What's New
Scheduling Lessons
Please email me at john@golfbetterproductions.com to schedule a lesson. I will get back to you right away, especially if you remember to include your phone number!
Ball Flight Laws
I have moved the ball flight laws diagram to the forum. Check it out. It's important info!
New on DVD
Slice Buster and Professional Impact DVD are finished! These two 1 hour plus DVDs contain everything I know to date about fixing a slice and creating professional impact conditions. The drills contained are all those that I use every day in my Golf Academy. They work. Fast. Not every drill fits every student, but every student WILL lfind at least one drill that fits them. I am currently burning one at a time on my Mac, so the DVDs are burned, not stamped, and may have issues outside of the US. Contact me about PAL format if you need that format.
Biggie in Golf Illustrated
The new Golf Illustrated magazine hit the stands October 23! My impact article will help you understand the most misunderstood and misapplied motion in golf. Please check it out and don't be afraid to let the publisher know if you like it!
PA State Tourney
Christine Shimel fought her way to a second round 71 in 35+ mph wind to finish second at the PA state championship. She was followed closely by 13 year old Aurora Kan and Alexis Holmes. 3 girls in the top 5! How about that?!!!
Congratulations Alexis!
Alexis Holmes has decided to accept a scholarship offer from the University of Maryland. She was so excited that she couldn't concentrate on anything for a couple of days. And then she went out and won the PA East Regional Championship with a 1 under par round.
8 Scholarships in 3 years!
In the last 3 years, 8 of my students have received golf scholarships to college. Talent and hard work, (ok, plus quality instruction) pays off!
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Enter the Video Drill Vault
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Launched in 1998, GOLF BETTER PRODUCTIONS was founded to help educate
golfers in their quest to learn or relearn the game we love so much.
Our mission is simple. We want to see the national average golf score
improve from the current and rather dismal 100 --something that hasn't
happened in over twenty years. Golfers are not improving! GOLF BETTER
PRODUCTIONS seeks to change that painful reality by publishing
instructional material that really works. We're committed to giving
you the information you absolutely must master to play this game
well. Our premise is that you are much better than you think. You
just need more accurate, clear, and concise golf instruction, and to know
how to learn it.
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I really want to call the golf academy the top line above, but it’s a little long to remember and quite painful to type in a web browser. However it really does make what we do clear: no gimmicks, hot tips, or quick fixes, just honest to goodness guidance on how to learn and play your best. The name, johndunigan.com, is just easier to type.
The key to playing the game of golf is to able to predict the outcome of your swing. How can you manage the course, or yourself for that matter, if you don’t know where the ball is going? Hence, the application of the club to the ball is the foundation of our teaching, learning, and playing philosophy. By giving students a true understanding (meaning, they can demonstrate, not just recite the words) of the three principles of ball flight, Backspin, Compression, and Sidespin, we teach our students to play golf shots, not just swing the club. By helping students understand the nature of the game and as well as their own swing, we help golfers develop the most important skill any of us can have in this game: To be able to become your own coach.
Of course, knowing what you are trying to learn is useful only insomuch as you know how to learn it. This is the aspect of our instruction of which we are most proud. We don’t teach, we enlighten. We can take a career slicer and teach him to hit a draw within just a few minutes because we first enlighten the student as to how beautifully he was applying the club to the ball to create that slice (whether he knew it or not). Indeed, students seldom realize that they are actually doing everything exactly correct to create the results they get. The ball always goes exactly where you hit it. The club programs the ball. You program the club. Are you doing your job?
Many golfers can’t take their range game to the golf course. That’s why we have devised practice programs to simulate the real thing at the range. And that’s why we do so much on-course instruction where we help you learn how to play all the shots you’ll find on the course and, more importantly, talk about the keys to performing: Intention and Attention.
Intention is simply, "what are you going to do with the club to create the shot you want?" The other part is attention: Pay attention! Forget about the score or the importance of the shot or that people are watching you and you just don’t want to make a fool of yourself and focus on what you are doing with the club so well that you the distractions are far from your mind. The Great Shot Process™ is our way of getting you to hear your golf buddies say "great shot!" a lot more often. Please do not confuse this with what’s normally called the pre-shot routine, because there is all the difference in the world between the two. The Great Shot Process™ consists of getting your mind in the right state to execute the shot. Relaxation, breathing, visualization, and smart thinking, precede rehearsal swings that confirm exactly what you intend to do with the club for the shot at hand. Then there is the fully focused actual shot, followed by the post shot review wherein you refine your intention more accurately. The Great Shot Process™ makes every shot a learning experience and helps you truly understand and learn your own swing.
