Golf is like Riding a Bike! [ There is a SECRET! ]

[@toma9976]

After years, because of you, I’ve finally figured out how good softball players can really whip the ball. I finally realized their speed and distance comes from throwing the ball downward (like your OH method) at the ground, not at the target. For years I’ve thrown a softball at the target and just recently tried throwing it downward, creating a very strong catapult with my arm.

[@KEVINSEPTEMBER]

Welcome back!! I have been trying to make sense of the golf swing for years and have watched thousands of hours of KZbin videos, your videos have been very helpful. What I've come up with so far is that the golf swing is a release of the club through the impact area which is done by rolling your forearms over each other while keeping your upper arms close to your chest. This is how you achieve clubhead speed 2:57 Pretend you're standing on a clock face you are on 6 o'clock the ball is the center of the clock swing out towards 10 o'clock without moving your legs (4:53 notice how the first little swing goes out towards right field and to swing towards the target he moves his legs), once you get the hang of this Direct the swing or release of the club (which is an arc and impact must be timed) toward the target 9 o'clock by moving your legs. This has helped me break down the golf "swing" into a more understandable movement. Your arms swing, your legs steer the swing. The two parts put together make a golf swing. Impact is on the side of your body *ish. Think overhand tennis shot coming in around knee height. You can reverse-engineer it by going to impact and freezing the swing, reverse your lower body only so your hips are parallel with the target line, and see which direction your shoulders and arms are facing, should be toward 10 o'clock. The movement of your legs positions your upper body "swing motion" so you can hit the back of the ball. You don't swing at the ball or the target without first moving your lower body to make that happen. 4:53 The thing I see wrong with modern golf instruction is too many people break things down into minute movements which are too difficult to understand especially when no one understands the swing as a whole. Thanks for all the videos!

[@alexBaldman]

I like the way you think sir, thanks this is a useful mental model to me

[@dementus420]

Love me some overhand golf! Welcome back.

[@wjatk534]

Super happy your doing well and posting your videos!

[@valsopuseight]

Dr. Kwon has an interesting approach in posting full videos of his teaching and methodology.

[@carlosjuarez9527]

I agree. But what OHG shows/proves is that if you swing the club as he says the positions/swings that Kwon, Zen etc. and others advocate just happen without having to manipulate the body/ hands etc.

[@terryfisher4060]

Yes, great vid. You are deploying angular momentum to create the centripetal force. The golf ball just "gets in the way". Glad you're back. You are only one of the three instructors on KZbin that actually understand the golf swing. Very Layman terms but it gets thr job done. Well done. Thank you for the video.

[@HolyGrailOfGolf]

I don't know what good it would do to explain the golf swing in a way no one could understand ... But you know, I think that's what a lot of instructors do. They convolute things so much that no one, not even them, have any idea what they're saying.

[@marksellz2203]

I agree he gets the message across so it makes sense,not a bunch of fancy words about how the wrists work,just what direction to swing is basically the message,I had lessons and no one ever asked me what direction should I swing the club,but I have been told to keep the face square 3 ft past impact,and as soon as I hear this nonsense I completely lose interest and faith in their ability to teach anyone anything,what amazes me about golf is,smart educated people with good common sense and can’t be bullshitted in any other aspect in life,believe anything a PGA pro tells them no matter how ridiculous it is

[@KEVINSEPTEMBER]

@@HolyGrailOfGolf Golf is big business if they got you in and out of the door the first hour and you never had to come back for another lesson they wouldn't make any money. Everything in golf is hard and way overpriced on purpose.

[@terryholloway9930]

Glad to see you back bud hope everything is good with you

[@scooter12368]

your a brilliant man,,,you prove your ideas with logic...never heard anyone explain as you do

[@HolyGrailOfGolf]

Thanks. I try to make sure I can explain things in a way people can understand. None of this, "... pronated arm at P7 in the half-backswing," stuff. Simple terms that everyone understands. The one thing I find absolutely fascinating is the main question that no one ever asked, "What direction do I swing?" Everyone automatically assumes it in the direction of the desired ball flight but it's actually 90º prior to that! The golf club is not a stick. It's a stick with another stick on the end of it and that changes everything. Almost no one understands how to use a golf club properly. Children do because they don't know any better but adult will fight with it for decades and never figure it out. Also the people that have figured it out can't explain it.

