Fix The Flight..Be Your Own Human Trackman

2017 PGA Player Development

Application of Jim Hardy’s Pluses and Minuses .

Krista Dunton www.kristaduntongolf.com

Golf Magazine Top 100 Instructor Plane Truth Level 3 Certified Instructor

! Picture of a beginner skier

! How do we make it easier for new players and high handicap players? ! Grip it any way within reason but in fingers ! Strong in both hands ok, even baseball grip, split hand is

good because it gets the head moving ! Decent posture, but don’t expect perfection. ! Tie in side on sports they have played ! Ferris Wheel/ Merry Go Round ! Tilted Swings/body pivot/ drill ! Get their worst shot better NOW!! Top and Whiff ! Their failed shot is your GREATEST TEACHING MOMENT

! Must explain ball flight miss relative to club and ball. People don’t explain the misses relative to what the club is doing.

! Tee drill/baseball ! A slice is club face that is right of the path or a path

that is more left than the face ! A hook is a club face that is left of the path or a path

that is more right than the face.

! 3 Tops ! Shallow Top: Ball runs along the ground, often in a skipping

motion. No divot or very shallow divot well behind balls location at address.

! Steep Top: Ball runs along road, no divot or big divot where ball was

! Missed Radius

Conflicting Information - Address

Bend Over Stand Uprightvs.

Conflicting Information - Address

Spine Vertical Reverse “K”vs.

Conflicting Information - Backswing

Arms Around Body Arms in Front of Bodyvs.

Conflicting Information - Backswing

Club Laid Off Club Across the Linevs.

Conflicting Information - Backswing

Restrict Hip Turn Turn Hips Fullyvs.

Conflicting Information - Backswing

Stay Centered Move Behind Ballvs.

Conflicting Information - Downswing

Turn Body From the Top Don’t Turn Body From the Topvs.

Conflicting Information - Downswing

Leave Arms Behind Swing Arms Down in Frontvs.

Conflicting Information - ImpactRight Arm Inward Throw

Release (RIT)Lead Arm Outward Pull

(LOP) Releasevs.

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! “The sole purpose in the golf swing is to produce a correct and repetitive impact whereas the method employed is of little or no significance as long as it repeats.”

! -John Jacobs

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! THE PLUSES AND MINUSES : The key to understanding and fixing ball flight.

! Plane has an angle and a direction. Plane has a range. Direction of plane we will call the path.

! Above the plane or in front(steep) + below or behind(shallow) -

! Wide and Narrow refers to the sides of the swing. A measurement Trackman does not measure.

! Steep and Shallow refer to the angle of attack.

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! We need to make the game simpler and help more players efficiently!

! Everything a player does in the golf swing will affect impact in 2 ways.

! Anything a player does will affect the plane and impact by moving impact more under the plane and below it Wide and Shallow(minus -) or in front or above it (plus+) Steep and Narrow.

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! 15 Ball Flights ! Shallow- Wide (-) Steep- Narrow +

" Low- Shallow Low- Trap " High-Shallow High Steep " Fat & Thin Chop, chunk, pop up " Hook Slice " Push Pull " Heel and Shank Toe " Top-Shallow Top-Steep

" Top Missed Radius (neutral)

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Text

! Plus (+) Steep or Narrow Ball Flights Defined ! Pull: Ball flies on a straight path left of target ! Slice: Ball curves right of target ! Chop/Chunk: Ball flies shorter than the distance the club is capable of

producing. Tee shots are often popped up(deep divot usually left of target)

! Toe Hit: Ball travels shorter , fall out of sky to due lack of backspin. Direction is unpredictable but often to the right of target and left with a driver or fairway wood.

! Steep-Top: Ball runs along road, no divot or big divot where ball was. ! Steep-Trap: Ball either flies on low trajectory or doesn’t get off ground

when using lower lofted clubs ! High Steep: Ball flies excessively high on short iron shots or is popped

up when the ball is hit with driver or fairway wood. Deep divots with irons off the ground. Marks on top of club, broken tees, possible divot.

! Minus (-) Shallow/Wide Ball Flights ! Push: Ball flies on straight path right of target. No divot or shallow divot

pointing right of target, on line with balls path ! Hook/Slap-Left: Ball flies left of target. Divot always points right of ball

flight ! Fats/Thins: Ball flies shorter than distance club is capable of producing,

varying trajectories. (shallow divot behind the balls position at address, usually pointing right of the target or at target, no divot.

! Heel/Shank: Ball travels sorter. With driver or fairway wood will curbe right and float in air with little backspin. With iron likely to fly straight right and lower than normal.

! Shallow Top: Ball runs along the ground, often in a skipping motion. No divot or very shallow divot well behind balls location at address.

! Low-Shallow: Ball flies on low trajectory and shorter. Produced with less lofted fairway woods and longer irons off the ground. Very shallow divot behind balls position at address, no divot.

