With a laser trainer, I am on plane and fine in the early takeaway, but when I set the club it points outside the targetline, or flat. What should I use to control this motion? When I concentrate to stay on plane, my lead wrist feels more cupped, or less flat.
Diggerdog,
Does your laser trainer have its beam at the end of the shaft? If so, you arebeing encouraged to commit the common error of focusing on the wrong end of theclub. Per 5-O, that concentration should be on the Hands and not onthe Clubhead. The beam of light from the laser trainer should ideally emitfrom the #3 Pressure Point. [See Homer's definition of Right Forearm inthe Glossary and also the discussion of this exact point near the end of 5-O.]
With the trainers I've seen, it is quite possible -- even probable! -- that thebeam can be pointed at the Plane Line, while the tracing line of force from the#3 Pressure Point is nowhere close! That might work with "beam pointing onthe living room rug," but it won't work on the golf course with the flagup, the chips down, and the game on!
What to do? First, put away your laser trainer and get a simple flashlight.Hold it with the lens at your #3 Pressure Point and trace the Plane Linethrough Start-Up and into the Backstroke. When you get past the parallel-to-the-ground alignment on your way to the Top, flip the flashlight in your hands,and allow the lens to once again shine its light at the Plane Line.
If, following this procedure, you still are unable maintain the beam pointingat the Plane Line, then you almost certainly have a Pivot problem. Andthat disruption is preventing the Hands from correctly executing their On-Planeassigment. For example, is your Right Hip [See postscript below.] clearingproperly? If it is not, then your Hands have no choice but to leave the Planeto the outside. That is why Zone #1 (Body Control per 9-O and 9-1) is the deliberatelysequencedfirst step toward mastery of Zone #2 (Arms) and finallyZone #3 (Hands).
At the end of the day, Zone #3 (where you are currently working) can be nobetter than Zone #1 allows it to be. Per 9-0, "...unless developed insequence, a very weak 'compensated' game is inevitable."
Postscript:
Note: I use the term Right Hip even though you may be playingfrom the port side and it may actually be your left hip we are talking about.This is an important point because if we on this site don't use the correctterminology, then how can we expect more of others? [All newbies are off thehook because they haven't yet learned it.]
As an example, in this thread I find continuous references to the"lead" hand and the "lead" wrist. There is no"lead" hand in The Golfing Machine and there is no"lead" wrist! There is only a Left Hand and a Left Wrist.Lefthanded players, like E-flat trumpet players, must learn to transpose.Otherwise, we will lose the precision of the terminology Homer so painstakinglycreated.
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