[@cebc40]

Hi, just want to say thanks for all the content you put on. Been working on this swing the last couple of months and today was hitting it sweeter than ever. Will be taking this to the course next week when I can get out and will let you know how I get on. Keep up the great content and thanks again from the UK 🇬🇧

[@Stoshmo]

Yes, it's been way too long since your last video. Keep them coming!

[@jumpnjy]

Great Video! Balance!!!! Your body and Brain does everything to maintain it! You can't send a ball to a target while you are trying not to fall down! When riding a bike I can't even imagine how many messages from your brain to your muscles are sent to stay upright.

[@Mikesmeyer88]

Your videos always give me a eureka moment.

[@jteddy11]

So good, thanks. I never could get your feeling but got nothing to loose, so going to commit to it.

[@kurtheitman552]

You won’t regret it. Once I decided to really commit to doing this It completely changed my game. I hit the ball dead straight and regularly hit 300+ drives with less effort. Really think about hitting an imaginary ball straight down at the target line.

[@jteddy11]

@@kurtheitman552 thanks for that, will do. Question, do you use the same feel for a pitch? Just curious

[@kurtheitman552]

@@jteddy11 once you learn to do the grail swing, the shorter pitches are still the grail feeling. You are always swinging down. If your backswing brings the shaft above parallel then it’s easy to keep the same move. I kind of use the Dave Pelz clock method for shots inside of 100 yards. I know my distances with all of my wedges based on the length of my backswing.

[@carlosjuarez9527]

@@jteddy11 Once you learn to swing a hammer and drive a nail all you do is adjust the length/arc of the hammer to drive the nail 1" or 2 cm. Same thing with the club. Just a different tool for a different job.

[@alanduncan9204]

I was reading a book last week all about the bicycle. Riding a bike we learn something that is actually very complex and we never forget. Anyone can ride a bike, not anyone can swing a bat, racket, stick or club and hit a ball, in fact, hit anything. Amazing. As a result people get paid a lot of money to teach something that should be truly repeatable. The only repeatable is that they keep going back and paying more money.....!!!

[@HolyGrailOfGolf]

I think also most of us learned to ride a bike when we were young and didn't mind failing. Somewhere around age 20 we stop truly learning to do new things and only like to do things we already know how to do. We get frustrated quickly and somehow expect to be able to do new things without actually learning how to do them. I used to deal with this and snowboarding. I'd ask people, "When was the last time you learned to do something new? IT'S GOING TO TAKE TIME!" Golf, well, people think they know exactly what a golf swing is because they've seen it, but they haven't actually seen it at all - they just think they have. Then they try to perform what they think they saw and that's your average golfer - like a 2 year old that just got off training wheels. Sure, he's riding a bike but just barely.

[@richardkern3955]

You always,always amaze me. Keep your insights coming. Thank you.

[@dry509]

Yep.. well said.

[@marksellz2203]

What finally started helping me understand your swing was the video on the simplest way to describe the golf swing,swing at 7:15,when you miss,because nothing is there,you get pulled around by rotational force and the club squares it’s self up naturally for that split second in time as it contacts the ball that happens to be in the path the club is traveling,I’m no pro at this swing yet,but the very first time I actually trusted it and just let it happen,I actually almost got emotional because I’ve always known there has to be a better way and after trying for 25 plus years it finally happened and I knew it instantly,this is not what your local pro teaches,that’s why most people are horrible golfers

[@HolyGrailOfGolf]

Yes! Without the key element, what direction do you swing, everything else is almost useless. Just as if you never learned to counter-steer a bicycle you'd never be able to ride.

