This is a really interesting thread and applies perfectly to my most recent revelations.
As for shaft lean, I have found that I can now play with varying degrees of it. For instance, I normally hit my LW (60) about 55-60 yards accurately. Today, I intentionally delofted the hell out of it with a drastic forward lean. I hit effortless, amazing, accurate shots from 95 yards away into an elevated green. I've never done that. It made me happy.
Hogan claimed that the pros play their clubs in a delofted manner. The only way I know to accomplish this is with forward lean.
The grip cannot be understated for correct play of the shot. Hogan said that the grip was one of the things that most people almost do correctly. He said that is not good enough, thus his excruciating details in his book. I must say that I have to agree.
And it is also my opinion that if you grip the club like Hogan instructs, you have no choice but to forward lean the shaft. Even more heretical, I feel that's exactly what I want because it sets the club for a downward blow and allows for a true inside-out attack plane. 'Tis true that I may take a small hit on accuracy, but I 'll gladly trade that for the delofted ball flight, extreme distance and exceptional stopping power I have with a forward leaning shaft.
I have noticed that it is annoyingly rare to grip a club the exact same way for each and every shot. Even when pounding balls on the range, the grip changes from one shot to the next. The changes may be slight and they may be for different reasons each time, but I think most of it is mental.
My experience is that my mind instructs my hands how to grip the club. That is to say, my body subconsciously reacts to the input of the shot as soon as I take the club.
Every so often I will adjust to a weaker grip (if anything I'm a little strong at first). But more than anything I want my hands to be comfortable and my wrist to be relaxed, especially my right one. The left wrist need be straight so I can figure my attack into the ball as well as the ball flight path. I use the waggle to gauge all of this.
After this, I position my feet a little better, re-check my ball flight path based on the clubface and then adjust the ball back or forward as necessary (usually a minute adjustment).
Hogan pounded the importance of the waggle in his book. I never derived the benefits he claimed until I started attacking from the inside out with a slight forward lean to the shaft. The waggle is now how I aim and really all that I care about in terms of alignment. Here's why.
Basically, it's all about the clubface. While I waggle, I slowly draw the clubhead path into and through the ball, stopping directly behind the ball a few times to precisely gauge the clubface at impact.
Depending on my grip, this gives me a very good and reliable approximation of the flight trajectory. Once again, I try not to fight the angle of the clubface because my whole tempo and strategy has now developed around it. If it feels I am going to draw/hook a little more than ususal I aim a little further right (within reason).
There is so much to know, so much to learn. When I earn a million dollars per year playing golf I guess I will be worth listening to.
I will say that I have done diligent investigation and experimentation and I must say that the Hogan book is a must as is this forum for continued improvement of you golf game.
Thanks for all the great topics and discussions.
