Do not blindly trust the source of advice. Today I talk about something a tour pro said as advice in a magazine, it was so bad I had to record this video about it. You have to remember that most golf instruction you are going to read or watch in mainstream golf is going to not be in tune with the PPGS.
This bad piece of advice is about head position post impact - keeping your head down after impact. What do we say? Come up from the golf swing as fast as possible after impact! You cannot come up fast enough after impact. As fast as possible, like a pop-tart out of a toaster. Keeping your head down till your arm hits your chin is just twisting your back unnecessarily.
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Head Advice
I believe the difference between feel and reality is one of the great misnomers of golf and this relates to Surge's video.
Surge's advice on the position of the head after impact is to "poptart", but I
have videos of Surge showing his head at impact including various positions
on his follow through and it's clear his head had not moved even when the
club head had passed the ball about one metre and hardly moved even when his hands are about waste high, but the feel to him must be "poptarting".
This aspect has intrigued me as I have experienced the same issues when
comparing my swings on video with what I thought was happening and
even Surge has hinted this during discussions I have had with him.
The moral of the above info, is don't automatically believe you are doing something until you see yourself on video. I have videos of players telling
me that they don't over swing, but the club head is way below their shoulders
on the back swing and sometimes even down to their waste line, this action
is very powerful when it goes right, but extremely volatile most of the time.
I have moved on from being vertical, gone into recess and just doing what comes natural and fun.
Doing what comes naturally.
Good to hear from you, Neil. I think that the golf swing is anything but a natural motion. We do however, have to find a way to make it feel natural and still be repeatable. Bubba Watson has a swing that is natural for him but would be impossible for most mortals.
I'm so grateful to Surge for saving my game. He gave me a template for a more upright swing when I was totally lost and ready to give up the game.
Although I use the parts of the Surge swing that work for me, it is still a work in progress. I found it unnatural and too stressful on my shoulder joints to get anything close to the amount of vertical lift that Surge advocates. My swing is still 3/4 but with little flatter backswing. This has been a winning formula for me this year, with constant game improvement and good scoring.
3/4 and a bit flatter
Dave, good to hear from you again and hoping to get back to golf in the new year after a long break. Just started working on a new swing which which I think is similar to yours, I'll call it a hybrid of several systems including Surges involving bit more shoulder turn, retaining the posture setup by
keeping the left shoulder pointing downwards while turning, focusing more on the left arm being straighter and the left wrist much flatter, which has
resulted some much crisper and longer hitting. Only time will tell if this delivers a more consistent game and doesn't have any pain issues.
Merry Xmas to you and your family, regards Neil.
Hybrid Swing
Neil, my swing is also a hybrid blend of whatever works for my body. We seem to be working on very similar parts of the swing.
I have an addiction to training devices. They help to keep me motivated and in good shape through the long Canadian winters. It's great to be able to hit the ground running in the spring with a swing that is as good or better than last year. I don't always pick a winning training device that lives up to its promotion but I have a few that I really like.
I've had a " SwingRite" for years and still use it almost every day. The "Power Package" is a work of genius. I attached it to my SwingRite to produce an excellent double duty training device. My latest purchase was a device called the "Most Important Stretch in Golf" (MSIG). After a few weeks of using it inside, it seems to be doing a lot for my strength and flexibility and it would probably help with the parts of the swing that you have been focusing on. I'm not trying to sell these but just noticed that the "Golf performance store" in Australia sells the last 2 items with free postage.
Merry Christmas and all the best to you and yours.
Dave
Keeping the head down.
Thanks for the great video Surge. How many times, in a round, do we hear somebody in the foursome give the worst advice in golf..."Got to keep your head down". Following this "sage" advice and assuming that this is the only reason for a bad shot is a real swing killer. We give up a lot of club head speed, by trying to maintain body angles too long after impact. The pop tart that Surge advocates, does not involve the violent hyperextension of the left knee that rotational instructors promote. If you were trying to throw a heavy weight any distance, keeping your head down would be totally counter-productive.