This Was Ben Hogan’s GREATEST Ever Ball Striking Tip

[@Gilesgillgolf]

Hi everyone, do you enjoy videos like this speaking of some of the greats swing keys?

[@thomastrain7311]

This would instantly help a lot of golfers

[@Gilesgillgolf]

@@thomastrain7311 sure will

[@baldurhermannsson9413]

You bet!

[@danlong6162]

Definitely

[@Gilesgillgolf]

@@danlong6162 amazing

[@johnschwartz1536]

Excellent description and demonstration Giles on the "Ben Hogan" ball striking tip! Your explanation of the external rotation of the right arm at set up is spot on! I like your recommendation of the turning of a steering wheel to mimic this move. The idea of a right arm load at the top of the backswing is very useful, as is the release of the right arm on the downswing. All of which I am now using in my golf swing! Well Done Giles!!

[@Gilesgillgolf]

Glad it was helpful! The loading of the right arm is so important. Something I actually work on a lot in my game

[@LabradoodleTofuBoy]

Giles, I’ve watched all of ur videos. This video is all-time best! Bc of u I’m having a spectacular ball strike! Even using an 8, I’m hitting up to 160 straight easily. This video! Will lock my swing in to hit even further with my driver. I’m aiming for least 300 yards & I’m tiny 5 2” (athletic). This is my year 2 in golf & I’m just starting. You’re the best!! Thank you 🙏

[@Gilesgillgolf]

Wow thats amazing! Goes to show the power of the setup

[@markkulper409]

Tried this on the range today. Amazing. Biggest improvement ever from a setup tip. Thank yo so much!

[@thomastrain7311]

You'll find 99% of swing faults are caused by one of three things. Grip , aim , and set up. In turn , when you get a bit off , it makes things easier to fix when they ho bad.

[@Gilesgillgolf]

Glad it helped & good to hear your game is in a good position

[@johnatchley9754]

A wonderful and 100% absolutely correct lesson. You have nailed it. Totally consistent with advice from pros in other videos who my pro says he respects and agrees with. And every student needs repetition the more the better, including those like me who have played for over 62 years and know you always need to learn and improve. The vertical right forearm at the top of the backswing with the wrist in extension (palm up) was called the waiter holding a tray position by some old time coaches to help students remember. In addition to the natural release of the right wrist you demonstrate, you also get the piston like extension of the right arm in the correct sequence which also promotes club head speed. I think Dechambeau mentions that. This is a great lesson that we should all save and rewatch frequently, like before and after every session at the range.

[@Gilesgillgolf]

Thank you so much! Amazing to hear such positive feedback

[@mickritchie1815]

Like it ,Giles. Tips from the old pros that are still relevant today are my favourite. It means they work.

[@Gilesgillgolf]

Great! Will keep them coming

[@barneykunkel8452]

Giles, Simply another great focused video clearly addressing the dynamics of the complete swing path. I can always take your video information straight out to the range and get it set into my normal techniques. Thank you as always.

[@Gilesgillgolf]

Thank you! Be sure to check out my latest video on ball position as it’s another setup fundamental you need to get right!

[@OfCourseICan]

Wow: this makes so much sense. It's amazing that over the countless Golf Coaches I have come across you are the only one to discuss this. Thank You Giles. Grateful Aussie.

[@Gilesgillgolf]

I appreciate that! Glad you’re enjoying the content & videos like this

[@waynekelly9886]

Great lesson G!! This absolutely works, ...although I have to constantly remind myself whenever I find myself slipping away from this valuable setup/swing tip. It clearly cures my pulling and early extension tendencies, as long as I follow this very fundamental tip. Please, keep the instructional tips coming.

[@Gilesgillgolf]

It will definitely cause you to pull the ball if you get this wrong and I’ll keep these videos coming

[@daleal7250]

I love setup videos. They are so much easier to implement than ones focused on the swing movement.

[@Gilesgillgolf]

Totally agree!

