pulling the ball

[kerinsp_29]

Hello there,
I recently read Ben Hogans 5 fundamentals book and ever since I have been either hitting nice straight shots OR pulling with every club. Is this because of my grip or the fact that I am concentrating on starting the downswing with my hips turning left (something I never even thought of before). At the driving range sometimes I think I have it fixed by showing more knuckles on the left hand but then I end up pulling again.

any idea on what I am doing?
Paul

[Ian Hancock]

Re: pulling the ball

Hi Kerinsp,

What you are working on is correct, hips first.......however if you look into a mirror and take the club to the top facing or from behind, when you move the hip a few inches you will notice that the arms/hands drop slightly onto the impact plane but you must pull the arms down with the hip turn.

I suspect that when you think about the hips to much you forget the arm and leave them behind causing you to get the club stuck behind.....the hands race to catch up and flip over causing the hook....just like Jose Maria Olazabal a few years ago.

Try to work on this.....Whenever you teach your body a new swing you go through the swing in slow motion as if you are teaching a child a game....you must then let go, let your body swing the club and you decide what you did after the shot not during.

Hope this helps.


Ian.

[kerinsp_29]

Re: pulling the ball

Thanks Ian,
I will try that although its not a hook I am hitting, its a straight shot to the left. Do you think moving the right foot back so toes line up with left heel and follow this line on the back swing would also help?

Paul

[Ian Hancock]

Re: pulling the ball

Sorry Paul,

You said pulling, you mean pushing......this is exactlly the same only the arms are not catching the hips and flipping over they are instead getting stuck(left behind) on the inside comming down thus pushing straight left.....


I suspect you hit both hooks and pushes on bad shots.



Ian.

[kerinsp_29]

Re: pulling the ball

sorry Ian I thought a right handed player hitting it straight out to the left was called pulling the ball. I'll see if I can speed up my arms on the downswing the next time

[Ian Hancock]

Re: pulling the ball

Sorry paul,
this is what happens when you try to combine work with golf on your works PC.

Your getting a straight pull to the Left........ then your hips cannot be going first unless its hooking....when your hips go first which is correct then you must drop the club into the impact plane.

A pull is caused by the path of the clubhead through the contact area is in line toward the left of the target and the clubhead is perpendicular to this line, the swing path must be from the outside the target line hence the hips are not going first.

I suggest you look at your arms in a mirror to check that they are dropping when the hips move as I said before......I think they are going at the same time and over the top on a out to in swingpath.

Sorry for the confusion.


ian.

[gord962]

Re: pulling the ball

just to add, Ian is right - the club is coming from the outside with the clubface lined up to the swing path, not the target line, which means you have a closed face at impact.

This does not necessarily have anything to do with the hips not starting the swing. From what I read above, the only thing you need to work on is coming from the inside. Make sure you are high enough on your backswing so you can drop down into the slot to create an inside-square-inside or an inside-out swing path.

[Mr_Change]

Re: pulling the ball

I agree with ian, I used to get pulls to the left and it's because being right handed I was using my shoulders to start the downswing.

When I started using my hips to start the swing my hands were left behind, and the club was coming to far from the inside and I would hit a push to the right.

Today, I start my downswing using my left arm to whip the club down while using my whole left side to pulls my hips through. I leave my shoulders coiled against my hips and then releash with my whole right side just before impact the drive the club through the ball.

I don't know if this is correct but it's what I feel happens, my left side creates the club speed (torgue), While my right side creates the impact power (horse power).

[LowPost42]

Re: pulling the ball

Just a quick note - Hogan fought a slice his entire career. Please keep this in mind while you read the fundamentals.