Guide to the Golf Swing

Who to believe? There are lots of ideas about how to swing a golf club: which ideas should you follow? When someone presents ideas about how to swing a golf club, it is useful to ask why one should believe the ideas. Typically, the reasons for following a particular idea include one or more the following: • The presenter is one of the best players in the world and presumably must know something about the game. • The presenter has taught a number of highly successful players and must know something about the game. • The presenter has studied a large number of successful golf

swings and on the basis of this study, has identified common elements that correlate with success. • The presenter is an older player with experience and on the basis of experience and wisdom, has identified key attributes of the successful swing. • The presenter is endorsed by organizations such as TV networks, Golf Magazine, Golf Digest, professional golf organizations, and on the basis of these endorsements, must be credible. With personal opinions playing such a prominent role in the ideas being put forward, it is not surprising that there are a range of views, many of which are contradictory. The ideas put forward in this Guide are based on science – physics, anatomy, human kinetics, geometry. As we shall see, science provides confirmation about many conventional ideas and explains why they work. It questions some conventional ideas and explains why they may be in error. And it leaves you, the golfer, with some decisions. There is no universally correct golf swing. As a science-based guide, the Guide follows several principles: • The golf swing is based on the interaction between human anatomy and physics. Introduction Page 2 GenerallyEclectic.ca • The golf swing can initially be reduced to specific movements. • These movements occur because of the contraction and relaxation of muscles. • It is important to know what muscles are involved to improve the performance of these muscles in the swing and to tailor exercises to improve their functioning. • Since the purpose of the swing is ultimately to propel the golf ball toward the target, the correct performance of the movement needs to contribute to that purpose. • Movements that do not contribute to this purpose at best are unnecessary and at worst become a potential source of error; they should be eliminated. • Each relevant movement in the swing has its own physics. • Understanding of the physics of the individual movements can lead to an understanding the relative importance of each movement in the overall swing. • Physics includes measurement, but each player comes with his or her own height, weight, length of legs and arms, golf club length, ability to rotate, etc. This Guide addresses this through modeling based on person-specific parameters. • Distance ultimately results from carrying out all the movements with speed and precision. Lack of distance results at least in part from not incorporating some movements in the golf swing, not incorporating them effectively and not timing them optimally. • One should focus on the downswing since it determines impact. The backswing serves only to position the start of the downswing, and the follow-through is irrelevant in determining what happens to the golf ball. • Gym exercises to improve the golf swing need to focus on the muscles used in the relevant movements in the swing. This Guide is for the serious golfer – the golfer who wants to improve his or her game and is prepared to invest time and en Introduction Page 3 GenerallyEclectic.ca The problem with standard instructional approaches through books and golf professionals is that they try to get the beginner up and going quickly, so the focus is on a few basics. Missing is the basic theory of the swing. Without this theory, beginners do not have a the foundation from which to move forward, particularly when on their own. The problem lies not with the golf professionals; they are just trying to satisfy their client. Nor does it lie with the client; most are in a hurry to get instant success, are satisfied with whatever help they get, and do not realize the need, or have the patience for, a structured, long-term approach. If blame needs to be assigned, blame the golf swing. It is complicated, with multiple movements occurring within a fraction of a second and the involvement muscles all over the body. To summarize, this Guide is for the serious beginner – one who has read the standard golf books and take some lessons and is probably already addicted to the game but is looking for a more fundamental understanding of the golf swing and has the patience to work through its underlying theory. The Guide is also for the serious advanced player who has played a lot and has perhaps played well and who is looking for more. The theory of the swing – the subject of this Guide - is not readily found in conventional golf books. An understanding of the theory and dynamics of the swing may help to coax a few extra yards out of anyone’s swing. This Guide is limited to the full golf swing, and nothing but the full swing. The full swing is only one part of the