Confronting the ball: let the motion make the shot
Golf is a difficult game, and practicing it effectively can be equally as difficult. Here is a post from OB left about pictures he posted in regards to working on his start down...
Originally Posted by O.B.Left
.......No ball there but Im getting to look more like that when confronted by the ball.
I like that OB says "confronted by the ball" because that is really what's happening. It's hard enough to change habits and ingrain something new into your motion in practice swings, then when the ball is in front of you it feels ten times harder. That ball charges you with executing your new motion and making it produce a straight away shot and solid impact, something very unlikely to happen when first introducing change to your golf stroke. Stick with it! One of homers very first revelations was that he steered the clubhead toward the green when a ball was in front of him, but when he practiced in the backyard and swung to clip the heads off dandelions he noticed a big difference in his motion, he didn't steer the dandelion, how could he? a dandelion could not be expected to fly 150+ yards with a straight flight and so instead he swung the club with a motion and let the motion clip the dandelion.
So try not to let the ball get in the way of progress, don't let mishit shots discourage you. Keep improving your motion and let the motion make the shot, the ball just gets in the way..
Hey Whip since this post references something I said and nobody has responded.......we gotta sexify this thing somehow.
So you know Homer's brilliant Steering thing right? And maybe you know Lynns love of that Melhourne/ MacDonald continuous marching, swinging , back and forth hitting of a line of balls .... which is confoundingly magical! Well, Im thinking Tiger's putting routine , where he takes three quick back and forth continuous strokes establishes , accomplishes much the same feel. Namely , lag and drag and absolutely no Steering.
If you like the Melhourne marching drill , try Tigers putting routine and see if it takes the Steering out of your stroke. Its another way of making the club head and the ball disappear.
Nice, so the final putt just comes out automatic after ensuring the mechanics in the continuous swings back and forth in the pre shot routine. I always like "tick tock" pace helps me to forget about the ball and not steer it and have an even length of stroke.
Yup ... Lag and Drag even or especially when putting. You don't need play in the wrists to establish Lag and Drag either I should point out.
There something about the moment of impact with the ball . Those poor fellas with the yips know that moment very very well, prepare for it , are afraid of it maybe, flinch at it. The opposite would be the ideal perhaps. Swing as if the ball isn't there .....as if it just gets in the way. Ignore it. Sounds a bit like the Three Stations where Impact does not rank.
I never really liked Tigers three pump putting routine personally until I equated it with the Melhourne drill. Its hard to put into words what that implies, but if you've done the drill , seen its magic, you'll know what I mean. For me its not so much about mechanics or weight assessment , its just a letting go, "free wheeling" with the lag pressure in my hands in complete control. Its hard to explain. There's something about the reversing of motion that makes you stop Steering.
By the way if you tape yourself when doing the Melhourne drill you'll find your swing approaches your practice swing in appearance. As the ball starts to disappear so to speak so does the tendency to Steer. The pressure points take the helm.
Yup ... Lag and Drag even or especially when putting. You don't need play in the wrists to establish Lag and Drag either I should point out.
There something about the moment of impact with the ball . Those poor fellas with the yips know that moment very very well, prepare for it , are afraid of it maybe, flinch at it. The opposite would be the ideal perhaps. Swing as if the ball isn't there .....as if it just gets in the way. Ignore it. Sounds a bit like the Three Stations where Impact does not rank.
I never really liked Tigers three pump putting routine personally until I equated it with the Melhourne drill. Its hard to put into words what that implies, but if you've done the drill , seen its magic, you'll know what I mean. For me its no so much about mechanics or weight assessment , its just a letting go, "free wheeling" with the lag pressure in my hands in complete control. Its hard to explain. There's something about the reversing of motion that makes you stop Steering.
By the way if you tape yourself when doing the Melhourne drill you'll find your swing approaches your practice swing in appearance.
in bold: I have been working On exactly that in my putting.
In regard to stiff wristed putting or chipping Im thinking you can feel Lag PRESSURE even without a Lagging Clubhead via the inertia of the accelerated mass of the club which is sensed in your hands. You feel Lag all along the aft of the handle on the through swing but only the lowest point of contact on the aft of the grip it senses the LCOG the sweetspot. The lowest point of contact defines the top of the LCOG, the sweetspot being the movable point on the face at the other end..... Moving that lowest point of contact up and down the handle moves the LCOG and sweetspot on the face slightly , like a plumb bob.
I suppose a cross handed guy would feel lag pressure all along the aft but would have to trace with the tip of his left index finger assuming thats the lowest point of contact on the aft of the shaft. If he did trace.
Homer believed the sweetspot was a movable point , without dimension , like a balance point say. So if you grip down , or up or lengthen your shaft it has implications to the location of the sweetspot on the face.
Homer believed the sweetspot was a movable point , without dimension , like a balance point say. So if you grip down , or up or lengthen your shaft it has implications to the location of the sweetspot on the face.
Interesting stuff.
Very cool post OB. That helps me better understand some of the conversations I was lost in. I had totally missed that premise!
Kevin
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