Do you have a working understanding of where your hands should be during your golf swing? If you don't, today's video will surely help you. A Surgite named Vinnie sent in a lengthy question that centered around wrist action. He referenced "good wrist action is no wrist action" but feels that the only way he can get the club toe up in the forward catcher's mitt is to roll his wrists.
If Vinnie is actively trying to roll his wrists during his forward upswing, he's not adhering to the mantra of no wrist action. What you all must remember is that the wrists aren't what roll and control the clubhead. It's actually a roll of the arms, not the wrists.
Don,
I have been a devotee of your swing for about a year, and I am hitting the ball reasonably well. Current handicap hovers between 7 and 9, and if I ever get off the dime and practice the fundamentals of the wonderful Kenny Knox short game series, I might be able to go even lower. I find your explanations of the full swing both complete and accessible, and for the most part I enjoy working on my swing.
However, there are aspects of the swing where I need help on both the theory and the practice of the PPGS. Firstly, I am a little confused on the action of the hands, particularly at and just after impact. It seems to me that the "...no wrist action is good wrist action" mantra is somewhat antithetical to the toe up in the forward catcher's mitt concept. I can't seem to get the toe up feeling without a roll of the wrists. This produces a pop at impact that only feels wrong, but can also result in some fantastic, dead straight, pulls that over shoot the target by twenty yards. Can you help with the proper visual?
Vinnie
The wrist is a connection point between the fingers, arms, and up to the shoulder. We control the wrists from breaking or hinging by allowing our arms to be the leader in how the clubhead is manipulated.
The best way to let the club square up is to make sure you swing into the forward catcher's mitt toe up. If you need a good visual, think about or look at where your thumbs are during your backswing and forward upswing. They should be pointed up at each catcher's mitt checkpoint. If they are pointing upwards, your clubhead should mirror them, which will give you the toe up position you require.
Keep it vertical!
The Surge
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Comments
Hand Position
I can easily understand the turn. No roll of the wrists and thumbs pointing up. Wrists perpendicular to the ground etc. But, why can you not cock the wrists a bit? You can do this without rolling the wrists and still keep everything perpendicular. Coming down can you not simply rotate your arms into the hitting position? Is there confusion about rolling the wrists and cocking them? I think they can be cocked without compromising the PPGS.
How much is enough?
How much wrist cock is enough? When should you do it during the swing? How does it help the shot? If you find that wrist cock helps your game, then good luck with that. I think it's opening a whole can of worms for me, when all I want is simplicity & consistency. I know Kenny Knox talks about wrist hinge in some of his short game shots, but for a full swing, its too unpredictable, & just another thing to think about. There is always a certain amount of unconscious flexing in the wrists, but no wrist cock, feels more powerful to me.
Compromising the Surge Swing
There are a lot of video references to this subject in the archives. Cocking the wrists intentionally introduces an unnecessary variable, according to Surge. As he explains in the link below having firm wrists is one of the building blocks that makes the swing work so consistently. I find that not having to worry about how much or how little the wrists are cocking simplifies the timing of the swing.
https://www.swingsurgeon.com/daily-video-tips/keep-wrists-firm-backswing
Compromising the Surge Swing
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Hand position
The problem with wrist-cocking is that IF you purposefully cock your wrists at the start of the swing, at some point during the swing you MUST un-cock them. This unneeded wrist action introduces additional timing variables into the PPGS that simply are not needed. It can really screw up a good swing. Been there, done that, never going down that path again. Remember, thumbs up, palms perpendicular during the swing and a solid T-finish. Keep it simple. R2
Hand position
I agree with Dave, Russty and Roy. Just keeping everything firm or locked down from my hands through the forearms with no purposeful hinging (as we've discussed dozens of times) is best if we want to have a controlled, powerful 3/4 swing. My brother is a perfect example of a golfer who purposely does cock and uncock through impact. Yes he occasionally out drives me but it is always a mystery where the ball is going. He normally aims way too far right and counts on a pull but often hits a beautifully straight shot deep into the tree or condos. Left/right military golf. Because I am now learning to hit a controlled draw it requires even more so that I leave the hands and wrist out of it. If we set up with a good grip and follow all the rest of Don's guidelines, rotation of the arms happens at the right time and place at and through impact. Keeping it simple helps us with more consistent reliable ball striking.
