Swinging Left Questions

[burners]

From a terminology standpoint, what I've gathered from the Forum and the videos is that "swinging left" is really more a case of not "swinging right" or not "swinging out to right field".

In other words, correctly swinging "on plane" through impact to the finish, based on wherever you are aligned. I understand the need (if you want to hit it straight) to align to the left to balance the down, as part of the d-plane. I usually like hitting draws though.

So...isn't "swinging more left" just another way of saying you're trying to swing in-to-in (in-square-in) vs. too much in-to-out? Some of the things I've seen written almost implied trying to swing across the line (outside-in) after already being aligned left. Huh?

Along these same lines, because the ball is long gone, any of these "after impact" positions are really only influencing or changing the path/face before impact. Correct?

Thx.

 

[fronesis]

From a terminology standpoint, what I've gathered from the Forum and the videos is that "swinging left" is really more a case of not "swinging right" or not "swinging out to right field".

In other words, correctly swinging "on plane" through impact to the finish, based on wherever you are aligned....

So...isn't "swinging more left" just another way of saying you're trying to swing in-to-in (in-square-in) vs. too much in-to-out?

Yes, that all seems about right to me. Part of the point is that few people have the right vision in their head of just HOW far left the club needs to go after impact in order to stay on plane.

Some of the things I've seen written almost implied trying to swing across the line (outside-in) after already being aligned left. Huh?

I think Brian should implement a new HTML tag for the forum. That tag would be [FEEL]feel[/FEEL].

To answer your question, for someone who hooks the ball, or regularly plays a draw, or who sets up like a hooker and swings right...for those folks it will FEEL like they are swinging out to in. The NHA pattern - with a backswing up the wall, a drop, and a swing left - all probably FEEL like an out to in swing, but ONLY for a hooker. If you gave your average slicer the NHA pattern, they would, in fact, be swinging way out to in or OTT, in a bad way.

Brian says at the beginning of NSA that 80% of golfers are slicers. I think NHA has some BRILLIANT insights into it and is well worth the price of the video, even if you don't need to be de-hooked. But I've been a bit surprised by HOW many folks on the board have NHA as their main pattern. I wonder if every one of them really is a hooker in the first place; that is, I wonder if some of them don't necessarily need this pattern. On the other hand, there are a ton of good players around here, and a lot of them do need a "swing left" feel.

Along these same lines, because the ball is long gone, any of these "after impact" positions are really only influencing or changing the path/face before impact. Correct?

Well, sure. But the same thing is true of everything that comes prior to impact - like the setup and the backswing. "The ball doesn't know" but that doesn't make these things unimportant for proper face and path at impact.

 

[Bill Miracle]

Brian says at the beginning of NSA that 80% of golfers are slicers. I think NHA has some BRILLIANT insights into it and is well worth the price of the video, even if you don't need to be de-hooked. But I've been a bit surprised by HOW many folks on the board have NHA as their main pattern. I wonder if every one of them really is a hooker in the first place; that is, I wonder if some of them don't necessarily need this pattern. On the other hand, there are a ton of good players around here, and a lot of them do need a "swing left" feel.

Some of us are hookers. Some are hooker/pushers. Same swing, different clubface. I just switched to NHA and wish I would have done it 3 months ago. It is a very simple (at least for me) pattern that got the ball crackin' again.

 

[burners]

Anybody else?

Fronesis,

Appreciate the well-thought-out answer. It always helps to have somebody confirm your thinking. I agree with reiterating the "feel vs. real" idea.

I too am surprised by the number of folks who say NHA is their primary action. It would be interesting to see if players are actually doing what they think they are. Whatever works.

Academy Staff, anything to add about the swinging left questions or feels?

Brian, another indication that you've got a good thing going is when lots of Forum members can chime in with some really solid information. Well done.

Cheers.

 

[curtisj76]

Well, I'm one of the "folks" that uses NHA as their primary action. Last year I played with Soft Draw with mixed results. I was either drawing/hooking/ or pushing the ball. Needless to say, you can't play good golf doing that. At times I was just drawing/hooking the ball which wasn't too bad since I still was able to eliminate 1 side of the fairway. BUT, when I started to push the ball as well it started to be a bigger problem. Not knowing if the ball was going left or right was a MAJOR problem. I asked numerous questions numerous times which got probably tiresome to Jim/Kevin/Brian/etc and the same answers kept coming back. Which was PATH. But even having that knowledge still didn't help much. I purchased NHA2.0 and I started practicing swinging left. The big drill for me was the making the divot past and left of the ball, whatever the heck it's called. Am I "actually doing what they think they are", not sure, I'm pretty sure. All I know is that my hooks are GONE. I'm hitting my long irons great which last year I would have just kept in my bag. And surprisingly I'm actually hitting the ball farther, at least with my longer clubs. Yesterday I drove a shorter par 4 twice, last year I maybe came 20 yards from it.

Ok, new paragraph, that was sorta long. To sum everything up, if you HOOK the ball or want to find out more about "swinging left", BUY NHA2.0. I just looked and the web version is like 10 bucks, I CAN'T BELIEVE THAT. I have the DVD and the 35 bucks or whatever I think was a STEAL.

