Hoganfan, since your inbox is full...

[rok78]

Thought I'd start a thread with this question about the backswing

Hoganfan,

Well, I mentioned in a post that I'd PM you, but since your inbox is full thought I'd start a thread and we can all discuss. Last time we "chatted" I was in the midst of some Stack and Tilt lessons and the stacked set up deal. I was having issues with it and you mentioned Slice's set up (which I actually used before minus the right knee kicked in). Well, after a month of really trying to figure out how I can best get my lower body to work properly, it came to the stacked set up, and I want your opinion on why I think it's working to see if my brain is thinking right.

After re-reading 5 lessons awhile ago, it struck me where Hogan talks about the angle of the right leg from face on not changing. To have that lean towards the target (someone else had a thread here and metioned it as well), and I think I remember SF or someone saying it's ok if it increases slightly as well. I looked at a lot of video of turns that I liked and they all stayed the same or increased slightly (with older players having more pronounced increases, I'm guessing due to bigger hip turns). So I went to the range with that thought and liked how it sets you on the left pivot point at the top of the swing and you just rotate, I'm guessing this is SF's 2 turns feelings. Yes there's transfer to the inside of the right leg, but at the top, you feel like you just turn left because of the position of the left hip. The pressure on the inside of the right leg releasing takes care of any transfer to the left side as well.

Anyway, for some reason from a stacked set up, it's more natural to get my left hip to that position at the top, yet from a set up where I "bump" my hip in that position I'm less consistent. I'm thinking that something in my pivot is increasing the angle of my right leg too much when I pre-set the left hip (the bump), so I'm at a bad position at the top. Does that sound like a possible reason the stacked set up is working better right now than the pre-set? Or should I go with the pre-set and not worry about the angle of the right leg as much? I'm really 50/50 on which way to go. Part of me says do what works, but the other part wants the least moving parts as possible.

Thoughts, concerns, feelings?

[hoganfan924]

After re-reading 5 lessons awhile ago, it struck me where Hogan talks about the angle of the right leg from face on not changing. To have that lean towards the target (someone else had a thread here and metioned it as well), and I think I remember SF or someone saying it's ok if it increases slightly as well. I looked at a lot of video of turns that I liked and they all stayed the same or increased slightly (with older players having more pronounced increases, I'm guessing due to bigger hip turns). So I went to the range with that thought and liked how it sets you on the left pivot point at the top of the swing and you just rotate, I'm guessing this is SF's 2 turns feelings. Yes there's transfer to the inside of the right leg, but at the top, you feel like you just turn left because of the position of the left hip. The pressure on the inside of the right leg releasing takes care of any transfer to the left side as well.

 

Sounds like your feeling exactly the things you should be feeling here. The right leg angle in the face on view will lean even more toward the target in the backswing because the right hip is moving slightly towards the target. That's the "turning into the right leg" that Slicefixer talks about. The "2 turns" feeling is exactly how you should be feeling if you're pivoting like that.

 

Anyway, for some reason from a stacked set up, it's more natural to get my left hip to that position at the top, yet from a set up where I "bump" my hip in that position I'm less consistent. I'm thinking that something in my pivot is increasing the angle of my right leg too much when I pre-set the left hip (the bump), so I'm at a bad position at the top. Does that sound like a possible reason the stacked set up is working better right now than the pre-set? Or should I go with the pre-set and not worry about the angle of the right leg as much? I'm really 50/50 on which way to go. Part of me says do what works, but the other part wants the least moving parts as possible.

 

Hard to say without some pics or video. It may be that your hips are too far left and that the left hip joint is getting outside of the left heel - they need to be inline with an iron and the hip joint needs to be inside the heel with a driver. Possible you're trying to incorporate too much axis tilt, your "stacked" set up might already have some. If you're really on your left side and trying to trap a short iron, you're going to have a bit less axis tilt than when setting up with a driver. You might also be overstraightening the right leg in the backswing as a carryover from your S&T swing and therefore getting the hips too far left. Just some ideas, really need some video to figure it out.

[rok78]

Thanks, that's kind of what I thought. Went to the range to try some feelings out and really monitor my left hip. I was straightening the right knee a little too much, but not badly. But it was enough I think. I also don't think my stacked set up is really all that stacked. I'll try and get video up soon.