- Audio version at the end of this post –
Got a question on the blog from Gaetan. He says, “I’m having a problem topping the ball on my downswing. Not so much with my irons, but in the tee box. Any solution of what I may be doing wrong? Thank you.”
Since you’re doing it with the ball teed up rather than off the ground, I have to suspect, for starters, we might want to look at ball position. It may be too far forward. Consequently, since you’re trying to hit up, you’re hitting it late and you’re catching the top of the ball.
Another problem could be that with the driver or any ball teed up, if you’re aiming too far to the right, you have to pull out of the shot a little quicker, and trying to swing up, if you’re caught kind of centered in the stance or reverse weight shifting, that is going to have you coming out of the shot too fast and you’ll be topping it.
Those could be the two biggest issues. A third one could be maybe turning too much in the backswing,, possibly swinging it too long, so you have to turn harder to pull the club back out in front of you. That actually sends the club coming outside to in. Pulling to the left could cause a reverse weight shift which could have you coming over the ball and topping it.
On the other hand, if you had the ball a little too far back, you’d actually have to pull out of the shot to try and hit it because the ball’s too far back and you’re pounding down on it, but you’re trying to come up, so you get pulled out of the shot.
So we have a ball position issue here and, I think there is a high probability of over turning and over swinging, causing you to have to pull out of the shot. Plus, you could be pulling across the ball, causing reverse weight shift, making you pull out of the shot.
Always go back to fundamentals. Check your ball position, check your swing, and make sure that you’re staying 3/4, limited turn. I think if you get back to the limited turn and correct ball position, you should start hitting any shorts with any club out of the tee box very well.
The Surge!
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Hello Rod,
Now you've asked the right question. As you come into the mitt and then to the tree which is pretty much on the toe line you begin the lift. However, as you're lifting the left shoulder still turns a bit more and this puts the club over the soft part of the right shoulder on the back swing.
I have tried the swing you promote but I feel that it so upright that i have too much trouble getting back square to the ball. I purchased the package and it is very sound and you are a gas! Maybe I should take it a tiny bit inside on the backswing to the 3/4 spot? Struggling!?
Lynn its on the left side on the follow through. It does not fly it pulls kind of straight back if that makes any sense. I am trying to get my right side through quicker and rotate the forearms througn impact is this the right approach
My bad shots are pulls and pull hooks
could not find “inner circle” to click on. has the page changed? thanks.
so i was at my golf course today.on hole 16 par 5 500 yrds hit my driver with a slite fade wich put me in the rough on the right side.just so happened that there was a big bushy tree in front of me about 30 yrds away.i have 211 yrds to pin.so i opted to go with my 4 iron and put a 30 yrd slice on the ball and hit it perfect.i now lay 3ft str8 uphill for eagle.EAGLE.never in my life have i got an eagle.and i take a few practice putts feel good.pushed it and lipped out,almost lost a putter there!!!before i started getting the ppgs down i never had a birdie let alone a eagle.and my pars were like other peoples birdies,lucky to get 1 or 2 a round.thanks so much for the help,but what can i do to calm myself before big putts like the one i had for eagle?before i got into the ppgs i was happy to shoot under 100.after 3 months of the ppgs i get dissapointed with a round of 87.thanks so much!!!i still need an eagle,maybe tomorrow will be the day!!
Surge,
I have been meaning to let you know that I really enjoy all the new improvements to blog that have lessened the misunderstandings about your digital downloads and how to use this web site and the PPGS method of on line learning. I notice it now too clearly says “LISTON NOW”. Can't be any clearer!
The only thing I noticed is that I can no longer post any responses on my blackberry phone while at work. It is no longer an option on my phone only since the changes.
No problem, I just have to wait until I get home to my computer in the evenings.
Thanks again for all the improvements and more importantly great golf instuction.
Down the middle,
Robert
First of all congrats. on the improved play.
I can only tell you what works well for me. This is getting into the fragile mental state when putting and is not a magic bullet, but a process. On all putts, not just high pressure putts such as your chance for eagle putt, I try to keep my breathing at a calm rate. Then I line up my ball on the best read I can make. I concentrate entirely on making the best roll possible on the ball. This seems to take me out of the pressure situation at hand because of the focus on the roll itself. Lastly I make an effort to never be mad or disapointed because I missed a putt. If I made my best read and best roll there was nothing else I could do. Again this mental state of mind is a process and one may or may not be able to achieve it quickly. I could probably type for hours on my thoughts about the mental process of getting into what athletes call “the zone” but I am very reluctant to get into it any deeper. My son who is a very good athlete and I sit and talk for hours about the zone and how the great athletes seem to stay in it longer than most of us. We've said many times that if you try to talk to people too much about these things most people would think you were crazy. I still don't know if I will let myself hit the post as button.
