Sam Snead Hands Snap

[robertschelly]

Don't hold your breath waiting for secrets. Snead was a doer, not a teacher. 'Feel oily' . . . well that's fine if you are a one-in-100 million prodigy like Sam was. His instruction books were ghostwritten. He just went & did it.

[dschultz6072]

@robertschelly you really think he had no idea how to hit a golf ball, huh?

[sifurick123]

The hands are used in many sports. The correct action is based on the individual players timing .It not going to matter if you are a leg player, body player or hands player. Timing off . That why shots go haywire. If SAM said he snap his hands why won't i believe him . The term he uses is a question of semantic.Don't sweat it.

[TheNYgolfer]

The "snap" at the bottom of the swing,if generated by the hands,will lead to major inconsistencies.On the other if the "snap" is allowed to happen automatically,with no conscious input from the hands,golf becomes manageable.This is how Grout taught Nicklaus.This is done by utilizing the big muscles to transfer energy to the arms which then transfer the energy to the club (kinematic sequence).The hands merely hold on to the club VERY LIGHTLY.Soft hands allow the "snap" to happen automatically.

[emncaity]

@TheNYgolfer

It depends on the player. Some people do it naturally as force is transmitted through the body and out to the clubhead, some don't. Some have to learn to use their hands to create speed. Certainly Snead himself thought so, as he says here and elsewhere.

[FullTimeHypocrite]

its not called a snap sam, its called proper release ;)

[canibalcorpse73]

Ok dsshultz, I challenge you to hit the ball past 200 yards without lag, lag is a major component of power, shoulders and legs are too, but will go nowhere without lag.

[Crusoe37]

That coach was 86 years old when he taught me. Still playing on the seniors tour, still driving it 260, (oh, and this was persimmon and balata days). Those hands barely got above shoulder height, his turn wasn't much more than 45 degrees, but boy, those hands were lightning and those feet moved like he was dancing the waltz.

Not once, in all his teaching, was the word "power" ever used. Speed yes, power no. Power has no place in golf.

[Crusoe37]

As my old coch used to say, "it's all in the whoosh".

Soft wrists and quicks hands, what I would give to own those two things again. All the turn, coil, resistance, bracing and general contorting of the body can't hold a candle to soft wrists and quick hands. Skill, guile, cunning, shot making, shot shaping, trajectory control, distance control and the ability to hit real, real long.... all in the flick of a wrist. these old boys knew how to play.

[fradaja]

wow this is proof how many early pro's didn't have a clue how they hit the ball themselves,they just stood up and hit it, everyone knows the majority of the power is in the big muscles in the back and legs,the key is to transfer that weight into the clubhead at impact,which is where the timing kicks in! sport always needs science!

[petereuropa]

Yes. as I wrote: I'm 61 now - and Sam inspire me so much with his tip.

[petereuropa]

Sam your'e the man. I'm 197cm. I always think about Villegas, but now I will think about the hands. We will see about those extra yards...

[emncaity]

@petereuropa

Whoo boy...Villegas makes his swing work admirably well, but basically it's a big, tense, muscular drag. If you want to model your swing after somebody, I'm begging you to pick a guy like Snead instead.

[emncaity]

@emncaity

Toski, Flick, and Love II had the right idea: The further you get from your hands, the only part of the body that contacts the club, the more your parts move in reaction and the less they should be trying to "create" anything. Your torso should move to respond to the swinging motion or the intent to swing arms, hands, and club. The thing that Snead did so beautifully was to stay completely in tune with how the club wanted to move, through the sensitivity in hands and forearms.

[PulltheWedgePro]

This is the fundamental that 9 out of 10 teachers will not tell you in these so called free Youtube videos. It fixes so many problems distance,balance, confidence,ball control etc. Great video..

[emncaity]

@dschultz6072

But...but...there's a lot of money to be made in segmenting the swing and making it much harder than it needs to be. You don't want to get in the way of that, do you?

If you're a reasonably good athlete, nobody needs to tell you that the farther you want to throw a baseball, the more your body (including mostly rotary, but some lateral elements) is going to move to support what you're trying to do with the swinging of the throwing arm and the snap at the moment of truth.