! High - Shallow: Ball flies nearly straight up in air only with high lofted iorns off the ground. Can be hit when ball teed up, shallow divot or none.

! Four Elements of Impact: ! 1.Club Face Position

! direction, closed is a plus, open a minus ! 2. Club Path

! Direction of the swing influences bottom of arc. If club is not square to path then direction influenced by face.

! 3. Angle of Approach ! Determines trajectory of the shot..high, medium, low. Also influences amount of

backspin. Amount the club is swinging up, down or level to the ground when it strikes the ball. Makes shot repeatable. .steeper angle of attack ,more backspin and higher. Shallower approach, less spin lower flight.

! 4. Width of the Bottom of the Swing ! What track an does not measure. Has a top and a bottom and two sides. How long the

club is running tangent to the ground. YOUR RUNWAY. A sw can come in on a steeper angle to the ground with a narrow bottom.A driver needs a wider shallower bottom. Each club requires a different width to the bottom of the swing in order to be used optimally..Helps control consistency, height and solidness of the hit.

! The shorter the club the shorter ! the club head is tangent to the ground thru impact making it easier for ! golfers to swing down, under and back up through the ball.! Every club requires a different width to the bottom of the swing in

order to be used optiomaly.! Helps control height, consistency and solidness of hit.! Irons vs woods

! Most important of the two are width of bottom and angle of attack! EVERYTHING YOU DO IN A GOLF SWING EFFECTS IMPACT BY

EITHER MAKING IT WIDER AND SHALLOWER OR STEEPER AND NARROWER.

! Pre-Motion " Weak Grip Strong Grip " Standing More Upright More Bent Over " Spine Tilted Right (reverse K) Spine centered or tilted left " Closer to Ball Farther From Ball " Flatter arm swing Upright Arm Swing " Head tilted right Head tilted left

! Backswing ! Level shoulder turn Vertical shoulder turn ! Lack of Wrist Cock Cocking wrists up ! Club laid off Club across the line, lack of arm rotation ! Club head inside too quick Both arms in front ! Downswing ! Turn body from top Turn body from bottom ! Body leads, arms stay behind Arms swing down as body turns ! Arms swing in to out Arms swing thrown out away from body/out to in ! Casting from top Left arm pulls down ! Hip thrust and hip slide Hips turn not slide ! Using Bounce of club Using leading edge of club

Shallow/Wide --- Steep/Narrow +

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! Shallow Wide - Steep/Narrow + ! Pressure not sufficiently on left leg Head Moving towards ball ! Hip Slide Shoulder Tilt Shoulders Turning From Top ! Upper Body Not Turned from top/insufficient turn ! Arms Swinging down target line Arms/Club out to in Too low and left ! Excessive Wrist/ Hand Blocking Excessive wrist/hand rotation ! Reverse C Upper Finishes Nearer target than lower

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! Evaluation Process: ! 1. Look at ball flight, impact, divot direction and

depth, and swing shape. ! 2. Listen to the sound. ! 3. Find out what clubs they like/dislike.

! Driver vs 3W off ground ! Short irons vs long irons

! 4. Determine if impact and ball flight match if they do then you have 1 thing to change.

! If they do not then you have 2 items to change.

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! 1 FIX VS 2 FIX: ! 1 Fix:

! Juggling either too many +’s or -s , just need to add one or take one away. A 18 who is now a 23.

! Impact and swing match.

! 2 Fix: " Inconsistent players, can be all levels " Significant + or - in their swings and a significant + or -

compensation. Watermelons. " Compensating move in downswing. " Can quickly get out of balance. " Swing and Impact are opposite.

! Application of Pluses and Minuses ! Order: Downswing, backswing, impact/follow through then address. ! Improve impact the fastest! ! Goal is to hit the ball solid and repeatable. Minimize misses. ! Even out the pluses and minuses or have them juggling tennis balls not watermelons! ! Create a more neutral swing so they can play all their clubs. ! Watch ball, listen to ball, look at divot, let them tell you what clubs they can hit and can’t. ! Don’t need to make an overhaul. ! The player that wants to make a big jump in their level of play and already playing well. Any

single thing you tell them will make them worse. a 12 that wants to be a 2. Have to tell them 2 things.

! impact is too steep and he is a single digit. If you add a steep based on what you see you just made him worse.

! The problems of all golf swings shows up in the pluses and minuses of impact.That is the problem. The swing shape is not the problem. .The problem is the pluses and minuses. You then find the area of swing shape that will negate the pluses and minuses and neutral out the swing.

! The correction is to find that area of swing shape that will correct the impact problem.

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! Krista Dunton ! Berkeley Hall Club ! Bluffton, SC ! Kdunton@me.com ! 843-290-8714 ! www.kristaduntongolf.com