Your pre-shot routine is important for a variety of different reasons, one of which is your alignment. Everyone has to walk in to the ball before they take a swing, so you must be lined up correctly or else the ball could miss your target drastically.
One of the most common mistakes that amateur golfers make when they walk in to the ball is they move their feet and get misaligned. While looking up at the target to get one last look, they start dancing around. This has been happening to Walt Piotrowski recently, which is why he's looking for some advice on how to walk in to the ball while keeping his alignment correct.
I found your site and swing this spring after 2+ years of trying to find a swing that let me avoid back pain from an injury. I love it! It works! No pain!
I think I have the basics of the swing more or less in place and I now blame alignment first when I begin to have problems. I've been working on duplicating your alignment setup, described in the alignment videos, but I'm having a problem. When you do the 1-2, you already have an alignment stick on the ground at the correct distance back from the ball. When I do the 1-2, I often find that I'm not quite at the correct distance from the ball, so I "dance." I dance until it feels right.Your videos describe what goes wrong with that.
What I really like about your DVDs and your daily tips is that they speed me along on the right path. Before my back injury, I had a good swing / game but it took many years to work it out. A lot of it became internalized and I seldom needed to think about it. Now it seems that I have a lot to think about on every shot. If you can help me with a tip, I'd be even more grateful than I already am.
Walt Piotrowski
Watch the video today and you'll get a complete understanding on what it takes to walk in to the ball with good alignment. You can't play golf with bad alignment, so don't start off on the wrong foot.
Keep it vertical!
The Surge
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Comments
Two step
Doing the 'two step' is a process I have found keeps things simple. I follow pretty much the same sequence as Surge recommends. I am generally don't waggle much, just step in take one practice swing (two if the first one doesn't feel right) and then align front foot then back foot ready go. The exception lately is when setting up to drive the ball. I am currently working on drawing the ball as I have discussed in other recent blogs. This has me doing the practice swing a bit more deliberately. I am going back vertically and then allowing my arms to drop inside as I bump. I do that twice beside the ball and then step in and go. I have been pleasantly surprised at how well it has been working. When it comes off correctly I have added 20-30 yards or more. Having not been one who can typically draw the ball very easily it still tickles me to see it move right to left and get the extra roll too. I still normally hit a fairly straight ball with most of my other clubs. I am hoping to get more comfortable drawing it with my other clubs when it is desired. I have found success with Surges methods for moving the ball from his working the ball videos. The only thing I'm adding is that elusive lateral bump. I've attempted learning to bump on purpose for years but only recently have found the right feel to do it on purpose successfully.
As far as the swing the feel and then swing the feel within 10 seconds rule. I try not to allow even 3-5 seconds to go by from the last practice swing until the actual. Not only do we loose the feel but too much other stuff begins to fill my brain and thinking takes over. Never good! LOL:)
The other change that has helped recently is not over thinking my last swing or my next swing. Just enjoy the day and blessing of being healthy and out on the golf course. I do my best to only re-focus on the game when it's my time to play. This has really not only made golf more enjoyable but I've been better company for my wife out there. My scores have improved playing this way too.
Dropping it inside
I have been searching for a way to consistently drop it inside. Thanks to the following video, I now have a much clearer understanding of the importance of this move and how to do it. As you say and the video reinforces, the club has to be allowed to drop. Of course the whole problem is restraining the "hit the ball " impulse, long enough for that to happen. In the viewer comments below the video, a gentleman expresses it very well when he says that " the shoulders have to be sequestered at the start of the downswing."
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=P38JNe-HMsM
Even before starting the Surge swing, I have always had the problem of taking the club away outside the line, that Surge discussed. It never occurred to me that the problem might be a delayed folding of the right arm. I don't recall this being mentioned anywhere else before. Thanks for the great tip Surge.
Drop inside
Dave,
Yes, very interesting. The drill of dropping the club is a new one for me. Haven't tried it yet but I am always interested in finding ways to 'feel' the right move. The other thing that I have been able to add to this move is the lateral bump which is critical. When you get both in sync is when it all comes together. Again, I still feel it is easier if the BUS stays as reasonably vertical as I can get it then from there just 'wait for it' and allow a split second of free fall and then it drops in while bumping. It is that transition time from the top where Surge says he fights getting too laid off. As I've said, for most of us hackers, we fight not laying off but coming over.
