GURUS TRANSLATED IN TGM

[lagster]

I think it would be good to know what some of the top guru's teaching would translate to in TGM terms.

Ballard-- The #4 pressure point is activated, but the emphasis seems to be on firing the #1 accumulator. So, I'm not sure if he's teaching HITTING or SWINGING. Sweep Release... seems to be the usual result, like Curtis Strange.

Haney-- Not sure. Looks like prefers Double Wrist Action.

Leadbetter-- Pivot- Standard... Hinge Action- Dual Horizontal...
Left Wrist Action- double... Power Package Loading- Sweep or Random Sweep... Power Package Release- Random Sweep... Plane Angle Variation- Seems to prefer The Reverse Shift

Mclean-- Seems to be a fairly standard SWINGING procedure.

O'Grady-- Maybe someone will try this one!

Others-- Flick, David Lee, Hardy, Butch Harmon, Don Trahan, etc.

I did not include AI's, because most of them can customize, but do have their own preferences... Ben Doyle, Ron Gring, Brian Manzella, etc.

Maybe some of you have other insights concerning some of these guys that might be helpful.
If a golfer has seen several of these instructors, he might be mixing some incompatible components.

 

[MizunoJoe]

David Lee teaches a "pivot controlled hands" swing, in which after the backswing "heave", the arms go limp, and the pivot together with his "counterfall" whip the arms/club into the ball. The "heave" is activated by the back muscles. This gives an automatic snap release, dual horizontal hinge, swinging motion, but is a vague procedure with dead arms and hands. This is the "anti-christ" swing to hand controlled pivot advocates. There must be NO arm/hand effort on the downswing, with only gravity and pivot moving the arms/hands/club. To achieve this, according to Lee, you must learn to locate the ball without using the hands, claiming that once the brain has located the ball with the hands, hand effort is unavoidable.

 

[lagster]

MizunoJoe,

Have you tried the David Lee method(Gravity)?
I've seen his tapes. The Physics explanation seems to make sense.
The Physics appears to control the Geometry.

The drills, however, are quite unusual. I don't think many people would stick with them very long.

Do you know of any players that have trained his way, and gone on to be tour level players? It seems like his approach might help players that are very tense, and rigid, to get some of that out of their swing.

I think he got the idea from watching Jack Nicklaus practice.
He also says Miller Barber, is one of the best examples of a Gravity Swing.

 

[MizunoJoe]

lag,

I bought the book several years ago. The trick is to train the arm effort out of the motion. He provides a "shortcut" with the weird one-legged drills. These drills presume you don't have any knee or leg problems. I could (at times) execute this idea without the drills. Essentially, you lose your balance intentionally, and let the act of catching your balance, cause you to hit the ball with the aid of gravity and NO upper body effort. No pressure point thrown at an aiming point. It is very vague and takes great faith that the clubhead will find the ball. I can't imagine someone doing this in a tour event with thousands watching.

However, Lee had such faith that he had a program in which he would take an accomplished athlete, who had maxed out in his/her sport, and turn them into a tour player. I believe that Mia Hamm was such an athlete, and after a year or so, she couldn't break 80. That was several years ago, and I haven't heard much since. Of course, we know from TGM that this is a "pivot controlled hands" technique, and unlikely to give results to match a "hands controlled pivot" method.

On his website, gravitygolf.com, he claims to be able to make you a scratch golfer in as little as 12 mos. Lee HAS changed his tune since I bought his book. He DID claim that Jack Nicklaus used his pure gravity method, and that Nicklaus didn't realize it. He NOW says that Nicklaus uses a gravity AIDED swing that isn't EXACTLY what he teaches. I'd bet that Nicklaus had a little talk with David.

Lee says it's simple and instinctive. Look at the photo of the player on his homepage, and tell me that he isn't making an arm effort.

 

[lagster]

I think that Miller Barber is actually the closest thing to what he teaches. He says that everyone will have their own unique track, or path, and look, depending on their own unique physical characteristics. Believe it or not, Miller Barber was a very pure ball striker.

I have seen David hit balls. He actually strikes it very well. His swing, however, is the most vertical that I have ever seen in a good player.

He did actually work with Trevino, and he gave him credit for helping him.

I think there are probably various versions,or variations of this type of swing.
Most of them get the backswing plane on a very steep angle ( Squared Shoulder, or above).

Furyk is one way. Couples is another. Davis Love another.
Johnny Miller another. Lee calls it a "Gravity assisted rotary whipsling."

Pivot controlled hands is in the book. But, I agree, that probably very few people can have enough faith to trust in the pure form of this technique under pressure.

MizunoJoe,

Do you think Nicklaus has a variation of this type of swing?
I do hear the term "counterfall" working it's way into the golf terminology of some teachers.

 

[MizunoJoe]

Lee claims that Nicklaus does this. But I've seen that most every instructor, who teaches a ONE WAY golf swing, feels compelled to say that Nicklaus or Hogan does it his way.

Lee's "counterfall" is not to be confused with the move targetward which precedes it. The counterfall is a subtle, backward fall behind and slightly to left, which counters the weight of the club moving down on plane, and happens after the pivot has started. It can't be seen. Lee claims to have "discovered" this and that all good players do it, but they, including Nicklaus, didn't know it until Lee informed them.