Forward Press

Ive Heard Its Is Recommended To Slighty Forward Press Every Club At Address What Are The Pros And Cons Of This Set Up And Is It Recommended

It serves 2 purposes.

Purpose one is as a 'swing start' or a 'trigger'. The forward press is part of the preswing routine - the last thing that signals the start of the swing.

Purpose 2 is to set the hands in front of the ball - the logic being that if they're there at address, they'll be there again at impact.

Thanks For Elabrating So Pressing The Club Is Recommended Is There Any Downfalls Though

There can be the mistake of re-griping on the forward press, usually to a stronger grip.

As lowpost says it's a swing thought that triggers the start of the swing.


Try it when putting, this I would highly recommend for a smooth stroke, I have been doing this for a few months and it really helps take the putter away smoothly.


Ian.

The forward press is simply a rehearsal of the impact position so the golfer has before him the look and feel of what he's trying to achieve at impact.


A hitter who is an arms player will shift into a forward press and then starts the backswing from there. Swingers will shift into a forward press verifying 1) the clubface to target line 2) grip to clubface 3) hands to ball 4) plane angle 5) pressure points and 6) right forearm position. From there he shifts back into a centered hand position and starts the backswing.

I found this site doing a google word search "forward press golf" because I am so frustrated in trying to get rid of a forward press that I have had for years. It took me right to this forum and this thread. How about that. Now I'm a member.

I was getting some advice a few weeks ago from a 4 handicapper about my swing. I am pretty much a boggey shooter give or take a few strokes. I have a decent single plane type swing that used to be pretty consistent. I started hooking a lot of my shots and noticed that I developed a strong grip somehow over this season. I asked my friend to help me out by watching me. The grip is ok now but he noticed that I have a forward press and told me that I was deloffting the club by doing that and convinced me that I would bring much more power and better strikes if I concentrated on breaking that habit. I have noticed that I do get higher trajectory shots from my 3,4, and 5 irons but I am not as consistent in hitting the ball "sweet" when I don't do the press. A lot of dead sounding strikes. Not the crisp snap I was getting with the forward press. The comments in this thread are encouraging me to go back to my old ways where I felt more comfortable.

Am I different because I don't use the press? I waggle the wrists backwards and as they relax back into position the backswing has begun. I suppose to some it may kinda look like a press but, to me, a press feels a bit unatural.

i myself never use the forward press. it can sometimes cause people to shank or play a nasty slice

I always use a forward press. To me, it ensures that I will be square at impact and gives me avisual of where I want my hands to be at impact. If you are comfortable with the forward press, keep using it. If you are not comfortable using the forward press, don't use it. It's no different than having a waggle. If it instills confidence without creating swing faults, it can't be bad.

I was told that if you bend the wrists as in a forward press before the take away, you will come back to that position at impact. If this is true, the hands would be pretty far in front of the ball at impact. Is that what we want? Or, shouldn't the wrists already be releasing through the ball so that the club head strikes the ball at maximum speed as it would if it were a straight extension of the left arm at that point? I really don't know and am just asking because thats the way it was put to me.

I guess it would depend on how far forward you are pressing. A general rule is that your left arm should be a straight extension of your left arm with a flat left wrist.

Your hands should be ahead of the club head "pulling" the head through impact with the ball. The forward press is a visual cue to how the club head should impact the ball. Impact and Address are different. If you impact the ball in the same position as your setup you will send the ball very high with little power. The club is designed to impact the ball with the shaft angled so the hands are ahead of the ball. That's according the Michael Hebron and the Golfing Machine school of thought anyway. Slow down a recording af any pro off the tee from the side so you can see the swing. Stop it at impact you'll see the hands are way ahead of the ball. The clip I've seen of Brad Faxon is pretty amazing -- his hands are way in front of the ball!!! Pow!

Thanks FXG, I think I will quit trying to have my arm straight and in line at impact. I am going back to my "comfort zone of the forward press" You are right about the trajectory. I have noticed much higher shots with long irons when not getting my hands out in front. The forward press helps me keep the club coming down on the ball and reinforces the club head path in my mind.

A forward press is not recommended. The golf swing relies on connection, this creates too much disconnection. What happens when you press your shaft forward is that it creates a dramatic angle that points too far away from your body. This will back fire on you

This one seems to polarise opinion. Well I use a forward press and it works for me. The last week or so, I'd actually stopped using it as I've been getting a bit lazy and overconfident and my game deterioated horribly. I reintroduced it the last couple of days and now I'm hitting the ball great again.

It a very small movement so I think it's more of a swing trigger for me than anything else but I'll make sure I continue to use it from now on.