[@cbcredit]

Yes, you CAN swing/throw the club out towards the target or even left of the target. You just have to weaken your grip so that your hook becomes a fade. Or use your regular grip, align yourself right of the target, and your hook is now a pull-draw (which is what Sam Snead did). Doesn't mean it's an optimal use of effort or alignment, but it's entirely possible to do it consistently and score.

[@HolyGrailOfGolf]

My channel is all about how to do it the easy way, not the hard way. There are a lot of hard ways to play golf and I see it all the time. There's just no reason for it. Golf isn't that hard!

[@TheOnlyStonemason]

There are a number of folks that have systems to accelerate learning golf…Gravity Golf is the first one I remember. Dr. Kwon is pretty amazing in the transformations. There is also Zen golf.

[@kurtheitman552]

The big difference is that OHG’s method only really takes one video to completely change your game.

[@HolyGrailOfGolf]

I think I've already made somewhat of an impact on golf instruction, at least on KZbin ... Prior to me advocating and proving that we push backward with the front foot and not forward with the back foot, I'd never seen any instructor say anything other than, "push off with the back foot," but now I'm seeing many videos that I agree with. People have started to see the light and are coming to my side.

[@leepetersen4082]

Thanks for the wisdom!!!!

[@jmack619]

From Canada, our boy Moe really owned his swing. Your swing looks great. I don,t see à lot of unnecessary moves. pretty solid. Have you ever plugged yourself into a trackman to see what your numbers are? What do you think of ...club face sends it , club path bends it ? I just want to find my ball somewhere, Anywhere , on the fairway after I drive it!

[@Jeffsingleton100]

Can you do a "golf is like skimming stones (skipping rocks) over water" video? I've seen a ton of them but I'd like your perspective on that swing thought

[@HolyGrailOfGolf]

Good idea. I've seen a lot of them and they're all wrong.

[@olsfumi635]

So how does the swing relate to the bicycle turn...?

[@HolyGrailOfGolf]

There are parts of the golf swing that everyone does who performs the golf swing well, that they're completely unaware of. Knowing them is the key to a good golf swing.

[@olsfumi635]

@@HolyGrailOfGolf thank you a

[@mkr7465]

That´s one way to swing. I seem to remember this described in the book Golfing Machine (aiming point). One thing to be aware is that you can pick a point ahead of the ball to aim your "javelin throw" at and this would be a way to control your launch conditions and bottom of the arc. I´d experiment with that if you try this way of swinging. For example, if I were to aim the force behind the ball with a driver, I´d hit a high draw. Aim ahead and inside of the ball and it´s a low fade.

[@HolyGrailOfGolf]

Thanks for the reply. You're thinking conventionally and I've proved that wrong in several other videos. The golf club is an odd tool that very few truly understand. When I say "directing force" I'm talking about the same as we do when swinging a baseball bat, which is swinging the barrel the bat and expecting to strike the ball at about 55% of the release. But in golf we strike the ball at about 80 to 90% of the release. So, by that time the head of the club is no longer moving in the direction of our force but now has arced around and is moving sideways down the target line. So, if anyone actually did what you're advocating the ball will go left, bigtime. When people are learning the HG swing this is exactly what happens before the learn to truly swing or direct their force 90% off the target line. This is why golf is so hard for so many people, especially smart people and athletic people, because it just doesn't make sense. The funny thing is children have no problem using a golf club properly at all because they know absolutely nothing about it, and they allow it to teach them how it work. Adults think they know how it works before the ever swing one.

[@mkr7465]

@@HolyGrailOfGolf I´m not advocating anything (and know nothing about baseball). I´m just saying this is a way to swing and a very valid one. And also that changing the intention (aiming and timing of force) will change the ball flight even if the action remains the same. In my opinion this is worth experimenting if you´re going to swing this way. Sorry if I didn´t understand what you meant. I´ll check out your other videos and see if I can get a better understanding.

