[Daryl]

Your Thumbnail Photo illustrates a Lagging Shaft.

It's kind of funny how Harrison adopts descriptions from the Shafts point of View.

TGM, an Alignment Point of View, would term the above photo "Throwaway"; being that the Clubhead is overtaking the Hands without "Rhythm".

So, TGM has either a "Lagging Clubhead" (Pre-stressed Shaft) or Throwaway. This is Throwaway in the Broader sense, that Clubhead control was lost or not 100% in your control.

Harrison Term ........ TGM Term
Leading Shaft ......... Lagging Clubhead
Lagging Shaft ......... Throwaway


Anytime the Clubhead overtakes the Shaft, the Clubhead will be decelerating. That's not the Law of the Flail, it's just common sense. So unless Harrison's Phantom Golfer Strikes the ball while the Clubhead is springing forward (Acceleration Phase), the ball will be struck with a decelerating Clubhead.

If we consider the argument that using hand muscle a split second before impact can produce good results, but that doing so is impossible to time even for the most advanced skill set, then I could hardly accept the argument that Shaft Spring can be timed and applied in a like manor.

I would argue that too much Shaft Flex during Startdown is a common problem. Maintaining the flex does not require a precise amount of acceleration, only slightly more than that which created the Flex. Over-Acceleration is the menace that stalks all Lag and Drag. Here it allows the Hands to reach maximum speed before reaching Impact and so dissipates the Lag.

So....Slow Startdown. Startdown by Pulling the Shaft with your Pivot. There are 4 Acceleration Phases. Experience them all. There's no need to Hurry the Downstroke.

It's also interesting that Harrison has observed Shaft Flex at 10 O'clock and/or 8 O'clock. This is just as we TGM'ers expect. These are Throws from the Top or Throws from Release. However, they don't assume that the 8 O'clock Flex can be changed by Aiming Point. They do sense that a Snap Release will bend the Shaft and have termed it the same but unfortunately they haven't observed a golfer like me or similar that will have the Hands at the Line of Sight to the Ball or farther at Release.

If they never ask the question "does a more flexible shaft make it easier to bring a "leading Shaft" into impact?", for which the answer is YES, then "Why do we have more photographic examples of Golfers with Shorter Irons with Shaft Lead at Impact than Long Clubs at Impact?" If they don't ask these questions it's because they have already found the answers. They just don't want Golfers to know. Their Goal is not to retrain Golf Professionals how to Swing a Shaft, but rather to accommodate them and sell more Shafts. And you don't sell Shafts by telling a Pro that he's been Over-accelerating all of these years while attempting to hit the ball farther. You sell more shafts by getting them to believe that the "secret is in the Shaft" and not "How it's applied". LOL

There is a Large group of Golf experts that believe that shaft "Spring back to straight" and/or "Spring forward of Straight" contributes to greater Clubhead speed. Shaft "Loading and Unloading". There are many who believe that for a few inches while the Clubhead has passed the Shaft that Clubhead speed has increased greater than before the Clubhead passed the Shaft. I think that the Argument is not germane to our study of the Golf Swing. While they offer each other gratuitous handshakes and back-patting while mutually admiring their discovery and knowledge, they're secretly writing down that any golfer needs to have their swing speed and hand speed specifically matched to a specific frequency of shaft for them to take advantage of "Spring Forward" Impact. Well, "What what happens if I want to swing Slower or Faster or Softer or Harder?"

These are the same experts that can tell if your shaft is too stiff or too flexible. If you hit High Draws, too Flexible. Soft Fades, too Stiff.

I wonder if any of Yodasluke's students have achieved their 300 Yard Drives by changing Shaft Flex or Timing the Kickback?