On Target Power DVD by Mike Cortson

Available at www.benhogan.ws

My radio interview with Australian hall of famer, Bruce Crampton

I host a weekly half hour public radio show.  My interview with Bruce Crampton is available for free mp3 download at http://www.mediafire.com/?bhy2d9slyjy .  The link to my show archives is located at http://radio.mikecortson.com/ . 

Mike
http://www.mikecortson.com/
mike@mikecortson.com
http://www.benhogan.ws/

Hogan's MacGregor "Ben Hogan reg. 1622" irons

Hogan's MacGregor "Ben Hogan reg. 1622" irons and

"His Own" putter

The Secret

Someone asked me why I teach this swing.  I found this the simplest way to hit a ball after my stroke.  I knew what Schlee had showed me regarding the wrist position at impact.  When John first went to see Hogan the first thing Hogan asked him was "Show me your impact position."  Hogan knew precisely how he needed to feel at impact.  He would always try to hit that exact feel through his body at impact.  He would pose impact to burn it into his memory which is where he came up with the concept of muscle memory.  John used to wrap his hands in duct tape having them in the impact position.  He'd sleep that way trying to ingrain it.  He even made a device to put on the back of his right hand to hold it in the impact position.  When he was hurting for money he sold his device to Greg Norman who later sold it as Greg Norman's Secret.  I'm sure you've seen it.

Now that you can hit the ball straight you can try working the ball.  If you've ever played ping pong you should know how to put side spin on a ping pong ball.  A golf club works the exact same way.  Get that feel for moving the clubface just as you would a ping pong paddle and you're on your way.  I step up to a shot and always ask myself, "How do you want to spin this one?"  I make a decision and let my body and subconscious do the rest.  So try that long handled ping pong paddle you call a golf club and start having some fun.  Take care.

Ben Hogan and "I wish I had three right hands!"

Ben Hogan stated in Five Lessons he wished he had three right hands.  Unless you know HOW to apply your right hand properly you most likely have experienced much frustration hitting fat shots, thin shots, slices and pulls.  All the while you keep hearing that haunting "I wish I had three right hands!"  Not to worry.  If you've had these problems and more there is a solution! 

You have to learn the proper use of your hands.  The right hand stays extended through impact.  I am willing to wager that you have been "flapping" your right hand through impact hoping to create three right hands.  What I mean by flapping is the extension and flexing of your right hand.  Hold your right hand out in front of you with your thumb pointed up and bend your wrist left (flex) and right (extension).  That's flapping.  Hogan had the right wrist extension through impact. He also had the left hand flex or what you would call the bowed left wrist at impact.  So how do you apply "three right hands" without flapping and maintaining the bowed left wrist at impact?  Here's the trick or secret.  Get a hand towel and take it and set in on your table.  With your right palm on top of the towel start wiping the table by twisting your forearm back and forth.  Notice that you still have the wrinkles in the back of your hand and wrist as you wipe.  That right to left motion is how your hand must work through impact.  Now curl your fingers under as if you were gripping a club.  Your index finger and the first pad nearest your palm is where Hogan said he felt pressure pressing forward.  Now try the same motion now with the back of your left hand on top of the towel and wipe left and right.  That is the motion you want to have with your hands through impact.  Couple this with 4 to 10 hitting UP on the ball.  You'll soon realize that you can pour on the three right hands as hard as you like.  The next issue is simply timing.  We'll talk about the race between your thumbs and pinkies in an upcoming post.

Hit 'em straight!

Mike
http://www.mikecortson.com/
http://www.benhogan.ws/
mike@mikecortson.com

Hit down on the ball?

One of the basic teaching points which has been considered an absolute must is, hitting down on the ball, at least with irons.  The belief is that by hitting down on the ball this motion causes the ball to spin backwards and get airborne.  One of the hazards in taking this advice, and one I believe is the cause of more bad shots than anything, is that instinctively hitting down on the ball 99.9% of the time can only be done if you come over the top.  Take a club now and try it.  You'll see your instinct is to chop down on the ball and your right side will dominate coming over the top.  The second bad thing is that your right hand dominates.  If you set your arc with the left arm and then try to hit with the right hand that extension of the right wrist will change the arc causing the clubhead to hit the ground before getting to the ball.  Fat shots come from this and/or not shifting your weight to the front foot.  So what can we do to get rid of these problems and still get the ball airborne with back spin?  Easy, hit up on the ball.  Take your club and swing from 4 o'clock to 10 o'clock hitting the inside quarter of the ball.  You will immediately see that the only way you can hit up on the ball is by coming from the inside, which is as it should be.  The loft and grooves on the clubface take care of the spin.  It is the speed of the clubhead that creates the spin.  Count Yogi in his book Five Simple Steps To Perfect Golf states that he hits up on every shot.  Try it.  You will get better and more consistent results.

I recall seeing a tournament telecast where Peter Kostis was describing Ernie Els' iron shot in super slow motion and a close up of the clubhead at impact saying, "Look at how Els' clubhead is coming down, compressing the ball against the ground causing the ball to go up."  Kostis must not have been looking at the screen as Els' clubhead barely nipped the grass catching the ball cleanly.  Stop digging up the fairways and start hitting the golf ball instead of the one you're standing on.

