Ben Hogan’s Five Lessons, (04) The First Part of the Swing, Notes

Post date: Oct 22, 2017 1:02:05 PM

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

(04) Lesson 3: The First Part of the Swing

• • A world class teacher must have the ideal temperament plus be able to explain to the student what (s)he ought to be doing, why it is correct and the result it produces. Then, work like blazes to get it across so that the student really understands what is being taught. Nonetheless, a teacher is no better than the pupil’s ability to work and learn, to be serious and interested enough to spend the time practicing and preparing.

  • A correct swing can stand up day after day. The greater the pressure put on it, the better the swing should function, if it is honestly sound.

  • The first part of the swing--from the address to the top of the backswing--requires some instinct, a sense of organization, some thought and a fair control of muscular action. If the backswing is executed correctly, at the top of the backswing the legs, hips, shoulders, arms and hands will be properly poised and interrelated to move with power and coordination into the downswing. Get the few key movements clear in the mind and execute them. This is where the golf shot begins to be played.

  • The golf swing is an accumulative thing. All the actions are linked together. If the body, legs and arms are properly positioned and poised to begin with we can learn to execute the proper movements. This is why we must build upon a correct grip and stance. Just as one faulty movement leads to others, each correct movement allows the execution of other moves correctly. With practice, the movements blend together harmoniously and fuse into one smooth overall movement. A good swing is physical pleasure.

  • The bridge between the address and the actual backswing is the ‘waggle.’ It is an extremely important part of shotmaking, a sort of a miniature practice swing, an abbreviated “dry run” for the shot coming up. A good golfer looks back and forth between the target and the ball and visualizes the shot that is going to be played, instinct takes over and the club waggles back and forth. During the waggle, the mental picture from the brain is telegraphed into the muscles as the golfer makes the little adjustments necessary to be perfectly in balance for hitting that particular shot from that particular lie. Adjusting the shot, coordination is established in the process. Conduct an instinctive roll call of the parts of the body that will be used, alerting them and refreshing their memory of the movements they’ll be making during the swing. As the club is taken back on the waggle, the good golfer becomes accustomed to the path the club will be taking on the actual backswing. As the club waggles forward, adjust so that the clubface will be coming into the ball square and on the target line.

    • The shoulders do not turn during the waggle. The feet make only small adjusting movements. The hands and arms move. The hands and arms pass their rhythm, their tempo of coordination, on to the legs and feet. The trunk of the body and the shoulders pick up this beat, smoothly, from the arms and legs. The whole body, in effect, becomes synchronized to the rhythm in which the various parts will working cohesively together during the swing.

    • Take full advantage of the opportunity to waggle, to rehearse the desired swing for the shot at hand. During the waggle, concentrate so hard on the shot that the sensation of actually hitting the shot is felt. When this happens, it’s time to begin the actual backswing.

    • Each time the club waggles back, the right elbow should hit the front part of the right hip (where the watch pocket is.) When this takes place, the left elbow, as it must, comes out slightly, the lower part of the arm from the elbow rotates down a little, and the left hand moves three inches or so past the ball toward the target. As the hands move back to the ball on the forward waggle, the left hand also moves an inch or two past the ball toward the target. During the waggle the upper part of the arms remain rooted against the sides of the chest, no turning of the shoulders.

    • The rhythm of the waggle varies with each shot played. It takes instinct to plan and play a golf shot, and the preparations for each shot must be done instinctively. The waggle fits the shot. The waggle gives the golfer a running start and blends right into the swing. The golf swing is simply an extension of the way the golfer takes the club back on the waggle. The club follows that same path and at the speed the waggle has regulated.

• • • During the waggle, the shoulders do not turn. On the actual swing they do, right from the beginning of the backswing. The backswing is initiated by the almost simultaneous movement of the hands, arms and shoulders. Turning the shoulders does not change the angle created by the waggle. It simply increases the arc of the turn.

