Never mind about the dust and fairway, look at all that hair 
That’s what too much travel, kids and divorce will do to you…!!
All your hair falls out to match the $100 notes that go flying from your wallet
At least my brain isn’t fried…??? …yet… I think 
My Mum/Dad just sent a big box of leftover stuff from Australia…and digging through it I found this pic.
I believe it is Feb 1982 …maybe 1981…so I was 14 or just turned 15
Thought it interesting to have the grid behind for reference.
Also a pic from St.Andrews (road hole) and Gleneagles from 1984 when I played the Doug Sanders event in Scotland
Hoping to find some good old footage of myself also in these boxes, because I would love to see my swing in action from that time and not just still shots
very cool pics
those are some cRaZY good moves
Great pics. Looks like you had a wonderful powerful swing at 15. Do you remember if you were trying to kill the ball like most 15 year olds were( me included).
Old snapshots are interesting to me. I am wondering what you and Lag and others think about their significance in revealing one’s swing DNA. Do you think old photos show swing DNA that is deeper and stronger…that one the one hand can show positives that can be good to recapture, on the other hand show negative tendencies that may be deeply ingrained.
Also, the Gleneagles course. Those are great shots showing your right elbow bent and in tight, It’s an inland course isn’t it? Does it have a “linksy” flavor despite that?
I don’t believe I tried to kill the ball. I always felt powerful but in control. I always had a wide late set…that was all I needed to hit it far, by delaying my release and angles, not from feeling like I swung out of my shoes
Gleneagles is inland…more undulating up and down than the humpy hollows of true links golf we see at The Open.
I thought that swing on the grid was very interesting because you can use the grid lines as terrific reference.
- My head goes down from transition into impact and then up again to finish
- My head never really moved much left or right
- Short handswing to the top of backswing
- Hips and drop down seem to initiate downswing
- Club is approaching from behind at the 4.30 line
- My right foot actually slides backwards a hair through impact
These are all things you do want to be doing, contrary to most popular golf instruction.
It’s interesting you were being subjected to such scientific experiments at age 15!
Thought I would post a few of my favourite swings.
These are from 1989 before I was taught much of anything. Just trial and error and lots of practice and playing built this 1989 version of my swing.
For those well into the modules you will see them at work in these videos.
I find these swings very amusing (and inspiring) knowing what I know now after spending so much time with Lag and talking swing and golf and such at Advanced Ball Striking.
I don’t know how I came upon this swing …but it happened…worse still…I don’t know why I wanted to change it?..as Roberto Devicenzo said…'What a stupid I am"
I have been really starting to put in some good practice time for my trip to Australia in Nov/Dec for the events down there.
Observations: My module 6 feels good…4.30 line feels pretty good for the most part…mod 3 is a bit iffy at times (but I can still control the CF release, so no drama)…
Mod 2 is feeling sensational…***!!!
I have purposely not filmed myself of late because the swing feels so good and is natural and the ball is flying so well, I don’t want to get upset if I see something that ‘looks’ off a little and then want to change anything.
I just work the modules each day…hit balls…and sneak a few holes in here and there to test it on course…I have even snuck a Muirfield 1 iron into the bag and boy does it fly well. Could be a good club for some windy holes at The Lakes in The Open and an absolute shock for anyone looking in my bag there to see a 1 iron…!!!..if I decide the course is set up well to use it and I keep it in the bag for the week!!
I like it.
Seems like you have very little tension during the back swing.
And lot of laoding straight towards the ground?
Some stuff going on there that reminds me of Couples.
The things I notice most that made this type of swing work for me is:
-
long wide takeaway-- this was my way of loading the club for transition…obviously this does not work for everyone as you can only load the club as much as you can handle it on the way to impact and beyond.
This long late load was the one thing that my coaches would harp on time and time again to change…eventually I did because I didn’t understand my swing fully. BUT…this move MADE my swing because it gave the feel of load and accelerate that worked well for me and I had the firepower later in the swing to do it. The coaches didn’t do it or know the intentions behind it and not that many players did it…so they wanted to change it to suit the normal takeaway ideals…as they thought it was a loose swing problem that caused bad shots…unfortunately…it had nothing to do with that at all -
my transition was initiated by a drop of the knees and head which allowed the club to drop behind me and find 4.30 path- you can see this by viewing the backdrop during the transition.
