- Audio version at the end of this post –
I often get asked in lessons and blogs for help on the Pre-Loaded Heavy Right (PLHR) setup position. Most of the time the question relates to not being able to transition back to impact and the T – Finish, as this question below states and asks for help.
Surge,
As you advise, I am loading my right side before the take away. The problem is the transition back to the left side. I am not able to transition my weight back to the left.
I would appreciate you comments as to how to accomplish this.
Thank you.
The transition problem when PLHR is usually always setup related. Typically, the player is not properly setup for one of five reasons.
1. The problem I most often see is that the player is incorrectly “OVER” loading onto the back leg. The player gets into the address position and then just pushes his hips forward. The hips go forward and the torso tilts back and I am sure he is PLHR, because he feels more weight and pressure on his back foot. The problem here is that the torso is tilted too much and to far outside the hips and legs and thus the body is not in dynamic balance. Checkpoint: take a club and place it under your back armpit. If you have “OVER” loaded, the shaft and club head will be pointing outside of your back knee and inside of your back foot.
Prescription: The entire body has to shift onto the back foot. The best way I describe this is to stand erect, centered between your feet, with the proper stance width to hit a shot. With each hand reach down and grab onto your belt at each hip. Then, with both hands, just lift equally and shift your entire body, legs to shoulders around an inch or two and settle in over and onto your back leg. Checkpoint: The shaft under the armpit will point straight down the back knee and foot.
2. “OVER” tilting of the spine. Some players just plain over tilt their spine too far back. The hips will be pushed a little forward, but they feel tremendous weight and pressure down onto the back foot, more to the outside edge and not centered on the foot as it should be. Checkpoint: Shaft and club head under armpit is outside of back knee and foot.
Prescription: adjust tilt forward until the shaft points straight down the back knee and foot. You will feel the back shoulder rise up and move forward. The forward hip and leg move inward. You will still be tilted but will feel more centered and balanced and still feel more weight on the center of the back foot.
3. Back foot placed too inside of the back shoulder. This is similar to problem #2, only to an extreme. This will really cause transition problems as well as hitting a lot of chunks and/or blocks. Checkpoint: The shaft will be a couple of inches even more outside the back knee and foot, as seen in #2 checkpoint.
Prescription: Adjust the back foot, moving it outward until the shaft points straight down the back knee and foot. You will still be tilted but feel centered and more weight over and on the center of the back foot.
4. Stance is too wide. It is almost impossible for the back shoulder to get outside of the foot in this wide setup. One may have the perfect prescription of the checkpoint shaft straight down the back knee and foot, but will be unable to transition. The reason is the front foot is too wide and thus the front leg is too severely angled inward, causing the effect of a brace. This doesn’t allow the transition, so the torso hangs or is pushed backward, in effect, a reverse weight shift or pivot.
Prescription: Get into a correct shoulder width PPGS stance.
5. Alignment is incorrect and PLHR is correct. A right hander would be aimed too far right and a left hander too far left. The body is in the way of the arms and club in swinging in a straight line to the ball. So the body has to spin out fast to get out of the way and/or the arms are thrown and pulled at the ball in a big outside to in path. Either one causes the torso to fall backwards outside the back foot. Impact is likely chunky or pulls are hit. If the hands are under released (lower hand palm turns skyward), a push to slice is hit.
6.
Prescription: Get into proper alignment, maintaining correct PLHR.
These 5 potential setup problems for PLHR all attest to the PPGS mantra of, “The Setup Determines the Motion.” These checkpoints will help you find your correct PLHR posture, so you can make a smooth in-sync, balanced and powerful transition to impact and the T – Finish.
The Surge!
- Use these controls for the audio version of this post –
Get Flash to see this player.
Tell me what you're thinking... and what part of the golf swing, or this great game... you'd like to know more about. If you want your pic to show with your comment, go get a 
IS IT CORRECT TO THINK OF PRE SETTING THE WRISTS ASAP ON THE BACKSWINGRATHER THAN THE CONVENTIONAL LOW AND SLAO WIDE TAKE AWAY THAT IS ALWAYS BEEN PROMOTED AS THIS SWING THOUGHT MAKES ME CAST THE CLUB ON THE DOWNSWING, WHERE THE OTHER THOUGHT HELPS ME TO HIT THE BALL LATER THUS WITH MORE POWER……WHAT IS YOUR PROFESSIONAL OPINION ?
