I have been playing golf for more than 65 years. I have been a pretty decent player getting to a plus 3 handicap at several points of my career. After watching some of your videos I have a totally different outlook on the golf swing. I had a practice session today unlike any I have had in years. I felt free and unstuck for the first time in ages. I did not get tired at all during the practice session. The one direction and balance of my body have already improved my ball striking and that is after only one bucket of balls. I am 74 years old, and feel young again.
Watching this again after 10 years and it's still absolute gold. Thanks Martin and hope you're doing well. Haven't seen you since Brookside Golf Course in California, but hoping to reconnect with you in the near future. Cheers mate!
I’ve played bat & ball sports at a decent level all my life and I’ve definitely picked up some valuable info and perspective from this video that I haven’t heard before.
Doctorate course in golf but so critical. Had to watch this several times along with others to understand. Containment, free swinging motion and counterbalance has to be "aimed" at the ball to compress it. Moving the ball within that swing changes the shot you want to hit. right, left, low, high, draws and fades. Changing your swing is one way to affect ball flight. This is another. One motion in one place. I think I've got what he's saying! Maybe.
excellent video, you have a great way of explaining things in different ways for me to understand things you are trying to point out clearly. love all your MPMG and Dirt stuff on utube and golfwrx. keep it up.
Pay attention people. The last part of this video, the part on alignment, is one of the most important things you could ever understand about golf. IF you get the sense/feel of it. Martin nails it. "Ahead of it in rotation, behind it in mass." is the best expression I have ever heard for this. This is where the natural slot/aim toward the target lies. Forget the clubs on the ground aligning square feet and shoulders. Try this: Pick up a ball and just role it toward the hole. Note your shoulder alignment at release. They will be open to the target, and your mass will be behind it. This is natural. Now try rolling a ball toward the hole keeping your feet and shoulders aligned parallel to the target line. Awkward to say the least. If you are still with me, I have a true story about the golfer with the record for most majors won. In 1974 Jack Grout observed Jack Nicklaus hitting some of the worst shots ever. Grout observed that Nicklaus had begun to unconsciously set up with his shoulders CLOSED to the target line. At first Nicklaus would not believe Grout. Finally Grout grabbed Jack's shoulders and forced them open and told him to hit the ball. Nicklaus said it will go way left. Grout said hit it anyway. "Bam" right down the middle. Next shot and the next, right down the middle. This shows how even a top player can loose this proper alignment orientation. Trevino, on the other hand never lost it. Watch his swing and you can always see this alignment producing push fades and push draws. As an older player now he has closed his stance, but his shoulders are still open. He never looses that natural "ahead of it in rotation, behind it in mass." Get the sense/feel for this and you will be a happy golfer. Cheers!
basically meaning the ball has to be positioned far enough forward to allow you to be rotated ahead and still be behind in mass resulting in a powerful natural strike of the ball.
I have a new theory too. I think of golf as like a game of marbles. I get down on my knees and I draw a circle in the dirt, then instead of a marble, I put a golf ball behind my thumb and I try to knock other golf balls out of the circle. It's working great.
This swing concept allows golf to be played as a game even while the mind is aware of it, for any other concept, awareness of it while playing is ruinous, they only work while practicing & when playing they cannot be thought of. These principles are helpful while practising & playing probably because the focus is on feelings rather than mechanics/positions/instructions. The conscious mind isn't dictating to the subconscious rather it's painting pictures of feelings for it.
Its about itme someone started to teach golfers how the swing should feel rather than where the club head should be through an arc !!..... Not surprising that the average mens handicap across the US has not changed in 20 years !!
