Originally posted by mattI think we can all agree that you don't win nine tournaments on the toughest professional tour in the world -- not to mention over ten million dollars! -- by doing it wrong! So what is Vijay doing right?
Vijay makes an odd move indeed.
The crucial point in your post - a FLAT LEFT WRIST is the imperative, not a bent right wrist. Now normally these go hand in hand. That is, when you have a flat left wrist your right wrist is bent, and vice versa. Vijay kind of lets his right hand come off the club and his right wrist flattens a little. But his left wrist is STILL FLAT. And that's all the matters.
Check it out here: http://redgoat.smugmug.com/gallery/80095/1/2785334
Sure his right wrist is flattening...but his left wrist is holding steady and not bending!
[Bold by Yoda.]
For starters, Matt has it nailed: The First Imperative is the Flat Left Wrist. The Sweetspot is never permitted to pass the Hands during the Impact Interval (1-L-#8 ). It is the Number One Alignment in G.O.L.F., and nobody does it better than Vijay (despite the unique simultaneous Flattening of his Right Wrist).
The Second Imperative is the Clubhead Lag Pressure Point. A glance at any of Vijay's Impact photos will prove that, despite his unusual Flat Right Wrist alignment, the #3 Pressure Point (Right Forefinger) is dead behind the Shaft and definitely doing its job. Importantly, it is getting a lot of support from its most faithful ally...the On Plane Right Forearm.
Finally, the Third Imperative is Tracing the Straight Plane Line. This conscious direction of the On Plane Clubhead Lag Pressure through Impact is the responsibility of the #3 Pressure Point and Right Forearm. You can rest assured that Vijay is taking care of business here because he spends hours every week -- even at his level -- making that happen. Homer Kelley called the Inclined Plane the "heart and soul of the Golf Swing." And this last Imperative -- maintaining its Straight Line Baseline through Impact -- is what Vijay's famous practice routine is all about.
You want to 'be like Mike?' Then do what 'Mike' does: Establish the Plane Line by putting two shafts on the ground a few inches apart and aligned to the Target. Then stick another in the ground behind you to establish the Plane Angle. Finally, position a water bottle just in front and to the right of the Ball (which is located between the two shafts on the ground). This is your visual 'Gateway to Golfing Perfection' through which the Arc of Approach -- the curved path of the Clubhead Blur through Impact -- must pass. Your mission is to swing Through the Ball -- and through this 'mine field' -- without disturbing any of the deliberately placed obstructions.
Do that a couple of times a week for a few weeks and watch those wayward shots 'get religion!'
