The Fix as a studied, distinct Stroke Section (8-2) does not exist in today's Golf
World. It does, however, exist to one degree or another in almost every good
player and is brought to an art form with the great players.
For example, the #1 and #2 Impact Alignments are the Flat, Level and Vertical
Left Wrist and its complement, the Bent, Level and Vertical Right Wrist.
Rounding out the Big Three is the On Plane Right Forearm and Clubshaft. Do
the great players assume these alignments in an Impact Fix? Maybe not. But,
they know exactly what these alignments are and how they feel, and they often
assume them at times you might least expect. The next time you see the Bobby
Jones videos, look carefully as you see him standing around talking to the gang
with his Hands and Club waist high. You will see his Left Wrist Flat, Level and
Vertical; his Right Wrist Bent, Level and Vertical; and his Right Forearm and Club
shaft On Plane.
Now, to be sure, it's on a horizontal plane -- not an inclined plane -- but the
Impact Alignments are clearly in place and their Feel established. This is the
sole purpose of Impact Fix, and when you've got it...you've got it. All that
remains to be done is replicate that Feel on the Inclined Plane of Motion.
Watch Sam Snead as he lectures to the camera, and you will see the identical
Impact Alignments in place. Chi Chi sets his Grip and Impact Alignments while
behind the Ball and looking down the Target Line. Except for an over-the-Topof-
the Ball Waggle, they never change until the Club leaves the Back of the Ball.
Watch any group of Tour players as they wait on a Tee. You'll see Flat Left
Wrists and #3 Accumulator Rolls, Right Forearm Tracings and even Downstroke
Waggles.
Lee Trevino's Address Routine is pure artistry. Away from the Ball, he rehearses
the Total Motion with a Practice Swing. He then walks into the Ball with the Club
shaft in the Cup of the Right Hand and with the Shaft running up his On Plane
Right Forearm. As his Feet settle in to their accustomed positions, he soles the
Club with the Ball just off its toe. His Left Wrist joins the fun in its Flat, Level
and Vertical Position (10-2-B Grip). His Flying Wedges align to the Ball and Line
in a choreographed sequence worthy of a Fred Astaire dance routine.
He lasers in on the Plane Line. He Waggles. His lower body moves into its
Impact Alignment as his Left Foot tap, tap, taps. At the last instant, he Turns his
Left Hand on the Grip -- he just made it a 10-2-D -- Forward Presses and with
his Right Forearm takes the Club immediately Up, In and Back on an Open-
Open Plane Line. And then, almost always, he stripes it. This may not be the
'academic' version of Impact Fix, but it's Lee Trevino's, and a glance at the
Record Book proves that it works. Big time.
No, the Tour players don't fit neatly into Section 8-2, Impact Fix. But you can
bet your boots its function has been met:
They know Impact.
They Feel Impact.
They live for Impact.
It's what they do.
At Impact Fix:
1) Given a specific Golf Club length and Ball Location on the Plane,
e.g., on a tee or on the ground;
2) With the Left Wrist Flat, Level -- remember, this is a 'High Hands'
partially Uncocked Condition per 4-B-1 -- and Vertical;
3) With Extensor Action applied to the Left Arm and Club shaft
through the #3 Pressure Point establishing the Flying Wedge
Alignments; and with...
4) The Stationary Head Position established by the desired Knee Flex
and Waist Bend (standing to the Ball 'in halves' with as straight a
Spine -- the body's backbone that does not include the Neck (that
joins the Head and Body)
3-F-5 THE ADDRESS ROUTINE
Most misshots are lost at Address – by not mentally spelling out exactly the
selected Stroke Variations and their technique and Feel. The most effective
check-out procedure for both Practice and Play are:
1. The Practice Stroke
2. The Waggle – Address and Start Down
3. The Forward Press
♦ Stand closer, feel on top of the ball with Right Forearm On Plane.
Forearm on plane requires lower right shoulder.
♦ Work HARD on set up alignments, Right Forearm On Plane, club and left
arm straight from left shoulder to club-head. Flying Wedge Drills.
♦ The Level Left Wrist is the mid-Wrist Condition between Cocked and
Uncocked. It exists (in the perpendicular plane of motion) when a line
from the first knuckle of the forefinger is in-line with the forearm.
SET UP WITH THE WEIGHT OVER THE ANKLES.
I wouldn't judge a correct address
position by the hands position
relative to anything. Your hands
will adjust themselves when you
perform a naturally balanced
stance.
When a man stands erect the line
drawn starting from the neck
through hips, knees and ending at
ankles is practically straight and
perpendicular to the ground.
Now, when a man bends and
wants to remain in balance
equilibrium, he must stick his butt
out of his heels in order to
counterbalance the upper body +
head = new position.
