PPGS in Slow-Motion

Sun, 11/24/2013 - 14:00 -- Don Trahan

Recently, there was a request sent my way to see the Peak Performance Golf Swing in slow motion. Peter Bausek thinks that seeing some slow motion swings would help him understand the PPGS a little better. Unfortunately, I can't give you a true slow motion daily video because it's a one man show from the backyard. I record these videos myself, so there's no special effects like in some of my other videos.

However, there are plenty of videos with slow motion swings located in our vast library of instructional videos. Some titles that include slow motion swings are Working the Ball, Situational Shots: On The Course, The Ultimate Alignment Video, and Short Game with Kenny Knox, PGA. Even though I can't edit the daily videos with slow motion effects, I will break down each element of the swing slowly, so that you can understand each step properly.

Hello Surge,

I am studying your swing model for a couple of years. What I have never found was a slow motion video (240 f/s or something like that) of your golf swing, face on and down the line. I would appriciate if you could make that a subject of your daily videos and show us your swing in slow motion. Your daily videos are highly appreciated.

Many thanks in advance,
Peter Bausek

For future reference, if you ever want to see some more detailed instruction, our full length videos in Surge's Shop have helped thousands of people improve their games. If you're willing to dive deeper into the material, the resources are certainly there! 

Give it a try and keep it vertical!

The Surge

If you can't view the YouTube video above try CLICKING HERE. You must allow popups from this site for the link to work.

Comments

louiek's picture

Submitted by louiek on

Hi Surge
I have your series on PPGS, they are very well done and very helpful. However, they are not good enough to provide the slo mo needed for my V1 Golf program analysis. That program also provides a reference library of high quality videos of many Pros, but alas, not yours. So when I look at your swing in V1's analyzer mode, your arms and hands are one blur. Bummer. I think most of the newer smart phones and tablets can capture videos of reasonable quality that would be helpful for us hacks.
Thanks,
Louie

gepatco@hotmail.com's picture

Submitted by gepatco@hotmail.com on

I believe you and TJ have a swing through the bag video that shows your swings in slo mo. I have it on my old computer which is not workin at this time,
.

jihood's picture

Submitted by jihood on

Hi,

I have been using your technique for a few years now, and as a way of giving something back, if you can get a video to me I will convert it to slow motion, and if we are both happy with it, I will show you how you can simply and freely do it yourself. You should have my e-mail in the system to get in touch

Steve Smith's picture

Submitted by Steve Smith on

You can't make a quality slow motion video that captures the club positions on the FUS with a Zi8. Just not enough fps no matter how much you slow it down.

The "Through the Bag" slow motion video that we've all seen so many times of DJ can be slowed down further but nothing can be done about the severe blurring of the golf club.

No reason for him to put high quality videos out for free anyway. There would be no reason to buy anything and he is in the business of making money.

Jurassical1's picture

Submitted by Jurassical1 on

If you can stand a little advertising, there's a website where you can play any youtube video in slow-mo if it's not on a blacklist. Using this app one can watch just about anyone's swing and pick it apart. Good luck and good golf! CAUTION: Stay away from clicking anything but the slo-mo buttons!
http://www.youtubeslow.com/watch?v=mYwlMEFTYtQ

Robert Meade's picture

Submitted by Robert Meade on

Here's an observation that I have noted before and only recently began really solving personally in my own swing: I, like many or perhaps most recreational players (non-professionals) have never had the challenge of getting too laid off in transition from the top. Again, if you note in Surges demonstration he says that when he starts down, he initiates the move from the ground up with the lateral bump. When doing so he experiences the secondary spine tilt and simultaneously the club lays off and he drops into the slot as he then fires into the FUS. When doing so he fights getting too laid off with his right hand. Again, I would say few have the need to fight that laying off. Remember I am not talking about the BUS and being vertical enough. Yes, most of us don't get as vertical in the BUS as we'd like however it is from a relatively vertical position at the top that dropping in yes getting a bit laid off is actually an art and vitally needed if we want to have a swing that is even close to performing like the pros. Most of us have always fought the over the top move not the too far under move if you get what I'm saying. I would love to do a survey of all Surgites to see how many get too laid off (or laid off at all) from the top compared to how many actually come back slightly to more that desired out and over. Hmmnnnn............. That being the case I have worked really hard lately to learn to feel and do the drop in laid off move on purpose, yes not only not avoiding it but learning it. I would love it if Surge would cover this in greater detail. I know it comes down to starting the FUS sequence with the lower body and that secondary spine tilt. I'm having more success with it recently, particularly wit the driver. Gradually getting there with the irons too. Would love to hear from other Surgites weigh in as to which category they fall into.

Dave Everitt's picture

Submitted by Dave Everitt on

I agree that for most of us, there is little danger of getting too laid off during the FUS if we have a reasonably upright swing. We are more likely to turn the shoulders too soon and steepen the swing plane.

I've found an adaptation of the butt against the wall drill, that keeps the shoulders from turning too soon and at the same time encourages a slight laying off at the start of the FUS. I have a concrete wall to back against but you can always put a head cover on the club head to protect your wall. My swing is vertical enough that while doing a slow motion back swing, the club head gets close to but never touches the wall. After letting the club lay off a bit, so that it touches the wall, I drop my arms down to mid swing position, while dragging the back of the club head down the wall.

