Avoid Over the Top

Did you try Dave's drill from the "Bump Part 2" video? Trying to hit balls off a tee with an 8 iron as high as you can hit them with the ball teed up pretty high. http://www.swingsurgeon.com/Da...

I was just about to mention how great it was that Surge gave a shout-out to Steve, one of the most detailed thinkers about the swing that we have on the blog outside of the actual professionals.

I read a piece from a touring pro about this hesitation.  Oh, yes, Robert F--we had this once before.  Recall the exchanges about the "pause" by allowing the wrists to flex?  Piece I read, and use, said that the "pause" allows him to sense the position of the club at the top and tellif he is right where he wants it or slightly off, and he can then implement a compensation.  He also said that it would help amateurs complete the backswing and not start down too abruptly.  For me, my tempo is better with this hesitation/pause at the top.  I get choppy without it. 

Nice swings, Steve, and whatever it was, was scooting!

I posted a (rather long) reply to your post to me on the other daily blog, and then I saw this one.  I'm glad you keep reminding us of "palms perpendicular."  I get away from it from time to time and keep having to come back to it.  One thing, though, I can keep palms perpendicular and left wrist flat, yet still let the left wrist involuntarily flex at the top.  If I pull the butt toward the ball, as someone posted recently, this involuntary flex is maintained for otherwise I would have to do something to  unflex the wrist, which would negate some of the benefit of flexing the wrist.  The problem, then, would be to get the wrists back into the desired position at impact and not flex them too far in the opposite direction.  Oh, by the way, have you noticed the way that the pros flex their hands in the downward direction a few degrees at address?

Surge, I too am "light sensitive" and wear sunglasses almost everywhere.One thing I did some time ago was buy a pair here in China. They are, I think meant for folk who take part in sports and outdoor activities. They have a rubber/plastic insert around the inside of the lenses [one piece], which is removable. I bought them to keep the sun and the airborne cr*p here out of my eyes. The ear pieces follow the shape of the side of the head and instead of the usual ends, have two shaped slots joined by an adjustable elasticated band. Perhaps you should get your tech team to research them for you. One benefit would be, there may not be a necessity to wear a visor or a peaked hat all the time. They are extremely comfortable to wear and very stable too. Just a random thought from a Surgite Believer.
Today's session was a great lesson for the nitpickers and paralysis by analysis brigade. Your system is the way to go, no doubt in my mind at all on that score. There is, as you often say, "waggle room" in most of the things you teach. Some folk don't seem to grasp that, there are fundamental differences in the way someone 6'3" and someone 5'5" swings, a  driver.I have 4 assorted Drivers, none of which are correct for my WTF measurements! They vary from 1" to 3" too long for me. So a fitting session is on the horizon for me.
Steve Smith's tip today will be getting some attention, as I start to swing a club again, after a couple of weeks enforced lay off. No balls [not me hahahaha] and with my eyes closed for a while, to feel that swing and swing that feel.
Unable to swing for sometime,but have devoured every word in the daily videos and the comments from the rest of the Surge Nation.Bless you and the whole Surge Team for your unstinting FREE assistance to all of us Golf addicted believers. A fitting day today, the 6th of June 1944 when many of our laddies gave their all for our freedom. Just as you have given many of us the freedom to swing a club again,where previously, due to body limitations, we were unable to do so. Enough!
On with the swinging.Skip that under arm rock and keep it Vertical and Straight. Dragonhead, Dalian, China

Mike:

    The correct ball for you to play is largely a function of swing speed -- the slower you swing the more you need a soft core soft cover ball.  Also the performance you want on the green -- more spin or less spin.

     With my slow swing speed, the Bridgestone e5, e6 and TreoSoft (no longer made) and the newer xFIXx seem to be best for me.

     But by all means, do take the ball fitting clinic - it will be an eye opener.  I am fortunate to live near a PGATOUR Superstore that advertises a "free ball fitting" clinic as a store service. to my amazement, their software program his nearly every ball ever made or availabe stored in it. After hitting several shots with your current ball on a launch monitor, it then makes recommendations based on your swing speed and launch angle, so it is primarily a "driver ball fitting".  Nevertheless, it did put me in the Bridgestone e5, which also works good for me on the greens.
 
     keep hitting them STRAIGHT and LONG

     Amos

Steve Smith:

   Congrats on making the Big Time!

   Now will you remember us "Little People" ? LOL

   Amos

No more replies further down the thread. I think the sense of hesitation is a completely personal way of getting the tempo right, just based on what you were asking me to do. As you may have seen me mention before, my usual tempo mnemonic is "swinging groovy," set into the chorus of "The 59th Street Bridge Song" in place of "feeling groovy." I bump about when I get to "groo" and by the end of the word I'm in my t-finish recoiling to my final position facing the target with the club pointed at it. I don't feel at any point in the swing that I'm not moving. For me, personally, if I tried to stop at the top, I'm not sure I could get started again. :) However, one-two would be very rushed indeed. I'm more like one-and-two-and.