[@chungkitlam3406]

So analytical with the set up that determines the swing helpful enough ti strike the ball. Thank you Sir

[@Gilesgillgolf]

Very welcome! Setup is so important

[@hocheye]

I have been using this, and it is a must in your swing.One of the best tips ever!!

[@Gilesgillgolf]

It really is!

[@filthee1]

The steering wheel example is great... I've tried to get my right elbow in this setup position a lot and it always felt unnatural - to the point that I thought there was something wrong with me anatomically. Once I did the steering wheel motion I realized what was blocking me from feeling comfortable with this right elbow position had to do with my shoulders. When you 'turn the steering wheel to the right' your right shoulder drops below the left which allows the right elbow to naturally settle into the position you demonstrated. If you setup in the opposite way (right shoulder higher than left) - which is natural for me - it's very difficult to setup correctly. Awesome stuff.

[@Gilesgillgolf]

Exactly that. Such a neat little swing thought to have

[@michaeltyner7069]

Thanks for a great description of how to use proper anatomical positioning

[@Gilesgillgolf]

Glad it was helpful!

[@WilliamWilsonEgoliGolf]

And again, nice one Giles..! Thanks, William

[@Gilesgillgolf]

Thank you William

[@robertmcanarney7589]

Very nice! Well spoken. Easy to understand. Very effective. Thank You!

[@Gilesgillgolf]

Glad it was helpful!

[@roeydaz]

This component of the set up is a game changer. But you will find d very few amateurs will actually implement this into their swing. The important bit is to wrap your right hand around the grip and not leave it under the club in a super weak position which would be a natural hold on the grip. This also keeps the hands working in opposition giving more control over the club head. This move has totally changed my swing and I’m now a good solid ball striker. This is good for your pitching as well. Thanks for this super video Giles despite my already having implemented it earlier your explanation is brilliant!

[@Gilesgillgolf]

Thank you & yes it’s good for pitching too

[@OfCourseICan]

​Now I know why my ball flight was so flat when pitching. Thank You. Grateful Aussie ​@@Gilesgillgolf

[@johnatchley9754]

Good advice. Especially the right elbow pit facing camera and close to left hip. Just be careful that the trail forearm does not roll over the lead forearm in the follow through. It is the hands that release, with the left or lead wrist cupping in extension while the right or trail wrist goes into bowing in flexion. Also my own experience shows if you are a naturally wristy player but due to age (I am 83) you don’t turn the hips soon enough, you will tend to close the face early, just before contact. You may make good contact and still hit the green, but if you use a launch monitor you will see you get a lot of left sidespin, and your shots fly lower with draw curve. Your pro can use a slo-mo or stop action camera to show you this. It happens so fast that it is hard to be self aware you are doing it until you see it on camera. I was often getting up to 2800 left sidespin with a pitching wedge and kept hitting the left side of the monitor green. Fixed it a couple of days ago to 100-400 right sidespin. Not sure exactly how. Started by thinking do a Ray Floyd swing, more upright bit of a cut shot, face a bit open, avoid overly strong grip, swing back more on straight line, lift hands higher, not behind, knees bent softly, grip pressure light and wrists loose, just let it fly. Don’t stand up. Haven’t had the video analyzed by the pro. Frankly was amazed it worked so well to totally fix that frustrating excess sidespin. And if I want to go back to it, hit a draw left with sidespin it’s easy. Just a bit stronger grip, one more knuckle, focus an bowing the left wrist at top of backswing, and swing inside out. If you can get access to a Trackman that shows face angle and swing path it provides ever so helpful feedback on what you are actually doing. As always, thanks for a good lesson.

[@Gilesgillgolf]

Thank you and thank you for the detailed message! Be sure to check out some of my senior guide videos as I think you’re really enjoy them and find them interesting

[@zacharywarner1678]

This is absolutely perfect! Well done

[@Gilesgillgolf]

Thank you so much!

[@LocalScopeMarketing1]

Really nice video. Very thorough and easy to understand. Now time to practice these feels

[@Gilesgillgolf]

Thank you!