[@mkr7465]

Okay, it looks like you have very strong opinions about the "right way" and that´s fine. You have a channel and create content that will be useful to some people, so great! I don´t however subscribe to the idea of this being the only right way. Look, this is super right side dominant. But if you have a handicap (such as missing right arm or leg) the right way to swing will obviously be drastically different. Look at Tommy Morrissey as a great example. :D

[@HolyGrailOfGolf]

@@mkr7465 Again, thanks for the reply. No one is forcing you to do or believe anything that you don't want to. My opinions are based on experience and trial and error and they work great for a lot of people. If you're not one of them, there are literally thousands of other golf videos you can watch that may help you. I'm not perfect and I hope I never gave anyone that impression. I'm just trying to help the average golfer get better. I see things from a different perspective than most people. Some people get it and some don't. BTW, where are you from that you know nothing about baseball?

[@davidd1395]

I think it’s a great thought but my question is, are you hitting down on the ball with the driver or up? Thank you!

[@HolyGrailOfGolf]

Both. In my mind I'm swinging downward and outward but the arc of driver's head impacts the ball just after it's low point (near the ground) so it impacts the ball on a slightly upward motion. Which, if you think about it, is the whole point in getting to use a tee. If it weren't for the tee we could never strike the ball at this point in the arc of the swing. That's a good topic for a video ... It's the position of the ball in relation to the arc of the club that allows us to strike the ball after the club's low point.

[@davidd1395]

@@HolyGrailOfGolf well said, thank you!

[@PatBuckleyracecar]

Thank you. I have been playing for 10 years and listening to crap advice. I have even taken lessons. I guess no one thought that dragging the club handle across my body was shit - Thanks to you, about 10 days ago I started pushing the club away and slightly behind the target line on the downswing. Holy shit. Thanks, I am reinvigorated about playing.

[@HolyGrailOfGolf]

The golf club is a remarkable tool when used properly.

[@m3toz4]

Yes, you can direct your force to the ball and down the line if that force is the release energy. As everyone know the golf swing has 2 phase, one is store energy and the other is release energy.

[@randolphsnyder1505]

Agree In concept,but the descriptive word ,release, is hard for a novice to understand.I describe the swing as building force in phase 1 ,which occurs from the top to a point close to the ball and phase 2 which occurs at the ball which I call applying the force. I know its semantics but it keeps us out of the potential and kinetic energy arguments and the interpretations of the word release.

[@m3toz4]

@@randolphsnyder1505 many concepts to swing, but I like any concept more directly to the ball and the direction to target overhand golf intention of force is hard to apply in the game where contact and direction count.

[@Chris_Traynor]

Sooo gooooood!😀

[@kapapatence6423]

What are your thoughts about ball position in the stance? Varies in relation to the length of club or leave it in the same location regardless of club? I have learned a lot from your videos...maybe I missed this discussed in a previous presentation?

[@HolyGrailOfGolf]

What I see most is that people have the ball too far forward. For some reason they think "it's improper" to put the ball back in their stance a bit. So, F'n what! There's no golf police! The funny thing is that if you're between clubs you can put the ball back in your stance and get some extra distance out of it. If it's too far forward it's so hard to hit cleanly and compress properly. You'll have to make crazy manipulations in your swing and it's just nuts. You're right I should do a video about that. To answer you question, it does move with each club, yes. Most people have the driver too far back and every other club too far forward. I'd say experiment moving the ball back and back and back so far it's ridiculous and then start moving it forward and you'll see where you hit it best.

[@leepetersen4082]

Hi GS! Great vid and it s got me thinking about something that confuses me . I have been practicing directing the swing force straight "down" as you teach (the holy grail). But My question is when i swing using that swing thought do i then just trust that my club will be on on the proper swing plane to contact the ball square? My brain seems to get a little confused as to what to do after directing the swing force straight down...if that makes any sense.. (this coming from a hacker that has been trying to "hit" the ball instead of letting the ball get in the way for 50 years. If i get to come south next winter i want to book some lessons!!!

[@kurtheitman552]

It will Lee. Your setup to the ball is your measurement to the ball position. It works. You’ll get it. Don’t give up.

