Conference 7.286::golf

    > This is also contrary to what Hogan teaches...
    
    I think you better go back and read Hogan again as I re-call he
    said hit hard with the right hand, in fact he'd wished he'd had two
    right hands...

    
    re: hitting with the right hand
    
        Faldo's book goes on at some length about golf being a right-handed
        game, contrary to (apparent) popular belief.  Having learned a
        predominantly left-armed game growing up, this is a big adjustment
    	for me, and I need to consiously think about applying the hit with
    	my right hand.
    
        fwiw, Faldo says the following regarding the right hand:
    
    		o  the flex should be directly back towards the right
    		   elbow, not upward towards the head.  
    
    		o  he cocks his right wrist early in the takeaway, so
    		   that by the time his left arm is horizontal, his right
    		   wrist is fully cocked back on itself.  the rest of
    		   the backswing carries the club back around like a
    		   waiter holding a tray without additional action from
    		   the wrists.
    
    		o  on the downswing, the wrists stay in this same position
    		   until the right elbow is tucked in quite close to the
    		   right hip, the left shoulder has started to lift, and
    		   the left knee has started to pull forward.  The wrists
    		   drop almost straight down as the right elbow is tucked
    		   in towards the right hip.
    
    		   Faldo calls this position a "late hit" position; wrists
    		   still mostly cocked and elbows at what is probably their
    		   maximum separation, left arm more or less horizontal. 
    		   You can't help but uncock the wrists somewhat, but for
    		   the most part they maintain the angle that they had in
    		   the corresponding part of the takeaway.
    
    		o  From the late hit position, you can apply as much wrist
    		   snap and arm roll as you can, and you still won't bring
    		   the club head outside if you do it right.  He talks
    		   about pivoting around the left elbow, uncocking the
    		   wrists, and of course moving hips, shoulders, etc.
    
    /jim
    

    
    	Until an accident a few years ago in which I tgore up my left side
    	and left shoulder( I am a right handed golfer) I typically would
    	hit a soft, and occasional hard, draw.  After the accident I quit
    	hitting with my right hand/right side as my left shoulder/arm would
    	experience pain on occasion.  As a result I started hitting
    	everything weak right with a lot of slices and shanks.  The problem
    	was blocking/stopping the left side and not using the right to
    	avoid pain.
    
    	I went to see a great pro/teacher.  He had me swing the club about
    	500 times per week with just my left hand(not hitting a ball - just
    	swinging at a tee) ensureing I simply release(let the arm bend at
    	the elbow).  I also took 500 swings with just the right hand, again
    	just at a tee, to relearn letting the right side come thru the
    	ball.  After almost two weeks of that he started having me hit a
    	ball on a tee with a paper cup just next to the ball.  After about
    	two weeks and more than 500 bals of practice I started hittint the
    	soft draw once again and most of the distance came back.
    
    	A lot of work, but I was in a pretty deep hole with about 1/3 shots
    	very week slices and even shanks(shudder to use the word).
    	I still occasionally still have the problem especially when I find
    	myself a little tired or tense and try to steer the ball with the
    	left side.  Hope this helps.  If your in the GMA  and would be up
    	to an ice cream at Kimball's in Westford/Littleton I would be happy
    	to show you the technique. 
    
    	Walt
    	ATPS::Miller
    	

    re: .-1
    
    Name the day and the ice cream is on me.  I thought I had worked
    through this miserable problem until it started all over two weeks ago. 
    I have a lesson on Sat. a.m. to try and find out where I am breaking
    down again.  Like most other lessons, they are only as good as the
    practice you put in afterwards to acquire the muscle memory.
    
    (Sure thought Hogan said something about the right hand overpowering
    the swing...  I'll have to look through it again.)
    
    BTW - Couldn't find Faldo's book around.  Know if B & N carries it?

    
    re: couldn't find Faldo's book
    
    I found it at Barnes & Noble.  The title is "Golf - The Winning
    Formula".  ISBN 1-55821-191-8.
    
       /jim
    

    Found it at lunch and bought it...
    
    Thanks Jim.

    re: .4
    
    
    try page 100-101 in Hogans book .. and I rememberd it wrong...
    
    he said " ...I wished I had three right hands..."
    

    I read through Hogan's book again.   It certainly has passed the test
    of time being that it's about 40 years old and still remains one of the
    better instructional books.
    
    Hogan promoted hitting as hard as you can with the right hand, but
    essentially hitting equally with both.  Faldo's book promotes the
    predominant use of the right hand over the left for both power and
    accuracy.  In this case, Ledbetter's theory works better for me.  I
    gotta think right hand or my left will take over naturally.  Could be
    that I grew up playing when the thinking was ALL left arm and hand and
    the right hand was used for direction rather than to provide power
    through the swing.

    > Faldo's book promotes the predominant use of the right hand over the
    left...
    
    that seems to be what I detect when watching Nick Price hit a ball
    also...

Ben, I can sympathise with your game.  I read Nick Faldo's book 
and it took me ages to understand what he was saying about the 
right hand.  The thing that helped me was comparing the golf hit 
to tennis/table tennis.

If I block a shot in tennis, I lay the racquet open and the ball 
veers off to the right.  If I want power i.e. top spin, I throw 
the right hand through fast and over the ball.  Similarly with 
the golf swing.  If I lead with my left hand, the golf head 
remains open and the ball is blocked/pushed right.  If I throw my 
right hand at the ball, the club head comes through fast and I 
have a perfect draw, loads of power and loads of distance.

The complication comes with what the left arm is doing.  On the 
backswing, the left arm is meant to be straight, not rigid, and 
controls the direction of the club.  After hitting the ball, many 
people have problems by keeping the left arm rigid.  THIS IS 
WRONG.  A straight left arm on the follow through will not allow 
the right hand to come through, and causes a block or push shot.

The left arm should collapse at the elbow immediately after 
impact.  This allows the right hand to power through to the 
target.  Faldo is a firm believer of this.  He visualises this by 
mentally picturing holding a tray on his right hand at the top of 
his backswing, and another tray on his left hand at the end of 
his follow through.  This forces the right hand to cock on the 
backswing, and the left elbow to collapse on the follow through.

BTW I recently bought Hogan's book, within the last two weeks, 
and it is absolutely wonderful.  He was way ahead of his time in 
his analysis of the golf swing.  Leadbetter clearly learnt a lot 
from Hogan.