Thoughts and Non Thoughts

Hank Haney advocates a grip that is not all fingers. He suggests the left palm partly grips the club. It goes against what I've been taught but I have not been getting consistency so I tried it today at the range. I noticed that my hooks and wild sprays disappeared instantly. It makes it easier to feel "back of the hand aiming at the target at impact." It encourages a shorter, more compact, backswing and allows you to make a full turn on the follow through without fearing the ball will go left. Is this the key to consistency? We'll see on the fairway.

When all is said and done, what matters most is not how much you were loved but how much you loved.

De la Torre's method really simplifies things. "Bring the clubhead back with the hands, then swing the entire club towards the target with your arms." Arms being the upper arm, between the shoulders and elbows. "Your job is to swing the club, not hit the ball." It's like a wave that washes away all other swings thoughts on the shore. You just swing, the club takes care of the ball.

Many of the golf instructions focus on positions -- of the body, arms, club -- during the swing. This is well and good. Few talk about tempo, which is important in accomplishing a swinging action. Advocates of the Manuel de la Torre method and Tour Tempo bring these concepts to the fore. My pro gave me an insight that helped me incorporate these into my swing. He noticed I already have (more than) enough body/pivot movement and suggested I focus on the movement of my arms and hands. He said I should start my takeaway/backswing faster, slow down at the top/transition before accelerating again in the downswing. Of course it is important to swing from the inside out and retain that wrist cock/hinge/lag in the downswing. When everything else (swing plane thoughts) fails, it may be the tempo that is off.