Hi Peter,

I’ve often hear the term “Educated Hands” on your videos and even in my lessons with you, but haven’t had a chance for you to explain it to me or from memory heard you explain in your videos what it means.

Thanks,

moonmag

Dear HeadPro,

Today while competing in a Legends Pro-am at Tununda Pines I was asked by a prominent Legends Tour player “How do I stop getting the club shaft too steep in the backswing and how can I get the clubhead to come in on the downswing from more behind me?”

My answer for this Tour Pro is that the solution is to be found in the first 30cm of the backswing Takeaway.

He was looking for a simple solution to a problem that he has had for a long time on and off, and does not want to become too mechanical in finding the solution to his problem.

Guess what??? If you are trying to solve a problem and it is not solving, then you are attempting to solve the wrong problem. It is an earlier problem that needs to be addressed first and when that problem is solved satisfactorily, then the later problem will most likely be easy to handle.

Usually a “fixed idea” is needing to be re-examined and if faulty – replaced and then a workable solutions comes into view.

I look forward to creating a YouTube video and share a solution to this most common problem.

Kind Regards,

Peter C

An official iseekgolf.com teaching panelist PGA Teaching Professional,The Dunes Golf Links, Rye, Victoria, Australia
Ph: 0415292549
www.crokergolfsystem.com

To All On and Looking for The Path to Better Golf,

This video may open the door to answering that major swing fault – “THE OUTSIDE-IN DOWNSWING PATH”

Enjoy the Hit,
Peter C

Nice video Peter, well done!

Hi Peter,

I’ve often hear the term “Educated Hands” on your videos and even in my lessons with you, but haven’t had a chance for you to explain it to me or from memory heard you explain in your videos what it means.

Thanks,

moonmag

Dear moonmag,

We started this Thread with the goal of taking the steps required “to build your own best swing” in a logical “Step by Step” sequence.
Somehow like most journeys we can get detoured quite easily unless we have a map with a well planned “PATH” to follow.
You have hit a major fundamental understanding that needs to be understood and mastered – “Educated Hands.”
Before we can achieve this in total, let us review what we have discovered already in the first three steps in
regards “Educated Hands.”
STEP 1: Grip – part one of “Educated Hands” with the left hand wrist being positioned vertically on top of the handle and held predominently in the fingers. The Grip of the Club is wedged securely under the “heel pad” of the left hand.
The right hand fitting snugly against the side of the left hand thumb and holding mostly in the fingers with right hand in a neutral “shake hands” position in relation to the club face – (Educated Hands – Part 1)
STEP 2: Stance – balanced in good posture and aligned to the ball’s target with the “Hands” mid-body with a level wrist condition (Educated Hands – part 2)
STEP 3: Impact Zone – Learning the difference between Address and Impact – beginning and end of Impact Zone (Educated Hands – part 3) – at Address the left wrist is bent, level, and in a vertical plane – at Impact Beginning the left wrist is flat, level, and in a vertical plane. At Impact End the left wrist is flat, uncocked, and in a vertical plane.

I think it is now time to move on to STEP 4, so let us open up the discussion to see what others think should be covered at STEP 4 in our goal to “build our own best swing.”
Perhaps there will be more to add to “Educated Hands” at this STEP too!

Regards,

Peter C

Hi Peter, as you know, after meeting you at my home course yesterday, I am beginning to explore your system, and will follow it step by step, and see what effect this structured program has on my game and results.

As I am at the beginning, what is the base which I work from?
In other words, what is the baseline?

I am by no means a newbie. I have been playing regular golf since the end of 2004, starting 2005 off a handicap of 37, and am now off 8.

This week I won my clubs championship for the third successive year. I have also won the club’s handicap foursomes for the last three years; so I have a pre-existing successful structure to both my game and in my processes of executing shots.

Having said that, I have never had regular coaching. I have plenty of time for practice, but that practice has never really been structured.

So, why is a three time club champion looking to change?
I am not looking to change per se. Instead, I am looking to see if, and where my current processes are lacking; or where I can add something to get my game to some sort of next level. Also, to inject structure to my practice, underpinning the processes in my game.

It will be interesting, as I go through the steps, to see if and where Peter’s system corresponds with my current processes. This will be an encouragement in what I do.

If nothing else, this system will add to my knowledge base of the game.

