"Really my teaching method has been an amalgamation of everything I've seen, heard, or experienced. So if I was to give credit to everyone we wouldn't have time to do the show. That being said, it's obviously a function of biomechanics, which is important because we have to understand how the body moves, how the body works, because it is making the golf swing. The second thing is that we have to understand the geometry in swinging in an arc and what those principles hold true to. Thirdly there is the physics of velocity and speed. That being said, I think there are three lessons that everyone should be improving in in these three areas: the first one is hitting the ball first every time, so solid contact. Extremely important whether you shoot 90 or whether you shoot 70. What's defined as solid differs in both of those, but generally they equate to the same difference in score."
understanding ball flight relationship to swing part 2
understanding ball flight relationship to swing part 1
Sean Foley Part 2
I must say that the ideas in the Stack & Tilt Golf Swing are great for any amateur who wants a simpler and less stressful (on your body) swing that bottoms the arc in consistent way, producing much more consistently solid shots. Sean Foley uses a Stack & Tilt Hybrid Swing style in his teaching, and given his success with students such as Tiger Woods, Justin Rose, Hunter Mahan, Sean O'Hair, and Stephen Ames it is worth taking a look at.
Check out my new Golf Course Vlogs: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=JPfa_o-EMpg&feature=youtu.be
Weight Transfer/ Axis Pointunderstanding ball flight relationship to swing part 2
understanding ball flight relationship to swing part 1
Sean Foley Part 2
I must say that the ideas in the Stack & Tilt Golf Swing are great for any amateur who wants a simpler and less stressful (on your body) swing that bottoms the arc in consistent way, producing much more consistently solid shots. Sean Foley uses a Stack & Tilt Hybrid Swing style in his teaching, and given his success with students such as Tiger Woods, Justin Rose, Hunter Mahan, Sean O'Hair, and Stephen Ames it is worth taking a look at.
Check out my new Golf Course Vlogs: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=JPfa_o-EMpg&feature=youtu.be
"One of the misconceptions that has happened historically in golf instruction is how the body works and why it should work that way."
A lot of a amateurs sway too much off the ball where the pelvis/ hips move too much to the right while the upper body tilts to the left (negative spine angle). This then leads to the amateur...
...standing up on the backswing in order to feel like they're making a backswing with the proper amount of turn. From here it is easy to come over the top and lose a lot of power, accuracy, and consistency.
If the axis point is moving too far off the golf ball and also standing up, optically the ball is changing in sight, so that affects hand-eye coordination. And when you move that far off the ball, within 3/100 of a second you move a great distance to get all the way back to Impact.
Drill 1:
If you want to hit the ball first every time and make solid contact, then when you make your backswing, stay on that axis point created at address (so no movement to the right side). Your weight should be 55% left foot and 45% right foot from address to the top of the backswing. Picture a pole coming through you out your tailbone. From the time you are bent over in this sagittal plane, you have to make sure that in the transverse plane you turn around the axis point with your torso.
Since you haven't moved up or moved to the right, getting into a solid impact position is much easier.
Ideally, you want to make ball-first contact and then bottom the club out in front of the ball—about four to six inches in front of it. To do that, your axis needs to shift toward the target when you swing. Picture standing over a clock face. If the "6" on the bottom of the clock represents your ball position at address, and is directly below your sternum (above, left), your goal is to shift the center of your body toward the "5" when you make contact. It's the best way to ensure that your divot comes after impact.
Take your address, and rehearse this correct body position at impact by soling the club out in front of the ball and leaning your sternum toward that spot (above, right). Then, when you swing, if you re-create this position, you're going to hit shots a lot more solidly.
THE FOLEY FILES
Everyone says it's important to have goals, but if your goals aren't specific, you end up sounding like a beauty-pageant contestant who says "world peace" when asked for her one wish. If you're working on a drill or swing change, your goal should be to execute the drill and not just "hit it better." If you're on the course, your goal should be to fade it off that bunker on the left and not just "put it in the fairway." The more specific your goal, the more focused you will be to accomplish it. It'll also be more gratifying when you do.The Road to Progress and Happiness in Life, Golf, and Beyond
Read More http://www.golfdigest.com/golf-instruction/2012-01/sean-foley-solid-irons#ixzz2PzNsq17X
Ball Position
Nod of approval: Tiger's head dips as a result of squatting. Then he pushes up to create power.
