This video is golden! Turned pro years ago, and came back to find this video that I never understood way before. That twist move is not an extra move, I think its the actual core and essential power-storing action of the golfer/club connection. You can use it all, gradually to the fullest at the top, like Hogan, or at different points of the swing. It's called a release at the bottom because this twist pressure is what is releasing! And it helps with lag, getting hands ahead at impact, nice left wrist bow at impact, etc. Thank you Tom!
Nice video. I am a recreational golfer, ~4 handicap at this time. I took most of my lessons from Mike Keymont in Orlando and Re: The Twist, his suggestion was on the back swing get your right hand in a position at the top like you are holding a plate of spaghetti...try it sometime, it results in the perfect cupped left wrist like Hogan wanted. Fyi, I also fought a hook as I started getting better and also, independently of Hogan's lessons, noticed on the range that if I went to a weak grip it cured my hook...from there I went from shooting 80's to 70's and then as I learned to open the club face and a slightly more up and down swing I got to where I can hit baby fades when I want to and thus my 4 handicap....seems almost every time I go out I seem to shoot a 76, but have shot par and under par once.., and of course I have my bad days too. I also had some lessons with the late Mr. Dick Tiddy at Bayhill, he was a genius and taught me to draw the ball...once at the range when hitting driver I flushed one and he growled...ALRIGHHTTT!!! We will take 18 of those and pitch back to the par threes.
It is forearm rotation that gets the club pointing further left at the top. All top golfers do this (with the exception of DJ and John Rahm) at some stage in the swing. McIlroy and Fowler do it on the backswing, Wolff does it at the top, Couples, Bobby Locke, many others do it on the downswing.
And this video proves that there will never be another Ben Hogan. God bless him! May he rest in peace. He had to practice his" you know what off" to be able to control all those twists and turns etc.
I’m not bragging, but I’ve figured out how to control the club face by experimenting with tons of different ways to use the forearms, hands, and wrists. I’ve tried this particular method, and you’re right about how it adds speed. However, you will feel A LOT of club rotation throughout your swing. Power will increase, but direction may suffer, as there is more “timing” involved. I think that’s the reason Hogan went to such a weak grip. He could do both the opening of the club(backswing), and the closing of the club(downswing) to their maximums, or extremes. This way he didn’t have to rely on timing. Hey…. It’s a way to play golf. Don’t knock anything until you try it. I think most amateurs never feel their left arm higher than their right arm. They’re afraid to allow their forearms to naturally rotate. This makes it near impossible to get the club on plane, and create a lot of speed. I think aiming the butt of the club past the ball/target line near the top would feel very foreign to most people.
I took a lesson, and after changing my grip to be a little looser and more in the fingers, my instructor told me I had a pretty great, strong oriented grip. We went over wrist action, but up and down, and rotation. However, he didn't mention rotation in the backswing, only on the follow through. As I've practiced this new grip and swing, I thought it was weird to not have the wrist rotational action equal out in the swing, so I started trying to twist them in the backswing, and it was awkward at first, but it definitely started to lead to a better swing for me, helping with lag hand/club path.
The Great Gary Player has said tons of times; "there is a lot of ways to play golf" this is one of them. For my expirience if you feel confortable with this technique (movement) go for it!
Wow it did feel good after many balls I hit, but the balls were going right at first, then the penny dropped when I weakened the left hand grip as you mentioned (which is hard to persist with as this was align to me), I then swung a bit flatter! Stunning results and I will try it again but out on the course! Many thanks for your information on Hogan's swing!
When you said that you're adding another move to the golf swing, that's absolutely correct. However, the golf swing needs to be simplified. For the vast majority of golfers cannot afford more moves as they can't maintain the sequence they already have. The move you are advocating will only serve to leave the club face further open causing greater slicing spin axis. The issue with elite golfers, primarily prior to the advent of high speed video, is that they talk about "feels" as being reality. How they describe their motions has as much to do with their philosophy toward the game as it does describe the action. Golfers like Hogan are an exceptional few. Many of them worked out their golfing issues on the course during tournaments. Amateurs need simple. A bowed top hand during the backswing will do more good for us than harm which is what, I'm afraid, Hogan's cupped left wrist will accomplish.
