Understanding the Golf Swing

Sigh. It's true what Toski said- Many of us do not understand the golf swing. This includes me. Well, I understand perhaps half of what is really going on... It's the other half which eludes me... especially the part about some of the smaller players can far outdrive others who are twice their size! Also why some of the smaller females can outdrive some of the larger male pros- What specific technique allows this to happen? It must have something to do with proper release and lag, eh? Can it be taught to anyone and everyone?

Great thread,

You have answered your own question, yes lag/late hit, angle of attack etc.

Timing and tempo also have a great deal to do with it, you are trying to hit something a long way with a soft hit is perhaps the best way to describe the difference.

Many times I have a big brute next to me at the range, lashing away like he's hitting a brick with a sledge hammer, it simply doesn't work.

Can it be taught, I think so, You master everything else and then the lag will happen on it's own.....!!!!

Thants the only way in my opinion, if something is wrong with set-up etc then re-routing happens and the lag is lost.

Hope this helps


Ian.

__________________
Once you learn the swing, your next step is mastering golf psychology................

I think of it as the late turning over of the wrists, I may or may not be right, AND, there are massive timing issues which exagerate errors if you get it wrong.

Strong wrists and forearms. Having played tennis, these I have.

I hit the ball a LONG way, sometimes I hit it straight as well....

Cheers

Lag is a byproduct of good swing mechanics. But clubhead speed through impact is caused by the release.

This much I understand.

The reason most dont understand the swing is because most dont understand the body. The body is what swings the club. That is what it comes down to. Most golf instruction wants you to do a swing that the body does not want to do. Get the body and swing in harmony.

It is an outrage that at this day and age of technology, there is still a lot of confusion over such a supposedly simple swing at a stationary ball. Go to any driving range and you will see many of the swingers struggling.

I don't understand the belief that it is an outrage in the modern day world, with all our modern day technology, that golfers still have difficulty hitting a golf ball well. The problem is not a matter of technology. It's a problem of how best to move the body in space when swinging a golf club sideways across the front of the body. This side-swinging action isn't something that comes naturally to many people, especially if they haven't played a lot of sports. Spending a lot of time at a computer surfing the net doesn't help a person learn how to perform a side-swinging athletic action. I also think that most golfers today are not willing to make a concerted effort to learn how to understand the swing, and they hope that intuition and a few golf tips will allow them to hit a golf ball well. I think that most people are not willing to grind their way through a lengthy chapter of my online golf swing tutorial (still in preperation) - for example, the chapter on the downswing at http://jeffmann.net/downswing.htm

I also think that there is no substitute for practice-practice-practice, and most golfers don't have the time or the inclination to practice.

Jeff.

HI Jeff,

I am very impressed with the link you have added, very very good indeed.

I have printed myself a copy.


Thanks for this.

Ian.

Sorry but there is nothing new or enlightening in there. A lot of people know all of that inforation but still have difficulty.

Those were great websites, fellas... I've got a lotta reading to do, this weekend, before golf...

I flipped throught the attachement. I do like the image at the end of resting the side of your head on a pillow in the downsing to maintain the spine angle.

Most have too much tension to allow the body to do its work. For example, take a 7 iron; now most of us hit it 160 with a smooth swing but put us on the tee on a par 3 and we screw it up. Why?
Tension.
Why don't we just allow the arms to hang down nice and soft, waggle those wrists and hands softly, then, just take a smooth backswing and allow the rest to happen.
Because your partners are watching, because you want to muscle it, because you don't understand that relaxed muscles work better than tense ones. Why?