As an additional bit, I did just upload a really really slowed down video of my swing. Roughly 21 seconds from address to bump and 7 more seconds to impact.

I thought baby flies were Maggot's. LOL

Here's my 9 bfore 8 report.
Shot 42 with 3 pars and 6 bogies. Though still with old clubs(won't have my new custom stick forabout two weeks). Only 3 of 9 fairways and 2 greens in reg. However I was channeling Amos and had 3 up and downs and 5 one putts for 14 putts. Of course it could have been much better in spite of poor driving. My one 3 putt was on the 175 par three 15th. Left my first 50 footer 12 feet short. On the final hole, the 450 yard par 5. Hit a nice 65 yard pitch 6 feet from the hole. A challenging right to left slider down hill. Slope was severe and I was scared to run it by. Left it 10 inches short. Those 2 holes cost me what could have been a 40. 39 is not far off.

No, evidently Disqus is doing some maintenance again.

Robert F,

I found that I was having the problem of my shoulders opening slightly after I accordianed into my stance and I pulled everything about 25 yards left. What I started consciously doing before starting the BUS (and for me it has become a really good trigger) is to pull my right shoulder back 1-2 inches. It gets my shoulders back to square and makes the swing very simple. I had not thought about the elbow.

Steve, been there, done that...if I had a dollar for every time I "flashed" myself, they could pay for my clubs and trip to Doc's. You know what really gets me now is those new blue looking headlights that seem to be the rage now, almost like looking at an arc when I encounter them.

This is exactly what I am battling against at the moment, a combination of wrists not quite perpendicular and not getting the club inside on the FUS, this is a game killer for me with the long clubs. I have been working hard on this issue last week and have got the driver playable again but it isn't too good at all and lots of work to do.
I think my biggest problem is getting the hips working without pulling the shoulders forward, I am finding the transition very difficult to achieve, the sports that might have helped me like baseball, tennis and cricket I never played  in my youth.

I am really pulling off some super irons shots as things are coming together, I feel like I am keeping more steady, my left arm is really getting used to lifting the club with palms keeping more perpendicular.
When I first started playing golf 9 months ago I really struggled to swing the club with one hand/arm, now it is becoming a lot easier.

It is a case of repeating the same swing once I feel the swing, I cannot say for sure that I have the feel yet!     

Any word on DJ?  Got the new putting video - pretty good stuff.  Been playing ok - hitting it better.  Need to make a few putts.  Good luck to all.  Prayers to doc and Mrs. Griffin.
Jerry - Warren MI

If I had a high speed video camera (and I plan to get one like the Casio), I will be able to video my swing with and without the hesitation.  Maybe it is just perception.  It feels like the difference of a billiard ball bouncing off a solid wall (no hesitation) versus the billiard ball rebounding off a cushioned wall.  If feels similar to the way your wrist goes back a tad when snapping a whip.  I don't know how much value this contributes to a golf swing, if any.

Dragonhead:

   Yes -- June 6 is DOUBLY important on BOTH sides of the world :

    June 4 -6, 1942 Battle of Midway
    June 6, 1944     D-Day

     Truly MANY gave ALL in both of those fights.

     Amos

Doc, I had the same problem as Steve10 a lot of the time and I've found that once my feet are aligned and in position, if I stand up, and accordion into position without looking again at the target, I get a much better alignment and more athletically ready stance for the swing. It's very important once you accordion into place though that you not take another peek at the target as certainly with me that always gets the shoulders open and the resulting shot is 20 yards left of where I intended. Certainly also remembering to let the right elbow actually flex in the setup so that it pushes your right shoulder back a little helps.

Steve Smith:

   maybe it was "you know who" flying over to check out your "magi swing" ? lol

   Amos

Thanks for checking out the two counts (one-two and one-and-two) and coming up with your "one-and-two-and". I guess rhythm is indeed a personal thing, just as tempo is. The other day, I watched a golfer in the group ahead of me use the "one-two rhythm. His transition was quick as a wink, and his backswing was very short. From face on, his club shaft went only up to about 11:00, yet he hit his drives around 220. I guess we beat this topic to death. Stay tuned for another topic soon.

The truth is out there!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

Had same problem.  Tried to fix everything and was all over the place.  Simple solution for me was a lighter grip.  When your tense on the tee box your muscle do not let you "skip the rock".  Amazed how quickly I started hitting long and straight again. 

It shows to me as a reply to you which this is a reply to you and not to Amos which I'm not saying I don't want to reply to Amos but you're having trouble getting replies so I replied to you. 

Ala, Bob Murphy. It worked well for him for many years.

Dan

Great report.  Sounds like you learned a lot.  Which ever way you go, you can't lose.

Glad the mental work helped your swing.