Great ideas Dave. Thanks.
Drop inside
Hi Robert and surgites,
Not sure why but could never get the bump. I'm to uncoordinated. However the old saying feel is not real helps me because I have stopped my ott move by literally feeling like my arms start down, literally equal pressure of pulling left arm (not club handle, as too steep) while pushing with right arm. So it's a pulling and pushing. This actually stops my ott and fat shots. When I check in mirror, I actually bump!!! I'm a simpleton and this feel works for me. My arms stay synced while I bump (don't thrust shoulders). Otherwise my arms are too far behind. Any thoughts?
Cheers, (apologies if this has been covered, just a new feeling for my vertical swing )
Another take on it
Robert,
This is another way of looking at the "magic move" that was sent to me by J. Passage. I found the instructor's statement at the start of the video, very pertinent for upright swingers. He says that the steepness of the back swing plane is immaterial when it comes to performing this move to start the downswing. I agree with you, that if we have a reasonably upright BUS plane, getting too laid off during the transition, is seldom going to be an issue. I didn't find this video as coherent as the first one but it does describe a different feel, that might be useful for others.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=7GOd1A13TSs&feature=youtube_gdata_player
I guess I preferred the first video because it tied in better with a move that I was already doing, to drop it inside. This made timing the transition with the bump simpler. I know that allowing the club to free fall for a split second is the objective but it is so hard to just let go and do nothing, so the club head can fall. What I am doing now to start the FUS is a little more proactive.
This is probably too mechanical for a lot of people to bother with,.. but here goes. I like to focus on the right side and in particular the right shoulder blade, as being the engine of the BUS. If you are doing an upright back swing you can feel the tension in the right shoulder blade area, as the arms are lifted to the top. If you can totally release that tension the arms should drop straight down. After spending some time grooving this move all I have to think of now, is , SOFT after reaching the top of the BUS, to release this muscle tension. This all coordinates well, with my idea of triggering the bump, with a small lateral move of the tailbone towards the target.
Dave
Soft from the top
Dave I like your experience and how you are learning to initiate the BUS soft from the top along with the lateral bump. Nice thought. Too, I found the link of interest. I have watched lots of Mark Crossfield's golf club reviews but I see he is an insightful instructor also. May give that drill a go tomorrow before play. Anything to develop the drop in feel is well worth considering. I have to say though I agree with his over all logic that we can develop this whether from an upright or flat swing it still feels easier from vertical to drop in rather than a flatter rotational position which I will never return to:) I will again be working on the move tomorrow on the golf course. Playing 18 with my usual partner Cindy and my brother Craig. Have to say that my brother has always out driven me off the tee. He has been known to hit some long balls, often well over 320+. I have never aspired to actually out drive him but two weeks ago when I first figured out this move and began finally hitting a high draw we were close all day. Now neither of us drive it 300 any more (I never did without cart path assitance:) but he was shocked to see how I was booming it. Most with roll out are in the 270 range with a couple further. But that is a break through for me as of late. I was getting used to settling for 235ish with the occasional 250 the last few months. Of course aside from distance it is just really cool to draw the ball rather than have that flare to the right happen. Of course finding the short grass and hitting it further is everyone's hope, especially as we age. Learning to come from the inside and bump is giving me a boost. It has to do with quite a few things of course but grip is also part of it. I don't know if I mentioned it but I actually went back to the Enlow grip on the driver. Also I switched from the 9 degree to the 10.5* The Enlow is a bright yellow, so after I found the hand position that worked best I marked the grip with a black marker where the v's are formed by my right and left hands. I am learning to repeat the hand placement the same way each time to ingrain it. Can't wait for the morning sun!
The magic move
It sounds like you've put it all together already, Robert. That's an amazing improvement in driving and you probably feel like it's cheating, because it involves less effort.