Golf gurus can’t even agree on how to hold the club much less on how to swing the darned thing. So who’s right? Perhaps the wide variety of swings we see on tour gives us an important clue-there is no "the" swing. It turns out that you need shockingly little instruction concerning how to swing the golf club once you have the core knowledge and visualization of how the club interacts with the ball to create ball flight. It is truly amazing to see how fast a student’s swing can transform itself almost as if by magic when he lets go of "how to" in favor of simply applying the club to the ball to create ball flight. Your amazingly brilliant brain/body system already knows how to do it, you just need to give it some key info in the form of what are you trying to make the ball do and what do you need to do with the club to make it happen. In fact, I believe that what we call "golf swing" is only seen in retrospect, as a result of a golfers intentional application of the club to create ball flight. When I help a student learn to hit a draw, his swing all of the sudden starts to look awfully close to the swing plane model you see in my books and on my web site-the only thing missing is me telling him what to do. I help him find out how he hits a draw, rather than try to teach him how I do. The answers are his, not mine. The learning is real and long term. I know it sounds strange to have a PGA Master Teaching Professional tell you that he doesn’t really teach the swing, but you have to experience this process of true learning to believe it.
Impact Sequence
Here you go folks. Look at this sequence over and over until you can feel it as you see it in your mind's eye. Play the move on the back of your eyelids. This sequence shows the real meaning of "getting it to low point," and that, my friends, you can't live without! Notice that the ball is not compressed against the ground, but against the club face, although against the ground is a great image, it's not accurate. Check out how long the club head is in the ground after impact. That's the 5 inches Bobby Clampett talked about in his very good book that came out this fall.
The club shaft is leaning forward right through impact. Therefore we get compression, a downward, backspin producing blow, acceleration, or more accurately resistance to deceleration, and the loft of the club head is changed from 9iron to more like a 7iron. These are the reasons why pros hit the ball so far.
Ben Hogan Swing Sequence
I have heard that Hogan, himself, thought he hit it better before the accident, but played the game better after it.
Single Plane, Dual Plane, and The Swing Plane: Things you should know.
There has been an awful lot of discussion about one plane and two plane swings lately, and since I’ve gotten so many questions about the subject, I thought I would share with you my thoughts on the matter, in hopes that some clearer understanding could be found. Keep in mind that there have been GREAT golfers with both types of swing.
First of all, you must be aware that 1. The discussion is mainly about address setup and the position of the left arm at the top of the backswing. 2. There is no mention of the swing plane as we know it. The words single plane and dual plane can be very misleading when used in conjunction with The Swing Plane Model, because the swing plane that we are familiar with is VERY different from the left arm position at the top of the backswing (please check the swing plane section of this site). When used in context of the shaft plane at address (the design of the club), it is clear that, whether you use a one plane swing or a two plane swing, ALL golf swings move above plane at the top of the backswing and must return to the original plane on the downswing--and that means that all swings are two plane swings.
Peter Jacobsen old and new swings provide a perfect example of the confusion between The Swing Plane Model, as I've written about on this site, and the Single vs Dual Plane concept currently in vogue.
 Although Jacobsen's left arm is across his shoulder line at the top (Single Plane) his hands and club are clearly above his swing plane as set at address. Were a golfer to misinterpret the left arm position as on a Single Swing Plane, as in no plane shift at the top, he would seriously miss the point. Jacobsen's position at the top is right on the money because his distance from the plane is minimal, in fact close to as little as possible in a full swing, creating a very simple move to return the club to the original plane on the way down. Interestingly, his downswing plane is VERY similar to what you'll find on this site (see the swing from the menu), and awfully similar to some of the best ball strikers who ever lived (see: a comparison of great golfers also on this site) although what we do (or think we do) to get there on the way down is extremely different due to the fact that we had different moves already working in our swings. And there is the real point. It's really difficult to learn from a book because the author can't see what moves you have already developed. Hence the two different swings.
When a golfer hits a hook, as most expert golfers first learn to do, he tends toward a flattish swing (one plane) that tends if anything to get too inside to out through impact, creating a line of compression that actually crosses the target line and heads out to the right through the impact interval, resulting in shots pushed out to the right and the inevitable hooks to compensate--in short too wide a shot dispersion pattern for consistently great golf. Thin shots are also common misses, but that's just not that bad in my book.
