The Top of The Swing

Posted under The Top of The Swing

All this brings up the subject of just where the club does go as it travels from the ball to the top of the swing and down again into the ball and the follow through. Many golfers feel that the club should go back and forth on exactly the same path. Whether it goes back and forth on the same line has been the subject of many debates.

I remember many, many years ago, a British golf magazine relating the story of such a discussion. To prove how the club actually traveled a flaming material was attached to the clubhead and pictures of this flamed path were taken in the darkness of night. I vividly recall the utterly black background with a picture of the club’s lighted path.

The club did not go back and forth on the same line. About the time that Bobby Jones was at the peak of his game, high speed motion picture cameras were being improved and perfected. One company, anxious to demonstrate the efficiency of its product, took pictures of everything that traveled at high speed and eventually they came around to Bobby Jones’ golf swing.

With this high speed camera they had pictures of the club at every point of the swing, so they charted the path of the club. Much to their surprise they discovered that Bobby Jones’ golf club did not go back and forth on the same line—as a matter of fact, it did a decided loop. The club traveled inwardly at the start of the backswing, then straight up, and as it reached the top of the swing it went to the outside slightly.

As the downswing started, the club dropped to the inside again and it remained on that path until the ball was met. At this point it went straight up and over— the club actually traveled through a figure eight pattern. The evidence was undeniable. In presenting the pictures to the public a great hurrah was raised to the effect that Bobby Jones, the peerless champion, had a flaw in his swing.

No one wanted to study a defect, so there was no interest in the films. It is regrettable that the pictures were not regarded for their true worth. Subsequent study of the golf swing has proven that the club cannot and does not travel back and forth on the same line.

As emphasized in this book, there are two swings to a golf stroke—there is an upswing during which the player is balanced on his right foot, and the axis upon which the body is being utilized causes the club to travel on a certain path. Then as the downswing and follow through is made, the player has shifted his weight to his left foot— his body now is functioning on a different axis and the club is coming down and through on an entirely different path. The club, in other words, does a loop during the course of the swing, and this loop action naturally instills in the golf swing a natural whip or snap action.

By comparison a club going back and forth on the same line would tend to create a “stiff-arm dead stick” effect. Recently a certain group conducted extensive studies of the various aspects of a golf swing with a series of motion pictures taken against a square-lined background. Towards the end of the research it was discovered that the path of the club could be traced against this lined background, and the club did not go back and forth on the same path.

In Chapter Six, when explaining the new concept of body action in a golf swing, I stated that a turning action with the body produced a low flat around the belt line type of swing. By comparison, the correct action of the body, the diagonal stretch action, produced a more upright type of swing that traveled higher and more around the head and neck of the player. I’d like to present a further comparison of these two swings.

In the low flat type of swing, caused by the faulty turning action, the club actually travels on a convex arc as it goes back, and on a similar convex arc as it goes through the ball. Traveling thus, all the force of the swing is thrown out and beyond the ball.

Natural Consequence

Posted under Natural Consequence

In this respect, you can fool a lot of people, but you can’t fool yourself. The only way confidence can be acquired is through thought, study and practice.
Once confidence is developed, relaxation is a natural consequence of it.

Relaxation is a prime requisite in any physical endeavor, but it comes only through confidence. In a game such as golf, where judgment, direction, a delicacy of swing on short shots, and a speed of motion on power shots are necessary, the successful performer must always be at ease and relaxed. There are two types of relaxation in golf.

One is the strictly muscular type, the kind that depends upon the mechanics of the physical movements that constitute the swing. The other is mental relaxation, the proper frame of mind, and it develops from the confidence we have been discussing.

Of course, if the physical mechanics are incorrect, no amount of urging, no amount of practice, is going to do any good. But when one knows what to do and how to do it, and when the physical aspects of the swing are correct, then progress can be made.

In all physical performances, there are certain levels of learning, just as there are grades in school. It is the same in golf. Each phase is a natural, orderly sequence of development. Confidence and relaxation are two things all good golfers must acquire.

Teaching to two
Whenever it is possible or practical, I prefer to teach two people at the same time, with one pupil sitting on the bench and listening to what is being said. This gives each pupil a chance to work the pattern out thoroughly in his mind before trying to execute something he does not understand clearly.

That is one of the problems encountered in teaching golf. People are out trying to do something before they know thoroughly what they are supposed to do. It is no wonder that they get all fouled up in their movements and develop so many bad habits that the game becomes difficult or unnatural.

Practice is of no value unless the player understands what he is to do. A little guidance from a professional can be very helpful in this respect.

The mental side of learning
The author is reminded of a certain lady who, because she was left-handed, felt that golf lessons would not do her any good and that she just had to work it out for herself. She practiced for hours at a time, and one day after a lengthy practice session, the lady returned to the clubhouse completely exhausted.

From her appearance it was evident she was having difficulties. Hoping to give her some encouragement, I asked how her practice had developed.

“Well, Joe,” she replied, “I accomplished one thing today for sure. I’ve reached a definite conclusion. I’m convinced that my clubs have rubber handles and I’m playing with an iron ball.”

Here we have one mental aspect that can be developed in golf. This left-handed lady golfer is not alone with the idea that it is the clubs and the ball that are wrong, not the player.

Another peculiar quirk was related by a national golf champion when he, among many others, was asked to submit a series of questions and answers on the game. A national newspaper service used the results in a syndicated column.

It was second nature for him to move the club to the position which would give him the desired result each time. For this golfer, the game really was entirely mental. He played by habit pattern, and did not try to explain how he positioned the club to get a slice or a hook. With no lessons or instructions, he acquired a golf game entirely through imitation, and executed his good golf shots completely by instinct.

This method of learning golf is not available to everyone. It is possible to acquire the knack of a golf swing through imitation, but this ability to imitate generally is restricted to youngsters, for it takes a long time to learn the game this way. In addition, if the knack gained through imitation is lost, it is quite easy to become confused and never regain proficiency.