Today's topic stems from two messages I received that were very similar in content. Both gentlemen that wrote in said they are having trouble losing balls to the right. The first thing I would have them check is their alignment, but they both think that's not the problem.
I've recently figured out a whole bunch of new tips and drills for alignment that you can't get anywhere else. I've put all this information into a full length video called, The Ultimate Alignment Video. Many of you have already purchased this great instructional video and the feedback I've gotten back has been overwhelmingly positive. I'm going to use a few ideas from that video to assist with today's daily.
If you'd like to see more from The Ultimate Alignment Video, click here.
Hello Don,
I am an avid follower of your daily videos and have been using the PPGS for over two years, after a serious back injury had prevented me from playing at all. I have improved my game, however still block most shots right. I have used alignment rods and even clubs to assist in alignment. My short game appears to be the better part of how I am playing, yet when I go to any club above a seven iron I block to the right. What am I doing wrong?
Allan
Dear Surge,
Love watching your dailies and the coaching I rec'd last year at your school in Phoenix has helped me immensely. Hope to see you back here soon. My question is around the fact that I am losing a number of balls to the right, either via a push or a slice (especially on longer clubs). I have adamantly been checking alignment and I use the sticks as a guide always cognizant that alignment is key from feet to shoulders and the number one reason for this typically. I do have a theory on my issue and I was wondering if you see a lot of this. As a former baseball player I believe my first move at the top of the backswing is opening my shoulders which then takes the club on an outside in plane. The reason I think this is true is that I see it in the divots (which are sometimes larger than they should be...separate issue perhaps). Anyway, I am curious if you agree with my theory or perhaps you think there is something else that more commonly drives this (other than alignment). Do you have any drills or potential fixes for this?
Thx, really love what you do...appreciate the help!
Jason Barone
Today's daily should help you understand alignment a bit more, but I really urge you to buy The Ultimate Alignment Video from Surge's Shop. The information you'll get is unparalleled in the world of golf instruction. No other teacher out there has figured out alignment like this!
Keep it vertical and aligned correctly!
The Surge
If you can't view the YouTube video above try CLICKING HERE. You must allow popups from this site for the link to work.
Comments
Blocks to the right
One thing The Surge may not have mentioned is whether their palms were perpendicular to the ground or whether they were using a neutral grip versus a strong grip (which the conventional teachers advocate), which can affect ball direction. But I did like his discussion on ball position. Surgites, please chime in.
Ball Position
When Doc Griffin came to Australia last year and fittied me for a driver, we had a quick lesson at the same time and one of the things he prescribed was altering the ball position slightly to change it's direction, because my best hit was always long and left. This may have been due not being set up correctly and or my natural square position at impact was back slightly than normal.
Ball position
Oddly enough, the block right due to ball position being too far back is something I suffer from with my wedges and 9 iron, not my longer clubs. Longer clubs I'm more likely to have too far forward and either end up hitting a pull, or pull-hook, or a pull-slice (most common with my driver). Sadly not available anymore, Greg MacDonnell did a great video a few years back about how to find the correct ball position for every club, and when I do exactly as he proscribed, I have no problems whatsoever. Maybe we can get him to redo that lesson. It takes all the guesswork out of ball position.
Greg Video
I think this may be the video you referenced
HANDS IN SAME POSITION FOR ALL CLUBS 2/6/11 Greg
http://www.swingsurgeon.com/DailyVideos/tabid/107/entryid/716/Ball-Position-and-the-Hands.aspx
Yep
That would be the one. Thanks, Terry. I thought it had been lost in the mists of time. ;-)
Ball position
Robert,
Ironically, I often find the opposite. When I want to make sure I don't push/slice I need to make sure my ball is not too far forward. Having the ball slightly further back toward the middle helps me keep my right shoulder back and aligned square at address and at impact producing a straight shot to a slight draw. It aids in coming from the inside verses outside and over the top. Yes ball position along with alignment are major in determining ball flight. Golf can be such a game of opposites. because I rarely go right any more I am learning to even aim slightly right or down the right side and the ball comes back to the middle (when the stars are aligned during those swings:)
Edit; Robert, You say you occasionally pull slice your driver. The driver is the club that has us setting the ball up the most forward of all clubs. I believe that is the main culprit that causes us to set up slightly X'ed out with our shoulders pre-ligned left of our intended target. (feet right, shoulders open left). I know you know all this stuff but bear with me. Next time out you may want to try something. Set up in your normal way. The only slight changes you may give a go are to move so the ball is one to two balls (or inches) back in your stance). This will automatically bring your right shoulder back and likely more square with your feet, knees, hips. It may also have the effect of aiding a from the inside approach. Then actually aim to the right side of the fairway. Still make sure that you are lined up parallel left of that aim point.
