Clubface control...a primer

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In a couple of threads, clubface control has been discussed. Ideally, clubface control should happen naturally, however, there's a lot of comments that leads one to believe it is a conscious action.

I'd love for this thread to be a primer as to how to develop clubface control, since for me, it seems to be a missing ingredient to the next level of success.
 

Brian Manzella

Administrator
Clubface Control - Not A Primer, a Hard-Arse Program

1. Hit 5 shots with a 5-iron—doing you normal stuff—you are relatively happy with.

2. Weaken your grip as much as you can and try to hit 3 straight balls.

3. Strengthen your grip as much as you can and try to hit 3 straight balls.

4. Weaken your grip BETWEEN "as weak as you can" and normal, try to hit 3 straight balls.

5. With a grip BETWEEN "as strong as you can" and normal, try to hit 3 fades.

6. With a grip BETWEEN "as weak as you can" and normal, try to hit 3 fades.

7. Hit 3 draws with your normal grip

8. With a grip BETWEEN "as strong as you can" and normal, try to hit 3 draws.

9. With a grip BETWEEN "as weak as you can" and normal, try to hit 3 draw.

10. Hit three fades with your normal grip

Report back and tell me what you learned.:cool:
 
I'm going to do all asked but....

I'm trying to understand how to control the clubface. All this is going to do is show me I dont have a clue...right? Guess what? I already know I don't comprehend it...so what am I missing in this lesson of humilation? I don't need a test to know I don't understand it. I wouldn't have asked for help other wise.
 

Brian Manzella

Administrator
Now some would say...

Some folks might say "just practice all three hinge actions on an inclined plane."

I agree—but not first.

I want to know what you learn from the little drill I gave you as homework.

I did it to SEE WHAT would happen, so I could do my best to help you long-distance.
 
Cool....

Some folks might say "just practice all three hinge actions on an inclined plane."

I agree—but not first.

I want to know what you learn from the little drill I gave you as homework.

I did it to SEE WHAT would happen, so I could do my best to help you long-distance.

Bad day on the course yesterday...was a bit frustrated. Will try and report back.
 
Quick question....

I assume you want me to experiment with each item until I can do it???? For example, #2.....keep trying until you hit 3 straight balls is the message here, correct?
 
When I started out on this exercise, I was getting unexpected results. I thought a weak grip would promote slice or fade, strong grip a draw or hook.

With me, I get the reverse to happen. I get a hook or slight draw with the weaker grip (or straight) (v's pointing to nose (slightly weaker) to left ears (very weak). I get more fades to slices with stronger grip.

In all of the exercises that required a straight ball, I could produce it. But not at first. I can get a good ball flight and distance but my accuracy is terrible. I never know where the ball is going. Since I couldn't get any consistency out of my shots, I got the video camera out. I notices that I had waaay too much tension in the swing. Therefore, I was swinging the 5iron harder and harder to try and correct the problem.

Once I loosened up the swing, I noticed I could hit straight balls in all of the straightball exercises. I don't really know how I was doing it but, in all cases, I felt I was rolling the clubface more or less to compensate. Even the misses were decent, no matter how strong or weak the grip was. It seemed the grip I preferred the most was v's pointing directly at my nose.

Again, in all cases, the ball flight was good trajectory and distance.

1. Hit 5 shots with a 5-iron—doing you normal stuff—you are relatively happy with.

2. Weaken your grip as much as you can and try to hit 3 straight balls. did it...had to slow down swing but it seems I was rolling clubface faster to square it up.
I would get a straight, draw, or hook out of this grip.


3. Strengthen your grip as much as you can and try to hit 3 straight balls. Opposite of number 2 I got some really hard slices here but, after slowing the swing down, I got some straight ball and some slight fades

4. Weaken your grip BETWEEN "as weak as you can" and normal, try to hit 3 straight balls. really same as 2 with no hooks.

5. With a grip BETWEEN "as strong as you can" and normal, try to hit 3 fades. Same as 3 with no strong slices.

6. With a grip BETWEEN "as weak as you can" and normal, try to hit 3 fades. I could do this. It seems as I wasn't rolling the clubface much as I was holding on to it and leaving it more open through the ball.

7. Hit 3 draws with your normal grip
I can't do this and couldn't do it.

8. With a grip BETWEEN "as strong as you can" and normal, try to hit 3 draws. Couldn't do it.

9. With a grip BETWEEN "as weak as you can" and normal, try to hit 3 draw. I could do it but not at will. Seems like I had to focus on turing the clubface over through the ball (rolling the wrists)

10. Hit three fades with your normal grip
I could do that by focusing on keeping that club slightly open through the ball.

I think what I learned is I can manipulate the clubface through the ball in different ways based on the grip. The brain seems to figure out how to instantly tell the hands what to do to get the ball to go relatively straight. I can figure out the fade, but can't figure out the draw. None of this can I do with consistency.

Also, I am going to trying staying with the grips where the v's point to the nose for awhile. I liked that best of all grips.
 
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Brian Manzella

Administrator
Bill.

Thanks for the report. Here is the issue:

If you can't hit a draw at will with ANY GRIP, you need to learn to.

DO THIS (this is cumtomized for Bill, folks):
Start with the ball on a VERY low tee. 6-iron. Thry to hit a VERY HIGH sweeping draw.

Feel as though your chest is pointing to the right of the balll at impact. Feel like you are throwing it away, almost from the top. Finish high.

AFter the ball start SWEEPING HOOK-ing, hit some NORMAL shots and report back.
 
Will do! Thanks....

Bill.

Thanks for the report. Here is the issue:

If you can't hit a draw at will with ANY GRIP, you need to learn to.

DO THIS (this is cumtomized for Bill, folks):
Start with the ball on a VERY low tee. 6-iron. Thry to hit a VERY HIGH sweeping draw.

Feel as though your chest is pointing to the right of the balll at impact. Feel like you are throwing it away, almost from the top. Finish high.

AFter the ball start SWEEPING HOOK-ing, hit some NORMAL shots and report back.

Couple of questions... should I be able to hit a draw with only grip changes. Should I be changing setup or anything else? Since this is an exercise is clubface control, I assume I set up normal?

Also, can you define "sweeping"?

Finally, to what degree of right to left movement does a draw become a hook. In other words, a draw would be no more than ___ degrees left before it is called a hook?


Thanks again!
 
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