Hybrid Monster
 

How would you help this guy?

He sets up like Tiger Woods with his head UP.
He grips it like Hogan... as seen in his last book.
He takes it back low and slow.
As he nears the Top he "reaches for the sky," like Jack Nicklaus book says.
He starts down by turning his hips hard, and diving his right elbow in front of his right hip... like in Hogan's book.
As he does this he makes sure he drives his SQUARE clubface into the BACK of the ball.
He makes sure his head is glued down until the ball is well
down the fairway, as he continues to drive his club towards the TARGET.
He makes sure he is CONNECTED under his left arm during this entire procedure.
He then makes a nice, pretty finish.

If it's a beauty contest then get him a purse, but I'd like to see the ball flight and hear the sound of compression first.

Thats a lot to dissect lagster and i would need to research but on memory -is he a contortionist ?or a real person,does he really turn his hips that hard ,drive the club towards the target and keep his left arm connected (presumably to his chest)until the ball is on the fairway?.Sorry lagster i was so carried awy trying to figure that lot out i forgot the question .I would send him to the swamp!Great post to get old computer ticking!

I see this little puzzle as an exercise in translating "classic teaching gems" into TGM components and then realising how incompatible they are!! Here goes...

He sets up like Tiger Woods with his head UP

Diagnosis
TGM does not say that much about address except to establish radius (2-J-1) and hence head position at impact fix. Keeping head at Tiger's high position will, and does , lead to bobbing (3-F-7-C).

Treatment

Explain impact fix and establish radius and body angles.

He grips it like Hogan... as seen in his last book

Diagnosis

Grip has two aspects - "hand to hand " ( 10-1 ) and "hands to plane" ( 10-2).

Hogan used Vardon style grip (10-1-A) - "hand to hand". I guess he used weak double action ( 10-2-C) "hands to plane" alignment. Left wrist is vertical, right wrist looks rolled, and he certainly bends right wrist and cocks left wrist... but does he cock right wrist?? Is this really a triple action grip?

Treatment

It depends on his ball flight. If slicing then needs a stronger grip

He takes it back low and slow

Diagnosis

Initial movement should be on plane - up, back and inwards( remaining on plane) - if using right forearm pickup. This seems to be Homer's preferred takeaway to avoid shoulder turn initiated takeaway which goes "under plane" and will need plane shift to get close to TSP. The worry about "low" is that it can lead to off plane movement because there is not enough "up". "Slow" has bearing on tempo for the swing . There is some research on time of backswing being a consistent ratio to time of downswing ( not sure where i read it... but if slow going back don't be Nick Price going down!!:laughing9

Treatment

Teach about plane. Establish what tempo is appropriate for this player. One of the few areas that i believe natural tendencies do have a roll to play.

As he nears the Top he "reaches for the sky," like Jack Nicklaus book says

Diagnosis

If "reach for the sky" is the right arm trying to straighten and gives extensor aaction (6-B-1-D) then good. If it means elevate the hands off plane then bad.

Treatment

Depends on what this player is really doing rather than what they think they are doing!!

This hybrid monster is setting up to bob, plane shift, probably apply extensor action, slow swing( if tempo even) or very irregular tempo hack ( if downswing speed does not match takeaway) and probably slice . But then thats what you get if you listen to the "classic golfing gems" passed on down the years!!

Here are the others for somebody else to think about!!

He starts down by turning his hips hard, and diving his right elbow in front of his right hip... like in Hogan's book

As he does this he makes sure he drives his SQUARE clubface into the BACK of the ball

He makes sure his head is glued down until the ball is well
down the fairway, as he continues to drive his club towards the TARGET

He makes sure he is CONNECTED under his left arm during this entire procedure

He then makes a nice, pretty finish

Lagster, just realised that if you grew up in the golfing 1970s then this could have been a collection of some of your old swing thoughts!

Just shows that if you have the talent you can make anything work!! From hybrid monster to GSEM!!

Just been thinking about Hogan grip.

In "modern fundamentals.." the drawing of his right hand always seemed to me to be quite rolled wrist ,weak looking grip with the proximal interphalangeal joint of index finger ( second joint down from the fingertip) on the trail side of the grip.

Just looked in Leadbetter's book on Hogan ( "Fundamentals of Hogan" used original photos on which the drawing was based) and the photos show that it was not rolled at all but pretty perfect looking neutral right hand grip!!

The drawing always made me adopt a weaker right hand grip as a youngster! anybody else noted this Drawing not like photo!!

I'd say if he is that good at mimicking send him home with a tape of Hogan.

Matt

The Bench Is Deep At LBG
 

This is an insightful, well-written post, golfbulldog. Thanks! :clap:

Rory Sabatini? (sp?)

Assuming, he's struggling. Tell him to quit thinking/forget everything he's ever learned. Now hit the ball in whatever way comes natural. Now you know what you have to mold.