The entire game of golf revolves around sustaining the line of compression, and this type of swing requires a straighter line of compression to make the ball take off more on line to the target. A straighter line of compression requires less club face rotation through impact and therefore creates straighter, more consistent, ball flight. There are many things a golfer can do to create a steeper downswing. Bending over more at address steepens the plane somewhat. Keeping the weight more on the left leg at the top steepens the plane. A laid off club shaft at the top will rebound into a steeper plane on the downswing. In order to correct the line of compression, many golfers will have to feel that they are swinging left of the target line through impact. That's where body rotation (pivot) comes in.
As the body rotates to the left through impact, the club follows it, so we can say that the pivot squares the path and prevents it from getting out to the right of the target line through impact. The pivot's job is to move an inside-out-to-the-right path to inside-square-inside. It's the law of the circle, folks. Sometimes you can greatly help a hooker by telling him to swing left to get the path to move from inside to square and back around to the inside, but that's often very temporary. And the truly scary part of the admonition to swing left is that, eventually, the golfer will most certainly start actually doing it and resulting in over-the-top steep swings with the line of compression now going left through the impact interval. You really need to help him learn to use the pivot to square the path.
You don't see many club golfers with the problem of inside-out-to-the-right club path...!
 Conversely, when the left arm is above the shoulder plane at the top, it is commonly called "upright." Nowadays, to add to the confusion in the world of golf instruction, the upright backswing has a new name, "two plane." The problem with the upright backswing is that the hands and club leave the original plane by more than necessary, making it very difficult to return the club to the plane on the way down. Virtually all slicers of the ball have this backswing and its common result, the steep, over-the-top downswing. With the line of compression going left through the impact interval.
Golfers who have this backswing unfortunately combine it with a pivot-powered (body rotation) downswing and “spin out,” causing the all-too-common over-the-top swing. This problem is greatly improved by using the arms to power the downswing before the pivot begins. The downswing has to be given more arc width to correct the sharply downward angle of attack, and so the start down must move the club "back and down” to the plane before the body rotates. Very sensible. Shifting the weight via a move to the back leg on the backswing and or via a "hip bump" or “hip slide” (same thing) toward the target at the start down can also flatten out the angle of attack, but not necessarily the swing plane, and that’s important. Flattening the club shaft at the start down helps greatly. You will see lots of great players with an upright backswing coupled with a “drop” to the inside that corrects for the backswing. Jim Furyk is the ultimate example of this move. Although his backswing is as upright as could be, his downswing is pure gold. Furyk has been quoted as saying that his backswing is the only way he can make his downswing. And since you hit the ball on the downswing, I’m all for it! The fact is, almost anything that does flatten out the angle of attack will improve a steep swing (that should be obvious), and particularly for driving the ball, the flatter the angle of attack, the more fun you’ll have hitting it straighter and longer. Another, much bigger, deal is this: Whatever you have to do to create a good downswing that allows you to consistently predict your ball flight is just fine with me as long as it goes far enough.
So, what we have here is two types of swing that I would like to suggest we look at this way. The upright backswing needs a big move with the arms to return to the plane (or else play a cut like Phil Mickelson—but you’ll probably slice the dickens out of it).” While the neutral backswing—left arm on the shoulder plane—needs very little downward arm swing to return to the plane. David Toms with an upright backswing and necessarily more active arms on the downswing to make up for leaving the plane more than necessary at the top, and David Duval with a flat backswing and a pivot driven downswing. Both golfers attack the golf ball from the inside.
Both golfers actively use their arms whether they know it or not! Please reread that statement as it is directly opposed to much of what you have heard. But please think about what I’ve written above and just look at the geometry of the golfer, the club and the line of compression. It all makes sense. Furthermore, the fastest hips on tour go 7 mph through impact. With truly passive arms, the club simply cannot accelerate past bunt speed. The arms have to work to throw the club through the ball to create enough club head speed to play the game.
