I think my answer lies in 9-3-2, Impact Fix. Which reads that the right wrist bends. If I press by opening the face, the right wrist does not bend. So obviously, delofting the club is correct.
However, my open question remains regarding this move with irons vs. the driver. In theory, should it work the same way? Is there any variation to the forward press that needs to be made with the driver?
Trigolt
Trigolt,
You have correctly targeted Impact Fix (9-3-2) as a key Section (8-2) ofthe Golf Stroke. In fact, per 2-J-1, "The geometry of allalignments stems from the Impact geometry requirements. So, the first stepin preparation for a Golf Shot is the establishment of the Impactconditions."
This includes the Clubface, whose Impact Fix alignments are dictated by theHinge Action employed in the Stroke. Those alignments are discussed in2-J-1. Both Dual Horizontal and Angled Hinging include the slightly Openalignment while Vertical Hinging requires the Square alignment. The precisionGrip (ideally 10-2-B) is assumed in Impact Fix and thus establishes thosealignments.
Whether the Clubface is aligned Open (Horizontal Hinging), less Open (AngledHinging) or Square (Vertical Hinging) is a product of the Hinge Action. This'alignment per Hinge Action' requirement is the same on all Shots and fromDriver to Putter. It is not in the least dependent on whether you"press" with a Bent Right Wrist or a Flat Right Wrist.
The #1 Alignment in G.O.L.F. and at Impact Fix is the Flat Left Wrist (4-D-1;1-L-8; 2-0-B-1) or less satisfactorily, its geometric equivalent per 10-2-G.Without it, more information means only more confusion. And if the LeftWrist is Flat (4-A-1), then the Right Wrist must be Bent (4-A-2). Remember,there are no "degrees" of Flatness. The Wrist is either Flator it is not Flat. The Bent Wrist, on the other hand, has no such definitivealignment and even the slightest deviation from the Flat classificationqualifies. So, while there is only one Flat, the number of Bent positionsapproaches infinity. Bottom Line: Assuming the precision Grip of 10-2-B, ifyour Left Wrist isn't Flat or your Right Wrist isn't Bent, you're doing itwrong.
Having established these correct alignments -- 'Fixed' them in your Computer(Chapter 14) and Feel System (1-J) -- you then verify them with the FowardPress, the third procedure of the Three-Step Checkout Routine of AdjustedAddress. This procedure demands that you shift your entire Machine to theImpact position and verify six Impact alignments (A-F in 3-F-5).Having verified each of the six, you then would ideally reassume the AdjustedAddress position -- if only momentarily -- to retain its advantages, namely itsfluid position between the weightshifts and facility of Plane Line Tracing(7-9). Only then would you finally proceed into Start-Up (8-4). All this is theprocess of establishing Component Alignments and Relationships as required fora selected Ball Response (Glossary / Address Routine).
Now, this all sounds very complex and precise. And it is. But thatdoes not mean that it is difficult or that it takes more than a fraction of asecond to do! That is very good news because if you are unable -- afterPractice -- to execute these six alignments through your Feel System andinstead, are forced to tediously verify them, one-by-one, intellectually and byobservation, you are going to become King of the Six Hour Round andvery quickly personna non grata at your golf course!
Per Chapter 14, Mechanics represent structurally fixed geometry and physics. Yourjob is to Translate each of those precision Mechanics -- one-by-one over time-- into its Feel Equivalent (per 1-J and 3-B). Each alignment thusassimilated and integrated improves your Impact Fix Stroke Section (8-2) andthus your Total Motion. Improvement is gradual -- yes -- but sure. Soonerthan you think, you will have the "Feel" of each of the sixalignments and also the Feel of their integrated whole. And if just one ofthese relationships is out of whack on a given Stroke, your Feel System willtelegraph that message instantly!
That is why, by the way, you occasionally see top players back off the ballduring their pre-shot checkout routine. Each player has worked out his ownunique Routine to insure optimum alignments and deliver the best results,especially under the white-hot heat of competition. If you ever get a chanceto watch Davis Love, either in person or on television, watch carefully hisPre-Shot Routine. It is exactly the Three-Step Routine recommended in3-F-5.
As an illustration of the importance great players put on this Process, Iremember one year watching the late Bert Yancey on the practice tee of a SeniorPGA Tour event. On one particular shot, he walked 10-12 feet directly behindhis ball, turned and began to stare intently down the Target Line. The galleryropes were in pretty tight, and as he was now only a yard or so away, a ladyasked him for his autograph. His reply?
"In just a minute, ma'am. I've already started my Swing."
That's the importance of the Pre-Shot Routine to good player. It is anintegrated part of the entire process of producing a Good Shot.
But how about all that complexity? Well, Homer used a camera analogy todescribe our ever-increasing ability to deal with it. Paraphrasing, he said,"You start off in the photography store looking for something that you canhandle -- something not too complicated -- and you walk out with a Kodakone-button Instamatic. But in a week, you're ready for something requiring alittle more adjustment, maybe another button or two, so that you can get betterresults. And within just a month, you've become a real Photo Tyro, and you'relooking for all kinds of bells and whistles."
This is the journey of The Golfing Machine. Let Mechanics produce andFeel reproduce. Abandon the search for the one "missinglink" in your Stroke and instead, assimilate the finite number of factorsone at a time. In this way you will experience continuous progress toward anattainable goal. It is a struggle, to be sure, but it is a guided struggleinstead of a blind one.
Louis Kentner was a concert pianist who also taught many of the world's greatvirtuosi. Underlying his approach to the piano was this philosophy:
"A piece of music is either impossible or it is easy. The process bywhich it migrates from one category to the other is called practice!"
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