• • The golf swing is a continuous chain of actions, the component parts of the swing fuse together and work together in a purposeful sequence. Clearly grasp the interrelationship of the hands, arms, shoulders and hips to play good golf. We can’t help but play good golf.

  • On the backswing the order goes like this: hands, arms, shoulders and hips. On the downswing the order is reversed. The hands start a split second before the arms which start a split second before the shoulders. The rhythm, acquired through practice, instinctively ties the hands, arms and shoulders on this schedule. Just before the hands reach hip level the shoulders, as they turn, automatically start pulling the hips around. As the hips turn, they pull to the right.

  • Shoulders: The shoulders go as far around as they will go, depending on the individual. The head remains relatively stationary. When the shoulders have turned all the way, the back should be facing our target. The left arm remains straight. At the finish of the backswing, the chin is hitting against the top of the left shoulder.

  • Hips: Turning the hips too soon is a serious error. In the backswing, restrain the hips from moving until the turning of the shoulders starts to pull the hips around. A golfer wants to create tension in the muscles between the hips and shoulders in the midsection, for this tension is the key to the downswing. It’s the difference in the amount of turn between the shoulders and hips that sets up this muscular tension. If the hips are turned as much as the shoulders, there’d be no tightening at all. As the hips turn back to the left, this tension increases and it is this tension that unwinds the upper body (shoulders, arms and hands in that order.) Maximum tension in the muscles between the hips and the shoulders produces maximum speed. This is the speed that ultimately produces clubhead speed and clubhead speed is what produces distance. This tension helps so much it makes it almost automatic. The shoulders, arms and hands enter into the swing just when and as they should. They’re already loaded with the tension (and power) they’ve stored up. They’re all set to release it.

• • Legs: As the hips enter the swing, they pull the left leg in. The left knee breaks into the right, the left foot rolls in to the right onto the inside part of the right sole, and what weight that is left on the left left leg rides to the inside of the ball of the foot. To maintain good balance, the left heel comes off the ground no more than an inch, if at all. Let the body and the legs move the feet. The right leg maintains the same position it had at address. It maintains the same angle in relation to the ground throughout the backswing. A stable right leg and a right knee that remains pointed in a bit prevents the leg from sagging and swaying to the right, carrying the body along with it.

• • Plane: The plane of the backswing is the angle of inclination running from the ball to the shoulders. The pitch of the angle is determined by two factors: the height of the individual’s shoulders and the distance he stands from the ball at address. En route to the top of the backswing, the shoulders should rotate on this plane, continuously inclined at the same angle they established at address (with the ball.) The arms, hands and club should also remain on the same angle of inclination as they swing back. Use the left arm as the guide. If they follow the appointed route the plane sets up, insuring that the upper body and arms will be correctly inter-aligned when they reach that crucial point where the backswing ends and the downswing begins. This allows the energy of the hips, shoulders, arms and hands to be released in that correct order during the downswing, obtaining maximum distance and accuracy without having to try and manufacture some power somehow with some last-ditch swing-wrecking effort. Misplaced effort produces very little in the way of distance and damages direction left and right. Unnecessary tension makes golf a frustrating game as there is little return on the energy placed in the shot. A correct swing pre arranges the chain action. Learn to stay in the backswing plane and store power properly. The proper sequence is a tremendous pleasure and is the only way to reap the full rewards for the effort poured into it. The correct angle for the plane depends on build and arm length.

    • To visualize the plane at address, imagine the head sticking out through an immense pane that inclines upward from the ball. To execute the backswing properly, the arms need to be parallel and should remain parallel with the plane as they approach hip level, beneath the glass, till they reach the top of the backswing. At the top of his backswing, his left arm should be extended at the exact same angle (to the ball) as the glass. As the shoulders turn on the backswing, the tip of shoulders will continuously be brushing on the glass. If the arms thrust up above the plane, so that they would shatter the glass, we headed for disaster. This error usually occurs near the top of the backswing, which only serves to pretzel the body out of position. Keeping on plane allows a more consistent swing to be grooved.