The Secret Revisited

This month's Golf Magazine has an article by Peter Kostis which is very much in line with what I've been trying to convey in the "Hogan Secret etc." series of posts. Granted I don't see eye to eye with Peter on some of his analysis, but in this case I am so in-line with this thinking that it's funny.

Here's a link to the Article.

Back in 1931, legendary instructor John Duncan Dunn said, "An instructor should see how much he can leave alone, not how much he can change, and he will get better results by helping the pupil along his own natural bent. While the swing has become standardized to a certain extent, it would prevent still further improvement if it became too stereotyped. All cures are about 95 percent nature and 5 percent golf instructor, but in most cases the 95 percent will not function without the 5 percent."

Dunn's words are still relevant for Tour players and amateurs alike. For as long as I can remember, the superstars of the game have created generations of copycats. One guy on Tour starts winning tournaments and the rest follow like sheep. "If I could just swing like Hogan, Snead, Nicklaus, Woods, I'm sure I could...." Even major winners like Sandy Lyle, Seve Ballesteros and Curtis Strange have fallen victim to this trap.

The game of a Tour player has little in common with an amateur's game, but we're all susceptible to the siren song of the "secret" to the perfect swing. I've got some news for you: The only real secret to the golf swing is that there is no secret. Look at Tiger Woods. He has won majors with three different swings and two instructors, but he's changing his fundamentals, not chasing the latest swing fads. When you're home during the holidays and thinking about how to improve next year, remember Dunn's advice. Keep your swing 95 percent you and 5 percent instruction — not the other way around. You won't discover the perfect swing, but you might find one that you can depend on. And that's as close to a secret as you're going to get.

So the next time someone is trying to sell you a secret, a short cut or some other form of snake oil. Simply re-read this and some of the Hogan articles and think twice before you buy in to it.

Hit em Straight

An Interview with Rick Nielsen PGA ,GSEM, CPI

I had the distinct privilege to work along side Rick Nielsen during the late 90's, I was the General Manager and Rick was the head Professional at a local Golf Facility. Rick's background, starting with his Bachelor's Degree in Golf Management and ending with the various Professionals he's worked under make him one of the Premiere Golf Instructors in the Met Section. Looking at his bio you can see that he's worked with and under a virtual "Who's who" in the annals of Golf instruction. From the late Bill Straussburgh to Mike Hebron. While reading this I was quickly reminded of a quote by Sir Isaac Newton.

If I have seen further it is only by standing on the shoulders of giants.
--Sir Isaac Newton

This certainly applies in this case and without any further ado here's the interview.

Rick Nielsen PGA, GSEM, CPI
Director of Golf, Randalls Island Golf Center
12/29/09

When and where did you start playing golf?
I started playing golf on Long Island, NY at the age of 13. I was a caddie at St George CC and was fortunate to be able to play there a couple times a week. I played at local golf courses and eventually played on the high school golf team.

When and where did you start teaching golf?
I first started to teach at Columbia CC in Chevy Chase, Maryland in 1982. I was in the Professional Golf Management program at Ferris State University in Michigan and was doing an internship for Bill Strausbaugh. Bill (Coach) was a very influential teacher and was very active in the PGA. He helped me with my golf game and I observed as many of his lessons as possible. I gave clinics at the club as well as junior lessons.

Where do you currently teach?
I currently teach at Randalls Island Golf Center in New York, NY and I have a indoor studio in midtown Manhattan for winter lessons.

How long have you been an Authorized Instructor of The Golfing Machine?
I have been an Authorized Instructor for eight years. I was first exposed to The Golfing Machine about 15 years ago while working with Mike Hebron at Smithtown Landing on Long Island. He is a GSED which is the highest rank one can achieve with The Golfing Machine. Mike would use concepts of The Golfing Machine at his golf schools. Since I assisted in these schools I was able to learn and apply those concepts. This helped me establish the foundation that I later used to attain my authorization as a GSEM (Golf Stroke Engineer-Master.
I was authorized by Michael Jacobs who is a GSED at Rock Hill CC on Long Island.

How does your knowledge of The Golfing Machine help you teach your students?
The Golfing Machine describes and explains the geometry and physics of the golf swing. Once learned this knowledge provides the flexibility to help just about anyone because the system is based on science. Also, the Golfing Machine is a step by step system of instruction. Once a student masters a particular aspect of their stroke they progress to the next step. Homer Kelley states that his system of instruction allows for individual “My Way” stroke patterns because there is no “The Way” to swing. With 24 components and their variations there are literally countless ways to swing effectively. Each golfer has their own best way to swing. This is where the Authorized Instructor comes in. The most important thing is to find the stroke pattern that works best each student..

What would you like to tell an instructor considering becoming an Authorized Instructor of The Golfing Machine?
The Golfing Machine is the most complete system of instruction available. If an instructor is serious about helping people then becoming authorized is a great place to start. Bill Strausbaugh told me once that “Those who dare to teach must never cease to learn”. It’s not easy but that’s what makes it worthwhile. Some of the AI’s I know are the most sought after instructors in their area and in some cases in the world.

Tell me about one specific problem one of your students had and how you used The Golfing Machine to correct the problem?
I had a first-time student just the other day that has had trouble for many years with a bent left wrist at impact due to over-acceleration. After explaining the concept of clubhead lag, which Homer Kelley calls the “secret of golf”, we worked on understanding the difference between address and impact and how educated hands can sense the drag of the lagging clubhead thru the use of certain pressure points. We used a mop and dragged it across the ground to create the feeling of a lagging clubhead. We started with small swings and eventually made some larger strokes. As the student became more aware of his hands he was able to use his pivot to do the work rather than the effort of the arms, like swinging a rope. The student commented that it felt like the slower he swung the harder the hit. It’s all about subtraction not addition.

Who has had the greatest influence on your teaching ability?
Michael Hebron, Homer Kelley, Ben Doyle, Michael Jacobs, Greg McHatton and Bill Strausbaugh

What led you to become a Certified Pilates Instructor?
After a back injury a friend suggested I try Pilates. I took Pilates lessons for about 2 months and found my back getting much better. Along the way I was intrigued with the Pilates system of exercise. Pilates uses physics and leverage and has a particular order to the exercises which increases the effectiveness. Basically you can get a great workout in a short period of time. The muscles being strengthened were exactly the same muscles used in the golf swing. The Pilates exercises improved my flexibility as well. After doing Pilates for a few months I found that my swing had improved. I felt a greater connection to the ground and better balance. I decided to get certified in Pilates so that I could help others to improve their bodies in order to make more effective golf swings. I started Power Golf Pilates (powergolfpilates.com) which is a golf specific Pilates program that I use with my golf students. There are a number of Tour Pros who use Pilates such as Tiger Woods, Camila Vellegas,Rocco Mediate, Anika Sorenstam as well as top athletes in other sports.

How has your Pilates certification enhanced your teaching curriculum?
A student can combine a golf lesson and a Pilates in one visit. When I work with a student and see a weakness or imbalance I’ll use Pilates to improve those areas. Pilates improves strength, flexibility, balance and will reduce the likelihood of injury. Pilates targets the core muscles which help in making a stronger pivot. The stronger the core the stronger the pivot.

Posture is something I feel is important. If a student has poor posture he is unable to make an efficient pivot. Without a strong pivot there is little chance of getting power. Pilates can be extremely effective at improving posture by strengthening muscles in the back and abdominals. So, along with doing Pilates at the Golf Center, I will give students specific Pilates exercises that they can do at home. I have found that students who do Pilates make greater progress than those who do not. Adding Pilates to my lesson program has greatly improved my ability to help students reach their goals.



You can find more on Rick’s instruction programs at ricknielsengolf.com and he can be reached at lessons@ricknielsengolf.com


Hit em Straight

Hogan's missing piece, Secret etc. IV

I've personally read almost everything written about Hogan. In this post I'm going to convey my thoughts on what made Hogan so great.