One thing I've noticed while practicing this move, is less tension in the right side muscles involved with the lift. I guess if you know that the muscles are going to have to soften ( lose tension) at some point in the BUS, it is natural to have them more relaxed even before the takeaway starts and to keep them that way to the top of the swing. Less tense muscles are able to move faster with less effort and the whole swing should be more fluid and in balance.
I like midsize Golf Pride tour wraps but because of a problem with my right hand, have been considering Enlow grips. The 2 middle fingers of my right hand are not mobile enough to form a full crimp. The reverse taper of the Enlow grip might help me, especially with the driver. Isn't this grip also supposed to encourage a better release and a draw ?
Dave
To Robert & Dave
I wish I could see some video from you guys. Dave and I correspond and share ideas on what will help us with the Surge swing. Certainly for me, it's the bump, moving the weight from the rear to the front.
When I watch Surge's videos, I say to myself, "Yeah, that looks easy enough. No problem." But there is a distinct difference between someone swing from caddy view or down the line and my actually standing beside a golf ball with my eyes 5 feet above the ground.
In both the Zach Allen and Mark Crossfield videos, I exhibit the typical over the top move they demonstrate. Why? FEAR!! Fear that the club head (which is higher than my head in the BUS) will not get to the ball unless I manipulate the swing to get it there. When I had instructors who forced me to take the club back as far as possible with a full and complete turn (hard on the back torquing motion), I had no choice but to come over the top just to alleviate the pain from the torque.
The bump (however it's achieved) will alleviate most of my swing ills. It's something I am working on daily, with or without a club. Thanks for your helpfulness.
Jeff P.
Triggering the bump
Hi Jeff,
I've used a lot of different triggers for the bump over the years. I like what I'm doing now, because it doesn't put too much stress on any particular joint or body part. That was okay for me 20 years ago but it isn't now. I find that the whole lower body gets involved with the bump, in a more balanced way, if all I think about is moving the tailbone towards the left heel. This is the same feeling that I would get, when using the lower body to skip a rock.
Dave
Re: Triggering the bump
Dave, I will get some swing filmed and let you see what achieves for me what we're striving to do.
One thing could be a major problem. You talk about skipping a rock, as does the Surge? Well, I don't skip rocks with my right hand, but I play golf right handed. I am naturally left handed, but learned to bat right in baseball and golf right handed.
When I swing a club left handed, I can finish on my right side beautifully balanced. When I swing right handed, I can't quite get to the nice T finish. How about that, sports fans?
Here's some left handed swings I did in July 2012. I did well in the controlled environment of the auto tee-up bay. I haven't hit a cleanly outdoors on turf doing it left handed. In the video, the bump is initiated by my right hip.
Here's the video: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Teck13a1Zvc
Throwing/skipping
I've always said a golf swing has much more in common with throwing (and especially sidearm or submarine throwing) than it does with hitting.
Not surprising that your left handed swing is much better technically than your right handed swing.
You get to the lower plane much better and much more naturally. This video gives a good look at the lower plane but ignore the parts about the upper plane because the two plane swing is vertical in the upper plane. Both still require dropping to the lower plane before going through the ball.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Izp9Jrirk1Q&NR=1&feature=fvwp
This is the two plane release and two different styles. BTW mine is the slap style and the stereotype fits. Lots of distance but not as accurate.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=jwFSZshzSfc
Slap release
Interesting video, Steve. If I find myself not completing my follow through and hanging shots to the right, a quick fix for me is imagining that I want to slap a wall that is in front of and above my left shoulder, with the palm of my right hand. I'm not sure how or if this relates to Hardy's 2 release methods and drills. Just thinking about forearm rotation, sounds like something that would be very hard to time.
Bump
Jeff,
Seems initiating the bump is a challenge for many of us. My recent break through has come by "pumping" or repeating the to the top, bump and drop move several times before taking a full swing. So my focus is initially going back vertically then allowing the soft drop to happen as I bump. While at the top I repeat that move several times only coming down just short of the ball. It's feel it, feel it, feel it then swing all the way to the T finish without hitting the ball then step in and swing that move and feel within the few seconds that Surge talks about. For me it is critically important that I initiate that drop by the lateral lower body and NOT the upper body. Perhaps it is this part that many need to feel before they'll ever 'get' the bump. I do not have any video to show it but may in the future.