Surge,
Coming from stack & tilt to PPGS is a challange. I have had success with S&T but the stress on my back drove me to PPGS on the recommendation of a fellow golfer. I have only hit a couple of hundred practice balls but to my delight I have had no issues with severe back pain. However my first round yesterday was a disaster. At address with S&T my weight distribution was 65% front 35% back. Do you have a suggestion for weight distribution? I realize the 2 swing philosophies are very different and I am not expecting miracles but maybe you have some suggestions on how to expedite the transition from S&T to PPGS. Thanks
Don:
You talked about preloading on the right side before. Today’s article clarifies it more, but I have been doing it accidentally correctly before reading this article. The main difference I find is that I usually hit the ball where I want it to go. Those few times per round when I don’t see the ball leave the tee I now just look for it in the fairway. What a blessing.
Hey everyone, hey Surge! Since I started getting your email, probably the best message has been the one I got on alignment. Your notes above about aiming too far right, as a righty player, are obviously spot on. I was waaaaaaaay off, and with the help of a few dowels, I immediate began striking the ball much better. My newest driver was one I hated, and viola, now I’m hitting the face in the correct place, errr, or closer to it, and the results have been amazing. Thanks again for the emails, and tell big money I said, “Go Tigers!”
Surge,
I cannot thank you enough for this golf system. It has taken 9-10 strokes off of my score. It keeps improving. I’m not only hitting the fairways, but hitting the greens too (within regulation). My confidence in my game has skyrocketed and I’m no longer ashamed to take my business clients out for a game.
Your daily tips are a big help too. I live in Houston, so I get to practice almost every day at the range. I used to twist, turn, follow the plane, torque my hips and spine…I left the range feeling exhasuted, sore, and more unsure then when I began. Now I leave the range wanting to hit one of our fine courses as soon as possible.
For the non believers that are high handicappers, give it a try. Don’t try to compare it to other swings, just try PPGS. From my experience: setup, alignment, and stance almost guarantee a good shot if done correctly. It took me a month with a lot of practice to break the bad habits, but it works. If you do not like the system, then you can always go back to your old way and HOPE your ball into the fairway, then the green…
Today’s tip was a keeper. Balance is the key – your body should not look pre-loaded.
Hi
I need to know in terms that I can understand whether to transfer 60% of weight onto my back foot during the back swing.
Cheers
I’ve been trying your program for the last six months and even though my back pain has been completely eliminated my drives, especially don’t seem to be getting any distance and even starting to slice more often. I feel as if I’m not releasing the club, also?
Hi Don, Im really working on the PPGS and have some good success so far. I have seen some references to the “manual” and yet I don’t see where it is offered either for free or at some charge which I may well be willing to pay. Please help me out. Regards Chris from Canada
To Harry,
What is “pre-setting the wrists? I want to make sure I have the same understanding that you do. In the PPGS the emphasis is on not doing anything with the wrists. It is all done with large muscles and the other movements are mostly involuntary or of no conscious effort. Casting the club is generally caused by overswinging at the top and a regripping at the top. Taking a club back low and slow is opposed to taking it to the inside early which promotes an over the top move. As you are moving the club “into the mitt”, the left forearm is rotating clockwise which sets the club head in proper position. Then you lift up the tree. As you are coming into the downswing, the right forearm rotates counter clockwise and this squares the head back up.
To Tom,
PPGS is just the opposite to the S & T set up. Don’t know that you’d need to go as much as 35% left and 65% right, but you may want to start at 40/60. That is the whold point of the PLHR, pre load heavy right at set up. A slight K set up as you see it from behind the golfer or a reverse K as you look at the golfer. It’s just a slight tilt to the right. The S & T method worked well, I should say better, for golfers that were one plane swingers to begin with. Upright two plane swingers could not do it. So, you are transitioning from a flatter swing to a more up right swing and it will take you several days of practice to transition and even more rounds to “unlearn’ the old. I’m wondering, did you hit a lot of fat shots and balls to the right?
