I’ve been thinking that the “Late Hogan” pivot action needs a better name and, after investigating the similarities between that pivot and Mike Dunaway’s, I can confirm that the proper pivot action is a “Shift & Post” pivot.
You may think, “they don’t look anything alike,” and you’d be correct – they look different at a glance because of the differences between Ben Hogan’s and Mike Dunaway’s setups, and also their overall swing actions.
For example, Hogan shifted off the ball and then back into it with a “swing left” action to produce that fade and avoid his dreaded hook, whereas Dunaway shifted from a centered stance on the back pivot but stayed there on the downswing.
Hogan had the sliding foot release, whereas Dunaway had a bit of slide release in his early days but stayed back longer on the down swing in his later swing versions, creating that delayed step-around finish.
The differences in power are obvious – Hogan was about 5’7″ (174 cm) in height and weighed around 145 lbs (65.8 kg), whereas Dunaway was 5’11” tall (180 cm) and, weighing in at 245 lbs (111 kg), outweighed Hogan by a massive 100 lbs (45 kg).
So, very different swingers with different starting setups, but the same lower body action when you isolate it, and the pivot action is produced in the hips and legs, making them the same pivot.
You’ll all remember, the old timers here at the blog, that I left the Mike Austin school of swing, among other reasons, because I was frustrated by the shifting of the head on the back pivot – my athletic instincts after years of athletic activities told me that the head should be stable and remain in place as much as possible for repeatability and consistency, not to mention accuracy.
You’ll also remember that, after I had built the MCS Golf Swing with the Classic Golf Swing pivot action, I said that it was basically the same type of model as the Mike Austin swing, but with a “Leaning A” setup and stable head position through the swing.
Now, we have the same thing here – the MCS Golf Swing with the “Shift & Post” pivot action has the same pivot action as Mike Dunaway’s and Ben Hogan’s late pivot, just with the “Leaning A” setup and a stable head position during the swing!
Just About Nailed It In 2017
So, my earlier theory back in 2017 that the optimal swing had Jack Nicklaus’ suggested setup (the MCS “Leaning A” setup), Ben Hogan’s late pivot and Mike Dunaway’s down swing was just one little smidgen off – the pivot is both Late Hogan’s and Mike Dunaway’s, with Dunaway’s down swing but with the step-around finish.
Now, this is the optimal and ideal execution of the swing model, but you aren’t dead in the water if you don’t exactly replicate it – there are infinite variations contained in this model that will make you look different from someone else using the same model, unless you employ the exact same setup and pivot action.
Just as I had that pivot action back in 2017 with a different swing from what I would use today:
… I will look different from this swing above when I get back out swinging, and that will be due to the fact that I’ve changed my grip and dominant swing side since then.
So, the “Shift” in the “Shift & Post” has nothing to do with the body’s action as it might imply – it’s actually the motion of the hips and legs doing the shifting and posting.
If you’re not familiar with the term “post,” it simply means that at the top of the back swing, the body’s weight has channeled into the trailing foot, leg and hip, creating a supporting “post.”
That action, when combined with the “Leaning A” setup and the stable head from address to impact, is what creates the Dunaway “Step-Around” – although starting from different setups, we would arrive at the same place at the top of the back pivot and, for maximum power, swinging down and through with that stable head position:
I have a lot of work ahead of me in the next few weeks – first, the shoulder rehabbing continues and I am drilling this pivot action diligently now that I have isolated the hip and leg action and the upper body action to go with it.
Then, I’ll have to get back into swing shape and hopefully get this model on video in the next few weeks.
Those of you who have downloaded the “Basics Of The MCS Golf Swing” video – you have the blueprint for this swing and keep in mind – you don’t have to exactly replicate the action to swing well, but the closer you get to it, the better you will swing.
For example, I had the slide release up above but was drilling the ball with over 180 mph even though I wasn’t all the way into that model as I intend to get. Very good is a lot closer to perfect than just OK.
Just remember to practice that “Leaning A” setup and drill that pivot action until it’s second nature.
This would apply to any golf swing video that one watches to learn a model – it won’t fall out of the sky just because you watched the video, you have to work on that pivot in order to perform it.
WAX Golf 