I occasionally have the pull/slice drive too. After experimentation I found that
moving the ball back one or two inches fixed it. Maybe this why many have said that Surge's ball position seems slightly back and yet he draws the ball.
Hmmnnn..... May be worth a try for you. Let me know.
Yep
The pull slice is caused by the ball being too far forward with the long clubs. It can also cause a block or a push-slice if I hang on too long with the hands, or a crazy duck-hook if I try to rush the hands through.
Ball position and shoulder tilt
What I found eliminated 90% of my shots to the right was this:
I get into position with my feet together and the club behind the ball. With the driver, I flare open my lead (left) foot so that the ball stays even with the heel. I then reassume the MSP with the club head in the center of my stance, as if I had a 7-iron. I follow this by tilting my shoulders to the rear (right) without moving anything else so the club head is back behind the ball where I want it. I then swing normally. For my width of stance, the center is 7-3/4" behind my left heel, and I move my left foot 3/4" to 1" forward as each club gets shorter until I reach the 7-iron.
I have noticed that, if I'm not careful, I end up having the ball either too far forward or too far back; usually caused by not having a consistent width of stance; i.e. 13" or 16" width instead of 14-1/2". I've made marks on a thin board that I stand on to practice my MSP.
slicing or going right.
It took me a few years but I can do it now. I was hanging out on my back foot. I learned to shift my weight and keep my head behind the ball. Now I can hit left . I am seeing new parts of the golf corse now. I thought I was doing the weight shift right but surge told me I was a day late and a dollar short. Or I am a weight shift faker. I went to the lake and started skipping rocks. At night I put a tense ball on a string and started throwing it at a target in front of me to get the filling of proper weight transfer.Then I started the drills while looking at a golfball on the ground. When you focus on that ball it can mess up a weight shift. Yardage is going through the roof now.
Blocks and baseball
Straight blocks to the right mean an in to out swing path with the club face square to that path (no matter what the divot does).
Having the palms perpendicular at impact is the most unnatural thing in the world for a baseball player since a baseball is hit with back palm up front palm down. It is by far the biggest single difference between a good baseball swing and a good golf swing.
Trying to overcome that leads to all sorts of other problems like over-rotation of the palms at impact and changing the swing path to out to in at impact to keep from going right. Both of those causing hooks and pull hooks.
Try to hit it hard - BLOCK RIGHT!!
When I try to hard on the Tee Box to really drive the ball - I over rotate compounded with added wrist cock & LOOK OUT RGHT (I MEAN WAY, WAY RIGHT!)
Trust the Peak Performance swing and swing with trust. My best shots are when I swing well and the ball gets in the way (a lot of not good happens when I think about hitting the ball....)
Block it while trying to hit it hard
Alan,
Another thing that happens when we swing too hard (not be confused with swinging fast) is that in our effort to give it more we spin out the lower body around and left while the club head is trying to catch up. Keeping the lower body quieter gives the upper body a chance to catch up and club head to square up as the forearms rotate over.
Block it while trying to hit if hard
The trick is to pick up the tempo and not fall into the trap of hitting it harder.
Sooolong Driver
Terry.
Did I read somewhere you were building a Sooolong driver with acuflex shaft?
What loft?
What model shaft of acuflex?
Thanks
Sooolong Driver
Yes, I found a good deal on the head 10.5*, 400cc. have a couple of different senior flex shafts I will be trying on it. One is an accuflex pro ld shaft the other is a Fuiikura 160 . Presently have the accuflex inserted but have not hit it yet. Just too much other stuff presently going on.
Sooolong
Terry and Philip, I likewise ordered the 160 in a stiff flex. Will switch out the shaft on my Soolong 9* and see if it feels as good as the KZG SP 700. I really like the KZG I've been using for the last few weeks. It's a 355cc built by Doc I got from a fellow Surgite. Nice club but at 14 degrees loft I can't get as much distance as I'd like on some holes. I may look for the same head closer to a 10 degrees. I am more concerned about in the fairway than distance now a days but would like a lower trajectoty. E bay is my favorite toy store. Enjoy constantly tinkering with different combinations. It's a hobby and I find everything about fitting fascinating. Don't have all the tools I'd like but maybe some day. BTW Philip, any comments on your L2 yet?
Sooolong Driver
TM/Robert:
I found a Sooolong 12 degree driver head on EBay....trying to find right shaft for it. Stiff may be too much for me. Regular or Senior work best. I do like Taylor Made M shaft as I tested 12 degree SLDR Driver. $399 driver is not possible right now.
L2: To be honest, I returned it. Loved the weight, could not get used to size of head though. John was gracious in my request, yet said give it more time to get use to, just like new 460 driver heads when they came out.