The drill trains the first movement of the right shoulder to be slightly delayed and down rather than around. My bump feels like it just happens now, as a reaction to this dropping of the arms. This simplifies the timing of the FUS.

Robert Meade's picture

Submitted by Robert Meade on

Dave,
I haven't done the butt on the wall drill for quite a while. Used to practice it a lot.Never considered using it as an 'under the top move' drill. In any case the new way I practice an up and under move (as I outlined a few weeks back) is to go back vertically (or fairly vertical) and then as I bump I allow the club head end to lay off and then fall into the slot then coming down slowly to just before impact. I will do this three times and then on the forth take the full practice swing. I then step in take the actual swing. I do this fairly methodically so as not to take too much time. Most of my golf days are with my golf coach and wife Cindy (lol) so she is patient with my antics and swing changes. In fact she'll often remind me if I have poor alignment, tempo is to fast or I don't stick to my over all rhythm and routine. I do hope for this move to become more natural and then my pre-swing routine will become briefer.
It is interesting to me that for you the "bump feels like it just happens now, as a reaction to this dropping of the arms." for me it is actually the other way around. As a reaction to my purposeful bump my arms seem to want to drop in. That is why for me, the key is the bump and sequencing from the ground up.

Dave Everitt's picture

Submitted by Dave Everitt on

Robert,
For years now I've been playing with a right sided BUS, followed by a left sided FUS. Some of my best swings, in the past, have happened when the FUS was more of a push with the right side than a pull with the left. Learning to subdue the turning of the right shoulder and dropping the arms at the start of the FUS makes it possible to pour it on with the right arm, after the elbow brushes the hip.

Right now I'm working on making my whole swing, more right side dominant. One way to do that is to feel that the shoulder/arm unit drop and the bump are not 2 separate moves, but one connected move. If I initiate the bump conventionally with the left side my FUS becomes more of a pulling motion, rather than the natural right sided throwing motion that I want.

When I do it this way there is a lot less to time and both arms led by the right can be extended and swung more aggressively through impact. If the left arm is not leading the band after impact the right arm will cause it to fold correctly into the finish and not get in the way. I'm definitely able to swing my arms a lot faster this way. This right sided swing makes it easier to keep a steady head through impact and there is no problem getting to a well balanced T-Finish because the extra speed of the arms takes me there.

Robert Meade's picture

Submitted by Robert Meade on

Dave,
Just saw a drill that is very similar to the Butt on the Wall drill from Mike Bender.
Though using different wording than Surge, check out the similarities. Like your intent, he is using this to cure a slice and avoid the SBG while encouraging an inside track from the top. He also is referring to the Master set up Position with the left arm higher at address. notice how vertical he gets it on the back swing before dropping in. Very cool.
http://www.pga.com/golf-instruction/free-lesson-fridays/free-lesson-friday-help-occasional-weak-slice-video

Dave Everitt's picture

Submitted by Dave Everitt on

Robert,
If the back swing is flat the downswing tends to be too steep. That was my swing 3 years ago. It's nice to see an endorsement of sorts for an upright swing. I was also interested in his description of feeling the hands against the wall. I've been using the doorway drill, without a club for the last few days to rehearse the arm drop and completion of the swing. I setup in the doorway so that I can feel the back of my right hand slide down the door frame while dropping in. This is a very easy feeling to remember when making a real swing.

Another good thing that this drill does is train the hands to be perpendicular to the ground at the top, with the trail hand wrist bent back, in the holding a tray position so that the knuckles of the hand, can slide down the door frame.

brianita@shaw.ca's picture

Submitted by brianita@shaw.ca on

Hi Robert, I,ve been struggling to get the club in the slot for a long time,sometimes a straight shot,sometimes a fade and often a slice. Tried letting the club fall from the BUS,but never seemed to get it right.Also with the driver always hitting the ball on the toe of the club regardless of teeing it up at the heel.That in itself tells me I have an out to in swing.Checked it out videoing my swing ,getting vertical on the BUS viewed down the line,then I noticed that on the FUS,the clubhead never got "laid off" at all. I decided after reading all the comments on letting the clubhead get laid off slightly at the point of transition, to do just that.The end result was amazing,clubhead striking the ball dead centre,ball rocketing off the clubface with a slight draw and landing in farther down the fairway than I have been since taking up the game over 40 years ago. Fairways and greens. Brian

Robert Meade's picture

Submitted by Robert Meade on

Brian,
Your experience shows how result transforming the correct positions coming back to and through the ball can be. This is what started happening to my results too, rockets with a slight draw. I was in part inspired by a teaching video series that my former club fitter and a former world long drive champ did a couple of months back. They use flightscope radar to help slicers learn the correct path, club face position and angle of attack. Golfers would simply self correct after checking the actual evidence from the flightscope. I posted the reference before but will leave it one more time. There is 1-8 videos but you don't have to watch all to get the idea. That is instant feed back and self adjustment based on results from the radar. One of the interesting points is that many of the test subjects felt they were getting laid off correctly and inside the slot but in actuality according to the data feed back were still not laid off enough in the BUS but coming over the top.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=8C5OGCFmo1Q
Like you I had the "Aha!" moment when I did it right and now I want to have that experience all the time, not only off the tee but with my other clubs.
Thanks for sharing your revelation Brian. As I've said this is not contrary to what Surge teaches because it is we are simply finally getting into the positions he teaches are needed in transition and most importantly at impact.

charles.lerche@gmail.com's picture

Submitted by charles.lerche@... on

First, if you are having directional problems, make sure you have a vision of the aiming line in your head (assuming you've done Surge's alignment routine), and then swing through the ball down that line.

