Top 'what a load of tosh' tips

[JustOne]

Pots and Kettles leap to mind.

Oi! I'm just tryin' to put a big smiley smile on your face :thup:

 

[JustOne]

Good advice - look at the ball

Bad advice - chin up

 

[richart]

Keeping the head still, which includes keeping it down of course as that;s the way you set up is a disaster! To prove my point, just try setting up with head either leaning against a wall or a door jamb. Now try and 'swing' without moving your head!

Keeping your head under control is a good thing however. Just check out Natalie Gulbis's or Paula Creamer's head drop or David Duval's or Annika Sorenstam's head turns.

However, the swing thought of a passive head - or even mine of topspin down the line tennis shout - can often be a good thing.

Have a look at Francesco Molinari's swing. There is no head movement on the backswing, and the slightest movement as he hits the ball. Same with Justin Rose his head is absolutely still swinging the club back, and the movement starts as he comes into the ball. Both pretty good ball strikers. Obviously it is impossible to have your head completely still until after hitting the ball, but not everyone has to swing like Natalie Gulbis either.

 

[Foxholer]

Have a look at Francesco Molinari's swing. There is no head movement on the backswing, and the slightest movement as he hits the ball. Same with Justin Rose his head is absolutely still swinging the club back, and the movement starts as he comes into the ball. Both pretty good ball strikers. Obviously it is impossible to have your head completely still until after hitting the ball, but not everyone has to swing like Natalie Gulbis either.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=YpDT22i4UCc

Hardly a stationary head!

And JR may move less, but he still moves!

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=zo9cM3KlTW4 Swing starts at 1:30

Oh, while searching for a face on, I found this!

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=mN0wPnLYNy4

Aaargh!

Try that head against a door jamb test. It'll show that if you keep you head stationary, you can't hit the ball more than 20 yards!

 

[JustOne]

Re: Keep your head still... just borrowed this from somewhere I'd consider a trustworthy source..

1. Steady Head - the average PGA Tour player moves his head one inch during his backswing and less on his downswing. Since virtually none of them move their heads forwards on the backswing, that means that for every guy who moves it two inches, there's a guy moving it zero inches. For every guy that moves it three inches, there are two guys who don't move their head one bit. A relatively steady head is important because it's efficient to turn our shoulders in a circle. If the circle remains relatively steady, contact with the golf ball becomes easier and more consistent.

In my opinion steady is the correct term, however as you can see above there are some that might move 3 inches and some that move none, so there is no right or wrong, you can't be telling someone to keep their head still if it doesn't fit with their swing pattern and likewise someone who has a steady head shouldn't suddenly start flappin' it around

Keep your head still is definitely a taboo as stated by Foxy in the OP, although you'll hear just about every chopper say it to his mate. Mine happens to stay pretty still.... otherwise I'd air shot everything,..... it's my mouth that keeps flapping about <<< feel free to disagree

 

[JustOne]

Whilst I'm here I might as well add to the fire with...

clubface square to the target
2-3 knuckles showing on the left hand
Line up square with the target line
Turn the left shoulder over the right foot
Club parallel at the top
Fire your hips
Keep the clubface square through the hitting zone
The toe points up at p2
The phrase... "I didn't get under it"
Line up straight to hit it straight
Play the ball inside the left heel for every club
Low and frikkin' slow!
Make a wide takeaway
Swing back the first foot straight (WTF!)
Swing out to draw an iron
increase lag on the way down




Did I forget any?

 

[brendy]

Whilst I'm here I might as well add to the fire with...

clubface square to the target
2-3 knuckles showing on the left hand
Line up square with the target line
Turn the left shoulder over the right foot
Club parallel at the top
Fire your hips
Keep the clubface square through the hitting zone
The toe points up at p2
The phrase... "I didn't get under it"
Line up straight to hit it straight
Play the ball inside the left heel for every club
Low and frikkin' slow!
Make a wide takeaway
Swing back the first foot straight (WTF!)
Swing out to draw an iron
increase lag on the way down




Did I forget any?

You forgot to bless yourself and pray you dont top it.

 

[patricks148]

agree i just like to know who i'm talking to

out of interest

is narin or tain your home course for your handicap ?

Nairn is my home course and have my handicap there, Tain is about 35 miles north of Inverness and is a very diff course and it has very good reciprical deals with other clubs in Ross-shire and Sutherland one of Which is Royal Dornoch which i can play 6 times a year for a £10 or £5 in winter.

 

[patricks148]

Is that why you play off 8.8 and rising? So knowing my h/cap will make you a better player? That's VERY cool.

