Here is yet another nonsensical BBG video featuring Brian Manzella.
The video is titled "
WORLD'S BEST SLICE FIX VIDEO. GUARANTEED TO WORK!"I disagree with many of BM's opinions and I think that the video is full of misinformation, and it basically uses a band-aid approach to dealing with a slice problem.
BM starts off with his problem-solving approach to a slice problem in part 1 where he promotes his personally-subjective approach to adopting a suitable lead hand grip starting at the ~4:39 minute time point of the video.
At the 5:52 minute time point of the video, BM demonstrates a mid-palmar grip pattern which promotes a small accumulator #3 angle when gripping the club and it will predispose to a small accumulator #3 angle at impact - as seen in Bryson DecChambeau's golf swing action where he uses a weak lead hand grip using the mid-palmar grip pattern.
Here is a video of BD scoring 58 in a LIV competition where he was using a weak lead hand grip with a mid-palmar grip pattern and he had zero tendency to slice the ball.
BM demonstrates his preferred way of griping the club handle with the lead hand between the 6:37 - 6.45 minute time point of the video. He holds the club at a right angle to the longitudinal axis of his lead arm and then grips the club handle with his fingers using what is called the
finger grip pattern. It is true that a finger grip pattern allows the lead wrist to have more mobility compared to a mid-palmar grip pattern (or a low palmar grip pattern which is intermediate between a finger grip and a mid-palmar grip), but at the expense of control of lead wrist mobility. Bryson DeChambeau (like Moe Norman) prefers to have more control of his lead wrist's degree of mobility at the expense of a greater degree of lead wrist mobility and it is a personal preference. Most pro golfers prefer to use the low palmar pattern (like Ben Hogan) and I think that it is an optional choice. I do not think that any of these lead grip patterns is protective with respect to solving a slice problem. One disadvantage of a finger grip pattern is that having a lot of lead wrist mobility through impact can predispose to "wobble" and potentially a lead wrist flipping problem.
At the 7:20 minute time point of the BGG video, BM shows how to get the clubface's orientation relative to the back of the lead hand and he prefers a 20-30 degree angle difference, which works out to a neutral-to-a- slightly strong lead hand grip. As a rough approximation, pro golfers who adopt a weak lead hand grip will have a 10 - 15 degrees angular difference, pro golfers who adopt a neutral lead hand grip will have a 15 - 25 degrees angular difference, pro golfers who adopt a moderately strong lead hand grip will have a 25 -35 degrees angular difference, and pro golfers who adopt a very strong lead hand grip will have >40 degrees of angular difference. I personally think that it is optional to use any of those lead hand grip patterns and I know of no scientific evidence/reasoning to support a "belief" that any one of those options is better at solving a slice problem.
Between the 8:08 - 8:45 minute time point of the BBG video, BM demonstrates what would happen at address if you followed his lead hand grip instructions - the clubface would appear to be closed. He recommends twisting the hands so that it does not look to be closed at address. One can do that "twisting maneuver", but it is an "artificial maneuver" that does not solve any problems because the clubface only looks to be closed at address if one holds one hands midway between one's thighs and if one bends the lead wrist at address while manifesting an element of lead wrist circumduction during the lead wrist bending action. When one starts the backswing takeaway action, most pro golfers will straighten the lead wrist and flatten it, thereby eliminating that
temporary/irrelevant visual appearance of a closed clubface at address.
Between the 8:46 - 11;46 minute time points of the BBG video, BM expresses his opinions on how to adopt a trail hand grip. He favors a weak trail hand grip with a trigger finger position of the trail index finger. He wants the ventral aspect of the trigger finger to face the target at impact and he thinks that it will help to ensure that the clubface will be square impact.
I disagree! Most pro golfers use a TGM swinging action and they use a PA#3 release action to square the clubface by impact, and they do not use the trail arm/hand to square the clubface by impact.
Here is an example - featuring Justin Thomas.
Image 2 is at P6.5 where the back of his lead hand faces the ball-target line because he has not yet started to release PA#3.
Note that the back of his lead hand faces the target at impact (image 3) secondary to his efficient execution of a PA#3 release action (which is biomechanically due to lead forearm supination).
Note that JT's trail index finger is under the club handle at P6.5 and still under the club handle at impact because he uses a very strong trail hand grip.
JT has no problem avoiding a slice problem when using a strong trail hand grip, and many pro golfers use a neutral or strong trail hand grip without having a slice problem - because they use a TGM swinging action and they do not use their trail arm/hand to square the clubface by impact.
Between the 11:52 - 12 :30 minute time point of the BBG video, BM states that he wants the clubshaft to be parallel to the ball-target line at the P4 position and he does not want the clubshaft to point left-of-the-target. He wrongheadedly seems to equate that alignment with a "laid-off" clubshaft. However, a "laid-off" clubshaft at P4 is an off-plane action due to either lead wrist bowing that angles the clubshaft to become more horizontally-aligned or it can be due to excessive lead forearm pronation. A clubshaft is not "laid-off" at P4 if it is still on-plane, but it will point left-of-the-target if the backswing action is shortened.