[@lpeabody]

I already know what this is and I'm excited to hear it.

[@Gilesgillgolf]

Epic! I hope you enjoy it

[@Tapps94]

Great feel! Whenever I try this my shots do go a lot straighter, and feel great but my irons seem to be quite spinny (they balloon up in the air more). Perhaps I'm still scooping a bit at impact!

[@Gilesgillgolf]

Yes could definitely be the case. Potentially you are leaving the face open causing you the cast

[@TheSailingChannel]

Nice description and drills. I've been struggling with proper contact. To solve that I've gone to bowing the wrists at the top of my swing. On the downswing this has helped me automatically square the club for great contact. I'm only 5 ft 6 in. With my new Paradigm driver, I found I need to raise the butt of the club to make sure the sole of the driver is flat on the ground. And I've found I need to aware of this with my irons too. Together wrist bowing and flat soling have allowed me to be more consistent in contact with straighter and longer distance. However, I'm intrigued with your system that will cause automatic squaring of the club face without the wrist bowing, which seems a bit awkward. I have to give it a try on the rage.

[@Gilesgillgolf]

It’s a way of understanding how the arms are going to twist and rotate based on anatomy so hopefully this will help you start to square the face up a lot more consistently

[@halfrousseau69]

excellent vid - really helps clarify swing dynamics

[@Gilesgillgolf]

Glad you enjoyed it

[@Me-lj1rk]

Excellent tutorial...well done!

[@Gilesgillgolf]

Thank you! Cheers!

[@chungkitlam3406]

This legendary Hogan set up also helps the downswing allowing the right hand to do that "table sweeping" move from right waist level through the hit zone

[@Gilesgillgolf]

Exactly!

[@uhligsu]

Great video. Could you please show in more detail how to grip the club after the steering wheel movement.

[@Gilesgillgolf]

Will do. Do have grip videos already btw

[@Richie-hc5se]

Excellent video. Would be interested in how this correlates to the feet alignment. Hogan was big on aiming feet left with shorter clubs, gradually moving straighter as your club becomes longer to eventually aiming right with the driver. Is this necessary to get the correct impact position?

[@Gilesgillgolf]

Not necessarily. Just a preference for his swing

[@AtomAnt_FPV]

Great advice. Thanks a lot!

[@Gilesgillgolf]

Glad it was helpful!

[@TheSalonGuy]

Mate will this sort out hooking the ball or make it worse?

[@Gilesgillgolf]

If your trail arm is stuck behind you at any point in the swing then yes 100% it can help fix it

[@marcusgeorge1825]

Hi Giles, great video. Thank you. It’s brought up an age old question that has never been properly answered for me. As a person who writes, throws, kicks, plays tennis, etc. with my left hand and plays golf as a right handed player am I doing it all wrong. Some have suggested to try with a left handed set, some have suggested that it’s possibly a result of originally playing as a kid with my father and grandfather’s clubs, who both are right handed. As it’s been 45 years since I first swung a club and still have a high single digit handicap most say why even bother. On reflection I often wonder if I changed (or started out) playing with a left handed set as a junior then perhaps I’d naturally be better. Keen for your expertise and thoughts on this one. Thanks in advance. 😊

[@Gilesgillgolf]

Lots of golfers play lead side dominant so it’s important to know that all your feels will come from your lead side. Not your trail side

[@marcusgeorge1825]

@@Gilesgillgolf That part I understand as I also played cricket as a left arm bowler and right hand batsman. Just never understood why. Does it come down to a simple thing that right handed golf clubs were all you had available to start with? As a couple of people I know are the same, yet had a father who played with left handed clubs, so that’s what they still use as adults. 🤔

[@patricknewport6191]

Thanks for the excellent tip and drill. I always thought having the elbow point at 45°never really seemed right but until now didn't really understand why.

[@Gilesgillgolf]

Happy to help!

[@Realdavidart]

This was a great video. I love the why when learning and your explanation was wonderful. Looking forward to getting on the range tomorrow and begin practicing. Thank you!