I understand exactly what you mean. Instead of extending the arms on the follow through, you pull back with the left arm and this also causes you to finish in the SBG. You are going to have to just pratice the movement of coming through impact and the arms extend into the catcher’s mitt and then up the tree and over the shoulder. Start with just half swings and make sure you get the extension and forearm rotation. The rotation only goes to the point that the palms are perpendicular with the ground. Walk through it slowly at first to get the feel of the movement then increase the speed then increase the length. A good thing to do would be to have a target of some time in front of you like a towel that is at full arms length so that you just brush it on your way up. Hope this helps.
Oh, btw, I still don’t get all the different names? But, I like this one better as it seems more sincere.
Have lost my timing and hooking the ball.When I first started all went extremely well but it all seems to have disappeared
A quick answer is you are probably aiming too far right so #1 check your alignment to see if you're lined up paralell left of your target. Swing up not around your body. Read the article writen Dec. 12, 2009. Do you know how to search the archives? Try it. Put in “chicken wing” in saerch area(top right) and you find this and many other articles. Remember Surge says 90-95% of all problems are brought on because of alignment issues.
Down the middle,
Robert
Your right David we do stay level and Surge has writen a great article on the need for levelness. I don't think that swinging up invites anyone to come out of their shot early. The downswing and bumb are “automatic” according to Surge and I agree from one year experience with this swing. If we review (and I do frequently) all the videos covering secret #3 and Secret # 4 we see the need to think only of swinging up after reaching the top of our backswing. Fear not,
the downswing will happen on our way forward, every time.
Robert
thanks a bunch,will try it.i know what you mean about the zone.i play in alot of 8-ball tournys all over minnesota and a few in wisconsin.i seem to get in the zone alot on the pool table and find it much much harder on the golf course.probably due to the wait inbetween shots.i walk when i golf and walking up to my eagle putt i could feel the pulse soar and my nerves start jumpin alittle.in pool it was the same way when i would get to the 8-ball on a table run,until i ran a few and my confidence was high.i guess i should get in a routine and stick to it like i do in billiards.know im gonna make the putt and dont think im gonna miss.or say to myself i hope i dont miss.once again thanks abunch for hitting the post as button.
I understand exactly what you mean. Instead of extending the arms on the follow through, you pull back with the left arm and this also causes you to finish in the SBG. You are going to have to just pratice the movement of coming through impact and the arms extend into the catcher’s mitt and then up the tree and over the shoulder. Start with just half swings and make sure you get the extension and forearm rotation. The rotation only goes to the point that the palms are perpendicular with the ground. Walk through it slowly at first to get the feel of the movement then increase the speed then increase the length. A good thing to do would be to have a target of some time in front of you like a towel that is at full arms length so that you just brush it on your way up. Hope this helps.
I'm still wondering about all the names. What's the story?
i have watched all of the dvd's and i did not see anywhere that addresses where the ball is placed in the stance. help
It's on page 96 of the Foundations Manual. Center of the stance for short irons moving forward through the driver.
Ben, at the top of this page there is “Member's Login”. Sign in and it will
bring up a screen with “Inner Circle” at the top. Click on it and you will see
a drop down menu. Click on Videos, Then Swing drills. The cactus drill is
drill #7. The page is still the same as I just went through the steps to verify.
Parchaser
I've been trying out the ppgs swing for a little over a month now and have had a similiar experience. I have found that making sure I put the clubhead in the catcher's miit on the inside corner of the plate keeps my backswing a tinge to the inside and produces a much better result. If I get to upright with a feeling that my hands are outside my toe line I find a tendency to either pull the ball (coming slightly out to in on the downswing) or I push the ball a little right by not getting the face square to my target line.
surge, i am still looking for an instructor who teaches your method in the bay area, preferably san jose—wideck
Read what JLynn posted a few responses down.
The club doesn't stop on the toe line … it's more between the toes and ankles. The butt of your club can be anywhere between the top of your shoulder and the base of your neck … see page 101 of the manual.
DON MY MOST PROBLEM IS HITTING BEHIND THE BALL SOMETIMES AS MUCH AS
FOUR INCHES WITH MY IRONS AND AT TIMES WITH MY FAIRWAY WOOD.
