DEBATE: Hogan's Secret

[mudball]

Jan 23, 2010 1:15:35 GMT -5 imperfectgolfer said:

John,

I harbor a different opinion.

I personally think that Jim Hardy was mistaken about Hogan's right elbow action. I think that Hogan was a swinger, and I think that he used a pitch elbow motion and a release swivel action in his downswing. Jim Hardy implied that Hogan used a right forearm rotary movement in the early downswing that caused the clubface to close earlier (relative to the clubhead arc) in the downswing. I have examined many images of Hogan in the mid-downswing, and his left wrist (which is geometrically flat, and not anatomically flat) lies on the surface of the inclined plane - and his clubface is appropriately in-line (parallel) with the back of his geometrically FLW.

If you disagree, I would appreciate it if you could post photos of Hogan's clubface in the mid-downswing that demonstrates that his clubface is square to the clubhead arc.

Thank you for considering my request.

Jeff.

Hi Jeff

How does that relate to his elbows being out as opposed to what he said in the book and down and in?
Is it simply as he got older he lost flexibility in his chest and his arms hung slightly more 'turned in' i.e. like most of us as we get older suffer from poorer posture? Or is it truly a secret - something he didn't disclose because he felt it was too advancedor specific for his book...?

Dave

[DanL]

Jan 23, 2010 1:15:35 GMT -5 imperfectgolfer said:

John,

I harbor a different opinion.

I personally think that Jim Hardy was mistaken about Hogan's right elbow action. I think that Hogan was a swinger, and I think that he used a pitch elbow motion and a release swivel action in his downswing. Jim Hardy implied that Hogan used a right forearm rotary movement in the early downswing that caused the clubface to close earlier (relative to the clubhead arc) in the downswing. I have examined many images of Hogan in the mid-downswing, and his left wrist (which is geometrically flat, and not anatomically flat) lies on the surface of the inclined plane - and his clubface is appropriately in-line (parallel) with the back of his geometrically FLW.

If you disagree, I would appreciate it if you could post photos of Hogan's clubface in the mid-downswing that demonstrates that his clubface is square to the clubhead arc.

Thank you for considering my request.

Jeff.

Jeff ... regarding Jim Hardy's secret analysis ... I believe the essence of what Hardy says is that Hogan dramatically improved his consistency when he learned to keep his right elbow beside his right hip, rather than in front of his right hip.

When Hogan got his right elbow in front of the right hip in the DS, the club was squared with very active hand motion. This occurs when a golfer tries to keep the elbows together ... and pulls into impact. The images in Five Lessons on pages 95 and 99 show the right elbow in front of the hip. Apparently it was a challenge even for Hogan to consistently square the clubface from this open and "stuck" position. Hogan later learned to release the club sooner, by rotating his left arm earlier in the DS and keeping the right elbow back. Full explanation in Hardy's second book, Plane Truth - Master Class - pages 69-74.

Dan.