You are so right, what Hogan did was good for him, he fought a hook all his life, his swing wasn’t for everybody, and he said it himself. All you see is video after video of Hogan fanatics assuming what the secret is, all these crazy positions, when you walk, run or throw a ball do you think about anything? No your body reacts to the task at hand . Tell Dustin Johnson or Brooks Koepka about a cup in the left wrist at the top. In fact, if you watch the pros they all swing different, most of them found what works for them naturally at an early age before they could get infected by all the experts out there. It’s amazing, Nicklaus has accomplished more and seems to take a back seat to Hogan. There are some basics but but all these swing thoughts and positions are killers. All this nonsense about a secret, the secret is, learn how the club works and also learn ball spin, then you can start playing golf.
I agree it is not for everybody, but I also feel that bowing your wrist on the backswing and trying to maintain that bow through impact is difficult to do. The problem with many amateur golfers is their lack of time and effort for practicing away from the golf course. Any move you make in the golf swing requires a significant amount of reps before it feels comfortable. You can't just pick up a club and go to the course.
Was watching "myswingevolution" and happened upon your videos in the side panel! I have also had "Five Lessons" for less than a week. Already have poured over it and improved my ball striking but YOUR videos, hands down (and up) just opened up the understanding for me 1000x more!!! AWESOME! I will check out your book too...
The hands coil/twist also acts like a governor for the backswing, shoulder turn. . . so you don't over do it, just throw the hands back, etc. That's why Hogan's swing always looked so elegant, rhythmic, and controlled !
The arms should be used as an extension of a turning torso and not viewed as a pulling or pushing action. If you use your arms properly, the hands, employing 'the twist' will uncock properly through the hitting area.
I experimented with this years ago but didn't use it because I felt it was a compensation and I was trying to avoid those. Recently, I corrected a life long fault in my right foot, leg and hip that stabilized my backswing and prevented a slight overswing. When I've worked on this stabilization in the past, hooking happened. So I went back to a gradual "twist" to open the face just a touch because Hogan was right.. Weakening the grip does not work to prevent a hook and may well encourage one. I left my grip alone, which is not weak but neutral for me, and just felt the slight twist in my left wrist. I relate the twist to the toe of the club and use the visual to gauge how much twist to use although I do not monitor the club directly, just my hands as Hogan did. As for impact, my left wrist gets closer to flat and it's not something I have to concern myself with as I've drilled that for years. My hook disappeared, my cut got longer and iron shots more crisp and on line. When I was an amateur player in the early 80's, I had a lesson with a guy who saw I cupped my left wrist and said it should be flat. That started my hooking. The overarching lesson here is that the back of the left wrist/hand is club face control. The right forearm is club shaft control. Whatever you have to do, once you got good basic fundamentals of stance, posture and rotation in whatever degree the player is physically capable, which I consider "macro fundamentals", then you can move onto "micro fundamentals" for ball control. That's what the twist is for me. A micro fundamental. Once you've got that, you're as close as you can be to mastery. Hogan said in the 1955 Herbert Warren Wind article that the better your swing gets, the more hooking naturally becomes an issue. That's when tricks like this come in to save your sanity. Today, the modern release has helped good swings avoid the hook but for me, the twist is here to stay. Good video, thanks.
You know, I've been thinking about this all day and I don't think I've ever heard anyone say, even Hogan, that this move puts this club in a different position at the top of the swing. I took a club out and did a little test and sure enough, it does. Never even considered that. Nice work on that one.
Knowing Mr. Hogan I believe he would have experimented with the modern "closed face" hands at the top backswing, (maybe he did), but probably realized it would eliminate the extra whip created by the wrist hinge coming down through the hitting area.The Twist creates that little extra "pop".
Glad you can see the association! I believe it creates a solid backswing. Many are too sloppy taking the club back, thereby creating much inconsistency.
@@Thesecretofhogansswing the bowed left wrist has been around since steel shafts replaced hickory. So I guess that's modern but Mr Hogan probably dismissed it due to the periodic hooking issue. He probably played around with many, many variations.
Haven't tried this yet but I guess I missed the part explaining what the purpose of the twist is. Is it to flatten the clubface (less perpendicular to the ground) during backswing and if so, why? Thanks for the tip.
The twist is to create another hinge for more power through the impact zone. It's to coil the hands on the backswing and then allow them to uncoil on the downswing.
Hello Tom. Your videos are really great and helping my golf game. I just like to ask you something please How do you maintain the angle between arms and shaft during address on the back swing and down at Impact. Ben from the UK
First off you need to have your arms hang straight down. They should be as close to perpendicular to the ground as our body and arm type allow. Grip the club and see where the clubhead is positioned. This is the beginning of creating your swing plane. Go to my swing plane drill and you will see what I mean. The left arm is key and needs to be straight on the backswing. The only time it folds is after impact. Hope this helps.
