The Four Dimensions of Height, Width, Depth and Sequence
Golf swing and its four dimensions is a measure of its direction with height, width, depth and then how these directions are sequenced born out of a correct setup. Each direction or dimension needs to occur at the correct time and amounts according to body type, facilitated or offset by stance, posture, grip, ball position and aim & alignment.
The direction or dimension of width in the backswing is a result of arm swing for when the right arm folds, it shortens allowing the left arm travels to the right as far as it can. As the left arm folds in the through swing the opposite occurs now with the right arm traveling as far as it can as the left arm shortens. The following pictures show the effect of arm swing.
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Height is caused by the torso tilt at address. This can be easily demonstrated by swinging the club in front of oneself from a standing position. It will swing back and through in a circle and level to the ground.
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By bending, as one does when hitting a ball, the club is still swinging around but now it will go up in the backswing, down in the through swing and then up again to the finish. The pictures show how this works.
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And finally the direction and dimension of depth is from the turn. How these three directions of height, width and depth sequence up represents a fourth dimension of time and any golfer who possess the advantage of arm swing also has the ability to easily sequence the golf swing so that everything can arrive at the top at the same time. Here the arms and legs coordinate as the upper and lower body are matched.
This match of upper to lower body can easily be disturbed by starting the motion with turn. For as soon as one does this there is now only depth but no width and now in order to get the club in position to return back to the ball the depth has to be abandoned and the width ignored so as to achieve a degree of height. Here there is no sequence now the swing has been reduced to a one dimensional lift.
So the answer is to set up for success and swing the club back. By doing this one will naturally gravitate towards a more dominate dimension of either height width or depth and from this be able to capture a direct route back to the ball in good sequence.
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How Golf Swings Miss the Shot Give Four Possibilities How golf swings miss the shot can be from hitting off the toe of the club or from off the heel and with both of these the path can be from inside out or from outside in. This gives every golfer four possible ball flights. This also means that if one understands these misses it is now quite easy to fix the problem. If one hits the ball off of the toe of the club and the ball goes left, this is from the body stopping and the arms wrapping. This club is coming from inside to inside. But this shot is mostly accused of being over the top as it is seen as going left. We can hear this all the time on TV “well Nick, he really pulled that one left”. It’s not a pull it’s an arm wrap and the …
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Purpose of the backswing is two fold, to put the club at right angles to the line of the shoulders and to create momentum so that the arms and legs will coordinate. Momentum results from arm swing and as long as the arms swing the arms and legs will automatically coordinate. This means that one can swing slow to slow, medium to medium or fast to fast. Doing this satifys a time IQ that all golfers posses. Because every swing takes a set amount of time, if one swings slow to slow the swing will naturally shorten and if one swings faster back, or more medium to medium the swing will lengthen so as to satisfy one’s time IQ. This is how arm swing controls the legs and reflects how the golf swing is a hard wired program just like walking. The next purpose of the backswing is to keep the club in front …
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Thank you for visiting! If you'd like check out my book: The Journey of Golf. See how the ball club and the individual have determined the golf swing. Here is a quick synopsis: Throughout its long history the golf swing has always been influenced by the technologies of the day. In the 19th century with the feathery golf ball and longnose clubs old Tom Morris played shots on the ground using a flat roundhouse swing. With the advent of the Gutta Percha ball and more upright clubs, Harry Vardon played shots in the air using a new grip and posture. Tiger Woods superb power swing of today is made possible by the modern golf ball and clubs. The journey of golf traces the history of the interaction between the golf swing, technology and course design and shows how every great golfer from Harry Vardon to Byron Nelson and Ben …
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Sand Wedge Bounce Defined
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Having the Body Involved Means legs and Hips Getting more body in the golf swing can be achieved in two ways. The first is from more turn and the second is from coil. Most golfers store energy in their backswing by creating a coil. Here they are winding the upper body against the resistance of the lower body usually through arm swing. Coiling is actually achieved from reduced turning. This can be seen by tying one end of a coil down and then turn it. Because on end is tied down it will store energy but it will also have less turn than if the end was not tied down. For most individuals the shoulders can only turn about 45 degrees relative to the hips. The reason golfers have 90 of shoulder turn is from the additional turn of the lower which is usually also about 45 degrees. But if the golfer …
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What Starts the Downswing in a Golf Swing