4 to 10 GOLF

Below is a graphic that I use when teaching my students.  Along with Ben Hogan's secret I have my students think of themselves addressing the ball from standing at the  6 o'clock position facing 12.  The target would be at 9 o'clock.  The goal is to swing the clubhead from 4 o'clock to 10.  The body rotation will square the clubface at impact.  I also tell them that they want to contact the ball at the 4 o'clock position which would be the inside quarter of the ball.  I am sure this visual will help you eliminate your slice and lead to purer contact.

Hit 'em straight!

Mike

http://www.mikecortson.com/

http://www.benhogan.ws/

Hogan's swing plane - misunderstood

I watch in amazement commentators and golf instructors talking about swing plane. Ben Hogan coined the term when he came up with the thought of his head sticking out from a huge pane of glass resting on his shoulders with the front edge lying just past the ball. He knew if he were to hit from the inside he had to keep his clubhead below the glass from the top of the swing through to the finish. I have seen several teaching aids trying to mimick the pane of glass either commercially made or homemade. What is never addressed is that Hogan's pane of glass also had to be moved during the down swing. The glass has to tip to the right of the target line and point to the right in the direction of the second baseman if you were standing at home plate or to about 10 o'clock if you were standing on 6 o'clock and ball was sitting in the center of the clock face. Hogan swung out from 4 o'clock to 10 o'clock hitting the inside quarter of the ball. See page 88 in Hogan's five lessons. That 4 to 10 motion is the only swing plane that matters. If you stand with your hands hanging at your side and start walking you will notice that your arms swing naturally as you walk. I lost that natural swing in my right arm after having a massive stroke in 2003. When I taught myself to play again with these paralysis limitations I literally have to force myself to create that "natural" arm swing for my right side. It dawned on me that this arm swing was the guide Hogan was using for swing plane. You can see it in his waggle before each shot. John Schlee, Hogan's only pupil, taught me years ago Hogan's actual secret. After understanding the arm swing and plane, I just had to get my hands in Hogan's "secret" position (not so secret since my book and DVD came out) to hit the ball purely. Works like a charm.

Tempo

I'd have say that Fred Couples has the best tempo of any pro golfer I've had the pleasure of watching. He uses Mother Nature better than anyone. He takes the club back outside raising his arms up high over his right shoulder and simply lets his arms drop in behind his right hip letting the club head fly from the inside out up to a relaxed effortlessly looking finish.

I met Fred's mom back in '92 after he had won the Masters along with Jim Nantz' dad. We had been following Fred at the Shark Shootout and had a wonderful day. I remember asking Fred's mom how proud she must be to have such a good looking and talented young man for a son. She smiled and said, "Oh, he's a dead-ringer for his father." We parted company and later after the round was finished I ran into her again at the practice tee. Fred had just finished hitting balls and told his mom to "Get dad, let's get something to eat." She went over to a group who had been watching Butch Harmon putting on a trick shot show. She came back with dad in tow and I was pleased to see that Fred was a "dead-ringer" for his dad. I told Fred's mom and she shook her head "No" and said "Oh he's not his father. This is his step father!" I was shocked and then she grabbed me and laughed. "I was kidding!!" She smiled and the were off to dinner. It wasn't too long after that Mrs. Couples passed away. She was a genuine class act with a great sense of humor.

Angular Momentum to the max

Jack Hamm, famous long drive champion and creator of "The Hammer", manages to maximize conservation of angular momentum beyond anyone I have witnessed in the thousands of hours of instruction video, competition video and my own up close and personal observations of some of the world's longest hitters. Hamm's approach comes right out of the science classroom as he was an engineering student at the same undergrad school I attended at the same time. I never met him or for that matter had any idea he was also a student there. His setup is simple. His take away is even more simple merely taking the club head away slowly turning the face and the back of his left hand parallel to the target line with his hand facing away from him when the club head is a knee height. He then simply picks the club up while turning his right shoulder as far away from the target as possible. His first move is a hard turn of his hips dropping his hands to his hip while the club head is still completely behind him. He turns as hard as he can and this ice skater spin catapults the club head through the hitting area as fast as he can allow it without throwing himself out of balance. It is a simple move to learn and can produce "POW!" big time for those looking to kill the ball. I wouldn't recommend it for your short game, hehe.

Mike

Winning Thinking

In 2003 I was diagnosed with terminal cancer and then had a massive stroke landing me in an end of life hospice program in a nursing home. I was indeed left for dead. In January 2004 my lucidity returned but I was still terminal. I resolved to be happy no matter what and low and behold my health started improving. Not just improving but IMPROVING! to the extent that my cancer cleared up (no treatment) and I was able to learn to walk, talk, read, write, yes everything from scratch. I wrote my book, Winning Thinking, how to be happy almost all of the time, highlight all of the thinking techniques I use to keep myself happy and thereby maximizing the law of attraction bringing more happiness and abundance into my life. These techniques will teach you how to get yourself into the zone at will. I kept it short and to the point. If you're struggling with your golf game, business, relationships or just life in general these techniques will give you to power to take 100% control over your thinking and your life. It bloody works. Find the book at www.winningthinking.mikecortson.com You will be happy you did.

Also be sure to check you my radio broadcasts on positive thinking and the law of attraction. Great info and great guests including Australian Hall of Fame golf star Bruce Crampton. Learn how to think and win 7 times in one season just like Bruce! www.mikecortson.com Click the podcast download link and find all of my shows for FREE mp3 download. Listen, learn and enjoy!

Mike