Golf (like life) is a journey of learning – about what to do, how to improve, and experience the growth that this learning gives.

Point of starting:
Handicap: 7.7

Last 20 rounds:
Average gross: 83.25
Average differential: 11.5

Last 20 home rounds
Fairways: 68.6%
GIR: 46.7%
Scrambling:28.1%
Sand saves: 21.1%
Putts per hole:1.88
Putts per GIR: 2.11

I wonder if/how these stats will change.

First step – the grip.
What you are describing is my grip as it is now, only you give a definitive rationale for every aspect of the grip’s characteristics.

The left (or leading hand) is the hand that has most direct connection to the club, and is therefore the foundation upon which, the right (or trailing) hand rests.

Perhaps it is because I am an experienced golfer, I do not see the need to mark my left hand, for I believe that if the pad of the left hand is set on top of the club’s grip, then the club MUST be sitting low in the fingers and not in the palm. For the club to be in the palm with the handle under the pad of the hand, the handle would run laterally across the palm along the central crease of the palm. It would require quite a firm grip just to maintain the club in this position, and take a stretching of the wrist to set the club down at address.

I have found that with the club under the pad, and resting just behind the first knuckle of the middle finger, it is possible to open the hand slightly uncovering the handle, and still have the club quite secure, for it is wedged under the pad, and the weight of the club is resting on the middle finger. The hand is then closed, the index finger and thumb are placed on the club in a trigger-like aspect, giving space between the index and middle finger the the pinky finger of the right hand to comfortably overlap or interlock between them.

Setting the creases of the first knuckle of the middle and third fingers on the bottom side of the club, wrapping the hand around the grip and secure left hand, should see the left thumb nestle into the lifeline crease, as if the fit were customised.

While golf is a very individual game, and there are many ways to skin a cat, this grip seems to me to be ergonomically sound, and most practical.

Dear Mekat,

Thanks for a wonderful assessment of this Step on the “Grip.”
There is just one request I have to make and that is to do as the instruction asks and “Mark up your hands as shown on the video.

http://crokergolfsystem.com...

http://crokergolfsystem.com...

It is amazing how many quality players learn such little differences when they do this.

I want you to do this and then observe the location of the left thumb and how this affects the feel and control over the clubhead and clubface.

Kind Regards,

Peter C

when i stumbled upon peter croker in the internet and tried to learn by just sending him videos of my swing and have him analyze it through V1, the first lesson he taught me was how to have the perfect grip. i think it was the perfect first lesson. i marked my hands and true enough, it did improve my game right away because of 2 things. firstly, i could feel the whole club with the right grip and i do feel more control over it. secondly, i lessened strain in my fingers and wrists – i thought pain in the fingers and wrists where natural when i started out playing golf, but when i learned the proper grip, i was hitting 3 buckets in the driving range and never had issues.

thanks peter! i will send you my next video to be analyzed soon! pretty positive vibe we have so far. cheers!

Dear Mekat,

Thanks for a wonderful assessment of this Step on the “Grip.”
There is just one request I have to make and that is to do as the instruction asks and “Mark up your hands as shown on the video.

Hi Peter,
There two lessons I have learned here, the first is about the arrogance of experience; where the student assumes things the teacher is saying because of his/her experience. This arrogance is evidenced through reading (or watching) instruction just once, and assuming you know what is being taught, again, based on the student’s experience. From this comes the second lesson.

The second lesson is to read/watch the instruction, for a subsequent time, and follow those instructions. This repeating of instructions may give them a different meaning to the student, but it is the following of the instructions that may give full meaning to not just the whole of the instruction, but specific parts and results.

I again watched the video, and following instruction, discovered a fault in my own set-up, specifically in my left hand. This fault was to set the points between the second knuckle of the index finger and the first knuckle of the pinky finger on the under-side of the club, rather than touching the side of the club as instructed.

This may seem a tiny difference, but (with a club beside me as I write), I can see how it alters the left hand grip substantially. For one, my grip had the ‘snuff box’ to the left of the shaft, rather than above it. In my last post, I described (with my grip) how I could slightly open my hand to uncover the shaft in my hand. I have now discovered (with Peter’s grip, if I am doing it correctly) I can almost fully open my hand, as the pad is sitting directly over the club (no wedging necessary) and the club’s weight is resting on the fleshy part just behind the third knuckle of the hooked index finger.

