Brian Manzella
Administrator
THE REASON WHY POP-INSTRUCTION HAS MADE THE MOTIONLESS RIGHT LEG A COMMANDMENT
About 25 years ago there were almost no 'full-time' teachers of any note. Club pros really didn't care much about lessons becuase they could sell their Titleists at full retail.
Because of this, new golf instruction ideas came along about as often Haley's comet.
Hogan thought that the right leg shouldn't change it's angle going back, and he thought he kept the knee pointed in, too. His book, "Five Lessons" was published in 1957. When Jack Nicklaus turned golf upside-down in the early 60's, he did so with a right leg that didn't move hardly at all. As a matter of fact, Nicklaus' right leg had noticable flex in it at the top. Looking for a way —any way—to explain Big Jack's success, many pros latched on to the idea of this new-ish totally still right leg 'fundamental.'
I say 'new-ish,' because just a generation or so before, nearly every great golfer LET his right leg straighten on the backstroke—The Harry Vardon-Bobby Jones crowd.
Now when the club pros would stumble out of the shop on April 1, 1970 for their two 30 minute lessons that day, Mr and Mrs. Fabersham were BOTH reverse-pivoting all over dodge and had the big swayed right leg that went with it.
So Mr. Alpaca Sweatervest, their club pro, would tell them to "keep that right leg dead still going back." The Fabersham's did and now they had a reverse pivot, a wide open clubface at the top, AND a still right leg.
They quit playing the next year and stayed away until 1985 when Mr. Fabersham retired and came to City Park and happened into a lesson with me.
"Can't hit it a lick young man, I just keep cutting across that ball." "Lets have a look," I replied.
"Well Mr. F, did anyone ever tell you that your clubface was 156 degrees open at the top?" "Really?" he answered. "Oh yeah," I chimed in, "What we are going to do is fix your clubface at the top, and when we do, you will hit it left of Ted Kennedy."
I fixed the clubface.
He hit it so far left it was joke.
I then told him: "Mr. Fabersham, becuae you only turn your hips 5 degrees and your shoulders 40 degrees, you CAN'T hit the inside of the ball like you should. So, we are going to have you TAKE THE FLEX OUT OF YOUR RIGHT LEG SOME ON THE BACKSWING AND MAKE A SHARP HIP TURN AND TH-------"
"LET THE RIGHT LEG MOVE???????????????????!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!*****!", MR. F jumped in. "My old pro Al Sweatervest told me never to move it—like Nicklaus."
"Well Mr. Fabersham, Nicklaus still turns his hips AND shoulders a bunch. And now it looks really weird with that right leg thing he does. To me, I think his hip will just disintergrate one day."
"So....let's straighten it...OK?"
"OK"
"WOW," Mr. F exclaimed, I have never hit a shot that good in my whole life. My first nice little draw."
"No problem, Sir, that'll be 40 dollars."
"Worth every penny, young man, every penny. You sure it's okay to move my right leg like that? I mean, won't the USGA make it a penalty or something?"
"No sir, they love Bobby Jones, and he did it a bunch. Hit 'em straight," I said as he walked away on air.
15 years later, I got a call.
"Brian Manzelly? This is Stu Fabersham, You gave my dad lessons a long time ago, do you still teach?"
"Yup. as a matter a fact. I am teaching now, when do you want to come out? Thursday 4:30? Cool."
Stu made a good pass at it, but he didn't turn his hips very much either. Actually, he ADDED flex to his right leg going back, and had a weird high right shoulder through impact.
I asked him. "Did anyone TELL you to keep the right leg flexed at the top? And what about the high right shoulder?"
"Oh yes," he bragged." I have David Leadbetter's book and.............................
About 25 years ago there were almost no 'full-time' teachers of any note. Club pros really didn't care much about lessons becuase they could sell their Titleists at full retail.
Because of this, new golf instruction ideas came along about as often Haley's comet.
Hogan thought that the right leg shouldn't change it's angle going back, and he thought he kept the knee pointed in, too. His book, "Five Lessons" was published in 1957. When Jack Nicklaus turned golf upside-down in the early 60's, he did so with a right leg that didn't move hardly at all. As a matter of fact, Nicklaus' right leg had noticable flex in it at the top. Looking for a way —any way—to explain Big Jack's success, many pros latched on to the idea of this new-ish totally still right leg 'fundamental.'
I say 'new-ish,' because just a generation or so before, nearly every great golfer LET his right leg straighten on the backstroke—The Harry Vardon-Bobby Jones crowd.
Now when the club pros would stumble out of the shop on April 1, 1970 for their two 30 minute lessons that day, Mr and Mrs. Fabersham were BOTH reverse-pivoting all over dodge and had the big swayed right leg that went with it.
So Mr. Alpaca Sweatervest, their club pro, would tell them to "keep that right leg dead still going back." The Fabersham's did and now they had a reverse pivot, a wide open clubface at the top, AND a still right leg.
They quit playing the next year and stayed away until 1985 when Mr. Fabersham retired and came to City Park and happened into a lesson with me.
"Can't hit it a lick young man, I just keep cutting across that ball." "Lets have a look," I replied.
"Well Mr. F, did anyone ever tell you that your clubface was 156 degrees open at the top?" "Really?" he answered. "Oh yeah," I chimed in, "What we are going to do is fix your clubface at the top, and when we do, you will hit it left of Ted Kennedy."
I fixed the clubface.
He hit it so far left it was joke.
I then told him: "Mr. Fabersham, becuae you only turn your hips 5 degrees and your shoulders 40 degrees, you CAN'T hit the inside of the ball like you should. So, we are going to have you TAKE THE FLEX OUT OF YOUR RIGHT LEG SOME ON THE BACKSWING AND MAKE A SHARP HIP TURN AND TH-------"
"LET THE RIGHT LEG MOVE???????????????????!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!*****!", MR. F jumped in. "My old pro Al Sweatervest told me never to move it—like Nicklaus."
"Well Mr. Fabersham, Nicklaus still turns his hips AND shoulders a bunch. And now it looks really weird with that right leg thing he does. To me, I think his hip will just disintergrate one day."
"So....let's straighten it...OK?"
"OK"
"WOW," Mr. F exclaimed, I have never hit a shot that good in my whole life. My first nice little draw."
"No problem, Sir, that'll be 40 dollars."
"Worth every penny, young man, every penny. You sure it's okay to move my right leg like that? I mean, won't the USGA make it a penalty or something?"
"No sir, they love Bobby Jones, and he did it a bunch. Hit 'em straight," I said as he walked away on air.
15 years later, I got a call.
"Brian Manzelly? This is Stu Fabersham, You gave my dad lessons a long time ago, do you still teach?"
"Yup. as a matter a fact. I am teaching now, when do you want to come out? Thursday 4:30? Cool."
Stu made a good pass at it, but he didn't turn his hips very much either. Actually, he ADDED flex to his right leg going back, and had a weird high right shoulder through impact.
I asked him. "Did anyone TELL you to keep the right leg flexed at the top? And what about the high right shoulder?"
"Oh yes," he bragged." I have David Leadbetter's book and.............................
