2017 July

Earlier this year I released a Swing Tip highlighting the most important tips that I learned at the Forum Stage in the PGA Merchandise Show January 2017. One of those tips has made all the difference in my game so I felt that I should highlight the way to cheat your body and mind to create weight shift.

Yes, I said cheat, because none of the pros need or want to do this. They all learned the proper way to incorporate weight shift from their trialing foot to their leading foot as a natural part of their swing. I see too many recreational players who panic in the middle of their backswing. Their practice swing (at 70% of their normal speed) has a perfect transfer of weight to their leading foot. That speed allows them to finish in a balanced pose on their leading foot. The problem happens when they setup to hit that little white ball.

PGA Forum Stage at Orlando Merchandise Show 2017 with Larry Rinker on the right end of the stage (not the legs on the left).

At the PGA Forum I took notes from a panel of the top trainers in USA. Hank Haney, David Leadbetter, Jim McLean,  Michael Breed and Larry Rinker were all on the panel. I had never heard of Larry Rinker but he is the only one who provided a gutsy recommendation for the recreational golfer who really has a problem with timing the weight shift during their swing.

I said that Larry made a gutsy tip because it really is not ideal to start your drives and fairway shots with 60% of your weight on your leading foot according to most golf trainers. No-one refuted Larry’s comments so I have been using his tip when I find that my boding is not in sync with my game. In other words, when I start rushing my swing and topping the ball as I swing without shifting my weight to my leading foot.

I don’t know why this problem sometimes starts at the first tee or half way through my round but my mind just has a brain cramp where I lose the fluid motion of my swing. I just start swinging with my arms and forget to create the shift of my hip forward (for weight transfer) during the transition at the top of my swing. I end up with most of my weight still on my trailing leg at the point of impact.

THE TIP:
Larry Rinker suggested that recreational golfer have a problem transferring their weight to their leading foot during the downswing. He suggested setting up with 60% of your weight on your leading foot and holding your weight forward throughout your backswing and downswing so that you will finish with all of your weight on your leading foot.  [Just bend your leading knee a little more to tilt your body forward exactly the way you want it as you lean into your shot at impact.]

When your body and mind are relaxed (like the Pros who play with their mind IN THE ZONE) your rhythm will take care of the weight transfer. But it’s difficult to stay relaxed when the pressure is on for a perfect shot. Eventually you will learn to make the weight shift a natural part of your swing. It feels wonderful to finish your swing in balance on your leading foot and watching your ball land where you planned to have it land.

I can’t give all the credit for this tip to Larry Rinker as I first heard this tip when I met Andy Schwabe in the Blue Martini in Naples, FL. (He just happened to be one of the first 100 golfers who had purchased a GOLFSTR ). He showed me the same tip about 4 years ago.  Pros warn against too much pressure on your leading foot during your setup as you can lose power and direction control. So don’t put too much pressure on your leading foot to ensure that you get plenty of distance and consistent, straight drives and fairway shots.

Setup with 60% of your pressure on your leading foot and practice with a straight leading arm for more consistent, longer hits. Practice with GOLFSTR+ and buy one today at www.golfstr.com

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Whatever you do to create your swing it really appears that you need to start by getting your body and mind moving with a waggle. Starting your swing from a dead stop seems to hurt the consistency of any golfer’s swing. Just moving your hands and wrists may get your mojo running but you should consider the waggle that many of the pros are now using.

Jason Dufner seems to make his hands dance when he does his famous waggle. You don’t have to go to that extreme. You should consider what many pros are doing. A wrist or shoulder takeaway waggle may be just the thing you should be doing to create a more consistent swing. They are actually rehearsing the start of their swing.

Ever since I noticed Mike Weir (2003 Masters Champion) using his takeaway waggle, I wondered why he was using that unique type of waggle. Mike did a rehearsal of half of his backswing in slow motion. As I later learned in one of his articles he was just adding focus to the mechanics of taking his club back on his chosen plane.

Wrist Cock Waggle:
Now I’m noticing Michelle Wie and Daniel Im (US PGA pro playing in the Irish Open) are both completing a wrist waggle by cocking their wrist without rotating their shoulders or hips. They turn their wrists to point the toe of their club up to the sky (without any shoulders or hips movement). This is the exact move that they make to start their swing. Part 2 of their swing is to rotate their shoulders and hips as they lift their arms. This 2 part swing seems to give them excellent direction control.

Rickie Fowler simply rotates his shoulders keeping a V with his straight arms to rehearse the start of his swing. (and his head remains motionless)

Shoulder Waggle:
The shoulder and hip waggle (recently highlighted by the Rotary Swing Blog) is the waggle that Rickie Fowler and many others PGA Pros are using. Their waggle keeps both arms straight as they rotate their shoulders and hips as they start to cock their wrists. Their shoulders and arms stay in a TRIANGLE during their short waggle. It focuses on:
1. the shoulder rotation to generate power in your swing.
2. a wide arc by keep your leading arm straight.

I have been using the Fowler Waggle because it helps me slowdown my backswing and to avoid creating a rushed loop during my transition at the top.

Pete the pro on Golf-Info-Guide by Thomas Golf also points out that your leading arm should be straight (not rigid) throughout your backswing. Your trailing arm should be slightly bent during your setup as you are using your tailing arm to pull your leading FLAT wrist to create lag during your backswing.

