Releasing Your Head Early In The Forward Upswing

Sorry about the eye. Yesterday as we played one hole the Archery club were having what looked like a training session for new Toxopholists. Started with a 38lb 'take down' steel bow in Libya in mid 1960's introduce to it by a USAF friend. Don't know if my shoulders would take the strain. Who knows it migh unknot some of the knots. Have a great cruise. 50 years, wow! Behave yourself. Good luck also with the Surge swing, it is the only way. Have a Happy Hogmonay

At impact the head must go up with the arms, hands and body. They all should work together. On the back swing you are coiling the head and body like a spring which gives you power. The follow through is the release of that power.

Neil, I started to do that with my wedges and hit the most accurate wedges ever. Delaying the pop tart head up gives me more solid shots and better accuracy.
For Marilyn, I agree with Neil with trying to swing without a ball.That wee beastie, is only taunting us. The best way is to ignore the taunts and swing through it. Keep on keeping on. Feel the swing and swing the feel.
Now need to practice what I preach hahaha. And I will. PMG an Succeed.

I guess we are creatures of habit, and this is one habit I haven't got into so far. Or I don't feel I have!

Thanks Surge,   Got out and played nine today, if you could call it that!!!!   Daaaaaaarn,   did not keep my head down, came up way to early and played baddddddddddddddddddddd.     If only I could learn to stay down until I hit the d ball!!!    Sometimes the more you try, the worst you get, in a big hurry, for what I don't know.    Well, going to be warmer tomorrow, so, will get out there and try again, it will be better!!!

Thanks for all of your help!

marilyn

TM, I think I know where your coming from, the shorter shots
require a much more delicate touch. I don't have a problem
here as I chip/bump from about 70M out with reasonable
accuracy. For me, I think it's easier to make the FUS more
vertical if you stay behind the ball for a fraction and allow a pivoting action around your neck, rather than allowing your shoulders to dominate. Just checked the Surge's swing in slow mo and he's exaclty in the position as I mentioned in my response to Steve. Don't forget the PPGS is more arms
than body for power, so it's the arms/wrist that are dictating the swing. Well that's my take on the subject, happy to hear
from others.

Disqus generic email templateI am fairly new to the videos so I am not familiar with how to obtain Surge's situational videos. Can you please elaborate? Thanks. ----- Original Message -----
From: Disqus
To: omunoz002@comcast.net
Sent: Wednesday, December 14, 2011 12:30 PM
Subject: [swingsurgeon] Re: Releasing Your Head Early In The Forward Upswing - Surge's Daily Golf Swing Tips

Robert F wrote, in response to coronel81:

Greg MacDonnell did a couple of great videos last December about this, but they're among the "lost" videos from the site changeover, as were Surge's dailies on the Box drill and Volcano drill (two great ways to practice in the sand). If you want the best help right away, you should really get Surge's two Situational Shots video series. One handles shots around the green (bunkers and rough of all descriptions), one handles the rest of the course (including what to do with really deep rough or worse off the fairways).
Link to comment

I agree Dave. Nose at the ball helps us stay steady until impact. Nose at the target again would mess me up. Having only 1.5 seconds for my entire swing start to finish only leaves room for one thought during the swng. Mine are normally not mechanically related anymore but about tempo.
Something I found last time out was that once I've done all the prep work before stepping up to my shot ( shot and club choice, alignment, picturing shot) I feel the shot with one or more practice swings with "one, two","one two" and the without hesitation I step up to ball with same tempo and swing the feel and same tempo, "one, two". This has really helped me to not have time to pause and 'think' about anything else but simply feel the rythym of the tempo I've established just a couple of seconds earlier. That has allowed me to more frequently repeat my practice swing when actually hitting the ball.
I was pausing and getting too caught up in my set up and waggles between the practice (get the feel) swings and my actual swings through the ball. Thus I had that often lamented saying of "how come I can't hit the ball the way I do my practice swing?" Now keeping that rythmic pace stepping up to and hitting the ball more closely mimics my practice swing. Kind of an "ah ha!" moment.

