not simply the normal Inside-Out Impact (from Impact Point to
Low Point) of the normal Down Plane orbit produced by the Square Plane Line of
10-5-A.

What to do?

Enter the Instructor-Therapist and the Anti-Steering Therapy of the Inside-Out
Cut Shot. Seeking to repair --- or more accurately, rebuild -- this
malfunctioning Golfing Machine, the Therapist insists that the player hit Chip
Shots to the right of where he thinks he is aiming. He also insists that the
player keep his Left Wrist Flat and his Right Wrist Bent as he hits those Shots to
the right.

Under the vigilant eye of the Therapist, the player is trained to Trace the Closed
Plane Line (with his Right Forefinger #3 Pressure Point) that he has inadvertently
erected during his Address Procedure (8-1/2/3). No fair Steering the Club head
back to the Target Line! No fair Quitting with the Hands so that the Club head
can be cowtailed into Impact ahead of a Bending Left Wrist and a Flattening
Right Wrist! No sirree. The player has accidentally incorporated this Closed
Plane Line into his procedure and, by golly, he now has to Trace it!

Furthermore, the Therapist -- better yet, The Exorcist -- insists that the
Clubface not align itself in any way with the Target Line. To accomplish this, he
demands that the Flat Left Wrist execute the 'Reverse Roll' Feel (7-10) of a
proper Dual Vertical Hinge Motion (10-10-E). This keeps the Clubface Square to
the Baseline of the Closed 10-5-E Plane (and nowhere near Square to the
Target Line).

Despite the apparent simplicity of the instruction -- "Hit this Chip Shot to the
right of where you think you are aiming." -- the player's overwhelming
preoccupation with the Target Line at first causes his Shots to continue to be
Pulled back toward it. This is because his Ignorant Hands (5-0) and faulty
Computer Programming (Chapter 14) continue to exercise their Habits.
Undaunted, the Therapist continues to insist that the player totally disregard
the Target Line and instead Trace the Closed Plane Line -- all the while keeping
the Clubface Square to its Baseline through Impact. Gradually, the player's
Hands become educated enough to do this. The Target Line is still there, of
course, but he no longer attempts to keep the Club head on it or the Clubface
Square to it. He finally has become totally (and correctly) preoccupied with his
Plane Line and not his Target Line (3-F-7-A). Let's listen in…

Player: "Okay, I've learned to ignore the Target Line during my Stroke. I don't
attempt to keep my Club head on it or my Clubface Square to it. Instead, I focus
on the Plane Line. I feel like we've made some progress here, but if I keep doing
this Inside-Out Cut Shot stuff, the Ball will keep going to the Right of the
Target."

Therapist: "Correct. And when the Ball no longer goes to the left and when you
have grown tired of seeing it go to the right, you are permitted to reposition
your entire Machine to the left . Then you may begin Tracing the Square Plane
Line of 10-5-A. Remember, though, you must keep your Flat Left Wrist and
Right Wrist Bent through Impact just as you did while Tracing the Closed Plane
Line (10-5-E). If you do this, you will find your Shots flying Straight toward the
Target and your Pulled Shots will merely be a memory. If you don't do this, then
the Ball will fly to the left, and your Computer will once again react by making
you aim to the right. And that will bring about Plane Line confusion and the
silent sabotage of the correct Impact Alignments."

Player: "Been there, done that. Let's see now…Left Wrist Flat, Right Wrist Bent.
Move smoothly through the Ball -- no Quitting and hacking at the Ball -- while
Tracing the Square and Straight Plane Line with my #3 Pressure Point…Hey! It
went straight at the hole!"

Therapist: "Imagine that."

Moving the Head backwards during the Down stroke 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).