[fradaja]

@dschultz6072 there is hardly any power in your arms they just complicate things, the power is in your body and legs if you want (consistent) distance use your body legs and hips,a good turn is where it's at.

[dschultz6072]

@fradaja power and consistency come from everything working together. timing and rhythm. golf has always revolved around these aspects, much the same as every ball sport. you couldn't make a basket, throw a strike, kick a goal, or complete a pass without timing and rhythm. there are no secrets in golf, just like there are no secrets in basketball, baseball, football, etc. some days it comes easier than others. that's the nature of every athletic activity.

[fradaja]

@dschultz6072 thanks for stating the obvious,but the facts remain,there isn't the 10% the power in the arms,compared to the back legs and shoulders combined,sam snead used these without even realising it obviously,he thought he generated his power through his arms,not so,the majority of the power in golf is generated through the aforementioned, the arms are just the link and control mechanism.

[jtjorger]

damn see that tall ass guy in the back......

[ElChialeux]

Great tip, I always played way too much with my body, started to use the wrist to accelerate the club and now have much better contact, consistency and distance, thanks!!!

[emncaity]

Dude on stilts there, frame left...

[emncaity]

What? HAND snap?! "Stuck using your body"?!?? Who is this goofball know-nothing who's going against almost all the modern-swing gurus?

Oh, yeah...just the guy who won more pro tournaments than any American player in the history of golf, and maybe the most physically talented player ever...

[fradaja]

@emncaity who do you think knows most hogan or snead? one did it naturally,the other one had to de construct his swing,and learn the hard way,through hours of practice, wrist in golf are a nightmare and lead to inconsistency,moe norman new this which is why he had more hole in ones than anyone.

[emncaity]

@fradaja

Actually, I think that's a very valid and very interesting (not to mention perpetually unsolved) question. One view would say that the guy who is possibly the greatest natural player in the history of golf finds the swing so simple that whatever he says isn't so useful for the average player, while Hogan's "assembly of parts" approach will work. The opposite view would say that Snead is exactly the guy you want to listen to, because you want your swing to be that complication-free.

[emncaity]

@fradaja

Keep in mind when you're considering the question, though, that Snead was one of the greatest teachers ever--and also that Hogan's approach was nowhere near as mechanical as his reputation. It was what later teachers did with Hogan's ideas that gives Hogan much of his reputation (look at how relatively short a book Five Lessons is, for instance).

[emncaity]

@fradaja

As for Moe Norman, well...it's hard to argue with success so great that top-level tour pros would say this guy was the most consistent striker they ever saw, at least as good as Hogan, according to some. However, theoretically, I'm not so convinced that the wrists are that much of a nightmare, except to the extent that you can make the movement of any body "part" (because "part" is just an idea we use for convenience anyway) a nightmare if you overthink it enough.

[emncaity]

@fradaja

I've seen the explanations for NG, and I just don't think the advantage of making one plane with the arms and club outweighs the tension and artificiality of it. For some, it works really well. But IMHO, the hands and arms are built in a way that makes the conventional hold the best balance of advantages and disadvantages. OTOH, I'd never tell anybody not to try something they think might be a breakthrough for them, especially when it's been proven by at least some good players.

[fradaja]

@emncaity one thing i forgot to mention is that snead "does" use his body and legs to generate power! he's so natural he thinks it's his hands, yes you can generate more power and extra clubhead speed through lag,but at a price,accuracy! the straightest hitters have fairly passive hands,kite for instance,compared to seve, you need to connect your body to the clubhead to transfer the momentum created by your body and legs at impact it's physics mass x velocity = momentum,you need both

[cockywatchman1976]

@emncaity This seems awful advice to all but a rank beginner. Let physics release the club-once you start using active hands, its so hard to time. Ive used both methods and by far the easiest is to let physics release the club.

[CosmicSPC]

this is fantastic ! ! !

[Cahnt]

Great tip!

Thank you for uploading this, KOC. I tried it at the range and it was a revelation!

[emncaity]

KOC, you're doing a huge public service, again. Thanks for posting.

[Tulsagolfomatic]

I miss golf. : (