Hogan was an astute student of the Golf Swing, he had an eye that could pick up the subtlest changes on the swings of anybody who he watched regularly. His own swing was made up of a compilation of the swings of others whom he thought were doing something right at the time. Early in his career, MacDonald Smith (pictured above) was the preeminent swing of the time and the golfer most tried to imitate. Harvey Penick mentions him as the best long iron player he ever saw. Hogan didn't stop at MacDonald, he got information or simply copied anybody who had a move which he felt would better his swing, from Bill Melhorn to Henry Picard to Mike Austin to dam near anybody. Hogan was able to assimilate new moves into his swing, experiment with them and then decide whether to incorporate them or discard them. Throughout his development one thing stood constant, Hogan never stopped practicing and experimenting. Hogan loved to practice!! Hogan was once interviewed by a couple of L.A. reporters who asked during the interview if he had any ideas about how golf in general might be improved, particularly for the average Joe. Here's Hogan's reply:
"The rules and equipment are fine,"----"The only thing golfers really need is more daylight. There isn't enough time during the day to practice and play, to key one's game up to where it should be."
The Reporters laughed; Hogan didn't.
"You're not joking," one of them said.
"No, I'm not", Hogan replied.

Malcolm Gladwell’s new book, Outliers is a vivid and memorable exploration of a single question: what makes some individuals so successful? The answer: it takes about 10,000 hours of deliberate practice to really master a subject area or skill.
I believe it is safe to assume that Hogan put in those 10,000 hours ten times over. There were no shortcuts.

Without getting too political here, I believe we're becoming a Nation of video-playing, phone-texting couch potatoes, waiting for someone to hand us a free tip or gimmick that will induce some sort of improvement. Personally I think the answer comes from within, nobody can improve me only I can improve myself. A golf instructor is a facilitator, a trained eye and sometimes a personal psychiatrist. My pro cannot improve my game, he can only watch, demonstrate and correct. It's up to me to put in the practice. It's up to me to sweat and develop the swing that will work for me. So I'm not the type of guy that will easily bite on the secret shpiel. As Mike Hebron said in " Golf Swing Secrets and Lies: Six Timeless lessons".

Golf's First Lie: Believing that someone else has the secret to better golf for our swing and game..............................This or any other book (or instructor for that matter) cannot really improve your golf, only you can.

Secret: Improving golf skills starts "internally". "What's out there" to be purchased does not lead to long-term progress or even short-term success. Good golf can't be bought. But gullible golfers seem to overlook this. Good golf starts internally with improved concepts, and personal feels. As golfers become aware of core golf knowledge and what will improve their learning potential, progress soon follows without gimmicks, tips, or new clubs.

BTW, Before the advent of the internet nobody had more materials or had done more research on Ben Hogan than Mike Hebron. Back in summer 1997 he cancelled our lesson in order to attend Mr. Hogan's funeral.



After combing through tons of literature and using up all of my psychic skills (you didn't know I had the ability to perceive information hidden from normal senses?), I finally came up with the answer to the so called secret. The irony is that it sat there plain as day, waiting for somebody with some common sense to come and scour it up. Here it is

From James Dodson's "Ben Hogan An American Life"

--While customers of his new best-selling Power Golf combed the pages for clues to the little man's incredible power and unearthly accuracy, anyone who'd watched golf's greatest practitioner perform his craft for any length of time began to understand that the key to fathoming Hogan's success--his real secret, as it were--lay not in the technical jargon of some fractional manipulation of the glide path of the golf club at impact, as his comments and writings on the subject would have you believe, but rather in the rarest combination of an extraordinarily disciplined brain and an undeniable willpower fueled by a fierce survivor instinct to prevail against any odds.

For those who don't see the cryptic message in the above paragraph. Here's a visual depiction which might help Clarify it.






Pretty anticlimactic, I know but when he said it's in the dirt, He meant it.

Hit em Straight

Hogan's missing piece, Secret etc. III

Mr. Hogan had legions of clones and wannabes in the 50's, 60's and 70's. They seemed to have dwindled down in the late 70's early 80's. Prominent among them were George Knudson, Gardner Dickinson, Tommy Bolt, Jackie Burke Jr. and countless others on Tour and off. Gardner Dickinson (pictured right) went so far as to copy Hogan's mannerisms, something he would later regret stating in his Bio that, "Hogan could be petty and mean". The one thing that these men had in common is that none of their swings resembled Hogan's. One important point that "The Golfing Machine" makes is that there is no "The Way". If you set out to mimic Hogan's swing, what's to say it will work for you. I take lessons from time to time from Gregg McHatton. Gregg was part of Homer Kelley's last Master Class (Along with Lynn Blake, Mike Holder and others), so he learned directly from the "Man". Gregg has a phenomenal looking swing, however Gregg and I have substantially different builds and different demeanors (he's a laid back Californian and I'm a high strung New Yorker). What I've come to realize is that I will never play my best golf while looking like Gregg. I take the fundamentals I learn from him, apply them to my swing and slowly develop my own precise stroke pattern. One that works for me, one that I can repeat under pressure and one that helps me play my best golf within my limitations.

Here's Gregg's Swing for those who haven't seen it:






Here are some suggestions for developing your own secrets (as copied from Chiff.com). Rest assured that these will stand the test of time.

Three essentials for a good golf stroke

Steady Head - No lateral motion or up and down movement
Balance - self explanatory
Rhythm - the left arm and clubshaft moving at the same RPMs

Three imperatives of a good golf stroke

Imperative? What does that mean? It means it is an absolute and if the player does nothing else they MUST obey these three Imperatives.

Flat Left Wrist at Impact - not bent
On Plane Club Shaft - not off
Club Head Lag - not throwaway

The principle of the golf game

The Line of Compression is the most basic principle of golf.

The Line of Compressions is: Hitting the ball from the inside of the Target Line to outside the target line with a Flat Left Wrist

Three dimensions of the golf stroke - (on a slant)

Because we play golf on an Inclined Plane the stroke is three dimensional. If we played on either a Vertical or Horizontal plane it would be only two dimensional.

Downward
Outward
Forward

Here are some Videos that might help you along your path to improvement. I'm going to take exception with the first video since Mr. Dugan states that Hogan's ball position is back of center. The fact of the matter is that Hogan's ball position is exactly as he described in "5 Lessons", 1 inch behind his left heel. His right foot is set closer to his left (for the Shorter iron and shorter shot).

Learn Impact From Small Swings



Develop a Proper Pivot



In the next post I will go out on the limb and join the ranks of those who claim to have deciphered Hogan's Secret. I will be more than happy to reveal it to you in that post.

--To be Continued

Hit em Straight

Hogan's missing piece, Secret etc. II

Let me preface this next post by stating that we at Gotham Golf Blog don't drink Hatorade, in other words we're not hating. These posts are not designed to disparage or bring into to question anybody else's body of work. Nor are they designed to state that we have all the answers. Because the day we stop learning and growing is probably going to be the day we wake up with our elbows against wood. Anyway let's continue on our quest to find "Hogan's Secret".

Below is a pivot drill which Gregg McHatton teaches. It entails the standard Leadbetter pivot drill, where you simply place a club across your chest and rotate around your 2 axis. Where this drill differs is that when you approach the end of your hip turn (Pic. 1) you simultaneously bump/slide your hips to your left (Pic. 2).

This accomplishes 3 (maybe more) things:

1. It starts your downswing with a linear move thus avoiding a right shoulder initiation, which would lead to an "over the top" move
   
2. It creates torque where you need it (might even increase your shoulder turn)—In the Downswing.
   
3. It provides you with much needed secondary axis tilt which is important for sustaining LAG.
   

Picture 3 Below note how Gregg is indicating the direction the club is heading as a result of this pivot move. You will note that it is headed towards the target, which is ideal for narrowing your downswing. Another advantage of this move is the fact that your weight will be towards your heels which will help you offset the centrifugal forces generated on the downswing.



