Shoulders Square At Impact

Mon, 04/23/2012 - 17:23 -- Don Trahan

When students tell me they're having success with the Peak Performance Golf Swing that they've never had before, it makes me extremely happy. This was the case for George Snyder who recently shot the best score of his life. However, he had a question about turning the shoulders after impact.

"Hi Surge, I am George Snyder (the 80 year old) that just completed your very informative and enjoyable one day golf class at Summerfield, FL. Although my wife fussed at me for spending the $499, it was worth every penny to receive 3 hours of one on one instruction form pros like yourself and Dave Seeman and have the exciting experience of playing with PGA professionals on the course. Then add the bonus of golf conversations over lunch and you had a great day of golf. However, this is not intended to be a testimonial. I learned from Dave that the "shoulder turn" does not occur until after impacting the ball. I thought it would be helpful if you explained when the shoulder turn should occur in a 3/4 vertical swing. Regards, George...P.S. I have a handicap of 27 and last Thursday (after your lessons) I "shot" a front nine of 41; by far, the best score of my life!"

First of all, congratulations on your best score George. That is quite an accomplishment regardless of your age. As far as the shoulder turn goes, I think I can best explain this with the help of the SwingTech. Take a look at the video and you'll see that there is a limited turn during the takeaway but at impact the shoulders become square. After impact, it's up to the finish with your shoulders facing the target. The great thing about the SwingTech is that it will not allow you to overturn or get deep into the sacred burial ground. I highly recommend investing in one of these great units, as it will literally force you to swing correctly.

Keep it vertical,

The Surge!
Don Trahan
PGA Master Professional

If you can't view the YouTube video above try CLICKING HERE. You must allow popups from this site for the link to work.

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Comments

Steve Smith's picture

Submitted by Steve Smith on

Laws of golf:

LAW 1: No matter how bad your last shot was, the worst is yet to come. This law does not expire on the 18th hole, since it has the supernatural tendency to extend over the course of a tournament, a summer and, eventually, a lifetime.

LAW 2: Your best round of golf will be followed almost immediately by your worst round ever. The probability of the latter increases with the number of people you tell about the former.

LAW 3: Brand new golf balls are water-magnetic. Though this cannot be proven in the lab, it is a known fact that the more expensive the golf ball, the greater its attraction to water.

LAW 4: Golf balls never bounce off of trees back into play. If one does, the tree is breaking a law of the universe and should be cut down.

LAW 5: No matter what causes a golfer to muff a shot, all his playing partners must solemnly chant "You looked up," or invoke the wrath of the universe.

LAW 6: The higher a golfer's handicap, the more qualified he deems himself as an instructor.

LAW 7: Every par-three hole in the world has a secret desire to humiliate golfers. The shorter the hole, the greater its desire.

LAW 8: Topping a 3-iron is the most painful torture known to man.

LAW 9: Palm trees eat golf balls.

LAW 10: Sand is alive. If it isn't, how do you explain the way it works against you?

LAW 11: Golf carts always run out of juice at the farthest point from the clubhouse.

LAW 12: A golfer hitting into your group will always be bigger than anyone in your group. Likewise, a group you accidentally hit into will consist of a football player, a professional wrestler, a convicted murderer and an IRS agent -- or some similar combination.

LAW 13: All 3-woods are demon-possessed.

LAW 14: Golf balls from the same "sleeve" tend to follow one another, particularly out of bounds or into the water (See Law three).

LAW 15: A severe slice is a thing of awesome power and beauty.

LAW 16: "Nice lag" can usually be translated to "lousy putt." Similarly, "tough break" can usually be translated "way to miss an easy one, sucker."

LAW 17: The person you would most hate to lose to will always be the one who beats you.

LAW 18: The last three holes of a round will automatically adjust your score to what it really should be.

LAW 19: Golf should be given up at least twice per month.

LAW 20: All vows taken on a golf course shall be valid only until the sunset.

Robert Meade's picture

Submitted by Robert Meade (not verified) on

At a mere 260 yards with your 3 wood I'd say so. I jest. 260 is awesome for most golfers. Though a shot I hit with my 5 wood yesterday morning was 242. Super long for me and not typical. Have been averaging about 210 lately which I'll gladly take. Maybe some day I'll be more successful with my 3 wood.

T Medley's picture

Submitted by T Medley (not verified) on

 Ed,

Here are the results from entering (over the top cure) into the search block in the lower right column. Many tips already exist for that problem.
http://www.swingsurgeon.com/Da...
 