Sciatica
Off topic but I know there are scores of you out there who have experienced the pain of Sciatica. Mine started slowly, actually with pain in my left calf muscle. It was only several weeks later that I realized the culprit was in my left hip/buttock. Being a massage therapist who has helped others with low back/hip/leg issues I am starting to get a handle on it through heat, ice, stretching and targeted careful exercise. I have been reading and watching a ton of info on the matter the past few days and am still studying and trialing various self treatments.
I would appreciate any out there who found various treatments or things that they did or had done that helped them get through it better. Would like to hear what worked for you all. Yes it hurts so bad the last week that I can't play golf or work. Hoping to work by Tuesday. Look forward to your comments and suggestions. Don't worry that your not a therapist or doctor, still share as I am open and looking at therapies to employ or consider.
Treat your own back
Treat your own back, or 7 steps to a pain-free life. By Robin McKenzie. You will find on amazon
Mckenzie
Russty,
Thanks for the suggestion. Have you personally used his exercises? I took a look and as it turns out I am already doing two of his back extension moves, the sphynx and cobra poses. They are the two positions that hurt the most when in them. They don't bother my back but my calf with really sharp pain. It does seem to fade after holding it for a minute or so. May get that book, thanks.
This therapist demonstrates the moves.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=wBOp-ugJbTQ
McKenzie
I have a herniated disc problem that comes & goes, with pain down the left leg to ankle. I have the "Treat your own back" book & do all of the stretches in the book ,when the pains bad. I do 15 to 20 full stretches, or cobra, every day for maintenance purposes, even when not in pain, along with a few other stretching exercises
Stretching
Russty,
I have long been a believer in stretching and exercise. Not sure yet what my diagnosis is yet but it seems clear it is radiating from the mid glute and low back down left side. Visiting doctor today to check it out. Going to gradually ad a few therapies such as the hot tub and pool. What I am finding out is that most of these pains develop from a muscle imbalance where an apposing muscles groups become imbalanced. In my case possibly this is in the lower body. Not sure if I'll go as far as having exrays and an mri. Did that for my shoulders and ended up just work my way through it and rehabing with a PT and at home. Shoulders are fine for the moment (thank God). This one kind of sneaked up on me out of no where. These things are often caused by more than one thing and I guess my hip and leg met the 'perfect storm'. Trying to calm the waves down now:). Hoping to do it on my own and the doc visit is as much for having a note for work as it is actually expecting the doctor to do anything. Wary of doctors I am. I will proceed cautiously.
Thanks again for the references from you and Dave and any others that may chime in. We have a vast resource of experience amongst the Surge Nation.
Back pain
Robert,
Not everybody has the same problem but here it is. You asked for it. This is what worked for me.
About 25 years ago I found my personal cure for back pain on the ABC show 2020. The author of "Mind Over Back Pain" was being interviewed by one of the shows regular hosts. Apparently the content of the book had helped eliminate the host interviewer's own back pain, so he was something of an advocate for it.
It's a fairly cheap paperback and worth buying but the contents of the interview gave me all that I really needed.
http://www.amazon.ca/product-reviews/0425175235
The doctor's message, in my own words, was that many cases of back pain have nothing to do with the typical causes that doctor's usually diagnose. Back pains can be tension and fear related. The brain can cut off blood flow to a back muscle area and cause a back spasm, as a sort of diversion to tension, or some personal problem and of course fear of the pain getting worse becomes a self fulfilling prophesy.
The host interviewer said that all he had to do was very "angrily and forcefully" tell his brain to quit messing around and send blood to the area in pain. My personal image is to visualize healthy red blood flooding the painful area. I haven't had a twinge become a painful spasm once in the last 25 years since learning this mental trick.
Prior to this I'd suffered for 15 years with lower back pain and had all kinds of physiotherapy and chiropractic therapy. I haven't needed one of these practitioners since. I could count on losing a couple of weeks of golf every year. One chiropractor treated me daily for a week and I ended up having to be transported to the hospital because the spasm was so severe that I couldn't get off the floor.
I still don't take a healthy back for granted and follow a daily, varied exercise regimen so that I can keep playing golf.
Dave
mind over back
Dave,
Thanks for sharing. Took a look at the reviews and positive they are. I will consider getting this one too. Great to be part of a large family, many of whom have already been through a similar challenge. I do believe the mind is a powerful thing and has everything to do with better health.
Thanks