Jordan Spieth’s Practice Swing
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 arms swing back and forth the shoulders are controlling the path they take. This control happens automatically as the arms are attached to the shoulders. With the shoulders on an incline the club will go up in the backswing and down in the downswing. And since the shoulders are pulled from the arm swing there is time necessary for everything to arrive to the top together as it swings up and then down the incline with uninterrupted motion.
Jordan Spieth’s practice swing places the shoulders as an intermediary between the arm swing and legs allowing these two things to coordinate in perfect sequence. And between the two extremes of arm fold the club is staying between the forearms keeping the club on plane.
As he swings back and forth the grip and elbows will automatically control the clubface. By keeping the elbows down in motion the face stays square to plane and path. The right arm folds the face opens the left arm folds the face closes. And this closing allows for use of the legs and hips as they open the face. The more open the hips at impact the “stronger” (more on top) the left hand to offset this. The right hand will reflects the right arm fold maintaining the face in motion. Here is a functional golf swing with minimal involvement on the part of the golfer.
Jordan Spieth’s practice swing from waist high to waist high, is truly everything he does in his full swing.
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There are Two Ways to Look at Impact With the Golf Swing The golf swing has two views of impact with the first being an almost instantaneous club to ball event of some 50 milliseconds . With this view one can see that there is very little time for any personal involvement by the golfer in controlling the shot. Now the sum total of an entire round of golf is less than a few seconds! But with new technologies many important events can be easily revealed and measured within this brief moment of time. Simulators offer a most comprehensive and accurate club-and-ball tracking. A few degrees can mean the difference between hitting a fairway or green or can impart a desired fade or draw. Here shot distance is measured, how far the ball has traveled. Carry distance is the distance the ball flew in the air. Club head speed is the speed at which the …
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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. Height is caused by the torso tilt at address. This can be easily demonstrated by swinging …
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Welcome! I have been accused of ranting sometimes when giving a golf lesson. Great, then let me take this opportunity to do some ranting right now. I am a golf instructor but, very seldom do I actually get to give a lesson. Instead I spend the majority of my time telling people all the things that they don’t need to be doing to their golf swing. It’s more like the Betty Ford golf detox center. So many people have made this game way more difficult than it truly is. I know I have…. in the past. I’ll give you some examples: But before I do this lets agree that the majority of golfers are rotary with a few exceptions like Colin Montgomery or Davis Love 111. Ok, so here’s one, turn your shoulders and then get the club down the toe line toe up. This is a complete biomechanical contradiction! …
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The Misleading Modern Golf Swing The phrase: The Modern Golf Swing has been used on more than one occasion during the season, usually in response to a spectacular shot from some extraordinarily pleasing swing such as a Charles Schwartzel or a Justin Rose; however, I feel that this remark could be quit misleading. The reason is that this comment comes with an implied that the golf swing should have a preferred look and motion, that it has arrived at some evolved state with both its appearance and function, one that all should copy. Copying The Professionals Modern Golf Swing On occasion I have seen golfers trying to swing like their favorite player, maybe an Ernie Els, Justin Rose or Tiger Woods. Also I have seen golfers being taught the same set of fundaments and swing concepts. A one size fits all program and that by achieving a collection of perfect or preferred …
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How to get better without trying Instant improvement with the golf swing is easily achieved from a correct set up and swing concept. Set up is the starting position of stance, posture, grip, ball position and aim & alignment. These elements determine how one swings the club and should facilitate and or offset what the body can or cannot do to hit the ball. Swing concepts happen between the two positions of address and finish and are what you do when swinging the club so as to hit the ball flush and square with power and direction. But nearly all of what happens between these two positions is naturally occurring and doesn’t require much involvement on the part of the golfer to make them happen. In fact most of the time if the golfer gets involved in trying to make certain things happen it is usually done at the expense …
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Sand Wedge Bounce Defined
Posted on November 2, 2014 by Warren Raatz in About Golf, Golf Instruction, Newsletter | No CommentsA 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 club a resistance to digging as it lifts the club out of the ground not unlike …
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Golf Swing Vs Baseball Swing Golf swing Vs Baseball swing they are very similar in that they both develop momentum from the ground up using a chain reaction of legs, hips, shoulders and arms. With balance, flexibility and strength both can create a similar clubhead or bat speed. There are differences in the swings though and this is a result of the requirements of their game. In baseball the batter has to deal with a ball that has changing speeds and locations. This forces the batter to swing at the last possible moment in reaction to the pitcher. This requires a much shorter backswing than the one found in a golf swing and a more explosive follow through lead by very fast hips. Hip speed is not only the actual speed but is also a measure of where they are relative to the arms. Here the hips are quite open the right arm is in a tucked position as the hands are then delivered in …
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Jordan Spieth’s Hit Hold Move Jordan Spieth’s hit hold move is considered by many to be a secret move, one that gives him an advantage over the field. Lets take a look at his swing in slow motion to see what is happening. The first thing one can see is that he does not have a straight left arm at the top. And it is not straight coming down, into the ball or afterwards. This shows how the golf swing is based on momentum rather than through positions. With his dominate hand, the right, he is getting the right arm as long as possible through the shot. With the right arm fold at the top of the backswing it straightens down to the point where both arms are straight. This is the point of release and it is past the ball as the body is somewhat open. It is also …
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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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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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Golf Swings Downswing Path Golf swings downswing path from the inside can be just as bad as from over the top. What needs to happen is for the path to be determined by each unique golfer’s downswing plane. Any single plane automatically produces an inside out downswing path to impact, where both the face and path are at the target and then an outside in path with the through swing to a finish. This happens even though the base of the incline remains unchanged as it stays aimed at the target. However the clubhead path is always changing on the incline plane. If one takes an incline and then flattens it the base line will remain pointing at the target. But now the path that the club travels on becomes more from the inside coming down and then more left in the through swing. And if one moves the incline …
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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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Keep The Club Front And Center Keep the golf club in front of you: a statement of extreme importance in every golf swing. Having the club front and center means that everything is happening between the lines of the right and left shoulders from address to finish. Here the arms are swinging on the line of the shoulders, the elbows are pointing down throughout the motion, the clubshaft is staying between the left and right forearms and the upper body is staying on top of the lower body. The arms swing very nicely on the line of the shoulders as they are attached to the shoulders. Doing this allows the club to swing on plane and since the arms are swinging the legs automatically coordinate. Having the elbows point down throughout the motion keeps the clubface square and on plane, opening to a neutral position as the right arm folds in the backswing and closing to a …
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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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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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The Longer the Lever the Longer the Shot The golf swing is a type of lever where a weight is on one end of a beam, a fulcrum is on the opposite end of the beam and a force is applied to the center of the beam. All levers possess these elements of a weight, a beam or rigid rod, an applied force and a fixed hinge or fulcrum but how they are arraigned determines their advantage and therefore how they can be used. There are three types of levers: A form 1 lever has a fulcrum somewhere in the middle of a beam, a force on one side of the fulcrum and a weight on the other side of the fulcrum. This can be a crow bar and depending on where the fulcrum is placed can have a mechanical advantage less than or greater than one. After all it has been said that if one had a lever …