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Posts tagged Swing Theory
Video showing Taly – eliminating the flip
Feb 2nd
I came across this video on YouTube and I wanted to share this. For those of you who read the review of the Taly Mind Set , I wanted to provide a real world scenario of how it used to help golfers improve their swings. In this video Lynn Blake, the famed TGM teacher (The Golfing Machine), has a clinic and each student has a Taly Mind Set. Take a look at how he teaches and what he teaches. It is simple but effective. Similar to the drill I talk about in the article on achieving left wrist supination .
Enjoy and of course let me know if you have any questions about this.
Achieving left wrist supination in the golf swing (Drill)
Feb 1st
Ben Hogan was right that the best swings in the game have this supination action at impact. It allows the club to come into the ball square.
But many players do not fully understand how to achieve this supination. Here is how you can begin to get this feeling in your swing.
One of the most important things I have discovered about this supination is that it is NOT achieved by the wrists or the small muscles in the hands. The wrists are too weak to force this position and too weak to overcome the huge forces that the swing is generating. The way to achieve this supination is to use the large muscles of the body properly in the golf swing.
That sounds a bit strange, doesn’t it? Here is an image of the left wrist supinating, but you can’t force it to happen. You allow it to happen by doing the right things in the swing.
Drills for supination
1. Left hand only half swings (do not hit the ground or a golf ball with this drill)
Start with you normal stance, but only your left hand on the club. Take the club back only until the shaft is parallel to the ground with the toe pointing straight up. On the way back you should feel your left forearm rotating. If you are wearing a watch, the watch should almost face the sky or ceiling when the toe of the club is pointing up. Your shoulders should rotate too and their rotation should stop when the shaft reaches parallel.
Initiate the downswing by rotating your hips to the left. You should feel a small delay in the arms. Take the club through until it is also parallel with the ground. The toe should be up and have rotated somewhat to the left. While you are doing these short swings, take a look at the position of your left hand, it should match the drawing. If it is not matching, don’t force it match by using your wrists. That doesn’t work. You need to feel large muscles actually driving the rotation of the club face.
It will take some practice but this drill will help you to feel the club releasing and rotating through impact. As you do this drill, you will improve your left hand arm action and it will help you hit the ball longer and straighter.
TrackMan: A valuable teaching tool
Jan 23rd
I had an opportunity to get on TrackMan today. If you have not had the opportunity to try it I highly recommend it. Sterling Farms, in Stamford CT will let you get on the TrackMan launch monitor for $110/hr.
What a great experience! Trackman is much more advanced than I had thought based on what I’ve seen on the Golf Channel. It is so much more than just getting your launch numbers.
I was really surprised at the amount of information that it generates, especially when you see the teaching modules for it. Along with tracking the golf ball, it also tracks the clubhead through the impact zone. The 3D club view is awesome and it was truly eye opening to see what the club was doing through impact in a way that video analysis just can’t do.
The teaching modules in TrackMan can show you things that you really can’t get in a regular teaching session because everything the instructor describes can be shown on the screen and in 3 dimensions. In a short session I was able to make some huge improvements in my swing and ball compression.
Club Head Lag: Explained by David Feherty
Jan 20th
This is an excellent explanation of club head lag by David Feherty. Enjoy!
Stop Casting the Club: Keep the upper body together
Jan 18th
One of the common swing faults is casting the club. When that happens a golfer loses all of the leverage they they have developed, and the throw away their power.
The left arm begins to separate from the chest and then the club gets on a steep and out to in path causing the golf ball to slice. What is a golfer to do?
Many training aids encourage a stronger connection between the arms and the upper core. What does that mean exactly?
Build a stronger connection between arms and chest
A stronger connection simply means that the arms don’t move separately from the chest. The chest and arms work together as one unit. Sure, the clubs momentum may cause it to move after the shoulders have stopped turning, but if you can minimize that movement, you can begin the downswing with the arms and chest working together, rather then letting the arms race down to the ball.
A perfect example of the feeling you want to get is Steve Stricker. When you watch his swing, it looks a bit tight. It’s not super fluid, he doesn’t hinge the wrists very much. The most important thing he does is to bring everything down together. This allows him very solid contact, which sends the ball a long way. He is not the longest hitter on tour but he is long enough to be the number 3 golfer in the world and you can’t argue with his results.
So how do you keep the arms and chest together. Take some practice swings and swing slowly. Keep the thought in mind that the arms and chest are working as one unit and focus on keeping them together. At first it will probably seem stiff. You’ll feel as if your movement has become a bit limited which it has, and that’s a good thing.
Feel them working as one unit
As you begin to feel this sensation and really integrate it, you’ll start to hit the ball more solidly. You’ll see a straighter ball flight, and your accuracy and distance will increase. It’s a strange thing to feel at first because your body will be telling you that you can’t hit the ball as far swinging like this. But you need to trust that keeping the upper body together will improve your swing and your ball striking. It is even more important that you keep your focus on this as the club gets longer.