Amos:  Thanks so much!  One of my foresome plays the TreoSoft and really likes it, but as you say, they are hard to find.  R2

Thanks test

It's probably because I'm getting old but I like to save energy on the golf course by thinking of the real swing as the practice swing. I may take an occasional practice swing if the lie is difficult or as a stretching exercise.

 Generally though practice swings and waggles just increase my tension because they give me more time to tighten up before taking the shot. A couple of deep breaths and exhalations through the mouth works better for me.

This swing doesn't seem to require a lot of loosening up.  Ten balls on the driving range and I'm good to go.

You may have already tried this but one thing  that works for me is to deliberately over tighten those tension prone areas of the body and then just let the tension go.

R2:

   I normally play either the e5 or the TreoSoft (when I can find them), In warm weather, I think they may be about the same or maybe a little better than the Wilson Hope.  UBt based on 54 holes, the Wilson seems a little better in cool weather -- but it is a "toss up" -- the difference if any is slight, but mot noticeable with the Driver -- perhaps 3 yards on average, maybe a little less.

   Amos

Dave, spot on, ie don't look as the ball know's where
it's going. Suffered the same fate for a long time and
changed my putting stroke this year to a two handed
grip on a standard putter, but best of all was the follow through, when you get that right ( keeping your
head down and still ) the putts keep rolling in. 

Coach:

   What works best for me on those situations is the reiminder "SEE the club head hit the ball" and "Feeling Groovy" -- with the BUS starting immediately after the "y"

   Incidentally, lately I have been playing the Wilson "Hope" ball -- the mostly Pink but slighty Orange balls they make as Breast Cancer awareness, etc.  I started doing this because I can SEE them in the fairway. I was pleasantly surprised to learn that they go a little further off the driver, compared to my usual Bridgestones, in our slightly cooler winter weather now. 
 
     Keep hitting them STRAIGHT and LONG

   Amos

Simply go to the Surge Store link and purchase them. If you're an Inner Circle member, the Situational Shots: Around The Green videos are also available for online viewing in your Member Videos area.

Simply, I have alluded to my solution for "golf-ball fixation" itus above in my coment to Dave Everitt. What has helped me enormously is doing all my prep and thinking for the shot at hand BEFORE I step up to the shot. Then I'm into Surges reminder of 'feel the swing and swing the feel'. What is key is that we eliminate the pausing or undue time between our last "feel" practice swing and the actual swing. For me it's "one two" while taking my practice swing and then "one two" stepping up to ball, then without pause or hesitation, "one two" as I take my swing through the ball and up to my balanced finish and facing the target. You see it's that pause or few seconds before the swing at the ball when we start "thinking" again, " grip, be vertical, you missed your last wedge dumby, don't chunk it, ect., ect." We know this often leads to that chunked or thinned shot that we didn't want and was certainly not evident in our freee flowing practice swing.
I don't do that any longer. I have decided to just feel my tempo and not stand over the ball for more than two seconds. Keep that same pace and rythym established in our practice swing and don't give us a chance to start thinking and tightening up. It worked great last time out shooting 40 on my back nine.
Yes I still missed a few shots and putts but hit a lot more that were just as my practice stroke.
Who knows, this may be a solution to your " golf-ball fixation" challenge.
Let me know.
PMG

Thanks Robert....good thots all.
Somehow I sense that I will get the best results willcome when I become less concerned about wherethe ball might go. Give it your best swing and
simply let it go where it goes.

I think the name should be changed from
"driving range" to "swing range."

True. So when a batter watches it into the mitt, there must be a short moment there when visual contact is lost. Is that why the final look back?

Truxy,

Here's a link to a good article to start with. Good luck
http://www.swingsurgeon.com/Ho...

Thanks test

It depends on the person and on the sport....
I can't imagine Albert Pujols doing anything but watching the bat and ball meet, and his head coming along naurally.  In Bocci and bowling....sure, watch the target, not the ball.Golf is a different animal completely.