Posted on April 1, 2014 by Warren Raatz in About Golf, Golf Instruction, Newsletter | Comments Off on What Starts the Downswing in a Golf SwingWhat Starts the Downswing in a Golf Swing What starts the downswing in a golf swing is from the golfer doing nothing at all. Nothing starts the downswing. What starts the downswing in a golf swing is a reaction to coil or to a reaction from falls and counter falls from a wide upright backswing, like Bubba Watson. The important thing here is these golfers are not trying to do anything to start their downswing nor or they trying to achieve a look or meet some obligation or requirement. However, with golf shows and golf tips found within magazines, it seems to be trending to start the downswing by deliberately working the left knee towards the target. Many are including an importance of having the weight on the left side at impact demanding a shift so to achieve this all in the name of power. Let’s take a closer look …
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Seeing Vs Reading Putts
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I was watching “On the Range” with Phil Mickelson. Apparently the reason for his great play in the Phoenix Open was due to slight swing adjustments. He was made to turn his shoulders more level in the backswing. By doing this he could capture more width and, in his downswing, post up more easily on his left side. (remember he is left handed.) Ok, as correct as this is, this really doesn’t tell me anything. Let’s look at this more closely. The shoulders can only turn at a right angle to the spine. This means that if the posture is correct, (for the individual and club,) so are the shoulders. However if Phil’s right knee collapses in the backswing he will over swing, for Phil, which will give the appearance of a shoulder tilt due to a shorting of the right side. This leads to a hang back, in the …
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Junior Golf Swing Requirements Junior golf swing requirements are quite similar to any adult swing in that they both gain momentum from the ground up by using the chain reaction of legs, hips, shoulders and arms through strength, flexibility and balance. Both adult and juniors create coil by getting the upper body wound against the resistance of the lower body through arm swing. But since juniors can be very flexible the focus for them should shift from achieving some degree turn to capturing some degree of coil . This does not mean that they don’t get turned but rather what they need to prioritize in their swing is coil. This is achieved but first squaring the feet and then having the youngster do nothing as they swing the club back. They will still get turned but now they have the ability to create coil. In all golf swings it is all about achieving a balance, that is why one either …
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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 it easy to capture this arcing motion. On the other hand …
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Swing Plane vs Path The purpose of this post is to show that swing plane and path are not the same thing and that it is very important for the development of golf to be able to seperate the two. Ever wonder why golf tournaments mostly show shots down the line. We don’t see many frontal or caddie views. This perspective does put the target in view which allows one to be more involved in the shot, but there might be another reason and that is we love to see the golf swing in terms of plane and not path. It is much easier to see swing plane anyway and we find this very pleasing to the eye. That is until we encounter a Jim Furyk a John Daley or Ryan Moore. How is it that these swings work at all? Here is how: Purpose of Swing Plane The reason we swing the club on …
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Face Determines the Path Cure for the slice in the golf swing is from a clubface and path that produces a draw found from a correct setup and swinging motion seen as in to out path. But anytime the face is opened unnecessarily, either in the setup or swinging motion, the path will have to be out to in so as to square the face at impact. This out to in path with an open clubface is the source of any slice. The fix is to return to having a clubface, one that necessitates an in to out path. And with this clubface one can also relearn to release the club and use the lower body resulting in a draw. Here is a simple drill that reverses an out to in path to one that is more in to out. This drill also changes the need for holding off the face to releasing it, a move that puts the legs back …
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Golf Swing Connection
Posted on February 16, 2014 by Warren Raatz in About Golf, Golf Instruction, Newsletter | No CommentsGolf Swing Connection Leads to Power and Direction Connection in the golf swing is a very important ingredient for both power and direction. When connection is looked at in terms of power it is the three connections of grip to club, arms to body and feet to ground and with these any golfer can utilize their individual ground forces of either, linear, rotary or vertical. When looked at in terms of direction it is the ability to keep the club in what is referred to as front and center. Here the golfer has the arms in front of the body, the elbows are down throughout the motion and the clubshaft between the forearms. With this relationship the face is square the club cam be easily swung on plane and the need to catch the arms up to the body or the body up to the arms to impact is eliminated. …
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Golf Swing Tempo Golf swing tempo. As golfers we can all appreciate the effortless unhurried power found in the swings of an Ernie Els or a Phil Mickelson. How do these golfers acquire this perfect tempo even when hitting a 300 yard drive? The answer is that they swing the club and they swing it at their natural tempo. This is good news because if this is the case, what they are doing is incredible easy to do quite simple and requires absolutely no effort on the part of the golfer to do it. Let’s start by going to the dictionary and looking at the definition of the word Swing. Here it defines the word swing as: unrestricted uninterrupted continuous backward and forward motion. Now comes the easy part. The only part of the body in position to swing the club are the arms and since they are attached to …
