I was having my first lesson with ST and it ended up being somewhat monumental. The 2-hour first lesson includes a real good video analysis of his swing and mine, which I use as the model to view and compare the student's swing for setup and swing. Like all lessons, I first gave him my intro speech, which included asking about any physical problems that could affect his ability to swing, and what were his swing problems. During my intro, ST was stretching out as he listened. ST said that he had a tight lower back and had watched my instruction video. He asked if he should use his old swing or the new PPGS one he has been working on since watching the video. I answered 'absolutely the new one,' and then gave him his target, had him warm up starting with a wedge, and then move up to a 7 iron. It's during this warm up session that I do my written diagnosis and evaluation (the prescription part is included on this form) of his setup and swing.
ST said his main swing problem was hitting the ball real short and mostly to the right. So he starts hitting and he wasn't kidding. Just about every shot was weak right, really short and his divots were digging trenches. His grip, posture, stance width and alignment were quite good. His posture balance was, unfortunately, heavy left, which was a major contributor to the deep divots and hitting to the right. He was started ahead of the ball and at impact was even farther ahead because of the lateral left shift starting the downswing.
The real swing problem jumped out at me when I looked up at the top of his backswing and saw how deep his hands and club were, and how flat and laid off his shaft was. His right arm, from the elbow to the hand, was perpendicular to the ground, what I call the serving pizza position, and his spine was tilted forward in a reverse weight shift. He was without doubt the leading candidate for The Surge's 'Inside and Laid Off Golfer of the Year Award' and would be a strong contender for winning the award for the decade. With the written evaluation completed, I then filmed his swing and mine from the face on and down the line views.
My first question, before we looked at his swing, was what was he working on regarding his shaft at the top of his backswing, and was it different from what he was doing since watching my video. He responded that he was trying to get the shaft more vertical, toward 12:00 o'clock. I said OK, let's see and turned on the video in slow motion and stopped it at the top. He was astonished and could not believe it was so flat, as he felt he was really getting more vertical. I then showed him my vertical top of backswing, with the shaft at 12:00. He was shaking his head and saying he really felt he was close to that. Then he sort of went into a blank stare, and came out of it dropping the BOMB of a question.
'In the takeaway, when I get the club into the mitt and then over the toe line and the vertical lift begins, I guess aiming the butt of the club at the aiming line is not correct?' I answered, 'Correct O' Mundo!' ST responded that he had lessons and read that the shaft had to point at the target line during the backswing and although he was trying to lift his arms he was keeping the butt pointing at the target line. I responded that was why his right arm was in the pizza carrying position and his shaft was laid off.
Next, I asked ST, 'Where should the butt of the club point once the lift begins?' Almost instantly, like maybe he had been thinking about this and had a theory, said with confidence, 'It should point at the toe line.' I shook his hand and complimented him on his now correct answer.
I then gave him the vertical wall swing concept and drill of standing against a wall with his butt cheeks touching the wall. The drill is lifting a golf club in a 12:00 o'clock vertical swing; the club will never touch the wall even with your butt touching it. An inside takeaway and laid off club will smash right into the wall. So, I gave the cautions of covering the garage wall or any wall with an old carpet, or sling one over a clothes line in the back yard and save the walls until he got the stand up vertical club position.
Lastly, I gave ST the 'heavy-light club test' to learn and remember the correct feel at the top of the backswing. Standing erect, I had him raise his right hand like taking an oath. With him looking forward and not at me and what I was doing, I placed the 7 iron straight up at 12:00 o'clock in his open right hand and had him grip it. I told him to feel the weight and feel the muscles in his wrists, arm, neck and shoulder. Then I reached up and gently grabbed his wrist and leaned the arm and club backwards and laid off to around 10:00 o'clock for 10 seconds, and said feel it. Then for the real deal, I laid it off to 9:00 o'clock and asked him to feel the position and the muscles.
The final question I ask with him while he was still holding the club laid off was, 'Which club position is lighter?' He said straight up as he lifted it to 12L00 o'clock. I asked, 'How do your muscles and the club feel?' He answered 'The muscles have no stress and strain, and the club is 'LIGHT.'
We made some practice swings, when I saw he was getting pretty vertical, he got a ball. His first hit was pretty good, the second better and he hit a home run on the third. It was more solid, the divot was shallower and it was way higher, longer, and straighter. Lesson done'¦School is out!
Light is RIGHT'¦..and needs less MIGHT!
The Surge!
P.S. By the way, ST's back problem is gone. Make yours go away too. Click here!