Simply Hitting The Damn Ball Is A Complex Undertaking – Part I [Video Link Included]

Unleashing our inner ball striker requires making counterintuitive physical changes that are in line with the complex reality of things.

Driving a car well without understanding how it works is completely possible, whereas hitting a golf ball well without understanding how the golf swing works is nearly impossible.

In my new video outlined herein I demonstrate: 

  1. a) the simple-to-do large motor skills by themselves [with no club and no arm movement], and then 
  2. b) the hand action that creates the body pivot, both back and forth..

Let’s address this core complex concept, that is, 

> the hands are the source of motion for the body (covered in detail in my earlier article “Let’s Rediscover The Cornerstone Classic Ball Striking”

The large motor movements are quite simple; 

> where it gets a bit complex is when we go through the details around how these large motor movements are simply reactions to the hands’ actions.

But understanding the details relating to exactly how the hands’ actions cause the large motor movements is the only way to make hitting the ball a simple matter:

> it isn’t complicated; it just requires real attention to detail.

> and of course, ‘understanding’ alone does not a golf swing make,

> but ‘understanding’ is a prerequisite to making things work in the dynamic physical realm.

> only deep ‘understanding’ can replace ‘thinking’!

> and only deep understanding leads to being able to make timely adjustments during a round of golf.

Adding to the challenge of acquiring true understanding of this concept of the hands being the source of motion for the body are:

  1. a) the counterintuitiveness of this concept, and (related)
  2. b) the constant drum beat of mainstream golf instruction insisting the “obviously intuitive” requirement to twist the body open early in transition in an effort to pull the hands toward the ball…

> …so as to lead to the arms catapulting the club toward the ball.

> Ugh!  I cover how this one so-called “fundamental” has ruined, and continues to ruin, the chances John Q. Golfer has to ever hit the ball consistently well in my earlier articles:

I’m compelled here to remind folks to be careful about doctrine relating to building a dependable golf swing that seems so simple and so easy to believe, so “intuitively obvious”;

  • “Reverse every natural instinct and do the [exact] opposite of what you are inclined to do, and you will probably arrive at a near perfect golf swing.”  – Ben Hogan

Put another way, if hitting a golf ball was such a simple endeavor then everyone who picks up a golf club would shoot par within a year or so, or even within a month!

> Don’t be fooled – instead heed Hogan’s insights.

Using the car-to-golf swing analogy in another way, 

> though a car is a complex thing with lots of highly engineered moving parts that must all work together in a coordinated manner with impeccable timing and precision,

> it is really quite simple to operate a car well.

But consider this, if a car isn’t brilliantly engineered with all of the details sweated, then it would be a very difficult task to operate such a car with any kind of dependable performance.

It is the same with the golf swing;

> a brilliantly engineered golf swing with connected and inherently coordinated movement to dependably deliver a “square” clubface at impact with great precision…

> …is required to play golf by simply hitting the damn ball.

It follows that a golf swing full of poorly premised and inherently disconnected movements is very difficult to operate and requires a lot of complicated compensating movements in order to even have a chance of hitting a good shot. 

Again, there are some human beings who do, or feel like they do, use the body to create the hands’ movements with very good results;

> in the hyperlinked articles above I cover how these well-meaning players, and in many cases teachers, have fallen for the illusion Hogan warns of in his aforementioned quote;

> such folks are in good company, creating a consensus and the comfort that comes with 99% of everyone else being in agreement with them.

  • This is the same consensus based phenomenon that leads to 99% of folks who ever try playing the stock market losing;
  • and losing big to the 1% who have figured out what it means to heed and implement the sentiment in Hogan’s quote about “…doing the [exact] opposite of what the 99% are inclined to do…”.

I assure you the most dependable path to becoming a dependable ball striker is the path less travelled; 

> that is, mastering the simple [though counterintuitive and numerous] details around a golf swing based on the concept of the hands being the source of motion for the body.

 

Click HERE for video

 

The most important page from the most important

golf instruction book ever, “Ben Hogan’s Five Lessons”..

After decades of struggling, at 57 years old I started training under Peter Croker, PGA-Australia to do the opposite of what I had been trying to do; I assure you that

> sweating the details to employ the concept of the hands governing the hips is by far the more navigable, enjoyable and surefire path to develop a powerful, repeating and dependable way to just simply hit the damn ball. 

 

To this end, in Part II of this article and in my newest video, I will cover the forces on the hands from the free momentum of the club head, and

> how the hands react to those forces, and

> how the arms react to the hands, and

> how the body reacts to the arms.

We’ll cover how the hands are simply the source of all motion in the golf swing in my new video along with related complex topics like,

> lag tension and torsional tension on the shaft, and [related]

> limiting “hand travel” at 3 key transition points in the context of the Croker Golf System.

 

I’ll see you on the road less travelled – it is the only road that we can count on leading us to becoming reflexive and dependable ball strikers.

 

Yours in better ball striking through maximum ball compression,

Ted Williams, Certified Instructor – Croker Golf System

 

Feel free to write me with any comments or questions; TWilliams@MyGolfingStore.com