I have found that this new orientation of the fingers automatically shortens the thumb. Under the way I gripped the club, was akin to giving a ‘thumbs up’ sign, extending the thumb.

The final observation, is to point out that the marks at the knuckle of the left thumb and the base of the right lifeline (pressure point 1), seem to sit one on the other… Do I have that right?

This is going to take some getting used to… But I will… step by step.

Dear hitman49,

Thanks for letting me know who you are and I can appreciate how you are getting more from the Online Step by Step Program when combined with the Internet Video Lessons.

This is the next best way to gain a deeper understanding behind direct “hands-on” instruction.

It is funny how we can assign the wrong reason why something can be difficult or cause you pain and it only occurs to us once we find out the right way to do something.
I am so happy that you discovered the proper grip now as to keep hitting many balls at The Range and getting pain in the hands is no fun.
Good rule that I follow is that if you are finding a stress anywhere in your body or swing then you are not doing it right.

I look forward to giving you feedback from your next Internet Lesson.

Keep Pushing,

Peter C

Dear Mekat,

Thanks for following the instructions, even if it was on your second run through.

You are 100% right! The ego must be left aside and a thorough and relaxed study means number of times through the material brings greater understandings and little things now make “big” differences.

I look forward to the realizations that come from a thorough study of the Stance in a new unit of time.

Good Golfing,

Peter C

Thank you Peter,
Over the next week or two I will be focussing on bedding down the grip change, and getting used to it, making the position of the left hand automatic by feel, rather than by sight.

While I am grooving the grip I will be beginning to explore the stance, and seeing how I can put it into my alignment process… and will watch the videos again… I think it is important to watch all the videos more than just once….

Pennant season starts in a fortnight tomorrow (Monday)... so I will not be radically changing things too much until late June… it will give me time for these things to sink in.

I wonder if I am getting caught up in the minutiae of the grip if I am consumed by the position of the club on the left index finger, ahead of setting the hinging, or having the snuff-box above the club… That is what was happening today and my ball striking was badly affected… I think it may be better to set the hinging and the snuff-box above the club, and the fingers should be in correct position almost by default… will see how that works on Friday.

Someone said to me yesterday ‘don’t fix what is not broken’. Suggesting that my grip was not ‘broken’ and there was no need to ‘fix’ it. So I looked at the grip videos again, and compared that to what I understand what I am doing and made a couple of extra discoveries.

My grip, as it was, IS (essentially) the grip you describe.

Looking at the videos made me conscious of aspects of my grip that I had stopped being conscious about; and being so conscious, I might have actually exaggerated aspects of Peter’s grip. In fact I am certain I did.

In the video, Peter highlights the importance of a shortened thumb. With that in mind, I have found that I have been consciously shortening my thumb on the club handle by pulling back the knuckle at the base of the thumb.This has the effect of creating a gap or hollow between the palm and the club, a hollow large enough for me to insert my whole right pinky finger at the vortex of my thumb and index finger. This misalignment of the left thumb must have affected the right hand (which I was exaggerating with pressure point 1 – over the top), no wonder I could not hit properly yesterday.

By relaxing the thumb on the handle, being unconcerned whether it is long or short, eliminates much of the hollow I spoke of. This is in no way is an extension of the thumb on the handle, but a comfortable placement, as if I had just picked up a hammer. In essence, (without the club or hammer there) it would appear like a relaxed ‘thumbs up’ signal.

The other fault I alluded to was placing the heel of the right hand on top of the (slightly protruding) left thumb knuckle, rather than beside it as it used to be – and as Peter suggested (the penny dropping after the third viewing of the video).

Herein lies a couple of problems. The first being, that just because you are getting some lessons, it doesn’t automatically mean what you are doing is wrong. One needs the awareness of their pre-existing correct processes when receiving coaching. The grass may well be just as green on your side, but the coaching might show you how to keep it so.

The other problem I can see is in remote golf lessons. You see the visuals, listen to the instruction, ascertain what is important, and hope you have received the message correctly. Questions and feedback will take time to be received, this is a glaring deficiency when compared to face-to-face coaching.

