Why is it so hard to stay down on a shot?

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Any way you could do a little youtube clip on this topic, Brian? i think the visuals you give would go a long way in clearing up and describing what you're talking about.
 
I am a rookie here but I have to try to add my two cents.

I see alot of people focusing so hard on keeping the head down through the swing. I like to get them to try to move the head a little ( spin it ) a touch.

When the left shoulder hits a stiff chin the whole upperbody picks up a bit

Then your are out of plane?!?

would love to hear some reply
 

JeffM

New member
Brian - You wrote-: "The cure is directing the force of your right shoulder and the pivot, as well as the clubhead, and the rest of the power package (hands and arms)... DOWN PLANE!"
----------------

This advice can be added to a long list of "good" ideas that I have learnt from you on this forum. :)

Jeff.
 

Brian Manzella

Administrator
I see alot of people focusing so hard on keeping the head down through the swing. I like to get them to try to move the head a little ( spin it ) a touch.

Because they are hitting UP on it!!

When the left shoulder hits a stiff chin the whole upperbody picks up a bit

Only if you are trying to do some silly head still in the middle of your feet crud.

Oh, welcome S'Easy. No rookies here, just golfers.
 
I want to vomit every time I hear someone (90% Ams and 10% Pro's) that tell some poor striker to keep their head down, or that they "lifted up on that one..."

I've been at this teaching game (20 years) a while too and have great respect for BM, et al, He's absolutely right on the mark and he doesn't need me to tell him he's right.

Trying to teach folks about down plane force is like telling a crack addict not to do crack. It makes great sense to the addict that there is a "better way," and that it's better for them not to do crack, but the "crack addict" has a hard time doing what's best for them. They look you in the eye, nod, say they understand, they got it... and those uneducated hands heat up that darn pipe again....

I know; there are some GREAT teachers out there that can fix folks of their lifting ways. I just find it bloody darn hard.

1. Most folks don't really put any effort or time into fixing it. They can pay me good money, see themselves on DVD, do plenty of successful drills, you name it.
2. If they start getting things going down plane, some/most hit in on the hosel. (I get a lot of this...yeah, their lagging the hosel...) Then they want to flip it again.
3, 4, 5, 6, 7, 8 and 9. 99% of moronic golfers feel that their head has something to do with their poor shots and their awful playing friends have nothing better to say than, "you lifted up on that one....." or, I love this.....
"you dipped." Constant reinforcement of the idiocy.

I can hardly type that without dry heaving.

If I had a time machine, I would go back in time and have a beer or five with the Scotsman that taught golf in the US in 1884 somewhere on the East Coast. Things would be different....

I would start off with, "Listen here laddy, yer heed dunny mean shite, ye need ta get yer students ta get the club landing left o ye ball with a squaring face......" Followed by, "Bartender, two more pints over here."
 
Good Answers

I think Hogan said the hardest thing for the average golfer to do is stay bent over for 4 seconds. I struggle with this a lot, as do the other 3 in our hacking foursome.

What gives?


"Dr." Klutes,
Already a lot of good answers here. Just for clarification- I'm assuming that you are saying - A) "I hit the ball thin or top it", and B) "The reason I do this is that I don't stay bent over for 4 seconds".

For a non-golfer, your post just reads that you should stay bent over but when you look at the video - you don't and you want to for aesthetics or maybe better golf shots.

You'll notice that you received some posts - that read your post in the context of paragraph 1 above and some that read your post in the context of paragraph 2 above.

The reason why it is so difficult for you not to hit thin shots and/or topped shots is that you think it's a result of not staying down or not keeping your eye on the ball! Basically, the patient is dying and you're giving him the wrong medication! Good news for you- Dr. Manzella's in the house and there is proper medication available.
 
Gregg McHatton:

- Hit it fat or perfect (ie, never thin)
- Move something (shoulder, aiming point) forward if fat
- Have grass stains on your trail shoulder
- Neck surgery drill/feel (oops, almost Alex Morrison point the chin feel)...
- Now for plane line and lag... well, we don´t know the meaning of life or the nature of consciousness...one bit at a time
 

Leek

New
Martin, I know what you mean. My golfing buddies mean well, but they tell each other the worst things.

