WEBVTT

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In this concept video, we're going to talk about identifying your clubface

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closing pattern.

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This relates to seeing the motorcycle and understanding where the clubface is

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pointing during the swing.

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The clubface gives you two pieces of information.

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Roughly where the clubface is pointing at impact is approximately where the

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ball is going to start.

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And then the face to path, how much the clubface is either open or closed or

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square to the path, dictates how much it's going to curve.

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So it's really important to pay attention and use feedback so that you

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understand what your clubface pattern is.

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Oftentimes, when I'm giving lessons, a golfer will say that, well, the clubface

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is open, maybe I need to strengthen my grip.

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And I'll say, well, you know, hey, that's a reasonable guess, but why don't we

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investigate a little further and try to identify when your clubface is getting

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open?

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Because if it's not open really early in the movement, then perhaps

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strengthening the grip isn't the best long-term solution.

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And that's ultimately what we want to try to achieve, which is the best long-

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term solution for our clubface pattern, not just the quick fix.

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So when we're looking at the clubface control, we want to break the swing down

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into a couple different phases.

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I want to see at roughly parallel to ground like this, so we'll call that chaff

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parallel.

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At chaff parallel in the backswing, I want to look at roughly where the club

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face is.

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If it's somewhere between my spine angle and vertical, then the clubface hasn't

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opened a whole lot.

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If you're the type that struggles with the clubface getting into a position

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where it's way open like this,

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then I've probably opened the clubface during takeaway, which might mean that I

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do have a really weak grip,

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and my body is just as I move the club, kind of naturally, the clubface is

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getting really open.

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The second place that a lot of golfers start opening the clubface is they'll

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look fine here, and then at the top of the swing,

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you'll see that the club is pointing more straight down instead of parallel to

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the left forearm or even more up towards the sky.

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What will usually happen there is as they're setting the club, you'll see that

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this wrist is going into more of an extension position, kind of like this.

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So that's the same thing as if I was here, and then I extended the wrist, you

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could see how that opens the clubface.

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So if I get that clubface in a really open position there, I've just got to

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make sure that I do a really good job of closing it pretty aggressively on the

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way down.

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The last checkpoint before impact would be at shaft parallel on the way down,

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and looking if the clubface is roughly parallel to my spine angle,

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or at least between parallel to my spine angle and vertical, so somewhere

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between here and there.

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So what can happen is clubface is fine, clubface is fine, and then I tend to

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really pull down and the clubface gets into an open position.

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Or the clubface is fine, the clubface is past vertical, but I still come into

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the golf ball with an open clubface.

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So this can help me figure out the phase of the swing where I'm losing the club

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face control, and ultimately what I need to do with the arms and the hands in

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order to get it back.

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Because really, it's the wrist and the arms and the hands and the forearms that

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control the clubface position, more so than the body pivot.

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So you're either going to be struggling with opening or closing the face in the

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takeaway during setting the swing, during transition, or during the release.

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But by using this framework, you'll be able to figure out exactly when you're

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losing the clubface, which will give you a much better opportunity for using

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one of the related drills

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for being able to solve that specific clubface issue.