What a double whammy--if you take more than seven seconds, you run into two problems. First, losing the feel of the practice, and second, allowing the muscles to develop some tenseness that hurts the swing. This also tells me that we have to get our alignment right before taking the practice swing because if we have to make any corrections after the practice swing, more than the seven seconds might lapse. Ah, the complexity.

Off Topic - Calling out Disqus users.
I have been using disqus alot more and find it very useful to view all your comments and responses.
But I want to be able to respond by the email notifications but it just says  
Options: Respond in the body to post a reply comment.
But I cannot get in to the body of the comment to be able to do so, if that makes sense!
If I can get this to work I can view and respond from my mobile phone or laptop emails without actually going to the disqus website which takes ages to load etc on a mobile phone. 

Hi, Marilyn,

The swing thought you need is NAB - Nose At Ball. Keeping your nose pointed at the ball while you swing will keep your head still (not down). Down is not one of Surge's favorite words. Your head should remain in line with your spine. In other words, don't pull your chin down toward your chest in the swing. I have found, as a result of many poor shots, that thinking of "keeping my head down" makes it very difficult to swing to the T-Finish. With my nose-at-the ball (NAB), my head naturally comes up in the FUS to the T-Finish.

Good luck - PMGAS!

Simply Golf:

    I don't know about Albert Pujols per se. I do remember an article in a major Sporting magazine from aobut 30 (or is 40?) years ago concerning where hitters are looking at the moment of bat to ball impact. The article had photos of about 30 of the premier hitters of the time -- Mays, Mantle, Williams, etc.
    Of the 30 players shown, ONLY Stan Musial and a player I do not recall, but he was mostly pinch hitter for Cinnicati, with an awesome batting average for a pinch hitter were actually looking at the ball at the instant of impact.   Almost all of the others were were lookiing about 1/2 way between the ball and where the ball was going to be hit.  If I recall currently, all of the photos were from home run swings.

   Amos

Hi, coronel81,

Funny you should mention bunker play. Don will release his latest instructional video next week on December 22nd. It's a really good short game video shot with Kenny Know, a former PGA Tour champion who still holds the record for the fewest putts in an 18 hole event at just 93. When I  asked Kenny what he felt contributed most to his setting this record, he quickly responded "My short game. I am so confident in my chipping, pitching and bunker play that i always feel I can go for the flag from just about anywhere on the course."

This video will teach you some techniques that you may not have seen anywhere else. Look for some promo videos that explain this new product later this week or over the weekend.

Tom Jans

Amos and R2,

Another good cold weather ball I've discovered is the Nike Karma. It's a 50compression soft cover, and usually one of the lower cost balls at most department stores such as Wal Mart. It also has a nice soft feel off of the putter.

PMG

Oh what the heck....

it's on me if I'm ever in your neighborhood.

It obviously works hence the above post! I did try the same thing this morning but it wouldnt send for some reason so I thought I was doing it wrong. Maybe I was!

Thanks test

Thanks Surge!!

For me, I have to keep my head on the ball when I hit, if I start looking forward, I always top the ball.   Thanks much for keeping me in tack!!   Going to be 41 tomorrow, so, looking forward to getting out a little, this darn cold weather!!!

I will keep my head down until  I hit the ball!   Well, I will try really hard.

Maybe some half swings and just practice up the tree.

Thanks for the video,

marilyn

Dave, I wish I could swing at the ball without taking a practice swing. However, I essentially have only one good eye, and my depth perception is down to 1 out of a scale from 1 to 9. I did play one hole without any practice swings, and every swing was just fine. However, I don't have the confidence in my abilities to to this all the time.

I'll try your method of using deliberate tensioning and then relax and compare it with what I learned in a sports medicine clinic. We were taught to perform explosive actions while exhaling and not holding our breath. How they taught us this was by asking us to grip a baseball bat as hard as we could while holding our breath and while exhaling. None of us could grip the bat harder when exhaling. Apparently, you can't exhale and tighten your grip at the same time.

SG

Alvaro does have a great swing. It is still a rotational swing. He will be a great player great win today. IMHO will he ever accomplish what the greatest of his time TW has I do not see it. There is no one on tour right now that will. Their is someone coming in the next year or two that might and that is Patrick Cantlay .

