greg, your advice and comments please.

hi Gregg,

I would appreciate your view on the following. I have been looking for a solution to a consistent ball strike for quite a while an d experimented in different areas of my swing. I recently discovered that placing my hands and shaft just slightly ahead of the ball gave me a great ball strike and a great understanding of " hitting down" I am now getting great results with both distance and straight shots. Another bonus is that I dont have as many swing thoughts standing over the ball, and my confidence is good. Am I doing anything that may be fundamentally wrong or that will give me problems in the future?

Thanking you,
Robert

__________________
"Play to your ability, not your expectation"

I know you mean this for Greg but honestly many of us have been saying this for a long time. I often wonder why people don't try some of the things we low handicappers post.

hi robert
when you put hands forward does it start as a forwrd press, or more a fixed starting point.
bill

Hi Bill,
I dont really press, but it gives me an easy feeling of a straight back takeaway, and it also lets me make a downward strike quite easy. What I am really happy with is, that with a solid strike there is a lovely square divot which convinces me that I must be doing something right

hi robert
i tend to have a forward press the cup my right wrist and bow my left a bitand that puts my hand in front of ball in all shots but the driver, and like you i feel like i hit through the ball cleaner. i do take some loft off the club when i do it but i still hit the ball high, on real good shots i dont even feel the ball being hit.
one other thing that seemed to happen is i am more aware on my shoulder hitting under my chin on the back swing and if its a good shot my right shoulder coming under my chin on the follow throught, if it a bad shot i dont seen to feel my shoulder against my chin on the follow through.
if i dont have a forward press the shot just dont feel if it is as clean a hit even it it goes as far and lands in same place.
i think we are doing the same thing but in a diffrent way.
bill

yes bill. i agree with what you say, and get more or less the same results. i would think that a lower ball flight is natural with this procedure, as the press would tend to deloft the club, but seems to create a more powerful shot. Do you also find that the ball direction is dead straight, (assuming you have a square setup)? I am not going to change,this procedure as I am very happy with the results i am getting

hi robert
i have a strange setup, i stand open like trevino and always hit a fade, i feel that with the forward press the ball starts where i aim and when it starts to get to its higest point it drops down to the right, i always stand open even on my drives and it works for me but dont think many other would like it.
but yes i feel the ball seems to start of hotter and it just feels so much better. i only swing at 90% but i never feel i need to swing any harder, there is a feeling of he ball shooting of the club face i dont get if i dont put my hands forward, the press forward seems to have lots of good thing that happen that you dont have to think about and every thing just happens, what i do it count out my tempo, thats my only thought.
bill

Bill, I am only hoping that I get positive feedback from gregg on this thread! If not< I dont fancy looking for another solution to good ball striking!!!!

hi robert
yes i know what you mean, i know this is only way i really feel it when i hit a good shot without having to look where the ball goes, other day was so sunny i coud not see the ball but knew wher it would land without seeing it, and it was on the fairway when i got up there, i do hit more good shots too, feel like i am getting somewhere, and thats a change.
looking forward to what gregg says as he always has some good poing to add.
i know just what your feeling when you swing now, you know just where the balls going and thats the clubs really going to ping that ball clean.
bill

Bill, one more question. When you start your takeaway, do you see the club face going back square or do you see the club face beginning to open?

not greg but I will chime in
this sounds fine, the forward press thing would be good to impliment as bill stated. Just get to your address position that you like and move the hands back 2 inches. This is about where you would want to forward press from so it gets you to the position you are currently in at set up. Now the longer the club the less you hands will be ahead of the ball. It may still feel as if you hads are ahead but with driver you want it close to a straight up and down club shaft, instead of leaning forward like a 8 iron

Absolutly nothing wrong here, in fact technically correct.

What it's all about. When you achieve this state, your true ability to perform at it's best will be at it's hight.

Nothing wrong fundamentally about this at all.

[quote=Robert O' Keeffe]hi Gregg,

I would appreciate your view on the following. I have been looking for a solution to a consistent ball strike for quite a while an d experimented in different areas of my swing. I recently discovered that placing my hands and shaft just slightly ahead of the ball gave me a great ball strike and a great understanding of " hitting down" ..


On an earlier post – Hitting fairway wood sand hybrids, you suggested – along with excellent input from many others – that I consider having my hands and shaft a little ahead of the ball. I printed out the kind contributions of yourself and others and went to the driving range and I had terrific results. Coincidentally, I was reading David Leadbetter’s book –Positive Practice and on page 80 there is a picture of him hitting a ball and his hands and shaft are ahead of the ball – and he goes on to write …left arm straight, and the hands ahead of the clubhead.”

I think – you rediscovered something – and it, among other things, works for me!


James

I have started to use the forward press do i need to make any adjustments to my set eg alignment stance etc

Hi guys,

when I started playing again last Summer, I think I was using the press subconsciously, I had a terific ball strike and hitting them dead straight. As I got used to playing again, thinking back, I must have stopped using the press and therefore started hitting inconsistently. I'm going to start using it agian, what has worked before will work again.

Cheers, Ian