[@Gilesgillgolf]

Glad you enjoyed it! Let me know how it goes!

[@mraisor7255]

Hi Giles, I get the external rotation of the right forearm. What feels a little strange is if I try to copy your grip with the right hand. Your right hand "almost" looks like a weak grip position.......whereas it seems more natural to have the right hand grip in a stronger position. Does that make any sense and should one wrap the right hand over in a neutral or weak position?

[@Gilesgillgolf]

Most golfers I would say have too strong of a right hand because it feels powerful. Most pros have the hand more on top of the grip

[@kiwiveritas]

Hitting balls right arm only ingrains this for me, I mix it in with left arm only and cack handed practice swings. Left arm only seems to help the feel of the release. Cack handed seems to really help with backswing positioning and wrist set.

[@Gilesgillgolf]

That’s a great way to practice this

[@kiwiveritas]

Thanks Giles, love your channel! I've also been using cack handed as a pump drill which feels like it gets me to the correct delivery position with thoughts from the top of "sliding/falling" lower body towards the target while thinking hit the ball with my right shoulder, is this on the right track? From there is it simply a case of rotation to the finish?​@@Gilesgillgolf

[@joshdavis4781]

Very good stuff sir!

[@Gilesgillgolf]

Thank you kindly!

[@TomAllsopp]

That was good. Thanks!

[@Gilesgillgolf]

Glad you liked it!

[@carlosgravy7966]

Simple genius!

[@Gilesgillgolf]

It’s sure is!

[@spodbw1]

So im left handed/footed and play golf right handed, do you think it would have been better being a left handed golfer?

[@Gilesgillgolf]

You will just need to have more lead side feels rather than trail side feels

[@luxefalcon2730]

Great vid

[@Gilesgillgolf]

Thank you

[@miketenneson5518]

My question is do you bow your left wrist outwards during this new back swing.

[@Gilesgillgolf]

Depends on your grip & wrist flexibility

[@zebman9228]

It appears your right hand V is pointing at your left / lead check in the video. Is that too weak or just right for right hand grip?

[@Gilesgillgolf]

Is it? Looks like it’s pointing at my right ear

[@Gilesgillgolf]

Is it? Looks like it’s pointing at my right ear

[@cluman1]

You spoiled us with 3 minute videos. I actually try not clicking on golf tutorials that are over 8 minute longs but you had Hogan's name in the title. To my fellow golfers: game changer drill. I've been doing this for years and my good consistency is off the charts. Whenever my trail hand grip starts weakening, it's trouble.

[@Gilesgillgolf]

Glad you’re enjoying the 3 minute Thursday videos

[@nigelbaynes5061]

Not sure about the opening comments I have a feeling Hogan was left handed, I am sure someone will correct me.

[@Gilesgillgolf]

Not sure but most golfers are trail side dominant

[@wenbray6396]

Yes…

[@Gilesgillgolf]

💪🏻

[@richardoxley8556]

Slow down

[@Gilesgillgolf]

You’re welcome for the free content 👍🏻

[@garygill1211]

Prefer the 3 min. Vids!

[@Gilesgillgolf]

I have to offer a variety to suit all audiences. 3 min videos are only on Thursdays

[@thomastrain7311]

Yeah getting better at golf isn't worth the extra 4 minutes at all😂

[@Dropthehat-dj1qu]

Which means laziness which also means you will never get lower than 30 HCAP

[@rpjii9771]

There are some swing thoughts/concepts that cannot be summarized in 3 minutes or less. This happens to be one such concept. Miles did a superb job of simplifying and explaining a potentially obscure swing concept🤙 Fairways & Greens My Friend⛳️ RP

[@danielorourke6209]

Good Lord...more matter and less art!!

[@Gilesgillgolf]

More listening & less whining & you’d be a half decent golfer mate

[@42papyrus]

man it just takes these euros FOREVER to explain what could be said in 1 or 2 statements. This video should be 3 min...5 tops!