I have asked this on MANY occasions and STILL get NO Answer. For the Larger (big bellied) golfers that have problems bring the club in close and being able to stand tall (since we have to bend more at the waist to have our hands hang freely) what is the solution to a better PPGS. I have tried and tried your method to no avail. Its either I am topping the ball or slicing the ball. And let alone I lose a ton of distance. Yeah no more back pain, but now there is stress for playing bad. So I will ask again. For the larger golfers do you have ANY suggestions on how to use the PPGS to OUR advantage and get a better golf swing. Hopefully for once this will be answered..
GJ
Harry Thompson; Your right, low and slow is wrong. However we don’t pre-set the wrist or turn the hands. It really is getting your hands the forarms firm including the wrists and hands and then in the first 12 inches or so of the back swing we “roll’ the club(with the forarms thru hands as a unit) “into the catchers mit” toe up and left vertically in an arc and then “up the tree” 3/4 swing. This a snipit of the explaination. You need to study the manual, videos and “all” of Surge’s teachings to get it.
Andy Krawchuk; Just athought about your driving. I to have been using Don’s system for about 6 months. Likewise my drives were a little shorter and pushing right. I did several things which all together have improved my drives while still using thePPGS.
#1 I changes my driver from a stiff 45 inches to 43 inches ‘regular shaft’ and a head that is 10.5 instead of 9.5 degrees. Surge has writen several back articles on why we might decide to do this.
#2 I bought those stickers you can place on the clubface to find out if your hitting the sweet spot or not. Found almost all my drives were hit high and inside face = not solid.
#3 Figured out that because the driver is longer I tended to breakdown my wrists(grip) and even regrip at the top.
Solution; a firmer grip with both hands as Surge says “both hands equally firm”. This also helped me not have any grip breakdown and keeps me closer to 3/4 on the backswing.
#4 I made sure I keep my knees wide amd stable, make sure I have my FAD and Back arm slightly under(watch bonus video with DJ and BLUEPRINT VIDEOS especially the interviews to see most of these points on set up. The arm positions before the swing (in set up are huge!).
The result of the above thoughts are that I can now fire my arms faster, with solid contact and long drives that stay down the LEFT side of the fairway. Hope that helps.
YAAAHOO!, Robert
Guys — “DON’T” cock the wrists. Just keep the palms of you hands
together all-through the swing the same as they were at address. The fore arms
will do all the squaring up at contact. IT WORKS
Hi Surge,
It seems like I hit all my clubs, especially the irons about the same distance, and I can’t figure out why. Is there anything I cam do to remedy this situation. I have trouble finishing my swing to completion. I know my hands should finish over my left shoulder, and my right toe should be up, and that my buckle should be facing the hole at the finish. I can’t seem to finish on my left side.
Is there any way that I can accomplish this. I don’t get any distance with my clubs, and the groups I play with far out distance me. It’s frustrating to say the least. Can you help! Thanks!!!
Sincerely,
Joe Reis
Surge,
During the TV broadcast of the Shark Shootout yesterday, one of the announcers said about Steve Stricker that he has the simplist swing on tour with very few moving parts. He said Stricker swings simply with his arms, strikes the ball clean, hits staight and long. When I watch Stricker it looks like he is using PPGS (or some variant of it). What do you think? Is Steve Stricker, the number 3 golfer in the world, a disciple of PPGS???
Michael
P.S. Stricker DOES NOT cock his wrists!!! He is still one of the longest and most accurate drivers and ball-strikers on tour.
Thanks Don, I believe this may be what I have needed and will try tomorrow at range. I have been consistently hitting fades, but very much predictable and controlled with my long irons and woods/driver more so.
I do understand that I must go and have myself evaluated w/ a swing Dr.. I know I have a fairly high swing speed and may need to find another set of shafts for my woods and driver. I play Steel Regular w/ Irons.