If you remember to keep your Vs pointed to your right shoulder then you're twisted, right? Or do the Vs need to be pointed past the right shoulder? And if you keep your club face slightly open at address it should prevent a shut of the face, right?
I agree that twisting will bring the sight of the v's to the right shoulder or beyond, depending how flexible your wrists are. If you open up he face at address you are trying to fix a problem by manipulation. No need if you are swinging correctly.
Very confused. Why is the club face opened? Isn’t the twist the other way around? Looking at pros swings like DJ or Morikawa they twist the other way And does this apply to drivers too?
The clubface is opened because Hogan wanted to eliminate his hook. We can "twist" on the backswing and then "untwist" on the way down giving us another lever through the impact area. The newer wave of young players eliminate the twist and "untwist" so to speak on the backswing and then just hold that position through the impact area.
Doesn't a strong grip and a flatter plane do the exact same thing but without a cupped wrist, which you want to avoid at all costs? This seems awfully complicated.
Look at this video of Hogan...ua-cam.com/video/nWLLPKiSMRk/v-deo.html Look at how bowed his left hand/wrist is at address. Take it for what it's worth and give it a try. Remember, Hogan was trying to eliminate a severe hook. Now look at this picture of Hogan at the top ... countryclubeditions.com/ben-hogan-wee-ice-mon.html ... his left wrist is not bowed at all at the top of his swing. I think he started with his wrist bowed. To try and time something like that is problematic. If you start that way you don't have to worry about a timing issue.
Martin Ayers stole this idea and tried to make it seem like he was the only person who knew this. Unfortunately for him, he tries extra hard to complicate his explanations to the point of insanity lol
This is complete nonsense. Slow motion pictures of Hogan show the left hand turning under on the takeaway, not the right, creating a closed club face. As his arms rotated the back of the left is visible to the top and until the delivery position where the left goes under the right all the way to the finish. No one could break 90 with Tom's crazy chit. P.S. Hogan said you should see 2 1/2 knuckles in his 1948 book, Power Golf. The change he made was to shorten the left thumb. He weakened his grip in the early 50's
Have you ever seen the pictures of Hogan's hands at the top of the backswing in his "secret" article? His clubface was never closed. Also, Power Golf became obsolete when 5 Lessons was published.
The untwist occurs right after the start of the downswing as the arms and hands start to drop at shoulder level, by relaxing the left wrist. This is where you have the feeling that you are carrying a waiter's tray (left hand palm down) to smashing the tray to the ground at impact (left hand palm up). Hope this helps.
I've played for over 60 years at a competitive level in HS, College and afterwards. No a pro by any means but at 69 I'm regularly shooting in the 70's from the "white" tees (no the championship tees) but at about 6,300 yds for 18 holes. To me, this is over-analyzed, marketing BS. There was also "square-to-square' that was a craze. Just look at all of the successful pro's back in the 50's/60's and there were very different swings and grips. There's no one-swing-fits-all. Put your left thumb down the middle of the shaft and you will have a hard time hook. Period. Forget the cupping.
I never said one-swing fits all but there are fundamentals that can be developed on to help in different aspects of the swing.The "little twist" adds another lever to the hitting area. If you you don't want to use it fine but don't put sown people who want to try something different.
This video is golden! Turned pro years ago, and came back to find this video that I never understood way before. That twist move is not an extra move, I think its the actual core and essential power-storing action of the golfer/club connection. You can use it all, gradually to the fullest at the top, like Hogan, or at different points of the swing. It's called a release at the bottom because this twist pressure is what is releasing! And it helps with lag, getting hands ahead at impact, nice left wrist bow at impact, etc. Thank you Tom!
Glad you understand the concept Rob!
Nice video. I am a recreational golfer, ~4 handicap at this time. I took most of my lessons from Mike Keymont in Orlando and Re: The Twist, his suggestion was on the back swing get your right hand in a position at the top like you are holding a plate of spaghetti...try it sometime, it results in the perfect cupped left wrist like Hogan wanted. Fyi, I also fought a hook as I started getting better and also, independently of Hogan's lessons, noticed on the range that if I went to a weak grip it cured my hook...from there I went from shooting 80's to 70's and then as I learned to open the club face and a slightly more up and down swing I got to where I can hit baby fades when I want to and thus my 4 handicap....seems almost every time I go out I seem to shoot a 76, but have shot par and under par once.., and of course I have my bad days too. I also had some lessons with the late Mr. Dick Tiddy at Bayhill, he was a genius and taught me to draw the ball...once at the range when hitting driver I flushed one and he growled...ALRIGHHTTT!!! We will take 18 of those and pitch back to the par threes.
