NHA Question

[ekennedy]

I've been working hard for the past few months on the "carry" portion of the swing to prevent getting under plane. I'm making progress (the hurdle drill is terrific), but I have a question.

After you carry the club to start your downswing, your hands move away from your body and your shoulders begin to open up, allowing the club to exit toward "the yellow brick road." My question is, what is the downside to a more outside and vertical takeaway with less carry? Just simply getting the club into the exact same position the carry ultimately achieves?

Is that just more of a Soft Fade pattern?...which for an underplaner like me is not such a bad thing. Or does a more in path with the hands on the takeaway achieve a better pivot?

 

[birly-shirly]

I'm sure this might vary from person to person, but I worked on just what you're suggesting.

I worked on taking the club away a little above the shaft plane, and on video the takeaway looked just what I wanted. But further in the backswing I seemed to react to the takeaway and pull the arms in deeper than I wanted and arch the back of my left wrist. The net result was counter-productive.

I was quite surprised to see this on video but, for me, it just seems easier to get into position if I let the hands and club drift a little inwards and then up.

 

[Brian Manzella]

LIFT! ....or not....

Some folks can't drop if they don't lift.

The Never Hook Again pattern can be described simply these two ways:

Up the wall, down the wall, left of the wall.

Lift, Drop, Rotate.​

Some folks just need to feel the lift...

But, you could make a Soft Draw backswing and wind up with a really good pattern.

Or almost any backswing, really.

I had a call yesterday asking about the "laid off" option,

I would recommend against it. DT and Lindsay Gahm, my two NHA type swingers, both hot it poorly laid off.

But I HAVE TO to hit my driver cut shot....

That's why I abhor "methods."

So what is NHA2 if not a method???

It is a suggested pattern...