game of golf. The full swing is important. So too is putting. There are myriad shots requiring less than a full swing (three-quarter and half wedges, chipping, pitching, sand and trouble shots); these are important for a complete game. Not only is it important to be able to execute shots, it is also important to know when to execute shots, where to aim and how to select the right club. For the competitive minded golfer, it is important to know how to play well in competition. For all of us, it helps to manage our game, to keep a good round together for eighteen holes, and to quickly identify and solve problems that could quickly transform a good round into a bad one. Finally, fitness has a role too. General fitness helps manage fatigue and prevent injuries. Fitness targeted specifically at the golf swing can create strength and flexibility and lead to increased power and distance. This Guide focuses only on the full golf swing. This aspect of golf is not more important than others; it makes up only one part of the fascinating game of golf. In this Guide: • Chapter 1 provides an introduction to anatomy, physics and the basic movements in the golf swing. • Chapters 2 to 9 describe the basic movements, starting with the anatomy of the joint involved and the relationship between anatomy and the golf movement. • Chapters 10 to 13 address the physics and geometry of the golf swing, leading to a model of the golf swing. The model provides the basis for comments on aspects of the swing. • Chapter 14 provides some ideas about how to incorporate the movements into your swing. Introduction Page 4 GenerallyEclectic.ca • Chapter 15 offers some exercise tips related to the movements. The hope is that it will help you to add thirty or forty yards to your game, and to bring your handicap down by five to ten stokes. The corresponding fear is that it will cause you to obsess about muscles, and to create a path of destruction and lost balls in its wake. Be warned. This Guide is a total revision to a previous version produced in 2010. Notable changes include the addition of information on the physics of the golf swing, corrections related to the role of the hips and legs in the swing, and the introduction of the spinal tilt as a fundamental part of the swing. Chapter 1: Anatomy, Physics and the Swing’s Basic Movements Page 5 GenerallyEclectic.ca CHAPTER 1: ANATOMY, PHYSICS AND THE SWING’S BASIC MOVEMENTS Going around in circles The golf swing works because muscles contract. The contraction of muscles creates rotation. These are the two keys to the golf swing: muscle contraction and rotation. Let us start with muscle contraction. Muscles and their related tendons are attached to two different bones. Most muscles function as part of a lever system in which rigid rod (a bone) moves on a fixed point called a fulcrum (a joint) when a force (a muscle contraction) is applied. With levers, a heavy load can be moved with less effort than would otherwise be necessary. Of course, there is more involved than muscle contraction. A specific muscle will pull a body part in only one direction through its contraction. It cannot push the body part to move in the opposite direction. For that movement, another muscle is necessary. Typically, muscles operate in pairs. “Agonists” are the prime movers that provide the main force. “Antagonists” oppose the action of the “agonists”. To illustrate, to cause a straight arm to bend at the elbow, the biceps on the top of the upper arm are the “agonists” which contract. To straighten the bent arm, the triceps at the back of the upper arm contract; they are the “antagonists”. Movement will normally involve not only the contraction of the “agonists”, but also the relaxation of the “antagonists”. Our brains manage the relaxation side of movement automatically so that we rarely notice it. This Guide will focus on muscle contraction. In the golf swing, muscles operate to cause rotation. Consider the wheels on a car. The engine rotates a shaft to which the wheel is attached. The surface of the wheel is in contact with the road but is some distance from the rotating shaft. The rotating shaft at the centre of the wheel causes considerable movement at the circumference where the wheel meets the road. One way to look at the golf swing is as a number of rotating shafts, each creating club head movement at the circumference of the circle tracked out by the club head during the swing. What are these “rotating shafts”? The eight movements in the golf swing are: • cocking and uncocking of the wrists; • rotating the forearms at the elbow; Chapter 1: Anatomy, Physics and the Swing’s Basic Movements Page 6 GenerallyEclectic.ca • moving the lead upper arm in the shoulder socket; • rotating the upper arms within the shoulder sockets; • moving the shoulder sockets; • twisting and untwisting the spine; • rotating the hips; and • tilting the spine. For each movement, the Guide will describe the basic anatomy, outline how anatomy is incorporated into the movement, explain why the movement “works” to provide club head speed, and offer tips to improve performance where warranted. Let’s look at the individual movements.