Second, you have to be square to the aiming line (obviously)..._but_you also have to have the "V" of your left (for a rightie) hand about even with the ball. If you are "square" but your hands are too far forward or back, then you won't, I suspect, be square very often at impact. I find that if I take the time to make sure the "v" is in the right place and that the club face is square to the aiming line, contact improves greatly (duh!).

One small PS: I hope everybody has picked up that when Surge says left (for a rightie) arm over the toe line he means the upper arm primarily. For a long time I tried to keep the whole arm over the toe line, and at least for me, this caused all sorts of problems (in fact, I went away from the PPGS for some time because of this misunderstanding).

pmacpaul's picture

Submitted by pmacpaul on

Hi all
In my quest to become a better ball striker i have tried many swing methods ,as many of us probably have. One method was the single plane swing of Moe Norman. I spent a bit of time on the Graves Academy swing method but found that i was getting too much pain in my elbows, which led me here. A drill that i picked up from there will i think be great for a lot of the foundations that Surge wants us to get down. It involves a simple piece of PVC pipe about 5 or 6 feet long. If you grip it half way down and set up the tube will run in line with your lead arm. take you BUS slowly and when the tube is parallel to your toe line you can then start your lift. The tube will also show if your top of BUS is indeed upright. I also think that this will help with the bump and transition . You can clearly see where the end of the tube is pointing at all times.

Cheers
Paul

Steve Smith's picture

Submitted by Steve Smith on

Would be OK for a partial backswing drill as long as you are completely separating it from the set up.

In a proper set up (and therefore the first part of the takeaway) the end of the pipe would be going right through your body.

The front arm is hanging vertically and the club then angles out toward the ball from that point from a down the line view.

The butt end of the club is going to point just front of center of body from a face on view.

Anything sticking out behind the hands more than around a foot (or less) would hit the body around the front pants pocket.

The arms are not extended outward towards the ball like they are in Moe Norman's swing either at set up or at impact.

pmacpaul's picture

Submitted by pmacpaul on

Hi Steve
Your right about it being a partial back swing drill. I have always been a flat, rotational swinger and find the vertical aspect hard to grasp. I am only 5'5" and was always taught that my swing should be flat. As i said before i have had a lot of problems with tennis/golf elbow and completely stopped playing. I am back playing now and so far with this swing i am not getting anywhere near as much pain. Also am playing some pretty good golf,not as long but much straighter.I am using the pipe to train the vertical lift after the rotation of the arms to the mit. I also think its a good visual to show if i am still cocking my wrists at the top. I am hoping to attend one of Malcom Rawle's schools next year in the UK as i really believe that this could finally be the right swing for me.

Cheers
Paul

Steve Smith's picture

Submitted by Steve Smith on

I do a similar thing with a laser light stuck in the butt end of the club. If my swing is right the laser will pretty much run the toe line behind me in the back swing.

Unfortunately I haven't done it in a couple of months when I somehow "lost" (blaming it on my wife) my laser. Need to get another one because it really did help.

I even made it so that I could actually hit balls with the laser attached and video the swing so I could see exactly where the laser was pointing at different positions on the best shots.

jnora's picture

Submitted by jnora on

A while back surge did a daily saying the butt of the club should point at the toe line thru all of the FUS. I tried this and hit the worst shots in my life. Then comes this slow motion swing in which I see that the butt of his club after the bump and secondary spine angle is pointed at the ball or aiming line on they way forward? Which is correct and what should I try to do?

Steve Smith's picture

Submitted by Steve Smith on

Not a chance the butt of the club points "at the toe line" through ANY of the FUS.

jnora's picture

Submitted by jnora on

Where should the butt of the club point after the bump and secondary spine angle on the way down and through (forward upright swing FUS)?

Jurassical1's picture

Submitted by Jurassical1 on

Hi, Surge!
I bought your PPGS Foundation manual v2 and DVD set several years ago, but for some reason, tried other methods to see if I could do better as new amateurs are wont to do. Anyway, I'm back and curious about your statements from about 10:35 https://youtu.be/mYwlMEFTYtQ?t=10m35s about controlling the follow-thru by not letting the club continue on its natural path (equal and opposite reaction) in a flatter plane on the upswing which would be matching its laid off upswing (downswing) path prior to contact. What is the purpose of forcing the path toward your left ear to (match the take-away) instead of allowing it to travel on it's natural path? Thanks for your many excellent teaching videos! Looking forward to your reply!