December 2011
One of golf's oldest clichés is "maintain your posture" throughout the swing. The in-tent of the message is good: To help amateurs avoid rising out of the address position--either from a lack of hip flexibility or because they're trying to help the ball into the air. But keeping your head level might be robbing you of some distance.
What you want to do is squat as you swing into the ball. This move is similar to what any athlete would do before leaping. Many long-ball hitters drop several inches as they start the downswing. Tiger Woods has been doing it throughout his career, and it has served him well. You can see it here (above).
Essentially you're creating an explosive action by lowering and then pushing off the ground. It helps you swing into the ball with considerable force. If you were to maintain your posture, it would be impossible to get to the ideal low point of your swing, four or five inches in front of the ball.
If you want to understand the science behind squatting, here it is: Bending your knees lengthens your quadriceps (thigh muscles), and hip flexion lengthens your glutes (buttocks). You're now in a position to contract these muscles in an upward thrust and deliver a lot of energy into the shot.
So the next time you swing, pretend there's a banana lying lengthwise under your front foot. Your goal is to squash it as you swing down. Do this, and you'll really compress the ball.
Pay attention to your grip
Most golfers tighten their grip as an unconscious response to fear and doubt. In a heightened state of tension, blood leaves the capillaries in your hands and supports your vital organs and their functions. When this happens, you lose some feeling in your hands, and the natural reaction is to grip the club tighter to try to regain it. My advice is to constantly check your grip pressure because it changes all the time. The more aware you are of gripping the club too tightly, the better chance you'll have of making a good swing and releasing the club at a consistent point.Hit Down With Your Driver
A sweeping swing will make your misses worse
You might have been told to sweep the ball off the tee with your driver to maximize distance. But if you frequently hit slices or pulls, this swing thought will likely make your problems go from bad to worse. To sweep the ball, many players hang back and hit with the weight on the rear foot (bottom photo). If you already have an open clubface and an out-to-in swing through impact--as most slicers do--hanging back will cause even bigger slices, as well as thin hits. Like I said, bad to worse.
To cure your slices and pulls, hit down on the ball with your driver. A good thought is to try to take a little divot after impact or to hit with the shaft leaning toward the target (top photo). This will help you shift to your front side on the downswing and swing into impact from inside the target line.
The lure of getting more distance can be intoxicating, and sweeping it off the tee has long been a popular theory. But you might be encouraged to know that two of the guys I work with--Tiger Woods and Hunter Mahan--almost always hit down with their drivers. And neither of them has any problem getting it out there.
THE FOLEY FILES
Many golfers suffer from a reverse identity crisis, meaning they have a mind-set about how well they should play. When a 10-handicapper birdies a hole, how often does the next tee shot sail out of play?
Many golfers suffer from a reverse identity crisis, meaning they have a mind-set about how well they should play. When a 10-handicapper birdies a hole, how often does the next tee shot sail out of play?
Conversely, when scratch golfers make a triple bogey, they get so upset, as if they didn't think they could still make triple. Don't let score dictate the kind of golfer you are. There's so much about golf you can't control. Focus on process over performance. Otherwise, you'll always play at the same level.
Read More http://www.golfdigest.com/golf-instruction/2012-02/sean-foley-down-driver#ixzz2PzOjq79BRelease the club
Trying to maintain clubhead lag can lead to weak slices
Don't hold on: Let your wrists unhinge and square up with your target.
July 2012
Lag is a misunderstood concept. When powerful ball-strikers such as John Daly and then Sergio Garcia came onto the scene, and people could really see how much the clubhead trailed their hands as they were about halfway through the downswing, it became the goal of many golfers to try to create and maintain more lag. They figured all they had to do was hold off the release of the wrist angle they created at the top of the swing as long as possible--just like Daly and Garcia.
Well, here's the problem with swinging like this: If you don't let the clubhead release naturally, you're going to hit a lot of weak slices. The clubface will come into the ball too open, and you won't transfer enough energy into the hit. For good players, clubhead lag doesn't come from holding off the release. It's a product of the change of direction at the top of the swing. If you had a slow-motion camera, you would see Sergio's lower body moving toward the target and unwinding while the club is still completing the backswing.
So instead of thinking about "holding on" to your lag, focus on unhinging your wrists during the downswing so your arms are nearly straight at impact. Your wrists should be square to your target when the club meets the ball. You'll notice that your left forearm naturally rotates to do this (above, right). If you don't have any forearm rotation, then you're still trying to hold on too much.
