Impact is Not all in the Wrists

MYTHCONCEPTION

Uncocking the wrist at impact equals more power.

BUSTED

Many golfers believe that they need to uncock their wrists right at impact in order to attain additional power. This does occur in other sports such as skillful batters uncocking to smash home runs or tennis players who uncock the wrist to hit hard serves.

In golf however it’s nearly impossible to time uncocking to any real advantage. In fact, due to the long arc of the golf swing it is best to have the hands well in front of the ball at impact as opposed to trying to uncock at the last moment.

In the downswing we want to achieve a smooth increasing speed. As you start the downswing there is only moderate pull (15lbs) from the club but as you near the bottom of the arc the club is moving from 80mph to 100mph and the pull increases to around 80lbs.

Uncocking early will effectively lengthen the club and seriously increase your chances of hitting the big ball (the earth) first which tends to slow things down – a lot!

Most golfers struggle with this and either hit the ground before the ball or sacrifice clubhead speed well before contact. As golfers we need to time linear and angular momentum much like a boxer does. The boxer wants to punch through his opponent and imagines a target several inches past the surface. This is much easier to understand in boxing due to the difference in the two collisions. A boxer’s fist will go from 60mph to a complete stop whereas the golf club only slows approximately 20mph and the collision lasts for 0.0005 of a second. Think

you can feel that? No chance. Simply not enough time for the golfers motor memory and visualization skills to repeat the action. Most of what we consider ‘feel’ at impact is actually sound, which is one reason why manufacturers do lot of research into the sound that their clubs make.

But what if you could hear the speed of your club? Which is the question Dr. Grober asked and why he developed the sonic golf training aid — a system that turns your swing motion into continuous musical tones. For a lesson with the sonic golf system or more information please contact me.

Ernie Fairles
Core Golf Academy, Instructor

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Ernie Fairles, CPGA – Teaching Professional Core Golf Academy at Piper’s Heath Golf Club Ernie’s love for the game of golf and its history began at the early age of 5, which has fostered his passion for teaching. He has since enthusiastically dedicated himself to instruction of the golf swing. For the past 10 years, Ernie has studied under some of the country’s most reputable teachers, including Tom Jackson and Sean Foley. His professional experience and development training, combined with his personality, communicative skills, and in depth knowledge of the golf swing, has resulted in a successful track record with amateurs and aspiring professionals and is further evidenced by his popularity in the membership and loyalty of his students.
Note: The teaching methodology solely reflects the views of the author and may not reflect the views or opinions of the Ontario PGA or GolfScene About the Ontario PGA Established in 1927, the Ontario Professional Golfers’ Association is a non-profit association comprised of approximately 1,300 golf professionals from Belleville to Windsor with a mandate to promote and advance the game of golf, serving the needs of both its membership and the golf public through professional and junior golf development programs and high-calibre competitive events. For more info, visit www.ontariopga.com

May Also be of Interest:

• Impact – The Key to Consistency
• Golf’s Impact …
• Fast Swing Means Long Ball
• Meet the MYTH [BUSTERS]
• Different Ball Positions