Tour Striker - Ross - Working the ball

"Martin,

I've used the Tour Striker for about two weeks and I think this is one of the best golf training aids ever. It requires no set-up, you actually get to hit golf shots and you get instant feed back, fantastic training club.

Before using the Tour Striker I noticed the impact mark on my 8 iron was pretty low on the face, after practicing with the TS the impact spot on my 8 iron has moved up to about the 5th score line, and I feel like I’m hitting the ball really solid.

My question is, is it OK to practice different shot shapes with the Tour Striker, for example; fades, draws, high shots, low shots, is the club shaft forward lean the same for all these shots?

Thanks again,

Ross"

Ross,

Thanks for the nice comments. What you've described about moving your contact point toward the "fifth groove" is exactly the goal of the Tour Striker. You are now applying some forward shaft lean during a downward strike. Congratulations!

Your questions about working the ball. The answer is ABSOLUTELY!

First, I would establish solid, repetitive contact from a consist ball location 2-3" inside your left heel. From this workable ball location, you can play around with ball flight by monitoring the amount of shaft lean applied at impact.

I don't move the ball back in my stance to hit it on a slightly lower, more boring trajectory. Through practice and feel, I lag the weight of the club against my relaxed hands and deliver more forward lean. My right shoulder feels closer to the ball at impact than a standard shot. A couple of degrees is all it takes and it's a great play around the links of Tetherow.

Granted, that is a technique brought about by experience. You could move the ball back in your stand from 1 - 3 " and discover what happens. The ball will flight lower and won't fly as far. Prepare for additional roll upon landing. This is great for "back" pins.

Fades and Draws: Side spin is a result of the face differing from the path. While the tolerance for error is low with the Tour Striker, I encourage you to experiment delivering an open and closed face to the ball. There are many ways to do this, with the simplest being to hold the club a little open or shut in your normal grip and offset the curve by adjusting your path.

A word of caution on "high" shots. Golf ball trajectory is primarily a function of speed and face angle at impact. "Trying" to hit the ball really high will often result in a breakdown of the lever (at the wrists) that we are trying to create in 99% of our shots. For effective striking we shouldn't sacrifice the lever, but you can move the ball more toward your left heel and you should be able to experience added height without breaking down. So, to hit it abnormally high (which is almost impossible with the TS, due to the design) you have to flip and breakdown during impact. You will likely "blade" a bunch of these as well, but it is still worth the effort to experience that fine line.

Good golfing and thanks for buying the Tour Striker!

Martin

Tour Striker - Trent - Applying the concept to the driver

"Martin,

I received your TourStriker a few weeks ago and I have to say that it has really changed the way I hit my irons. I always used to throw the clubhead at the ball from the top and ended up casting and flipping big time. On video, my hands would be in front of my right thigh at impact and behind the ball.

Just a few solid shots with the TourStriker and now I know how it feels to have the hands ahead at impact. My wrists are much looser and it seems like my arms and hands are working faster through the impact zone, instead of stalling and flipping. I can totally feel the lag now. I also have the PBS (Pure Ball Striker) and that has helped a little as well. The feeling was pretty easy to transfer over to my regular irons. Great training aid!

My problem is my driver. It seems that when I try to recreate the feeling of lag and fast hands, I leave the club face wide open and hit a huge slice. I'll then try to rotate my right hand over the left through impact and hit a duck hook.

I was wondering if you had a driver tip for someone like me who is going through these swing changes.

Thanks,
Trent "

Trent,

Thanks for taking the time to send your comments about the Tour Striker. Your issues with the driver are very common and typically occur after a player has developed lag. The PBS is a great tool to help feel lag as well.

You are welcome to send a link/file of your swing if you would like further input.

Things to look out for:

1. Developing forward shaft lean is a great thing, but you need to pay attention to your swing path. When the clubs get longer, especially the driver, it is really easy to get your swing working too much inside to out.

2. Visually, you will have a hard time believing how "left" you have to feel like you swing longer clubs. Allow your pivot to square your face.

3. Never feel like your are "rolling" the right hand. That is a timing nightmare and let's squash that thought now.

4. As hard as this sounds, practice hitting your driver off the ground. You don't ever have to do it during a round, but it really helps develop great impact and path alignment habits.

Good Luck and thanks for being a member of the Tour Striker Family.

Martin

Question from Tour Striker Paul

"Hi Martin,
Thanks for the video. It was helpful. I need to execute better. The weather warmed up to the low 20's so I was able to get to the range to try out the TS.
I was not able to get the height of an 8-iron, however, I was able to hit more of a line drive that got in the air and went about 140 yards or so. Only once did I "flip" one that ran along the ground like rabbit. If I am supposed to get 8-iron height, then I was probably smothering it with a hooded club face and my over the top down move. How high is the ball supposed to go when using the TS?

Thanks again!
paul"

Paul, that's a great question, thanks for your feedback.

When a golf ball is hit, the impact, which lasts less than a millisecond, determines the ball’s launch angle and spin rate, all of which influence its trajectory and its behavior when it hits the ground. A ball moving through air experiences two major aerodynamic forces; lift and drag. Backspin helps lift by deforming the airflow around the ball, in a similar manner to an airplane wing. This is called the Magnus effect.

Backspin is imparted in almost every shot due to the golf club's loft (i.e. angle between the club face and a vertical plane). A back-spinning ball experiences an upward lift force which makes it fly higher and longer than a ball without spin. (Wikipedia)

It sounds to me, that your angle of attack is not "downward" enough to create the desired amount of backspin, thus you have a flat ball flight.

By working to get the leading edge of the Tour Striker closer to the ground, you will be hitting the ball with backspin which will give you more lift.

Remember, never try and elevate the ball. The club will do the work if you apply it correctly.

Cheers,

Martin

Tour Striker - Paul - Question about a "Lazy Pivot"

Tour Striker - Nate - Has some questions - Video Answer

Drill - Strike the Match

The Tour Striker's elevated leading edge does not let you cheat when hitting balls. To get the "sweet spot" of the iron below the equator of the ball, you must strike the ball with adequate forward lean (more than 3 degrees) or your results will be poor.

STRIKE THE MATCH! Most of you have used traditional matches. To ignite the match, you drag the match tip across the rough surface to stimulate the flammable material. The match is leaning with the tip trailing. You would never consider "pushing" the match tip across the striking surface!

With your Tour Striker, make some 3/4 swings as though the club were a match stick and your are trying to light the club head on fire against the ground. Remember; try and get the leading edge of the Tour Striker as close to the ground as you can!

Good luck and please post your comments.

Questions from a new Tour Striker

Dale from Pennsylvania:

"Martin, I went out today and I hit a bunch of shots that went very low and curved left to right. What am I doing wrong?"

That's why you bought the Tour Striker! It identifies flaws with your or any impact condition. Shots that do not fly far, high and true are being struck to some degree on the rounded leading edge of the club.

There is a big difference between "feel" and "real." Often we think we are striking downward on the ball with a forward leaning shaft, when in reality we are not.

Dale, keep plugging along and RELAX that leading edge of the Tour Striker training club as close to the ground as you can. You will present plenty of loft to the ball and hit high shots. Remember, the club has 36 degrees of loft, similar to most 8 or 7 irons with today's equipment.

Thanks for the comments!

Martin