When the club is releasing it is like a pendulum, the club is swinging about a point at the wrists. While we cannot shorten the length of the club shaft during the swing we can apply more centripetal acceleration than is needed to keep the club rotating. We can tug "UP" at just the right time thereby injecting kinetic energy to the club head. When done in the final stage of the downswing this is effectively the same thing as "reducing the hand path radius".
All long hitters do it. They may not know they're doing it ... but all long hitters inject that final dose of energy by "pulling up" at the end of the downswing. Some even end up on their toes as a result like Bubba.
Its all in the hands folks... use your body to make your hands go where they've got to go.
This is reminiscent of Wild Bill Mehlhorn, three-time PGA TOUR leading money winner in the 1930s and the man Hogan called "the greatest ball striker I ever saw". http://www.golfwithmehlhorn.com/book.htm [If you order anything -- Book, DVDs, Swing Aids -- ask for the LBG Member discount].
Bill felt like he was "hitting up", even when he took a divot. On his long shots, he tried a right hand uppper cut to the chin. In his own words, he tried to "knock myself out".
With his big pivot and the principal 'clubhead swinging' feels the thumb and forefinger of both hands (all other fingers much lighter and even letting go), his Golfer's Flail (Sketch 2-K) really worked.
Sadlowski has figured it out about half way through is the slow motion. When you come down that steeply you had better have total control of you hinge motion.
Sadlowski has figured it out about half way through is the slow motion. When you come down that steeply you had better have total control of you hinge motion.
Great swing - great motion!
I like the way his left wrist is bent well into the downswing..but the clubface is turned to the plane and the sweetspot appears to be on plane.
The left wrist in a swinger is subordinate to the physics of swinging....bent when it needs to be to max out his late wrist uncock and still be on plane... but flat when it must be!
Would love to hear what he feels in his PP3 if he were to "tune into" its wavelength!
Any advice on how to use this (monitoring clubhead feel) without focusing so much on the head that you risk throwing the head?
Focus your attention on the #3PP not your eyes on the clubhead.
For whatever it may be worth here is how I start every warmup on the range (with this subject in mind.)
1. Little acquired motion chip shots with a wedge and just my right hand on the club. You will find that with the right wrist frozen and the RFFW on plane that the bad shots are differentiated from the good by one thing: The lack of #3PP lag pressure. Dont watch the club just think about the #3PP. I sort of walk around hitting random balls continuously, not too much stopping or thinking. Its amazing how easy this is to do and the shots are delightfully pure. Mine is a journey of trying to get this feeling all the way through the bag with two hands on the club. It was this one armed frozen right wrist thing that started my TGM journey in an effort to unlock its secrets and understand its associated fantastic feeling. I knew only of the bent wrist but now know most of the rest of it thanks to Yoda.
2. With the right hands singular job now over I attach the left hand to the grip but let the right hand sort of instruct or direct as to hand position in fix, club path to both arms straight etc. I find that once the left is attached the path problems can start and extensor action , extension becomes problematic and in need of special attention. This is still for me very similar in every aspect to the right hand only procedure but with the passive left arm attached to the grip and serving as a checkrein or rope only. Albeit it with extensor action keeping it taught. My right shoulder moves the club back and thru with rethym maintained (the right shoulder, hands and clubhead moving at the same rpms, different surface speeds)
3. Loosen up with 3/4 wedges and then go back to basic and acquired short shots to wake up the machines precision functions.
Sorry for the extra dialogue but hope this helps. If throwaway is a real problem some eyes closed ,no ball, chipping swings can really help you feel the right wrist straightening and loss of PP#3 pressure. The hands are just clamps and with extensor action turned on they dont really have an assignment other than to hang on to the club and send sensory messages back to the brain.
Correct me if I am wrong on any of this. That is why I am here.
O.B.
OK.... Here's what I want you to do... Go to your wife's sewing kit and get some thread (yard will do), Go to your garage and get a small nail a hammer and a heavy hex nut. Find someplace comfortable and pull up a chair. Take your hammer and tap that nail in to the edge of a table or something (must be open below). Now take your thread and tie one end to the hex nut. Take the other end of the thread in you index finger and drape the thread over the nail.
Now you've got a simple pendulum.
Go ahead let the nut swing... notice how the period (TIME IT TAKES FOR A CYCLE TO COMPLETE) changes depending on how long the thread from the nail to the nut is? Now here's what were gonna do. Were going to learn to PUMP IT UP (like Tiger and Saldawski and they all do).
I want you to TUG on the string (not much) ... just give it a gentle tug with each osscilation. Tug up as the nut swings down and let it out again as its swinging up.. just little tugs..... Keep repeating.
What happens?
Thats right....when you do this you're pumping energy into the pendulum... you're making it swing higher with each tug and the club head speed (er.. nut velocity) gets faster.
Now do the opposite... Tug up when the nuts is moving up... let out when the nut is moving down. The pendulum slows down doesn't it....
So what h*** does this have to do with golf? Its that old radius thingy (again). You need a shortening swing radius to pump up you club head speed.
OK.... Here's what I want you to do... Go to your wife's sewing kit and get some thread (yard will do), Go to your garage and get a small nail a hammer and a heavy hex nut. Find someplace comfortable and pull up a chair. Take your hammer and tap that nail in to the edge of a table or something (must be open below). Now take your thread and tie one end to the hex nut. Take the other end of the thread in you index finger and drape the thread over the nail.
Now you've got a simple pendulum.
Go ahead let the nut swing... notice how the period (TIME IT TAKES FOR A CYCLE TO COMPLETE) changes depending on how long the thread from the nail to the nut is? Now here's what were gonna do. Were going to learn to PUMP IT UP (like Tiger and Saldawski and they all do).
I want you to TUG on the string (not much) ... just give it a gentle tug with each osscilation. Tug up as the nut swings down and let it out again as its swinging up.. just little tugs..... Keep repeating.
What happens?
Thats right....when you do this you're pumping energy into the pendulum... you're making it swing higher with each tug and the club head speed (er.. nut velocity) gets faster.
Now do the opposite... Tug up when the nuts is moving up... let out when the nut is moving down. The pendulum slows down doesn't it....
So what h*** does this have to do with golf? Its that old radius thingy (again). You need a shortening swing radius to pump up you club head speed.
Have fun with your new found knowledge!
How do you see the best tournament golfers shortening their radius? Is it the extension of the body parts or a simple left shoulder high, right shoulder low or or or .......
How do you see the best tournament golfers shortening their radius? Is it the extension of the body parts or a simple left shoulder high, right shoulder low or or or .......
Thanks
O.B.
Well I think the variety of great tournament players shows there a lot of ways to skin that cat. Usually though... (generalizations can be dangerous but I'll do it anywho) they end up on their toes left shoulder way high and back (axis tilt). Take a look at any "natural golfer...i.e. one whose figured it out with out having been "model fit"... someone like Jamie Saldawlski, Bubba Watson or even little Alexis Thomson
They do what they can to pull UP and BACK.. Jamie even is weightless momentarily as he rotates in the air! Incredible. All geared towards getting hands onto the optimal path required to generate maximum club head speed.