Oct
23
2008

Are G.A.S.P. Fundamentals Really Fundamental?

Posted by Double Eagle in Stack and Tilt, Swing Talk

Stack and Tilt Golf Swing Videos by Medicus Golf

Of course, I’m referring to the widely accepted fundamentals of the golf swing:  Grip, Alignment, Stance, and Posture, or GASP for short.

Most of us have probably heard that these are the fundamentals of the golf swing.  We’ve been taught that without a proper grip, alignment, stance, and posture, we can’t hope to be decent golfers.  The question is: what is proper?

Recently, I watched the Stack and Tilt instructional DVDs created by Mike Plummer and Andy Bennett.  In one of the segments, they took exception to the fact that GASP is assumed to be fundamental to the golf swing.  Their arguments are kind of compelling.

They point out the fact that if you look at the greatest golfers in history, they all vary among those swing attributes.  Grips vary everywhere from strong to weak.  Some players align themselves closed to the target and some open.  Some players have feet that are more open than the shoulders.  Others are opposite.  Some players stand more upright and some more bent over.

In fact, you can probably say that hardly any of the all-time greats share a common set of these fundamentals.  These days, you find more “textbook” swings at the professional level, with some players having swings that look very similar, and with the GASP fundamentals also very similar, but you can still find many variations.

Stewart Cink comes to mind.  At six feet four inches tall, he has said that he doesn’t have clubs made longer than standard because he can just bend over a little to accommodate standard length clubs.  That doesn’t sound to me like he subscribes to the idea of a “standard” posture.

So if GASP doesn’t describe the basic fundamentals of the swing, then what does?

According to Plummer and Bennett, the things that unite ALL great players are:

  • They strike the ground (with an iron) in the same spot relative to the stance, each and every time.
  • They hit the ball far enough to play the course.
  • They control the curvature of the ball.

That’s quite an interesting way to look at it.

Whereas most of us look to our pros and want to know how we should be positioned just as the swing is about to start, they’re saying that it isn’t all that important.  At least not most important.  Of course, they go on to tell us how to achieve those things using the Stack and Tilt swing, because those fundamentals don’t tell us as players what to do to play well, only what we need to achieve to play well.

The way I look at it, is, that maybe GASP components are better described as being fundamental to each other.  You have to make those things work in concert to get the most out of your swing.  It would be crazy to say that grip, alignment, stance, and posture are irrelevant.  But I think Plummer and Bennett are right in that there isn’t a single configuration that spells success, so they’re not THE fundamentals.  Not individually anyway.  It’s no different from swing plane, shoulder turn, and so on.  These things all have some degree of importance but vary greatly from player to player.

Is GASP just a small piece to a larger puzzle and not of particular importance?  Or are grip, alignment, stance, and posture the foundations of the golf swing?  What about the fact that those factors vary so greatly among the greatest players?  Should we be focusing on hitting the ground in the same spot every time having sufficient length, and the ability to control the curve of the ball, or should we worry instead about setup check points?  Or is it all important?

I’m feeling like Plummer and Bennett are on to something.  Of course, their aim is to promote a specific set of techniques to achieve those fundamentals in the form of the Stack and Tilt swing.  But I do think that they make a good point that we’re not really serving our own best interests by getting too hung up on having a textbook grip, alignment, stance, or posture.

What do you think?

Did you like this post? Get free RSS updates!

Leave a comment | Comment Policy | Trackback URL

There are currently 7 responses to “Are G.A.S.P. Fundamentals Really Fundamental?”

  1. 1

    dday39 said:

    I couldn’t agree more. I’ve got those videos and the S&T method gives me a few simple, clear swing thoughts. I can diagnose problems quickly as well. Plummer and Bennett have done a very good job. I see people all the time, knocking the S&T. They say they read Gold Digest and know the swing but it doesn’t work. There’s more in that video than just having your weight forward. My ball striking has improved as a result of their insight. I’m confident that my scores will creep down once I really tune things up. Stack & Tilt is perfect for me.

    Posted on October 24th, 2008 at 9:29 am

  2. 2

    nate said:

    I like where you’re going with the *combination* of all four. If I have a strong grip but a more open (”weak”) stance with my shoulders / feet I would have the same net result as someone with a more neutral grip and stance. It would be interesting to somehow come up with a way to measure things like that — how the four components “fit” together from one swing to another. I think we’d be surprised by the results.

    And something else that never really makes much sense to me are people who say “PGA professionals don’t have ‘fundamental’ swings so you shouldn’t either”. Well, yeah, but it’s also their JOB to be good at golf and they spend 8+ hours a day working at it and they can develop the timing needed to make it work. So I guess what I’m trying to say is that comparing touring pros to every day guys like you and me is like comparing apples and oranges. A strong base of dependable repeatable fundamentals for someone who plays twice a week is paramount to developing consistency. That’s just my two cents, anyway. :)

    Posted on October 24th, 2008 at 3:27 pm

  3. 3

    Double Eagle said:

    You make a good point, Nate. Comparing us to Tour pros is definitely apples and oranges.

    When a player’s life consists of golf, golf, and more golf, it’s a little easier to understand how they can make unconventional swings work. However, we can also look at it like this: a player that doesn’t work at it probably isn’t going to excel, whether choosing to work with a unique set of fundamentals or something right out of a text book. Given that, though, a recreational player might have better success following a blueprint out of a book rather than trying to figure out how to cobble together a bunch of basic GASP fundamentals.

