John

You are correct in the way the front knee works perpendicular to the angle of the front foot. One thing to be aware of during the surf to level movement, although the front knee is moving toward the target and slightly back away from the ball on this angle, the knees still finish this movement in an alignment parallel to the target line. This is only done if the back knee goes back as well. Keep in mind also that both knee caps have “turned down” toward the target because of the turning down of the thighs in this motion. But again, both knees finish this motion in alignment with each other parallel to the target line.

You are correct when you say the resulting ball flight, if the front knee doesn’t move back on this angle to effectively keep the front glute back as well, would be slightly right of the target with a club face that tends to be slightly open. If the knee straightens and works directly back from the ball without moving forward to keep the body supported during surf to level, you are right in stating this will tend to result in pulls and hooks because the club face will have a tendency to rapidly close through impact.

Great attention to detail, I hope this helps. Let us know if you would like more clarity, happy training!

Randy

Not sure if you were seeking a reply to this or not but we figured we’d see if we couldn’t try to help. Keeping your back to the target longer, especially on the downswing and into impact is a good way to start and should help put you on a better path. If you are wanting to go into your movements to train more of an in to out motion, we would recommend starting with the Body Movement 7: Snap to Level.

At the end of this movement, start seeing if you can finish with your knees, hips and shoulders slightly closed (5-10 degrees) to your target or aim line, with your front hand, shoulder, hip and knee higher than your back hand, shoulder hip and knee. Be sure as you do this the front knee finishes outside (closer to the target) of the front foot as well. The more angle you can have in your arms, shoulders, hips and knees at the end of this movement and the more you can finish with all of them aligned slightly closed to the target/aim-line, the easier it should be to hit slightly in to out on the ball. Through the movement you will be able to train this motion and get comfortable with it and can add speed to it as well before trying it with a club.

The only other thing I would recommend as your body starts moving more like this, allowing the club to strike the ball in a more in to out direction, would be to make sure that as you train your movements, your hands are slightly more closed (rotated counter clockwise) into, through and out of impact. A good place to check this is in Hand and Arm Movement 12: Club Through Impact. Be sure at the end of this motion, your hands are turned slightly more counter clockwise than you are used to. If you perform this movement with a club, the club shaft should finish roughly parallel with the ground and parallel with the target line. Be sure as it does, the leading edge of the club is pointing directly straight up and down. If the club face aims up toward the sky at all at this point, the tendency will be to start hitting pushes as your path through the ball improves.

I hope this helps, happy training!

Hi Robert,

Great to hear the depth of understanding you have of your swing and awareness of some different outcomes you are trying to create. Sorry to hear about the weak shots to the left and the lack of distance. One of the first things I find interesting is how you feel/see your downswing being a bit more steep than what Golftec has prescribed for you. We would never put you in one position or another but allow proper movement of the body in the downswing and through impact to dictate the angle (steepness) of the shaft in your downwing. With this being said, you will have a tendency to be more “steep” in your downswing much like Jack Nicklaus and Tiger Woods in 2000 moving the hands, arms and body the way we prescribe.

Let’s immediately fix the weak shot to the right. I want to be sure that the club shaft and club face are in a proper alignment at the top of your swing. Being sure the club is properly loaded and the face is square at the top of your backswing might help with some of the issues you are experiencing. As you perform Hand and Arm Movement 10: Moving Energy, feel free to pause at the very top of your backswing to check this position. We want to be sure that a) the club shaft is parallel to the ground and the target line and b) the leading edge of the club face is parallel to your left forearm (for a RH player, right forearm for a left handed player). Be sure as you do this and pause in this position be sure a) your arms are pushing away from your chest, b) your arms are squeezing together, c) your wrists are fully loaded (if the club shaft is parallel to the ground and the alignments are correct, you can assume you have loaded the wrists properly). Practice this movement and stop at the top of your swing to really make sure you have that position down. This should help minimize how much you feel the club face having to close through impact to hit it straight.

From there, let’s discuss Body Movement 7: Snap to Level. If you are struggling with weak shots to the right and a steep downswing, you could be moving the body incorrectly in the downswing to cause this. As you train this movement, rather than finishing with all parts of the body parallel to the target line, finish this movement with your knees, hips, shoulders and arms 5-10 degrees CLOSED to the target line. The more closed these alignments are, the more the club shaft will flatten in the downswing and the more from the inside you will come. Another thing that will help is to be sure that your front knee, hip, shoulder and hand is significantly further from the ground than your back knee, hip, shoulder and hand. Finally, be sure that you have moved down and toward the target throughout this movement as well. The further forward you are and the more the front knee is closer to the target than the front foot the easier it will be to deliver the club from the inside. While training and practicing, feel free to exaggerate these alignments and notice how the shape of your downswing changes. This is a dramatically different alignment than most golfers are in at this position in the swing but something you can rely on to always be striking the ball from the inside.

Now that the clubface is square at the top and your body is moving in your downswing to deliver the club on a flatter plane, more from the inside, let’s be sure your hands are square through and out of impact. A great move to feel this is from the Pressure Movements Routine Hand and Arm Pressure Points – Through Impact. As you do this be sure that the palm of your left hand is facing more to the ground than it is the horizon directly behind you. It is the feeling that you are hitting a “snap hook” in the hands but the way the body is moving produces a shot that is dead straight. As you perform Body Movement 10: Thrust Through Impact, be sure as your hands are clasped that both palms are facing the horizon and not facing the ground or the sky. This will help to ensure that the clubface is closed enough and dead square through and out of impact. This can be a little more of a closed feeling in the hands than most students are used to but is supported by the way the body is moving and the way you have learned to grip the club from Chapter 2.

Let us know if you have any questions or if we can provide any further clarification on anything mentioned above.

Hi Wally,

Thank you for your question. Yes the arms do come onto the body through and out of impact. You will see more on this topic as you continue to train through pressure and chapter 4 (speed and strength). We suggest if you have the opportunity go back into day 18 and watch the explanation that Bryan gives toward the end of the greatest players hands and arms video, the section where he discusses the hands and arms at impact and also through and out of impact. Now that you have moved into the pressure section it will be beneficial to re-watch the greatest player videos from your new perspective and be open to hearing something a little differently than maybe you heard it the first time. We have a number of testimonials where students have had profound “light bulbs” go off watching certain sections for a second or even third time. We look forward to hearing your thoughts!