John' s comments on blog regarding arms way from body, shaft lean on take away, right shoulder on follow through, make sense and will be applied.
As you know, Golf has many variables. Appearance is just one of them.
Phillip
Sooolong Driver
TM/Robert:
I found a Sooolong 12 degree driver head on EBay....trying to find right shaft for it. Stiff may be too much for me. Regular or Senior work best. I do like Taylor Made M shaft as I tested 12 degree SLDR Driver. $399 driver is not possible right now.
L2: To be honest, I returned it. Loved the weight, could not get used to size of head though. John was gracious in my request, yet said give it more time to get use to, just like new 460 driver heads when they came out.
John' s comments on blog regarding arms way from body, shaft lean on take away, right shoulder on follow through, make sense and will be applied.
As you know, Golf has many variables. Appearance is just one of them.
Phillip
L2 PUTTER
Phillip,
Sorry to hear you are returning the L2. I know what you mean about the big head though. It would be nice to have the same weight into a smaller or more medium design. Just to let you know, you're not alone in having a tough time adapting to it. I love it on shorter putts 6' and less, but have great difficulty with distance on putts exceeding these and especially those into the teens, as well as the addition of up and downhillers with any significant length. As for me, I think I could overlook the distraction of the head size, if and when the putts start to fall.Mine is still a work in progress, with minimal time to give towards it, as I have several things going on in my family and personal health issues we are trying to resolve.
I have plans to play with it for all 18holes today and see how it goes. I might also give the Sooolong head with the Accuflex shaft a few hits.
L2 putter
Philip and Terry,
Interesting reading your comments and experiences with the larger, bigger headed putter. I actually have enjoyed the size aspect and being able to "stand it alone" and take advantage of the built in 'alignment sticks'. I have adjusted well to being able to roll the rock on longer putts to within the leather. I have also been shocked to make several long ones. Last week on the last hole of the day I had a 50 footer that never looked like anything but in. It fell in on the last few turns and may have been 6 inches by if it missed. Practicing on a real grass green with one ball only and going through the whole routine of marking my ball, et., as if in actual play 4 evenings per week after work for an hour has made all the difference. One of the challenges is learning to completely trust. Trust that I have done all I can do in my set up. Trust in taking a larger swing according to the distance and NOT a harder swing. Gravity and tempo. Just like John's pendulum putting machine. I now have the Check-Go Pro ball spinner 'The Ultimate Sweet spot finder' for finding the balls balance line. Also got a small tempo timer that I have set at 59 beats per as recommended by John. I will be practicing with this tempo timer in the coming days. I am very interested in getting an in door putting mat and will be looking at the choices as cash and deals become available.(at my limit now, ouch!) Switching to a completely different way of putting takes commitment and I am all over it. My putting has normally been the main missing ingredient to consistently breaking 80. I know it may always be a challenge but am determined I'm on the right path. They say practice makes perfect. Since we are imperfect I know perfection is not possible however I am working at practicing as perfectly as I can. While I can get away with minimal range time for the most part I know that (for me anyway) I have to ingrain trust through repetition.
Good luck to all that are willing to put in the time regardless of which putter they use.
http://check-go.com/flash_video/index2.htm
http://www.aliexpress.com/item-img/ENO-EM-11-Mini-Clip-Digital-Metronome-White-Color-WB273/534448373.html
My apologies to any who it seems that my goal is to always tempt others to spend money and buy more golf 'stuff'. Actually I just enjoy sharing my golf journey with everyone. So buyer beware! Fore!!
L2
Phillip, when I first pulled my L2 out of the box, my wife's first comment was, " Is it a putter or a metal-detector?",so I can understand your issue about not being able to adjust to the picture it presented at address. I'm liking mine and should take it back out for some more practice tomorrow.
Terry, It did take a little bit of time to adjust my stroke on the longer putts but I'm basically using the same distance concept that I've always used with just a wee bit of adjustment. I use the depth of the head as a gauge for every 5' of distance and set my width of stance to match up to 20'. Then for those that are longer I just imagine where that mark would be and continue my stroke to there. The difference between the L2 & standard sized putters is that with the standard I used the width(or length) of the face. For the most part this seems to work for me & my misses stay within a couple of feet or less.
Jason's block/slice issues
Jason, as a former baseball/fastpitch softball player I know your issue well. Key points that have helped me finally resolve the same problem are; controlled takeaway down the target line and making sure I don't pull the club inside too soon (keep wrists set); maintain the knees out-especially the front to limit rotation; have a smooth transition from back to front AND keep upper sternum facing the ball through the hit and transition to the front foot. Make a good finish down the front target line to keep you from pulling too quickly inside on your finish. Slowing my tempo down helped this fall into place. Good luck