Book: Swing Like a Pro by Mann & Griffin/ Transition??

[tinny_mccann]

hi<
had this book for a while, was wondering what anyones thoughts on it were?? In particular i was wondering what anyone thought of the authors take on the transition - from back to downswing.
i had a real problem with starting my downswing before finishing my backswing, as they reccomend for the transition. tried it for a while but it caused mayhem. ive had a look ata few players swings in slo mo and i dont think they do this even though the authors claim that they do ie tiger.
It is a pretty good book for correct positions etc - and some nice drills in it. But was wondering if anyone else had similar experiences.

cheers

[rharris06]

Re: Book: Swing Like a Pro by Mann &amp; Griffin/ Transition??

You cant feel starting the downswing before you finish the backswing! It will make you hit it everywhere!

if you get everything else correct in your swing, that will come automatiaclly!

[Timothy Slaught]

Re: Book: Swing Like a Pro by Mann &amp; Griffin/ Transition??

Hey Tinny:

This is one of my favorite instructional books and the transition section is my mantra.

Think about throwing a ball. Instinctively you will make a free flowing motion utilizing all the keys described in the transition method. The whole idea is using your feet, legs and hips to initialize the downswing. If you tried to throw a ball with distance, you would never consider doing it without the support and motion of your legs. Would you use the legs last in this motion? No Way!! The legs initiate the power of the throw as well as the golf swing. Don't get caught up in thinking about the timing of the legs versus the body and arms. Just concentrate on using the feet, legs and hips to initialize the downswing. You should feel some resistance in your abs as your hips are ahead of your torso and shoulders creating a powerfull differential. This muscle action in the torso created by the proper transition is one of four levers (shoulders, arms and wrists are the others) that allow you to hit a ball 300 yards. They must be timed correctly for sure but it is not a point to ponder. Let your ball flight be the measure of your timing. Just get the sequence correct and the rest should follow.

[tinny_mccann]

Re: Book: Swing Like a Pro by Mann &amp; Griffin/ Transition??

Hey Tinny:

This is one of my favorite instructional books and the transition section is my mantra.

Think about throwing a ball. Instinctively you will make a free flowing motion utilizing all the keys described in the transition method. The whole idea is using your feet, legs and hips to initialize the downswing. If you tried to throw a ball with distance, you would never consider doing it without the support and motion of your legs. Would you use the legs last in this motion? No Way!! The legs initiate the power of the throw as well as the golf swing. Don't get caught up in thinking about the timing of the legs versus the body and arms. Just concentrate on using the feet, legs and hips to initialize the downswing. You should feel some resistance in your abs as your hips are ahead of your torso and shoulders creating a powerfull differential. This muscle action in the torso created by the proper transition is one of four levers (shoulders, arms and wrists are the others) that allow you to hit a ball 300 yards. They must be timed correctly for sure but it is not a point to ponder. Let your ball flight be the measure of your timing. Just get the sequence correct and the rest should follow.

Hey timothy,

Thanks for response - but do you actually commence the movement of your hips etc, just as the shaft is perpendicular to the ground and continues back to the top, as they stipulate???? ia m not convinced that the pros actually do this as have watched them in slo mo. if they do it is very subtle.

T

[Timothy Slaught]

Re: Book: Swing Like a Pro by Mann &amp; Griffin/ Transition??

Hey Tinny:

I try to keep the swing in as fluid a motion as possible. I do not consciously think about when my hips stop, shoulders start...arms drop...etc...

I just looked through several slow motion driver swing videos of various pros and I can actually detect the shifting of the legs prior to the club reaching parallel on every one. This being said it is a very subtle motion which is what makes it so confounding for many amateurs. In fact, for a few of the pro videos I had to rewind because it is a very small move that I did not see on first view. If it is hard to see in slow motion, this indicates just how subtle the move is.

On my swing, I have just a small shift on the short irons and the shift becomes more pronounced with the longer clubs. You do not want over active legs especially with the irons because the strike has to be so precise. Even so, you must have some slight shift to get the motion of the downswing balanced and pivoting forward to the left side for righties.

On the driver where the ball is pegged, I really have an agressive shift with my hips. It is ok to be more agressive with the driver because you are trying to hit with power and the hips leading the shoulders creates the powerfull late hit. Also with the ball being pegged and the size of the face on the newer drivers the margin for error is pretty wide. You should take an aggressive rip with this club. I feel as if I am firing my hip to the right of the target line. This is because as the top of the backswing, my hips have been turned 45 degrees to to the target line. If I tried to return my left hip directly to it's address position, I would in fact spin out and come over the top or bottom depending on my arm speed. By shifting my left hip directly on the line at the top (45 degrees right of target line) it creates a shift then turn motion. This will feel wierd at first and you will swear that you will block the ball right with this motion. If you have the correct release of body and wrists, you will find that you will strike the ball very solidly on the inside with this move and this can produce a nice draw.

Again the timing is subjective with too many factors to try and quantify. Your flexibility, club head speed, angle of release etc... all play into the timing. Just make sure that you do shift your weight forward with your feet, legs hips before starting the downswing with your arms and shoulders. Experimentation is key but this fundemental should be mastered.

Good luck,
Tim S.