The world of golf is moving from a wrist waggle to a shoulder rotation waggle to rehearse the start of their swing. That motion gets your mojo and brain locked into a consistent swing. Practice with your GOLFSTR+ to feel and learn the impact of your waggle. It will relax your swing and create a more consistent swing. Buy one today at www.golfstr.com

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Golf is a game of “feel”.  You have to use a motion that is familiar to you and then transfer that feeling into a unique swing for every club in your bag. I just saw an offer where you can take 19 courses and watch 425 videos to improve your game. OMG is golf really that difficult?  Actually: Yes, but you can be successful if you simplify your setup and “feeling” for every shot.

You don’t have time to clutter your mind with thoughts during a swing which takes one (1) second.  You need to program your brain and body like a guided-missile. You only have time to “feel” the shoulder rotation, lag and release to a balanced finish. [If you rush the transition, your club will take a wild loop and lose the plane of your swing. On the 14th hole drive by Robert Streb in the Greenbrier Classic Tournament, you could see his club loop at the top, causing a “duck hook” into the bush and resulting in a bogie. Big mistake: he lost by 1 stroke.]

We all agree that Golf is not an easy sport to learn. However, you can learn to play well if you apply the following 6 simple points to every swing except putting. [Putting is another game.]

1/ Setup with a light grip to relax your wrists and arm muscles for power when you release your club. [Learn to lag your club and let your club head do the work.]

2/ Your head should stay in the same location from the setup to the point of impact. [Don’t sway back in your backswing.]

3/ If you tend to topping your ball, use the Jack Nicklaus eyeball trick. During your setup, rotate your head to the right (for right handed golfers) so that your leading eye stays focused on your ball through impact.

4/ Your shoulders (not your arms) need to start the backswing for every shot. As your shoulders rotate, your hips will follow.

“Feel” like the butt of your grip is pointing down at your swing plane and “bump” your hip to start your downswing.

5/ With your flat leading wrist and straight leading arm, the butt of your grip should be pointing down along your swing path as you reach the top of your swing. Your loose grip will let you FEEL the weight of your club, FEEL your smooth transition, LAUNCH your drives up, POWER your fairway shots through and CONTROL your chips/ pitches for more consistent hits.

6/ To start the downswing, use your hips to rotate your weight from your trailing to your leading foot. [If you can’t build this shift into your swing, then setup with more pressure on your leading foot. Eventually you will naturally learn to incorporate this weight shift during your swing.]

Putting is another ball game: Putt by rocking your shoulders to finish the swing straight up your target line. Choose your line, stare at your target for 3 seconds [AMAZING: Your brain works like a laser, some pros stare 5 seconds], return your stare to your ball and keep it there until you finish your swing. [Don’t let your eyes follow your putter head. Trust your swing.]

The pros who created these tips believe that these 6 tips will crystallize your mind to improve your game. Use them while you practice with your GOLFSTR+ to build your memory bank. Buy one today at www.golfstr.com

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The fastest way to improve your game is to land more drives and iron shots on the short stuff. Yes, landing them on the fairways and greens. And you don’t need brute strength to do it. Consistently hitting your ball at 80% of my maximum swing speed and up-clubbing is only half of the solution. You really need to let the club do the work!

You need to learn to lag your club in the backswing with a light grip. When your grip is loose you can feel the weight of your club as it changes directions. The mass of the head of your club and velocity change create a heavier feeling which is caused by the club head MOMENTUM change. At that very moment, when you feel the head of the club changing direction, your hands are moving down but the club should feel too heavy to catch up to your hands. UNFORTUNATELY, MANY RECREATIONAL GOLFERS CAST THEIR CLUB WITH BRUTE FORCE BY SQUEEZING THEIR GRIP HARDER. BIG MISTAKE!

This is a great view of Rory McIlroy creating lag at the top of his backswing. NOTE the Flat Leading Wrist and his trailing hand is pulling his LOOSY GOOSY Wrist to create Lag.

If you use “loosy goosy hands” with a flat wrist, you can simply pull down with your hands to fling the trailing club at your golf ball. Yes, you are actually throwing or releasing your club head the way you would throw a side arm pitch or fling a Frisbee. It’s that whipping action that creates the power as your club head accelerated to impact with your ball. That delay in releasing the club head is called LAG.

Try These Practice Tips:
1/ Make sure you setup by gripping with your left hand so that you can see 3 knuckles. Reduce your grip pressure. If your grip with your left hand is 50%, the grip with my trailing hand is 20%.  Learn to use your trailing hand as a guide to pull your flat leading wrist to create a 90 degree angle from your leading arm to the shaft of your club at the top of my backswing. [If you panic and rush the backswing you will not create the 90 degree lag.  Keep your mental focus on a light grip even when a gust of wind hits you or when you are hitting out of the rough. The momentum of your accelerating club head will take care of the speed and power of your hit.]

2/ Start the down swing with a forward press of your hip as you shift your foot pressure from your trailing to your leading foot. [If you are not able to make this shift of pressure, put more pressure on your leading foot during your setup and hold that forward press throughout your backswing. Over time you will learn to make the pressure shift as you reach the transition at the top of your backswing.]

3/ Practice your wrist release by reversing a club and swinging to create a whooshing sound at the point of impact. Lag and acceleration are the only way to create the speed to create the whooshing sound at the bottom of your swing [and to generate more distance].

4/ Practice the start of your downswing using a “pumping action” by pulling your hands down as you point the butt of your grip down at the ground to hold your 90 degree lag.

Focus on your loose grip and whoosh at the bottom to feel the power of your swing.

Practice with GOLFSTR+ to learn to lag with a loose grip, a flat leading wrist and a straight leading arm. These 3 steps will help you hit longer, controlled drives and fairway shots. Buy one today at www.golfstr.com

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