I often get asked in lessons and blogs for help on the Pre-Loaded Heavy Right (PLHR) setup position. Most of the time the question relates to not being able to transition back to impact and the T ' Finish, as this question below states and asks for help.
Surge,
As you advise, I am loading my right side before the take away. The problem is the transition back to the left side. I am not able to transition my weight back to the left.
I would appreciate you comments as to how to accomplish this.
Thank you.
The transition problem when PLHR is usually always setup related. Typically, the player is not properly setup for one of five reasons.
1. The problem I most often see is that the player is incorrectly 'OVER' loading onto the back leg. The player gets into the address position and then just pushes his hips forward. The hips go forward and the torso tilts back and I am sure he is PLHR, because he feels more weight and pressure on his back foot. The problem here is that the torso is tilted too much and to far outside the hips and legs and thus the body is not in dynamic balance. Checkpoint: take a club and place it under your back armpit. If you have 'OVER' loaded, the shaft and club head will be pointing outside of your back knee and inside of your back foot.
Prescription: The entire body has to shift onto the back foot. The best way I describe this is to stand erect, centered between your feet, with the proper stance width to hit a shot. With each hand reach down and grab onto your belt at each hip. Then, with both hands, just lift equally and shift your entire body, legs to shoulders around an inch or two and settle in over and onto your back leg. Checkpoint: The shaft under the armpit will point straight down the back knee and foot.
2. 'OVER' tilting of the spine. Some players just plain over tilt their spine too far back. The hips will be pushed a little forward, but they feel tremendous weight and pressure down onto the back foot, more to the outside edge and not centered on the foot as it should be. Checkpoint: Shaft and club head under armpit is outside of back knee and foot.
Prescription: adjust tilt forward until the shaft points straight down the back knee and foot. You will feel the back shoulder rise up and move forward. The forward hip and leg move inward. You will still be tilted but will feel more centered and balanced and still feel more weight on the center of the back foot.
3. Back foot placed too inside of the back shoulder. This is similar to problem #2, only to an extreme. This will really cause transition problems as well as hitting a lot of chunks and/or blocks. Checkpoint: The shaft will be a couple of inches even more outside the back knee and foot, as seen in #2 checkpoint.
Prescription: Adjust the back foot, moving it outward until the shaft points straight down the back knee and foot. You will still be tilted but feel centered and more weight over and on the center of the back foot.
4. Stance is too wide. It is almost impossible for the back shoulder to get outside of the foot in this wide setup. One may have the perfect prescription of the checkpoint shaft straight down the back knee and foot, but will be unable to transition. The reason is the front foot is too wide and thus the front leg is too severely angled inward, causing the effect of a brace. This doesn't allow the transition, so the torso hangs or is pushed backward, in effect, a reverse weight shift or pivot.
Prescription: Get into a correct shoulder width PPGS stance.
5. Alignment is incorrect and PLHR is correct. A right hander would be aimed too far right and a left hander too far left. The body is in the way of the arms and club in swinging in a straight line to the ball. So the body has to spin out fast to get out of the way and/or the arms are thrown and pulled at the ball in a big outside to in path. Either one causes the torso to fall backwards outside the back foot. Impact is likely chunky or pulls are hit. If the hands are under released (lower hand palm turns skyward), a push to slice is hit.
6.
Prescription: Get into proper alignment, maintaining correct PLHR.
These 5 potential setup problems for PLHR all attest to the PPGS mantra of, 'The Setup Determines the Motion.' These checkpoints will help you find your correct PLHR posture, so you can make a smooth in-sync, balanced and powerful transition to impact and the T – Finish.
The Surge!