Your idea of Containment is akin to my philosophy of the grip. My hands engulf the butt of the club. The end of the grip resides in my center lead palm, with the fingers of both hands draped over the rest of the tail end of the grip. While my grip is very unconventional, it functions as a u-joint and centripetal force squares up the club face without me actively doing a thing. My swing feels like a hammer throw in that I take the club back, inside and up using the action of my trailing shoulder pulling away from the target line. The forward stroke is torso & arm powered, straight through the ball from the end of the backswing. No active wristcock, though there is a horizontal hinging (an opening and closing) flatter with the woods, more vertical with the irons. No forearm rotation, the club swings out essentially on the same plane it was pulled away on... My lower body feels like the counterweight of a roadway gate; The back and gluts feel as though they move in the opposite direction the club is moving in. Not a reverse weight shift, as I said a rotating counter balance. I am in my sixties and play to a nine handicap (my putting is mediocre and my home course in a nasty little track). I post this because I have enjoyed your videos for years; I wanted to share a simple method of swinging the club. My average drive is 210 to 215; but I use a 13 degree 43 inch driver (more of a strong three wood).... Cheers :)
3 principles are: club containment, free swing and counter balancing....bonus info - perfect impact position = ahead of ball with rotation and behind ball with body mass.... Martin...I follow your concepts but I feel some guidance of the swing is req'd i.e. bringing right elbow into the hip and powering the arm/club unit into impact with hip/glutes at halfway down IMHO
Thanks. I have been watching everything I can find that you have put out and it is starting to really click. I love your whole body of work. I love that it does not make sense from one video but starts to unravel the mystery as you gather the pieces. Any worth having should have high barriers to entry . There is nothing wrong with mystery. I know it is not intended but it is the nature of a unique sport like golf. By the way I feel the club head consistently now for the 1st time and my golfer elbow and tight back are barely noticeable. The swing is artful and effortless. I am starting to learn how to use the instrument. Your work is greatly appreciated.
I'd like to see the swing in slow motion. I want to film myself and compare my positions to the ones Martin is getting into. This would help me as I feel like I'm pulling the club inside too quickly.
I enjoyed your principles. But now the 3 principles of video. First, the sun should be behind the camera so we can see your face. Number 2, never film in windy conditions, next to airports, range ball machines etc. unless you have the right equipment (microphones). Number 3. have the camera do a close-up when speaking and step-back when demonstrating. I believe if you would have thrown darts at a dart board, we would get a better picture of the action than throwing a ball at trees. Thank you for your concepts.
I decided to give him a chance. I lost 20 minutes of my life that I can never get back. If this is explaining it "as simple as possible" I would hate to hear the complicated version
In contrast, I think this was a very clear explanation and was able to feel, while lying on the couch, exactly what was being conveyed. I have always had grip pressure issues, adding force to the swing after it had commenced and often had been given conflicting views regarding the position of my body mass and the amount of rotation I should have created at the point of contact. This was brilliant and I can’t believe I haven’t seen it before considering how many of Martin’s other videos I’ve seen. It reminds me of many great still shots of both golfers and baseball hitters at the point of contact.
It’s fascinating how a simple game devised by sheep herders can be explained in such a complicated manner. (See: Rube Goldberg.) Is anyone, I mean anyone, processing a simple athletic motion in such a minute, granulated manner? Final point: you’ll never ever get good at golf approaching it this way.
Honestly it is hard to follow... however if you can truly comprehend what he's trying to convey it's actually very legitimate. I had to watch several of his videos out of sheer curiosity before I started to comprehend it
What an unnecessarily complicated way of basically saying that you need to keep your body mass behind the ball at impact and not in front. Most of this guys videos are the same overly complicated explanation. Saying that though, he smacks the shit out of that ball.
I have been playing golf for more than 65 years. I have been a pretty decent player getting to a plus 3 handicap at several points of my career. After watching some of your videos I have a totally different outlook on the golf swing. I had a practice session today unlike any I have had in years. I felt free and unstuck for the first time in ages. I did not get tired at all during the practice session. The one direction and balance of my body have already improved my ball striking and that is after only one bucket of balls. I am 74 years old, and feel young again.
Glad to hear it William. Fantastic!!
Watching this again after 10 years and it's still absolute gold. Thanks Martin and hope you're doing well. Haven't seen you since Brookside Golf Course in California, but hoping to reconnect with you in the near future. Cheers mate!
Keep coming back to your site. Awesome. You tube keeps unsubscribing but any hoots thanks for all your videos.