In Picture 4 Gregg is demonstrating the club heading across the line as a result of initiating the down swing radially (i.e. starting with the right shoulder).



Here's the complete Pivot Drill, note how the downswing emphasizes a dropping of the right shoulder, which in turn traces your straight plane line.




Here's a couple of videos by Shawn Clement which I found very useful.






--To Be continued
Hit em Straight

Hogan's missing piece, Secrets etc. I

Over the Past few years there have been a slew of Authors who have come out with a "Hogan" book in some form or fashion, some have been biographical and others instructional.

Here's a video by Mr. V.J. Trolio who wrote a book titled "The Final Missing Piece to Hogan's Secret Puzzle", you can find it on Amazon for a reasonable price.



According to Mr. Trolio, the missing piece lays in a lateral hip movement prior to the completion of the backswing. Although we are sure that Mr. Trolio did his due diligence (and it is reflected in his book), we find that his discovery is not a discovery at all. The main reason for this is that this move has been and is being taught by others.

Here's a YOUTUBE video which depicts Hogan's lateral move.




Below is a Gentleman by the name of Blake Burley. Mr Burley has his own book out, "The One Plane Cut Swing: Hogan's Secret Angle" also available through Amazon.
According to the Product Description here's what the Book entails:
To work a golf shot left to right you have several options with different flight patterns, and you really can’t be wrong with any of them if you are happy with what you are doing. You might never be really great, but at least you will know that you are going to be consistent in your shot. That’s all golf really is, the most consistent way to repeat an action as closely as possible each time that will return the club face to a square impact position. Let us move in a new direction though if you are seeking the holy grail of a more perfect left to right shot with a tighter pattern. "The One Plane Cut"
It seems from the Product description that Mr. Burley is trying to teach people how to cut the ball. I haven't read the book, so I'm not privy to whatever secret it may entail. However by virtue of Mr. Burley incorporating Mr. Hogan's name in the title, are we left to assume that the book will teach you how to hit "Hogan's Power Fade"? Not just any Power Fade, but Hogan's Power Fade. You know the one that took off like a bulllet on a piercing trajectory, reached it's apex and softly tumbled over--a yard or two to the left.







Here's what Sevam1 had to say about this Move.
(For those who don't know, Sevam1 aka Mike Maves wrote a book called "The Secret's in Dirt" which can be found Here. You can download the primer for free, take a look at it and if you like it, you can purchase the e-book for $25. We at Gotham Golf Highly Recommend it! Make sure you are online as you read it since it has links to YouTube video explanations.)



HOGAN USED A BACKSHIFT!!
This is the same move that Bobby Jones and many others of that era used.
Hogan used all caps in Five Lessons to make special note of things and I will
do the same here and, at the risk of redundancy, I must repeat:
HOGAN DID NOT HAVE A REVERSE PIVOT. HOGAN USED A
BACKSHIFT!! A BACKSHIFT IS THE FARTHEST YOU CAN GET
FROM A REVERSE PIVOT!! IT REQUIRES YOU TO TURN SO FAR
AND FIRMLY INTO AND AROUND THE RIGHT LEG THAT YOU
GET THROWN BACK LEFT AND TARGETWARD THROUGH THE
RIGHT HEEL!! THE BEHAVIOUR OF THE RIGHT FOOT IN THIS
MOTION IS CALLED EVERSION AND THIS IS THE CRITICAL PART
OF THE MOVE AND MECHANISM THAT HOGAN USED TO
AUTOMATE HIS TRANSITION!!
MOE NORMAN RELIED ON THIS SAME PHENOMENON TO
AUTOMATE HIS TRANSITION.
--From "The Secret's in the Dirt"

Here's Bobby Jones' Golf Swing



"Stay Tuned Because at the end of these Series of Posts, I will reveal the real Secret to You"

-To Be Continued

Hit em Straight

The New Groove Rules

As we all know 2010 will mark a reversion to "V" grooves for Elite Amateurs and PGA Tour Players. If you are not familiar with the rule change, it basically says that the cross sectional area of the grooves of Clubs with greater than 25° of loft will be reduced by approximately 25%.

How will these changes affect the way Golf is played? I for one believe the manufacturers will offset the loss in groove spin with a new Super Spin type of Golf ball. This ball change will have it's own trickle down effect, because in order to get a higher spinning ball they'll have to make a softer ball which will have an adverse affect on Driving Distance. In order for the manufacturers to offset the loss in Driving Distances they will probably have to retrofit their line of Drivers.

Basically the days of "Bomb and Gouge" golf are over. If anybody out there remembers the Balata ball, you can confirm what golf was like before balls like the Pro V1 came along. High spinning balls put a premium on your shot making/shot shaping skills. If this new rule has the effect the USGA would like it to have you will have a re-emergence of Cory Pavin/Tom Kite/Nick Faldo type of Players. These players placed a premium on strategy and position and didn't worry much about distance.

Here are some random comments from around the Golf World:
Grooves previously were U-shaped with sharp edges, allowing high-skilled players to generate enormous spin. The USGA was concerned that players were able to spin the ball out of the rough, allowing for shots to stop more quickly on the green. It felt that players no longer were penalized severely for missing the fairway.
According to Dick Rugge,"USGA's research shows that the rough has become less of a challenge for the highly skilled professional and that driving accuracy is now less of a key factor for success,"

Here's a chart produced by Titleist's R&D division which depicts the projected effects on spin.


Here's an excerpt from what Lee Westwood had to say on the subject.
I will say that the more technically gifted chippers and pitchers of the golf ball will still be the best chippers and pitchers of the golf ball with the groove change. Phil Mickelson will still have a fantastic short game. There will be certain shots he won’t be allowed to play because of the technology. But generally, you won’t see the low-spinning one quite as much. You’ll see players having to stop it more with flight than the low checky one. And when you get in the rough around the greens, it will be a little harder. I’m all for the groove change because I don't miss too many greens on the stats. I tend to be pretty good tee-to-green. It’s the people that miss a lot of fairways and a lot of greens that are going to suffer more.

If you really want to get into the nitty gritty of the whole issue, our friend "The Wedge Guy" has published a free 24 page e-book with detailed explanations of the rule, how it originated, who it will affect etc..You can down load your free copy Here

Here are some excerpts from the e-book


“I think they’re {USGA} really on the right track. I certainly hope so, because what’s going to happen is that the
golf ball – the pros are going to be the ones that drive what goes on. They’re not going to be able to stop the golf
ball out of the rough with the V-grooves. They’re going to want a softer ball so they can hit a softer shot. When
you have a softer ball, it’s going to curve more and not go as far.’’
— Jack Nicklaus

So, Jack Nicklaus believes this could trigger a series of developments that could cause the game will revert back more
to how it was played by Hogan, Nelson, Snead, Palmer, Player, Trevino, Watson, Miller, himself and the other greats?
Can that be all bad?

“We believe, and players have confirmed, that the conversion process will not be a simple exchange of existing
wedges with new grooves. The conversion process may involve different wedge designs and lofts, different shot
technique, different golf balls and different set configuration (including drivers).”
— Acushnet Company (Titleist, FootJoy, Cobra)
President Wally Uihlein

As the president of the industry’s leading ball manufacturer, Mr. Uhlein seems to be predicting that changes in ball construction
are sure to follow. Neither the Tour players – or the average golfers will just give up the ability to score. And
the PGA Tour will not sit by while winning scores creep upward if that’s not what they think their fans want.

