Golf Tips And Instructions

6 Responses to “Should there be a lateral shift?”

1. Benjamin G says:

   February 17, 2010 at 12:01 am

   Consistency is in how you feel about something. If you have a repeatable swing, it doesn’t matter what it is.

   Niklaus, for example, had a very consistently slight fade and that worked for him. A fade is different than a slice, by the way, in that a fade is controlled and a slice is not. A fade will have slight curvature at the outset and then go straight. A slice will start straight and end up way off to the right (or left for lefties).

   Anyway, Hogan is considered the greatest ball striker of all time for a reason: he was very consistent. He didn’t have the greatest touch or the best putting or what have you (although he was no slouch) but he was great because shots did what he wanted them to and he was incredibly consistent (in his own words, he hit maybe 3 – 5 shots a round that didn’t do what he wanted them to).

   Hogan’s swing, in that light, is a model for consistency. You have positions at every step of the swing you know what you should be feeling, where you should be, where your weight should be braced. You know to feel your big toe pushing off through the downswing; you know to feel coiled and uncoiling through the hips, et cetera. If you study it, and emulate it and you make sure that you have the parts solid, his swing will work well for anyone.

   Having said that, and noting that the more lateral shift you have, the better your timing and hand-eye has to be, you can make a consistent swing with anything.

   For myself, I toss my arms to a full extension on the backswing, feel the club start to fall, plant my weight, and rotate my hips through the ball. I like to "feel" the momentum and club whip toward my target. I don’t even see the ball on my swing.

   This isn’t normal, but there are enough good fundamentals mixed in with my idiosyncrasies that this works very well for me. The bottom line is to find something with which you are comfortable. It’s better to drive it 220 down the middle every time than it is to spray a 300+ all over. It’s better to have a fade on your irons into the green and know that you hit a 7-iron 125 every time, than it is to whip your hands through the ball and hit a high shot 130 or a flat shot 175 with the same club.

   Consistency is derived from study and practice. Hogan has fewer moving parts and is considered the model of a perfect swing. Niklaus is a model of beautiful adaptation and working with what you have.
2. Dylan says:

   February 17, 2010 at 12:01 am

   For my swing, I have noticed that the Hogan style works best for me. If I keep my spine angle constant through my swing plane, I have better contact. I am 6′1", and also a high handicapper. Typically, I make sure I keep this posture for my driver, as I find I coil and uncoil supremely well for added distance (I hit driver about 310 on average.) Irons, on the other hand, have been giving me fits lately, so I withhold comment there. Hope this helps.
3. c g +1 says:

   February 17, 2010 at 12:01 am

   I think body style is the largest factor in determining which swing plane type works best. I think it would be very rare for someone your height to be a 1 plane swinger. I’m 6′1 and a 2 planer, mostly because I have relatively short legs and long arms and torso, which makes a Hogan like swing very difficult
4. googie says:

   February 17, 2010 at 12:01 am

   There are so many high handicappers on the internet who drive the ball 310 yards consistently that make Bo Weekly,Tiger Woods and Ernie Els look like a bunch of pikers. It is amazing that figures don’t lie but liars do figure. As for moving laterally or around an axis the individual had to determine which method is best for him. In the 75 years of playing I have found it much easier to weight shift around a set spine angle than making the lateral move.I preferred Sam Snead’s swing and have used his basic moves throughout my years of golfing.
5. caddyshack says:

   February 17, 2010 at 12:01 am

   There are really more than just 2 views on the golf swing. If you take PGATour players you will see a multitude of differences in how they swing…

   Jack Nicklaus has a very upright swing with a flying right elbow, and reverse C in his followthrough…

   Phil Mickelson takes the club way past parallel and ends up shallow coming in, he has to correct that coming down…

   John Daly brings the club back way inside, and goes well past parallel, and somehow gets the club back on plane as he comes into the ball…

   Ben Hogan had, by today’s standards, an extremely flat swing plane, making the time at which the clubface is actually square very small, requiring amazing timing…

   Sergio Garcia distinctively drops his club about 2 inches lower at the top of his backswing, completely changing his angle of attack from what his backswing would indicate…

   Jim Furyk, well he definetely has his own swing. He brings the club way outside on the way back, but finds the right spot coming into the ball…

   Davis Love III brings the club across the line at the top, and also has virtually zero weight transfer to his left side on his downswing…

   Bubba Watson actually comes off the ground on his downswing because of his hips uncoiling so much on the way down…

   These players and all players on the PGATour have variances in their swings, not just in their hip rotation/shifting. There is one thing that they all do exceptionally well though, they do what they do consistently every time. That is what really matters.

   Now to get a bit more technical, you can find certain pieces which are uniform among all these pros, pieces without which consistent ball striking would be impossible. The exact amount of hip turn vs. shift is not one of them though.

   I would recommend using what works best for your. Your body is probably already leaning towards methods and idiosyncracies which work for you. Lessons from a local PGA certified instructor will go a very long way in helping you find your path as well.

   Hope this helps, and good luck!
6. Andy C says:

   February 17, 2010 at 12:01 am

   I think body style is the largest factor in determining which swing plane type works best. I think it would be very rare for someone your height to be a 1 plane swinger. I’m 6′1 and a 2 planer, mostly because I have relatively short legs and long arms and torso, which makes a Hogan like swing very difficult