It is forearm rotation that gets the club pointing further left at the top. All top golfers do this (with the exception of DJ and John Rahm) at some stage in the swing. McIlroy and Fowler do it on the backswing, Wolff does it at the top, Couples, Bobby Locke, many others do it on the downswing.
The forearm rotation is reaction to what the individual does with their hands, not an action.
And this video proves that there will never be another Ben Hogan. God bless him! May he rest in peace. He had to practice his" you know what off" to be able to control all those twists and turns etc.
I’m not bragging, but I’ve figured out how to control the club face by experimenting with tons of different ways to use the forearms, hands, and wrists. I’ve tried this particular method, and you’re right about how it adds speed. However, you will feel A LOT of club rotation throughout your swing. Power will increase, but direction may suffer, as there is more “timing” involved. I think that’s the reason Hogan went to such a weak grip. He could do both the opening of the club(backswing), and the closing of the club(downswing) to their maximums, or extremes. This way he didn’t have to rely on timing. Hey…. It’s a way to play golf. Don’t knock anything until you try it. I think most amateurs never feel their left arm higher than their right arm. They’re afraid to allow their forearms to naturally rotate. This makes it near impossible to get the club on plane, and create a lot of speed. I think aiming the butt of the club past the ball/target line near the top would feel very foreign to most people.
Thanks Jamie
Amazing nice. I think I was figuring this out in my practice as well.
Cool, thanks!
I took a lesson, and after changing my grip to be a little looser and more in the fingers, my instructor told me I had a pretty great, strong oriented grip. We went over wrist action, but up and down, and rotation. However, he didn't mention rotation in the backswing, only on the follow through. As I've practiced this new grip and swing, I thought it was weird to not have the wrist rotational action equal out in the swing, so I started trying to twist them in the backswing, and it was awkward at first, but it definitely started to lead to a better swing for me, helping with lag hand/club path.
Mr. Hogan added the rotation going back to create additional coil, only it's in the hands.
Great video you really explain it well. I'll try it.
Let me know how you do!
great video even in 2023!
Thanks so much.
The Great Gary Player has said tons of times; "there is a lot of ways to play golf" this is one of them. For my expirience if you feel confortable with this technique (movement) go for it!
Well said
Wow it did feel good after many balls I hit, but the balls were going right at first, then the penny dropped when I weakened the left hand grip as you mentioned (which is hard to persist with as this was align to me), I then swung a bit flatter! Stunning results and I will try it again but out on the course! Many thanks for your information on Hogan's swing!
Great. I'm happy you are showing results! Keep it up.
When you said that you're adding another move to the golf swing, that's absolutely correct. However, the golf swing needs to be simplified. For the vast majority of golfers cannot afford more moves as they can't maintain the sequence they already have. The move you are advocating will only serve to leave the club face further open causing greater slicing spin axis. The issue with elite golfers, primarily prior to the advent of high speed video, is that they talk about "feels" as being reality. How they describe their motions has as much to do with their philosophy toward the game as it does describe the action. Golfers like Hogan are an exceptional few. Many of them worked out their golfing issues on the course during tournaments. Amateurs need simple. A bowed top hand during the backswing will do more good for us than harm which is what, I'm afraid, Hogan's cupped left wrist will accomplish.
You are so right, what Hogan did was good for him, he fought a hook all his life, his swing wasn’t for everybody, and he said it himself. All you see is video after video of Hogan fanatics assuming what the secret is, all these crazy positions, when you walk, run or throw a ball do you think about anything? No your body reacts to the task at hand . Tell Dustin Johnson or Brooks Koepka about a cup in the left wrist at the top. In fact, if you watch the pros they all swing different, most of them found what works for them naturally at an early age before they could get infected by all the experts out there. It’s amazing, Nicklaus has accomplished more and seems to take a back seat to Hogan. There are some basics but but all these swing thoughts and positions are killers. All this nonsense about a secret, the secret is, learn how the club works and also learn ball spin, then you can start playing golf.
I agree it is not for everybody, but I also feel that bowing your wrist on the backswing and trying to maintain that bow through impact is difficult to do. The problem with many amateur golfers is their lack of time and effort for practicing away from the golf course. Any move you make in the golf swing requires a significant amount of reps before it feels comfortable. You can't just pick up a club and go to the course.
