My thoughts while I work through reading Hogan's Five Lessons

[SiberianDVM]

Man, it got hot today

Where are you, RBB? Here in Augusta, it's been 95*F and 80-90 % humidity for a couple of weeks now. Walking 18 is starting to become hard work.

On a sad note, the Augusta National will be closing for the season this week.

 

[Ravenous Bugblatter Beast]

Where are you, RBB? Here in Augusta, it's been 95*F and 80-90 % humidity for a couple of weeks now. Walking 18 is starting to become hard work.

On a sad note, the Augusta National will be closing for the season this week.

Southeastern Pennsylvania, where of course we receive the Georgian exports of heat and humidity when the southwest winds start kicking in.

Yeah, it felt like work walking the 18 yesterday. I put the bag on the pull cart yesterday when I realized how hot it was going to be. One of the guys I played with went in to get a cart after 9 holes.

It didn't feel so bad in the shade.

 

[SiberianDVM]

Well, to be fair, we get our hot, humid weather from Louisiana.

When walking, I always use my electric trolley. I played an upscale course Sunday near me, that told me on the phone that they allow walking after 2PM. After I get there, pay $50, and get my bag on the trolley, they start giving me shit. "We don't allow trolleys". Sure enough, everyone was carrying or riding in carts. Stupid.

So I said there was no way I was carrying in this heat. They let me use it "this time". I didn't bother telling them I wouldn't be back.

 

[David B]

Well, to be fair, we get our hot, humid weather from Louisiana.

When walking, I always use my electric trolley. I played an upscale course Sunday near me, that told me on the phone that they allow walking after 2PM. After I get there, pay $50, and get my bag on the trolley, they start giving me shit. "We don't allow trolleys". Sure enough, everyone was carrying or riding in carts. Stupid.

So I said there was no way I was carrying in this heat. They let me use it "this time". I didn't bother telling them I wouldn't be back.

Rules like that are stupid... rules just for 'rules' sake. Their main priority should be to keep slow play to a minimum, and if you play faster with a trolley, then they should allow it.

I wouldn't go back either.

 

[Highdraw34]

I have been reading 5 lessons for a while now and the grip lesson has helped tremendously. Moving onto the posture and stance lessons now. A lot of the recomendations here will be major changes to my swing. Can't wait to see how it is going to play out.

 

[Augster]

Here's another reason 5 Lessons is the greatest golf instruction book ever written. It helps that it's a quick read and there's good info on every page it seems.

I have been suffering through the good old hosel rockets on and off for two weeks. My range time has been a total waste. In my first 60 balls today, I s_a_k_d at least 40 of them. Just a waste because after the first hossler, you just spend your time trying not to hit another one.

So I sit down with Hogan, Page 71:

"An excellent way to check that you are making a full shoulder turn is this: WHEN YOU FINISH YOUR BACKSWING, YOUR CHIN SHOULD BE HITTING AGAINST THE TOP OF YOUR LEFT SHOULDER."

Eureka. I grab a club, and take a few practice swings. My left shoulder isn't even GETTING to my chin, let alone hitting it. Ah, the dreaded sway has returned.

I focused on turning the left shoulder under my chin. Voila. No more hosel rockets. Straight balls. Crisp shots.

Is there anything this guy can't fix? LOL!

 

[golfman2760]

damn you people think too much about Hogans lessons

 

[Ravenous Bugblatter Beast]

Yeah, it is a great book.

I didn't really get to practice too much this week, but every now and then I'd read some from it and ponder over the mechanics being talked about.

I went low today. Shot an 83, but the best part was the 39 on the back-9. The first time I've ever gone under 40 over a 9-hole stretch, and I did it with three consecutive pars at 16, 17, and 18. The guy I played with was fairly impressed by my back-9, although I wasn't hitting the ball all that great. But good enough.

And the up and down to save par at 18 felt really nice. Saving pars is a great feeling I'm discovering, especially as that happens more frequently. My short game is finally starting to put putts in range, and I'm finally starting to drop those putts. When I came up short of the green at 18, I knew I needed the up and down to get my 39. When I looked at the shot, it didn't seem tough. Just use the lob wedge, pop it up nice and high, and it should land soft enough and roll down off the shoulder of the bunker. I hit it exactly as I envisioned it, leaving me just about 18 inches.

That was nice, I now know I can shoot under 40 over 9 holes, and now I've had a glimpse of what it'll be like when I break 80 eventually. Put it on the green when you can, get up and down if you have some trouble, or get yourself to a position to make an up and down if your tee shot has difficulties.