Dick Lee's picture

Submitted by Dick Lee (not verified) on

 Gil

Glad you had a great time.   Thanks for sharing your experience with all of us in the Surge Nation.

Sounds like a blast.  I will have to try to put it together to join in on one soon.

Thanks,
Dick

Steve Smith's picture

Submitted by Steve Smith on

 242 is about the same as I do with a 5 wood so you are right with me with that club. Getting inside of 250 to the green is a pretty big deal in my game because I hit my 5 wood very high and it has a much better chance of staying where it lands on the green than my 3 wood does.
Last year my 3 iron pretty much made my five wood unnecessary because they were so close to the same distance but I'm just not hitting my irons very well this year and the bright side of that is at least the distance gap is about right.

T Medley's picture

Submitted by T Medley (not verified) on

Don, or Support:

You mentioned a possible one day school at Murifield in a month or so. I am interested, but as yet, there is nothing posted on the site. A month is not very far off to allow personal plans to be adjusted. Do you have any tentative date in mind yet, and/or know who the instructors attending will be. Any chance Doc would be there for club checks or fittings. 

Thanks

NeilofOz's picture

Submitted by NeilofOz (not verified) on

Steve, I loved all of it, but here's my slant on a couple:-

Law 4, I get a lot help from trees, the secret is to be a tree hugger and then
they pay you back with kindness, my mates don't believe me and they suffer.

Law 6, Sounds like me, it's cause I'm getting so much knowledge from fellow Surgites, LOL.

Robert F's picture

Submitted by Robert F (not verified) on

Casting is largely a problem of early release of the hands, which could be from a number of issues. Quick question: If you focus on delaying the release until closer to impact, do you usually hit fat? If so, I'd say the biggest problem is that your clubs are too long for you and the casting is your brain's response to trying to avoid smacking the ground. If that's not the issue, then drills like Dave Seeman's whoosh drill with the stick can really help you to get better timing of your release. Also, trying not to focus too much on the ball can help, because the other big cause is trying to hit at the ball from the top of the swing, rather than letting the arms fall after the Bump and then swinging up to the finish with the ball just getting in the way.

Steve Smith's picture

Submitted by Steve Smith on

The trees are my friend.
If the fairways were full of trees I would have a big advantage over my friends because they are not as used to dealing with trees as I am. ;-)

Amos 's picture

Submitted by Amos (not verified) on

Steve:

   Total agreement with you -- specially on your last 3 "rules"
Sometimes I do have to "bite my tongue" really hard when I play with someone who is really struggling -- and obviously a beginner.  but my firm rule is "give no advice unless asked"

   Amos

Mike L.'s picture

Submitted by Mike L. (not verified) on

Surge,

Using PPGS I broke 80 for the first time in my life (I'm 71). Hit it down the middle but lacked distance and sometimes had a reverse pivot. Then saw your video on "sinking into the right leg", tried it and BINGO, fixed both issues. I'm a happy camper, God bless you for your videos.

Robert Meade's picture

Submitted by Robert Meade (not verified) on

Steve, I totally agree you and Neil on the tree thing. I have had more trees help my shots than hurt! Also, if I have a tree I have to hit a shot over, around or two between I'm golden. That has all been made clear lately by all shots from the middle of the fairway I have botched by comparison. My latest learning curve of how to hit a green from the shortgrass with no obstacal has been interesting if not entertaining.
    Oh,a severe slice is a thing of beauty for sure but I could never give up golf twice a month unless crippled! And indeed three woods are demon possessed but damn am I killing my 5 wood nicely lately :)
    That was a fun list of golf laws Steve, thanks for the laughs and tearful reminders of the golf world!
    

Ianjenko's picture

Submitted by Ianjenko (not verified) on

Regarding the Swingtech .Is it only suitable for learning a full swing or can it be used for feeling the correct plane for pitching?

Robert F's picture

Submitted by Robert F (not verified) on

Terry,

I bet if you called Debbie Bragg (864-285-0318) she could tell you about it.

Robert Meade's picture

Submitted by Robert Meade (not verified) on

Gil,
I was bummed that this was the first of the three Swingsurgeon Tournies I missed having experienced the first two at Old South and then in Las Vegas.
I second all the great things you expressed about your experience. My photos with Surge and DJ sit proudly on my fireplace mantle.
BTW, though not anounced yet,I am looking forward to the Fall Swingsurgeon Tournament in Las Vegas and challenge as many as possible to make that one, likely at the end of Sept. beginning of October 2012.