My confidence/ ball striking/ accuracy has so much improved from the PPGS system with my short irons= Lob-7 iron and I have been able to take the fade away w/ the transition of weight you just mentioned. I know I must be loading up more so w/ the longer clubs on my R foot to increase my perception of speed needed for the longer shots. I also feel that I may be starting too soon, up at the top of swing, w/ strength on those clubs and not “at, thru the ball, where it is resting”
To GJ,
One must bend from the waist to get into a posture where the arms hang down. I say stand as tall as possible because we don’t want one stooping or hunched over too much. But standing tall does not also mean standing so erect that ones arms are so close that in the downswing approaching impact the hands will bump into or bounce off the thigh. The key is to find the amount of bend of the torso at the waist that hangs the arms enough to swing free in the backswing clearing the belly and chest, and then in the downswing to impact swing free of the lower body. The key is that you can swing free of the body and stay in balance throughout the swing to the T – Finish.
Another point to consider and check out is “do you need longer clubs because of your larger size? I would suggest seeing your PGA professional or local club fitter to get their input as to longer clubs. I have helped larger men in the midsection many times with getting them fitted with longer clubs. The club fitter may have a longer club for you to test, both woods and irons. And while you are there you might as well have him test the flex in all your shafts to your swing speeds to see if your shafts are the correct flex for your swing.
The Surge
To Michael Brodie,
Steve Stricker is not a PPGS disciple that I know of. I am asked this a lot as his swing is quite close to PPGS.
He does have the PPG setup pretty close and is spot on the swing in terms of no wrist cock, forearm rotation and solid as a rock at the top of the backswing.
His variation from the PPGS is at the top of the backswing he is not vertical 12:00 o’clock with a light club. He is more at 10″00 o’clock and a heavy club. I think in the past few months he has slipped from 11 to 10. He is still hitting it pretty good, but I would venture to guess that if he stays at 10 and definitely if it drops lower he will start having impact issues and a problem with direction never mind increasing stress on his back.
The Surge!
To Joseph Reis,
Distance problems and can’t finish on your left (forward side) side sounds like a big bad case of the BIG A…Alignment in that you are aiming right.
Go to the article above and re-read problem #5 about alignment. Then , check the archives and read up on alignment, how to align and everything you can find as I have writted numerous articles on alignment. Why, because my Surgism for Alignment is “90 to 95 percent of all swing problems arise out of alignment.”
Alignment is just about the number 1 cause of bad swings. I am sure it is likely the starting point and major cause of your problems.
The Surge!
To Tom DeMare,
Stack and Tilt as you say is 65% front leg and 35% back leg.
PPGS Pre-loaded heavy right is the opposite. Reverse your stack and tilt and you should be hitting it well in no time.
Your loss of back pain using the PPGS is proof positive that it is better for you. I have two suggestions for you to check out and work on.
I suspect that your weight is still a little front heavy at address. Or, maybe in your backswing you are still tilting and ending up more on the forward leg in front of the ball and not loaded on the back leg and behind the ball.
The Surge!
To The Griffin Man,
Your advice to Harry was right on except for one major fundamental error. The PPGS is NOT a large muscle event! In the PPGS the lower body is quiet on the take away and the shoulder turn is not only minimal (70 degrees) but does not initiate the backswing. It’s the small musclea of the hands and wrists which feel the start of the backswing move and the forearms which quickly follow. Remember, I said the hands FEEL the initiation, they don’t supply any power!
As Don very specificaly outlines,the right hand immediately is then asked to send the clubhead up on a vertical plane. Small muscles rule the whole action, commanding and directing the large muscles.
In the downswing, Don gives the option of bumping the hip to start the club head back,but he prefers to let gravity bring the club forward with the right hand taking over on the follow through.. Again, a well timed forward swing is actuated by the hands leading the forearms and sees the rest of the body instinctively following along.
