Can't Hit Some Of Your Hybrids Well?

I thought the same thing and he was doing it with range balls. They said he is there every other day for a couple hours hitting drivers. I was told the guy is loaded and did not want to travel for the events anymore plus he has back issues that flair up once in a while.

many thanks Robert - bychance, are you an expert PPGS guru? You seem to know the PPGS in fine detail.

I've seen a couple of his videos 'difference between chipping and pitching' and 'chipping technique' - gas pointing full /empty ,etc . Stuff that I see all the time on 'You tube' from lots of golf pros and teachers. Just wondering whether Don has his own theories or whether its all virtually the same? I reckon its virtually the same although my favourite is Jim Furyk's method of chipping which is similar to how he putts (looks very simple indeed and I don't think he opens his stance either). Phil Mickelson's hinge and hold method doesn't work for me but who can argue with one of the best short gamers in the world?

I agree.
After checking this out at the range today the right arm turns in the shoulder socket. This helps my right arm / elbow to bend properly and keeps the right elbow from flying out of control and the arms from breaking down at the top of the BUS. Which in turn shortens my swing to 3/4. Swinging with the feel of the right arm rotation it has helped my accuracy hit 12 greens Sunday and 9 Saturday.

he did not answer the question...how to hit them , we know they may be long....

RM, sorry to hear about your shoulders. It's a wise man that knows when to back off and 12 days in Oregon sounds like a nice break. Sooner or later we all have our limitations so enjoy your forced break and come back refreshed and raring to go.
I love a challenge so if you insist that I hit straight, I'll give it my best shot. ;0)

Not sure I could have not stuck the needle in and twisted it a bit.

Nice to see yoy're picking up extra distance...pleasant problem having to club down. It's a problem I don't have, sadly...lol.
I played twice this week with a guy who is familiar with PPGS and knows what I'm trying to do. He insists I'm too locked up with my lower body and is convinced I'm losing clubhead speed and distance. He may be right. So I spent some time in the backyard concentrating on a few things that seem to help. I tend to be too deliberate in my BUS, so I just loosened up a bit and tried to make it more of a natural swing rather than a forced takeaway. I focused on a one piece takeaway and not locking my forward knee in stone.
The transition seemed more natural and FUS finish was easier. I'm concerned that I may be getting into the SBG a bit too much but I felt like clubhead speed increased and the swing had a better flow. Time will tell when I get out next week.

I know we get a lot of talk about forearm rotation from time to time and my opinion differs slightly because of self observation and practice,
so I seldom say anything about it. However, for the benefit of any new
followers, whom may be like me, I'll state it again.

I am one of those who feel that I have no intentional rotation of the forearms in the BUS. None, Yes, None Intentional.

If I take my normal address position, simply lift the club in front of
me to ground parallel, keeping the club face and hands perpendicular to the floor/ground, Then I can simply turn back 70% allowing my rear elbow to tuck into my right side, and my left forearm to cover my toe line, I have done no rotation of the arms other than through my shoulders and chest area. My forearms are in the same relationship to my elbows and wrists as at address. From there it's just lift keeping the hands perpendicular.

This of course is a drill and not the actual swing, but it shows that
there is no great need for forearm rotation, at least not with my body
makeup. I do not see how we can rotate our forearms without rotating our
wrists and hands as well, which would rotate both out of our
perpendicular with the floor/ground/ address position.

Just some thoughts as I have come to see them. Keep our hands always perpendicular to mother earth and the rotation if any, will take care of itself.

There are video's covering every one of the situations you mention., and yes, it is all still PPGS. PPGS is more than one swing, it is an entire system of playing this wonderful game. You may find help with the search block, or buy the actual video lesson series. Everything is covered in the downloadable lesson series available here. There are a number of good daily tip lessons though you can access with the help of the search block.
https://swingsurgeon.com/Surge...

T, if I understand you correctly I accomplish the same thing by concentrating on a one piece takeaway and maintaining and it all the way to the top of the BUS. In my mind it's thumbs up to thumbs up in my FUS.
When I do it correctly any arm rotation just happens with no conscious thought about it. If my tempo is on that day the results are usually good.

Mike
Check the limk below that Steve posted and Robert F reposted. Hope it answers your questions.

Anyone watching what Tigers doing this morning? 8 under after 16 holes. Had 5birds in a row from 1-5 (his back nine). If he can only keep it up for 4 days.