TinaB's picture

Submitted by TinaB (not verified) on

Hi T,
I AM GOING!  Hadn't been on the site for a couple of days and about flipped when I saw the one day in Ohio.  WHAT FUN. I was going to do an online lession with Dave Seeman, and now I get to see him in person.  Even better!  Hope you're able to get there as well.

Robert Meade's picture

Submitted by Robert Meade (not verified) on

Terry,
That's really exciting that they will hold a school in your hood. Great for you. You really will be glad if you make it. I still repeat and benifit from direction I recieved on the two ocassions I met with Surges instructors. You'll never regret it. Hope it works out for you.

Robert Colman's picture

Submitted by Robert Colman (not verified) on

Please tell me where I can purchase a SWING TECH stand as demonstrated on your web page today. I live in Australia!

T Medley's picture

Submitted by T Medley (not verified) on

Hello Tina.

It's good to hear from you. I'm interested in going, but cannot say for sure. I will have to do some rearranging of previous commitments first, and then justify the cost. I sort of spent too much on golf toys and new furniture already this year, but still weighing my options. Fortunately I have some time to decide.

Swingsurgeon Tech Crew's picture

Submitted by Swingsurgeon Te... (not verified) on

 Forgot to say...  Doc will not be there for fitting but one of our certified club fitters will be there, John Dranschak.  Just so happens that John is responsible for this school so give him a hand shake when you see him :)

Amos 's picture

Submitted by Amos (not verified) on

Steve :

  Law 3 should be amended to include "and bunkers" -- specially if the bunker is hard, crusty and poorly maintained.

  Law 6 -- depends on the golfer and WHY he/she is a high handicaper -- Some of us old folks "used to be low handicappers" -- until age "did ti's thing"
   
   Law 9: include "and cactus"
 
   Law 13 : Truer words were never spoken!!

  Keep hitting them STRAIGHT and LONG

  Amos

NeilofOz's picture

Submitted by NeilofOz (not verified) on

Robert, I'm from WA and have purchased the swingtech recently, just click
on Surge's Shop at the top of this page and then click on "Golf Training Aids", details are all there.

This device is excellent for those who just can't quite appreciate the vertcal
plane that Don talks about and gives an instant physical presence of where
the hands and body should be in the BUS and FUS, happy golfing.  

Barneyg4's picture

Submitted by Barneyg4 on

Surge,
I have been playing golf for over a month now here in Pennsylvania. My issue has to with the approach shot to the green. I have been having difficulty getting the bsll to bite and stay on the gree, The greens I play are crested so the ball rolls off, If I shoot short as a pitch and run shot it still rolls past the pin, Is there a way for a Sugite ti put some spin on the ball to get the ball to stop relatively close to the pin.
so I have a putt and not another chip.
Joel Wilcher AKA Barneyg4 

Russty Kiwi's picture

Submitted by Russty Kiwi (not verified) on

The only problem I have with golf is that there are just far too many rules. But you have to laugh about it, otherwise it would drive you nuts

Robert Colman's picture

Submitted by Robert Colman (not verified) on

Thanks so much Neil.
I shall follow your instructions.
Every blessing. 

Robert F's picture

Submitted by Robert F (not verified) on

First check your golf ball to be sure you're using one with a soft enough cover. If the ball and cover are too hard for your swing speed, you won't get the appropriate spin. Next you have to be sure that you're making clean, square-faced contact for maximum contact between face and ball and getting proper compression. That's all anyone can do, no matter what swing theory they employ.

Some places it may not be entirely possible to get a ball to bite (had a course like that in California where all the greens were crowned and it was like trying to land a ball on a concrete dome), so you just deal with it and probably talk to the course management to see if there isn't something they can do to make the greens more playable for the average person.

T Medley's picture

Submitted by T Medley (not verified) on

 Thanks, good to know. I've already met John, he built my club set last year for me. Hopefully, I will be able to attend this one.

Steve Smith's picture

Submitted by Steve Smith on

Those laws came from a joke site.
If I wrote my own laws some would be the same and some not, especially the 3 wood joke. For me anything shorter than a driver and longer than an 8 iron are the best clubs in my bag (and always have been except the driver used to be in that group).

Ed Miller's picture

Submitted by Ed Miller (not verified) on

Surge, I love the PPGS. I've noticed on video I have a casting problem and  this probably costs me yards as well as consistent contact. Can you do a video to help those of us with this problem?