Your ability to observe and perceive and then conceptualize is nothing short of genius
This guy is one of the most interesting people to listen to I've ever heard.
Martin, your discovery and empathy of the golf swing is profound.
Best
John Lyons
best teacher in the world is Martin Ayres
I’ve played bat & ball sports at a decent level all my life and I’ve definitely picked up some valuable info and perspective from this video that I haven’t heard before.
Doctorate course in golf but so critical. Had to watch this several times along with others to understand. Containment, free swinging motion and counterbalance has to be "aimed" at the ball to compress it. Moving the ball within that swing changes the shot you want to hit. right, left, low, high, draws and fades. Changing your swing is one way to affect ball flight. This is another. One motion in one place. I think I've got what he's saying! Maybe.
Martin Ayres is a genius and can't wait to get a lesson with him!!
excellent video, you have a great way of explaining things in different ways for me to understand things you are trying to point out clearly. love all your MPMG and Dirt stuff on utube and golfwrx. keep it up.
Great video Martin.
Pay attention people. The last part of this video, the part on alignment, is one of the most important things you could ever understand about golf. IF you get the sense/feel of it. Martin nails it. "Ahead of it in rotation, behind it in mass." is the best expression I have ever heard for this. This is where the natural slot/aim toward the target lies. Forget the clubs on the ground aligning square feet and shoulders. Try this: Pick up a ball and just role it toward the hole. Note your shoulder alignment at release. They will be open to the target, and your mass will be behind it. This is natural. Now try rolling a ball toward the hole keeping your feet and shoulders aligned parallel to the target line. Awkward to say the least. If you are still with me, I have a true story about the golfer with the record for most majors won. In 1974 Jack Grout observed Jack Nicklaus hitting some of the worst shots ever. Grout observed that Nicklaus had begun to unconsciously set up with his shoulders CLOSED to the target line. At first Nicklaus would not believe Grout. Finally Grout grabbed Jack's shoulders and forced them open and told him to hit the ball. Nicklaus said it will go way left. Grout said hit it anyway. "Bam" right down the middle. Next shot and the next, right down the middle. This shows how even a top player can loose this proper alignment orientation. Trevino, on the other hand never lost it. Watch his swing and you can always see this alignment producing push fades and push draws. As an older player now he has closed his stance, but his shoulders are still open. He never looses that natural "ahead of it in rotation, behind it in mass." Get the sense/feel for this and you will be a happy golfer. Cheers!
JJMcKinnon1 aa
basically meaning the ball has to be positioned far enough forward to allow you to be rotated ahead and still be behind in mass resulting in a powerful natural strike of the ball.
Nice job Mart, got the Line of Containment in their!
Dave
I have a new theory too. I think of golf as like a game of marbles. I get down on my knees and I draw a circle in the dirt, then instead of a marble, I put a golf ball behind my thumb and I try to knock other golf balls out of the circle. It's working great.
Darts; position point of elbo directly below centre of dart/ball/club; line containment
This swing concept allows golf to be played as a game even while the mind is aware of it, for any other concept, awareness of it while playing is ruinous, they only work while practicing & when playing they cannot be thought of. These principles are helpful while practising & playing probably because the focus is on feelings rather than mechanics/positions/instructions. The conscious mind isn't dictating to the subconscious rather it's painting pictures of feelings for it.
Its about itme someone started to teach golfers how the swing should feel rather than where the club head should be through an arc !!..... Not surprising that the average mens handicap across the US has not changed in 20 years !!
