Right Leg Setup Position
I got a call from Jack, one of my most regular and knowledgeable PPGS students. He wanted to discuss the position of his right leg and knee at address and then throughout the swing because he had a major revelation. But before I get into that call, I first want to tell you a little about Jack as a golfer, as a student and our time on the lesson tee and the course we quite often play.
Jack has been studying and working with me for over 5 years. He had traveled the country and taken lessons from a number of top 100 teachers before coming to see me after quitting the game. He quit for two reasons. The first reason he was because he was a scratch player before he began his journey to search for the swing to hit it longer. And the day he lost 6 balls on the front nine and didn't break 50 was the end. The second reason that was that his back was killing him and he was certain the swing was the cause. So, with a bad back and really terrible golf, quitting was a good solution for peace of mind and body.
But like most golfers, Jack is a golfer down to the core. He couldn't stay away, especially when his best friend told him about me and that the PPGS is a back friendly swing and that it is simple and easy to learn. Jack's friend was sure I could help him. Jack called me and signed up for a 2 hour lesson. From that first lesson, his back pain, after playing and practicing ,was 80 percent or more gone and his swing and ball striking improved tremendously. He was so pleased, excited and hopeful for the future that he went at it full bore taking 2 hour lessons twice a week for around 6 months straight, many times after which we played 9 holes.
Jack is serious about his golf and he says that after God, family and work, golf is it. Jack is so serious that he made notes after every one of the lessons he took from the other pros before me and he still has every one of them. He loved my diagnosis and prescription sheets because I wrote everything down and all he had to do on the back was jot down his thoughts and feelings. He has every lesson sheet in a protective cover and keeps them in a ring binder in order.
Jack also has the memory and recall of an elephant, if not the hard drive of a computer. I can't tell you how many times in lessons when he wanted an in depth explanation of something and then asked questions or made comments that were suppose to be relevant to the PPGS, they were not. I would then say, 'That 's not the PPGS. It's is just about opposite of it.' Or sometimes when I said that his comment was not the PPGS, I would throw in, 'No wonder you are having trouble understanding and doing what we are working on, you got things all mixed up.' He would think a few seconds and always answer the same thing. 'Oh yeah, you're right, you don't teach that, so and so teaches that.'
After hearing that statement, lesson after lesson, I told Jack his biggest problem was all this other swing information was still bouncing around in his head and getting mixed up with the PPGS he was now doing. To emphasize the point, I termed the other information 'brain trash' and it needed to be thrown away because it was piled up in his brain and messing up his present instruction. At that moment, I told him I was giving him the nick name 'Trashman' until I was convinced he got rid of it or at the least had it stacked away and out of sight and mind. Jack is getting better and almost cured, so now he goes by just 'Trash.'
Back to the phone call. Jack's started by saying that he wanted to discuss his right (back) leg and knee position at address. He was certain he kept it too straight and that it was the cause of his swing problems. He had been reading my lesson notes and saw 'straight right leg' written on almost every one. He also looked at pictures in a lot of golf books and thought about and visualized my swing and DJ's swing and was convinced he need more flex in his knee. He just returned from the practice tee and he wanted to discuss his findings with me for my thoughts. He was convinced from the practice session that his right (back) leg was too straight at address. He felt that is what was causing his leg to collapse downward in the transition so he could not bump and then swing up AFAP to stand up to the T-Finish. He was also convinced it was the cause of some other smaller problems that he has not been able to master as well as he should.
He went into a detailed explanation of what he felt in his right hip, butt, thigh, knee, calf, ankle and heel in the setup, the backswing and transition to impact. He was really excited. And he was blowing my mind with such minute detail especially, with what he was feeling in his right butt. I finally broke in and said for reinforcement of his comments that he was 100 percent correct. And then I dropped the bomb with a combo question and statement when I said, 'Jack, if I've told once I've told you a thousand times in lessons and playing, your right leg is too straight almost locked and you need to get it flexed inward to be athletically ready.' To reinforce that statement I asked. 'Have I not said that a thousand times?' He replied, 'Yes, but it never sunk in until last night when I read your lesson notes and looked at the pictures and visualized yours and DJ's swing and hit balls today.' I said, 'Congratulations! This is a great day. Figuring this out a little late is better than never.' Jack was finally emptying the trash.
The question we all need to ask and answer is, 'How much brain trash are we carrying around in our head that 's messing up our minds and complicating our swings?' I know I don't have any trash as I know, believe and use the PPGS.
The Surge!