If he doesn't do it, the natural balance is lost and he needs to use his feet
muscles to prevent from falling down which can result in overall problems with
balance through the entire motion. The weight vector goes too much to the
toes then, like in your case.
What’s vertical hinge action? From impact to follow-through, both arms
straight, clubhead still below the hands and pointing at the plane line by
definition of on-plane, purposefully reverse swivel the left forearm and flat
left wrist to face the sky, squarely. You could set a glass of water on that
clubface. A bit awkward, takes some practice to get it vertical, but extremely
useful at times. Very short clubhead travel to both-arms-straight. Gotta
sustain the lag. Good practice. IMO, superior to setting up wide-open which
brings direction problems into play. This way is square and straight, normal
setup, high trajectory, soft landing, straight roll, maybe a little bit of stuff on
it but not much.
Probably go right under a ball in fluffy lie. I’ve done that with a wrist flip as a
naive tyro. (Novice. Just wanted to use that word once in my life. I’m an Okie,
different language. Joshing. We say “tenderfoot” which describes calves or
foals, havin’ no truck with sheep.)
What’s angled hinge action? Feel “no roll”, results in about a half-roll of the
clubface to follow-through, both-arms-straight as defined above. Short
clubhead travel. The default hinge action for the hitter due to the physics of
right arm drive-out. Technically speaking the flat left wrist remains
perpendicular to the inclined plane from impact to follow-through. No wrist
“swiveling”, and the same inclination in the backswing until the right arm
folding forces it to go on plane will produce the same “no roll feel” in the
backswing for consistency.
Horizontal hinge action feels like a full roll and produces a full roll,
although no actual hand motion occurs. It’s just like a door closing. The
door didn’t roll or twist, but it closed, at a precise and consistent rate. The
flat left wrist remains consistently perpendicular to the ground, i.e. the
horizontal plane. HH has the longest clubhead travel to follow-through. The
default for a swinger not working the ball. Length of clubhead travel to
follow-through, both arms straight is the Rhythm of the stroke.
That’s my story and I’m stickin’ to it. More contributions?
LOREN
LOREN HINGE ACTION
This’ll blow you away, or fire a lightbulb. There is no actual motion.
Hinge Action is merely keeping the flat left wrist perpendicular to one of the
three basic planes, the ground, the inclined plane, or the rear wall of the
virtual box you’re standing in, from impact to follow-through. Horizontal,
Angled or Vertical.
The centrifugal force managed by the swinger will automatically produce
Horizontal hinging because of the sweet spot’s inertia. The hosel rotates
around the sweet spot, not vice versa. The wrist stays perpendicular to the
ground.
Raise the club up and move it around 180 degrees flat-footed with no wrist
turn or roll. The clubface relative to the target line opens and closes, just
like a door.
Put another pin in that shoulder hinge that will allow the left arm (hand) to
drop down to the inclined plane and do the same thing. It feels like a full
roll, but you didn’t roll it. Yet the clubface did a full roll, or “closing only”
motion.
The drive-out action of the hitter’s driving right arm automatically produces
Angle hinging by virtue of its thrust direction, and no sweet spot inertia. The
left wrist stays perpendicular to the inclined plane. If feels like no roll and it
produces sort of a half roll of the clubface. It’s a “closing with layback” in
Homer’s vernacular. There is no secondary pin in the angled hinge, or “dual”
action pins. It’s pin is already oriented for the hinge to work on the angle of
the inclined plane.
The swinger using Angle hinging merely feels “no roll” to keep the left wrist
perpendicular to the inclined plane. It’s a “hold off”. If you’re managing
trajectory, you need Angle hinging.
Manipulated hands.
The hitter trying to do Horizontal hinging will have to manipulate it for a full
roll “feel”. It’s a bit awkward feeling but can be done all right.
These things you practice in Basic Motion, two feet back, two feet through,
hitting and/or swinging, pivotless, with/without a club or dowel, closed fist
and open hand, and finally with eyes closed.
Either will have to actually swivel the left arm to keep the left wrist
perpendicular to the wall behind them which feels like a reverse roll.
You have to plan ahead for this no later than Top. “DELIVERY LINE ROLL
PREP” (in all caps), item 22 of 12-3-0, (ref. 4-D-0 and 7-14).
A putter using the rock-the-shoulders, frozen wrists stroke (Tiger) with
swing center in the sternum is using Vertical hinge action. Accurate but not
powerful. Long putts on non-tour speed greens will have a little “short”
problem.
A putter using a “push basic” stroke (Phil) is using Angle hinging but could
use Horizontal for distance or vertical with manipulation.
