I got a call the other day from Mike C., a long time student from Florida, who was in South Carolina on business and was checking to see if I was home and could give him a lesson the next day as he had a business meeting in Greenville where I teach. This is the first time in the last 3 times he has come my way that I have been home and able to see him.
We met a 9AM at the range and Mike gave me an update on his limited playing time and the state of his swing and game. Things were good overall, but he was having problems with pulls and blocks and divots getting a little deep. As I was filling out my setup and swing evaluation form, Mike reminded me that we had been working together since 1992. Amazing.
Overall his setup and swing was really good. Mike pays attention to fundamentals and that is why he is a solid and consistent +1 to +2 handicap, playing from the tips on one of Florida's PGA Tour host courses. True to his description of his flight patterns, Mike was hitting some pulls and blocks and his divots were digging out the turf, not tearing the grass out as we like to see in shallow divots. His setup and swing were classic PPGS with the trademark wide and quiet knees in the limited turn ¾ vertical backswing to the T – Finish.
The only real setup issue I had to comment on was his right arm was too high (level to above his left) and straight, which I term 'BAD POSITION' (Back Arm Dominant/higher rather than 'FAD POSITION' the Forward Arm Higher and thus Dominant). This was causing his arms to not rotate enough in the takeaway to the catcher's mitt. This caused the club to be a little outside the hands at 9:00 o'clock and a slight over rotation in swinging vertical up the tree, sending the club a little flat, around 11:30 instead of 12:00 o'clock vertical.
This slight flatness caused the pull if he swung down a little inside and over released, or the block when he held on too long to stop the pull. In both instances he was gouging out some deep divots. I told Mike that despite setting up FAD, I tend to take the club away, keeping my right arm too extended, and end up in the same position as he did, with the same flight problems. I also discussed how I figured out, by watching videos of D.J. (who always had perfect FAD and lift). I saw that D.J.'s right arm moved differently than mine and following his arm movement proved the cure.
I had him setup and as he had been doing, with the right arm a little too high. I took a 7 iron, holding the head in my right hand, and put it with the grip touching under his left forearm. From there I tilted the shaft downward until it touched and lowered his right arm below his left, which also caused a slight fold or bend in the arm. I pointed out that the inside of his elbow now pointed straight up to 12:00 0'clock and that his shoulders were now more tilted to the right. Most importantly, the right shoulder was relaxed. I pointed out that in order for the arms to lift up the shoulders must be relaxed. I took his club and him hunch both shoulders up and try to lift his arms. He, like all humans, could only lift them from the elbows, which stayed close to his waist. I then had him relax the shoulders and he lifted both arms straight up above his head.
With Mike back in the lower right arm setup, I had him make a takeaway to the catcher's mitt and stop when the shaft got to 9:00 o'clock, parallel to the ground. I pointed out two really important positions that are a must at this stage of the swing. The first is that with the right arm lower at address, when the arms lift the club into the catcher's mitt, the rotation of the left arm causes the right to be pushed back around the right hip equal to the amount that the left arm rotates and moves to getting over the toe line. This was the move I saw in D.J.'s takeaway to 9:00 and parallel to the ground when over the toe line. The second and equally important point is that the forearms of both arms are now level or parallel to the ground if you placed or laid a club shaft on them.
I pointed out that this is necessary and is the critical ingredient to lifting the arms and clubs up to the vertical 12:00 o'clock shaft position. The only way the club can be lifted straight up vertical to 12:00 is for the arms to lift up equally level together, from the 9:00 parallel to the ground position. I used the concept of an elevator to explain and create a picture that tells it all. The level forearms signify the floor of an elevator and all elevator floors go up and down, always staying level and parallel to the ground, so those standing inside can remain vertical. It's the same thing for the forearms and elbows. They have to remain parallel/level to the ground in the backswing and then the forward upswing, when the club has to be stood up to 12:00 for the club shaft to remain vertical, like elevator passengers.
That image resonated well with him and once he got the FAD arm position down pat, his forearms and elbows remained level in the backswing and he was standing the club up perfectly. His impacts became shallow, his contacts solid and his ball flight was back to a soft draw, which he really likes. After around 12 to 15 really good swings, solid hits and his pure little draw back, he was a happy puppy.
He hit another shot extremely well, and after it landed he stood up, leaned on his club, looked at me and said that we had talked about the lower right arm position many times but somehow today's elevator explanation and my personal discovery and input really helped him visually create the physical movement. He also added this was actually the best he has ever hit it and was confident the FAD position, causing the level elbows and forearms, was the key.
He then made the statement that put it all in perspective. 'Don, this FAD Position, causing the right arm to fold around the right hip to get the left arm over the toe line with the forearms and elbows level and parallel to the ground is the real deal and key ingredient to standing the club up and being vertical.'
I always stressed the FAD position was important and critical. This lesson hit the bull's eye and he drove off to his meeting. As a side note, Mike called me around an hour later after his meeting and said he just had to reiterate to me how important this FAD setup position is and the level forearms at 9:00 o'clock are to swinging vertical. 'They just about guarantee swinging the arms and club vertically!'
The Surge!