The longer the club is, the more the club head will want to keep moving after the shoulders have stopped turning. You need to be aware of this so that you catch it early. Stop the club head moving as soon as your shoulders have stopped rotating. Then on the downswing move everything together making sure that your arms don’t outrace your chest.
Benefits to keeping the upper body together
It will be tricky at first, but the benefits are tremendous. You’ll be able to retain the angle in your wrists on the downswing, you’ll be less likely to flip the club, and in general you’ll hit more solid and straighter. Give this a try and let me know how it works for you.
Review: Taly Mind Set
Jan 15th
Update: A new DVD is available with the Taly Mindset. Read more about that here .
The Taly Mind (Taly) set surprised me. When I first opened the package and pulled out the training aid, the pamphlet, advertising post card, and a whiffle ball I was excited to start using it. However when I read the instructions I found them a bit wordy and overly technical. I think the average golfer would greatly served with a clearer guide or even a DVD to help them get started using the device.
Taly Williams, the inventor is an engineer and it shows in that document. I was a bit confused about what it was designed for because there is so much information packed into one page. So I went to talk to a PGA pro about this device and the way he described it made all the pieces fall into place.
The most obvious use of the device is in helping a golfer to stop flipping the club at or before impact. This common fault causes golfers to hit weak shots to the right. When a golfer executes this distance robbing move, what they are actually doing is adding loft to the club, and opening the face. The end is result is weak hit that flies higher than it should, and slices right.
Zen Chili Rating for The Taly Mind Set
4 Zens out of 5
• Helps instill solid movements and perform them when the device is not being word
• Activates the mind’s eye to lead the body
• Useful in preparation for tournament use as a point of focus, to reduce pressure, and to help a golfer get into the zone.
• Documentation too technical, should come with a DVD
5 Chilis out of 5
• Well constructed, should last for years
• USGA approved to be carried on the bag during tournament play, but can’t be used during such play
• Comes in 3 colors, red, black and white
• Does not constrain the golf swing
• Useful for full swing, sand game, chipping and putting
To learn more about the rating system click here .
How does the Taly Mind Set help?
By slightly extending the red ball the golfer can immediately see a flip occur because the shaft of the golf club will cross the shaft of the Taly. The bright red ball serves as a very visible reference point. The more the golfer can prevent the two shafts from crossing, the better the impact position will be. Once I understood that this was one of the main goals of the Taly, the value of the device became clear.
For the average golfer who flips the club, it is worth getting the Taly to fix this dreaded flaw. However as I have used the Taly more and more new applications came into focus for me.
One of the interesting things about using the device is that the little red ball really does become ingrained in your mental imagery of the swing. When you are not wearing the Taly, you can still clearly imagine where the red ball would be.
I use the device to help generate lag and keep my downswing slightly underplane. Imagine Sergio Garcia’s swing from a down the line view, as if you are standing directly behind him, watching him hit a ball at a target that is in front of you, a few hundred yards away. The great thing about this device is that no matter what move you are trying to ingrain, if you start to see how the red ball moves, it becomes a move you can duplicate very quickly, as if it has become etched into your mind’s eye.
For me, it’s working on my version of Sergio Garica type lag. As Sergio takes the club back he reaches the top of his swing. He then executes his famous move where the club lays off just a bit, and he allows the lag to happen. This move is the polar opposite of what most amateur golfers do. Most amateur golfers, especially those who have problems slicing the ball, typically come down over the top, cut across the ball with a flipped club head and wonder why they can’t hit a straight shot or a draw.
This is a move that I’ve been working on for months. Within minutes using the Taly, it had become a part of my swing, rather than something I was just working on. Watching the Talynt point (the little red ball) quickly grooved the move. I took the Taly off and to my amazement I was able to clearly see the little red ball in my mind’s eye and swing after swing, repeat it perfectly.
I used video to record the swings both with the Taly and without it and I was really impressed by how the Taly Mind Set helped me to visualize and execute this move.
No physical restrictions:
The Taly helps to accomplish all of this without restricting the player’s movements. The most restrictive device I have reviewed is the Swing Jacket which obviously restricts the player into making correct moves. The Taly is different though. By visualizing the Talynt point it is possible to reproduce those moves that you have been working on. This is the first training aid I have used that so clearly has an impact when it’s not being worn, because your memory and mind’s eye can easily recall those movements.
I have also found it useful for chipping and putting. During my putting practice it helped me achieve a really solid feeling putting stroke. I’m very excited about continued use of the Taly and plan to integrate into my regular practices.
For more go to: Taly Website
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Six Finger Swing
Jan 13th
Gotham Golf Blog has an excellent drill posted on it. It’s called the four finger swing.
I practiced with a variation of it today(the 6 finger swing) and I found it extremely helpful. You hold the club with the thumb, index, and middle finger of each hand in a golf grip. That gives you just enough leverage that it’s easier to do a full swing, but it gives the club enough freedom to move around.
What I found doing this was that when I did the 6-finger swing, the club would set in the right place at the top of the swing on plane and in the right place. Because you can’t manipulate it as much with your hands, the club follows a natural path. It gets on plane quickly and stays that way.