Hit em Straight

The Line of Compression

An ideal alignment at impact occurs when the left arm and the clubshaft form a straight line --
a "line of compression." This assures that your clubhead is still accelerating into the impact zone. Ideally, your left wrist is flat or even slightly bowed at impact. Conversely, when the clubhead wins the race to the ball ("clubhead throwaway" or "casting"), you lose power. Here the left wrist is bent at impact and the clubhead is actually slowing down. This is the greatest power leak of all.
-Jim McClean

I don't necessarily subscribe to a lot of Jim's theories but I believe he hit the nail on the head with the above statement.

The Line of Compression is the most basic principle of golf. It separates good players from poor ones.

According to Mike Hebron in Six timeless lessons (I'm sorry to keep quoting him, but it's the closest you'll come to a Golfing Machine for dummies):

In-Line Condition
Efficient swings produce a condition that is called "in-line"from the Clubhead to the left shoulder socket, at and through impact. The clubhead, shaft, left hand, left wrist, left arm and left shoulder socket make up this line which sound swings produce, use and sustain.

Homer Kelly called this line, "A Line of Compression" referring of course, to the requirement that the swing should compress the ball. A line of compression (force) must be present before, during and after impact.

The direction of a compressing force is important. When the force direction does not pass through the center of the ball, the ball has sidespins. Sound swings compress the ball through a particular point, along a particular line, at and through the arc of impact. The result of this desired procedure is maximum compression.---


I believe Homer Kelley referred to The Line of Compression as "The Principle of Golf"
For the definitions of "in-line" and "out of line" go to my post on the 4 power accumulators. We will be reviewing these definitions at some later time.


Ben Hogan at impact



























Note how all 4 Players (Hogan, Trevino, Player and Tiger Woods above) project a straight line from the left shoulder socket through the left arm and club into the ball.







Here's a Ben Doyle with a Tip









Hit em Straight

Float Loading

On Saturday I went to play a round on the newly renovated West Palm Beach Golf Club. I walked on as a single and got paired up with a father/son Duo and another re-located New Yorker. I watched as the others teed off and I noticed the kid had teed off with a 3 iron and out drove the other two guys. I decided to watch his swing on the next hole and saw what I believed was "Float Loading" at it's best. I asked him if he was intentionally float loading and he had no idea what I was talking about. Then I asked him if he ever watched Lucas Glover's swing and he didn't know who I was talking about. I couldn't believe it, so on the next hole I took out my Blackberry and filmed him. Here's his swing.



I once swung similar to that and boy was I hitting the ball well. I learned it as a drill from a fellow named Bruce Schalk, who was an instructor at Marine Park Golf Course. The drill was called Down-Cocking and what it entailed was taking the club back with no wrist cock, starting the downswing pivot after the club reached the top and increasing the wrist cock on the downswing. This will only work if your wrist and shoulders are totally relaxed.
Dan Pohl led the PGA tour in Driving Distance back in the 80's with that exact type of action.
Here's the Definition from "Golf Swing Secrets and Lies Six Timeless Lessons":

Float or Downstroke Loading (Acceleration)-This Procedure delays the wrist cock until the start down. The cocking motion should be gentle or even lazy, never sharp, and can be completed by either driving or dragging the club into impact with a bent right elbow being moved down plane by lower back muscles and right shoulder.

Here's Brian Manzella with his take on float loading.




Here's the Late Jimmy Bruen who supposedly was a prodigiously long hitter.



Last but not least your current U.S. Open Champion Lucas Glover



If you want to find this in "The Golfing Machine" it is Under:
10-19-B. DOWNSTROKE (OR FLOAT) LOADING page 196 of the 7th. edition.

Hit em Straight

An Interview with John Furze GSED

From time to time we will be featuring Golf Instructors who we feel warrant some recognition for their achievements and accomplishments in the the Golf World, most of these individuals will probably be names you've never heard of. Those that don't follow the latest "in thing" within the world of "Pop Golf Instruction". In this post we will feature somebody from "Down Under". Somebody who I met through Alex Sloan and someone who has been willing to share his knowledge and resources with us in a very selfless manner. Without further ado, here is John Furze GSED.

This interview was copied from his website, The Golfing Machinist.


The Golfing Machine

The following is a personal interview with John Furze (GSED). John has been teaching golf for over 30 years now so we welcome his wise words of wisdom when it comes to this great game - G.O.L.F.

See what got him started in golf and how this lead him on his journey to become one of the most highly qualified and sought after golf Instructor of today.

John is one of only 21 Teachers worldwide to hold the designation of "Doctorate in Golf Stroke Engineering". This designation signifies the highest level of Golf Machine acumen and to attain this degree has spent his career teaching and promoting The Golfing Machine System.

The following is a quote from the Legendary Norman Von Nida - With his extensive knowledge, indefatigable enthusiasm and his colourful communication skills, John brings an outstanding quality to golfing instruction. His natural skills and abilities combine to make him one of the most highly proficient and sought after instructors in all the areas of this game.

Where and when did you first start playing golf?

At a young age I started caddying at the Riversdale Golf Club in Melbourne and this allowed me to play occasionally at the club. In the year of 1967 we moved to the Butterworth Air Force Base in Malaya as my father was with the RAAF. He was actually a very good golfer and his brother was one of Victoria's top amateur golfers. We joined the Butterworth Air Force Base Golf Club and also the Penang Turf club where I virtually played every day and had regular lessons from the Professional named Charles Cowling. In 1970 we were posted back to Melbourne and resided close to the Riversdale Golf Club. It was here that I was to commence my Golf Apprenticeship six months later under Mr Bruce Green.

When and Where did you first start teaching golf?

After completing my Golf Apprenticeship in 1973, I was appointed the Club Professional at the Ocean Shores Golf Club in Northern New South Wales. It was here that I started teaching golf, with individual lessons, group sessions and various other sessions.

Where do you currently teach?

I currently teach / coach at the Sandringham Golf Academy in Wangara St , Sandringham, Melbourne.

Do you teach any Tour Professionals?

At the present time I am instructing four Professionals who are all doing very well. Over the years I have instructed many Professionals both locally and from abroad.

Why did you become an Authorized Instructor of The Golfing Machine?

It was about 20 years ago that I joined the team of golf professional at the Australian International Golf Schools. I new nothing about The Golfing Machine except that I did have the 6th Edition Book of The Golfing Machine by Homer Kelley which I had purchased many years before.

Looking at the book it just seemed too complicated so I just left it on the shelf. When I joined the AIGS they where all teaching The Golfing Machine System. As time passed I got more and more involved with it as I was understanding its principles more and more and at the same time I was teaching it. I finally graduated to a GSEB (Batchelor) Level. It wasn't long after that I was a appointed a GSEM (Master) and years later I received the highest recognition as a GESD (Doctorate)..

This was to be my only goal in golf and along the way I was nominated in the top 50 list of Instructors in Australia. I had accomplished my ambition in golf. From then on my personal aim was to study Homer's works more in depth, spread the works of Homer Kelley and The Golfing Machine and to Help everyone that passes my way. To this days end I continue doing just that.

How does your knowledge of The Golfing Machine help you teach your students?

I can re-call Homer Kelley saying "Feel no concern for the PERFECT STROKE. There are trillions of precision patterns with totally correct alignments and relationships".

The Golfing Machine is the Holy Grail. of G.O.L.F. It is a System not a method, it will not give you a Universal golf stroke but your own Individualized golf stroke. As Homer Kelley author of The Golfing Machine stated "Why trust instinct when there is Science". Law is the Cause, (these are not just made up laws for golf but Newton's Laws of Force and Motion) swings, strokes, procedures are the Means only and Ball Flight intended or Unintended is the Effect.

