Ben Hogan’s Five Lessons, (03) Stance and Posture, Notes

Post date: Oct 14, 2017 3:16:25 PM

Ben Hogan’s Five Lessons by Ben Hogan with Herbert Warren Wind

Chapter 3. Lesson 2: Stance and Posture

• • We must observe and test with an orderly method, or we are simply complicating our problems. Take notes after each session on what we’ve been working on, exactly how it’s progressing and precisely where we should resume our testing the next time we go out to practice. To build a sound, effective and consistent swing we must go about it sensibly. Practice the few important fundamentals, the authentic essentials, until performing them becomes almost as instinctive as walking. Have a definite purpose about every movement.

  • Power and control must be combined in a golf swing and the stance is that step in which a golfer sets up to (1) be in balance throughout the swing, (2) use the muscles fluidly and (3) all the energy poured into the swing is channeled to produce maximum control and power. The little movements that a fine golfer makes with his feet, knees and shoulders and hands are to feel that everything that he will be calling on in his swing is in balance and poised for action

  • From the moment the club is taken from the bag, get a feel for the weight of the club. Make sure the grip is correct then align the face of the club to the target. Then align the body with the face as we shuffle in position for the shot. The adjustment of the feet, the legs, the trunk, the arms and the hands are all done simultaneously, interdependently.

• • The feet: the feet should be set apart the width of the shoulders when playing a standard 5-iron shot. They are set somewhat closer together when playing the more lofted clubs and somewhat wider than shoulder width when playing the long irons and the woods. Setting the feet too far apart is self defeating as the extended limbs lock the legs at joints that must remain supple. A fairly wide stance gives a firmer foundation for traction and balance and permits the shoulders to be unbunched and to operate more freely than a narrow stance does.

• • The right foot is at a right angle to the line of flight and the left foot is turned out a quarter of a turn to the left. This puts the body in a better position when the club is coming into the ball on the downswing to go in the direction in which his left foot is going. Tend to list the body a little toward the target at address. The proper stance makes it easier to go into the backswing, to feel and control the muscles that should initiate the swing. The correct stance acts as a perfect automatic governor on the amount of hip turn the golfer can and should take on the back-swing.

• • Checkpoints: With a complete full hip turn, the belt buckle should point toward the toe of the squared right foot.

• • The stance affects the downswing a great deal. If the left foot is correctly positioned we can go through the ball with everything and release the whole works. Every ounce of energy is imparted to the ball. Muscles in the body connect with other muscles. Muscles used in a chain activate others that are connected with it. Some sets of muscles are active in the golf swing and others have no real business in the swing. Bringing incorrect forces into the swing breaks down coordination and curtails the correct functioning of the correct muscles. Develop the right habits, proper muscle memory. If we set it up so the good guys can take over, the bad guys can’t.

  • The arms. During the swing, one of the two arms is always straight creating a uniform arc and helping to build a repeating swing. In order for the club to travie its maximum arc, one arm must be extended at all times. Any break down of the left elbow on the backswing or the right elbow on the follow-through, shortens the arc considerably. The shorter the arc, the less speed we can develop. The greater the speed the clubhead travels, the greater the distance. The left arm, straight at address, remains straight throughout the backswing while the right folds in at the elbow. On the downswing, the left continues to be fully extended and the right gradually straightens out. A foot or so past the ball, the point in the swing when the clubhead is traveling at its peak sped, both arms are fully extended for the one and only time during the swing. After that point, the left arm folds in at the elbow and the right remains straight to the end of the follow-through.

  • The arms act as the connection between the club and the body The closer the two arms are together, the better they will operate as one unit. When they operate asn one unit they pull all of the elements of the swing together. The upper parts of the arms should be pressed very tightly against the sides of the chest. The elbow should be tucked in, not stuck out from the body. At address, the left elbow should point directly at the left hipbone and the right elbow should point directly at the right hip bone. There should be a sense of fixed jointness between the two forearms and the wrists, and it should be maintained throughout the swing. The elbows are pressed as close together as possible. With the elbows pointed at the hips, the pits face toward the sky. This position of address with the left arm straight and the right elbow broken a little allows the right elbow to fold in close to the body. As it folds close to the body, the elbow should always be pointing toward the ground. The upper part of the right arm adheres as closely as possible to the side of the chest. With practice, the arms will begin to recognize with increasing certainness that they are on the right track as they swing back and then forward. With an increasingly sure swing, the club is bound to go away from the ball and come back through the ball very nearly the same every time.

• • Relaxation. Simply keeping the body in motion helps the body relax tremendously. It’s ok to be a bit keyed up and we should as golf requires good concentration. We want active relaxation, not limp or tense but a little live tension in muscles about to do work. We want the muscles we are about to be using tuned up. We set ourselves by positioning it so the muscular system can work correctly. Above all, the knees must be properly flexed, the legs must be supple but at the same time they must have live tension. The rest of the body will pick up the athletic temper from the legs. When the knees are flexed as they should be, we can move the hips and shoulders with real ease.

• • Take a semi sitting position. The trunk remains normally erect as it does when sitting down in chair or when walking down a fairway. Bend the head down only by bending the neck, not the back or shoulders. The body should be in balance both laterally and back to front. Feel a sense of heaviness in the buttocks. The lower part of the legs should feel very springy and strong, loaded with elastic energy. The weight should bit a bit more on the heels than on the balls of the feet (be able to lift the toes inside the shoes.) Always practice position with a golf club the the hands and go about it as if getting ready to play a shot. By standing erect, the arms naturally extend and we are about four inches above the ball. As we lower into the semi sitting position, the upper trunk should feel like it’s an elevator dropping down a floor, the club head descends as the trunk descends. When complete , the clubhead should be an inch or two above the ball, Then, with a little motion, the hands set the clubhead behind the ball.

  • During the golf swing, the knees work “toward each other” so start them that way to begin with. Knees should be slightly inside the feet. Only with a correct stance and posture can the legs, arms and body be properly balance and positioned to carry out their assignments during the swing. Then is when we feel live tension the arm and leg muscles which must function actively during the swing. The muscles to work with are the ‘inside muscles’--the muscles that stretch along the inside of the legs and thighs, the muscles along the inside of the arms.

• • If we start right, have patience and practice a few things daily, taking the time to master the fundamentals: being sure we have learned clearly and well the grip, stance and posture, we arrive at a solid foundation. Then we can go on to practice a few more advanced things daily, continually increasing skill. Practice at home can be made more pleasurable if we do it along with fellow golfers (friends and family) That person is also a check, helping one another to correct errors. Use a mirror and video to check our moves. Execute the fundamentals properly so that you will have a swing that functions properly. We can’t just have a swing that looks good, it must function under pressure. After all, style is function and function is style--if it works good, it probably looks good.