On the downswing, again because you only have 6 fingers on the grip, you can’t manipulate the path. The club takes the natural path down which, for me kept it beautifully on plane.
After doing a few 6-finger swings, I then took my regular grip trying to feel the swing like the the 6-finger swing felt. It felt very natural and I was able to fully accelerate the club head. When I looked at the results on video, I was suprised at how well, the 6-finger swing, transitioned to my regular swing.
This could be a great drill to do whenever you are on the course and the swing seems to go off a bit. A few 6-finger swings could put you back on track.
How to have a more consistent golf swing: Stay Synchronized
Jan 12th
Keeping the arms and core in sync
One of the most important factors in executing a successful golf swing is ensuring that the arms and the core remain synchronized. What does that mean?
It means that the top of the backswing happens when the shoulders stop turning and the arms stop moving at the fraction later. Watch Steve Stricker, the number threee golfer in the world and you’ll see his arms stop moving when his shoulder turn stops.
This action, allows everything to come down and through together. This improves consistency, and influences accuracy and how solid you can strike the ball. Moving everything together really allows a golfer to have a consistent motion.
What happens when the arms and the core get out sync?
When the arms keep moving at the top of the swing after the shoulders have stopped turning then they are out of sync with the body. In order to get them back into sync, they need to start down first, and then at the right moment, the core needs to start turning. This is a formula for disaster because a good golfer initiates the swing by turning the hips, not by moving the arms.
This is also extremely difficult to time properly. Starting the swing this way makes the player highly dependent on timing. When you’re timing is on you can hit the ball well, but when your timing is off you won’t hit it well. You’ll wonder where your swing went.
Why do golfers get out of sync?
So why do golfers let the arms run off? They do this because they are trying to get more distance and swing speed. The think that if they increase the length of their swing, they can get the club head moving faster. This is only partly true.
Although they can potentially get some speed gain, the gain is offset by the loss of accuracy, and the lowered likelihood of hitting the sweet spot. So in fact, you are getting a net loss of distance and accuracy. It doesn’t sound like a good trade to me.
If you can stay in sync you can actually generate more club head speed and hit the sweet spot more often because you’re whole body is working in harmony in the swing. You can, in essence, hit the ball with your entire body. You’ll hit it more solidly, and you’ll be more consistent.
Think of a clock
Think of the inside of a mechanical clock. Certain gears move really fast, others move very slowly. But none of the parts move faster than they need to. The clock would break if some parts were forced to move faster. The same really is true for the golf swing. Keep everything together and moving only as fast as it needs to and you’ll be a much more consistent player.
Spotlight Swing: Rickie Fowler
Dec 29th
Take a look at what Rickie Fowler does. His plane is astonishing. Click here to see Rickie Fowler’s swing video .
Rickie at address:
Halfway through backswing
Top of Backswing
Transition to downswing
Halfway down
Impact
Rickie Fowler starts with a pretty flat backswing, but comes into impact even flatter. The difference between the backswing is just amazing especially when you consider that most amateurs come into the ball even steeper than they started. I’m not sure how he is able to accomplish this, and although I don’t recommend mimicking the positions I think there is a lot that can be learned from them.
Spine Angle: Maintain or increase through impact
Dec 28th
Maintaining or increasing your spine angle is a good fundamental that promotes solid ball striking for a number of reasons.
The role of the spine in the swing
Your spine is the axis around which the swing happens. If you change your spine angle, say toward the target during the swing, you are changing the axis around which the swing happens and introducing compensations. Your body will need to compensate in order to try to square the club head at impact. Tilting your spine angle towards the target forces the club to come from an outside-to-inside path, also known as the slicer’s swing path. Maintaining or increasing your spine tilt away from the target promotes an inside-to-outside swing path that leads to solid ball striking.
In the following two images you can see where my spine angle started, and how I’ve increased my spine angle away from the target at impact.
Start with a tilt away from the target
Increase it through impact
Increasing my spine angle helps to keep my head behind the golf ball and allows me to really compress it.
Bad things that happen when you don’t maintain spine angle away from the target:
- You become prone to reverse pivot
- Transitioning to on plane or underplane swing more difficult
- Compensations take away from generating power and accuracy
- Causes Out to in swing path leading to slices
Good things that happen when you can maintain it or even increase it:
- Simple to coil
- Simple to transition to downswing
- Easier to maintain plane
- Less compensation
- Puts you in ideal position to start downswing
- Puts you in ideal position at impact
When you find swing videos on youtube of your favorite pros, notice their spine angle. Find a swing of someone who slices the bell and take a look at their spine throughout the swing. I think you’ll find some pretty dramatic differences.
I read a statistic that the average tour professional increases their spine angle by 13 degrees.
This does not mean that you need to increase it by 13 degrees. Start with learning to maintain it on the backswing and without worrying about the downswing. Once you can do that routinely then you can begin working on maintaining it on the downswing, and finally increasing it if you want to.
One other thing to take away from this post. Look at the address position. Make sure that you start with your spine tilting away from the target. Then just try to maintain it. They say that 90% of swing errors are caused by a fault in the setup. Get the setup correct and you are on your way to greatly improving your swing.
