Jimmy Ballards Book/Teachings

[Delaware Golf]

It's not so much a case of parts of TGM that don't work as the whole, as Ballard working much better. I read TGM many times, marked the sections that seemed to pretain to my swing, tried to execute, but saw no improvement.I'm not a beginner, having had a handicap between +1 and -2 most of my life.

The snap release led to hooks for me, as it does/did for Els, Hogan and Sergio.

By the way, Ballard says the best golf swing in the world belongs to Annika Sorenstam--another sweep release player, if I'm not mistaken. Her swing seems to adhere to all of Ballard's principles closely.

My son is a PGA head club pro and he guided me to Ballard. No one has ever taught me TGM swing--attempted self learning.

Texsport

I had the opportunity to watch Annika up close at the LPGA championship, I managed the driving range for the tournament last June...to me...it looked like Annika is not a full sweep releaser but a random sweep releaser with a shoulder turn throw...like a 10-24-C release with a 10-20-C and 10-20-E combination trigger types. If I didn't use the right arm swing, I would be using that type of swinging stroke pattern.

DG

[birdie_man]

Tex,

Hogan used a Snap Release throughout the successful half of his career....

....in fact, I don't think I've EVER seen a swing of Hogan where he wasn't using a Snap Release.

He didn't hook it later on in his career, I'll tell you that....

By generally saying, "later on in his career," I mean when he was the Hogan everyone knows....the "one of the greatest ballstrikers of all time" Ben Hogan.....

The Ben Hogan who, as Moe Norman said, "was the only other guy who hit it on my (Moe's) level."

The guy who arguably reached the highest level of pure skill of any golfer ever.

He didn't hook it! Snap Release.

[birdie_man]

And if anything....I'd have to think that having a Snap Release would LESSEN your chances for a hook....

.....if anything.

But- Clubface is not Release Point, as far as I can see.

[Delaware Golf]

And if anything....I'd have to think that having a Snap Release would LESSEN your chances for a hook....

.....if anything......

Clubface is not Release Point, as far as I can see.

From my experience with Snap releasing I agree with birdie_man...

DG

[Yoda]

Does anyone have any experience with his book or teachings, just looking for a TGM spin on his left arm connection and fire the right side theory.

Uh...yes.

In the late-1970s, I made the trek from Marietta, Georgia, to Pell City, Alabama, to visit Jimmy. It was an experience I'll never forget. Later, my December 20, 1983, letter to Golf Magazine generated not just one, but two personal responses from Jimmy.

That said, the current 'goin's on' in this thread are just way too much fun to interrupt. As you were, gentlemen...

I'll be back!

[SwingNorthtoSouth]

Yoda, you are killing us. Tell us what happened!!!!........

Uh...yes.

In the late-1970s, I made the trek from Marietta, Georgia, to Pell City, Alabama, to visit Jimmy. It was an experience I'll never forget. Later, my December 20, 1983, letter to Golf Magazine generated not just one, but two personal responses from Jimmy.

That said, the current 'goin's on' in this thread are just way too much fun to interrupt. As you were, gentlemen...

I'll be back!

[Yoda]

Yoda, you are killing us. Tell us what happened!!!!........

Rich,

I'm just back from our PGA of SoCal Academy and it is very late.

I've got a lot of respect for Jimmy Ballard, but there are definitely places where the rubber leaves the road.

And, given my own interpretation of his teachings, young Yoda was road-kill.

I'll dig into my files in the next day or so and put something up.

[SwingNorthtoSouth]

Fair enough and thank you.......sleep well...............rich

Rich,

I'm just back from our PGA of SoCal Academy and it is very late.

I've got a lot of respect for Jimmy Ballard, but there are definitely places where the rubber leaves the road.

And, given my own interpretation of his teachings, young Yoda was road-kill.

I'll dig into my files in the next day or so and put something up.

[Texsport]

Snap release- some call it a delayed hit- leads to hooks? If Hogan, Els and Sergio hook the ball it isn't from their release.

The sweep release is a fine way to strike a ball. So is a snap release. Use whatever works best for you- that is the beauty of TGM- options.

How did you try to alter Ballard's swing with bookmarks from the book? Not everything is compatible. And why?

What improvement were you going for with such a low HC?

Everything in Ballard’s swing philosophy is covered in TGM. All is good, in fact he made a lot of money preaching accumulator number four. I still say he has no idea how hips function.

I haven't tried to alter or modify any of Ballard's ideas expressed in his book. As far as use of the hips is concerned, since I am a natural right-to-left player, I find that the faster I drive my right hip toward the ball on the downswing, the less chance I have to hit a hook.

Improvement goal? I'd like to be able to work the ball both ways more consistently. Draws are no problem but reliable fades are more difficult.

Texsport

[fmlutz]

I also grew up learning the Jimmy Ballard method and it worked well for me as long as my timing was good. The things I never really got were his concept of "springing the shaft" and his idea of coiling behind the ball. Springing the shaft causes a lot of throwaway for me and I never really could hit down on the ball. His idea of the coil has too much movement, IMO. Jimmy says that the spine shifts over to the right leg and then unwinds to the left. For me that was way too much lateral movement and it was hard to time, (I still fight the crazy legs today because of this movement). I like the Manzella, Riggs, TGM idea of the spine staying over the ball and the upper body turning over the right leg. This gives me a much more stable pivot and my body is quieter in the DS. I will say that I really did like the Ballard method, I just really changed a few of his ideas for my swing. I like the idea of firing the right side. Ballard's ideas work when you can get all of the parts correct.

Mike