As I got coached in my 20’s I lost this move to some degree because I hadn’t loaded the club to a place where I knew where it was and what I could do with it from that point onwards. Throw in lighter equipment as the years progressed and I then had no idea where the clubhead was… -
my right foot slid out from under me through and after impact- showing ground forces at work…this is another major part of my swing that was lost with coaching in the early/mid 90’s…they got me so involved with my backswing…I lost my feel for the ground and my footwork to this level fell off the face of the earth, because I hadn’t built pressures up to work with as my intentions of my swing were altered
-
Nice HIGH PV5 position through acceleration to the finish-- all a result of the late load-- transition drop-- and ground pressures being in place for full acceleration through and beyond the ball
Thought I would make some notes about that, so people can see the differences and my view on how it occurred and how regular teaching misses the point because it is based on observation and not on real time feel and pressures
I look at these swings and I immediately think of Sergio…all we hear from the ‘experts’ is about that wide move back and big load down being the cause of his problems and that he should change it… well…he has certainly lost his feel for his swing of late and it wouldn’t surprise me if he has altered his instincts and feel to fit more of a modern teaching model and it has affected his game…just guessing here… because I haven’t seen him swing at all of late but he has dropped off the golf radar for sure and it wouldn’t surprise me if that is indeed what has happened with Sergio.
Love the layoff into the 4.30 line and delivery position from the slow mo at 0.44 secs, you just know that poor ball is going to be mashed.
That beautiful layoff into the slot is, as I am discovering, …mega!
My avatar pic of Hogan is one of my favourite pics of the master and it shows him laying it off at transition so well also, I know you like that pic, Bradley!
1988 practice round at Kingston Heath- Hole 18
I find all these old pics fascinating to find and look at as I rummage thru my stuff.
For starters I now notice things I would never have had a clue about until the past 2 year ABS experience
- Clubface very neutral/square at the PV5 position
- Divot going left…
- Bent knees for support
- Ball looks like it is flying straight at flag
- STEEL SPIKES- OHHHH How we should all miss those
It is interesting to me that I did all this stuff by feel and intuition and work and practice and playing and mimicking
Then being coached in my mid 20’s taught me an entirely different look and backswing motion and downswing path and release
All of which apparently was right…according to method teaching …yet I knew it felt so wrong…but had no idea what my swing DID in fact look like
as I never used video or watched my swing so I had nothing to compare it to…and who was I to argue with supposed swing gurus
now visually when I look back what I was coached to do…IS totally wrong
ABS- I Luv U !!
let’s not forget the level shoulder rotation!
Steep exit, square clubface, it’s all there.
What is amazing is that you did all that right just through feel and intuition.
If 1 million kids pick up a golf club and learn by feel, 99.9% will not get things so right.
So consider yourself that true one in a million that hit the correct feel lottery!
No doubt it’s easier to go back to natural habits than to learn moves you have never done.
Go kick some ass the next few weeks. I’m tired of watching these pros spraying the ball all over the golf course 
this is no doubt a dumb ass question…which I almost regret asking before hitting the post button…but
why does a level rotation of the shoulders result in a steep exit?
I often read low and left…please discuss 
ZM
ZM
Here is a very good view of the flat/level shoulder rotation giving the steep exit it’s existence.
[vimeo]http://vimeo.com/16872028[/vimeo]
The basis of this is in a module that Lag teaches…thought it may be good for you to view it in motion , and who better than Hogan to show you, so you know what to look for and see if you then get an understanding of what makes it tick and why it is so important to the overall shape and look of the swing we are trying to impart on the students.
TM
It’s an excellent question… no question is too dumb… if you don’t know, just ask us… that’s what we are here for.
The flatter the shoulder rotation, the faster the left shoulder moves away from the ball, and since the left arm is connected to the shoulder - to the shaft, and clubhead, this creates great speed for us.
When the hands stay ahead of the shaft… or say the grip end is moving faster than the the clubhead this steepens the shaft upon exit up.
If the clubhead gets ahead of the hands too soon, then this flips the shaft, and it comes out flatter post impact as a result of a stalling pivot or one that is not as effective as it could be. So ideally, we what to keep things moving long after the ball is gone. This all plays into the essence of holding shaft flex as long as possible.
Did you make that Hogan clip Two? 
I was the cameraman at The 55 US OPEN…got it on my 8mm camera from the 3rd limb of a cypress tree at Olympic Club
or
I stole it from one of Lag’s module videos
I’ll go with the second option, otherwise I’ve just proved some questions can be dumb.
Very funny Lag if you did the looping and sound.
Just for fun 
I am 13 shots behind Freddie- but I am in the clubhouse and he still has 9 holes to play
At least I made it on the TV during the final round of the telecast (well my name did!!)- 1996 British Open at Royal Lytham & St.Annes