"You looked up!"
I usually respond, "He looked up so his neck wouldn't break."
"You dipped!"
"Dipped? You mean he moved downplane towards the ball?"

"You slid your hips forward!" This is usually in reference to axis tilt.

Most of their "advice" is way off the mark, and these guys are pretty good players. About the only accurate advice they give is for alignment.

I try to tell them, "No discussing the golf swing in this round." NEVER works.
 
Strange,

Doesn't "anxiety of outcome" come into this somewhere?...

My own experience of this is that once i tell myself I am not interested in the outcome of the shot, my head/eyes don't pick up the ball until it is nearly half way to its target.....
Whereas, when I pick the ball up early, the shots are not so good at all..
Maybe that is where the blind golfer has an advantage, he can never follow the ball with his eyes.......
 
I want to vomit every time I hear someone (90% Ams and 10% Pro's) that tell some poor striker to keep their head down, or that they "lifted up on that one..."

I've been at this teaching game (20 years) a while too and have great respect for BM, et al, He's absolutely right on the mark and he doesn't need me to tell him he's right.

Trying to teach folks about down plane force is like telling a crack addict not to do crack. It makes great sense to the addict that there is a "better way," and that it's better for them not to do crack, but the "crack addict" has a hard time doing what's best for them. They look you in the eye, nod, say they understand, they got it... and those uneducated hands heat up that darn pipe again....

I know; there are some GREAT teachers out there that can fix folks of their lifting ways. I just find it bloody darn hard.

1. Most folks don't really put any effort or time into fixing it. They can pay me good money, see themselves on DVD, do plenty of successful drills, you name it.
2. If they start getting things going down plane, some/most hit in on the hosel. (I get a lot of this...yeah, their lagging the hosel...) Then they want to flip it again.
3, 4, 5, 6, 7, 8 and 9. 99% of moronic golfers feel that their head has something to do with their poor shots and their awful playing friends have nothing better to say than, "you lifted up on that one....." or, I love this.....
"you dipped." Constant reinforcement of the idiocy.

I can hardly type that without dry heaving.

If I had a time machine, I would go back in time and have a beer or five with the Scotsman that taught golf in the US in 1884 somewhere on the East Coast. Things would be different....

I would start off with, "Listen here laddy, yer heed dunny mean shite, ye need ta get yer students ta get the club landing left o ye ball with a squaring face......" Followed by, "Bartender, two more pints over here."

Haha that's funny.
 

Brian Manzella

Administrator
Well....sure!

Doesn't "anxiety of outcome" come into this somewhere?...

Have you seen "Flipper"?

I talk about that at the very end of the video—trying to "make a shot," instead of "making a motion."

"You've got to get a notion, to make a motion, to get rid of the lotion." —Ben Doyle
 
Hmm motion and lotion. Sounds dirty.

Couldn't find what you said in flipper Brian, is it better to focus on the motion or picturing the shot while we let our bodies do the motion "automatically"?
 
Head not staying level

Probably something to do with an improper pivot. That's just my guess though.

I remember Jim starting a thread once about balance in the golf swing. People had various responses, and then Brian chimed in, stating that (pardon my paraphrasing) balance is OVERRATED and that a proper pivot creates balance, and not the other way around. I recall this because I believe that in your case it's a matter of pivoting properly will help you "stay down on it," and that trying to stay down on it will not necessarily help you pivot properly.

I'd suggest you study the Perfect Pivot articles and the way good players (particularily good ballstrikers) pivot.

I'd love to hear what Brian and Jim have to say about what specifically helps one "stay down" on the shot.

I think I'm coming up because my head is dropping down about 4" as I get 3/4 of the way back. I'm uncertain as to how to correct this. I sure could use some help.
 

Leek

New
I think I'm coming up because my head is dropping down about 4" as I get 3/4 of the way back. I'm uncertain as to how to correct this. I sure could use some help.


I used to do that, I think I stopped. I never actually worked to change that. I just worked on pivot and what Brian has asked me to do.

I'd guess the answer is to work on what you SHOULD do, instead of what you shouldn't.
 
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