Martin Chuck, PGA | Inventor - Tour Striker Training Products | Instructor - The Tour Striker Golf Academy at Sunriver Resort | C 541.948.2480 | martin@tourstriker.com | www.tourstriker.com
Hi Martin,
How are you? Had my 1st TS session at the driving range yesterday. Appreciate some pointers.
1. I hit some skulls, wormburners but also some good shots with the TS7i.
1. I noticed that if I have 'passive arms' and let the body rotation lead the arms, I have a better swing and hence better shot. David, what is nice, is that you are figuring out HOW to make the tool perform. Do what YOU have to do.
2. I tried keeping eye on ball and mind on my hands but I then become too handsy. Better swing thought for me seems to be focusing on making a complete body rotation and forget about the arms/hands. At some point, I would like you to be AWARE of the mass in your hands and how the shaft loads itself. You'll know when the time is right.
3. Had some trouble setting up the impact position for my left hand grip. Q - do you set the club perpendicular with the ball feet together at adddress, then lean the club forward and spread leg first right leg and second the left leg accordingly? When I do this and bring my set left grip back to address position, I get a closed clubface and a rather awkward quite severe bent left wrist position. Hence I am not sure if I am leaning my shaft forward correctly in the first place to get into the impact position? Are you a slicer?? The awkward left wrist is actually only awkward until it starts feeling normal. Change is not easy and most grips pare indeed not right. My left wrist is vertical and cupped at address.
4. In your video, you mentioned that at impact position, the butt is hidden under the forearm and the the palm groove (lifeline) is over the butt. No problem. But am not clear where the clubface is facing at this point.I imagine perpendicular to the ball and target line?Yes.
5. I get the best iron hits with the TS with my eyes on top of the ball. But not for hybrids and woods - where should be? Back of ball? Likewise eyes top of ball didn't work for the TS wedge - eyes on front of the ball? Some low handicapper friends advise me to always look at a spot one or two balls distance from the actual ball? Looking ahead of the ball is a way to trick your sequence so you deliver the club a fraction later, with a little more lag and shaft lean. Eventually, you won't have to do this, but it is a decent drill to gain some command of what happens with a decent strike. Moving your head (eyes) around is fine. You'll find your eyes are more to the right of the ball for longer clubs.
6. Last Q - for the downswing transition trigger, do you bump left hip laterally (to bring right shoulder down and right elbow into the slot) then only to rotate left hip through OR you just rotate left hip through (no initial lateral shift) from the top? My simple thought is to "step" onto my left foot. That bumps and drops things nicely. If you keep your arms organized during your backswing, you won't have to do much to get them to the the ball. If you over swing, then you may have to concern yourself with your right elbow...