There are 24 Basic Stroke Components and everyone from the Beginner to the Professional has these. Each Component has between 3-15 Variations. Understanding The Golfing Machine Concepts allows me to be very flexible in my approach to the player. It gives the student a detail account of what they are doing and what is required. They soon realize what lies behind the golf stroke and how best to accomplish this. The Golfing Machine offers Precision and it is revolutionizing conventional golf instruction. As they say "Knowledge is Power" well if it is results you want The Golfing Machine will give it to you.

What would you like to tell an Instructor considering becoming an Authorized Instructor in The Golfing Machine?

Every Professional golfer that I have mentioned certain aspects of The Golfing Machine to are absolutely overwhelmed with the information. Things they have never heard of but understand right away its relevance and importance.

To give you one example. I have been working with a Professional for about 12 months now taking them through The Golfing Machine Concepts. They can not believe the precision and the detailed instruction that makes every word worthwhile. They have purchased TGM Book and certain DVD's (Alex Sloan's "Infallible Golf" DVD is fully recommended at this stage) and I receive regular emails saying just how great a man Homer Kelley was to have dedicated 40 years of his life to helping all of us.

In August of 2009 The Golfing Machine LLC will be coming to Australia to conduct GSEB Level 1 and Level 11 Authorized Instructor Courses and I know personally that there are a handful of both Professionals and Amateur alike waiting to do this course. Even if one does not want to be certified it is the knowledge that is so valuable. This is what us golfer's thrive on.

So all you golfers out there, Professionals or Amateurs who want to understand the Truth behind the golf stroke and Homer Kelley's work I strongly recommend you doing the course. If not now then when you are ready at sometime in the future. This is the Future of G.O.L.F.

Tell me about one specific problem one of your students had and how you used The Golfing Machine to correct the problem?

I remember one gentleman in particular who came to me for lessons. He had been to many coaches previously and had so many lessons and spent so much money that he was so annoyed that he decided to give golf away all together. After looking at the Internet and noticing my website (www.golfswing.com.au) he said to his wife he is going to give it one more shot and if this man can not help me then that is that with this game of golf, which by the way he loved very much.

On his first session and after watching him play a few shots I personally was utterly surprised at how much decay his swing was in especially after so many lessons. His Address position was not correct and he was coming across the ball (Outside to Inside) dramatically and then as a result through Impact he opened the clubface in an attempt to square the Clubface. He sliced the ball to an extent that the ball for a 7 iron went maybe no more that 80 metres. In doing this he was leaving all his weight on his back foot and there was absolutely no Balance (Balance being one of the Three Essentials to a good golf stroke Chapter 2, page 12).

The first thing I did was have a good chat to him. We discussed the Concept of the golf stroke and his thoughts. I amended his Address position and went straight to work on his body Pivot (Zone #1 of The Golfing Machine). At the completion of that first lesson he was striking the ball the best he ever had. He could not believe his eyes at the distance. Where were you so long ago? are exactly what he said.

From then on I went through the Basic Motion Curriculum (12-5-0) that Homer Kelley author of TGM Book laid down. Firstly I started with the Basic Motion (12-5-1) which is a short stroke 2 feet back and 2 feet through to the Follow-Through (8-11). We focused solely on the Flat Left Wrist (# 1 Imperative of the golf stroke). This is where he learnt the correct Impact Alignments (8-10).

As we continued through the lessons I moved to the Acquired Motion, (12-5-2) swinging the club back until the Right Forearm was parallel to the ground and through the stroke until the Right Forearm was parallel to the ground again. Here we learnt the correct Release Motions (4-D-0). I have always followed Homer Kelley's words - The Three Zones (Chapter 9, page 121) Body, Arms and Hands and if not taught in this sequence a very weak game is inevitable. Where it is a rank beginner to a professional player I have never once got out of this sequence.

Then we eventually moved to the Total Motion (12-5-3), the full swing, and doing this in the beginning at slow speed and gradually increasing it.

Well we finished our series of lessons and he has taken a second series of lessons and is now playing golf and enjoying it ever so much. His wife never sees him now - a golfer's widow as they say.

He is a testament to the Teachings of The Golfing Machine by Homer Kelley. Without my commitment, research both practical and theory and my dedication to the detailed precision that The Golfing Machine offers I may not been able to help him in such a way I did.

Watching our students improve and enjoying this great game is what we are all about. "Sustain the Lag" (6-B-2-0). This is our love for the game of G.O.L.F.
Who has had the greatest influence on your teaching ability?

There is no-doubt that it would be Homer Kelley author of The Golfing Machine. Homer passed way in February of 1983, suffering a heart attack on stage whilst conducting a seminar to over 150 golf professionals who had come far afield to listen to him give a lesson. I only got started with The Golfing Machine in about 1988 but I can assure you that it has been full steam ahead since then, Listening to audio tapes of Homer, reading The Golfing Machine Book, watching video after video of TGM being taught by its leading instructors. Talking and asking questions to the people who have a direct link with The Golfing Machine.

Alex Sloan (USPGA, LM, GSED) who spent time with Homer and has first hand information. Alex has been absolutely fantastic in giving me advice and directing me in the right direction. He has given me his time and his wealth of knowledge and for that I am very thankful. For over 12 months we have emailed virtually on a daily basis back and forth. Any problem I may have Alex is always there for me. He is a True Professional and Gentleman.

The following are a list of Professionals that I owe so much to for their advice over the years (Ben Doyle USPGA, GSED), Tom Tomasello (USPGS, GSED) Peter Croker (GSEM), Paul Hart (GSED), Chuck Evans (GSED) , Lynn Blake (GSED), Brian Twite, Bruce Green and there have been many more along the way.

Do you use video as part of your teaching approach? If so, how do you incorporate the use of video into your lesson?

Yes. Most of the time. It is a very good visual for most golfers, By analyzing the stroke with coloured swing graphics they can right then and there see exactly what they are doing. Sometimes a person sees a problem even before you tell them. Often also they are very conscious of their appearance on the video. But all in all it is a great tool and gives the player the feedback they require. It does help in the Acceleration of their learning process.

What is your teaching philosophy?

By understanding The Golfing Machine Concept and the Geometry and Physics of the golf stroke I am in a position whereby I can either in a simple way or a technical way depending on the person HELP them to understand the golf stroke and become a better player and at the same time enjoy this game of G.O.L.F.

In the years that I ran the Norman Von Nida golf Academy for the "Von" he always said that you are not teaching someone but "HELPING" someone. I have the knowledge and teaching experience over so many years now that I can bring this golf stroke to a very simple but effective format. I believe in detailed information so that the person understands completely how a golf swing works and have a complete understanding in what I want them to do.

Understanding that there is no "The Way" of teaching the golf stroke I use my own understanding of all the Variations (10-0) in the golf stroke to adapt whatever Variation that I see fit for hat particular person. Although I may have my own preferred model of the Golf Stroke I will change this depending on the individual. It is not a Universal Swing but an Individualize swing that I teach.
Are you a member of the PGA? When did you become a member?

Yes, I am a member of the Professional Golfers Association of Australia. I became a member in January 1973..
Can you recommend another good website for further information on The Golfing Machine?

Yes, I would strongly recommend www.golfswing.com.au There is a complete teaching program along with many short tips, golf rules, golf etiquette and even golf quizzes. The www.golfingmachinst.com.au website has a function known as RSS which is the latest and will eventually be on all computers.

What is this RSS Reader all about?

Google Reader is a free web-based reader to aggregate and read all your news and blog (RSS) feeds. Google Reader is totally free and works in most modern browsers, without any software to install.

The follow link is a tutorial about Google Reader. It will give you an excellent preview of what it is all about. www.andywibbels.com/flash/google_reader.htm

Do you have anything else that you would like to add?

