The Language of Golf Needs to Change

Things are not always what they appear to be

The language of golf needs to change from trying to capture a look, a position or a favorite golfer to describing what is actually happening in the motion. Things happen for a reason in a golf swing and mostly if one gets overly involved in trying to make them happen the motion ceases to be functional. Here are some notable examples:

Keep the left arm straight: well it sure seems that way but in reality the left arm is stretched, not straight. The need for this is that at impact the left shoulder is higher than it is at address and so if the left arms is not stretched one is apt to hit the shot thin. The swinging motion of the club itself will keep the left arm straight just as a weight and string does when swung in a circle. Adding to this stretching is the hinging of the right wrist and the folding of the right arm as this allows the left arm to travel in the backswing. These things stretch both the left arm and side allowing for solid contact. However trying to keep the left arm straight turns the swing into a spoke and wheel, bad idea. Lets just swing the club that way the centripetal force will keep the arm straight.

Keep your head down: the head can stays back but it does not need to stay down. Throw a ball and notice how the head naturally comes up. If one tries to keep the head down it will certainly impede the body rotation.

Accelerate the club through the hitting area: No one should ever try to accelerate the club as this will cause the body to brace so as to support the slow to fast movement. The club is accelerated due to ground forces as the left leg locks which allows for a transference of energy know as ground forces. These forces are then applied to the lever system resulting in clubhead speed. Remember its a  form 3 lever. This means that the golfer is simply swinging the club. Swing: unrestricted uninterrupted continues backward and forward motion.

Lean the handle at impact: this is a great way to abandon all the ground forces of the legs and hips by bringing the club forward with the arms. The arms do not bring the club forward the body turn does this. Here are some examples of world class golfers NOT trying to lean the handle at impact. What should really be said is to release the club that way the lower body can and will naturally be used to bring the club forward in the through swing.

Look at the wonderful shoulder turn: implying that one should turn the shoulders. Turn the shoulders and one abandons arm swing which means that the arms and legs will cease to coordinate. Turn is a result of the arms pulling the shoulders in the backswing this way everything can arrive at the top at the same time. The driver swing has a more erect posture with less arm swing and more turn the wedge swing the opposite with less turn and more arms swing. So why don’t we hear “look at the wonderful arm swing” for the shorter clubs as that is what is happening.

Delay the release: and so does a pitcher in baseball have this same appearance of a delay but here we all accept that the athlete is throwing and releasing as hard as they can. So why do we not advice the pitcher to delaying the release and the reason is that we know better. Its just an appearance. We could say “look at the beautiful conservation of angular momentum” but that takes a bit to much so lets just allow the golfer to release.

And finally perhaps we could move past the idea of shifting the weight. Isn’t it a weight transfer? When the body pivots in the backswing the weight is naturally transferred to the right and when the body pivots in the through swing the weight is naturally transferred to the left.

Stay in the posture: everyone comes out of their posture when coming to a finish. We have a forward tilt of the torso at address and then loss this tilt to pick it up on the right side, called second axis tilt. Change the verbiage please.

Stay in your spine tilt: no, in order to release the club a counter force is required equal and opposite to the clubhead. This will result in ground forces and a look of staying in a tilt but the golfer is not trying to do this. This is why so many contemporary golfers are standing up and out of the shot at the finish. Check out Bubba Watson or Adam Scott on you tube and you will see that they do not stay in their spine tilt.

So in stead of trying to achieve a look it seems to me that it would be better to setup for success and simply swing the club. That way all the things that we are trying to accomplish will happen without one trying to make them happen.