Today I'm going to go over some of the most common mistakes I see from PPGS golfers. Many students who show up at golf schools or private lessons don't even realize that they're doing anything wrong. That's when having a second set of eyes comes in handy.
Some of the biggest issues I see are with the overall setup (including alignment), the takeaway and the backswing. After watching today's video, you'll have a template to work from the next time you get to work on your game.
It may be getting cold in some parts of the world, but there's still time to improve and become a polished Peak Performance Golfer before you put the clubs away for the off season.
Keep it vertical!
The Surge
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Comments
Common mistakes
Thanks for the very well presented video, Surge.
Revelation
This video made me very curious in that the action of toeing up in the BUS and FUS required a wrist action and from my perspective, thought this was a no no.
However, yesterday I introduced this aspect into a social family game and was amazed at the results, ie into some howling winds and driving rain was hitting the ball straighter and longer than the previous day where i continually dragged balls to the left and finished the comp. 8 shots over my handicap.
I'm going to work hard on this action now and see where it takes me and once again Surge, thanks for the reminder.
toe up to toe up
Neil,
Interesting observation on your part and in any case seemed to help you hit it longer and straighter so- 'well done'. I have not found that toe up required wrist action personally and if I add any I do not get better results. I find that just in the process of the 70* turn and the natural movements of the club and club head as we follow the ball and socket of the shoulders the toe comes up naturally. Meanwhile if your interpretation is having you get better results than 'good on ya mate'. Just coming into your spring weather down there right? Summers on the way and hopefully your best golfing days. Surge referred to the season winding down as fall and winter approaches. Depends on where you live. Those of us in the southwest and extreme southeast will be playing year round thanks:) And those of you in the southern hemisphere are just coming into the good months right?
Happy golfing Neil of Oz!
Haven't heard from Dragonhead of NZ in quite a while. hope the lad is still doing well.
Wrist Action
Robert, I was hoping I'd get a comment like yours as in the past I would have to take the club back with a partially closed face to keep a flat wrist. I still think my left wrist is still the main problem with my swing as to keep my left wrist flat, the club head would have to be outside my head and this is a nono
When I was a lot younger I had extremely flexibile wrists which is now causing problems for me in golf, even with the club being vertical, looking face on and down the line, the left wrist is still cupped slightly.
I played 18 yesterday and couldn't get anywhere close to my hitting power on Sunday, but still managed to beat my H/C by a couple of shots, I just scrambled all day, but birdied the last whole, which put me in front.
I hoping & praying for Don to get well soon and do another school downunder
and I bet he will look at me and give me an antidote within seconds.
Slightly cupped left wrist
Even Don, appears to have a slight cupping of the left wrist when addressing the ball. I think that if you have a wrist that is really cupped there will be obvious wrinkles where the wrist joins the hand. In a neutral position like you get when making a fist the knuckles will be above the plane of the wrist. If the knuckles are in the same plane as the wrist it is more bowed than neutral. I try to keep this neutral position throughout the swing.
more on wrists
Neil,
I'm visualizing your take away and wrists as best I can based on your comments. Though I agree that the flat left wrist is important it sounds like you may be keen on over controlling the rotation. Remember we can keep the wrists quietly cemented while still rotating the forearms. That needs to happen as long as we don't over do it. It's what I call the 'opening and closing of the door' (as a visual and feeling of the club face and forearms.)
Perhaps you need to also take another look at your right forearm and grip too. Revisit the Master Set Up. Surge refers to it in this 'common mistakes' vid. That right arm needs to be under the left at set up. That makes the maintaining of the flat left wrist and the up vertical move easier and more natural as I mentioned in my first comment above. Done correctly we then illuminate the need to over think or control the wrists and the rotation occurs more in the forearms and the shoulder sockets. As I have said about the grip and wrists "set it and forget it".
"Set up determines the motion" as you know.
Does all that make sense? Let me know.
The Wrists
Robert, i find it interesting that you "can keep your wrists quiet, while still rotating the forearms", to me the rotation of the forearms starts with the wrists, I can't see any other way of kick starting this action.
That's exactly why I've had problems from day one, because when Don states that "no wrist action is good wrist action" I have to lock my wrists, then force the club head away from my body and if I don't, it automatically cups the wrist during the BUS. Even when rehearsing in front of a mirror and have the club dead vertical, my left wrist is either cupped or skewed a bit, which means it will cast at some point, thereby giving inconsistency.
I like the idea of the wrists rotating slightly in the BUS, to me the feeling when coming back down in the FUS feels a lot smoother, so I'm going stick with it
for a while and see if it brings more consistency.
flat left wrist
Of course there us some movement as the left hand/wrist rolls over the right about a quarter turn to thumbs up and then at least a half turn thumbs up the other way on the follow through. We talked about this a couple years ago illustrating it by laying the hands on a table in front of us and simply rotating right and then back to the left with our hands in golf grip position. It was to show simple rotation without cocking or cupping.
Years before finding Don I had one of those special training gloves that when strapped on forces the left wrist to remain flat. That did help me train in the feeling of being able to rotate the forearms while the wrist does indeed not unflatten. A tongue suppressor stick shoved under the top of a gloved hand and along/above the wrist accomplishes the same thing. You may try that and if it helps you learn less wrist action.
But they have to rotated during the swing in order to experience release through impact. Keeping the BUS 3/4's helps as going deeper than that (for me) causes unwanted wrist action that becomes more than just flex but then cupping and bowing and the flat wrist is gone past that point.
setup important
This video is a great summary of the PPGS. You explained the rationale for every element of the swing. I focused on the setup with the legs bowed outward and the knees flexed. I never thought of this before but this keeps your right side from collapsing during the down swing which for me has led to consistently hitting behind the ball or chunking. When I concentrate on this, I consistently can make good solid contact. Thanks.