Common Misconceptions About The PPGS

Here's the story. Our club fitter, club maker, voice on the blog and certified PPGS instructor, Lynn Griffin, wanted to help The Surge with some ideas he had about the site and the swing. So he emailed Don a bunch of notes he's been keeping.

Understand, The Surge is under doctor's orders to cool it because if the heart operation. Don's interpretation of those orders is something like turning the oven down from 'broil' to 450 degrees.

The Surge mulled over Lynn's notes and began creating his own. Especially #6 below. where he revealed to Lynn a new definition of the mitt and tree he's been thinking for over 2 years now. What you're about to read is a combination of Don and Lynn. Some breakthrough information here. The Surge will elaborate soon.

Paul

From The Surge and Lynn Griffin.

Lynn Griffin: Over the past several months I have had the pleasure of meeting many of you and working with you on your PPGS swing. There seems to be some common threads of misconception that exist with PPGS students. The purpose of this article is to address those concepts and clear up the grey areas.

Since we have a reoccurring question on the blog about where are my videos, let me say that if you ordered videos and it's been some time now and you've still not received them, you didn't order the hard copies, you ordered the downloadable videos. You will need to log in with your user name and password and look under the tab called MY PRODUCTS. Also, yes, you are also able to burn these to DVDs. If you don't know how, ask your kids or grandkids. I'd bet the farm that they know how to do it.

While on the subject of the blog, please, if you have a customer service issue of any nature, please look below the last comment appearing in the current blog and you will see a notice with Surge's picture and there is a number for customer service listed. Customer service does not read the blog.

Ok, now to things that actually concern the golf swing. I will enumerate the items along with the factual concept of each.

#1. The PPGS swing is a ¾ swing. Actually the PPGS swing is a limited ¾ turn. We still make a full swing and this is achieved by the lifting of the arms.

#2. The belief that the top of the PPGS backswing is when the club reaches a position with the shaft vertical to the ground, is incorrect. This is a result of the misunderstanding that the club stops when pointing at 12:00 o'clock, where the clock is seen as you look at the golfer face on. Actually, the clock is viewed as if looking at the golfer down line or towards the target. The other statement that has been misunderstood leading to this idea is that when you are at the 12 o'clock position you can let the club go and it falls/slides straight down. In this position where the club is vertical to the ground and points to 12:00 o'clock, the left/forward arm is parallel to the ground. This is not the top of the backswing. There is still more lifting of both arms and the club to reach the ¾.backswing position. Relating this to looking at a clock face on the club at ¾ would be pointing to 11:00 o'clock, which would have a club parallel to the ground, pointing at 9:00 o'clock.

#3 . The belief that the steps of the takeaway into the mitt and up the tree are segmented or is a 2 step motion, such as we take the club to the mitt and then just lift the arms up the tree is incorrect. The correct swing is that it is a single fluid motion. As we are turning, the shoulders and lifting the club, it passes into and through the mitt as we are lifting the arms up the tree in a vertical arc. It is one smooth, flowing, upward vertical sweeping arc. Once the arms and club reach the toe line, there is no more turning, just lifting vertical to the top of the backswing.

#4. There is no wrist movement in the PPGS swing. While we do not cock our wrists and we work to keep them stable, there is a slight flexation of the wrists at the top of the backswing. Webster's Dictionary describes flexible as, 'able to bend without breaking.' In the transition, the effort to keep or maintain the back of the wrist to the forearm relatively flat and straight, or not cock the wrists as some call it, causes the muscles to stretch. Intentionally cocking the wrists causes the wrists to break.

#5. Pre-load heavy right means we lean to the right and tilt the right shoulder downwards. Doing this creates a very unnatural spine angle and pushes the left hip forward towards the target and makes it even more difficult to initiate the downswing with the 'bump.' You are out of dynamic balance. The correct procedure is to position weight on the right side by shifting the shoulders and hips to the right foot and not by tilting or leaning onto the right side.

(Note from Paul: The 'tree' is now defined. The Surge had been thinking about this for the past two years. His conversation with Lynn brought this out for the first time! We'll devote an entire video to this soon.)

#6. The toe line is where we go 'up the tree'. We can describe the tree as the space between the aiming line, where the mitt is, and the toe line. The outside edge of the tree iv vertical to the aiming line. The inside edge of the tree is vertical to the toe line. Once the club is lifted into the mitt, just inside the aiming line, which is the outside edge of the tree, is where the lifting of the arms and club really sweep up vertically and thus up the tree. The key point to remember is that once the left arm is over the toe line, the inside edge of the tree, the torso stops turning, thus the PPGS limited backswing turn. From there it is all arms lifting the club to the top of the ¾ backswing.

#7. While the PPGS swing may be a very accurate swing, you lose distance. The only way you lose distance is because you are swinging your arms in sync with your body. That is your body is pulling your arms. The power source of the PPGS comes from centrifugal force. That is, swing the club faster as in the example of swinging a rock on the end of a string. As the rock swings faster around the hand holding the string, the hand slows down/moves less to remain stable to support and leverage the extra speed the rock is moving. With the PPGS, we hold and resist the body (limited turn) so we can swing the arms faster, which in turn swings the club faster. The key is to swing the arms up to the T ' Finish. You move your body less and swing your arms faster. It is that simple.

Golf School Update:

CALL: 888-847-9464

California PPGS schools at Talega Golf Club in beautiful San Clemente, May 17 ' 19 and 20 ' 22 – 2 openings left.

Peak Performance Junior Golf Camp (12-18, hcp. 15 or less).
Date: Sunday, July 25, 2010 thru Thursday, July 29, 2010
Location: Secession Golf Club, Beaufort, SC
Tuition: $1,795.00'¦ All inclusive!
12 spots available. 6 left!
CALL: 888-847-9464

One Day PPGS Golf Schools!

Location: Old South Golf Links, Bluffton, South Carolina
Instructor: Greg MacDonnell, PGA, PPGS Certified
Tuition: $599. (IC members receive 10% discount)
Student Teacher Ratio: 4:1
Curriculum & Dates:
Long Game – May 3, 5,10, 12; June 7, 9, 21, 23; July 5, 7,19, 21
Short Game, May 4, 11; June 8, 22; July 6, 20
Instruction: 9 a.m.- 3 p.m. Includes lunch and 9 holes of golf following instruction.

Recommended accommodations: Hilton Garden Inn (3 minutes from course).
1575 Fording Island Road (U.S. 278), Hilton Head Island, SC 1-877-782-9444. Ask about PPGS discount.
Airports: Savannah International Airport (45 minutes), Hilton Head Island Airport (15 minutes)

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