Your Golfing Instrument
One of the biggest assets a golf learning centre has is its ability to show to their students how their most important instrument works: Their Body!
Pictured here with me is our life size skeleton ‘Scully’ who has been instrumental in helping our students visualize and conceptualize their golf swings.
You will notice in picture # 2 that the spine intersects the pelvis (via the Sacrum or bottom of spine) through the rib cage and into the back of the head.
Since the spine’s vertebrae only have 1 degree or less of mobility each, you can safely say the spine was not designed to twist.
So what you have is this tall turn table of the Pelvis / Rib cage unit sitting on top of the hip joints that act as pivot points for the turn table; except that instead of one central pivot, you have 2 (the hips) that turn around each other.
Now since the goal here is to send the momentum of the arms and club towards the intended target, there needs to be a full cooperation from the body to allow this to happen and this begins with the right focus.
If the focus is on hitting the ball which would mean that the ball becomes the target, then the body would not be required to move all that much unless you want to hit it hard which would cause the arms to crash into it like in picture # 3 and cause the arms to wrap around the body.
If the focus is to send the momentum of the swing towards the target; then the body will respond and get out of the way to allow the arms full access to the target like in picture # 4.
To feel like you have effortless and powerful momentum leading to a full “crack of the whip” towards the target, you need to complete the backswing and get some width in the arms; so you will need to allow the body to get out of the way in the backswing as well like in pictures # 5 and # 6.
The idea of resisting with the hips in the backswing is one that is well on its way out as many teachers, including the stack and tilt boys, Andy and Mike, are understanding more of what the body was designed to do.
To resist in the legs and hips is to prevent the pelvis / rib cage unit from turning out of the way and this immediately causes the arms to crash or collapse into the body.
So if you have felt a lot of strain in your shoulders, back and neck, you are most probably trying too hard to keep your head down and your body still while focusing way too much on the ball.
It is very important however to keep the eyes on the ball yes, but then focus on effortlessly whipping the club across the ground and towards a target and let the body respond and get out of the way to allow things to happen!
The eyes are on the ball but what you see in your mind’s eye is the target; then look for the feel of that whip to that target!
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| Shawn Clement Director of the Richmond Hill Golf Learning Centre shawn@shawnclementgolf.com |
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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 |
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May Also be of Interest:
- The Three A’s of Practice
- Pitching
- 3 Keys to get you Ready for Spring
- Ask Sean Casey : Answers
- Keep your head down? True or False
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