I feel that I have covered a great deal through this interview. I am 100% committed to the works of Homer Kelley as I have seen this work. Not just now and then but every time. I have personally practiced all the Variations to see what works and what doesn't. What is best in this situation or that. I have spent many years practicing these Variations so that I can Help all golfers. I may not be a Tiger Woods but I have dedicated my life to YOU so that I can make you the Best Player you are capable of becoming and enjoy this great game so much more.

I give all credit to Homer Kelley author of The Golfing Machine and special thanks to Mr. Alex Sloan (USPGA, LM, GSED) for his valuable time and advice as we correspond virtually on a daily basis on the Golf Stroke and Life.

Finally I would like to say to all golfers of whatever level of play, Look into The Golfing Machine, it will open your eyes to the "TRUTH "that lies behind Your search for The Gateway to Better G.O.L.F.

The Golfing Machine is revolutionizing conventional golf instruction. of today. It is spreading far and wide and yes, it is the Future to Better golf.

Thanks Homer

Footnote

A great interview and you did a great job getting it into words for all to see. I will share this with some special golf Pro freinds with your permission. (Alex Sloan USPGA. LM. GSED)


Hit em Straight.

Downswing Advice

The eternal triangle: Here we see how the wrist-cock is retained through the first part of the downswing, finally breaking open only after the hands get down to waist height or even a little below.


I found this syndicated article which I thought would be of interest to those that are struggling with the downswing motion. The author is obviously a student of Joe Dante's 4 Magic Moves, a timeless classic in Golf instruction. I've added the illustrations above so you could follow along with the concept of the eternal triangle. If you are interested in further reading on the 4 Magic Moves, go here.



Golf Tips: Disasters To Avoid In The Down Swing

Author: Gerald Mason

Why do so many golfers have problems with their downswing?

Here are some tips to help you avoid a disaster in your downswing.

One of the major flaws in a player`s game is the eternal preoccupation with the club head.
There are three main reasons. The first is that golfers, like other people, want to be comfortable and don't trust themselves to make a big move.

The third is an overpowering impulse to make the club head move, to do something with it, right from the top. This we call the eternal preoccupation with the club head.

It stems, actually, from a complete misunderstanding of the swing, and there are two reasons for the misunderstanding.

The first thing people find hard to believe, apparently, is that a golf ball is driven straight by hitting it from the inside.
The average player has the almost overpowering conviction that if he hits the ball from inside this line it will fly far out to the right.
He cannot see how anything else can happen. He also knows that when he takes the club to the top of the backswing it is well inside this line.
His first instinct, when he starts the club down, is to manipulate the head out onto the line or near it, so he can bring it down along the line and so knock the ball straight.

When the player does this the first movement he makes takes his hands and the club away from his body. The instant they move away they get outside the plane they must be in to hit from the inside.

Before we go further, let's look at the plane of the swing. It is extremely important. If we understand it, learning the right action will be easier.

From the top of the backswing to a point near the end of the follow-through, the head of the club describes what we can call, for convenience, a circle. It isn't a true circle but that isn't important. Suppose we liken this circle to the rim of a wheel.

Then we cover the wheel with skin, let's say, so it's like the head of a drum with a hole in the center for our head to stick through. We now have a flat circular surface, the plane.

During the swing this plane inclines or leans toward the player from 25 to 40 degrees, the exact amount depending on the length of the club used and on whether the player is an upright or a flat swinger.

When we start from the top to move the club out onto the line of flight with either our hands or our shoulders, we don't change this plane a little bit, we change it a great deal.

The result is that we can't help but bring the club in from the outside when we hit.

In this respect it is well to know, too, that at the top a very slight move by the hands forward, or toward the line of flight as they start down, moves the head of the club a comparatively great distance.

A mere two inches by the hands moves the club head out a foot, throwing it outside.

It is, as we say, already outside as it starts down.

When you realize that this slight move of the hands is instinctive you don't know you make it then you can understand how hard a pro has to work to cure hitting from the outside.

A second reason for preoccupation with the club head, and this with most people is the chief reason, is the instinctive urge to get the club moving fast.

The average player, knowing he must get club head speed to hit the ball as far as he wants to hit it, thinks in terms of the head. It's normal that he should, but that is just another of golf's contradictions.

The instant the player tries to move the club head he makes three ruinous actions.

He turns his shoulders a little bit, which throws the club outside; he starts to open up the angle between the shaft and the left arm, breaking the eternal triangle; and he stops moving his hips.

Still another thing the average player often does-and this is the most insidious of all is permit the club head to break the eternal triangle by failing to move his hands fast enough.

It is easy to see that once the downswing is begun, the hands and the club must move at the same relative speeds or one will get ahead of the other. The simplest way to alter one of these speeds is to let the hands lag slightly as they come down.

When they do that the club head, which is steadily gaining momentum, keeps right on moving, the angle between the shaft and the left arm begins to open, and the imaginary line of the eternal triangle begins to lengthen.

You have, in effect, hit from the top and have done it without ever trying to flip the club head or indeed make it do anything.

You have just, unconsciously, slowed your hand action a little bit. The triangle has been broken early and the power is gone from the swing.

The reason a great many players make this mistake and it pursues them all through their golfing lives is because they subconsciously fear that the club head will never catch up to their hands in time to hit the ball straight.

They fear knocking it far out to the right with an open face. So, without ever being conscious of what they are doing, they make sure it will catch up by slowing down their hands, and they succeed, invariably.

This, without a doubt, is the chief reason a practice swing often looks so good and the swing when the ball is there is so bad.

In the practice swing there is no fear that the club head won't catch up, so the boys clip the cigar butts and dandelion tops like the pros.

They should remember that if the face of the club is square, it makes little difference how far the hands lead the club head at impact.

The attempt to move the club head faster also brings on the hand lag.

When a player's efforts are bent on making the club head move, the very effort tends to slow down the hands. Once the hands get behind, they will never catch up; the eternal triangle, once broken open, can never be closed again.

Another peculiar effect of the hand lag is that it tends to prevent the movement of the hips, and the weight, from the right leg to the left.

If you will take a few practice swings, deliberately slowing your hands through the first half of the downward arc, you will notice immediately that your weight doesn't flow over to your left side. And as long as you retard your hands, you can't move your weight over.

For anyone afflicted with the deadly hand lag there is an exercise that is a great help. We call it the arrested practice swing.

Take a No. 2 or No. 3 wood, tee up a ball, and address it. Now go to the top of the swing and start down at half speed, being sure the hands move with the shoulders and club in the one-piece unit and that the hips move out past the ball. But stop before the club reaches the ball. This swing will retain the wrist cock until the hands are almost opposite the ball.

Done at half speed or even less, the wrist cock can be held until the hands are actually past the ball while the club head is still about six inches or more short of contact.

Make this practice swing four or five times, interrupting it each time before the ball is hit. Speed it up a little but still keep control of the club so that it doesn't hit the ball.

On the next swing, speed it up a little more but don't stop it. Let it go through and hit the ball.

If you are a confirmed hand lagger, the feeling you will get will be the strangest you have ever felt in golf. You will be amazed at where your hands and hips are, that they can be so far advanced, seemingly far in front of the club head at impact. But that is where they should be, where they have to be if you are to get the late hit and the timing that bring the distance the good players get.

Soon you will get the feeling of bringing the hands down in one piece with the shoulders and the club.

You will get the feeling of the hands and the club moving together at their respective speeds through the first big area of the downswing.

You will feel that the hands are alive and active, but that they are moving themselves and are not trying to move anything else.

Those feelings are among the most important in the entire golf swing.

It may help you to visualize the downswing as segments of three circles or rings, one within the other, all connected with each other and all turning. None of these is a true circle, of course, but for purposes of the image let's think they are.
I've added this image of Bobby Jones to help you visualize -Lagster

The inner circle is the hips, and the hips move laterally as they turn.

The middle circle is the path taken by the hands as they come down from the top. The outer circle is the path taken by the club head as it comes down.