Here is Jon Rahm's iron swing action.
Note that his clubshaft points left-of-the-target at P4 - simply due to a shortened lead arm motion during his backswing action - and it will not lead to a slice problem.
Here is Tiger Woods iron swing action.
Note that his clubshaft points left-of-the-target at P4 - simply due to a shortened lead arm motion during his backswing action - and it will not lead to a slice problem.
Between the 14:07 - 15: 37 minute time points of the BBG video, BM shows his "lagging the sweetspot" technique, which he arbitrarily/wrongheadedly claims will solve a slice problem. That technique is based on the use a reverse motorcycle maneuver, combined with an element of a twistaway maneuver, that actually does close the clubface (relative to the clubhead path) in the early-mid downswing. However, that clubface-closing effect only works if the lead wrist is actively bowed when it is radially-deviated. In the later downswing, when the lead wrist moves towards ulnar-deviation, the clubface-closing effect due to use of the reverse motorcycle/twistaway maneuver will disappear/dissipate if the golfer still maintains the same degree of lead wrist bowing and the effect of maintaining that marked degree of lead wrist bowing action will result in clubshaft angulation away from the target and a greater degree of forward shaft lean (that has a clubface-opening effect) at impact.
That can be clearly seen In Jon Rahm's swing.
Here are DTL capture images of Jon Rahm's early-mid downswing.
Image 1 is at the P4 position, image 2 is at the P5 position, image 3 is at the P5.5 position and image 4 is at the P6 position.
Note that Jon Rahm (who uses a weak lead hand grip) bowed his lead wrist during his backswing action, and that it caused his clubface to be slightly closed relative to his clubhead arc, and also relative to the watchface area on the back of his lead lower forearm, at the P4 position.
Note that the degree of lead wrist bowing is less at the P5 position, but it then increases significantly in amount between the P5 => P6 positions due to Jon Rahm's use of the "combined lead wrist palmar flexion + early lead forearm supination" maneuver that includes an element of twistaway. Note that Jon Rahm's clubface is closed by >30 degrees relative to his clubhead arc, and also relative to the watchface area on the back of his lead lower forearm, at the P6 position.
So, BM is actually correct to state that use of a lead wrist bowing/twistaway maneuver will close the clubface relative to the clubhead arc during the early-mid downswing.
However, note what happens between P6 => P7.
Image 1 is at P6.2 - note that his clubface still looks open relative to the clubhead path even though he used the reverse motorcycle/twistaway move during his early-mid downswing.
Note how much JR has to rotate the back of his bowed lead wrist counterclockwise between P6.2 (image 1) and impact (image 4) to get a square clubface by impact - and it is biomechanically due to lead forearm supination (representing the release of PA#3). In fact, if you look at his lead forearm's lower radial bone at impact it is rotated more counterclockwise than Justin Thomas' lead lower forearm's lower radial bone at impact - even though they both use an equally weak lead hand grip. The reason why JR needs to use more lead forearm supination during his PA#3 release action than JT is because he maintains a unchanged degree of lead bowing throughout his later downswing, which causes his clubshaft to be angled back away from the target between P6.2 => P7 as his lead wrist moves towards a greater degree of lead wrist ulnar-deviation. That exaggerated degree of forward shaft lean will result in an open clubface, thereby requiring a greater amount of PA#3 release to get the clubface square by impact.
Note what Brendon stated between the 15:18 - 15:28 minute time points of the BBG video when he performed the reverse motorcycle/twistaway maneuver using BM's "lagging the sweetspot" technique - note that Brendon stated that he expected the clubface to be "super-closed" at impact and he was surprised that it didn't happen. What Brendon does not understand is what is happening in the later downswing as his lead wrist moves towards a greater degree of ulnar-deviation while maintaining an unchanged/marked degree of lead wrist bowing!!!
By the way, most pro golfers (who use a weak-or-neutral lead hand grip) do not use the reverse motorcycle maneuver during their early-mid downswing action and they often use the intact LFFW/GFLW technique - as seen in that video of Tiger Woods that I posted.
Brendon Devore (who uses a neutral lead hand grip) also does not normally use the reverse motorcycle move and he uses the intact LFFW swing technique - as can be seen in the following swing video.
Between the 15:45 - 20:18 minute time points of the BBG video, BM discusses part 5 of his "slice-solving" approach and he is basically describing the use of a release swivel action that happens immediately after impact so that the lead forearm continues to supinate in a non-interrupted manner through impact. That will obviously close the clubface fast through impact, but it is a band-aid approach that causes a high clubface ROC through impact, which is very timing-dependent. BM is obviously opposed to the use a DH-hand release action through impact, which he calls the "internet followthrough" and he wrongheadedly thinks that it will predispose to a slice-problem.
Here are few examples of pro golfers who use a weak lead hand grip and a DH-hand release action between P7 => P7.4 and none of them have a slice-problem.
Justin Thomas
Cameron Champ
Brian Harman
Will Zalatoris
Jeff.