Jimmy Ballards Book/Teachings

[Texsport]

Thanks!

A pivot or turn is "the worst image in golf" according to Ballard. He teaches that the swing is not a turn or pivot--just back and through.

Texsport

[6bmike]

Thanks!

A pivot or turn is "the worst image in golf" according to Ballard. He teaches that the swing is not a turn or pivot--just back and through.

Texsport

And there in lies Ballards problem - teaching a sway. Ballard has a tough time understand how the hip moves. Turn back , bump, turn toward is not an alien move to humans.


It is not hard to pivot, keep a constant head position and hit the dickens out of the ball. Many of us have dabbled with Ballard, bought the book when it was still being published, and/or one of his videos. Less then impressed.
His left arm connection (accumulator #4) and early release (sweep release) are covered in The Golfing Machine and a whole lot more.

[Texsport]

And there in lies Ballards problem - teaching a sway. Ballard has a tough time understand how the hip moves. Turn back , bump, turn toward is not an alien move to humans.


It is not hard to pivot, keep a constant head position and hit the dickens out of the ball. Many of us have dabbled with Ballard, bought the book when it was still being published, and/or one of his videos. Less then impressed.
His left arm connection (accumulator #4) and early release (sweep release) are covered in The Golfing Machine and a whole lot more.

Ballard works for me! Very simple--the Golf Machine is not! I'd argue that Ballard does not teach a sway. Almost every great player in the world moves his/her head to the rear on the backswing--that's not a sway unless your weight gets back past the center of your rear foot!

I took a buch of lessons from a Harvey Pennick taught touring pro. He said Harvey's main key for him was to "get your left shoulder and head back over his right(back) knee on the backswing and then just let everything go toward the target".

On the subject of early release, I'll point out that neither Jack Nicklaus nor Tiger Woods holds off release, and in fact, both start releasing the clubhead early in their downswings.

Texsport

[6bmike]

Ballard works for me! Very simple--the Golf Machine is not! I'd argue that Ballard does not teach a sway. Almost every great player in the world moves his/her head to the rear on the backswing--that's not a sway unless your weight gets back past the center of your rear foot!

I'm glad it does.

I took a buch of lessons from a Harvey Pennick taught touring pro. He said Harvey's main key for him was to "get your left shoulder and head back over his right(back) knee on the backswing and then just let everything go toward the target".

Sounds like a nice pivot. Ballard doesn't believe in a pivot.

On the subject of early release, I'll point out that neither Jack Nicklaus nor Tiger Woods holds off release, and in fact, both start releasing the clubhead early in their downswings.

Texsport

Yes, so does Watson- it is called a sweep release. Els, Hogan ans Sergio use a snap release. TGM explains all of this. Sweep relase is wonderful for a driver, less so for wedges- but you can. If you want I can show you pictures of Jack, Tiger and Watson using a snap release. Good golfers can perform move than one release.

I'm glad Ballard works for you. You say that TGM doesn't, since much of Ballard is explained in TGM book, what doesn't work for you? What is TGM swing in your opinion and who taught it to you?

Id just love to see Ballard swing the club just once- he doesn't on any of the tapes I have.

[Texsport]

I'm glad it does.


Sounds like a nice pivot. Ballard doesn't believe in a pivot.


Yes, so does Watson- it is called a sweep release. Els, Hogan ans Sergio use a snap release. TGM explains all of this. Sweep relase is wonderful for a driver, less so for wedges- but you can. If you want I can show you pictures of Jack, Tiger and Watson using a snap release. Good golfers can perform move than one release.

I'm glad Ballard works for you. You say that TGM doesn't, since much of Ballard is explained in TGM book, what doesn't work for you? What is TGM swing in your opinion and who taught it to you?

Id just love to see Ballard swing the club just once- he doesn't on any of the tapes I have.

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

[6bmike]

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.

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

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.

[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

[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.