All three rings are started turning by the first movement of the hips. The club head, assuming a driver is used, starts about three and one-half feet behind the hands, owing to the angle of the wrist cock.

If the hands are to maintain their three-and-a-half-foot lead, they must travel relatively fast to keep the correct position.

It is here that the hands either try to throw the club head, or lag, waiting for it to catch up.

(I imagine the next sentence should read the hands must move as fast as the the clubhead-Lagster)

as the club head. If they don't, the club head will begin to overtake them. In other words, the middle ring has to keep moving to keep pace with the outer ring.

The instant it doesn't, the outer ring starts to gain on it, the angle of the wrist cock begins to open up, and the swing is ruined.

You may be prompted to ask at this point, how, if the hands must keep their lead, the head of the club eventually catches up (or almost catches up) with the hands at impact.

This may be especially puzzling when you think that this happens when the swing is fast but that you can prevent it with the slower one you use in the arrested swing exercise.

The second is the advice, deep rooted because it has been repeated for so long, to turn or spin the hips.

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Article Source: ArticlesBase.com - Golf Tips: Disasters To Avoid In The Down Swing

Hit em Straight

Hogan Swinging, Hitting

Despite what most believe were early struggles in Ben Hogan's career, here are some interesting stats:
In 292 career PGA Tour events, Ben Hogan finished in the Top 3 in 47.6-percent of them. He finished in the Top 10 in 241 of those 292 events.

In this post we are going to try to put to rest the notion that Ben Hogan was a hitter. It seems that the proponents of "Handsy" golf swings would like to use Mr. Hogan as the model for their agenda. Unfortunately, they are wrong and are misinterpreting the statement he made in 5 lessons "wishing he had 3 right hands".

Here's an excerpt from Jame's Dodson's "Ben Hogan An American Life"

" Nothing about Hogan's golf swing initially made an impression on Byron, or on anybody else around Glen garden, but the saga of Hogan's battle to get down the basics of a grip and swing remains one of the most beguiling mysteries to emerge from this time. Hogan claimed he was naturally a lefty--probably true--but in those days left-handed clubs were rare to nonexistent. The story goes that Ted Longworth was the first to place a right-handed club in Ben's oversized hands and correct his "hog-killer" grip. Hogan himself cites brother Royal Hogan (who took up golf about this same time) as the one who actually switched Ben from left-to right handed playing, assuring him no athlete was ever successful playing left handed. "I was a southpaw who never stopped playing baseball right handed until my brother, Royal, made me switch," he told reporters following his breakthrough win at Pinehurst in 1940. "My brother would slap me every time he saw me use that right." Still others maintain it was Longworth's newly arrived assistant Jack Grout (who much further down the fairway would shape the swing of a promising Ohio youngster named Jack Nicklaus) who realized the game would be a lot easier for him if Bennie Hogan played it from the right side.
Whoever finally got Hogan squared away, the early switch in part explains the incredible power he was always able to generate from his left side, including his tendency to hook the ball. Years later, Hogan ruefully joked that he wished he'd been born "with two left hands," reflecting the commonplace view that a dominant left hand was an asset to the right handed golf swing."

This seems to indicate he was pulling the club with the left hand as opposed to pushing it, which would make him a swinger.

On page 101 of 5 fundamentals he states:
"AT IMPACT THE BACK OF THE LEFT HAND FACES TOWARDS YOUR TARGET. THE WRIST BONE IS DEFINITELY RAISED. IT POINTS TO THE TARGET AND, AT THE MOMENT THE BALL IS CONTACTED, IT IS OUT IN FRONT, NEARER TO THE TARGET THAN ANY PART OF THE HAND. When the left wrist is in this position, the left hand will not check or interrupt the speed with which your clubhead is traveling. There's no danger either that the right hand is going to overpower the left and twist the club over. It can't. As far as applying power goes, I wish I had three right hands!

The Caps are his not mine. It would appear to me that Hogan is simply trying to avoid flipping the club through impact. As far as applying power goes, by bowing his left wrist he is virtually guaranteeing a bent right wrist through impact. The right hand is doing absolutely nothing, it is following the left as it supinates. As the picture below indicates the right hand is maintaining it's bent attitude.


In 1985 Nick Seitz (of Golf Digest fame) interviewed Hogan and portions of that interview became the preface for the 1985 Golf Digest edition of "Five Lessons". Here's what Hogan had to say.

"Most people are too upright because they disconnect the arms from the body. My left arm swung right across my chest on the backswing and was the strongest part of my downswing. It's almost impossible to get your body out of position and come back to the ball badly. The idea is to rotate the club with the left arm. Poor players and even some tour players try to do it with the right arm. "You have to do it with the left arm". Take it from me, there is no key on a typewriter to underscore the feeling in Hogan's voice when he emphasized an instructional point.

So there you have it right from the horses' mouth. Hogan himself is emphatically saying he used a left sided motion i.e. he was pulling (swinging) the club. I'm still not sure there wasn't more to it. Later on we'll talk about 3 and 4 barrel actions and I believe we will categorize Hogan as a 4 barrel swinger. This means he used all four accumulators in a pulling type of fashion. Using all 4 accumulators takes a certain type of mastery, according to Homer this is a high performance technique. I believe if anybody could have mastered this technique it was Mr. Hogan.



In the illustration below note how Hogan is in what is referred to a "Pitch Elbow" position. It is very difficult to apply effective right arm thrust from this position. Normally players who play from this position are categorized as swingers since the right arm is being pulled.



In his later years he seemed to straighten his right arm earlier in the release than before he had his accident, this was still well past impact. It seems like Hogan modified his swing after his accident to accommodate his injuries. Below is post accident Hogan, he is demonstrating a pivot driven swing.




In the pictures below note how early his right arm straightens as opposed to his "Power Golf" swing where he preserves a bent right arm deep into his follow through.











Above is the pre-accident "Power Golf" golf swing. Note how long he maintains his bent right arm.


Here is a compilation of Hogan swings from Jango 1000's youtube channel. Watch Hogan's trajectory/launch angle, it's a thing of beauty.



Here is the Famed Mexico City footage

Here's what the owner of this footage had to say:

I have posted this footage again, as an answer to the innumerable requests received from all over the world. The video is a modest tribute to Mr. Hogan, a great man and the best golfer, also to our dear father, José Cano Faro. He loved golf and started to play at the age of 34, and arrived to be scratch learning from the best. He died in 1987. He filmed Mr. Hogan, with his permission, in Mexico City in 1956. I hope these images will help golfers to inspire and to improve their game as they did to our father. The music used is a piece of Johann Sebastian Bach: Choral prelude Erbarm´dich, property of Sony Music Entertainment.



We at Gotham Golf Blog would like to thank the Faro family for their willingness to share this valuable footage with the rest of us.

Hit em straight

Hit and Hope Golf

"Reverse every natural instinct and do the opposite of what you are inclined to do, and you will probably come very close to having a perfect golf swing."

-- Ben Hogan

When taking up golf most people assume it's a simple game, which of course it is. However learning a proper golf swing is not a simple process. Many think that the principle of KISS (Keep It Simple Stupid) applies to the learning process, of course it does to a certain extent, however when somebody is claiming to keep it simple for the sake of simplicity they usually leave out some important parts. You see it all the time, "I'm so and so, and I'm going to really make it real simple blah, blah blah, yada, yada, yada". When they're done you apply what they say, only to find out the meat of the process was left out (for simplicity sake), which renders their explanation virtually useless. If you're playing for the first time or just trying not to embarrass yourself during a company outing I guess that's fine, but if you're serious about improving it's more about the nuts and bolts and what make them work.