No I never give swing advice, i'm not qualified and know nothe about a golf swing as i've only played for just over 5 years. My point is theres all sorts on here giving swing, club and shaft advice without you know what level they play themselves.

You don't have to take the advice admt, but if you are starting out or a mid to high handicapper would you take advice from someone who my have far less ability than yourself?

Thats my point!

 

[sawtooth]

Poor tips.

Backswing coils up power
take the club away low to the ground for as long as possible.
1 piece takeaway (perhaps OK for some techniques but definitely not arm swingers like me)
Consciously hitting down on the ball.

 

[timchump]

for me it was keep your lower body still to hit from a solid base

 

[sawtooth]

for me it was keep your lower body still to hit from a solid base

Unless you are putting or chipping , in which case that probably is very good advice.

 

[timchump]

Unless you are putting or chipping , in which case that probably is very good advice.

full swings, - i found it very difficult to turn through the ball without moving my hips out the way first,

which also meant moving my legs. by a solid base i mean keeping the lower half still, - thats what the guy told me to do

 

[timchump]

Unless you are putting or chipping , in which case that probably is very good advice.

xxxx, your right no wonder my short game is soo bad! :clap:

 

[Region3]

I think a lot of these tips rely on the fact that FEEL and REAL are quite often completely different.

For example, someone who has way too much lower body movement might be told to try to keep the lower half still just to calm it down a bit.

I had a lesson once and the instructor wanted me to feel as though my arms were beating my hips on the way down. Now I know that there's no way you want your arms overtaking your legs, but it was just a feeling he wanted me to have because he thought my hips were going too early.
When I tried it it felt as though it was all wrong, but the video evidence proved otherwise.

Another reason why generic tips don't work a lot of the time. They need to be tailored to the individual.

 

[timchump]

I think a lot of these tips rely on the fact that FEEL and REAL are quite often completely different.

For example, someone who has way too much lower body movement might be told to try to keep the lower half still just to calm it down a bit.

I had a lesson once and the instructor wanted me to feel as though my arms were beating my hips on the way down. Now I know that there's no way you want your arms overtaking your legs, but it was just a feeling he wanted me to have because he thought my hips were going too early.
When I tried it it felt as though it was all wrong, but the video evidence proved otherwise.

Another reason why generic tips don't work a lot of the time. They need to be tailored to the individual.

agree feel and reel are very different.

if you have time, the link at the bottom of the signature with "my wonky swing" you can see my right leg kick across through the downswing/impact, the pro who i used to have lessons with really didn't like that movement, with a passion, at the start of every lesson he'd bring it up, hence the advise of a solid base, i just couldn't do it, the right leg movement always crept back, i found keeping my right leg glued to the ground difficult, and made my game worse really - ( he taught me a lot of good stuff to)

the new guy i have lessons isn't too bothered by it, he thought the other pro' was more an old school style teacher...

 

[Foxholer]

I think a lot of these tips rely on the fact that FEEL and REAL are quite often completely different.

For example, someone who has way too much lower body movement might be told to try to keep the lower half still just to calm it down a bit.

I had a lesson once and the instructor wanted me to feel as though my arms were beating my hips on the way down. Now I know that there's no way you want your arms overtaking your legs, but it was just a feeling he wanted me to have because he thought my hips were going too early.
When I tried it it felt as though it was all wrong, but the video evidence proved otherwise.

Another reason why generic tips don't work a lot of the time. They need to be tailored to the individual.

Is the right answer!

If the words 'feel like' were added to most of them, and it was appropriate for the individual, then fine but as 'laws', definitely not!

Re JO's Watch the ball (which I'm not all that keen on - is it going to run away?) and Chin up (see above as can be appropriate). Made me laugh thinking how you could do both!

 

[JustOne]

Re JO's Watch the ball (which I'm not all that keen on - is it going to run away?) and Chin up (see above as can be appropriate). Made me laugh thinking how you could do both!

makes me laugh too and yet I've seen people having lessons being told to do both.

Eyes at the ball is probably the only thing I ever liked about Nick Faldo, does it look like he has his chin up?



He's in a perfect posture.


(Too bad that he then moves into his right side and his head comes up before 'popcorning' the ball! LOLOL)

 

[daymond]

A book I have by Arnold Palmer emphasises time and time again " keep a still head ". As he says " Imagine your head to be at the centre of a clock with the club and arms turning around the centre".
Good advice in my opinion

 

[lobthewedge]

Whats popcorning?