Thanks! I had not yet downloaded the Manual – will do it before asking another question.
Thanks for the info I really appreciate it. This sounds a lot more sensible than what one of the pros at the range where I have a membership told me to do to correct it when he saw me doing it.
Just being a IDIOT or a A_ _ and I apologize and I will not do it again.
I would also love someone in this area. Someone let me know if there is one available in the Sacramento area.
I have been pulling my tee shots left and also bumping the ground on my tee shots,is my ailinement wrong?
Mike,
Take a look at today's post from the Surge. He's talking about “pulling your irons”, but I think it applies to tee shots as well.
Supp Surge, just wanted to find out why im hitting the ball fat. I try to pop up like a poptart out of a toastor but i still am hitting the ball fat? help please BIg Yokz.
I can be rolling along hitting my irons solid and then out of the blue I stick the club right into the ground. What do you think is happening? I recently converted to the PPGS.
Marion Gebhardt
MAGASSOC@SWBELL.NET
I am having trouble with my chipping – any suggestions to fix this???
David N. Malone
I cannot get a refund…been waiting for 3 months….what customer service…
I have emailed customer service and called the telephone number and never been able to talk with someone who will help me get a refund, as promised.
Got no reply from you???
There was a blog on the short game on the 29th of June. The link is to the right of the comments section.
No reply from whom? Brian responded to you.
Or, the angle of attach is very steep and contact is being made on a negative angle of attack. even though pros approach with a slight negative angle of attack around 1.0-1.5 degrees the vertical action might cause one to drive the ball downward. If you can detect a ball imprint in the ground in front your teeing area, consider moving the ball forward and keep a more extended right arm on your take away to reduce your tendency to cause steep angle of attack.
Thanks Lynn,
I am going to write this down so I will remember this one! Only one thing, I am skinny and don't know where the soft spot of the shoulder is, lol. Really not that skinny. Oh another thing, since I cut down the driver I have been averaging my drives and they are 237 which is just a little shorter. No big deal.
Take care
Rod
Rod
Hi Don,
Another day has gone by and Mavin Marketing has not responded to numerous telephone calls, letters, and email. Do you know what is going on?
I want my refund as promised!
From time to time I hit the ground behind the ball, usually in the practise swing which then upsets my concentration.
Any help on this detail will oblige. Many thanks. Geroge.B.
Charliedontsurf,
I still haven't got an answer to my question about instructions in my area—wideck
Don,
Another day has gone by and Mavin Marketing has not processed my refund request. I made the request over three months ago…how long can it take. You provide very poor customer service
Hi Don,
I have a steep swing plane that I'd like to flatten out. I also have a tendency to swing outside to inside(over the top) I have no consistency with my driver. Any suggestions?
Regards,
Bill
Don,
Still another day has gone by and neither you nor Marvin Marketing has contacted me concerning my numerous emails, letters, and telephone calls. Shame on you…
Hi Don
I feel that iam not consistent enough in having a true crisp connection with the ball all the time i maybe hit 5 out of 10 true good shots this happens the most when i teev off
Topping off the gas tank isn't just bad for the environment, … Avoid Topping Your Gas Off. While you may be tempted!
hi don,
MY QUESTION is after my tee shot my second shot alway's pulls 2 the right no matter what club i use, how do i make stay straight, i'm a left handed golfer.also when i'm chipping a shot 2 the green it pulls 2 the right, or i top the ball. i've tried slowing my back swing down, i've tried standing with the ball on my back foot, i've tried standing with the ball in the middle of my stance and i've tried standing with the ball on my back foot and the pitching wedge slightly forward over the ball as 2 come down on the ball 2 give it back spin. and the ball still pulls 2 the right. what am i doing wrong.
GOOD MORNING,
I FINALY WATCHED THE DVD I ORDERED AND THE “NEW” PPG SWING WORKS GREAT
WITH THE IRONS AND RESCU BUT I HAVE REAL HIGH FLIERS WITH MY DRIVER
AND FAIRWAY WOODS (MUCH SHORTER THAN WITH MY OLD SWING).
THANK YOU IN ADVANCE FOR YOUR HELP.
GOOD MORNING,rnI FINALY WATCHED THE DVD I ORDERED AND THE “NEW” PPG SWING WORKS GREATrnWITH THE IRONS AND RESCU BUT I HAVE REAL HIGH FLIERS WITH MY DRIVERrnAND FAIRWAY WOODS (MUCH SHORTER THAN WITH MY OLD SWING).rnTHANK YOU IN ADVANCE FOR YOUR HELP.