Aiming point
 

I'm new to TGM so this may be a dumb question; if so, forgive me. I understand why a hitter would want an aiming point, but why would a swinger? If the whole idea is to just let the ball get in the way of swing why would you have an aiming point?

Aiming Point, when not the inside aft quadrant of the ball, is located on the delivery line which visually directs the Clubhead. This is an alternate way of assuring an On-Plane Stroke by visualizing the Clubhead Orbit.

If you draw the Clubhead Arc on the Ground, it will always pass through the Inside Aft Quadrant of the Ball. The Aiming Point would be somewhere along this Arc Line.

If you, as I do, prefer to trace the Plane Line with the #3 PP, then the Aiming Point ( if you want to call it that ) will always be the inside Aft Quadrant of the Ball. I guess when I think hard about it, I'm directing Thrust along the Plane Line with the focus on intersecting the Inside Aft Quadrant of the Ball. Hmm? I guess that the Inside Quad of the ball is my Aiming Point.

( I think, I'm close, at least, to understanding the Aiming Point Concept )(I need the Posts. I heard that after 4,000 posts, ya get free lessons :laughing9 )

Wow!! This is some deep stuff. I've started tracking the plane line with the #3pp. That alone has helped a lot. Now I've got to figure out if my right arm lifts the left on the backswing. If I push my left arm with my right on the downswing or is it more a flinging of my left arm off my chest, etc., etc., and the list goes on and on.

uh oh, then I'm probably wrong. When it goes deep, I tend to bury myself in it. :laughing9

Don't worry Daryl,

I doubt there are many who can tell whether you'r wrong or right. It looks good to me anyway. I was actually standing by here waiting for an answer from someone of your caliber.

One question though;

Do you really trace the plane line with pp#3? I don't mean geometrically, but mentally. In a monitoring sense? Do you think about it when you strike the ball?

I do a lot of tracing at address. My mindset is arch of approach. But when I've started the motion, the tracing basically happens in virtual reality.

The monitoring I do with pp#3 is basically for lag pressure and discontinuites in the hinge action.

I don't monitor where the club is going. Not conciously anyway. But I probably do it subconciously. It seems like I already know where the clubhead is and what it takes to move it through impact. So a lot of focus on the ball and the intent of the shot, but not much monitoring once I've started the motion.

Yes. I try as long a trace as the length of swing permits.

Three feet aft and Three feet forward is a definite "Drawing a line with a Pencil". With a flying wedge waggle, Three feet aft of the ball, the trace feels like a right to left dragging a broom where the wall meets the floor, and Three feet forward the trace needs right arm straightening to keep the broom against the baseboard.

During the actual swing, all of that blends together and feels like a long sweep while straightening my right arm. But it's definitely drawing a line with a sweeping and straightening motion of my right forearm/hand.

It's really important to me to feel that on every shot because it helps to feel like I'm dragging the #3 PP pressure through the ball as my right arm straightens. I like the feel of dragging the club and I want to keep it dragging and not take over the shot.

I don't rotate my arms or Wrists (Swivel) which is probably why I'm able to sense the #3 PP so well. I just use a simple Horizontal Hinge. The Impact Swivel is the automatic outcome of my Hand Path moving Down-Plane. Simply Straightening the Right Arm while moving Down-Plane returns the Clubface to Vertical for Impact.

Those are my feels. They worked really well this year. I really tried to keep things simple. Fairways, Greens, Bar, Nap; in that order. :)

Aiming point is the "physics of delivery paths" . . . so what the heck does that mean? well basically it's how you can control when the club "throws out" . . . it's a personal thing really . . and it can have a lot to do with the length of the club . . . for instance I see a lot of "machinist" guys who are into the machine big time (LIKE ME!!!) who have this affection for "accumulator lag" . . . that Hogan laggy look . . . there is a "picture of what's happening" and then there is a procedure . . . I can promise you ben hogan wasn't doing any "holding on" . . .he set a lot of angle but he DUMPED it . . . slung it out of there . . . this is why it is a personal deal . . . you may be a cat that "dumps it" to the point where you have "shot your proverbial load" early . . .so you may need to have a more "forward" aiming point . . . or you could be a cat like me . . . who watch Ben Doyle's tapes . . . tried to get his right elbow infront of his navel and NEVER DUMPED ANYTHING . . . something you can experiment with . . . hard to say without knowing what you do . . . people want to achieve a leaning shaft . . . I'm all for that . . .but WHAT IS THE CORRECT AMOUNT? Do you want tons of shaft lean with a 3 iron? As the clubs get longer generally you are moving your aiming point back . . .to account for the amount of time it takes for them to get "in line". So it's kind of about when you allow the club to begin the process of "getting in line" . . . you want to extend the radius . . . but you want to do it in a way that allows you to bring speed about consistently and on plane at the proper time to deliver the club in an arc that doesn't disturb low point that you can control . . . everybody wants this snap release . . . is that always the ideal? Is that going to bring about the best results for YOU . . . CONSISTENTLY? For me I'm not sure it is ideal . . . I had my aiming point soooo far forward that the club never really had a chance to overtake and my hands get pulled out over the plane with the clubhead too under . . . balls can go EVERYWHERE . . . watch what you wish for . . .

Well said, bucket!

I totally agree about what you say about shaft lean. Being able to manipulate that is an important part of shot making though.


" ... to account for the time of them to get in line.."

This applies mostly to driveloading, no?

If you're a swinger with pure CF, the aiming point will only account for where the swing path is pointing at impact. The left wrist is then truly CF flat at impact regardless of where you locate your aiming point.

The side spin will be determined by the overtaking rate at imapct, and adjustments to the grip; Everything else will stay the same. So I think I understand the basis for this question.

My goto high draw with some distance is a pure CF swing where I place the aiming point quite some distance before the ball. If I struggle with poor dynamics I aim on the plane line, but away from the target. That's right. Aiming town right when the ball is supposed to go up and left. It prevents an independend arms swing and let the pivot carry the arms instead. It reinforces a sequenced and late release with late pp#3 rotation and reinforces a lot of things that are good for impact dynamics.

It took a while before I figured out that putting the ball back in the stance and just take a swing at it didn't produce a low ball flight at all. I had to to add some finesse - blend in some driveloading to manipulate the height of the ball flight and / or some pivot finesse to manipulate the hinge acction. The I work the ball the more important the aiming point gets.

I usually think more of the clubhead than what is recommended in TGM, but when it comes to aiming point, it is lot about the hands; Where I direct the hands and the lag presure I want to feel in the hands when I get there.

Point Blank
 

...or you can use the Impact Fix Hand location as a gateway.

and he surfs the galaxies . . . bending time and space . . .