Chapter 7: Twisting and Untwisting the Spine Page 30 GenerallyEclectic.ca spine between the hips and the shoulders. The club that you see in the mirror should be on the horizontal plane throughout. Several muscles groups are involved: • One set of muscles is attached to the upper ribs at the one end and various bones in the lower abdomen. To rotate the lower spine clockwise, the contraction of these muscles on the left side shortens the distance between the left ribs and the lower abdomen, contributing to clockwise rotation. • Another set is attached to the lower ribs and the front top of the hip. To rotate the lower spine clockwise, the contraction of these muscles on the right side pulls the lower right ribs toward the right hip, further contributing to the clockwise rotation. • A third set of muscles is attached to the back of the hip and the upper lumbar vertebrae and the last rib at the back. To rotate the lower spine clockwise, the contraction of these muscles on the right side shortens the distance between the right rib at the back and the right hip. This contributes further to the clockwise rotation. Note that the spinal twist is a relatively simple motion-controlled by large muscles in the abdomen and back with relatively few opportunities for the mistake. Unlike movements that use ball and socket joints, it is relatively easy to get the spinal twist right. How much can you twist your spine? The first consideration should be your health; you certainly do not want to injure your back by overdoing the spinal twist. However, there is much you can do to increase your ability to both twists your spine and protect spinal health. In a normal, healthy person who has warmed up the spinal muscles, a spinal twist of 120 degrees (60 degrees in clockwise and counter-clockwise directions) should be attainable without assistance. If you use hands and arms to assist in the twist, you should be able to rotate up 160 degrees in total, or 80 degrees in clockwise and counter-clockwise directions. For most people, the primary constraint on spinal twists is muscle weakness, not inflexibility in the spine. Spinal health is important. Muscles pulls occur frequently. There are a number of muscles tied to the spine; they function among other things to protect the spine. Muscles pulls can be reduced through proper warm up, stretching exercises, and good swing techniques. Disk damage is a major concern. The disks separating the vertebrae can withstand a lot of pressure. The spinal twist should put equal pressure on all parts of the disk. Bending forward, or backward, or to either side, would focus pressure on one side to which the bending takes place. Intuitively, twisting would appear to be healthier than bending. Also, intuitively, the combination of twisting and bending could be problematic, since a bend would put additional pressure on the side of a disk that would already be slightly stressed from the twisting. Chapter 7: Twisting and Untwisting the Spine Page 31 GenerallyEclectic.ca SPINAL TWIST AND THE GOLF SWING – PART 1 The “spinal twist” is different from a “spinal tilt”. The “spinal tilt” occurs through the contraction of muscles on your sides. The spinal tilt will be the subject of Chapter 9. The focus here is the spinal twist. Expert studies of the golf swing have noted that players who hit the ball the farthest frequently do so because of greater “spinal twist”. One way to look at the golf swing is a twist to coil the spine on the backswing, followed by a fast twist in the opposite direction to uncoil the spine on the downswing. To get a sense of the impact the spinal twist can have within the golf swing, remain seated in front of the mirror, grip the club as you would in a golf swing, hold it out in front of you, ensure that your shoulders and arms remain stationary, twist the spine, and observe the range of movement in the club head from the spinal twist. We noted above that the unassisted spine can twist about 120 degrees. Of this, 60 degrees occurs in the backswing and the downswing to the start position. In the modern swing, the spine has typically rotated perhaps 10 degrees beyond the start position at the point of impact. Thus, the total rotation in the downswing would be about 70 degrees. This rotation at the centre of your swing creates considerable movement of the club head. Because the spinal twist occurs with the spine bent forward at the hips, the shoulders do not remain parallel to the ground within the swing. In the backswing, the trailing shoulder will be higher than the lead shoulder because the spine is bent forward. When you look at someone else’s swing, or observe videos of your own swing, you need to look closely to see the spinal twist. Because the shoulders appear to change elevation during the swing, a common swing problem is that golfers tilt the spine to get the change in shoulder elevation during the swing, rather than twisting it. As we shall see in Chapter 9, the spinal tilt has a role to play in the golf swing, but if done at all, it should be done with, not instead of, the spinal twist. You can work on your spinal twist away from the golf course. Simply sit in a chair, put a club across the back of your shoulders, rotate clockwise and counter-clockwise, and concentrate on the contraction of the three major muscles involved. Then, insert this muscle awareness into your golf swing. Take your backswing and hold your position at the top of the swing. You should feel the contraction of the three muscle groups. If you don’t feel the contraction of all three muscles, you may not be turning to your maximum potential. Now take a slow downswing and follow through. Again, feel the muscle groups being used. As a final note, the spinal twist is a potential source of power in the golf swing. The long hitters are obviously tapping into this