A Long Time In Coming
I realize I haven't posted here since early October--but there is a very good reason for that. I promised I would not post anything here that I was not sure worked, worked well, and worked well consistently. I CAN FINALLY KEEP THAT PROMISE. The shortened swing I described in my last post was the first step in a fundamental shift away from the old grip it and rip it school. I have indeed regained the vast majority of my pre cardio melt-down swing, gained more accuracy than ever on a consistent basis, and will easily be a full 2 and a half to three clubs longer than I was just a couple of years ago. So what exactly is this new swing besides just another rehashing of the old "Shorten your backswing"----""9 o'clock to 3 o'clock"----"Make the back swing an 'L' and your follow through an "L"--string of cliches that everybody seems to be tossing about too liberally, or re-packaging and re-working in yet another attempt to sell another entrant into the seemingly endless stream of internet golf books.
The X and Y Axis---A 3D Approach
Why Feel and Ball Flight Aren't Always Enough
Well the one thing that kept me convinced that all those rotten compensations I was putting into my post cardio melt down swing were correct was the fact that the aforementioned cliches, and the vast majority of books and magazines present both them and the modifications thereof in a rather 2 dimensional fashion. "Make an L" is close to a great analogy, but without the proper 3D viewpoints that are often only available from live instruction (which I now strongly encourage as long as you get a good swing coach) it can be easily misconstrued, and has been by many golfers--including professionals.
If you"... draw he club head straight back ..." as many of us were instructed to do in the old"Square to Square" instruction methodology, and you are in the midst of learning to "...flatten your swing..." and "...widen your swing arc..." you are going to enter the impact zone from so far from the outside that you simply won't be able understand exactly how far off plane you get from the very start of your swing. By the time you are at that "9 o'clock 'L' position..." you will be so far outside the plane, that your only hope of hitting it straight will be to come over the top and start unconsciously closing the face of the club before impact. I know these things empirically, and now that I've corrected it, and am aware of what I was doing, I am actually shocked at the amount of golfers I see on the range who are unwittingly making these same exact compensations to varying degrees.My swing never stood a chance of squaring the face at impact as it was actually starting off plane from the very beginning by going "Straight Back". As I was rocking my shoulders to accomplish this, I was fairly sure I wasn't swaying, and the old "Square toSquare Methodology" a methodology that was once adopted as the official methodology of The USGA Professionals assured me that I was starting my swing correctly. I had actually learned to subconsciously close the face at impact and get a ball that started straight, and had a strong draw to it. I was absolutely certain, from the shape of my shots alone, that I was perfecting my old swing. Unfortunately, the more and more I started to "...widen my swing arc..."---the more and more I started to get mystery slices that were actually the effect of a strong--but still glancing blow. In order to compensate, I flattened out my swing a bit with a slightly wider stance and an even further reach back. Soon, when I wasn't slicing, I was hitting snap hooks from hell. Sound familiar?---Time to read on then.
Rationale
There's a dirty little secret regarding those "Swing Tips"most Golf Mags don't tell you, and one you need to remind yourself of every time you think of incorporating another one of those "Magic Tips." It's simple, actually. Any move in your golf swing has a direct effect on one of two things. Whatever movement or movement change they have you doing backwards and/or forwards, no matter what the promise, it can only make your swing arc narrower or wider--"The X Axis", or Flatter or Steeper--"The Y Axis." This is important to note for several reasons. If you're currently getting the ball flight of a Pitching Wedge from your 6 Iron--that is-- higher and softer than what you need and desire---then you are obviously too steep. Now the phrase "...too steep..." may dredge up pictures of fat shots, and lost distance, ,and before you know it--your entire system of band aid type quick fixes has kicked in. Pretty soon you're ....."looking more at the front of the ball", or "...setting the ball back a little further in your stance in order to insure clean contact" or any of a hundred or so such quick tips we've all heard and read literally thousand of times.------Just remember this---"Too Steep = Too Much Emphasis On The Y Axis."So before you add yet another one of those "magical quick fixes" to your swing---you must realistically ask yourself ..."does this tip/advice have an effect on my "Y Axis-- and --is it flattening or steepening of my swing?......or is it having more of an effect on my X Axis --and if so--is it widening or narrowing my swing arc. " This is important, because if you are already "too steep" the last thing you need to do is start putting the ball further back in your stance and continue to compound the problem. Doing so might turn you're 6 Iron, which already looks like a Pitching Wedge shot into one that looks like a Sand Wedge shot. --As you can see--this can become an unending cycle that goes from bad--to worse--to bad again, and the cycle of tips just keeps you going round and round in circles.
-----More on this later in Part II-In the meantime, please read this link which I have posted elsewhere.
http://www.shopping.com/guides/berniez40/Developing_A_Repeatable_Swing_Part_II_Turning_With_The_6_Iron/856788
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