[@HolyGrailOfGolf]

Yes, you trust that the club will do what it's designed to do. The golf club looks like a stupid stick with a stupid piece of metal on the end but it's really an incredible, almost magical, tool that if we allow it, will send the ball flying far and straight. Most people think if they don't MAKE the golf club work, it won't work at all but that's simply not true. If you have any skill at all in golf it's almost impossible to miss the ball so you really don't need to force the club to impact the ball at all. As Kurt said, you measure your distance at address with the club you're going to use. The club doesn't get longer or shorter and neither do your arms so you should be dead solid sure that, that clubhead will impact that ball, EVERY TIME. Swing like you're showing off to a child about how easy it is.

[@marksellz2203]

Your not swinging straight down as in at your feet,your directing your force straight down on the plane you set the club up on at address,hopefully this helps

[@leepetersen4082]

@@HolyGrailOfGolf Thanks GS!!!!

[@alexBaldman]

@@HolyGrailOfGolf yes! That last sentence is gold!

[@fourftr]

When you started about the bicycle video I thought you were talking about the one I saw on reprogramming your brain. The video shows a guy up on stage with this bicycle and bets anyone that they couldn’t drive this bike across the stage. What nobody knew was he designed the handle turn the opposite way. So when you turned the wheel left the bike went right. Everyone that tried started to pedal and instantly tipped over

[@HolyGrailOfGolf]

Smarter every day has a great video about that backward bike. He did finally learn to ride it but then he couldn't ride a regular bike.

[@justaguy9302]

What do you actually think of Moe Normans swing?

[@HolyGrailOfGolf]

I love it, simply because it's so effective and at the time so unconventional. Moe figured out what worked best for him and clearly didn't care what anyone else thought. Although, Iike many other great players and instructors I don't think Moe actually was aware of everything he was doing, or at least he didn't tell us if he did. I think Moe swung the club at his address position which was about a foot and a half behind the ball. He knew that if he did that the club would be moving straight through the ball, at the peak of his reach, every time. I did't realize this until I made my 7:15 video ... While I was making it I thought, "This is why Moe addressed the ball like he did. He's swinging toward this spot!" The other thing Moe said that was confusing was his "master move." Everyone looked at that and thought, "His arm is upside down the clubface is wide open ... He's crazy." Well, what he didn't tell them was that it's impossible to actually achieve the position of the "master move" at full speed. The centripetal forces of the swing won't allow it. Sure, you can do it in slow motion but not full speed and that's the key to the "master move." Which I am working on a video about ... although, until now I didn't realize it was Moe's "master move" that I was talking about. Thanks for making me think! I also love the stories of Moe hitting a wedge off the tee and driver into the green and then saying, "What difference does it make what order I hit them? It's a driver and a wedge."

[@justaguy9302]

@@HolyGrailOfGolf Thanks, can’t wait to see your interpretation.

[@darrendomain4127]

You are "Greatness".

[@michaeljohn8842]

Hi so how do I put that in to my game ?

[@HolyGrailOfGolf]

Easy, you do everything as you would normally: choose your club, get your alignment set properly then you just imagine you're swinging above the ball but you let the club hit the ball. It's so simple it's really hard to believe it works, but it does.

[@shep1582]

I think you still have your secret, not sure I get what you're saying (javelin?) - I have looked at the video 15 times. It's okay I love videos and know they speak to everyone differently. Great golf swing by the way!! To be clear I understand what NOT to do, dont know what you are saying to do.

[@HolyGrailOfGolf]

If you haven't seem my main Holy Grail videos, take a look at them. I explain everything in much more detail.

[@shep1582]

@@HolyGrailOfGolf Thank you I've been reviewing all your videos since I wrote this note & stopped watching the football game - great account and brilliant instruction. Student of the game here & love people who can explain things well it's a gift. Kudos to you and thank you - Now I have more videos to review 😊

[@josephlussa9591]

Does this work with irons too?

[@HolyGrailOfGolf]

Of course. It's how all golf clubs work.

[@josephlussa9591]

@@HolyGrailOfGolf how can I get in contact with you outside of this?