source. If you are not a long hitter, ask yourself whether you are fully using the spinal twist in your golf swing. Chapter 7: Twisting and Untwisting the Spine Page 32 GenerallyEclectic.ca The Bottom Line • Become aware of the three muscle groups that cause the lower spine to twist. • Take care of the health of your spine by warming up before twisting the spine, and by working to increase flexibility with assisted and unassisted stretching. • Sit in front of a mirror, put a club or similar object across the back of your shoulders, rotate your spine clockwise and counter-clockwise, and make sure the club remains horizontal to the ground. This is the movement you want to use in your swing. • Incorporate this movement into your swing. • Recognize that when you lean forward from the hips, the spinal twist will appear to put shoulders at different elevations during the swing. You are looking for rotation perpendicular to a forward leaning spine, not horizontal to the ground. Chapter 8: Moving the “Hips” Page 33 GenerallyEclectic.ca CHAPTER 8: MOVING THE ”HIPS” It’s not hip. (It’s ankles.) “HIP” ANATOMY In this chapter, “hips” refer primarily to the hip, knee and ankle joints. Anatomically, hips, knees and ankles are separate entities, but in golf, they work as a system with the ultimate goal of moving (primarily rotating) the spinal column that sits above it. Think of the hips in terms of a bone structure. The upper part of this structure provides the base for the spinal column. The lower part of the structure provides the ball and socket joint for the upper leg (femur). The hip joints are inside the periphery of the bone structure. That is because the upper leg (femur) is L shaped. The upper leg (femur) has a long straight vertical component leading to a ball-like structure called the trochanter. The upper leg then has a horizontal component with a ball at the end. The ball fits into a socket within the bone structure Because of the joint between the bone structure and the the femur is a ball and socket joint, each femur can move in a variety of directions relative to the bone structure: toward the front, toward the back, away from the body centre, toward the body centre and a variety of positions in between. It can also rotate within the hip joint. You can get a sense of this rotation by sitting in a chair, and turning the knee clockwise and counter-clockwise. Muscles attach to various points on the femur and the bone structure. Their contraction and relaxation cause these movements. The muscles around the hip joint control the tilt of the bone structure relative to the upper leg. For example, contracting the muscles around the hip joint to bring the upper leg forward effectively tilts the bone structure forward. This, in turn, tilts the spinal column forward. Apart from the tilting of the bone structure, the bone structure goes where the hip joints take it. If the hip joints tilt so that one is higher than the other, the bone structure tilts too. If the hip joints move to the left or right, the bone structure and spinal column follow and move to the left or right. If the hip joints rotate, the bone structure and spinal column rotate. Chapter 8: Moving the “Hips” Page 34 GenerallyEclectic.ca The base of the spine comes out of the bone structure. It goes where the bone structure takes it. Moving the bone structure requires movement of the hip joints. Movement of the hip joints depends on the workings of joints below it, namely the knee and the ankle joints. The knee joint is a hinge joint between the upper leg (femur) and the two bones in the lower leg bones (tibia and fibula). In the absence of gravity, when muscles attached to the front of the lower and upper leg bones (quadriceps) contract, they cause a bent leg to straighten. When muscles attached to the back of the lower and upper leg bones contract, they cause a straight leg to bend behind. When gravity is involved (for example in bending the knee from a standing position), bending the knee will come from relaxing the contraction of the quadriceps. The knee joint does not allow the two bones in the lower leg to rotate relative to the upper leg. To get a sense of this, sit in a chair, straighten the knee out in front, hold your upper leg to immobilize it, and try turning your lower leg (not your ankle) left or right. You will not find much movement. The ankle is where the foot and the two bones in the lower leg meet. It includes three joints that collectively allow the foot to move in a variety of directions. One can: • Pull the foot up toward the shin (dorsi flexion) using the muscles of the front part of the lower legs or push the foot down away from the head (plantar flexion) using the muscles in the back of the lower legs. • Rotate the toe relative to the heel either inward (pronation) or outward (supination). • Turn the entire sole or the foot either outward away from the centre of the body (eversion) or inward toward the center of the body (inversion). Test all these movements by sitting in a chair, moving the foot in the aforementioned directions, and sense which muscles are involved. Observe the movement of the toe relative to the heel. If you start with your foot perpendicular to the ground, you should be able to rotate your foot inward toward the body center (pronation) about 10 degrees, and rotate your foot outward (supination) about 60 degrees. “HIP” ANATOMY AND THE GOLF SWING The “hips” are important in the golf swing. One way to get a sense of their importance is to immobilize them by sitting in a chair and then to try to hit golf balls. Alternatively, place your butt against the back of a chair, and hit golf balls while keeping your butt in contact with the chair. You should be able to feel the importance of the “hips” by noting the loss of power when they are immobilized during the golf swing and