Your idea of Containment is akin to my philosophy of the grip. My hands engulf the butt of the club. The end of the grip resides in my center lead palm, with the fingers of both hands draped over the rest of the tail end of the grip. While my grip is very unconventional, it functions as a u-joint and centripetal force squares up the club face without me actively doing a thing. My swing feels like a hammer throw in that I take the club back, inside and up using the action of my trailing shoulder pulling away from the target line. The forward stroke is torso & arm powered, straight through the ball from the end of the backswing. No active wristcock, though there is a horizontal hinging (an opening and closing) flatter with the woods, more vertical with the irons. No forearm rotation, the club swings out essentially on the same plane it was pulled away on... My lower body feels like the counterweight of a roadway gate; The back and gluts feel as though they move in the opposite direction the club is moving in. Not a reverse weight shift, as I said a rotating counter balance. I am in my sixties and play to a nine handicap (my putting is mediocre and my home course in a nasty little track). I post this because I have enjoyed your videos for years; I wanted to share a simple method of swinging the club. My average drive is 210 to 215; but I use a 13 degree 43 inch driver (more of a strong three wood).... Cheers :)
🤔🤯🤯🤯 17:36 only bit that makes any sense
3 principles are: club containment, free swing and counter balancing....bonus info - perfect impact position = ahead of ball with rotation and behind ball with body mass....
Martin...I follow your concepts but I feel some guidance of the swing is req'd i.e. bringing right elbow into the hip and powering the arm/club unit into impact with hip/glutes at halfway down IMHO
Is containment and face control the same or just highly correlated?
Face Control - Containment = Causation. Face awareness comes from knowing where it is relative to you.
Thanks. I have been watching everything I can find that you have put out and it is starting to really click. I love your whole body of work. I love that it does not make sense from one video but starts to unravel the mystery as you gather the pieces. Any worth having should have high barriers to entry . There is nothing wrong with mystery. I know it is not intended but it is the nature of a unique sport like golf. By the way I feel the club head consistently now for the 1st time and my golfer elbow and tight back are barely noticeable. The swing is artful and effortless. I am starting to learn how to use the instrument. Your work is greatly appreciated.
Well I don't know about Mr. Hogan, but Martin has sure helped me. Martin I challenge you to a dart game next time we meet. :)
This works!
Genius!
Nice!
I'd like to see the swing in slow motion. I want to film myself and compare my positions to the ones Martin is getting into. This would help me as I feel like I'm pulling the club inside too quickly.
the pines @ sanctuary cove?
Yah
Rianco - I think Snedeker is a great example of Martin's principle "Free-Swing Club"
could you give us an example of a PGA player that has a great example of this freeflowing swing you describe? Quiros? Woods? Sergio? Thanks
I enjoyed your principles. But now the 3 principles of video. First, the sun should be behind the camera so we can see your face. Number 2, never film in windy conditions, next to airports, range ball machines etc. unless you have the right equipment (microphones). Number 3. have the camera do a close-up when speaking and step-back when demonstrating. I believe if you would have thrown darts at a dart board, we would get a better picture of the action than throwing a ball at trees. Thank you for your concepts.
I decided to give him a chance. I lost 20 minutes of my life that I can never get back. If this is explaining it "as simple as possible" I would hate to hear the complicated version
amen, Impossible to make the golf swing more complicated than this.
In contrast, I think this was a very clear explanation and was able to feel, while lying on the couch, exactly what was being conveyed. I have always had grip pressure issues, adding force to the swing after it had commenced and often had been given conflicting views regarding the position of my body mass and the amount of rotation I should have created at the point of contact. This was brilliant and I can’t believe I haven’t seen it before considering how many of Martin’s other videos I’ve seen. It reminds me of many great still shots of both golfers and baseball hitters at the point of contact.
It’s fascinating how a simple game devised by sheep herders can be explained in such a complicated manner. (See: Rube Goldberg.) Is anyone, I mean anyone, processing a simple athletic motion in such a minute, granulated manner? Final point: you’ll never ever get good at golf approaching it this way.
Honestly it is hard to follow... however if you can truly comprehend what he's trying to convey it's actually very legitimate. I had to watch several of his videos out of sheer curiosity before I started to comprehend it
What an unnecessarily complicated way of basically saying that you need to keep your body mass behind the ball at impact and not in front. Most of this guys videos are the same overly complicated explanation. Saying that though, he smacks the shit out of that ball.
The 1 dislike must be someone from iseekgolf
Have followed Martin for years thru Elk days etc but this is the only piece of theory that is totally gobbledegook to me 🤔🤷♂️
he looks and talks like jon daly lol
This is unwatchable.
stay choppin