[@Gilesgillgolf]

👍🏻

[@paulmatthews7701]

I feel exactly the same about them across the pond tbh,this is explained as quickly as possible,great vid

[@winzaw6902]

Too much repetition.

[@Gilesgillgolf]

How about “thank you for the great instruction”

[@rpjii9771]

Good Morning @winzaw6902 Actually, as a competitive +2.8 Am, with a wife who's a Class A Teaching Pro, repetition is THE single greatest factor & tool in one, determining one's mastery of ANY activity, and two, repetition in teaching greatly assists those who may not fully capture the information in one pass while also serving to stress the importance and critical nature of the information being provided. Having my Teacher of 32+ years stress this particular swing thought decades ago, long long before social media, You Tube and even computers in general, it is well worth Giles' repetition in this video. Giles did an excellent job in communicating what, if 96-98% of the golfers playing applied to their swing, they would immediately improve their swings, their game and their handicaps!! "Repetition of a thought or physical action develops into a habit, which if repeated enough, becomes an automatic reflex." Though not a golfer of note, no quote more applies to the game of golf than Norman Vincent words above. If your golf swing is anything more than an "automatic reflex," it will NEVER withstand the crucible of competition, or even the rigors of a weekly sh!t's 'n giggles nassau game with Buds. To the individuals that may read my comment, as one who's been there done that as an Amateur Player, Giles' vid is one of the finest that I have watched focusing on this aspect of the golf swing!! I would save it, watch it ad nauseam, and most importantly, first perform slo motion reps stressing this move, breaking the swing down with the first part being address/backswing ONLY, then move to 1/2 speed then full speed to impact, with NO BALL!! You are trying to ingrain the move into your subconscious mind, and nothing inhibits this goal like adding a golf ball into the equation. for the average golfer. At that point, all of their focus is on that golf ball, pushing any other thoughts to the back and out of the mind. Once you are comfortable with the move, add a ball and take nice easy smooth swings with a 9i-PW, concentrating on your rear elbow. Do not worry about the ball or where it may end up. Once you have engrained this move and are comfortable with your scoring irons, move down through your bag, ONLY progressing to the next club once you are comfortably integrating the move while hitting balls on target🎯. Is this something that you will "master" in one, two or even three weeks? Of course not!! However this is what the less than 1.5% of Plus Players do in various forms to achieve this mastery. Repetition!! Repetition!! REPETITION!! It starts right here with videos exactly like Miles!! Fairways & Greens 4ever My Friends⛳️ RP

[@rpjii9771]

Good Day @winzaw6902👊 Actually, Giles use of repetition was perfect as for the importance that the trail elbow plays in a quality golf swing, his repetition was spot on!! Though he was not a golfer of note, Norman Vincent Peal's words regarding repetition are spot on regarding swing body/club positions: "Repetition of the same thought or physical action develops into a habit which, repeated frequently enough, becomes an automatic reflex." Speaking as a competitive +2.8 Am with a wife who is a Class A Teaching Professional, repetition is vital to mastering the golf swing/stroke, and just as important for a Teacher is to use repetition to to communicate with students with different learning patterns, some picking it up sooner than others though as Giles did in this video, which is excellent, is he communicated the same basic principles and thoughts differently each time. Combine that with the fact that this is arguably THE most critical aspect to a consistent repeatable quality golf swing, I believe that this was the finest YTube vid that I've seen on the "Hogan Elbow," to the point that I sent it to my wife to use with her students. It may not be your cup of tea, and that is fine, though I would highly recommend to the other viewers that they save this vid, watch it repeatedly, practice the drills repeatedly, starting first in slo mo, breaking it down to take-away to the top, stop, repeat, then do take away in slo mo, come down to impact, stop, and repeat, until this is an "automatic reflex," then take a full swing, no ball. When you are comfortable that your elbow is in the optimum position and you are not thinking about the position, add a ball and start hitting at a target🎯 Fairways & Greens 4ever⛳️ RP

[@michaelwells1874]

Found this tip very interesting and I will try it out this weekend 👍🏌️

[@Gilesgillgolf]

Good luck