Steve Smith's picture

Submitted by Steve Smith on

 A pitch and run is supposed to run. If it's running too far it's just a misjudgment in how far to carry the ball and/or with how much loft. The only way to "fix" that is more practice until you get a feel for which club to use and how much roll to carry you are getting on the greens you are playing on. Really tricky on the course I usually play because almost all of the greens are different right now. We've all pretty much had to change our approach and all of us are using a pitch and roll much less than we normally would. Too unpredictable on those greens.

On other short shots the more loft you use and the faster you swing the more spin it will have. Takes a ton of practice for those shots and the average person is much better served to use the loft of the shot to control the distance instead of spin.

There are two ways to control loft. One is to use a more lofted club. The other is to open the club face and then open the foot line to bring the face of the club (now more lofted because it is open) back to facing the target.

I've had times when I had no choice but to lay the face wide open and take a full speed swing for a 5 yard shot but it's not a high percentage shot unless I am really on my game and even then it's a last resort.

Spin is unpredictable and often the spin gets turned around on the first bounce and then it's always going to be long. I only use spin to stop my shots when it's absolutely necessary  as on a green sloping severely away from me.

GIL's picture

Submitted by GIL on

The Spring Tournament, Old South Links--OUTSTANDING!

Surgites,

I remember being furious when I could not make the previous PPGS Tournament in December of 2011, and insisted I wouldn't miss the next one.  I was able to keep my promise to myself for the Spring Tournament and was not disappointed.  it was one of the most fun and productive 3 days I've ever spent.  Surge and his team comprise a 1st class organization with outstanding customer service, from Surge and all the instructors to Tom of IT and Marketing, to young Ari of video production.  We had 10 dedicated Surgites of all levels of ability and handicaps.  All were made to feel comfortable, and all were given a lot of individual attention by all instructors including Surge himself.  There was plenty of range time, then, off to the course being followed by Surge, Greg, Derek Gall, and/or Doc Griffin, and an outstanding course at that!  Challenging, but not punishing, even for high handicappers, and there were a few of us.  :)   All are great instructors.  And to have so many of them, one might  pick up on a subtle swing fault not so obvious another, so your swing got dissected many times.  And playing with fellow surgeswing believers was awesome.  In my foursome, all of us had our clubs fitted and built by Doc Griffin! 

 The package was an unbelievable value, considering all the golf time,greens fees included, personal instruction, unlimited range balls, video of us on the course which we reviewed later, unlimited Q and A, on the range and over meals (breakfasts, lunches and one dinner included, and outstanding!)  All this for less than what we'd pay for 2 rounds of golf per day, on this or any high end golf course.  And we all got to meet DJ, an impressive ball striker and great guy, and excellent  teacher in his own right.  We watched him launch ballls into orbit, and he talked on multiple topics, including technique with some frank discussion of the  Pro-Golfer's life, his own game,  the Tour, fellow players, and entertained a very generous Q and A session with grace and humor.  Then we all got photos with Don and DJ which they later signed for us.  Now they didn't have to do that.  But that just shows how these guys will put the icing on the cake and go the extra mile to make your experience a good and memorable one.  Don and DJ and the whole team really want us all to play better, and enjoy eachother's company in the process.  They have a vision for all of us to play together, so Surgites in any given area or community can gather with like minded surgeswingers to enjoy eachothers company and golf.  I made great new friends, and feel like I'm part of the family!

So please, if there is any way, get out there and play with these guys.  You won't regret it, especially if you're struggling to 'turn the corner'.  The golf schools are a much larger investment.  But I have no doubt they're a great value for those who can swing it.  I can't imagine this team disappointing anyone.  At the very least, make plans for next year's Spring Tournament.  Let's have at leasts 6 foursomes!  Don't miss it!  I will see you there! 

Gil

Steve Smith's picture

Submitted by Steve Smith on

If I wrote the joke list law 6 would not have been on there for two reasons.

One is that I couldn't care less about a handicap. I never turned in my cards even when I was a club member to get one. Never could figure out a good reason to want one since I had no intention of playing in any handicap tournaments and we don't use any handicap in any of the local games I play in.

The other reason it wouldn't be on the list if I wrote the list is that how good somebody can play is a very poor indicator of how well they can coach (in any sport).
The list of great players that went on to be great coaches in sports is a very short list.

That said, I don't want ANYBODY, whether they have a high or low handicap, giving me golf tips during a round unless I ask and I follow the same rule.

I do have 3 rules to keep from annoying a better player so they might want to play another round with me.

1. Play fast.
2. Don't complain.
3. (The biggie) DON'T COACH UNLESS ASKED.

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