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How to fix the golf swing The logical way to fix the golf swing is to fix what controls the motion found between the two positions of address and finish. The first position of address is our starting position composed of the five elements of setup. We set up for success. The second position of finish is at the completion of the swing where we are posted on our left side facing the target and in balance. Between these two positions is a golf swing and since we are swinging the club, all can agree that the only part of the body in position to swing the club are the arms. That being the case it makes sense that the study or correction of the swing should start with the arms. Said another way, as soon as the arms do their job the body will do its job. So what do the arms do in a golf swing? …
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The Backswing and Downswing Plane do not need to be the Same Over the top with the golf swing is a term that should be redefined. It was said of Brendon de Jonge’s golf swing that he is over the top with the golf swing implying that his swing possesses something wrong and that perhaps this is where golf swings go to die. Ok but it seems to me that we need to ask our self’s what does it mean to be over the top with the golf swing? Yes his downswing plane is definitely over his backswing plane however, golfers do not hit the ball with their backswings. It seems to me that this comment is a perfect example of trying to impose a preferred look on the golf swing. Instead would it not be better if we put the preferred down and embrace that every swing is unique to the individual and …
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I was listening to a golf instructor on TV the other night talking about what you should do if you are “over the top in your downswing.” He described and then demonstrated this as a condition where one is out and over the plan and therefore swinging left. A solution was then given by sliding the lower body toward the target thus keeping the club from inside and no longer over the top. What about looking at why this golfer is over the top and then fixing that instead. Otherwise aren’t we just replacing one error with another error – sliding. And aren’t we now dealing with the effect rather than the cause. Its important to understand that many golfers go back on one plane and then down on a totally different plane. Some come down below their backswing plane, some come over their backswing plane and some go back …
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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 release to the ball. Here is a golfer who uses vertical forces when …
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What it means to release the club Releasing the club in the golf swing is no different than it is in any other sport. Looking at the basketball player the athlete first hinges the right wrist back while cocking and loading the right arm putting everything in position to release to the target. Once the arm has loaded it simply straightens to the target with the wrist going to flat or past. When the pitcher throws the ball the arm is loaded and then straightens from the word go. Both of these players are releasing to the target with neither trying to delay the release. But with the pitcher there is a rotation from the body and because of this there is an appearance of a delay due to an inward pulling from the legs and hips. Now the harder the ball is thrown the faster the body rotates …
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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 one needs to focus on to make a change. Now one can have the impact from a changed motion …
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The Benefits of loft and Bounce in the Sand wedge The Sand Wedge has great flexibility as it possesses the two advantages of loft and bounce. Looking at a typical sand wedge it usually possesses 56 degrees of loft but this loft can easily be decreased or increased making the ball run, walk or stop when hitting shots around the green. When hitting these shots the bounce gives this club a resistance to digging while also giving it an ability to glide and slide through the sand with green side bunkers. Turning the club upside down reveals how the back part is higher than the front. This angle from back to front is the bounce and can range, hopefully, from no less than 12 degrees to 22 degrees or more. Several tour grinds can go even higher. When sitting on the ground the club is resting on the back part as it is lower and so when one is …
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Two Things Control the Clubface in the Golf Swing Controlling the clubface in the Golf Swing is easily achieved from having a correct grip and by keeping the elbows down throughout the motion. A neutral grip can be found by letting the arms hang from the golf posture as the wrist joint of the left hand will automatically line up with the elbow and shoulder joint. Putting the left hand on the club in this position, relative to a square clubface, means that when centrifugal force pulls the club out the face will remain square at impact as these three joints line up. We grip the club for impact. But as shown by Sayaka Carpenter in the follow picture, the more open the hips are at impact the more the shoulders and clubface are opened and so this player will require a stronger left hand grip, or more on top, so as to maintain …
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Every Golfer has a Postural Release Ground reaction forces in golf swing, vertical and rotary are seen as coming out of posture, one’s spine tilt and allowing the head to come up to a finish. But all too often advice is given to the contrary on all three accounts and anytime one does try to stay in posture or spine tilt or keep the head down these forces are immediately reduced or completely eliminated. Lets look at each one of these separately so one can see what is really going on starting with the posture. At address posture is created by bending backwards from the knees and forwards from the hips at the same time and same amount. By doing this one lowers down ideally placing the clubshaft at a right angle to the spine and into a balanced athletic position. From this starting position every golfer losses this forward tilt from the torso so as …
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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 a golfer must actively be involved in doing this or one will suffer the consequence …