Enlows and the 'move'
Dave and JK, as to whether the Enlow encourages a draw... well maybe. It has, I feel, been part of the over all progress. Takes some getting use to and like the Jumbo Max (which I continue to play on all other clubs) it is much thicker than even a 'jumbo' from any other make. The revere tapper is interesting and in a way helps make the right hand less dominant. The 'trigger' position of the right pointer (index) finger feels like it is wrapped around a small base ball bat rather than a typical thinner golf club. Either love it or hate it. I have long had issues with my hands and fingers from being a professional MT for so long and thicker grips just feel better to me. My brother swang my driver the other week and decided he likes the Enlow too. I re-gripped his driver for him and he'll be using it today. If he starts out driving mr again I may be sorry. Kidding, actually I would love to see him be more consistently in the fairway and convert to the PPGS, but he's stubborn. Again, does it help develop a draw? For me yes, with the driver any how. Better release? Again I'd have to say yes at this point I may re-grip my entire set eventually with the Enlows (again) to see if I can groove the inside/bump swing with all clubs. It seems that for me at least that it has been easier to learn this move with the driver because we are hitting the driver off a tee and on an ascending angle. I do know this; my path is improving. There is a series of six video chronicles you and JK may find helpful or interesting by my fitter (3 years ago) Leith and former world drive champion Eric that I will leave a link to. There in they have done a two month week by week training with several ams/slicers to see if we can self correct and learn to draw the ball simply by use of instantaneous feed back using radar to note face angle and path relative to the target line. Leith is a mad scientist as a fitter and quite a character.
It is in large part due to their discussions and radar study that I have been inspired to learn to draw off the tee.
This was week one
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=8C5OGCFmo1Q
If you have the time you may eventually watch all 6 but I would recommend 1 and 2 at least for inspiration. Of course I did not participate so I have made some adjustments based on feel and flight results and not by Flightscope.
It should be noted that none of the ideas from Leith and Eric conflict with Surge as far as this study goes, and changes and modifications we may make would still apply to any swing. It is really about impact, path and angle of attack and not so much as to how each of us get there via instruction. So I am still in favor of and will continue to be vertical. It's really only about finally feeling and getting my club to drop under and up with a closing club face with consistency off the tee and then hopefully learning to do likewise with the other clubs over time off the grass.
As far as the Enlows, it may be worth your experimentation to try at least one Enlow on your driver to see if it helps your goal. I say the same thing about the J Max.
distance from ball
Surge, you missed commenting on his problem of how far from ball. Good discussion on rest about how brain/ thoughts affect the swing results.
Update
Surgites, have been in rehab for month after another Surge clean up my knee cartlidge, hoping THE Surge can do the same for my golf now he's in OZ.
Went back to the DRILLS videos in the mean time and worked on "In the mitt & up the Tree". This action always had me baffled as the feeling was totally foreign to the rotational system. To me it still feels like a two plane swing and to overcome this I have slowed my BUS right down so I can feel the two planes working and in the upward motion I have to force/lock my right hand so the club head feels it's lifting in front of me, checked with a mate and he told me I'm dead vertical, HURRAH. Played a niner today and apart from an 8 on a par four ( 2 balls in the water ) was hitting the ball straighter and longer without having to think about my wrists in the FUS, which normally I would.
Catching up with Surge in Brisbane on the 23rd and finally feeling excited about the future, hoping the above info is helpful to other surgites..
Finally meeting Surge down under
Neil,
Excited for you brother, wow how cool, finally getting to have Surge assist your swing. It is going to be a great experience for you and any others lucky enough to join in. You'll have to give us a full detail of the event.
Good to hear about your latest progress in getting it vertical. Sounds like you're on track. Just now coming in to your full great weather now right? We saw where Adam Scott is getting a lot of well deserved attention there. Are you able to attend any of those big PGA tournaments there? Any how. good news for you. Do keep us updated and enjoy your golf, 8's aside that is!