I had another lesson with Peter today and I am amazed with how much I am still learning with every lesson. I have watched the Basic Fundamentals Defined DVD and the Step by Step download series I don’t know how many times and I feel I have a pretty good understanding of the Croker Golf System golf swing. However, it’s one thing to know a little, it’s something else again to actually be able to perform it correctly.

This is where direct hands on instruction is so fantastic and beneficial, and Peter’s V1 video technology is bloody awesome.I honestly can’t thank Peter enough and I would recommend Peter to anyone who is serious about wanting to improve their golf. When I go to the range now for the first time I’m not practising my faults and bad habits, I’m building towards having a solid consistent swing.

Thus far we have worked on grip, stance, forward press, pivot, take away, low loading, hands, I am so excited about my golf right now. Till I see Peter again I’ll keep working away, working on my swing and working towards getting that handicap of mine down.

What is your h/cap Daz?

Handicap is currently 20, I have been a 20-23 handicapper for the last 10+ years. Didn’t seem to matter if I played and practised for 6 months straight or had 6 months off, I still played exactly the same. I haven’t broken 90 for over 10 years, so that’s plan A, then we’ll build from there. I’m definitely striking the ball better than ever before and I feel I have much more control of my swing, my next round is next Wednesday so we’ll see how I go.

“The other problem I can see is in remote golf lessons. You see the visuals, listen to the instruction, ascertain what is important, and hope you have received the message correctly. Questions and feedback will take time to be received, this is a glaring deficiency when compared to face-to-face coaching.”

Dear Mekat,

You are spot on when you see the greater value in “face-to-face coaching.”

Knowledge is certainty! – not just Data.

Duplicating instruction is a must and when you have the coach there with you there is more certainty that you are doing what you are supposed to – especially with “hands on coaching.”
Next best is to supply your distance learning coach with a video of your swing – especially with close up “high speed” shots – Internet Academy Lesson do get super results.
Videos of the Fundamentals are next and then Books.
It is our goal to provide all of the above where and when possible.
Hope to see you at The Dunes when you get clear of Pennant.

Thanks for your valuable insights and I look forward to hear more after your study of Step Two (The Stance).

Kind Regards,

Peter Croker

I wish I could afford the trip and accommodation… but a single pension only goes so far

OK, had a game today and did anything but set the world on fire. I won’t say exactly what I shot, don’t want to embarrass myself here, but it wasn’t great. I tried really hard to concentrate on swinging more like how I know I should swing a golf club, unfortunately it’s going to take time and isn’t going to happen over night. I understand I will need to be patient so I’m not too upset at this stage, I’m playing again tomorrow, so we’ll see how that goes.

Dear Daz4616,

Please do not take the new and improving swing to the golf course as yet – at least consciously.

Sam Snead was qouted “That you must dance with the girl your brung, or you will go home disappointed.”
What will happen over time and not too much time is that the new and improving swing motion will flow in over the old one when you are relaxed and least expect it.

Patiently drill and practice short shots out to 70 metres and the new action will take hold.

Thanks for your post here and keep training step by step.

Kind regards,

Peter C

Dear Peter,

Thanks for the tip. Today I actually played a whole lot better and hit a few shots which were just awesome. As you say I just need to patiently drill and practice and the consistency will come.

I’m still as confident as in your methods, I know they work. I’ll keep training step by step, it’s the only way to go!

Daz

Hi Peter,

My realizations from yesterday’s face to face instructions is in the “Take-away”. My left arm goes across my chest when I wind onto my back-swing. To fix this you sent me a video, the ‘table top drill’ or in this case you were using an ironing board which I think is neat since it means I can do the drill anywhere.

My sequence should be from the forward press onto the back-swing I need to feel my hip moving first which then moves my shoulders then generates momentum to transport my hand which folds (low loading and in the drill this is when my hands start to pull away from the table), then I let the momentum wind arms and hand to complete my back-swing.

Cheers,

moonmag

I would put it more simply than that, your arms stay connected and in front of your turning chest.

I would put it more simply than that, your arms stay connected and in front of your turning chest.

John Huggan on the passing of Seve – “Sadly for all who love golf as the art form it is meant to be and not the science it has become, we may never see his like again.”

Thanks for the tip, I suppose the thorough explanation I got from Peter had me realize the role of the hips rather than just focusing on my upper body (arms and chest).