[12 piece bucket]

I would like TGM experts to expound on the aiming point that Clampett emphasizes in the book. I have read the first 3 chapters so far. While I understand that the "thrust" of the proper impact is down/out/thru the inside aft quadrant of the ball, I find that if I direct my eyes to the aim point 4 inches in front of the ball as Clampett shows in his book, I seem to run the risk (when swinging) of failing to completely release accum #3, resulting on occasion in a shank or weak slice. I feel sometimes like I am coming into the back of the ball with the little finger side of my left hand rather than a F/L/V wrist. Hopefully this description makes sense.

Need to experiment with this a little more I guess, we are still on mats where I live which limits divot evaluation anyway.

What about the idea of aim point 4 inches in front of the ball? Yoda?? Ted??

I have read a little over half of the book. It's really good compared to most of what the mouth breathers the Golf Channel pimps out.

I think he has mixed up aiming point and low point and impact hand location. He kind of covers himself with the whole "experimentation" deal . . . which is of course what you have to work out.

You can pretty much approximate where your low point will be if you go to fix and note where your left shoulder is. Low point is going to occur basically where your left arm is in line with the left shoulder assuming of course that you are using the left shoulder as the center of your stroke (not the right elbow or left wrist). Low point could be 4 inches in front of the ball or maybe not.

Based on Clampett's description of Aiming Point, I think he has opted for option 2 where by the ball is moved but the Aiming Point is constant (for him what he believes to be Low Point). By using this method the release feel is constant for all club shaft lengths:

6-E-2 . . .
Three procedures are available to compensate for this:

1. move the Aiming Point forward or aft of the established Ball location. This Aiming Point procedure seems more easily acquired if introduced as a Feel. At the top of the Backstroke – even at End (10-21-C) – mental construct a line form the #3 Pressure Point to the Aiming Point. Let a careful Downstroke direct the thrust precisely along this line. Hitting or Swinging, direct the #3 Pressure Point strongly downward per 1-L-9, 1-L-10, 2-J-3 and 6-C-2-A to insure the “Downward” element of Three Dimensional Impact (2-C-0). That is – TRY TO DRIVE THE BALL INTO THE GROUND, NOT INTO THE AIR. If you don’t KNOW that you hit down, assume that you didn’t. The Hands must ALWAYS take one of the Delivery Paths (10-23) but even with the Circle Path, the Thrust is still a straight-line EFFORT toward the Aiming Point. Even “Tracing” (5-0) must not disrupt it.
2. move the Ball forward or aft of the established Aiming Point per the previous page, using the Hand and Club guidance procedure presented for 1. above. So the Ball Location changes required for a Push or Draw per 7-2 must exceed the changes required by this procedure before Plane Line Rotation should be employed by the “True” Swingers. As usual, though, Clubface manipulators have their choice of either procedure – that is the 1. or the 2.
3. “Open” or “Close” the Stance per 10-24-F.

But hey I think it's fantastic that he has introduced this concept to the golfing public and pressure points and loading to boot.

But to answer your question on the 4 inch thing (and I am unfortunately very familiar with a 4 inch thing) . . . experiment with it. I'd say 4 inches MAYBE for a wedge or 9 iron. But that seems a bit forward to me. Aiming Point is where you are directing THRUST NOT THE CLUBHEAD. I think if some people took his advice to keep the left wrist cocked as long as they can and use an Aiming Point 4 inches in front of the ball for all clubs . . . you could have MAJOR problems. That's just me.

Good for him for talking up the Machine and introducing some of the concepts that would probably spook some golfers. Bottom line Bobby Clampett without question had Accumulator Lag and Clubhead Lag in copious amounts. There's a pic in the book where he's slap loaded up the shaft like one of my buffet plates. That's worth the price of admission.

Back to picking my nose.