Thanks Lynn. I'll still be checking in on you guys. Ya the break will do me good. I still think there is a sub 80 round or two left in me. Come hell or high water there will be more golf:)

Thanks Steve...Been overloaded at work, Mortgage Originator in Chicago.

Golf, practice and PPGS postings need to get back on track soon!

Enjoy Labor Day weekend!

Phillip

I've just realised why I haven't been able to hit out of bunkers all these years and it was really the fault of those old Leadbetter videos. In the video , he never made it clear that when you open up the clubhead face you make it square again to the target by then opening up your stance and swinging down the line of your feet/shoulders. In fact , many of the books I have on golf didn't show any pictorial representation and probably just assumed the readers would know (obviously not stupid old me!). I've just bungled along with the same old theory in my head and just assumed it was my execution of the swing that was at fault (when it was actually my set-up). So this simple diagram (url below) is all I needed.

http://www.threefooter.com/san...

Played golf on Saturday using PPGS for only the 2nd time outside of the practice range and blimey, hit 42 in the first nine (even with a few 7's and one 8, putting and chipping really poor). On the back nine , my driving was pushing/slicing right , but my irons were still fantastically consistent. Putting was dire and I think I 3 putted 4 times . Hit a 50 in the back nine with a 7, 8 and yes a 9 (lost 2 balls consecutively by slicing my 3 wood off the tee). I think I was overswinging and straightening up that rear leg but I think PPGS is really difficult with anything longer than a 3 iron.

I agree with Fred. Surge completely missed the topic with this video. Most of us know the difference between woods and hybrids. We want to hear Surge's comments on playing the hybrid club including ball placement and swing. Please redo the video regarding hybrids.

Hybrids take the place of long irons, and not fairway woods (metals). I use mine in place of my 4 iron and my 3 iron for shots of 180 to 200. Anything over 200, I will use my 3 wood. Ball placement is as Surge Reccommends, forward to satisfy shaft lengths, and the swing is the same as any other club. Shaft differences can create problems, so in order to get the correct results, you should get fit, or use common sense when selecting the flex. Surge may go off topic from time to time, but his message is consistent, if you're hitting your other clubs properly, then the problem club is usually a case of faulty equipment, and not a swing fault. His procedures are always the same, and being a simple man I appreciate his consistency.

Was just getting ready to turn it on, didn't think TV coverage started until 2. Looks like Phil is using a new putting grip with the left hand claw.

T, I know the frustration you refer to in the FUS. I tend to be too deliberate in my takeaway with the BUS and have to fight coming hard off the top when I start my transition.
When I get it right my thought is more SWING away than TAKE away. It's still pretty deliberate, but much more a feeling of smooth and flow if that makes sense. It's actually easier for me to do than explain....lol. When I get it right I've found I really kill my hybrids especially and it's really effortless. We won't discuss those times when I get it wrong..LOL. The feeling of keeping smooth is what allows me to let gravity start my FUS and the lack of tension gets me to a better T finish.
I play match play a couple of times a week with a friend of mine who's 8 years younger and 50-75 yards longer off the tee. Over the past 5 months I'm up 3 matches. I have to credit Surge for getting me to play smarter.
The game we love can be frustrating at times, but it's a journey I wouldn't trade for anything.

Interesting observations about your seeming 'locked up' and becoming more natural. I see some of the same things in my wife's efforts to learn to swing with some speed in a compact yet powerful way. She faces the same problems that many do who are often women and or seniors. (she's not a 'senior' yet but has a typically slower swing speed issue). She'll hit one drive150 yards and the next 85. Same with fairway woods and hybs to mid irons. The challenge indeed seems to be the balance of fewer angles while not over doing any type of stiffness which hinders speed and flow. Of course her best swings seem uninhibited and free flowing with a bit of a whoosh and zip. Surge teaches us to have firmness and stabiity in our stance and knees but I think we over do it and it can translates up out hips and body and feel 'locked'. Likwise with our arms we can over emphasise the 'no wrist action' and that firmness can be transferred up into our upper arms and shoulders and hinder free flowing speed and result in poor, weak shots. It may be wise for us to review the couple of dailies and lessons on zipping with speed while remembering that holding that front knee only applies in the backswing. sometimes it all does become flowing and natural.
http://swingsurgeon.com/DailyV...

Yep. I thought that was great. I just didn't get around to linking it back myself. I thought there would be an official bit about it. Probably something for another promo video, as well.