Tiger's whole goal with Haney is to get to the point where he can figure it out himself. It's all about self discovery and enjoying the journey. You'll sometimes have to take 3 steps back to take one forward, but you must accept it as part of the process. If you're working on changes and worrying about ball flight you've probably lost that battle before you stepped into the arena. I believe learning Golf is a step by step process, that's why I spend my time hitting 3/4 pitches and checking my impact alignments. If you've followed this blog you'll notice it took me 4 or 5 long posts supplemented by videos to explain one paragraph which I thought to be very important, and I'm still not done. Homer Kelley developed a method for explaining and categorizing the swing which he thought was very precise, thus it appears to be complex. I always admire Lynn Blake when he goes about explaining the swing because it appears he tries to leave no stone unturned, quoting the book chapter and verse, and resorting to dowels and other aids to make his point. I enjoy it because it forces me to open the yellow book and research it for myself, and try to understand it as Homer intended; after all Lynn learned directly from Homer.

Here's how Homer closes the preface to the Golfing Machine, "After all complexity is far more workable than mystery is." This is not to scare or discourage anybody, this is simply to indicate that there are no shortcuts and there are no secrets to good golf. It's more about self discovery and enjoying the journey. What follows is another article by Mike Hebron, the emphasis (bold, italics) is mine.


Are You Playing Hit and Hope Golf?
By Michael Hebron, PGA Master Professional, CI


Good golf is nothing more than predicting the flight of the ball before the
swing. Good golfers control the distance and direction of their shots. On the
other hand, most people play "Hit and Hope" golf they swing and hope it
goes where they want!
There really are many ways to swing and to play good golf. So if there is no
one way, what is a golfer to do when they look for information to learn from?
Thousands of books and articles have been written since golfers’ first
instruction book "The Golfer's Manual" was published in 1857. There is
some good in every one of these books, but if read by the wrong person it
would either be of little use, or even bad for their game. What is one mans
meat, is the next mans poison.
Information, ideas and suggestions any golfer is given must fit that golfers
style of play, physical and mental make up, practice and training time
available, current information base and the type of swing they are trying to
build.
Some reasons people do not make progress –
• No plan
• Trying to learn the whole before the parts.
• Misinformation
• Misapplication of information
• Trying to practice before training
Note: Training is acquiring --- Practice is applying
Suggestions
The universal goal of any sound swing is to use the fewest moving parts in
the smallest possible space, for the shot at hand. My suggestions to any
golfer who is looking to meet this goal are based solely on the physical
basics of the game listed below that have been the same from day one.
• The player has always stood inside the target line, and to the side of
the ball, making the required motion, one that moves the club in an arc
around the body, motion that keeps the club in front of the body.
• The design of the club has not changed from day one, and this
design defines how the club is best used as it passes through impact.
o The handle is angled forward of the clubface
o The shaft is angled up from the club head on a roof like inclined
angle when it is placed correctly behind the ball at address.
o These two design angles, handle forward of club face and shaft
angle to the ground at address, are present before, during and after impact
in sound swings. The player for some specific shot requirements sometimes
alters these swings.
• A players' body should stay in balance in three-dimensional space,
up to down, back to front, and side to side. When the player does not, the
brain and the bodies balance centers in the eyes and ears introduce
unwanted compensating motions.
• From day one sound swings have had a motion that is in time, with a
beat and rhythm that can be repeated. When playing musical notes in a
composition, without playing them with rhythm and in time, it is just noise.
Sound swings must also move in the correct time frame, not too slow or too
fast, without an "in time" beat.
Balance and time are two core elements found in sound swings. They make
sound impact alignments possible. The ‘on balance’, ‘in time’, swing takes
the golfers body and club into sound impact alignments for the shot at
hand. Without them, sound mechanics are less useful and difficult to learn
or repeat.
Some may feel this is a very short list, considering the amount of golf swing
information that is available today. But the requirements of a sound swing
are listed.
When you are training your swing, I suggest staying away from swing
thoughts, and become more aware. Ask questions like: "Was the club face
open or closed at impact?" "Was the shaft above, below or on the same lie
angle it was on at address, through impact?" "Was the club face behind the
hands through impact?" " Where was the shaft pointing at the top of the
back swing?" "Was I balanced?" " Was the swing in time with a beat?"
Answers to these kinds of awareness questions can give the kind of
insights that long-term learning is founded on. When the mind is filled with
swing tips the player's ability to be aware is less that it could be. World-class
golfers and masters of their skills are more aware and therefore better
prepared, not necessarily more talented and gifted. They are also better
learners with insights others do not have. They realize the difference
between knowledge of information and understanding information.
Information
Over time, most of us have learned the information that proved to be the most valuable appealed to our logic, and was presented in a step by step manner. This information was not necessarily simple, but it always led to some insight that we did not have in the past. When golfers look for ideas and suggestions to improve their game, many want ideas to be simple, but if asked which they prefer - suggestions they understand or simple suggestions, everyone I have ever asked votes for ideas they understand. In truth simple ideas are often incomplete, leaving learners confused and misled with results that are unsatisfying.
For information to be useful it must be understood, and many times what is simple and what is understood are worlds apart. For example there are no simple directions from my golf course on Long Island to the Long Island Expressway. Any attempt to make them simple would add time or get people lost on their way to the expressway. Another example: When first learning to write a letter, we first learn our A, B, C’s, then words, then sentences, then paragraphs. That’s a simple description of learning how to write. It’s also painfully incomplete. There is no mention of rules of grammar, punctuation, or capitalization, just to name a few elements of writing left out. The former is a simple but incomplete description of what must be learned to write a letter. Many, if not most golfers, are frustrated with their level of play, causing them to look for simple answers subsequently leading to the "any port in a storm" approach to learning. At times it seems golfers are saying, "I know it may not be the best idea, but at least its something to work on". Ladies and Gentlemen, Boys and Girls, this approach is the foundation of frustration, and will not lead to any long-term learning and progress. When it comes to making progress with your golf lets start with what the first players of the game started with hundreds of years ago. We start there because over time the basic physical elements of the game of golf have not changed.
• Physical Basics
• Its played with: a ball, a stick, a field of play
• Its object to influence: distance, direction, elevation of ball flight
• It’s motion has: a shape, a source of power for the shot at hand
• The stick or club used has: a head, a face, a shaft that all affect ball
flight
• The player has always had: hands, arms, body that stay in balance in
sound swings
• The player has always stood inside the target line and ball
• The stick has always been designed with the handle end angled
forward of the club face, and the shaft coming up from the ground on a roof
like inclined angle, like a hockey stick. Both these angles define the angle
the club swings through impact on.
I do not believe I have overlooked anything. These several elements have
all been the same from day one. Let's call them the Physical Basics of the
game that are at the foundation of any sound description for the game, the
swing, and its players.
When the stick (club) comes from the factory, it has a measurable length,
lie angle, face loft, face roll, face bulge, shaft flex, and over all weight.
Because of these constant measurements, I feel there is one best way for
that club to move throughout the swing and impact for the shot at hand.
One best way, but no one player in the world has ever made that perfect
swing!
Players come in different sizes, strengths, abilities and backgrounds. Every
world class player has made some personal adjustments in their swing that
would not be found in any description of the One Best Way. The point is,
while no one has ever made that perfect swing when learning to play and
swing, the physical basics have not changed over time. The physical basics
are non-negotiable and should be the foundation of any approach.
One of the challenges for players and instructors alike will always be
unsound swings that once in a while hit fairways and greens and even
make holes in one. But golf is a game of consistency, and once in a while is
not the goal of most who play golf. Golf is a game that rewards precision.
The more precision a player builds into their game the more consistent their
play will be. For any golfer to hit more greens, fairways and make more
putts, it requires a more predictable swing. Consistent more predictable
swings use the age-old physical basics as their foundation, not the next tip!

©Michael Hebron, 1997, 2008, all rights reserved.

Hit em Straight