[@toma9976]

Glad you’re back! Could I ask how much force you use in your downward strike (what you called throwing the javelin in this vid)? Some say that downward move is done by just dropping the club and letting gravity do the work. You appear to be using a great deal power in the downward force. How much power are you using from 0 to 10? At times it looks like you’re full out and if it were a karate strike, you’d be breaking the brick.

[@HolyGrailOfGolf]

I'd say in a real round of golf about 75 or 80% effort. If I go at it too hard things often go wrong and the ball doesn't go much farther if things went well. When your swing is pretty efficient you can swing at a comfortable speed and still hit the ball a good distance. I'm still not back to my previous distances prior to my bladder infection, but it's coming back. I like to think of it like hitting an infield fly to center.

[@hansotte6734]

I’m joking. He has a funny delivery

[@jlbradders]

I liked where this was going but then the video just stopped🤔😳

[@randolphsnyder1505]

We usually use the ride a bike analogy in regards to ones memory,that said,the first thing I do with a new student is play a little pitch and catch with them,I can tell in a few minutes if he has a aptitude for golf.If he has a sissy throw I will not waste our time.

[@HolyGrailOfGolf]

Yes, I ask people to throw the golf club and watch if their action is athletic or not.

[@carlosjuarez9527]

@@HolyGrailOfGolf PreviewPreview1:38Rory McIlroy's approach into water and club toss at the ...KZbin · PGA TOUR · Mar 6, 2015 Very athletic!!!

[@carlosjuarez9527]

kzbin.info/www/bejne/bX22h3-cl7SBldk

[@HolyGrailOfGolf]

@@carlosjuarez9527 I did a video featuring Rory's club throw a while back.

[@chaseblossom1263]

Anyone that is in motorcycle instruction is very aware of this. They teach you to turn the wheel against the direction you are leaning. Motorcycle riding 101. It's far more apparent with a wider tire.

[@jayscott1380]

Gonna hurt yourself with the "idiocy" moves.

[@hansotte6734]

What exactly was the lesson. I don’t think he even knows😂😂😂

[@HolyGrailOfGolf]

I said it in the video. Nearly all good player are performing an action that they're completely unaware of. Therefore they can't teach it, because they don't know they're doing it, but they all do it.

[@barrywood8838]

A bike compared to golf? WTF

[@BeRaptureReady42]

👎🏼

[@jamiebrown4120]

You literally just gave zero tips about anything.

[@MrMikeRodriguez]

Sometimes the best tip is no tip at all.

[@HolyGrailOfGolf]

Yes and no. If you weren't paying attention you may have missed it. The point is that there's an absolutely key element to riding a bike that everyone who does it is totally unaware of. Golf has a similar key element and that is that force needs to be directed downward 90º prior to the impact of the ball. Ask any amateur golfer this question, "what direction do you swing," and they'll think about it for a while and then say something like, "toward the target, I guess." Which is what everyone tries to do in order to MAKE the ball go that way but that's not how the golf club is designed to work, that's how a baseball bat works. We hit the ball with the head of the golf club not the shaft. A golf club sends the ball ~90º left of the direction it's swung which is why when you swing toward the target the ball goes left. So next time you go to the range imagine hitting the ball downward into the ground as if you're standing on the edge of a cliff. When the clubhead reaches the ball it'll be moving straight down the target line although you imagined the ball flying downward. It's simple physics. We all grew up playing baseball and we try to use what we know about baseball to golf but, it just isn't the same. Although you can use your baseball swing as long as you're directing your energy in the proper direction. When you do it's like magic.

[@MrMikeRodriguez]

@@HolyGrailOfGolf My response was actually more of a joke/sarcasm, which I should have made that clear :) . I like this video - along with all of your videos! However, I also really like your extended description here. I understand what you are saying and think it's a really interesting point. Seems like a solid way to conceptualize it.

[@HolyGrailOfGolf]

@@MrMikeRodriguez I understood your comment was sarcastic and I thought it was funny. I was answering the original comment.

[@alexaviles1589]

@@HolyGrailOfGolf I have finally had the light bulb / aha moment after 20+ years of hacking around the golf course. Can't thank you enough