Don, I really like this section. Everyone gets an opportunity to relate exactly what is happening with them. Some have flexibility issues, others are physically challenged or have to adjust their thinking patterns. All of these are good things to be aware of. I am 64 years old and thankfully can still make a full turn and hit the ball fairly square (not all shots go exactly where I want them to go). For the most part I guess I hit my driver a fair distance of approximately 200 yards and keep the ball close to the fairway. My real goal is to get even better from 100 yards and in. I accept the fact I can’t hit the ball as far as I would like to, but hope that being better from 100 yards will make up for the shorter tee shot. I like your thinking pattern concerning the turn and the finish. Finishing in a good position is what I hope to accomplish from practicing your principles. Thanks for giving advice the way you do.
John Careccia
Don – nice article – thanks for posting it !
To Chris from Canada about the Manual – The Hard Copy Manual & the online version can be ordered seperately by calling Customer Service at 800-603-2706 or 888-847-9464, thanks Ken Trahan PPGS Customer Service.
What I have seen of the PPGS I like, but honestly, I did not understand a word of today’s message. Remember, Surge, K-I-S-S… Keep It Simple Surge!
What is the difference between a chip and a pitch?
When and where should each be used?
John.
To Alistair Beaton
Ypou criticism is unwarrented. Don, in his explanation, did an excellent job of clarifying and describing the possible scenarios that cause problems with “overloading.” His post was in keeping with KISS!
John,
The chip shot, is usually used closer to the green and travels mostly on the ground rather than throught the air. The swing is made mainly with the arms. The ball is played back in the stance, and the goal is usually to strike the ball with the club, before the club hits the ground, therefore, ’sweeping’ the ball. A variety of different clubs can be used to perform this shot and you should experiment with them to see the difference in the roll out. You can even use a hybrid or fairway wood for a chip shot.
The pitch shot, is a shot that gets higher in the air and flys further. This would be the type of shot to play if let’s says you needed to carry a shot over a bunker. It comes in higher, sits down softer and has less roll.
The time that you’d play each would depend on what the shot dictates, i.e. you wouldn’t try to chip a ball through a bunker or a small pond. Neither would you try to pitch a ball to a pin that is cut 5 to 6 feet off the same side of the green that you are near and you’re just a couple feet off.
The best thing to do is experiment. I see higher handicapers trying to pitch a ball to a pin when they are just a few feet off the green rather than chip it. In my opinion, it’s always better to get the ball on the ground and rolling as soon as you can. Hope this helps.
It’s winter in New England and the gym is a great place to practice your swing. Pick up that 5-7lb. medicine ball and swing it like your club. If you’re like me, you’ll find you’ve reaching too far away from your body and too bent over when you swing your golf club. The medicine ball brings the hands closer, you stand straighter and you can really FEEL the swing.
I have not purchased the PPGS so I don’t know if the teaching methods include using mirrors? That’s not a joke. I found years ago that seeing your swing “as you swing” is a terrific way to get your swing on-plane and square at the top. If you are not in the proper position at the top (aiming down the line or parallel with you club face square) you will need to “compensate” on the way down (to get back to plane and square). I use my sliding door as a mirror to see where I am aiming. I swing very slowly to feel the proper path and check it against the image in the mirror. Frankly, I fail to see how a two-plane swing could be as easy to duplicate as a single one-plane swing time after time. But hey, maybe it’s just me? And again all this discussion on wrist break and pre-setting of this and that. If you stay on plane with a square club face everything falls into place as you increase your tempo. I agree with the above comment on some of these discussions getting too complicated. This stuff ain’t magic. It’s pure physics and some people want it to be more complicated than it needs to be. The sad truth is that as you gain golf skill you see the game more clearly. It is in our explanations that we complicate matters. I have often felt Nicklaus in his book and tapes “Golf My Way” was so complicated that I thought maybe he never really wanted anyone to play as good as him so he kept his knowledge like alchemy.
Surge- I’m on board with the content of your message. Great stuff! However, whoever is editing your e-book should be fired. It looks to me like it was transposed from a video you did. The person who watched/listened and then typed didn’t have terrific English skills and no one did an edit to check it. What happens is it diminshes the effectiveness of the document when it appears to have been written by someone with a grade-school education. I know that is not the case. An example of this is the use of the words “lose” and “loose”. Spellcheck won’t find the error because both are spelled correctly but the meanings are entirely different. The transcriber didn’t use the correct word but spelled it correctly. Spend a little dough, and have it proofread by a professional. It will be money well spent. Please accept this as constructive criticism not nit-picking.