Was watching "myswingevolution" and happened upon your videos in the side panel! I have also had "Five Lessons" for less than a week. Already have poured over it and improved my ball striking but YOUR videos, hands down (and up) just opened up the understanding for me 1000x more!!! AWESOME! I will check out your book too...
The hands coil/twist also acts like a governor for the backswing, shoulder turn. . . so you don't over do it, just throw the hands back, etc.
That's why Hogan's swing always looked so elegant, rhythmic, and controlled !
Exactly. Don't overdo it. Everyone's flexibility is different.
Superb tutorial. Clear, validated assertions and referenced to fact. Wish I could take lessons with you as I work to develop my own ‘Hogan’ swing.
Long distance lessons are the wave of the future...
Would this only work for a golfer who pulls with lead arm or golfers (me) who throw or push with the trail arm
The arms should be used as an extension of a turning torso and not viewed as a pulling or pushing action. If you use your arms properly, the hands, employing 'the twist' will uncock properly through the hitting area.
Thanks for the reply
Never heard of this method ever! It's a must try - but on the practice area as suggested!
Many thanks and I will get back too you if I master it!
I experimented with this years ago but didn't use it because I felt it was a compensation and I was trying to avoid those. Recently, I corrected a life long fault in my right foot, leg and hip that stabilized my backswing and prevented a slight overswing. When I've worked on this stabilization in the past, hooking happened. So I went back to a gradual "twist" to open the face just a touch because Hogan was right.. Weakening the grip does not work to prevent a hook and may well encourage one. I left my grip alone, which is not weak but neutral for me, and just felt the slight twist in my left wrist. I relate the twist to the toe of the club and use the visual to gauge how much twist to use although I do not monitor the club directly, just my hands as Hogan did. As for impact, my left wrist gets closer to flat and it's not something I have to concern myself with as I've drilled that for years. My hook disappeared, my cut got longer and iron shots more crisp and on line. When I was an amateur player in the early 80's, I had a lesson with a guy who saw I cupped my left wrist and said it should be flat. That started my hooking. The overarching lesson here is that the back of the left wrist/hand is club face control. The right forearm is club shaft control. Whatever you have to do, once you got good basic fundamentals of stance, posture and rotation in whatever degree the player is physically capable, which I consider "macro fundamentals", then you can move onto "micro fundamentals" for ball control. That's what the twist is for me. A micro fundamental. Once you've got that, you're as close as you can be to mastery. Hogan said in the 1955 Herbert Warren Wind article that the better your swing gets, the more hooking naturally becomes an issue. That's when tricks like this come in to save your sanity. Today, the modern release has helped good swings avoid the hook but for me, the twist is here to stay. Good video, thanks.
You know, I've been thinking about this all day and I don't think I've ever heard anyone say, even Hogan, that this move puts this club in a different position at the top of the swing. I took a club out and did a little test and sure enough, it does. Never even considered that. Nice work on that one.
Knowing Mr. Hogan I believe he would have experimented with the modern "closed face" hands at the top backswing, (maybe he did), but probably realized it would eliminate the extra whip created by the wrist hinge coming down through the hitting area.The Twist creates that little extra "pop".
Glad you can see the association! I believe it creates a solid backswing. Many are too sloppy taking the club back, thereby creating much inconsistency.
@@Thesecretofhogansswing the bowed left wrist has been around since steel shafts replaced hickory. So I guess that's modern but Mr Hogan probably dismissed it due to the periodic hooking issue. He probably played around with many, many variations.
I like what you said about "micro" and "macro" fundamentals. Couldn't have said it better myself. Thanks.
Haven't tried this yet but I guess I missed the part explaining what the purpose of the twist is. Is it to flatten the clubface (less perpendicular to the ground) during backswing and if so, why? Thanks for the tip.
The twist is to create another hinge for more power through the impact zone. It's to coil the hands on the backswing and then allow them to uncoil on the downswing.
This move really helps me especially with hybrids. Why? I don't know, but it feels and works great.
Hello Tom. Your videos are really great and helping my golf game.
I just like to ask you something please
How do you maintain the angle between arms and shaft during address on the back swing and down at Impact.
Ben from the UK
First off you need to have your arms hang straight down. They should be as close to perpendicular to the ground as our body and arm type allow. Grip the club and see where the clubhead is positioned. This is the beginning of creating your swing plane.
