The aiming point concept can create off plane motion, lss pwer, cbface algnmnt issues

[Mike O]

How the aiming point concept can create off plane motion, less power, clubface alignment issues.

In the Golfing Machine there is a concept called the aiming point.

6-E-2 THE AIMING POINT CONCEPT The Hands and the Clubhead combine as Clubhead Lag (5-0, 6-C) and can be utilized to execute “Delivery” by directing the Lag Pressure Loading (6-C-2-A) at – and through per 4-0 – an Aiming Point located on the appropriate Delivery Line per 2-J-3 and 7-23. This Aiming Point can be pin-pointed by experiment and experience only, because “normal” Handspeed differs among players. Increased Handspeed and/or Sweep Release moves it aft of its “normal” Handspeed location and decreased Handspeed and/or Trigger Delay moves it forward. 10-24 presents additional detail. The Aiming Point replaces the Ball so you no longer direct the #3 Pressure Point at the Ball but at the Aiming Point just as if it were the Ball – like an explosion shot from sand. Experiment until you grasp the effects of Ball Positioning (2-N).

It falls under “Power Delivery” and “Thrust”. Give or take a few inches it has you direct the clubhead lag feel in your hands at the golf ball, that sits on the plane line, creating an on-plane thrust or force.

It partially based on the simple Machine concept in 1-L where he states:

1. The Lever Assembly must be driven through Impact by an On Plane force (moving toward the Plane Line).

You didn’t necessarily need to read the Golfing Machine to apply this procedure in your swing – maybe you intuitively knew that since the hands sense the golf club and the golf club hits the ball that you should take this feel in your hands and direct it at the ball – makes sense, and you can do this and hit the ball.

Assuming a single plane downswing – say you are observing a player and you are behind the ball/player looking towards the target – your eyes are perfectly aligned with the plane and sure enough you see the hands come down this plane directly at the same angle that ends up at the ball on the plane line. If we look at the Machine in 1-L – you can again see that you want the grip end of the shaft to be on plane and the hands attached to them are on plane – so you want that moving towards the plane line – and a thrust directed at the ball would seem to support this. So far we don’t have any problems the concept makes perfect sense. In fact if I stood on a chair behind this player’s back and put my eyes on the plane looking down at the ball – again assuming no plane shifts I would see the hands move right towards the plane line – and an aiming point effort at the ball would be very supportive of that motion.

However where the problem begins is that the player’s perspective is not (visually) directly on the plane- your head is well above the angled plane looking down on it. That causes a condition or illusion whereby if you try to thrust towards the ball out on the plane line you can get you hands too far out from you, requiring you to un-cock your wrist, steepen the shaft plane and NOT have your hands moving on that single plane you had envisioned. It would un-cock your left wrist in a “reverse manner” i.e. hands moving up, not the club being pulled out – creating reduced power. In addition, the off-plane motion becomes a problem.

From your perspective as the golfer the thrust of the hands isn’t directed at the ball. Say you are 6 inches before impact with the hands – the thrust isn’t out there at the ball – it’s down plane – WAY in front of the ball. Becuase of your perspective - an apparent thrust towards the ball creates an above plane movement.

In summary, if you have this issue then it most likely is in your movement from putt to full swing – you may play around with putting and chipping where your goal of the shaft immediately after impact being on a flatter plane than you are used to and see if you notice any difference in your results. Again, as a result of your perspective as the golfer looking down at the angled plane – your perception of thrusting out to the plane line can create off-plane club-shaft motions. Likewise an on-plane motion could feel much shallower and create a hand motion that doesn’t nearly make the effort to direct its thrust at the ball but move more in-line with its’ proper geometry. As the hands move down their single plane (theoretically) to their impact hand location – it can have a feeling that they are not move at all out to the plane line where the ball is even though that is the on-plane motion.