The thing about the pivot driven downswing is that the only golfers who should use it already have great hand and arm action through their swing—expert golfers. As golfers evolve into experts, they naturally learn, and often at a very early age, how to use their arms and hands to create golf shots. They “over-learn” these skills to the point that they no longer know they do it. They just do it. To hit the ball hard, these young golfers inevitably learn to hit a hook with inside-out impact. Very often good juniors stop their hip rotation as the club moves through impact, which can result in inside-out-to-the-right impact and the pushes and hooks that result. (They also tend to have a lot of lag from having learned golf at a time when their hands were not strong which encourages them to down cock—add wrist cock—on the way down.) As a golf instructor to many kids like this, it is at this point that we learn active pivot to help square the path. My point is that they have already learned the proper arm movement before the addition of body rotation and, in my opinion—and this is my web site, so…--this is the progression. If you don’t already have educated hands and good arm movement built in, the single plane swing, despite it’s excellent position at the top, will only create an over the top swing. I’ve read that the alignment at address is to be somewhat closed and that the left arm should rotate aggressively, closing the club face through impact. Now, doesn’t that sound like a pull?
Looking at the photos of Peter Jacobsen’s swing we can clearly see the difference in the upright (2 plane) and neutral (1 plane) backswings, but we can’t see all that much difference in the downswings that in my book (it is my web site) wasn’t caused simply by the backswing position. Now, a golf pro friend of mine who is a great fan of Mr. Hardy tells me that Jacobsen is not yet doing it right. But my contention is that he’s been playing great golf, so let’s see what he is doing while he’s been playing great. Now, doesn’t that make sense???
At address, my hands are farther away from my stomach and I’m tilted over a little more than even the single plane swing, which is supposed to be very bent over. Unfortunately, I do not have a ½ back photo to go with this sequence, but I have no problem with either backswing to this point although the photos show two very different positions. Incidentally, it is very conceivable that one could get from the earlier photo above to the later photo without a lot of effort.
At the top you can really see the difference. My position is very similar to the single plane swing except the single plane swing is bent over more, having maintained his posture better than I, creating a steeper turned shoulder plane. That’s what 5 discs out of place and zero flexibility will do for you. I love the single plane backswing. The left arm is as low as I believe it can humanly be at the top while still having the right forearm pointing downward and the right elbow on plane. The left wrist is flat and the club face angle is dead square. I also like how much of his right oh, I hope the right word is trapezoid muscle is visible above his left arm. I fight with that regularly. The dual plane swing has more than double the distance hands to plane as the single plane swing, and that’s the reason why the single plane swing is easier and requires less timing.
The slot position is where it really counts. If only the timing of the photos was spot on we could see just how similar the shaft planes are—and that’s what really counts! The SP photo was taken just a little earlier, or else I think you’d see it terribly similar to mine. The SP swing is dead on plane. My swing, again a little later, has the hands and right forearm on plane as I believe Jacobsen’s swing would be if we had that photo. But the most important thing to see here is how far Jacobsen’s hands have move away from his right shoulder. This space represents a very considerable lowering of the hands/arms that is not part of the SP program. In fact, I’ve heard Jacobsen say that he just spins his body as fast as he can. Clearly from the photos, that is what he believes, thinks, and feels he does, but not what actually is happening. Look. Look. Look. If all he did was spin (rotate) with passive arms, how would the hands have gotten that far away from the shoulder that fast? That’s a VERY big question…The DP swing is an over the top move, plain and simple. Now you know why Jacobsen was a cutter with a propensity to pull shots well left at times. But it is very interesting to note that the shaft angle is not all that steep, just above plane. If the backswing were deeper or flatter if you prefer, like the SP swing, the downswing would look awfully similar to the on-plane SP downswing. Hmmm… There just isn’t much difference in the downswings otherwise.
Note: Know the curve!!! It’s almost silly to compare swings without knowing the flight a golfer is hitting. I must make an assumption here. I think Jacobsen is hitting a cut while I am hitting a draw. Take a look at the club face angles in the last photo. We are in nearly the exact same position in distance of the club from the ball. The shoulders are nearly identical. My hips are not quite as open and my right heel is still on the ground, hence my arms appear farther from my stomach than his. Now, when I hit a cut, my post impact looks just like Jacobsen’s as I am holding off the face rotation to produce a small right curve. The club face is opening through the impact interval and so the hands are closer to the body. With the draw, the club face is closing through the impact interval, hence the hands are farther away. In all three photos, you can see good posture, which is important for consistently solid contact.
I truly hope this discussion has shed some light on the subject and led you to look a little differently at how a golf swing works. I would also like to mention that it is not with someone else’s swing that we are going to play our best, but with our own. We all need to find our own best way of playing the game and be very wary about someone else’s so called “right” way. The game comes down to using your club to create predictable ball flight. Oh yeah, and having a good short game!
Golf on!
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