As the video Steve posted below shows, hybrids are often best hit just forward of the middle of our stance. Remember from a wedge to a driver Surge only moves the ball two or three ball widths from the middle. I think where many get into trouble is they have it too far forward and treat it like a 3,5 wood rather than a mid-long iron. Secondly, don't think in terms of hitting down or up on the ball. While it is best to catch the ball at the bottom of the arc with ball first contact, remember the swing is normal and the clubhead design of todays hybrids give you all the technology needed to get the ball up and long, no special effort is needed. It only gets us into trouble. Just let the club do the work it is designed for.

Ya, Phils seems inspired by Surgio:)
I wasn't watching Tiger on tv. PGA.com, shot tracker and clips of his birdies on line. Tiger played early, before coverage.

This a area that I have been working on I am doing fine with the driver longer and straighter but my timeing is slightly off with the irons but I hit the irons pretty decently at the range Tuesday. I have not carried a 4 iron or hit one in a year or two until Tuesday and was carrying it 200 yards up a up slope at the range. I am putting it bag in the bag and playing it this weekend.
That is if the rain holds off this weekend.

No hybrids for me. I love my irons, especially my Calloway 1 iron, vintage 2001. They work even better after I converted to Surge's swing 2 years ago. Hybrids may be the trendy way to go, but color me Old School on this one.

Sounds a lot like my own take away. I don't even think about any rotation, it just happens naturally.

Sounds like the marshal was retired from the government.

Overton
Also scorched the course today . T1

Go Bama 8:00 pm Sat.
Go Irish 9:00 am Sat.

Time difference is a pain in the tushie hahaha! One size doesn't fit all, in any aspect of this frustrating but addictive game. As Steve Smith comment on 'flexible guidelines', is right on the money. Robert Meade draws attention to the fault [I suffered from in the beginning when adopting the PPGS swing for a long time], of 'overdoing it'! The last two outings, once set up to the ball a took a couple of deep breaths and then let 'er rip! My original 'twitch' of the rear [right knee in my case],knee starts everything off. Then "UP AAND UP" kept my tem po and ti ming in sync. Not moving my head at all in the BUS is a must for me. Nose at the ball is vital. The forward knee will move a touch, but not enough to stop you making a good swing.
In my case, will look more carefully at how Surge takes his grip on his clubs prior to swinging, with particular attention to the position of his arms when doing so.
PS. Took the Sun Mountain Micro cart in this morning for repair. Front wheel bearing seemingly : - ( Out commission for a few days boohoo!
Have a great day and you WILL have better results next week.
Ousthuizen woweee! 29 front nine. Och aye and Richie Ramsay of Scotland winning the Omega European Masters yeeeha!

As DH would say, ty-ming and tem-po. Interesting you mention the 4 iron. It is typically the least lofted iron I would carry. I do go back and forth between the 4 iron and the 22* hybrid. I hit either about 185-190. Further if I step on them, but then pull, thin, fat and other uglies can happen, so as I said earlier I'm better off just keeping all full swings about the same power level unless it's a specialty shot. That keeps me out of trouble. If I need more I go to the 5 and 3 woods. BTW, I find the same thing with the 3&5 W's, I just a normal tempo with a quiet body and not going after it too hard will give me the 200-230 needed. That's not an endorsement for "swing easy". Just know my tempo and speed. I swing with as much zip as I can while not over swinging. That may mean 185 -190 with my 4 iron, 200 for you, and 175 for another player. Love my laser. It has enabled me to figure out my comfortable full swing distance for every club in my bag.

DOC:

I seem to recall Doc saying in the past that a progressive swingweight of 1/2 to one point between irons is better than an equal standard. If you are reading this Doc, is that correct, or have I messed up again.

I wish I had the equipment to MOI each club, but unfortunately a swingweight scale is the best I have to work with. I like the idea of one standard sw, but it seems to me that a progressive sw would come closer to matching MOI's.

Happy to listen to your thoughts too Robert, or any other club tinkers out there. Using standard equipment and standard lengths has a progressively higher sw as the club number goes up, but with butt and tip weighting availability today, it is easy enough to make them all equal as well. I just am not sure which if either would be a better match to MOI's.

Sorry, but this video did not answer the question. I have 3 fitted hybrids and cannot consistantly hit well with them, and can do much better with irons. We all know that we change with age, but what we want to know is the difference in hitting with hybrids - ball placement, etc. as compared to irons.