BUCKET HINGE ACTION
So horizontal hinging would be holding your left wrist vertical to the ground
while you move your arm back and forth like a door to your house or a
helicopter
vertical hinging would be holding your wrist vertical (90 degrees) to a
vertical plane . . . your arm would move like an attic door . . .
angled hinging would be holding your wrist vertical to the inclined plane . . .
like a paddle or one of them bomb shelter doors.
So the hinge pin . . .which is in your shoulder is mounted VERTICAL . . 90
degrees . . . to the plane of motion . . . but with vertical and horizontal
hinges you have to have ANOTHER HINGE to lay the motion ON THE
INCLINED PLANE . . that's why you have DUAL HORIZONTAL AND DUAL
VERTICAL . . . dual representing two hinges . . . one hinge perpendicular to
the associated plane (horizontal plane or vertical plane) and the other hinge
to lay the blade of the hinge (left arm) on the INCLINED PLANE . . . See the
pictures 10-10-C thru E . . . you'll see what I'm talking about . . . you DON'T
need the second hinge to lay it on the plane with angled so you don't have
"dual" angle . . .no need for the second hinge because the motion is already
on the inclined plane.
Hinging is actually with the WHOLE ARM . . that is the full blade of the hinge
. . .Homer just focused on the wrist because it could be verified in terms of
what it was vertical (90 degrees) to . . . (ground, wall, inclined plane) . . .
you'll note in the 10-10-C thru E pics the two theoretical hinges in the left
shoulder . . . one is like a door hinge the other is like a lose nut and bolt that
allows the blade of the hinge (left arm) to be laid on the plane.
but to answer your question . . . vertical is vertical to the ground with
horizontal . . but 90 degrees to a wall with vertical hinging and 90 degrees
to the golf plane (roof) with angled hinging . . .
Pressure Points in the Golf Swing
1) The heel of the bottom hand where it touches the top hand or grip
2) The last three fingers of the top hand
3) The first joint of the bottom hand index finger where it touches the
grip
4) Lead armpit (or where the lead arm touches the chest)
5) Trailing armpit*
* Stack and Tilt and MORAD people add this one. There's no corresponding
accumulator but it lets them talk about the trailing elbow separating (or not)
from the chest.
♦ The secret to golf is lag pressure, not lag angles. It's 1000 times easier to
try to monitor PP#3 than to maintain an angle.
♦ Keep track of #3 pressure point – ALWAYS
♦ Anti Hook Therapy = Extensor Action Through PP #1
♦ 9-1 ZONE #1 includes all the elements of Body movement and balance,
and defines the geometrical alignments and relationships of the Body
Components. These motions are to be completely uncompromised by
Arm and Club motions. Execution of a Preselected Pivot should be
identical with or without Arms and Club to avoid any awkward “hitch” in
the Turn when actually playing. The Pivot involves twisting the body and
shifting the weight during the Stroke so as to maintain balance, a
motionless head and any required tilt of the torso. All motion is in a
preselected sequence and spacing of whatever Components are being
employed. Emphatically, Hands are not educated until they control the
Pivot.
♦ HOMER KELLEY viewed the Stationary Head as a geometric ideal, not as a
mechanical absolute.
He recognized our humanity.
Hence, his advice: "Just keep it as still as you can."
FROM 7-19 (LAG LOADING) OF THE 3RD EDITION:
Using the Pivot (from the Feet) instead of Arm motion to set up Lag
Pressure and Rhythm reduces the risk of losing them by "running
out of Right Arm" and gives maximum Extension to the Lever
Assembly.
MACDONALD DRILLS
♦ Right-Left- Right-Left
♦ Right hip turns a little at startup before hands take over the pivot
♦ Left heel must come off ground
♦ Blake Alignment Golf DVD #1 Chapter “A Little Tripod Center”
♦ Body & Pivot = Balance and Support. That’s it. Diane pictures 122-124.
♦ Lack of rotation forces hang back.
THE DOWN-STROKE PIVOT
The Down-stroke Pivot is characterized by On Plane Right
Shoulder Turn (toward the Ball) as led by the Hip Turn (motion)
and Action (work). This Pivot puts the Right Elbow On Plane, and,
therefore, the Right Forearm (and #3 Presssure Point) also On Plane
(pointing at the Plane Line).
All this is prelude to Release. That is, the Left Arm overtaking of
the Right Shoulder Turn; the Left Wrist Uncocking; and the Left
Hand Roll. In other words . . .
The Pivot Delivers the Loaded Power Package (including its bent
Right Elbow) to Release. Then, the independent motion of the
Arms, indeed, the entire Power Package, continues that Delivery
from Release (via the straightening of the Right Elbow) to the end
of the Follow-through.
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