We have a question from an Inner Circle member, Jerry. He says this: “I am 68 yrs old, 6′ 3″ with long legs. I have always fought a forward sway. Results predictable – club stuck behind me, balance, angles and weight distribution lost and the sub-conscious (instinct) of body to try & correct the problem in the swing. As I work with PPGS I find I have the same problem. PPGS talks about starting the down swing with the 'bump' but this only seems to 'start my sway.' Does anyone have advice or drills to get me out of this situation?”
Stick gave an answer and he said, “I have the same issue and am currently working thru it but I have to tell myself as one of my swing thoughts is maintaining a still lower body and a flat wrist to my toe line, as far as the bump that really will come natural if you make the forward up swing. Good luck I totally understand the frustrations. Stick.”
Jerry, the bump is a lower left shift of the left knee and left hip for a right hander, where you bump slightly. It's only a little bump, probably your belt buckle will only move and inch, two at the most, because it's shifting the weight from the back to the forward foot. When that happens, because the lower body is running away from the upper body, the upper body should tilt backwards a little bit. Dr. Armstrong calls it the secondary spine angle tilt.
Just like skipping a rock, and you skip it properly, as your forward foot steps forward and your upper body tilt backwards a little bit as your back arm throws the rock. That's what we want in hitting the golf ball. The head stays still or slightly goes back and them, BAMB, as we hit the ball we're standing up and everything moves forward.
So, it is very easy to start the down swing with the shoulders and not the hips. It really happens when we're swinging too long and/or turning too much. Once the club goes past 3/4's the club is moving downward. So the first move that has to happen in the down swing is you have to pull the club up before you can start pulling it down to impact. Because the club is going to parallel or longer is not only going down but the club is moving forward toward the target, that forward momentum can start the body sliding forward.
Once you're ahead, unless you get into a major reverse shift and you stay ahead of the ball, you're going to come in with late impacts and very likely have very steep impacts on the irons, which could cause steep divots or chunks or pulling out of the shot with thins, and could have you ahead of the ball. If the club can't get squared coming to impact, you're coming outside in with an open clubface. So the ball will start on or slightly right of your line, if you're a right hander, and the slice depending on how are you come.
So you could have issues of too long a swing, too much turn, as well as, if you are making a good 3/4 limited turn swing, you are starting with your upper body. You have to work on the skipping the rick drill so you start with the lateral left shift, the lower left bump, to start the down swing.
Once Your head stays still or goes a little bit back, but it never moves forward until after impact.
The Surge!