Joe
If any of you haven’t watched the first episode of The Don Show, I highly recommend that you do. Don explains and breaks down alot of the things we’re trying to learn from the PPGS.
To Don, I think you did a fantastic job with this new show. WOW!!! Keep them coming. Great instruction. How often are you going to do the show?
Jeff
Don,
Thank you for responding to my issue its much appreciated. As far as the article. FINALLY its explained in detail about PLHR (for me PLHL). I have watched the videos and read the manual and was getting a bit confused with how to load up my left side since im Lefty. With your breakdown explaination I finally have gotten it.. Grab the belt and shift everything to the left a bit.. I was finding myself tilting. So that breakdown helped. PLEASE PLEASE write more breakdown articles like this for those of us who need a little more explaining.. Thank you and keep up the good work..
GJ
hi I consistently leave my bunker shots short, by almost 50%. I understand that i have to compensate for haiiting from the sand and practice, however, if you have a good swing drill or a thought to gauge the speed right it will be great.
Surge,
I played a lot of baseball as a kid and when I started playing golf post service in 1968 I had a very flat swing that worked OK. Single digit handicap when playing more than once a week with a good short game – just to give you a little history. I changed the flat swing to a two plane swing for many years then went to S&T. I have been working on the PPGS and without much success. Weak, right without any power. I realize it is going to take time. I enjoy practicing – though frustrated – I know I will benefit if I can get the transition mastered. Will start with the setup – thanks for responding.
Hi Don,
What does the 3/4 swing mean? At least for me it would be easier to understand if you kindly could demonstrate a 4/4 swing. Maybe an explanation in degrees could help too, while a full circle is 360 deg.
I do appreciate your numerous and professional comments I’m receiving frequently from you.
Anders
Anders,
3/4 means three quarters or less than a whole, complete or full. As it relates to the PPGS it means to limit the should to three quarter of a full turn. A full shoulder turn is 90*. So, 3/4 of this would be 67.5* and in the PPGS we make a 70* shoulder turn. Hope this answers your question and helps with your understanding.
HEY! LOOK HERE! IMPORTANT!
To All Of My On-Line Colleagues
When I started a year ago learning about the PPGS methodology, I never anticipated such a collective interest and such a collective acceptance of “The Gospel According To The Surge,” Lol!
In the spirit of this holiday season, I would like to compliment and acknowledge the brilliant and insightful swing information shared on this site by individuals brilliant and insightful!
In recognition of outstanding posters, the honor role listing is as follows….
“Mr. Chief Justice” Warren, Craig “I’m really 64” 63, Ken “The Gem” Genz, “Golfing Jones” GJ, “Ms Master Teacher“ Pamela, “Famous” Amos Terrell, “Handy” Randy S, Jim ”I Know How To Read” D, Tom “7-10 Split” Daugherty, Charlie “Rose,“ Ronnie “The Analyzer” Mc Curry, “Words Are Us” Stretch C, Michael “The SwingArch Angel,” John “Never” OB, Harry “Don’t Call Me Hairy” Thompson, Randy “The Dandy” Beckett, Jimsha, and Ken “When?” (Do we play)!
And last but not least, as regards the anatomy and physiology of all golf club implements, special commendation to the Master Club Fitter and Builder, J Griffin.
Together we have formed a PPGS resource team second to none! An investigative body sensitive to the pitfalls of the big muscle rotary swing of yesterday. Ours is a research body ever cognizant and watchful of PPGS interpretation inaccurate and misleading. And I also want to recognize those who have joined me since the first of the year in a crusade to vanquish those pathetic miscreant hackers whose sole existence in life is to disparage innovation and ridicule innovators. It now appears in the last few months, the instigators themselves have been vanquished into a well deserved oblivion. Amen!
MERRY CHRISTMAS !!!