Go to my swing plane drill and you will see what I mean.
The left arm is key and needs to be straight on the backswing. The only time it folds is after impact.
Hope this helps.
If you remember to keep your Vs pointed to your right shoulder then you're twisted, right? Or do the Vs need to be pointed past the right shoulder? And if you keep your club face slightly open at address it should prevent a shut of the face, right?
I agree that twisting will bring the sight of the v's to the right shoulder or beyond, depending how flexible your wrists are. If you open up he face at address you are trying to fix a problem by manipulation. No need if you are swinging correctly.
My back can't handle the Hogan swing. Practiced for a week and it killed me. Maybe using muscles ive never used before🤣.
Could be...take it slow first and increase your speed as time goes on.
interesting reference video of 'the twist'
Laying off the club starting the downswing and twisting is the most difficult part of the Hogan Swing for me.
I find that if I continue to twist my left arm to the RIGHT as I begin the weight transfer to the LEFT, the club naturally
lays off or shallows out.
Very confused. Why is the club face opened? Isn’t the twist the other way around? Looking at pros swings like DJ or Morikawa they twist the other way
And does this apply to drivers too?
The clubface is opened because Hogan wanted to eliminate his hook. We can "twist" on the backswing and then "untwist" on the way down giving us another lever through the impact area. The newer wave of young players eliminate the twist and "untwist" so to speak on the backswing and then just hold that position through the impact area.
Yes it applies to the driver as well.
🤦🏼♂️🤦🏼♂️🤷♂️🤷♂️🤷♂️
Gold!
thank you so much
Doesn't a strong grip and a flatter plane do the exact same thing but without a cupped wrist, which you want to avoid at all costs? This seems awfully complicated.
It's really not that complicated. You coil your hands going back and then uncoil them going forward.
Twist clockwise going back....counterclockwise through hitting area??
Look at this video of Hogan...ua-cam.com/video/nWLLPKiSMRk/v-deo.html
Look at how bowed his left hand/wrist is at address. Take it for what it's worth and give it a try. Remember, Hogan was trying to eliminate a severe hook. Now look at this picture of Hogan at the top ... countryclubeditions.com/ben-hogan-wee-ice-mon.html ... his left wrist is not bowed at all at the top of his swing. I think he started with his wrist bowed. To try and time something like that is problematic. If you start that way you don't have to worry about a timing issue.
So ... do the opposite of what Joe Dante wrote was so important. Hmm.
Wouldnt that just make this a strong grip ??
Only if the left hand is in a strong position at address. The back of the left hand needs to be in line with the left forearm.
Martin Ayers stole this idea and tried to make it seem like he was the only person who knew this. Unfortunately for him, he tries extra hard to complicate his explanations to the point of insanity lol
How funny and how true!
This is complete nonsense. Slow motion pictures of Hogan show the left hand turning under on the takeaway, not the right, creating a closed club face. As his arms rotated the back of the left is visible to the top and until the delivery position where the left goes under the right all the way to the finish. No one could break 90 with Tom's crazy chit.
P.S. Hogan said you should see 2 1/2 knuckles in his 1948 book, Power Golf. The change he made was to shorten the left thumb. He weakened his grip in the early 50's
Have you ever seen the pictures of Hogan's hands at the top of the backswing in his "secret" article? His clubface was never closed. Also, Power Golf became obsolete when 5 Lessons was published.
What you did not explain is when to untwist in the down swing.
The untwist occurs right after the start of the downswing as the arms and hands start to drop at shoulder level, by relaxing the left wrist. This is where you have the feeling that you are carrying a waiter's tray (left hand palm down) to smashing the tray to the ground at impact (left hand palm up). Hope this helps.
The waiter's tray relates more to the right hand, but the left hand follows the right hand lead.
I've played for over 60 years at a competitive level in HS, College and afterwards. No a pro by any means but at 69 I'm regularly shooting in the 70's from the "white" tees (no the championship tees) but at about 6,300 yds for 18 holes. To me, this is over-analyzed, marketing BS. There was also "square-to-square' that was a craze. Just look at all of the successful pro's back in the 50's/60's and there were very different swings and grips. There's no one-swing-fits-all.
Put your left thumb down the middle of the shaft and you will have a hard time hook. Period. Forget the cupping.
I never said one-swing fits all but there are fundamentals that can be developed on to help in different aspects of the swing.The "little twist" adds another lever to the hitting area. If you you don't want to use it fine but don't put sown people who want to try something different.