We all know Brian Manzella does not BS, and his DVD titles are no BS. If you slice the ball and want to NEVER SLICE it AGAIN, than buy it. I did and literally have not sliced in YEARS. If you hook the ball and want to NEVER HOOK it AGAIN, than buy it. I did and literally haven't hooked it since (ok, once). I've said this before but I STRONGLY support these 2 DVD's more than any of his others (which are still good). If any member here slices or hooks the ball and hasn't purchased the coresponding DVD yet, you are leaning towards the IDIOT side of the intelligence spectrum. Ten bucks is like 2 cups of Starbucks or 2 Golf Digest magazines.

Rant over, and NO I'm not Brian in disguise trying to sell more dvds. Just an HONEST opinion from an HONEST "folk".

PS Sorry for the bad grammar and spelling, I'm busy and in a hurry. PEACE

PSS I don't like BS either

 

[Bill Miracle]

Many of us.....

have spent tons of $$ on equipment, instruction, training aids, videos from other instructors....and got absolutely no help.

The reason we are/seem like Bman kool-aid drinkers (pitch men) is that his cherry flavor is cherry bomb...not poision. This stuff works and it is the best value in golf. His kool-aid is real fruit...not sugar powder with arsenic added. You stay alive in this game instead of dying off and taking up something else.

So hell yeah...when someone comes here we are going to always say..."get COFF...get NSA, get SD, get NSA...etc....." These videos are the foundation for 70% or better of what's in this message forum.

 

[Bill Miracle]

have spent tons of $$ on equipment, instruction, training aids, videos from other instructors....and got absolutely no help.

The reason we are/seem like Bman kool-aid drinkers (pitch men) is that his cherry flavor is cherry bomb...not poision. This stuff works and it is the best value in golf. His kool-aid is real fruit...not sugar powder with arsenic added. You stay alive in this game instead of dying off and taking up something else.

So hell yeah...when someone comes here we are going to always say..."get COFF...get NSA, get SD, get NSA...etc....." These videos are the foundation for 70% or better of what's in this message forum.

PS...from everything I've learned here (including some lessons with Brian), I know NHA is for me and that I am executing it a least 90% or better. The ball sailing in the breeze don't lie.

 

[Brian Manzella]

Great Question.......and the REAL answers.

From a terminology standpoint, what I've gathered from the Forum and the videos is that "swinging left" is really more a case of not "swinging right" or not "swinging out to right field".

Not exactly.

Believe it or not, it actually is swinging left sometimes.

Sometimes it is just straightening out a too much out to the right swing.

In other words, correctly swinging "on plane" through impact to the finish, based on wherever you are aligned.

Yes, but like I said above, sometimes that PLANE LINE is somewhat left as well.

I understand the need (if you want to hit it straight) to align to the left to balance the down, as part of the d-plane. I usually like hitting draws though.

Don't dismiss that ULTRA IMPORTANT fact!

You will STILL have to aim different, and swing different amounts to the right, to hit the same draw through the bag.

So...isn't "swinging more left" just another way of saying you're trying to swing in-to-in (in-square-in) vs. too much in-to-out? Some of the things I've seen written almost implied trying to swing across the line (outside-in) after already being aligned left. Huh?

I'll see you one "huh" and raise you another.

See above.

Along these same lines, because the ball is long gone, any of these "after impact" positions are really only influencing or changing the path/face before impact. Correct?

"these "after impact" positions are really only influencing or changing the path/face before impact"????

Sounds pretty important to me.

 

[bcoak]

The thought swing left does not feel right to me. It conjures up over the top cut type swing. I know what it is, but I was wondering if there was another way to explain/ think about it. Another feel

 

[Jim Kobylinski]

The thought swing left does not feel right to me. It conjures up over the top cut type swing. I know what it is, but I was wondering if there was another way to explain/ think about it. Another feel

I just gave a lesson where the student had to feel like he was hitting a PULL shot to get his plane line left enough to hit a nice little push draw

Sometimes feel isn't real and u just have to rely on the ball flight

 

[jenhaoyen]

The evolution of Jeff's swing.

SOftdraw

Phase 1: Hitting nice draws, no problems with short games.
Phase 2: Starting to hook the ball
Phase 3: Starting to hit the ball fat, push the ball to the right and fade
Short game start to suck due to too much inside swing
Phase 4: Swinging more inside, thought it would get rid of the push fade
Getting worse.
Phase 5: Change to more neutral grip, really rotate the club over, still hit push fades
Phase 6: Swinging more left !!! zing zing zing MONEY. SHort game was good, it's fun when u can hit 3different types of shots onto the green. Low, High, cut, straight, draw.

For me swinging left is not carrying my club and never release it, like a cut shot or punch shot. I simply direct my hands and club head passing through the left side of my body. Same swing. I used to pull when I hit hard left, but now I don't anymore because I change my grip to neutral grip instead of the strong grip.

I don't know if this helps....but that was my evolution. It was easy for me to figure out because I had this forum, and my knowledge is growing day by day.

 

[dbl]

Don't dismiss that ULTRA IMPORTANT fact!

You will STILL have to aim different, and swing different amounts to the right, to hit the same draw through the bag.

Could you make it idiot proof for me, like comparing a 2I and a 8I, do you have to aim more right with a 8I?

 

[Notorious B.E.N.]

Could you make it idiot proof for me, like comparing a 2I and a 8I, do you have to aim more right with a 8I?

Aim more left with the 8 iron.