Aug 31, 2010
Jeff you’ve had a great run these past couple of months. You must feel a bit like Greg Norman with others stealing wins from you week after week. I doubt Stuart Appleby will be on your Christmas card list, this year! As a Big Ten family: Indiana, Michigan State and Northwestern, the Carlson household are big fans and wish you well.
As I’ve watched you over the past several weeks and in particular as we spoke on the range at the Barclays this past week, I’ve noticed some extraneous motion in your swing that tends to let you down on a few too many shots per week.
Here is my thought, and it comes from what Sam Snead taught me: Your head movement and tendency to lose balance in your finish appears to come from a change in your spine angle and failure to brace up your left post axis – so you don’t consistently SPIN IN PLACE. This, in turn, causes a change in your shaft angle through the region of impact and thus a pre-mature release causing that pull hook.
The simple cure would be to work with the first move of your downswing. If you will thrust your butt out (groins up) as you move into your left post – this will help you to do two important things: a) firm up your left post axis BEFORE you start spinning on it (currently you tend to have a slightly wobbly post); and b) keep your chest down so you maintain your spine angle/shaft angle relationship.
By maintaining your spine angle, you will deliver your shaft angle (perpendicular to your spine angle) consistently, which produces a naturally well timed release, hence predictably, consistent on-target ball flights. As Sam suggested, this move holds up down the stretch. So when the pressure was on – Sam felt he could play far more relaxed than the other guys who tended to “steer” their shots.
Jeff, the Carlson clan looks forward to seeing you crack the winners circle – and soon.
All the best,
Ozzie
Gofstruck – Better Golf Right Now!
