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Newsletter - Issue 150 Date 09/22/10
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TCT Quick Tips - Reverse Warmup
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When you are working on your swing at the range, after about 20 or so swings
your body can start to tighten up and may actually restrict the improvements you are
working on.

Here's something you can do to minimize this occurrence: after about 20
swings, stop and work on the same motions in reverse for at least 10 swings.

In other words, if you are a righty working on your backswing and takeaway, after
20 swings do the same thing as if you were a lefty for at least 10 swings.

I don't mean to actually hit a ball lefty, just do the motion.

This will feel awkward at first, but the unwinding in the opposite direction will help
your swing when you go back to your normal swing orientation.

Enjoy,

Tom


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Golf Tip: Swing Theory - Swing Thoughts
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Unified Swing Theory


Before I go into "the bump" and other swing thoughts, I wanted to talk a little 
about Unified Swing Theory.

Many golf teachers subscribe to the Unified Swing Theory. This means that you
essentially use the same swing for every club in your bag. Many, many professional
golf teachers teach this way.

I personally do not buy it. I believe that a player can be taught a couple of different 
swing methods based on his or her needs due their personal swing nuances. 

It doesn't make sense to teach something that is inefficient or difficult to master 
when there is an easier way.

For example, for a good player that has a problem with weight shift, that problem 
usually manifests itself most on shorter irons. They can usually hit a longer iron, wood, 
or driver well enough because a more sweeping arc usually gives them time to shift
and a flatter angle into the ball. Their weight shift often gets there in time with a longer 
swing, but not with a short iron swing with a sharper angle of descent.

This problem shows up as fat hits with shorter irons - 7 through wedges.

So with a student like that, I have them just plant their weight left at address for their 
shorter irons and leave it there for the whole swing. 

The results have been remarkable. 

Think about it - for a shorter iron, you don't really need a lot of power like you may
need with a driver or long iron, so why introduce a challenging variable - weight shift - into
the effort if you don't really need it?

Just take one more club, plant your weight left, then turn back and turn through
with a firm left arm. After awhile, you won't need the extra club because you'll be 
hitting it solidly more often, and you may even pick up a little distance.

I teach this method to students of all abilities now, and I'm convinced that it
works due to their results.

Having said that, let's talk about weight shift.


The Bump


One of the main "fundamentals" in several popular swing methods is the lateral 
hip bump to your left side during the transition to stack the joints of your left leg 
for a forward pivot anchor.

In a book called Golf Anatomy by Craig Davies and Vince DiSaia, they 
described this transfer, which is literally the lateral hip bump, in a way that 
explains it as follows: 

"When a right-handed golfer initiates the downswing, he shifts his body weight 
onto his target side (left side) by positioning his target-side knee (left knee) over 
his target-side foot (left foot). This places the golfer's lower body into an ideal 
force-generating position. With the knee over the foot, the quadriceps can function
to straighten the knee, and the gluteus maximus and hamstring muscles can
contract to create extension of the hip and pelvis. This combined extension movement 
drives the target foot into the ground. The ground creates a resultant force back into 
the golfer that can be passed effortlessly through the legs and into the golfer's pelvis 
and core. This force can be transferred into the arms and, finally, into compression 
of the golf ball." 

I say it a little simpler: drive your left heel into the ground as you start your weight 
shift and forward turn.


Non - Traditional Swings


By planting your weight on your front foot at address and leaving it there for shorter iron swings, 
as I mentioned in the introduction to this section, I was inadvertently teaching what is advocated
in the Stack and Tilt Swing method.... maybe not exactly, but very close.

When I first heard about this swing method four or five years ago, I was against it because 
of the proclivity to finish with a reverse weight shift.

However, after educating myself thoroughly in this method, I'm buying in - especially for 
iron swings. I am convinced that for short irons it's a superior method.  

Very simply put the real keys to this swing are staying centered over the ball and shifting 
the weight continually forward.

I'm not accusing this swing of being simple to learn, but learning it for scoring irons is doable,
and I actually tweak the pure Stack and Tilt method a little to make is simpler.

I use the tweaked version for my irons, but using more of a rotational swing with a little weight 
shift for my woods and driver. I found that the trajectory on my driver was a bit too
low with a pure Stack and Tilt swing motion, so I use a different swing for my longer clubs.

Nothing wrong with that, as I said before I advocate it the need is there.

The moral of the story is this: don't get locked into the fallacy of thinking you need to
use the exact same swing for every club in your bag. Don't be afraid to experiment, but do 
educate yourself thoroughly first.
 
Enjoy,

Tom