Releasing the head before contact is one of my great problems, as when the head is released early, generally the shoulder go with it, thus the ball is hit fat.  Maybe if the head is kept in the same position whilst turning, one would be able to hit the ball cleanly.

As an editor I love your typo. Thanks for the humor!

I can't tell you how much PPGS has helped my game, just great. I am 85 yrs of age and play lots of golf, to about an 18 handicap. I am resently using a Callaway Diablo driver with a regular flex shaft. recently, I hit a friend's same club, but with a senior flex and got 10-15 yds farther. Is this normal, and why?

A timely post Steve. I stopped by the local course clubhouse for a coffee this morning and they had the Dubai tournament on TV. Quiros was leading at the time -16.  He may not be quite as vertical as PPGS, but I'd take it compared to my version of it right now.

In other words, think more about making a good swing, than the result.  I know it works well in putting if you can put more focus on making a " good stroke ", and not " caring " if it goes into the hole.  Telling yourself that you have to make a put does not free up the stroke.

While doing my best to stay open minded and flexible I have to admit I felt this idea was quite divergent from Surges previous posts that our head should never, ever, ever .... move until after impact. As he said in closing that he was going to stay with the old Surge and maintain the still head until impact and then pop tart. I have worked hard at keeping my posture and maintaining my spine angle as this to me is one of the most important keys to this swing. One of the keys is that the sternum is the center of our swing. That's just below my head and neck. If I start moving and turning my head early that stable point will not happen for me. Again it seems to be a little bit beyond Surges typical "parameters"  but he did follow it by saying he would stay with the "old Surge".
See the attached videos:

http://swingsurgeon.com/DailyV...
http://swingsurgeon.com/DailyV...
http://www.swingsurgeon.com/Ho...

Now I'm perfectly okay if some want to start moving thier heads before impact but if I do this I will be all over the place. Keeping my head, knees and spine quiet until impact is a basic and I won't start messing the formula at this point. I'll stay with the old Surge too. Just my opinion.
PMG with a steady head (or not?)

Thanks test

Nose at the ball is not the same as looking at the ball. If you can't see the ball with each eye,(this is likely to happen if you look ahead of the ball), you may distort your perception. See Surge's previous tips re the "Dominant Eye". 

Charlie, hope you're well.
It seems complex but recently it has all gotten alot simpler for me. Yes I do all my calculations before I set up to the ball including alignment, shot choice and visualization. So I have already picked a spot in front of the ball for the alignment. That doesn't change even as I take a couple of "feel the swing" practice swings. I take those practice swings along side the ball. I've experimented with doing it from behind the ball and prefer along side because I can move into the shot and still feel the swing. I keep the same tempo and repeat the feel as I send the ball at my target. Really only a few seconds from my last practice swing until the actual. My goal is to simply repeat the rythym and tempo. No pausing and standing over the ball. No time for tension or "thinking" just go at that point. That's the plan as of late and it is working nicely.

Shane,

I'm pleased to say that Surge is about to release a new short game video with former PGA Tour Champion, Kenny Knox. Those that remember Kenny will recall that he is an amazing short game player and putter. In fact, Kenny still holds the PGA Tour record for Fewest Putts in a 72 hole tournament at 93.

The video is in editing now and will go on sale December 22nd, just in time for Santa to bring one for you! His approach to pitching and chipping is really good and I know it will help many of you out there who want to improve in this important phase of your game.

Tom Jans
Director of Marketing

Amos....curious about what sports scientists might say.
I've now reason to doubt what you have stated. Those guys were amazing athletes.

Still, when I watch a major league pitcher bringing it home at near 100 mph, it's just amazing that these batters have the vision and athleticism to actually make contact.

OK....betcha a brewski that super slow motion video would reveal today's hitter is ball-focused first, tracking it for as long as possible. Truth is, we could both be right.

We can't loose, Amos.  A friendly chat and a pint....
it's win...win.  

SGW,

I had to go back and read it again. I did not even catch it the first time around, skimmed right past it.. I am surprised he has not edited/corrected it yet.

PMG