 

[Ravenous Bugblatter Beast]

I took a break from these forums after an absolutely miserable golf round the Sunday before yesterday's Sunday. I couldn't swing, and the pace of play was awful. About 5 hours of nothing but nothing good. So I took some time to let my head clear, and finally yesterday felt inspired enough to go play 18 holes.

Shot an 84 with an atrocious putter. So I'm rather happy that my full swing was pretty decent, I got on the greens in a total of 48 strokes which is my best effort ever. I had two lousy strikes, one middling lousy strike, and most of the rest were pretty solid. Overall, it's a funny feeling round, my second best ever, but that haunting feeling that if only a few putts had gone down I would have shot 81 at least, and had a chance to squeeze in under 80 strokes.

One aspect of the round that made it rather pleasurable was the course was pretty quiet yesterday. Most of the round, me and the two others could walk to out balls, and not have to wait for in front to clear. Plus I love playing with others who walk the course.

It was also incredbile to watch one other I had joined up with shoot a 74, snagging a birdie at the last hole to do that.

 

[Highdraw34]

I am finishing up lesson four and I feel like this is the aspect of my game that needed the biggest change. I tend to flail a bit with my hands and arms through the swing and I can honestly say I have never ever felt that really good wrist snap and hand turn through the ball. This lesson looks like it will show me these things. The one thing that is tough for me is the basketball style pass they show. I have never seen a basketball passed like that. Did anyone else have any problems grooving the lesson in lesson 4? I've been trying it without a club or ball and I think I have the jist of it.

 

[Ravenous Bugblatter Beast]

I think the better analogy, especially if you've ever thrown a baseball, is imagine what it would be like to throw a ball to first base from a sidearm position. Hogan then tried to give an example that would use two arms, and used the basketball pass.

Or if you have a basketball, try doing as he described, so as to get the feel of what it's like for the left arm.

There is a reason why Hogan wanted an image that used two arms, because you want to hit the ball as hard as you can with both hands, not just the right, not just the left.

 

[Ravenous Bugblatter Beast]

Also, I'm not exactly sure what you mean by the wrist snap through the ball. At least, I tend to think of trying make sure my left wrist doesn't release until after contact with the ball, keeping the wrist suppinated as Hogan would put it.

I had a little bit of epiphany with suppination on Sunday while I tried to warm up with little pitch shots. I would get clean hits every time when my left wrist remained in a supine position, and times when I got handsy/wristy with the shot, pronating the wrist, it became a very iffy situation as to whether or not I would crisply pitch the ball.

 

[Farquod]

I tend to flail a bit with my hands and arms through the swing and I can honestly say I have never ever felt that really good wrist snap and hand turn through the ball. This lesson looks like it will show me these things. The one thing that is tough for me is the basketball style pass they show. I have never seen a basketball passed like that.

That pass was from before the era of Bob Cousey. To RBBs point,

I had a little bit of epiphany with supination on Sunday while I tried to warm up with little pitch shots. I would get clean hits every time when my left wrist remained in a supined position....

That gives a good example of clean contact, and controlling pitch shots. But with that drill, your right hand should never release over your left; your club face should remain open, and the head of the club should never pass your hands.

One release drill that works for me is to swing the club with my left arm only. Without your right hand on the club, it is impossible to cup your wrist at the top, and you get a good feeling of getting your left side through the strike zone and to a good finish. I love to do this drill with my driver, and I will also use it with my 56* wedge, which has a ton of bounce on it, and is consequently the heaviest club in my bag. I also consciously turn my hips rather than sway during this drill, and make sure the path of the swing is inside-out. It is a current favorite of mine.

 

[Highdraw34]

I am also a little confused at what the left wrist should look like at the top of the backswing. Should it break at the height of the backswing?

 

[Ravenous Bugblatter Beast]

I am finishing up lesson four and I feel like this is the aspect of my game that needed the biggest change. I tend to flail a bit with my hands and arms through the swing and I can honestly say I have never ever felt that really good wrist snap and hand turn through the ball. This lesson looks like it will show me these things. The one thing that is tough for me is the basketball style pass they show. I have never seen a basketball passed like that. Did anyone else have any problems grooving the lesson in lesson 4? I've been trying it without a club or ball and I think I have the jist of it.

I haven't had time to test this with actual swings and a ball in front of me, but I think I've realized something this morning while practicing half-swings.

Now, during the back swing, you should be getting wrist cock/supination, but now I think I know what Hogan meant in the part you talk about.

That as hands approach, pulling the clubhead behind, there is the potential to supinate your left wrist even more. Okay? This is quite opposite of what many people do, where they release the clubhead and begin pronating the wrist, adding loft to the club.

As I was trying this with my half-swings, I realized that if you can do this, it's a powerful sort of move, you're getting your hands moving forward faster and the clubhead will accelerate in response being pulled.