Read More http://www.golfdigest.com/golf-instruction/2012-07/sean-foley-clubhead-lag#ixzz2Q0K4js3Y
Read More http://www.golfdigest.com/golf-instruction/2012-07/sean-foley-clubhead-lag#ixzz2Q0K4js3Y
Stop At The Top
Improve your transition with a little pause
NO RUSH: Take it slow from the top for more speed at impact.
September 2011
Two players I work with -- Justin Rose and Tiger Woods -- sometimes make what I call a "violent transition" from backswing to downswing, rather than let the change of direction happen smoothly. Their goal is to have the speed of the downswing increase gradually, with the fastest part happening at the bottom. When the transition gets violent, it's hard to square the face at impact.
Many average golfers also suffer from a poor transition. That's mostly because they take the club back too quickly, and then fail to complete the backswing before starting the downswing.
If you have this problem, a simple, time-tested drill I use with Rosey and Tiger can help. Next time you're practicing, when you reach the top of your swing, pause for a second before swinging down.
The reason I suggest doing it on the range is because, if you're quick at the top, this drill will feel very strange and might take a while to get used to. But if you do pause, you can then swing down as hard as you want, and the ball will really jump off the clubface.
All Together Now
Turn everything through for a better finish
Rotate As One: Keep turning your club, hands, arms, head and body.
October 2011
Two common pieces of advice for the follow-through: "Keep your head down" and "Swing out to right field." The first one is intended to help you finish your swing before looking out to see the shot; the second is to help you swing on the correct path. But I've told many golfers, including Tiger Woods and Sean O'Hair, a better swing thought for the follow-through is: Let everything rotate together. Your club, arms, body and even your head should rotate toward the target as the club swings through impact.
The problem with swinging out to right field is, it often causes you to hit hooks or pushes because you're not swinging on an ideal in-to-in path. And keeping your head down too long can prevent you from rotating your body properly, so you reverse pivot, with your weight shifting to your back foot as you swing down.
If you focus instead on turning everything through together, your weight naturally will shift to your front foot, your swing path will improve (no more pushes), and you'll start hitting straighter, more powerful shots. Give it a try.
Foley Files: How To Get Your Swing Back
Players sometimes tell me they lost their swing mid-round. Physiologically, it's impossible to "lose your swing." What they're feeling is tension, and it's coming from the fear of hitting a poor shot. Fear often produces cortisol, a hormone activated by stress that acts like a defense mechanism for the body and can hamper the timing and rhythm of your swing. My advice is, when you start to "lose it," focus on your breathing. I don't mean take deep breaths; just pay attention to your normal breathing rhythm. It'll help distract you from the anxiety long enough to hit a good shot.
Players sometimes tell me they lost their swing mid-round. Physiologically, it's impossible to "lose your swing." What they're feeling is tension, and it's coming from the fear of hitting a poor shot. Fear often produces cortisol, a hormone activated by stress that acts like a defense mechanism for the body and can hamper the timing and rhythm of your swing. My advice is, when you start to "lose it," focus on your breathing. I don't mean take deep breaths; just pay attention to your normal breathing rhythm. It'll help distract you from the anxiety long enough to hit a good shot.
Read More http://www.golfdigest.com/golf-instruction/2011-10/sean-foley-together#ixzz2WSYOhCj2
Set Eyes Inside The Ball:
You might have been told that when you putt, your eyes should be over the ball (above, right). But if you set up that way, your perception of the putting line can get distorted. When you lean over a ball and turn your head toward the hole, your eyes trick you into thinking the cup is left of its true position. This visual distortion can make you pull the putt.
Instead of positioning your eyes directly over the ball, do what most pros do and set them several inches to the inside (above, left). This is especially important over those short putts where you can't afford to be off line by more than an inch or so. Try setting up this way, and see if it doesn't get you sinking more must-make putts.
FOLEY FILES
Be aggressive on straight putts
Any conversation with Brad Faxon on the topic of putting is a good conversation. Brad and I recently talked about how it's OK to make an aggressive stroke on putts that are relatively flat, but you want the ball to die into the hole on breaking putts. Why? You can take advantage of gravity. Whether the cup is above or below you, as soon as the putt starts to break, the ball is actually moving downhill. Let gravity take it on home.
Read More http://www.golfdigest.com/golf-instruction/2013-02/sean-foley-putting-alignment#ixzz2PzSx67YN
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