Momentus downswing

[Ty Webb]

I purchased a momentus swing trainer this summer and it has helped considerably. I was reviewing the video and the fellow advised to push the club back and down with the right arm to start the downswing. Has anybody heard of this method or tried it?

Ty :jitter

[Marmotte]

I have tried the gizmo.. it is nice for building a swing. But the video has some flaws, one of which is the "push for the downswing". I found that it is a receipe for a bad swing... and the restoration of the dreadful slice.

My best results have been achieved by focusing on the take-off to get the club high...keeping my arms extended and letting my wrists using the momentus' weight. For the downswing, if you transfer your weight correctly with your hip movement, the gravitational force will bring your arms down with no effort. You will not need "to push".

[alice]

I was always taught to try to pull down with the left arm. (Assuming you are hitting the ball right handed) The right arm is there to hold onto the club and to help guide it into the correct swing path. The pro used to grab onto my club after it was 1/2 way back and make me apply extra force to get the feel of pulling the club down with the left arm. This always helped me keep the club on its proper path and helped me keep square when I hit the ball.

[Andru]

Ty

Find the correct club head path for YOU and your swing path will work itself out.

http://www.insideapproach.com/index.html

Rick Smith has been using something similar for years but it has recently appeared on the golf channel.

It takes your mind off body movements and puts the focus on club head path. NOT swing path. They are very ,very different.

Think about it.

[Marmotte]

I was always taught to try to pull down with the left arm. (Assuming you are hitting the ball right handed) The right arm is there to hold onto the club and to help guide it into the correct swing path. The pro used to grab onto my club after it was 1/2 way back and make me apply extra force to get the feel of pulling the club down with the left arm. This always helped me keep the club on its proper path and helped me keep square when I hit the ball.

I don't pretend to be a pro, but It took me three years to diagnoze the source of a slice with my long irons. I think I read every magazine and could not figure what the pros were proposing. It is only after working with a local pro ar the range that I discovered that I was mis-interpreting the role of the hands with the same concepts that you are describing. Now, I stronlgy believe that both hands must be neutral in the down swing... unless you want to abide by Ben Hogan's doctrine. It appears to be the way I manage to whip the hands when uncoiling that does the job for me. The only time I came across the concept, is when looking at Jack Nicklaus' tapes and reading a book titled Gravity Golf or something like that by a guy named Lee.
You have all the winter to experiment... good luck

[Andru]

I'm no pro but I know golf shouldn't have to be this difficult. Forget about the role of your hands in the swing. Keep It Simple.

And you'll play better golf. Cloud your mind with big muscle thoughts. and you'll suffer "paralysis by analysis". That's Gary Player.

[Rough Stuff]

I agree, Andru, but keep it simple can be as complicated as anything...and frustrating. Some people are naturals at coordinating their bodies, and others aren't. For us others, some sort of starting point is required.

I have heard of the arm pull thing, Ty, and I've also heard of thinking of the start of the swing as pulling the rope on a bell, so that you pull downwards and NOT over the top. I've heard over the top described as "in a hurry to hit the ball", which is somewhat accurate. I often, especially with my driver, let gravity do the job in the start...I simply let my arms fall, and when I'm between 1/2 and 3/4 position (hard to describe), I feel free to power it, because I can't go wrong from there...

Swinging hard has always been a formula for disaster for me...but I've had incredible results when everything is coordinated (weight transfer has incredible results for me), rather than muscled.

Weighted clubs have helped me greatly, allowing my arms to fall, and I subscribe to using a weighted club for practice...it does tend to create a draw...