    Posted on October 26th, 2008 at 12:11 am

  4. 4

    Bobby said:

    Does anyone have any drills or tips for hitting the 3 wood off of the deck?
    I just got back from another range session where I was hitting low pull fades with my 3 wood off of the deck. Off of the tee I hit it straight or even draw it. In fact, I draw every single other club in my bag.
    I know it’s not the stick because I’ve tried several. Thanks!

    Bobby

    Posted on October 30th, 2008 at 7:16 am

  5. 5

    Double Eagle said:

    Bobby, it’s hard to say without seeing your swing, but you might want to check ball position. The ball should be forward in your stance, not quite as much as the driver, but further forward than your irons. It really shouldn’t be much different than it is than when you play it from a tee. Maybe slightly further back in your stance, but not much.

    It’s odd that you hit it well off the tee. There really shouldn’t be much difference at all.

    Posted on October 30th, 2008 at 10:07 am

  6. 6

    Golf Clubs Consultant said:

    That’s an interesting way to look at it. I’ve always had trouble keeping my alignment square. It feels like I’m lined up right, but over time, my stance will drift towards being open, and then drift back towards being closed. It’s pretty frustrating.

    Thanks,
    Bill

    Posted on November 3rd, 2008 at 12:07 pm

  7. 7

    hanon said:

    Are G.A.S.P. Fundamentals Really Fundamental?

    The answer is no. In the book “The Golfing Machine” -where it´s based the S&T swing- Homer Kelley defines the three imperatives for a good swing:

    1- Flat left wrist
    2- Clubhead lag pressure point
    3- Straight Plane line

    http://www.golfswing.com.au/ppage.php?id=109

    The flat left writs at impact is the same as keeping the bending in the right wrist ( keeping the flying wedge ). If you hit the ball with all these three imperatives your swing will be great. These are the essential parts that every golfer has no matter how his swing looks like. That´s the reason why Furyk is playing between the best ones. Lag is defined as the “secret of golf”.

    There is a lovely book , based on TGM book, written by Clampett (The Impact Zone. Mastering the Moment of Truth) where he explains the five dynamics for a great swing (they are based in the previous 3 imperatives):

    1- Flat left wrist at impact
    2- Forward swing bottom (tour pros have it 4″ ahead of the ball)
    3- Loading the club in the backswing
    4- Lagging the club in the downswing
    5- Straight Plane Line

    Clampett´s book is all about the five dynamics which defines a great impact. His ideas are based on the TGM book. If you master the impact zone no matter how your swing looks. This is why such different players with different styles (from Hogan to even Furyk..) can play in the pro tour with good results. They all master the impact zone. His idea is that if your achieve to move forward the bottom of your swing you can start to hit the ball better and reduce your handicap. He has made a study an his results are: Tour pros has a bottom point of the swing 4″ ahead of the ball, scratch golfers 2″ ahead of the ball, mid handicapper at the ball and high handicapper behind the ball. There is a direct correlation between one´s own handicap and his/her bottom point of the swing. Therefore he recommends to focus your aiming point 4″ ahead of the ball. Here I put a link to a Golf Digest article (Nov-2007) where he summarizes some of these ideas.

    http://www.bobbyclampett.com/images/BreakingClampett_000.pdf

    About the aiming point technique Bobby Clampett defines it: “The “aiming point” technique involves drawing an imaginary line from the hands, at the top of the backswing, to a point in front of the ball along the ball-to-target line. As the backswing transitions to the downswing, the golfer directs or “aims” his or her hand, not at the ball, but at that point in from of the ball.”

    He define this point to be 4″ ahead of the ball because he has study the swing bottom of tour pros and he says that they have the bottom 4″ ahead of the ball while high handicapper have it at the ball or behind. Through the “aiming point” concepts he assure you can have a forward swing bottom and start immediately to reduce your handicap. It is a lovely book. You can read the reviews people is doing in the Amazon website. He defines the lag as “the downswing´s number-one priority, concern and goal” and the forefinger pressure point (trigger finger) as sadly the “most overlooked fundamental of golf” in order to lag the club.

    Posted on December 22nd, 2008 at 6:36 pm

Leave a Comment

Comment Policy

*
To prove you're a person (not a spam script), type the security word shown in the picture. Click on the picture to hear an audio file of the word.
Click to hear an audio file of the anti-spam word

Subscribe without commenting

Shop.CallawayGolf.com Get Camilo Villegas' Golf Secret

  • Random Tip

  • Ten Ways to Improve Your Golf Game - RIGHT NOW!

  • Like Tin Cup says, “perfection is unattainable.” That sure doesn’t keep us from trying.

    We golfers are a unique breed in that we’ll do almost anything to improve our games. Whether it’s new equipment or the latest swing trainer fad, we follow like lemmings.

    Unfortunately, to see real improvement in golf, elbow grease is what ultimately gets the job done.

    Not enough time to spend practicing? Don’t worry too much, because there are lots of simple things you can do [...]

  • Read More...

  • Poll

  • What is your most dreaded shot?

    View Results

    Loading ... Loading ...

  • Twitter Updates

Follow Me on Twitter

  • Advertisements