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Jordan Spieth’s Practice Swing
Jordan Spieth’s practice swing from waist high to waist high captures the golf swing’s core principals of plane, path, clubface and sequence. With little or no effort, he has these four elements in complete control. Here’s why.
His practice swing starts with the right arm folding in the backswing and then the left arm folding in the through swing. As he does this back and forth several times the arms are traveling the wrists are hinging. This is arm swing and it is also perfect path.
Path is the direction the club travels specifically the sweet spot of the clubface. Referenced to the target line at any one time this can be down the line, in to out, out to in, up or down. In motion the swing goes through all of these directions.
As the …
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X Factor can be viewed 4 ways
Golf swing and the X Factor is a term used to describe the difference in turn angle between the shoulders (upper body) and the hips (pelvis), in the backswing. Added to this is the X Factor Stretch which is an increase in the X Factor at the beginning of the downswing produced by the hips starting down before the shoulders. This new revved up version, referred to as downswing loading, intensifies the coil created in the backswing. OK everything here is completely correct and horrible wrong at the same time.
From this definition it is saying that good golf is directly proportional to how much differential one can achieve between the upper and lower body. And also from this, every golfer is obligated to start the downswing from the hips, that you as …
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For Every Effect There is a Cause
Golf swing cause and effects are born out a most cherished principle in physics that energy can neither be created nor destroyed, called conservation of energy. This fundamental law can be seen in all aspects or our lives from the heat one uses to make a pot of coffee, the gas put in our cars to make them run, the food one eats to keep oneself moving, the orbit that the earth takes around the sun and when one makes a golf swing.
The principal of conservation of energy has been validated many time over by scientist, however it was put on very firm ground some 100 years ago from a German mathematician by the name of Emmy Noether, who observed that all conservation laws are based on symmetries of nature. Physical laws …
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Learn to use the clubface
The golf swing has a number one choice to hit the outside the inside or the back of the ball. Each choice has an advantage and a disadvantage that comes with it. Lets start by looking at the objective of any golf swing and that is to hit the ball to a chosen target with a square clubface delivered on a desired path and on an incline plane determined by the lie angle of a club, striking the ball in the center of percussion of the clubface at maximum velocity.
But when doing this one can chose to hit the outside part of the ball, the inside or the back of the ball. As long as the face is square to the target or intended target at the moment of separation, (between the ball and …
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Indoor Simulators and Wedge Play
Indoor simulators with wedge play gives all golfers an environment to calibrate distance control by how much one grips down, narrows and opens the stance. Lets begin with a review on wedge play to see how how one can both guarantee success and give versatility by using the four absolutes of pitching.
The first is to aim the face at the target as this determines where the ball goes. Next, make sure to point the clubshaft at a center line formed by the belly button and sternum as this maintains the clubface and bounce. (Remember bounce gives this club a resistance to digging.) The arms swing very nicely on the line of the shoulders and finally distance is controlled by how much one grips down narrows and drops either the right or left foot back. …
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Winter practice with indoor simulators gives any golfer the best environment possible for improvement in both the golf swing and short game. Here lie the elements for making the fastest and most efficient change possible. Mostly these elements are applied without one being aware that they are being used. Here is why:
To make a change in any golf swing, it is necessary to have a moment of impact. This means that change is not possible with just a practice swing. But if one can remove the consequence or the requirements of a shot, while still having the moment of impact, change can be both quick and easy.
Historically this has been done by putting the ball on a tee. Doing this removes any obligation of getting the ball air born and forward thus freeing one to focus on whatever …
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Putters face balanced or toe weighted are designed for ones individual stroke as one naturally arcs the putter or swings it more straight back and through. This means that not only are there two kinds of putters but there are two kinds of putters. So lets look at both the putters as well as the one who is putting. The next two pictures show the two different weightings of the club heads.
The first picture is of a toe weighted putter. When this club is swung back and through it is designed to swing on somewhat of an arc and as it does this the club will stay square to the arc opening in the backswing and then closing in the through swing relative to the target line. To facilitate this the clubshaft is longer and a bit flatter making …
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The World of Long Driving
The long drive championship was hosted by eight incredibly athletic finalists, each one capable of hitting drives upwards of four hundred yards or more. Looking at these swings one can see some rather obvious similarities. The first is that most of them are truly beasts or at least slightly different. Not only are they large and or powerful individuals but all used drivers measuring 48 inches, the maximum allowed creating a wide swing base and prodigiously long drives.
All had very strong grips especially with the left hand. This makes since as it gives one more clubface control and allows for use of the legs and hips. However Joe Miller, the linebacker of a golfer, had very much an upper body dominated motion and with slow hips was seen to jump as he delivered his …
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A new definition of bounce
Sand wedge bounce defined with the elements of degree of bounce, sole camber, sole width, and the sole grind, contribute to a perfect fit. These variables are adjusted to match the turf conditions that you are playing, how you want to use the club as well as your angle of attack specific to how you swing the club. Lets take a look at these elements so that we can see how they can contribute to the bounce of any sand wedge and give the golfer a wedge that can both facilitate and offset how one swings the club.
Bounce: This is the angle of the bottom of the club or sole, measured from the leading edge while including the other four elements of sole radius, sole camber, sole width and sole grind. Bounce gives this …
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Every Club is Toe Weighted
Clubhead weighting facilitates fades and draws as all clubs from driver to wedge are toe heavy allowing any club to be released or to held off as dictated by the path. The following picture, with Brian Yamamoto, shows how the toe of the club naturally hangs down when held out in front.
A toe weighted club when swung in to out releases quiet easily as it is trying to fly off on a tangent. The only reason it doesn’t do this is from the inward pull of the body turn. This is how one can arrive at hitting a draw, a shot that goes from right to left. With this the ball will go further but at the sacrifice of some amount of control. With the next picture we see Brian demonstrating a perfect draw …
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