Simply Hitting The Damn Ball Is A Complex Undertaking – Part II [Video Link Included]
Unleashing our inner ball striker requires making counterintuitive physical changes that are in line with the complex reality of things.
“Golf is a game of good misses.” – Ben Hogan
As Hogan stated, we can only expect to hit a couple or few perfect shots per round;
> the vast majority of our shots are ‘misses’ on some level.
Back to the car-to-ball-striking analogy from Part I, but from a new angle, you must understand the cause-and-effect relationships in the golf swing;
> and how those relationships within the swing mechanics relate to what the ball does!
During a round of golf we can’t hire a mechanic like we would to fix a misbehaving car;
> we must make adjustments and tweaks from one shot to the next based upon the type of ‘miss’ we experienced on prior shots.
So we must be our own best coach, in an analogous sense we must be our best “car mechanic” which requires a deep understanding of:
- swing mechanics, and
- the feelings associated with those swing mechanics so we can incorporate the ‘corrective feelings’ in our pre-shot routine.
It is important to trust that the ‘corrective feelings’ we work into our pre-shot routines will be expressed in our actual shot;
> we can’t think our way through our golf swing during the 1 split second that a golf swing consumes,
> instead we must simply hit the damn ball.
So, let’s stay on the road less travelled here to more deeply understand the various feelings we must let express themselves in the golf swing in order to get the ball to do what we want it to do.
In Part I we talked about how important it is to understand the details.
> sustained lag tension on the shaft,
> and shaft torsion tension created by the clubhead’s natural toe-versus-heel tumbling action.
It’s admittedly a bit complex to design a connected, inherently coordinated golf swing, but this is the only surefire path to a reflex based approach to being able to simply hit the damn ball.
Now let’s cover the how, what and why of limiting “hand travel” at the 3 key transition points in the context of the Croker Golf system;
> to truly become reflexive, dependable, powerful and precise ball strikers, we must understand and learn how to feel the smooth transitional change in direction of left hand-versus-right hand push-versus-resistance at key points, namely:
- The transition from motionless club head at address to the club head moving with its own momentum at the very start of the golf swing;
- with the integrally important forward-press that when done impeccably well can transform us into dependable and solid ball strikers.
- The transition from back-SLING to downswing.
- The transition from impact zone into the follow through and finish.
In my newest video we’ll see how the hands are very reflexively active while not moving through space as they smoothly reverse their direction of pushing-versus-resisting in points 1. and 2. above.
> This dichotomous stationary-yet-active change-in-direction of the hands in terms of switching from which hand is pushing and which hand is resisting
- gets the body moving and pivotingEARLY, BEFORE the hands-and-arms start swinging [applicable to both the backSLING and downswing].
This is the only timing-free [therefore dependable] way to get the body to pivot EARLY,
> BEFORE the hands-and-arms start swinging.
This ‘pushing’ orientation replaces trying to time the early TWISTING open of the hips in an effort to drag and pull the trailing arms-hands-club – very TRICKY business indeed!
> But because the ‘pulling’ doctrine is so simple to understand and seems so logical, and everyone you know accepts ‘pulling’ as “settled science”,
- ‘pulling’ is the path-of-least-resistance, and we assume it is unquestionably correct.
Regarding point 3. above having to do with the impact zone, we’ll see how absolutely critical it is that the
> right-trail hand pushing against the resisting left-lead hand to push the handle forward to counter the shaft’s flex at this point to throw the clubhead upward and out in front of the hands.
It is highly counterintuitive that the left-lead hand must be pushing back at impact against the right-trail hand at impact,
> but if we don’t actively sustain the right hand pushing against a resisting left hand at impact we will never really come close to maximum ball compression [maximum Smash Factor].
> This is because, as I’ll clearly show in my newest video, the shaft into and through impact is working to push the handle backward by throwing the clubhead upward and outward toward the target;
- if this force isn’t actively and sustainably countered by the hands pushing downward on the handle, then we will be destined to hit thin shots,
- and making adjustments to avoid hitting thin shots that will only lead to a lot of fat shots.
- This is how so many golfers get into the vicious cycle of alternating between thin shots and fat shots.
Highly counterintuitive stuff in terms of what the hands are doing into and through impact,
> but when you understand the shaft’s forces that must be countered at impact,
- then you can begin to accept that we must push back with the left hand [versus the powerful built-in inclination to have the left arm pull the club head forward toward the target].
This is a powerful example of how only through deep understanding can you clear your path of widely accepted, and therefore “logical”, ideas that are getting in your way of making the physical changes required to become a dependable ball striker.
> In short, we’ll only be able to make the counterintuitive physical changes that are in line with the complex reality of things through considered study and coming to new understandings.
It’s been said that the path to hell is a wide one – and the path to heaven is a narrow one.
Which path is the narrowest and least travelled in golf in terms of golfer competency?
> By far the path to golf competency is the narrowest of paths;
- we would do well to keep this in mind when choosing our path to unleashing the athletic ball striker we know is inside of us.
She [golf as a pronoun] requires her “subjects” to deeply understand and know her.
Nearly everyone senses on some level that she requires great courting and attention to detail; and many more people would shower her with it if they only knew exactly what she wanted.
She will reward those who take a dedicated journey to getting to know her intimately well; she will reward her subjects with the ability to
> enjoy golf by simply hitting the damn ball.
Click HERE for video – it’s the same video as in Part I but watching it again now that you have more insight would be beneficial.
I’ll see you on the road less travelled – it is the only road that we can count on to lead 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
