Forward Shaft Lean in Golf

Source of Forward Shaft Lean

Forward shaft lean in golf swing is made possible from the three power connections of grip to club, arms to body and feet to ground, resulting in body turn, and it is this body turn that creates  the shaft lead. You don’t do it. This means that the focus in any golf swing should be to capture and maintain these three power connection rather than trying to lean the shaft at impact. If instead if ones focus is on trying to lean the shaft with the arms, it is done at the expense of these all important connections. Here’s why.

The first power connection is grip to club and here one grips the club for impact. The faster the hips are the more the clubface and shoulders are opened at impact. This means that a stronger grip is required to maintain a square clubface for impact. This becomes an important power connection and allows for use of the legs resulting in body turn and power. But if the grip is weak one can not use the legs and so the turn is also removed as is the shaft lean.

The arms to body connection allows for the force of the body to be behind the hit. Here the turn of the body, with ground forces, is bringing the arms and  club forward.  However, if one brings the club forward with the arms, in an effort to lean the shaft,  this connection is lost and so is the power as well as the natural ability to turn through the shot.

The left foot to ground connection (as well as the left knee stabilized) maintains the first two connections as it keeps all golfers from over swinging in the backswing. Now the upper body can be wound against the resistance of the lower body through arm swing and like a coil, the body has stored energy, ready to unwind in the downswing resulting in both turn and power. So one can see from this the importance of the three power connections and how they lead to the body automatically turning through the shot resulting in shaft lean.

But does the shaft in fact it lean, for here are two notable examples of the best to ever have played the game, each demonstrating very little shaft lean if any at all. With the first we see Jack Nicklaus at impact. Not much shaft lean seen here even though he is considered to be the record book of golf and with 18 majors to his credit, a record that Tiger Woods is trying to beat. Doubtful, but who knows. Maybe he can still do it.

And now we see Sam Snead at impact showing not much shaft lean at all for impact.  With 82 wins on the PGA tour, Sam possesses another record that Tiger Woods is working on beating. This one is quite possible with 73 wins in 17 years.

So maybe it is time to focus on what makes a swing functional rather than trying to satisfy a certain look or position. Remember, after setup and swinging motion, most if not all that occurs in a swing happens without the golfer trying to make it happen.