I understand the importance of lie angle as it relates to impact, but what is the affect of improper lie angle at setup, the resulting shaft angle, and its affect on the swing? Reason I ask is I started experimenting yesterday during chipping with soling (sp?) the club flat to start with, then chipping. Oddly enough, it worked way way way way better than my normal chipping. I could easily bounce the sole off the turf. Felt very hands high at setup though compare to my normal setup. Ah ha! I thought... perhaps my setup has been way too much hands low all along, messing up the impact zone?
Back to the full swing, I noticed in my normal setup, I really setup hands low, toe of the club in the air. It's not something I ever paid attention to before. Now, normally, I would think this would mean I would arrive at impact with the toe in the air. Not so. Looking at my divots and swing video, I actually arrive slightly toe down as a result of a steep downswing plane.
Here is my hypothesis:
Hands too low at address will cause overrotation of the left arm, and a reverse of the proper steep to shallow plane transition. The hands cannot "drop" to the slot because there is no "drop" left to occur. When the shot is "saved" from the hands low position, the toe will be slightly down, but the clubface rotated enough to achieve the desired flight. When the shot is not saved, one of three things occurs. 1) the club's hosel is led into the ball under plane resulting in shanks 2) the downswing becomes so steep as you try to manuever the sweet spot DOWN and BACK to the ball it results in severe left path and pulled shot 3) the club arrives at the ball toe down and open, resulting in a push / block / slice. Hands low at setup places the clubface in a position where excessive force is required to control the face rotation throughout the swing. It will resist twisting intially, then violently snap open and closed, due to the sweetspot being raised above the shaft line. Just a hypothesis... but an interesting one.
Sam Snead said he felt like the hands needed to be "placed in a holster" at address. Many other great players exhibit this "hang" of the hands. Nicklaus, Hogan, Nelson, Norman, Snead... all had an amount of "hang" to the hands, and from what pictures I have seen, never the opposite (an address set "cock" of the wrists). Doing some further investigation, in Jack's "Golf My Way" book, he said he always setup with the club soled flat, the way it was designed.
Back at home doing some mirror work, I can see that the difference between my hands low and soled flat positions are not all that different. Granted, the angles are a bit different, but no-where near the difference in sensations. I feel like Moe Norman, but the actual address position is rather orthodox. The swing however, from this new position, feels entirely different.
From those that saw my recent swing sequence, you saw the hands low setup and the over-rotating left arm. I really think I'm onto something here with respect to the fundamental cause of my backswing ailment.
So the question is:
What is the proper setup with relation to club lie, shaft angle to body, and hand position (basic, middle of the matrix setup)?
Back to the full swing, I noticed in my normal setup, I really setup hands low, toe of the club in the air. It's not something I ever paid attention to before. Now, normally, I would think this would mean I would arrive at impact with the toe in the air. Not so. Looking at my divots and swing video, I actually arrive slightly toe down as a result of a steep downswing plane.
Here is my hypothesis:
Hands too low at address will cause overrotation of the left arm, and a reverse of the proper steep to shallow plane transition. The hands cannot "drop" to the slot because there is no "drop" left to occur. When the shot is "saved" from the hands low position, the toe will be slightly down, but the clubface rotated enough to achieve the desired flight. When the shot is not saved, one of three things occurs. 1) the club's hosel is led into the ball under plane resulting in shanks 2) the downswing becomes so steep as you try to manuever the sweet spot DOWN and BACK to the ball it results in severe left path and pulled shot 3) the club arrives at the ball toe down and open, resulting in a push / block / slice. Hands low at setup places the clubface in a position where excessive force is required to control the face rotation throughout the swing. It will resist twisting intially, then violently snap open and closed, due to the sweetspot being raised above the shaft line. Just a hypothesis... but an interesting one.
Sam Snead said he felt like the hands needed to be "placed in a holster" at address. Many other great players exhibit this "hang" of the hands. Nicklaus, Hogan, Nelson, Norman, Snead... all had an amount of "hang" to the hands, and from what pictures I have seen, never the opposite (an address set "cock" of the wrists). Doing some further investigation, in Jack's "Golf My Way" book, he said he always setup with the club soled flat, the way it was designed.
Back at home doing some mirror work, I can see that the difference between my hands low and soled flat positions are not all that different. Granted, the angles are a bit different, but no-where near the difference in sensations. I feel like Moe Norman, but the actual address position is rather orthodox. The swing however, from this new position, feels entirely different.
From those that saw my recent swing sequence, you saw the hands low setup and the over-rotating left arm. I really think I'm onto something here with respect to the fundamental cause of my backswing ailment.
So the question is:
What is the proper setup with relation to club lie, shaft angle to body, and hand position (basic, middle of the matrix setup)?
Lie is not measured like that.