You guys have talked me into it.  I don't have to even buy a notebook.  I already have one, just have not started using it yet.  I don't know if I want to write down what I think I know.  It might scare me into quitting golf all together.

Dick

Beachbuzzard, I saw a comment like yours some time back and tried it, but still kept
releasing to early and gave up. The secret for me now is to hold the release until my hands
are over the front foot, this action forces you to get your hips across so you can swing
vertical in the FUS. Hoping to get some results this week on this new tactic.

Regards NeilofOz.   

In Internet slang, a troll is someone who posts inflammatory[citation needed], extraneous, or off-topic messages in an online community, such as an online discussion forum, chat room, or blog, with the primary intent of provoking readers into an emotional response[2] or of otherwise disrupting normal on-topic discussion.[3] The noun troll may refer to the provocative message itself, as in: "That was an excellent troll you posted". While the word troll and its associated verb trolling are associated with Internet discourse, media attention in recent years has made such labels subjective, with trolling describing intentionally provocative actions outside of an online context. For example, mass media uses troll to describe "a person who defaces Internet tribute sites with the aim of causing grief to families."[4][5]
"Do not feed the trolls" and its abbreviation "DNFTT"

Maggot, Definition, Noun
A despicable, dirty and/or insignificant person. In British use, the predominant idea is usually ‘beneath contempt’, whereas in Australia maggot is a generalized term of abuse.

I guess you are right again. The two are synonymous.

You are so vain, I bet you think this comment is about you!

Boogm:

  Of course you understood it -- you are well versed in "Southern-ese" lol

   Amos

That's what doglegs left are for.

I'm looking at the little brother, the EX-FH20, which is a 9.1 MP. It will shoot at 1000 frames per second, which I think is what the FH25 shoots at. It also does bursts at 40 frames per second. I might also get one of the pocket type Casios that shoots at 240 frames per second just to carry around when I don't want to carry the larger FH20 or FH25.

The shadow was the trailing fighter jet!!!!!!

nice nine, Robert

Props and a bit WHOOP WHOOP to Steve S.

Lynn, thought I'd ask how your work on tempo is coming along. I saw your post where you sped up your tempo and got good results. Did it carry over? As for me, I have been able to use Robert F's soft focus several times recently and gained some yardage. I'm still using my greatly reduced tempo and still plan to increase it in small steps when I reach a reasonable level of proficiency at each tempo. That's my style. Not talented enough to just swing away and let the mechanics happen,

Dan, sounds like an interesting and an educational day. We learn alot in a fitting of that quality. Speaking of note books, I wish I had been armed with a notebook during my full day and a half during my fitting. Things are said that I thought I would remember, oops! Anyway good for you Dan. Well you have lots to consider. I understand the cost question. It is not cheap for sure. You need to do what feels right for you all things considered. Do you have another session planned with him before final choices are made? After sleeping on it and considering more options it may help you pick what's best.Looking forward to more updates.

I tend to hit the ball to the left on many shots, far more so than to the right.   I've even noticed that on many of my straight shots, my divot is pointing to the left.   I've worked on many drills to correct what I assumed to be an over the top swing, but the problem persists.   Recently, I noticed in a video of my swing that during setup, although my feet are pointing at the target, my hips are aligned to the left, and my shoulders even more so.   Returning square to that position will obviously create a right to left flight path.   I know the obvious answer is "don't do that", and I'm trying to work on realigning my stance so that everything points at the target, but it feels incredibly awkward for some reason.   Do you have any suggestions as to something else in my stance perhaps contributing to this, and/or drills to help correct it?

Thanks for letting me know, it's not just mine. It's probably the same as the last time, some type of maintenance.

Coach

As usual, you did all the research, and I just took the shot.  I did not know either of those things.  You always make me learn something, even if I don't want to.

I am glad we got it right.  It is great when the rest of the world agrees with how we feel on our little blog.

I hope the trolls and maggots see your post.  It might help them know where they fit in on the food chain.

Probably not, but I can hope,
Dick

surge who cares about you wearing sunglasses. im not looking at your eyes. keep up the good work.

glenn

Congrats Joe, That's a great score considering your average.

Amos:  I really like the e5 too!  Doc Griffin recommended it to me when he built my driver a few months ago, and I've been using it ever since.  I've also tried the Noodle "Easy Distance" and the Nike "PD Soft", but the e5 outperforms them both on the fairway and around the green.  Keep hitting 'em straight!  R2

I have been dealing with similar issues. For me to hold off on throwing the club "over the top", the visualization that has worked for me is the "pulling" of the butt end of the club down toward the ball (which is basically helps maintain "lag" until the proper time, which are dictated by swing momentum and not the need some of us feel to attack the ball with our upper body).  Granted, the hips have to go first (bump) for this to work, but yesterday I was almost perfect in driving, hitting nearly every fairway and with increased distance.  Felt great to finally hit the driver well and with confidence.